Newsletter 163- March 6th 2025
Prayer of the Week:
A prayer for Lent
God of all generations,
We thank you for those who have gone before us, especially those who have cared for your earth and who inspire us to help respect your creation and contribute to its healing.
We thank you for those with whom we share our lives today, especially those who work for justice and peace.
May we welcome the opportunity that Lent brings to walk more closely with you, especially through fasting, almsgiving and prayer.
We thank you for the challenge of the future. May the cross of Jesus remind us that only love finds a way forward.
As we work with big hearts, may we join with Mary in her hope that from now on all generations will experience the great things you will do through us.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Principal's Report:
Dear St Patrick’s community,
We were blessed with a day that turned out beautiful and sunny for our annual Swimming Carnival. A big pat on the back to all the parents and staff who took part in the Parent/Teacher versus Year Six student relay. It was a hotly contested event but luckily us “oldies” managed to just take the win.
Days like this take the efforts of many to ensure that they run smoothly. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped out with the myriad of tasks that needed to be done. Well done to all the students who tried their best. Congratulations to Mackillop for being crowned the overall winner!
Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family as they grieve the passing of his grandfather, Kenneth. As a school community, we extend our deepest sympathies and support, holding them close in our hearts.
NAPLAN starts March 12th
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students undertake. NAPLAN is just one aspect of our school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide our teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.
In exceptional circumstances, a student with a disability that severely limits their capacity to participate in the assessment, or a student who has recently arrived in Australia and has a non-English speaking background, may be granted a formal exemption. It is very rare for St Patrick’s students to be withdrawn from NAPLAN. We believe that our learning on Superpowers such as resilience and risk-taking allows students to delve into the testing with a positive attitude. If you have concerns regarding your child undertaking the assessments on March 13th, please speak to their classroom teacher.
Upcoming Emergency Drill – Fire Drill
At St. Patrick's Primary School, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is always our top priority. To ensure we are prepared for any unexpected situations, we regularly conduct emergency drills, including fire, lockdown, and evacuation practices.
Next Monday- 17th March, we will be holding our scheduled fire drill. This drill involves evacuating to the Stawell Secondary College oval. If families see us moving around on that afternoon, please do not be alarmed – it is part of our commitment to keeping everyone in our school community safe.
These drills are an essential part of our safety protocols, helping everyone become familiar with procedures and ensuring a calm, orderly response in the event of a real emergency. Thank you for your ongoing support as we prioritize safety at St. Patrick's.
Kind blessings,
Bettina
Wellbeing:
Wellbeing Program Update: Resilience, Rights, and Respectful Relationships
We are excited to share an important update about our school’s ongoing efforts to foster a positive and supportive environment for all our students. As part of our commitment to enhancing student wellbeing, we have introduced the Resilience, Rights, and Respectful Relationships program across all year levels. This program plays a vital role in developing emotional intelligence, healthy relationships, and positive social skills that will benefit your child both now and in the future.
About the Program
The program focuses on eight key areas of learning:
- Emotional Literacy – Helping students understand and manage their emotions.
- Personal and Cultural Strengths – Celebrating the unique qualities and cultures of each student.
- Positive Coping – Providing strategies for dealing with stress and adversity.
- Problem-Solving – Teaching students how to work through challenges and conflicts in a positive manner.
- Stress Management – Helping students recognise and manage stress in healthy ways.
- Help-Seeking – Encouraging students to seek support when needed, promoting a strong sense of community.
- Gender Norms and Stereotypes – Educating students on gender equality and challenging traditional stereotypes.
- Positive Gender Relations – Fostering respectful interactions between genders and encouraging equality.
The program is integrated into our curriculum through Wellbeing lessons led by Lynette Cox-Hayward, Michelle Howard, Tracey Huson, and Judy Giles. We will guide students through each area in an age-appropriate way.
Benefits for Your Child
- Emotional Awareness: Students understand and express emotions.
- Improved Problem-Solving: Developing constructive conflict resolution skills.
- Stronger Relationships: Building positive, respectful relationships.
- Resilience: Learning to cope with challenges in a healthy way.
How You Can Help
Support the program by:
- Discussing Topics at Home: Ask your child about what they’ve learned.
- Encouraging Respectful Conversations: Reinforce respectful communication at home.
What some of our students have to say about the program:
Akech: We have been learning about emotions. I like how we do it. It is different from last year when we watched videos about friendship.
Lachy: I like the way that it has started with emotions. It is important to be able to identify emotions so you can share how you are feeling. I do like the way the program works and how it is not just on the screen.
Ollie: I like how we have changed programs. I like starting with emotions. My favourite emotion is natural because it is just like me.
Harper: I like how we have started with emotions and then we have been focusing on empathy. We played a good game about guessing how someone is feeling based on the emotions they are showing. I would like to learn more about how to read emotions.
Ruby: We have been learning about feelings and emotions. I am happy to learn about everything.
Lucas: We have been learning about emotions. We have been looking at pictures of emotions.
Charlie: I like classifying different emotions.
Billie: We are learning about showing our feelings using expression on our faces. I would like to learn about all people.
Amelia: We have been learning how to show how we are feeling using our body and face.
We’re excited about the positive impact this program will have on your child’s emotional and social growth. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Lauren Broadbent Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
Teaching and Learning:
School Assemblies: Our assemblies happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:45pm in the school hall. Students are dismissed from the hall on this day. We invite all our community to come along.
Week 6: Year 5/6 M
Week 7: Year 2 C
Week 8: Year 1 B
Week 9: Year 3/4 B
Week 10: Year 6 - Stations of the Cross
Professional Development: At St Patrick’s Primary School we are committed to Professional Development of our team. At various times staff members will be working off site or online which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.
Term 1 Week 7-
Josh out Wednesday.
Lynette out Wednesday and Thursday.
Lauren out Thursday and Friday for Professional Development.
Year 5/6 M:
Well who can believe we are already halfway through Term 1. Our class has had an amazing term together both socially and academically setting the foundations for a great year ahead.
In the literacy block, we are navigating our way through a new structured literacy approach which suits our students’ learning styles. It includes a combination of a daily review each day, reading groups, paired fluency, spelling and grammar and the reading of our class novel ‘War Horse’. The novel is a fictional tale told through the eyes of a horse named Joey and details the wide variety of experiences he is exposed to in World War 1
In the Writing block, each student has just completed a narrative piece of writing of their choice. A focus for students has been to use a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences and to include literary devices such as metaphors, similes and hyperboles to take their writing to the next level. We are also revisiting some of the persuasive techniques that help make our writing more convincing to believe.
In Math, Grade 5 students have been learning about and applying multiplication strategies to add numbers while the Grade 6’s have been adding decimals and just began a series of lessons which look at how rounding dollar amounts can help with estimating prices.
In Religion, students have explored the term ‘commitment’ and why the season of Lent is so important for the Catholic Church community.
In Inquiry this term, students have begun a unit on government. It looks at the democracy process within Australia, what is required to become a citizen of Australia and how elected officials are chosen, a relevant discussion considering the talk of an upcoming election happening soon.
In Science, we have been looking at creatures within our world and how features of their body allow them to survive in the habitat they live in.
Mr Leon Moloney
Foundation:
The Foundation students have been enjoying all aspects of school life. We have been getting to know not only each other but the other staff members and students at St Patrick’s Primary School.
We have been very busy learning, check out how hard we've been working below
We start our days with a soft start and Investigation play:
Learning intention:
We are learning to:
- Explore new things and ask questions.
- Share and work together with our friends.
- Use our imagination to create stories and games.
- Solve problems and try different solutions.
- Make choices and clean up after ourselves.
- Use our hands to build, draw, and move carefully.
Success Criteria:
I can:
- I can explore new things and ask questions about what I see.
- I can share with my friends and take turns while playing.
- I can use my imagination to create stories or games.
- I can think of different ways to solve problems when playing.
- I can choose what I want to play with and clean up after myself.
- I can use my hands to build, draw, or make things carefully.
Literacy (reading) - Phonological Awareness and letter sounds
Learning intention:
We are learning to:
- Blend sounds to make words.
- Break words into their sounds.
- Recognise the sounds of letters.
Success Criteria:
I can:
- Blend sounds together to make a word (e.g., "c" + "a" + "t" = "cat").
- Identify the sounds in a word (e.g., "dog" has the sounds "d," "o," and "g").
- Break a word into its sounds (e.g., "fish" is "f," "i," and "sh").
Literacy (Writing) - handwriting (our names and copying off the board)
Learning intention: We are learning about writing
Success Criteria:
I can:
- Identify where to start when forming letters
- Write my name correctly
- Copy writing
Maths
Learning intention: We are learning about numbers
Success Criteria:
I can:
- Recognise numbers (know what numbers look like).
- Write numbers (write numbers up to 10 and beyond).
- Match numbers to groups (match the right number to a group of objects).
Religion
Learning intention: We are learning about belonging and prayer
Success Criteria:
I can:
- Identify places I belong
- Elaborate on why it is important to me
- Create a piece of art to show belonging
- Identify places I can feel close to God or where I can pray
Inquiry
Learning intention: We are learning about family structures
Success Criteria:
I can:
- Identify who is in my family
- Create a piece of art to represent my family
Miss Lauren Broadbent
Students of the Week:
Week 5:
Levante Di Pietro - For continuing to work hard to develop the Superpower of being a Risk Taker when you start a new task independently.
Patrick Crosbie - For showing improvements in your group time focus and participation. You are staying on task, focusing on your learning and sharing your ideas.
Bobby Pickering - For always displaying the superpowers of being a risk taker, collaborator and self-motivated learner. Congratulations on all of the wonderful and extra Maths work you have been doing.
Scott Duxson - For always being so polite and hardworking each and every day. It is an absolute pleasure to have you in the classroom. Congratulations and thank you for everything you do!
Imogen Nelson - For the excellent result of 20/20 on your Module 1 Maths Check-Up. Keep up the awesome work Imogen!
Madilyn Carlsen - For the excellent descriptive sentences you wrote in Writing this week. Fantastic work Madi!
Isla Mackley - For your fantastic descriptive writing. You really paint a picture of a setting and engage your reader. Well done!
Beau Cullen - For your great writing during Sentence a Day. You are really getting the hang of using descriptive language. Keep it up!
Mac Bibby - For working hard to consolidate addition algorithms in Maths! Well done!
Jack Driscoll - For your positive attitude and enthusiasm during our literacy lessons this week. Well done!
Nate Jantzen - For being a risk taker in all areas of your learning. You should be so proud of the work you are doing. Keep it up!
Zarli Nicholson - For the kindness, compassion and care you show everyone in our school. What a wonderful role model you are!
Sophie O'Callaghan - For the fantastic way you represented our school at Divisional Swimming in Horsham. You are a superstar Soph!
Bill Lasslett - For your willingness to spend more time with the teacher to consolidate your learning during Maths time. Well done Bill!
Week 6:
Sophie Sanderson - For showing kindness and compassion towards all members of our class and school.
Lexi Mifsud - For developing the Superpower of being a Risk Taker by working hard to improve your writing.
Leon Prockter - For working really hard on your reading this year. Congratulations on being able to sound out the letters and put them together to make a word.
Juliet Fraser - For working so hard to complete all of your work. You are all of the different superpowers each and every day.
Ethan Page - For the wonderful way that you have settled into the St. Patrick's school community. Welcome Ethan, we are lucky to have you!
Archer Cooper - For being a resilient learner in Maths while learning to add and subtract by 10. Keep up the great work Archer!
Marianne Duxson - For accepting feedback during writing and applying it to your writing pieces. I can't wait to read your finished narrative.
Dixie Davenport - For being a helpful and kind member of our class. You always go out of your way to help your classmates. Thank you Dixie!
Fletcher Jones - For being self - motivated and displaying positive behaviours in class. Keep it up!
Ace Rowe - For being a wonderful member of our class and always showing respect to your teachers and peers. Well done!
Prithvi Renjith - For the great sportsmanship you showed at the Swimming Carnival. You swam your best and cheered on all your teammates. Well done!
Tahlia Darker - For the self-motivation you consistently show in your learning. You take risks and clarify your understanding to learn the most you can. Keep up the hard work!
Charli Pickering - For being a self-motivated learner by seeking help when needed during Maths. Well done Charli!
Charles Carter - For striving to be your best across all subject areas. You are a great role-model for your fellow classmates.
Swimming Sports:
On Friday the 28th February, students from Grades 3 - 6 participated in our school swimming carnival in beautiful conditions at the Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre. It was great to see so many smiles as students encouraged others, displayed amazing sportsmanship and gave their all in four individual events, a house relay and the most important event of the day, the annual parent/teacher versus student race.
I would like to say a big thank you to all those who attended the day to support the students and those who assisted on the day whether it was scoring, timing, handing out place-getter cards or helping the P&F with the BBQ.
The individual award winners for the day are attached below and will be presented at tomorrow’s assembly. The age champion and runners up award winners are based on points allocated from individual races, while the sportsperson award is awarded to students who teachers recognised as giving their best, encouraging others or displayed sportsmanship on the day.
Grade 6 Girls:
Champion: Mia Bailey
Runners Up: Allira Lovett
Sportsperson Award: Lilah Beaumont
Grade 6 Boys:
Champion: Charles Carter
Runners Up: Ethan Prydderch
Sportsperson Award: Awuom Kur
Grade 5 Girls:
Champion: Sophie O’Callaghan
Runners Up: Aaliyah Carlsen
Sportsperson Award: Kora Allen
Grade 5 Boys:
Champion: Tanner Freeland
Runners Up: Fletcher Thomas
Sportsperson Award: Prithvi Renjith
Grade 4 Girls:
Champion: Edie Macpherson
Runners Up: Lexie Bailey
Sportsperson Award: Daniella Parkin Alamo
Grade 4 Boys:
Champion: Henry Carter
Joint Runners Up: Jack Driscoll, Isaac O’Callaghan
Sportsperson Award: Curtis Calantog
Grade 3 Girls:
Champion: Evie Field
Runners Up: Isla Mackley
Sportsperson Award: Delilah Terwisscha
Grade 3 Boys:
Joint Champions: Wilem Lovett, Max Lasslett
Runners Up: Harrison Sutherland
Sportsperson Award: Jai Hine
Sustainability:
Marnie and Awuom, the Sustainability leaders, are responsible for daily tasks such as checking the chickens, collecting eggs, and monitoring the food supply. They also participate in a weekly Sustainability session, where two students from each class come together to learn about sustainable practices at school and home. Activities include weeding, feeding chickens, watering, seed collection, plant identification, and harvesting fruits and vegetables.
The Sustainability assistants—Abby, Lilly, Tamika, Boston, and Prithvi—handle the important task of collecting and emptying the food waste buckets from classrooms each day, which the chickens greatly appreciate.
Thanks Team!
The sustainability leaders and assistants recently participated in a cooking activity. They first collected produce from the garden and then worked together preparing the ingredients to make zucchini slice.
Collecting produce from the garden
Carefully measuring.
Grating the cheese
Mix, mix, mix.
The finished result. Yum!
Living in Faith:
Shrove Tuesday
Ash Wednesday
St Patrick's Day Liturgy
Students will be gathering in our school hall for a St Patrick’s Day liturgy on Monday 17th March, 2024 at 8:50am. All welcome to attend. Students are encouraged to wear Green.
Who was St Patrick?
Although many think of Ireland when we talk about St. Patrick, he was actually born in Britain in the 5th century.
He was snatched by Pirates, thrown in a ship, bound in chains, and taken over the sea to Ireland. He was sixteen years old. For six years, Patrick was a slave in Ireland. He was put to work watching sheep and cattle.
During those years, Patrick started to pray. He thought about God all the time, and it gave him peace of mind. He knew that no matter how much he was suffering, God loved him.
Eventually, Patrick escaped from slavery and travelled to France. He then returned to Ireland and spent his life as a Christian missionary credited with converting Ireland to Christianity in the AD 400s.
His real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat and he took on the name Patrick upon becoming a priest.
Harmony Day
This year we will be celebrating our Harmony Day on Friday 21st March.
Harmony Day is a day where we celebrate our cultural diversity, it is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
We are thrilled to announce that The Circus Crew will be joining us as we create a ‘Circus in a day’.
In the circus sessions children will explore this idea of belonging through performance. Students will work with the circus instructor at an allocated time during the school day to learn their act. Students and our St Patrick’s Community are then invited to come together for an evening celebration which will commence at approximately 5:00 pm. Details regarding catering to follow.
A detailed timetable will be sent out on Class Dojo closer to the date. If anyone has any queries or would like to become involved in our Harmony Day activities please the office.
Preparing for Project Compassion
As we approach Lent, we take time to reflect on how we can show kindness, generosity and compassion to those in need.
Each year, our school supports Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion, a fundraising initiative that helps vulnerable communities around the world by providing essential resources such as food, education and healthcare.
Our Project Compassion fundraising boxes are ready to go home with families at the beginning of Lent. These small boxes represent a big opportunity to make a difference, reminding us that even the smallest acts of kindness can bring hope to others.
Together, let’s open our hearts and embrace the spirit of giving as we prepare for the Lenten season.
For more information: https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/
Fundraising:
Each Friday till the end of Term 1 our MiniVinnies group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00 each St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a student program. As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support.
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.
Do you know someone who is doing it tough?
Do you or someone that you know need some help?
If you need help with groceries and shopping vouchers go to -
The Cottage 20 Sloane St Stawell. Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10:30am and 12:30pm. In out of hours emergencies ring 0408 038 949.
If you need help with fresh fruit and vegetables go to -
Stawell Neighbourhood House 42 Sloane St. Open Mondays – Fridays 9am -5pm. If you need help other than groceries and food, contact – Stawell St Vincent de Paul Society – 0437 344 324 and leave a message. They will contact you within 24 hours.
Mary Rita Thomas
Secretary Stawell Inter Church Council
Mary MacKillop 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.
“We have much to be thankful for” Saint Mary MacKillop
Allira
For being encouraging and supportive to all students at the swimming sports.
Thank you for your Kindness.
Ted G
For being kind to others and helping his classmates.
Thank you for your Kindness.
Parents & Friends:
Firstly, thank you to the parents who helped us out last Friday at our Swimming Sports. It was great to see some new families putting their hands up to help and many returning faces reliably stepping in. With thanks to Woolworths donating the bread and meat, we were able to make a nice little profit to begin our fundraising year.
Term 1 is super busy and we have a lot coming your way in the next 4 weeks. We hope you can keep up.
In two weeks' time, we have our annual Harmony Day casserole dinner. A note will come home this week (along with the Cross Country lunch order), requesting your donation of a delicious meal to share. It’s always a wonderful evening of celebration and food amongst our school community and I encourage you all to attend.
Late in the term we will also send the Athletic Sports lunch order home. Week 1 of term two is a short one and the sports are the end of the second week, so let’s get on the front foot and be organised.
The Easter Raffle donations are trickling in nicely but we’d love to see a few more. If you’re able to, please remember to get your donations in over the coming few weeks so our committee can assemble the amazing hampers. In case you’re wondering, yes please do try and sell both sides of the raffle book, however we appreciate any support you can give.
Enjoy the extra Long Weekend.
Kate Field
President
Birthdays:
Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday in the last fornight:
Allyshia, Elsie Da, Bobby, Valeria, Boston, Marley, Evelyn C, Juliet, Vibeesh & Abigail
Diocesan/Parish news:
Mass Times:
Ararat Sunday 8.30am
Stawell Sunday 10.30am
Lake Bolac 1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays 6.30pm Vigil Sat
Landsborough 2nd, 4th Sundays 12.30pm
Glenthompson (Hamilton Parish) 2nd, 4th Sundays 8.30am
Please find below the link for the November 2024 edition of
“Our Diocesan Community”
This Magazine is a way to share the good news stories of our schools, parishes and agencies across the diocese.
https://www.ballarat.catholic.
Around Our Community:
Please follow us on instagram; stpatsstawell
Upcoming Events:
Our Vision and Mission:
Vision Statement: St Patrick's School is a community which reflects and celebrates Christ as its centre point: By honoring our story we value our whole community. By coming together our vision is for a loving, just, compassionate and tolerant world. Mission Statement: In the tradition of St Patrick, we are committed to: Promoting and celebrating a love of God, self and community. Recognizing and enhancing the talents and uniqueness of each person through our vision of Prayer, Care and Learning. PRAYER We nurture and grow our relationship with God as members of a faith community. CARE We foster recognition of difference, compassion for others and the strength to act on our beliefs. LEARNING We develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills essential to reaching our full potential as life- long learners.