2023, Term 4, Week 2 Newsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

St. Patrick's School acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, the Koroitch-gundidj people of the Maar Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. 

Principal's Message

Dear parents and carers,

Employment

I am very pleased to announce that this week our school appointed Ms Kayla O’Connor and Ms Bridget van den Broek to teaching positions for next year. Both teachers come to our school with experience in many current approaches to learning and teaching at St Patrick’s and will be valuable assets to the learning and teaching team. Kayla will fulfill a 0.6 FTE (3 days) role classroom teaching and Bridget will be teaching STEM 0.2 FTE (1 day). Welcome Kayla and Bridget. 

Crazy Sock Day

Thank you to students for getting the spirit of Crazy Sock Day today. Students participated in Catholic Mission activities in class throughout the day. I did not know you could get such amazing socks these days! There were certainly some impressive designs on show. 

Excursions aplenty!

This coming week we have two excursions. 

On Monday 16th October we are visiting Port Fairy (St Patrick's School) for the Musica Viva presentation, sponsored by the Community Bank Port Fairy & District (Bendigo Bank) and the patrons of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival with additional support from Moyne Shire and Creative Victoria. We sincerely thank these groups for inviting us along. 

On Wednesday 18th October we are visiting Emmanuel College to see the Wadaiko Rindo Japanese Drumming performance which has been coordinated by Emily Sensai. This excursion will complement our school’s LOTE Japanese program.

We would appreciate your assistance by promptly attending to the approvals of the permission requests in PAM.

Help needed (ride home from school)

We have a family who is in need of some support to get their Rm 1 child home at the end of each day from October 18th onwards.

They live in north-west Koroit. If you think you may be able to help on a regular basis or for a week or two, can you please contact the school office and we will put you in contact wtih the family.

P&F Roles 2024

Our current P&F Co-Presidents, Tammy Langdon & Amy Perry, will be stepping down from the role at the AGM in Novemeber.  If this, or any other involvement in the P&F, is of interest to you, please speak to Amy, Tammy or myself for further information.

Nick Murrell

Principal

Picnic in the Paddock

Raffle Tickets - If you have already sold your raffle tickets, please return them to the school office. If you have friends and family interested in more tickets, additional books can also be picked up.

Wrist Bands - pre-purchase wrist bands are available on CDFPay or from the school office.

Star of the Sea South West Coast - Employment Opportunities

Please find below an ad for the Parish Secretary and Admin positions. 

Our Parish Secretary for the past 13 years, Leanne McElgunn, has advised of her intending retirement on Friday 24th November.

This position will need to be filled and the Parish seeks interest from either experienced and/or qualified individuals.  Interested individuals may call into the Parish office at St. Joseph’s Warrnambool to collect a role description or call 5562 2231 for further information.

This is a role of about 32 hours per week  (9.00am - 4.00pm) with award wages but this could be negotiable.

There is also a part-time administrative position as well. The work load has increased for our administrative staff due to our larger Parish. The latter position would be a 0.4 or 0.5 position.

Fr John Fitzgerald

For further details, please contact the Parish Office on (03) 5562 2231.

Overdue Library Books

Overdue library notices have been sent home with students today and we have quite a few outstanding books. Could parents please encourage their children to have a look for these books over the weekend and return them to school next week.

In the news!

Make sure you pick up a copy of the Warrnambool Weekly or check out the on-line edition!  Not only are we on the front cover, there are a number of hotos inside as well.

On-line link below.

2023 Bushfire Season

As we enter the 2023 Bushfire Season, we remind families about potential school closure in the event of a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating (FDR) day.

Fire danger ratings and warnings are used in Victoria to provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life.

Schools and children’s services listed on the Department of Education and Training Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) will be closed when a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating (FDR) Day is determined in their Bureau of Meteorology district. Our school has been identified as being one of those at high grassfire risk and is listed on the BARR.

• Where possible, we will provide parents with up to four to seven days’ notice of a potential Catastrophic FDR Day closure via SZApp. A Catastrophic FDR day will be determined by the Emergency Management Commissioner no later than 1.00 pm the day before the potential closure. Once we are advised of the confirmation of the Catastrophic FDR Day, we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.
• Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast. This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child. It is also important to note that:
• No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic FDR Day.
• School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic FDR Day is determined by the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located.
• Depending on which Bureau of Meteorology district is impacted, bus route cancellations may affect our school.

**A Catastrophic FDR Day is not the same as a Total Fire Ban Day.

On these Catastrophic FDR Days families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan – on such days children should never be left at home or in the care of older children.

• For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the CFA advise that when Catastrophic FDR Days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic FDR Day.
• As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan.
  

Further information on preparing a Bushfire Survival Plan for your family can be found at https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/.

School Fees/Volunteer Levy

Current Statements have been sent home this week.  If you have assisted with an event but are yet to claim a deduction to your Volunteer Levy, please see the office to complete a form.  Volunteer Levy deductions for 2023 must be recieved by the last week in Novemeber.

For those with. outstanding account balances, we would appreciate if you could please make arrangements at your earliest convenience.  If you are having difficulty with your account, do not hesitate to speak confidentially with me to discuss payment options.

Nick Murrell

Uniform Sale

A $10 sale on uniform stock held at school continues through CDFPay (excludes School Bags, Hats and Sports Polos).

Student Awards

Room 1

Olivia Gleeson for her amazing work in maths this week. You have concentrated on the lessons and tried your best during activities and games. Well done Olivia!

Logan Huckstepp for being an amazing leader in Room 1 and role model to your peers. I am very proud of your attitude towards school and learning. Keep it up Logan!

Room 2

Sam Wood for his exceptional writing skills during writing this week. It has been fantastic to see you so focused during our tasks, this has allowed you to create wonderful command and exclamation sentences! I am so proud of you Sam, keep up the great work!

Hunter Erwin for his outstanding creativity in his sentence writing this week. Hunter was able to create impressive command and exclamation sentences about our fable “The Dog in the Manger”. Well done Hunter!

Room 4

Ted Porter for writing fantastic sentences in writing time. 

Olivia Foster for independently completing her fraction task.

Room 5

Ruby Hilliam for the great use of Tier 2 words as well as her ability to correctly apply adverbs during this week’s procedural writing task. 

Hayden Van Rysingen for the tenacity he demonstrates when solving 2 and 3 step mathematical word problems. Congratulations Hayden keep up the great effort!

Room 7

Niamh McGoldrick for being especially helpful and flexible during this week with her learning and for also having a positive can-do attitude. You're amazing!

Diesel Watson for demonstrating a productive work ethic at school this week and completing his tasks at a higher level. Thanks so much for trying your best!

Sports

Jaxon Leishman, Ellie Dobson, Myra Quill, Ruby Hillam and Layla Smits for qualifying and competing at the Greater Western Region Track and Field competition last week. Congratulations on representing our school with distinction.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Ella Lumsden, Hayden Van Rysingen and Billy O'Connor who are celebrating their birthdays at this time. 

Canteen Roster

Please see below for the current version of the Canteen Roster.

Cake Raffle - Term 4

Thanks to those who put their hand up for the cake raffle roster so far this year.  

If you would like to go on the list in Term 4, please let me know.

Thanks,

Kate

0408 399 144

Term 4 Assembly Roster

Parents & Friends

Directwear Uniform

As stock runs out at school Directwear will start supplying the items, they will be available to buy on their website at www.directwear.com.au  

Uniforms can be collected from the Directwear home address in Warrnambool or posted to you.

Items now available on the website are:

Short Sleeve Polos - sizes 8 & 10    $28.95

Black Sports Shorts -sizes 6, 8 & 14   $32.50

Grey Pants - sizes 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 & 16   $54.50

Black Trackpants  - sizes 6, 8, 10, 12   $40.00

Black Skorts - sizes 8 & 10 $32.50

School Dress - All sizes $38.95

Contact details for Direct wear are:

email info@directwear.com.au or phone Dion Jansz: 0412 654 406

Star of the Sea Parish Bulletin

MacKillop Family Services

Could you make a difference to a young life?
Could this be what you are looking for?
Foster carers come from all walks of life. They can be working, not working or
retired; married or single; in same-sex relationships; and can own or rent their
home. The most essential criteria are that they care, can provide a safe and
nurturing home, and have room in their home to support a vulnerable child or
sibling group.
If you would like to know more call MacKillop Family Services on 1300 791 677,
visit www.mackillop.org.au/fostercare or ring Alana in our Warrnambool office on
5500 2000.

Dates to Remember

REMINDERS

October

16th - Musica Viva @ Port Fairy

18th - 

20th - School Closure Day

24th - Junior Regional Hooptime (3/4 Girls)

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