Term 4, Week 9, 2023 School Newsletter

News from the Principal

Dear Families,

Week Eight is drawing to a close with a total of 15 days to see out the academic year. It is amazing to observe the reserved Foundation students of January who know show such confidence in class and playground, whilst I see myself losing the height battle with our ever growing Year six students. We wish them all the succes as they have their secondary orientation day next Tuesday and slowly begin to leave us. We do look forward to celebrating their milestone of primary school both at our end of year Mass and graduation dinner on Thursday, 14th December. A reminder that Mass is for all families as it is a celebration of learning for all our students.

We welcome our 2024 Foundation students for their second orientation day next Monday, with all students spending time with their new class teachers on Monday, 4th December between the morning block (9:00am - 11:00am). There is an air of excitement for all about new beginnings. 

This week I announced our new School Advisory Council members for the 2024-2025 term and I hope that all parents thank these parents for their willingness to contribute in this way - Susannah Berens, Marcus Ruthen, Sharon Waters and Rosie Nicholson. We will gather for our final meeting on Thursday and I wil give all parents an update of our discussions following Thursday.

One item for SAC on Thursday will be school fees structure for 2024. Fees are calculated by each school given a Direct Measure of Income (DMI) score introduced in 2020 by the Federal Government using data from the tax office to find the median (average) income of a school community. They then send to schools this data and a Capacity To Contribute table that identifies what is believed to be a fair and reasonable parent contribution for a school community. This year our DMI was 97 (Catholic primary schools in Ballarat range from high 80s to 100) and fees were set accordingly.  I will share our fee structure to families in the first week of December, and whilst a slight change, I am always aware of families' needs and our school is open to educate all students, regardless of income.

School reports for Semester Two are currently being compiled and whilst we work within traditional Foundation - Year Six class structure, we look at each child's learning journey across a whole year and ensure they grow at their potential. This personal model ensures we treat each child as individual learners and not just as a number. And our students are indeed all beautful individual learners.

Enjoy the weekend and we'll  look forward to Week Nine come Monday.

Paul

After a successful grant application  by our dedicated Parents and Friends we have now purchased and installed a defibrillator for our school and the wider community.  It is in the foyer of the building and can currently be accessed from 6.00am - 6.00pm Monday to Friday as we work towards allowing 24 hour access to the whole community and families. 

An absolute lifesaving gift which we hope to never use. 

It was a happy first transition day for our 2024 Foundation students! Great big happy smiles all around!!

Our students at St Thomas Moore Primary School today, participating in the Karuta Japanese card tournament.  A lot of fun had by all! Thanks to Sensei Kirrily for all her hard work and enthusiam.

Whole School Christmas Lunch 2023 

Every year some of our parents host a whole school Christmas lunch for students and staff.  This is a meal that is usually a roast dinner with a surprise dessert!

It is a fun afternoon and a real highlight of the school year for the students and staff.

This year it will be on Wednesday, 6th December, an order form will go home closer to the date. 

Thankyou to all the volunteers for helping and baking on the day!!

An order form will go home on Monday 27th November. 

End of an Era

St Brendan's Primary School of Dunnstown warmly invites you to celebrate with them the "End of an Era". 

Saturday, 25th November from 2pm onwards there will be a celebration at the school, including face painting, Kelly Sports, afternoon tea and official proceedings. 

If you would like to attend a Carvery Dinner from 6pm to 8pm please RSVP directly to St Brendan's on 5334 7604. 

Information regarding the Sacramental program for St Patrick's Parish for 2024.

The Sacramental program is for students in Year 4 and above.  If families are interested in the preparation for Baptism for all children of school age (7 years and up), please see the section on how you may begin this process.

Enrolment forms are available from the office if you require one for your family.

Dear Parents

As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being at all students at St.
Patrick’s, we are reaching out to inquire about any unnotified asthma or allergy plans that may be in
place for your child.

Your child’s health and safety are our top priorities and your cooperation in providing this information is greatly appreciated.

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma or allergies (also seasonal), we kindly request that you
inform us of any existing plans or protocols that should be followed while they are at school. This
information will help us better understand your child’s needs and enable us to respond
appropriately in case of health related situations.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact us with any
questions or concerns.

Please follow the link for the latest Scholastic Book Club catalogue. Please have orders in by Monday 27th November to allow for delivery before the end of the term.  If you place an order and they are a gift, please let Julie or Nadia know in the office so that books are not delivered to the children. 

Book Club provides families with an affordable and convenient way to bring the best in children’s literature into their homes. Each issue contains curated, age-appropriate titles that have been carefully selected and levelled by a dedicated team of professional booklovers.

Scholastic operates on a unique model, proudly partnering with Australian schools and educators for over 50 years. As well as bridging the important class-to-home reading gap, Book Club also benefits Australian schools—for every Book Club order placed, Scholastic gives back 15% of the order spend to schools to purchase valuable educational resources via its Scholastic Rewards program.

Playgroup

Playgroup is a fun and relaxed opportunity for children, parents, families and communities to come together for  play and social interaction.

It is an inviting and relaxing atmosphere and all families are welcome to join in, it is held from 9am until 10.30am every Monday in the school hall. Heaters are turned on, it will be warm and toasty, tea and coffee making facilities available and story time with our foundation teacher and students. 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call the office on 5368 9495.

Story-Time

Story-time during playgroup on a Monday with our Foundation students and teacher. Such a fun and engaging activity for the playgroup children to sit and join in with the big school kids!

Gordon Parish Mass

School Term Dates

Music lessons