Term 2, Week 5, 2024 School Newsletter

News from the Principal

Dear Families,

Another week has passed us by and it has been as busy as ever. We will complete the week with celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with  students and the Parish this Sunday. We keep Mabel, Michael and Charlotte in our prayers.

This week we have celeberated the joy of teaching with Miss Cate as her placement concludes and James Hutchinson-Everist who has spent the week with us as part ot his Year 10 work experience. Both have added to the fabric of our school in a most positive way.

This coming Monday the School Advisory Council will hold its Term Two meeting with a redrafted uniform policy  an agenda item. This will be presented to families next week. It seeks to add clarity to what constitues the correct uniform for students and appropriate accessories. There is no plans to overhaul the complete school uniform. 

I will share with the SAC information regarding the recent State Governemnt Budget that denied all families with primary age students the announced$400 payment, therefore denying a large number of our families this budget announcement. Once added to the current list of 19 programs Catholic schools are denied in their entirety or partly, such as funding for Out of Hours Crae programs to be established. We are asked to promote this inequality to our local member of Parliament and I will share this next week.

Illness still sits with us and it is noted by the Health Department that it is across all age groups, with the common signs of chest and respiratory issue and tiredness two common symptoms. I appreciate families keeping children at home during this time, and whislt frustrating, we know it slows the spread and hopefully will be less of an issue going into winter.

Having completed the interview process for Elizabeth Jerram's  maternity position to commence next term, I will share our new Foundation/Year One teacher with the school community next Tuesday following the SAC meeting Monday night. I am very confident this new staff memebr will be a wonderful addition to staff, whilst Libby begins wonderful  motherhood and retunrs to us in time.

Enjoy your weekend, may your team win or you get to do someting that brings a smile to your face.

Paul McDowell

Principal

We keep Miss Fiona in our hearts and our prayers at the passing of her beloved mum, Mary, who passed away on Sunday, 12th May. Her life will be celebrated this coming Monday at St. Brigid's Ballan.

Mary was also grandmother to Miss Cate and Miss Hannah who we keep in our thoughts and prayers.

We also keep the Moran family in our prayers as Jody, our School Advisory Council co-chair, celebrates the life our her grandfather today, who passed away last Thursday. We keep close Ruby, Tom and Holly as they mourn their great-grandfather.

May both rest peacefully 

May the sunshine warm upon your face. May the rains fall upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Congratulations to the lovely Miss Cate on completing her teaching degree.  It has been an absolute pleasure having her here at St Patrick's Primary School completing her final placement for university.  We have all enjoyed getting to know you and watching you grow in confidence with your teaching.  The students have loved having you with them and will really miss you.  Good luck with your future endeavours!!

A big thankyou to James Hutchinson-Everist for his contribution to our school this week.  James finished his primary school journey at St. Patrick's in 2020 and his younger brother Ollie finished up in Year Six last year. James was here for the week completing work experience, reading stories in Foundation, assisting with goal umpire duties at our senior sports carnival and teaching Mr. Lamb how to do mathemtical puzzles quicker (sudoku) to the delight of class.  James attends Damascus College and would like to one day be a teacher. We wish James the best for the rest of the year and his future studies.

Mother's Day Celebration

Thankyou to each and every one of you who were able to attend our Mother's Day afternoon tea. It was wonderful to see such an amazing turn out for the afternoon.  

Thankyou to the delightful Parents & Friends who gift-wrapped all the gifts for our mums and special people and for coming in on the Thursday to work on the gift stall.  Your help is very much appreciated and without, these wonderful events wouldn't be able to take place.

A huge thankyou to Mr Lamb and students for making all of the delicious scones, they were very tasty and not one was left over!

Swim & Gym Week 5

Five weeks of the swim/gym program is now complete.  It was fantastic to see our students have a wonderful time, step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to try new things and work together in challenges set out for them.  

Pirates of the Curry Bean Rehearsals

Tickets on Sale NEXT WEEK

Rehearsals are underway!  Every Wednesday and Friday  from 2.15pm - 3.30pm the whole school will be rehearsing for our end of term production, Pirates of the Curry Bean. Please keep this in mind if needing to pick up children early.

A reminder that on the production day, Thursday 27th June - school day for all students will commence at 12.00pm

This is to ensure that all children will travel by bus at 3.30pm to Mount Clear Secondary College for a full dress rehearsal prior to the main event.  Families are then free to travel to the college free of worry. 

We will be using the online platform Humatix for the school production whereby families will reserve specific seats at the time of booking. Alink will be forwarded by next Friday.

Prices are as follows:

Adults   $10 per ticket

Secondary Age Students $10 per ticket

Under school Age Free  (ticket required)

Please take some time to read the letter and the Tip Sheets. There is an opportunity for familes to come together for a Parent Information Evening, titled Raising Kids in a Digital World that is highly recommended and we encourage you to attend. 

Above is an article on Roblox and is an example of information you can find on the Inform & Empower website. 

This will be held on Wednesday, 19th June at the Ballan Recreation Reserve, commencing at 7.00pm.

A flier with QR code for attendance will be forwarded when available next week.

Here is the link to Inform & Empower for you to view.

https://www.informandempower.com.au/

Sadly, the number of children in out of home care are increasing while the number of foster carers are decreasing. This often results in very young children residing in residential care, or moving regularly from home to home.

If you or anyone you know may be interested in this worthwhile cause please reach out to CAFS. 

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. 

Health Update For All Families

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.

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.

Gordon Parish Mass

School Term Dates

Music lessons

We are now taking bookings for 2024 music lessons.  If you would like any information please contact Tim on 0450 904 464 and he can discuss with you.