2024, Term 1, Week 6 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,

It was wonderful to see families and staff come together at the welcome BBQ last night! A big thank you to Mel Lilley and her social engagement team for organising the event and cooking the delicious sausages, and to the McMahon family for providing the tasty salads. There was lots of fun had by all!

Thank you to all parents and students for their support and cooroperation with the new junior school drop off routine! With smoother and more organised procedures in place, students and families now experience a streamlined transition, allowing for a calmer start to the day. As a result, students arrive at school with a sense of ease and readiness to engage in learning activities, enhancing their overall learning experience.

Next week marks the start of NAPLAN for our Year 3 and 5 students. We are confident that they will showcase their learning to the best of their abilities. I want to remind students as NAPLAN approaches, that it is just one assessment, and while it's important, it doesn't define who you are as individuals. Your kindness, compassion, and character shine far beyond any test score. 

Preparations are underway for the St. Patrick's Day festivities. Since it falls on a Sunday this year, we have decided to celebrate on Friday March 15th. I everyone is welcome to our whole school mass which starts at 9.30am. Once the mass has concluded, students will return to school to participate in some fun St Patrick’s Day themed activities as well as our very own ‘Green Faces’ in the hall at 2.30. We hope to see you all there!

Have a wonderful and safe long weekend

Kind regards,

Tegan McDonald 

Principal

Third Week of Lent

(Week beginning Monday 4 March)

Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking
water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as
a result.

Leaia lives with her five children, husband, brother and sister-in-law on the
island of Upolu in Samoa. Not having access to a reliable source of clean
water caused Leaia a lot of worry.

Their home is not connected to a piped water system, so they had to rely
solely on rainwater collected in old fridges. When their water ran out, Leaia
had to walk with her young children to collect water in buckets and containers
from a neighbour down the street.

With the support of Caritas Australia's local partner, Caritas Samoa, a water
tank was installed at Leaia's home. She and her family now have a steady
supply of clean drinking water at home. Next year, they will also have a toilet
built, with the support of Caritas Samoa, which will further improve their health
and living conditions.

“We are very thankful and grateful for the water tank. It has helped us so
much and made our daily life easier,” Leaia said.

Please donate to Project Compassion.

Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today
and build a better tomorrow for all future generations.

You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes, online by
visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413.
Photo: Laura Womersley/Caritas Australia

St Patrick's Day Celebrations

NAPLAN 2024

NAPLAN  testing for Year 3 and Year 5 students is upon us again. The schedule is set as follows and teachers would really appreciate it if participating students are at school at these times:

March 13 (Wednesday) @ 11:30 am - Writing

March 18 (Monday) @ 9:00 am - Reading

March 19 (Tuesday) @ 9:00 am - Conventions of Language

March 20 (Wednesday) @ 11:30 - Maths

It is important that parents/carers understand the purpose of the NAPLAN tests and a hardcopy of the below information brochure has been sent home with participating students this afternoon. Further information is also available at 

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/f-10assessment/naplan/Pages/parents/index.aspx

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher or the principal if you have any questions.

School Athletics Sports - Thursday 21st March

School Athletic Sports are coming up on 21st March - Mrs Swarbrick is seeking parent helpers, in particular to run the field events.  The field events will run between 10.15am-12.30pm approximately. If there are enough volunteers, parents will be able to share these roles so they will still have the opportunity to see their children at some of the other events.

If you are able to help, please email Helen - hswarbrick@spkoroit.catholic.edu.au

Feel free to nominate your preferred event - Long Jump, Triple Jump, Vortex Throw, High Jump, Shuttle Relay, Sack Race, Shot Put or Fox Tail throw.

Start of Year Administrative Items

There are still a number of families yet to complete the administrative items mentioned in our bulletin from 8th February (https://spkoroit.schoolzineplus.com/_admin/cms/newsletter/128).

The CyberSafety Agreement, Code of Conduct and information regarding the use of the Church will all pop up as a reminder to attend to when you login to PAM.  It would be appreciated if you could please attend to these as soon as possible.

Parents & Friends

Folk Festival

Good luck to all our Folk Festival Volunteers this weekend - thanks for your support!  

Catering

Thanks to Tammy Langdon, Mary Gleeson & Mallory Cuolahan who catered for another Professional Development day run by the Catholic Education Office at school this week.  The delicious food always gets rave reviews at every PD held at Koroit!

Easter Raffle 

Tickets for the annual Easter Raffleare out today! This will be drawn at the Easter Liturgy on the last day of Term.

Opportunities to be involved

Please see details below for opportunities to connect with families and to get involved in P&F activities.

Welcome BBQ

Thanks to everyone for coming out to enjoy our BBQ last night - the weather was perfect and the company was great!

Social Justice - Room 7

Room 7 have been putting together fundraising ideas for Caritas Australia (Project Compassion) as a part of their Social Justice studies.  Here are three of the plans, more details will come out via ClassDojo next week.

Canteen Menu

Our school canteen will be offering a variety of tasty treats for students to enjoy on Wednesdays and Fridays. Below is the price list for the items available:

We kindly ask that students bring limited amounts of money to school on these days to avoid overindulging in sweets. As part of our commitment to promoting healthy eating habits, we have set a limit of ONE lolly treat per child.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us create a balanced and enjoyable canteen experience for all students.

Assembly Schedule - Term 1

***Please note that Student Awards will only be published in the newsletter and presented on weeks where there is assembly.

Learning Walk

Casserole Bank

The St Pat's community has a wonderful tradition of the "Casserole Bank" where families come together to provide a meal or snacks/lunchbox items for families within our school who are in need of support (for example, a new arrival, family illness or bereavement).

This year, the Casserole Bank will be coordinated through the school office.  If you are aware of a family requiring support, please contact the office.

If you are willing to help out during the year, please register your name details on the google form below & we will reach out when the need arises.  The more volunteers we have, the fewer times people will be called upon to help out.

Canteen & Cake Raffle Rosters

Thanks to those who have already signed up for the Canteen & Cake Raffle Rosters.

As you can see, there are still some spaces on the Canteen Roster for this term.  Please use the links below if you wish to sign up for a shift.

Canteen Sign Up Sheet - volunteersignup.org/WHHAM

Cake Raffle Sign Up Sheet - volunteersignup.org/PTFPM

CANTEEN ROSTER

Virginia Martin co-ordinates the canteen, arranging for the stocking of snack items and is happy to take questions from prospective volunteers  - 0419 883 657.

CAKE RAFFLE ROSTER (Term 1)

If you have any questions about the Cake Raffle, please contact Kate Dobson 0408 399 144.

Star of the Sea Parish Bulletin

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Ava Monnier who celebrates her birthday this week.  We hope you have a great time celebrating with family and friends.

Mothers who Pray for their Children

'Mothers Who Pray for Their Children’ will hold their first Australian conference, in Melbourne, at the Catholic Leadership Centre.

Immerse yourself in a day, beginning with adoration and Holy Mass. Join for enlightening talks from local, interstate, and international speakers. Listen to the uplifting melodies of acclaimed Catholic musicians, and explore stalls showcasing the richness of our Catholic community, all while embracing the conference’s central theme—‘Walking the Path of Holiness.’

Mothers, grandmother‘s, Godmothers and spiritual mother's, come and secure your place for an enriching day of spiritual growth and community connection!

https://www.motherswhoprayfortheirchildren.com/

Student Awards

Room 1

Hazel Purcell for being a respectful, responsible and safe member of Room 1. You are a wonderful role model for your peers as you are always kind, caring and inclusive both inside the classroom and during play time. 

Spenncer Wood for your hard work in handwriting this week! You have made fabulous progress in your letter formation. Keep up the great work!

Room 2

Anika Nagorka for embracing the new school drop off routine! You have been so brave and resilient during this time. I am so proud of you! Keep up the great work!

Logan Huckstepp for his consistent efforts during spelling this week. Logan, you are always focused during this time and are a fantastic role model for your peers. Well done Logan.

Room 4

Olympia Jordan for being a very responsible and respectful student who always strives to be the best learner she can be. Olympia is keen to learn new skills and knowledge, then share with others what she knows, particularly with her writing. Keep up the great work Olympia!

Harper Cuomo for the very responsible way you help everyone in our classroom. Harper, you are an amazing friend to all, you help wherever needed, sharing your time and talents and you always lead by example. Thank you for being a wonderful Junior teacher in our classroom this term.

Harley Watson for persisting with some challenging work tasks this term and achieving success. Keep up the growth mindset Harley and you will master anything which you set your mind to. You should feel proud of your efforts. Keep up the great work!

Room 6

Jobe Dobson for taking on challenges in his learning and working hard to finish his tasks to the best of his ability. We love your learning attitude, Jobe. Well done.

Lydia Andriessen for listening carefully to the discussions we have in class and contributing some great ideas and sharing your thoughts. Thank you for being so involved in your learning, Lydia.

Fraser Gleeson for working responsibly every day. Fraser, we love the way you settle to work quickly and use your time wisely to make the most of your learning time. Well done.

Room 7

Mazie Fechete for always working in class in a respectful and responsible manner to manage her time and complete work tasks well.  Thank you for being a great role model in our class Mazie!

Myra Quill for trying to extend and challenge herself in work tasks and being a respectful and responsible role model for other students. Thanks Myra.

Directwear Uniform

School Uniform is available from Directwear www.directwear.com.au  

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

Contact details for Direct wear are:

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

Theircare Newsletter

Dates to Remember

Please refer to the public calendar on the school website for the most up to date calendar items.

https://www.spkoroit.catholic.edu.au/news-events

Save the Date!

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