2024, Term 1, Week 9 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,

As Term 1 comes to a close, I want to say a big thank you to our amazing school community, students, and staff. It's been a fantastic first term for me as principal, and I've been blown away by your support and hard work. Everyone has been wonderful!

Our final Holy Week liturgy was a touching moment for all, with students showing great respect and reverence throughout. Their attention and thoughtful participation made it a special end to the term. Thanks to Miss Lumsden for organising and coordinating.

As we prepare for the start of Term 2, the St. Pat's community is gearing up to bid farewell to Mrs Kelly Griffin as she embarks on the exciting journey of motherhood. Mrs Griffin's presence, filled with her infectious humour, will be greatly missed, but we wish her the very best in this new chapter of her life. We eagerly anticipate her return in 2025. 

In light of this transition, we are delighted to welcome Mrs Mirjam van Berge to our community as the new Year 1 classroom teacher. As a graduate teacher, Mrs van Berge brings with her a deep passion for teaching, evident from her experience in relief teaching and dedication to student wellbeing and holistic development. Her knowledge of structured literacy, gained from teaching in various classrooms, further enhances her ability to support student learning in Room 2 effectively. 

Additionally, we extend congratulations to Mrs Bridget Van Den Broek on her acceptance of the Learning Diversity Leader position. Bridget will assume the LDL role on Monday, alongside her ongoing STEM responsibilities on Thursday. With Mrs Van Den Broek's commitment and expertise, we are confident in her ability to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students at St. Pat's.

It is with mixed emotions that we also farewell one of our Year 2 students, Olympia, and her family, the Jordans, as they embark on new adventures in Mildura. Olympia, your cheerful presence and enthusiastic participation have enriched our school community. You will be dearly missed by your classmates, teachers, and friends alike. To the Jordan family, we extend our warmest wishes as you transition to your new home. While you may be leaving our immediate community, please know that the doors of St. Pat's are always open to you. We hope you will come back to visit us and share your new experiences with us. May your journey to Mildura be filled with exciting opportunities, new friendships, and lasting memories. You will always hold a special place in our hearts here at St. Pat's. Wishing you all the best on your new adventure!

As we head into the Easter break, I hope you all have a safe, relaxing, and happy time. Take care of yourselves and enjoy spending time with family and friends. 

Happy Easter to you all!

Kind regards,

Tegan McDonald 

Principal

Holy Week

(Week beginning Monday 25 March)

This year, we shared with you the story of three inspiring women from across the globe, who overcame challenges to complete their education, access water and find secure employment. With the support of compassionate people like you, they are now forging a path to a better future for their families and their communities. 

Ronita from the Philippines has now graduated high school and secured a job at a call centre. This job was only possible because of a certificate she gained from completing her studies.  

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

Memory completed her vocational training course in carpentry and joinery. After completing a work contract at one of the largest electrical companies in Malawi, Memory now plans to return to her village and provide carpentry services to people in her community. 

It’s through the generosity of people like you that we can continue to support people like Ronita, Leaia and Memory. 

There is still time to donate! 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.

School TV - Wellbeing Resources

Screen Time

School Holidays is an opportune time to assess screen time in households.  SchoolTV has a number of articles from leading specialists.

There are a wealth of wellbeing resources on a variety of topics. If there are other topics you would like information on (even for older children), please contact me via the link on the SchoolTV website.

https://spkoroit.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time

Shona Louden

Wellbeing Leader

Parents & Friends

Easter Raffle 

Congratulations to our lucky Easter Raffle winners.

1st Prize - Raelene Beckman (Lila's grandma)

2nd Prize - Poppy Moloney (Bronie's grandaughter)

3rd Prize - Jas Bidmade (Layla & Octavia's sister)

Koroit Irish Festival

The Irish Festival will be upon us early in Term 2.  This year we again have our famous Baked Spuds and the toastie van which was introduced in 2023. We have made the tough decision to remove the delicious Irish Stew from the menu and cease our sales at the Theatre on the Saturday evening.  While the stew was always well received, extending our sales into the evening was demanding for our volunteers who already work a very long day.  The Irish Festival is a wonderful event for our town and we want to relieve some pressure on our families so that they can enjoy it too.

Many thanks to Andrew McMahon of McMahon's Family Catering who have done a fantastic job in cooking the stew over the last few years.

Thanks also to the Committee of the Irish Festival who continue to support us and lots of other community groups.

Please see the attached Volunteer Sign Up sheet for the Festival - these shift are on the Saturday at the Festival either in the Food Truck cooking Toasties or on the Spud Production & Sales line.

If you require any further information, please contact Kate - 0408 399 144. Thanks.

Irish Festival Volunteer Sign Up link: volunteersignup.org/TKAAE

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. We now have a new Canteen Sign Up Sheet available for Term 2.  We appreciate everyone's help with Canteen - without your assistance, it could not run.

Canteen Sign Up Sheet - volunteersignup.org/BCXRE

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 2)

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

Term 2 Assembly Roster

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Harry Atwell, Bodhi Lindrea, Mazie Fechete, Edmund McMahon, Nora Povey, Harlow Thomas, Tyrone Collins and Isla Dobson who celebrate their birthdays this week and during the school holidays.  We hope you all have a great time celebrating with family and friends.

Student Awards

Room 1

Marli De Graaf- Congratulations Marli! You've been doing a fantastic job coming into school by yourself! Keep up the great work! 

Layla Bidmade- for a fantastic job learning the sounds s,a,t,p,i,n.! You're on your way to reading like a champ. Keep up the great work, you're doing amazing!

Room 2

Olivia Gleeson for your perseverance and effort in tackling challenges. You've shown incredible determination and growth. Keep pushing forward, you're doing amazing Olivia!

Angus Povey for your consistent and outstanding home reading! Your dedication and enthusiasm for learning are truly inspiring. Keep up the fantastic work Angus!

Hector Warrick for his consistent commitment to making positive choices at school. Your responsibility and maturity are truly impressive. Keep up the fantastic work Hector!

Room 4

Mimi Martin for demonstrating each day, responsibility through caring for your classmates, listening to your teachers, being thoughtful and kind to others, and always being respectful. Well done Mimi!

Banjo Millward for his very thoughtful contributions to our class discussions and listening respectfully to his peers' ideas. Banjo, you always think about your learning and strive to do your best to improve your knowledge and skills in each lesson. Please keep up the great work!

Tilly Balcombe for being a very responsible and respectful student in room 4. Tilly comes to school each day with a smile and a positive attitude ready to learn. Tilly always seeks to complete challenging work and  strives to do her best. Well done Tilly!

Room 6

Tilly Van Rysingen for being a responsible learner. Tilly, we love how you fully participate in all of your lessons. You listen to discussions respectfully and you are always prepared to answer questions or offer opinions. Great work, Tilly.

Hudson Smits for being a responsible learner. Hudson, you listen to instructions carefully and you are always ready to work collaboratively with others and share your understanding of tasks. And you always give your very best effort. Well done, Hudson.

Harry Atwell for  his creativity when designing and constructing his minute to win it game. Well done Harry

Ted Porter for being an inclusive and thoughtful person towards all of his classmates. We are so proud of you Ted.

Room 7

Will Foster for persisting with more challenging learning tasks in Maths and Writing, practising and asking questions to clarify learning and achieve success.  Great job Will.

Layla Smits for being an organised and responsible learner this term, listening to instructions, collaborating with a positive attitude and always trying your best. Well done Layla!

Charlotte Lilley for being a responsible and organised learner this term, managing time well to achieve success in learning tasks.  Great job Charlotte!

Hayden Van Rysingen for the positive participation you have demonstrated this term in learning tasks and as a Year 6 buddy.  You have demonstrated responsibility and a willingness to ask questions to achieve success in your learning. Well done Hayden!

Star of the Sea Parish Bulletin

Theircare Newsletter

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

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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