Newsletter 95- May 18th 2023

Prayer of the Week:

Gracious God, Grow our love so deep that it is able and willing to overcome and forgive a multitude of misgivings. Inspire a spirit of hospitality in each of us and enable us to cheerfully share our home . Amen 

Principal's Report:

Welcome

As a school community, we continue to keep Mr. Moloney and his family in our thoughts and prayers. On Saturday Mr Moloney suffered a minor heart attack and has since undergone surgery to install a stent. He is now out of hospital and recovering at home. 

The outpouring of good wishes from staff, students, and families shows how respected and valued Mr Moloney is. It is also a testament to the strong community nature of our school. We wish Mr. Moloney all the best with his recovery. 

Student illnesses and COVID 

Unfortunately, we have had a number of students away from school due to illness. It is great to see that families are keeping children home when they are unwell as it minimises the spread of infections and helps keep the school community healthier. 

We have also had a small number of students and family members test positive for COVID. The current advice from the Department of Education is that if a student tests positive the school should be informed, this can be done via phone, email, or PAM. Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.

The school still has a large number of rapid antigen tests available for families at no cost. They can be collected from the front office or the hall on Fridays at assembly. If you are unable to come to school but would like some rapid antigen tests please contact the office and we will arrange for a test kit to be sent home. 

Family Holidays

As the cold weather sets in many of our families head away for extended holidays during school terms. Often these are once-in-a-lifetime trips that provide wonderful learning experiences. As a school, we ask that families let us know as soon as possible if they are heading away for an extended period of time. This allows teachers to plan for and conduct key assessments. 

Many families also ask for schoolwork while they are away. It is the school procedure that students are provided with books to practice reading and maths work for consolidating learning. We would also suggest that students keep a journal or diary and look for real-life learning opportunities. 

Catholic Education Week 

Next week, we will join schools around Victoria in celebrating Catholic Education Week. All students will attend the parish mass at 10 am on Tuesday morning with parents and carers also invited to attend. This will be followed by morning tea at school and open classrooms from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Then on Friday, we will begin our day with a whole school prayer in the hall at 8:45 am followed by open classrooms until 11 am. 

2024 Foundation Open Day

This a reminder that the school will hold an open day for 2024 Foundation enrolments and their families on Tuesday, May 30th at 9 am.  If you or someone you know has a child starting school next year please contact the school for more information.

 With Faith in Our Future 

Chris McAloon 

School lunch orders are going online:
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Please note that the Highway Milkbar who provide our school lunch orders, have moved to an online ordering system and will be phasing out the paperbag and cash ordering system over the next few weeks. Still only available Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Information regarding the QKR ("Quicker") app and how to get set up for online ordering is attached, alternatively you can order through the QKR website click on the link below, if the app wont download to your device.

https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home and type in Saint Patricks School then set up your account.

Once downloaded, you will also have access to a new and current menu and price list.  Any paper price lists you have at home should be disposed of as prices have changed. 

 *If you have any questions,

please direct them to the Highway Milkbar on

5358 3999.

A word from the office:

Do you have a child due to start Foundation at St Pat's in 2024? 

If so, please contact the office as soon as possible to add their details to the waiting list.  2024 enrolments are now open and siblings of current students are prioritised. 

Kind regards,   Anna Wadge  Business Manager

Wellbeing:

Welcome to May’s Wellbeing Newsletter! We have included a range of articles for you to look at, some app recommendations and some advice and support to boost your mental health and wellbeing.

Relaxation Activity

The Lazy Cat
This exercise helps to release tension in the muscles.

• Pretend that you are a lazy cat that has just woken up from a lovely, long nap.
• Have a big yawn.
• And a meow!
• Now, stretch out your arms, legs and back—slowly, like a cat—and relax
  

App Recommendation from Miss Comitti 

Learn how to manage feelings like anxiety and depression with Catch It. The app will teach you how to look at problems in a different way, turn negative thoughts into positive ones and improve your mental wellbeing.

Mental Health Awareness Week- 25th to 21st May
On the theme of 'anxiety', this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is from 15 to 21 May.

Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem. Focusing on anxiety for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem. Read more about how you can get help to support your anxiety using the mental health website below. 

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our- work/public-engagement/mental-health- awareness-week

Digital magazine-Happiful

Happiful
Use the link above to get access to the full Happiful magazine. Happiful Magazine was born from the passion of two sisters, Emma and Aimi. They wanted to help people looking for local support for their mental health and wellbeing.
Happiful Magazine was the next step in their mission in sharing the knowledge that help and support can always be found when you need it, sharing the stories, experiences and support available for the whole of society and their values are at the core of everything they write and do.

Teaching and Learning:

Junior R:

The weeks are absolutely flying by! So far, Term Two has been jam packed with a lot of learning in the lead up to the assessment period.  Grade One have been using all their superpowers and I am not only proud, but blown away, with how far they have come this year.

In InitiaLit, we have been learning about digraphs, trigraphs, verbs, nouns, adjectives, homophones, compound words, short vowel sounds and long vowel sounds and if this isn’t enough we have also been learning to read and spell tricky words.  During Teacher Lead activities our focus is to read like we are talking.  Phew! No wonder we are tired at the end of the day.

In Writing this term, we have been learning to write sentences.  We are making sure they have a capital letter at the beginning, full stop at the end, they are about someone or something and that they make sense.  We are now moving onto adding more detail to write an imaginative text.

Our superpowers have been particularly evident in Maths.  We have worked collaboratively , taken risks, been curious and resilient to learn the count on strategy using pictures, number tracks and in number sentences.  We have also been measuring the length, capacity and volume of different objects.

In Religion we have been learning about love.  We have looked at the different types of love including God’s love for us and the world. We have begun making a collage of this and will share it with everyone at assembly on Friday.

Our Science unit for Term One and Two has been Biological Sciences and we have been learning how things grow and change.  We looked at different homes animals live and categorising some animals into their body coverage of feathers, fur or skin. Last week we looked at swans and ducks and completed a Venn Diagram of similarities and differences.

In Inquiry we are learning about the past, present and future.  We had to identify things that were out of place in pictures and why (for example: children playing on an iPad in front of the ancient pyramids in Egypt).

We look forward to sharing some snippets of our work with you at assembly this week!

Miss Ryan

National Simultaneous storytime - Wednesday 24th May 2023 

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is an annual event that aims to engage children of all ages to enjoy books by creating a sense of excitement around reading. Now in its 23rd successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy. On this special day (Wednesday 24th May) students and teachers all read the same book.  Each year, a picture book – written and illustrated by an Australian author – is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, homes, children’s facilities and early childhood education and care services all over the country. 

On Wednesday Middle B & C together with Foundation will be walking down to the library to take part in NSS.

Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,Re: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about support provided to students with disabilities. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019). 

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools 
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disabilities.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on students and your students will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please do not hesitate in contacting me at school on 53582493 or via email kryan@spstawell.catholic.edu.au

Kind regards Kerrie Ryan, Learning Diversity Leader

Students of the week:

Mary McKillop Award:

 Mary MacKillop lived a life dedicated to her faith and serving the needs of others. Wherever and however she could, Mary MacKillop did everything possible to improve the lives of others. This award acknowledges the thoughtful actions of the students at St Patrick’s to help others.

"When I could not see my way God kept my heart full of trust to make all come right".                              Saint Mary McKillop

Living in Faith:

Do you or someone you know need some help?

If you need help with groceries, grocery shopping vouchers, come to Stawell Inter Church Council’s “Cottage” 20 Sloane St.  Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10.30am – 12.30pm.  For out of hours emergencies – 0408 038 949.

If you need help with perishable fruit and vegetables, come to Stawell’s Neighborhood House in Sloane St next to Cato Park.  Open Mondays – Fridays.

For other needs contact Stawell St Vincent de Paul -0437 344 323. Ring and leave a message or send a text.  Your request will be responded to within 24 hours.

 Thanks, Mary Rita Thomas President, Stawell St Vincent de Paul Secretary, Stawell Inter Church Council welfare

Catholic Education Week 2023 from 21-26 May.

Theme:  ‘Let the words you speak always be full of grace’  – Colossians 4:6

How we speak and how we are open to change through dialogue, has been subject to deep consideration in many different circles – political, social, ecological, theological. Dialogue opens us to the other, to learn and to change – it is an openness to be moved or influenced and allow for the spirit to be present – this is the invitation our theme offers.

Catholic Education Week is an annual event celebrated by Catholic schools and communities worldwide. During this week, educators, students, and families reflect on the fundamental principles of Catholic education, highlighting its value for individuals, communities, and society as a whole. The celebration is an opportunity to recognize the significant contributions made by Catholic schools in providing quality education and helping students develop spiritually, academically, emotionally, and socially. 

This year we will be commemorating the event with the following:

Tuesday 23rd May -  10am Whole school mass at St Patrick’s Church. All are invited to come along.                                                                                                                                                                  This will be followed by a cuppa at school. Open classrooms 11:30am - 1:30pm 

Friday 26th May - Whole school prayer in hall 8:45 am - 9:00 am 

                                    - Afternoon assembly 2:50pm - 3:15pm School Hall  

Sacrament News: Please keep our children who are preparing for their Sacrament of Reconciliation which will take place on Wednesday 21st June, 2023. 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation in the past has also previously been called Confession.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of two sacraments of healing in the Catholic tradition (the other being the Anointing of the Sick).  Reconciliation celebrates God’s love and mercy towards us.  It is about acknowledging and naming those times when we know we have done wrong, and then making peace and restoring the relationships with those who have been affected by our poor choices.

Please follow us on instagram; stpatsstawell

As Families Week approaches, we'd love to share with you the May edition of CSPV Connect News.

In this issue we've included many opportunities for parents to contribute their perspective on various areas in education as well as several webinars of interest in wellbeing and careers conversations with children.

Student voice also features with a webinar and resources on parent engagement in learning created by a student research team.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading and sharing our content and look forward to supporting you and the families in your school in 2023.

Click to download - CSPV Connect May 2023

Regards, Rachel Saliba

Parents and Friends News:

Winter sports -Thursday May 25th, 2023 -  all teams will be needed to run this event as we will be co-ordinating canteens at both North and Central Parks.  Please let Vaughan, Kate S, or  Libby know if you are able to volunteer or if you are unable to help on the day can you please make a slice and drop to school office ASAP. Thankyou to our hard working parents.

We appreciate and value your support.  Parents & Friends Committee 

Birthdays:

Congratulations to thess students who celebrated their birthday  this week:       
Liam Cameron, Archie Coxon and Maddox Austin                                                   

Around Our Community:

The Strengthening Parent Support Program supports parents and carers of children with disability and additional needs and importantly your child does not require any formal diagnosis for you to join this group. 

 SPSP aims to provide parents with the opportunity to meet other local families in a supportive, relaxed setting where they can socialise, share information or take part in training programs to support them in their caring role. We aspire to offer a network where parents don’t feel alone or judged and allows them to engage freely with peers who may be experiencing very similar trials, challenges and joys in their daily life.  So if you care for someone with additional needs we would love to meet you.

Upcoming Events:

Acknowledgement of Country:

We acknowledge the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land.  We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We thank them for sharing their cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land in this place we all now call home.