Newsletter 79-December 2nd 2022

This week marks the  second Sunday of Advent and gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and prepare ourselves for his second coming. The theme is Peace. We bring peace to the world when we bring peace to our world. Jesus came to bring peace. He tells people, over and over, not to be afraid. But peace begins at home, within our walls and within ourselves. Jesus offers us peace, but we have to be willing to take the step to rid ourselves of all that gets in the way of that peace. If we change our lives for the better and try to do the right things, we can help to make the world a happier place for other people too. How are you going to change your life for the better this Advent?  What will you do for others so that you are ready when Jesus comes? 

God, thank you.

Thank you for being the One we were waiting for. 

Help us open our hearts and minds to all you have for us this Advent season.

Bless our efforts to extend the love you have shown us to others.

 In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolises the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ.   The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

2023 School Fees
Please see attached information regarding 2023 School Fees.
For families on direct debit or standing EFT arrangements and those with students starting or finishing at St Patrick's next year, please consider whether your current payment arrangements will need to be amended.  
Please do not hesitate to contact me in the office should you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Anna WadgeBusiness Manager

School Term Dates 2023:

Term 1: January 30th - 6th April

Term 2: 24th April - 23rd June

Term 3: 10th July - 15th September

Term 4: 2nd October - 19th December

Assembly:   It is fantastic to once again have our Friday school assemblies happening. Assembly starts at 2:50pm every Friday afternoon in the hall. All family and community members are welcome. 

Assembly roster for term 4:

Week 9 - Middle B                     Week 10 - Middle H                   Week 11 - Buddy & Foundation

End of year celebrations:

The walls of the classrooms are starting to look emptier than they looked a month ago and  learning materials are starting to get organised for the year ahead.

As this school year comes to a close, it is important to acknowledge all the feelings that come with such a transition. They provide natural opportunities to pause and to acknowledge and celebrate successes. It can often be difficult to remember to pause so that we can refocus and regain balance. Taking the time to pause creates an opportunity to hit the reset button in our minds, to be more present, to more fully acknowledge the moments, thoughts, and emotions that are an important part of the end of the school year.  We need to take time to celebrate our amazing achievements this year and reconnect with our community.  

* Please join us at our End of Year Celebrations - School Picnic and Carols to  celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our school and community working together to ensure the best outcomes for our students. 

What are some of the moments of the school year that stand out? What are some of the challenges that yielded success? Celebrating the successes of the year helps end the year on a positive note. 

End of Year celebrations - Carols on the green. 

When: Wednesday 14th December, 2022.Where:  St Patrick's Primary School Oval   

Time:  6:30pm   Catering:  BYO picnic or OZI Kebabs food van will be here (same as Harmony Day) 

BYO: chairs/picnic blanket 

Carols:  Each year level will present a Christmas Carol throughout the evening.  Our Foundation students and their buddies are starting next week to work on performing and recording an interpretation of the Nativity Story.  This should be fun.  The short performance will be filmed and shown prior to our carol performances. 

End of year Grade 6 Graduation mass:     Unfortunately due to the Church being renovated our end of year Graduation mass will be held in the school hall.  Due to the large number of students and guests we are unable to invite our whole school community to celebrate this.  Our Grade 6 Graduation mass will start at 5:30pm (school uniform to be worn please) following which we will go into our school carols presentations and picnic for our whole community. 

We have been busy finishing our final assessments and tasks for the end of the year. Currently we are working on…..Reading:   Finishing our FINAL REVIEW for our Cars and Stars Program. It has been wonderful to see all the progress that we have made this year with our reading and comprehension strategies.

Writing:Creating and producing a mystery narrative called ‘Who pushed Humpty Dumpty?’ We are writing from the perspective of the detective and have created some very interesting scenarios involving Humpty falling from the wall.

Religion:Producing and presenting a retell of either The Seven Days of Creation or The Three Wise Men. We are using Stop Motion to capture images of our story and have written a script retelling the story in our own words.

Inquiry:Creating and presenting our Christmas song using body percussion and percussion instruments.

STUDENT QUOTES

Mackenzie 

I like writing our Humpty Dumpty story because it’s a mystery

Jack D

I like how I can see my answers in Cars and Stars. It helps me improve my reading

Harper

I’ve liked making things for our Stop Motion video. It’s been fun working with my group.

Fundraising: Every Friday our Social Justice group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00 each at lunch time.

October is World Mission Month, a month dedicated to the life-giving work of missionaries around the world.  This year Catholic Mission is raising money for local communities in Ethiopia to help provide life-changing opportunities to those most in need.  If you would like more information or wish to make a donation please visit:

https://www.catholicmission.org.au/worldmissionmonth

Below is an extract from Catholic Mission and their current work in Ethiopia. 

We are currently supporting a range of mission development programs in Ethiopia addressing malnutrition, the lack of access to education for young children, and the vulnerable position of women in society. In the rural region of Emdibir, where 70 percent of families struggle to put food on their tables, we are working towards providing them with a sustainable source of nutrition by building a goat rearing centre. The resources produced through the Centre will help fight malnutrition, a phenomenon that contributes to 50 percent of child deaths.  In the capital, Addis Ababa, the life-giving work carried out by our local partners is helping children access education. We are also supporting women in the town of Meki to learn skills and gain financial independence by providing access to vocational training, which can help them secure employment or start their own businesses. 

As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support. 

Maryanne Comitti    Religious Education Leader 

5c Challenge is back

Once again St Patrick’s Primary School annual 5 cent challenge will start from Monday 28th November 20222 to our final day of the Term. 

Last year our school community raised enough money to fund four children through the St Vincent de Paul Assist a Student program. These three childrens school education was fully paid for by the generosity of our school community. 

Each classroom is participating in our annual 5cent challenge.  We are seeking donations of 5c coins to go into our money boxes in the classrooms. 

For more information please see:  https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/Our_Impact/International_Impact/Assist_a_student_today/

Why do we at St Patrick’s raise money for the poor?  

Catholic schools participate in the Church’s mission “to bring the Good News to the poor” (Luke 4:18). In partnership with parents, parishes and other agencies within the Church and the broader community, Catholic schools are called to give witness to a faith which does justice with love. All have a responsibility to read the signs of the times and to respond with love and compassion, ever seeking to protect human dignity and serve the common good. The Catholic Church teaches that the poor represent those who are marginalised in society. Jesus himself taught the importance of helping those who are poor and need help.

Second hand uniforms

At this time of year please consider if your child’s uniform is too small and donate it to the second hand uniform bank.  Likewise if you need a new uniform for next year please call into the office as we have a large amount available. 

If you are able, uniform purchase is a gold coin donation. 

Maryanne Comitti - Religious Education Leader

Delilah Terwisscha Van Sheltinga - For all the hard work and dedication you have put into improving your reading skills. Keep up the great work Delilah.

Harry Sutherland - For the sensational work you’re doing working on your reading fluency. Keep up the wonderful work Harry.

Henry Carter - For the wonderful work you have been doing in maths.  You are a great thinker and problem solver!

Lexie Bailey - For the effort you have been putting into your writing.  You are adding adjectives and conjunctions to make more detailed sentences.  Well done!

Akech Kur  - For working so hard in all areas and for excellent end of year results! Thanks for being such a hard worker Akech!

Lilly Hine - For the excellent improvement in your spelling and writing. You've shown amazing growth, well done Lilly!               

Ally Smith - For your lovely insights about empathy during our Wellbeing lesson.

Mackenzie Farrell - For the dedication you show to improving your learning and skills in all subject areas. You have made wonderful progress this year and it is all because of the effort you put in and the fact you never give up. Well done Kenzie.

Jayde Lowe - For your unique take with your Humpty Dumpty story.  You are showing such wonderful independence with your writing.  As well as your success with your reading comprehension strategies this term.  Great work Jayde!

Chloe Pearce - For your focus and dedication when learning about decimal fractions during Maths. Also, your outstanding work writing a narrative based on Who Pushed Humpty Dumpty? Well done Chloe!

James Hemley - For your fantastic efforts with your quarterly, your positive attitude and eagerness to learn is something you should be very proud of.

Callum Reading - For your amazing results on your quarterly achieving 25/25. We are very proud of you!

Torah Pickering - For achieving a perfect score in your latest Stepping Stones quarterly test. Well done Torah!

Laila Gready - For achieving outstanding end of year assessment results across all subject areas. Keep working hard Laila!

On Sunday 11^th Dec after 10:30am Mass, the CWL will be hosting a Christmas themed cuppa in the St Pat’s church hall.  Everyone is welcome.

Congratulations to these students celebrated their birthday this week:

Delilah Terwisscha Van Scheltinga

Daniel Abraham