2025, Term 3, Week 2 Newsletter

Child Safe Statement and Commitment

The Child Safety Officers at St Patrick's are Tegan McDonald and Shona Louden principal@spkoroit.catholic.edu.au or slouden@spkoroit.catholic.edu.au

Acknowledgement of Country

Principal's Message

Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to Week 2!

On Friday, we had the joy of celebrating our wonderful grandparents at our Grandparents Day event. It was a beautiful occasion filled with fun, prayer and heartfelt storytelling. The atmosphere was warm and full of love, as generations came together to share wisdom, laughter and special moments. It was truly a heartwarming celebration that reminded us of the deep value grandparents bring to our families and community.

NAPLAN Results

NAPLAN results have arrived at school and have been posted to families last week. The results will soon be able to be accessed via PAM. 

Congratulations to all of the Year 3 and Year 5 students who participated in these assessments. Our students have performed very well again, significantly scoring higher in all aspects when compared to all Australian students.  

ReLATE Update: Planning for Impact.

Recently, our School Implementation Team (SIT) — made up of school leaders and educators — met again with The MacKillop Institute to work on our ReLATE Implementation Plan.

This plan will guide how we bring ReLATE into everyday school life. It’s grounded in the feedback gathered during Discovery Days, our staff learning so far and our broader school goals for student and staff wellbeing.

Together, we’ve identified key priorities that will shape our focus for the rest of the year. These align with ReLATE’s four foundational concepts and reflect what matters most to our school community.

We celebrated success for all that was achieved in Semester 1 this year. Some notable achievements have been:

• Students were supported to develop their emotional vocabulary and capacity.
• Educators’ empathy and trauma-informed responses were improved and a main focus.

Initial focus areas for Semester 2 include:

• Educator wellbeing is enhanced through guided reflective practice.
• Parents/Carers understand and trust in the wellbeing and trauma-informed approaches of the school.
• Student voice is defined and embedded in classroom and whole school practice.
• Student learning motivation and engagement are improved.

As implementation begins for the second half of the year, we’ll continue to share progress and celebrate milestones. Thank you for your ongoing support and interest in this important work.

On that note, Shona and I are excited to share that we have been invited as guest speakers at the Lead the Way Conference 2025: Building Safer, Healthier and More Resilient Communities, taking place this August in Melbourne. Hosted by The MacKillop Institute, this conference brings together leaders in education, community services and mental health to explore trauma-aware, inclusive and evidence-based approaches to creating supportive environments. We will be speaking about our real world experiences in trauma-informed education, sharing both successes and challenges, and we look forward to returning with new insights, resources and strategies to share with you!

Upcoming events for the week ahead:

Tuesday 29th - First Eucharist formation session for candidates and parents (7pm, St Joseph's Church)

Kind regards,

Tegan McDonald

Principal

Prayer

A Prayer for Grandparents – Saints Anne and Joachim

Loving God,
We thank You for the gift of grandparents, for their wisdom, care and unconditional love.
As we honour Saints Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus, we ask for their intercession.
May all grandparents be blessed with good health, peace and joy.
Help us to cherish their presence, learn from their stories and show them the love and gratitude they so deeply deserve.
May their faith continue to inspire future generations, just as Anne and Joachim nurtured Mary in faith and love.

Amen.

School Closure Dates - Term 3

Please note that there are 2 school closure dates in Term 3 for staff Professional Development.

• Thursday 21st August
• Friday 22nd August
  

There will be no staff on site on these days.

Illness

We have had a confirmed case of Influenza A as well as students away with Gastroenteritis.

To avoid spread of illness, if your child is unwell, please keep them at home until symptoms have cleared.

Further information on symptoms of Influenza A and Gastroenteritis and management of illness can be found on the Australian Government HealthDirect website.

Influenza
Gastroenteritis

Our Diocesan Community

Please click on the link for the July 2025 edition of “Our Diocesan Community”

School TV - Youth Anxiety

Most young people today experience anxiety at some point in their life. Sometimes that slight rush of anxiety that occurs prior to an exam or sporting event, can enhance their performance. However, experiencing too much anxiety, over long periods of time, can be extremely damaging to their health and wellbeing. There is a difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ anxiety.

Statistics show, that the psychological health of young people today is far worse than it was a generation ago. This is having an adverse affect on children in both primary and secondary levels. Some of their issues of concern include stress, school, study, body image and friendship.

Parents need to be aware of the warning signs of ‘bad’ anxiety. There are preventative measures parents can implement as well as teaching kids the skills to cope more efficiently with their anxiety.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Enrolment Information

2026 Foundation enrolments are now closed. In the coming weeks, we will be sending out letters of offer to those families who have submitted applications. 

We look forward to welcoming our existing families and new Foundation students and families to our school community from next term with Little Learners, Kinder Transition and Foundation Interviews.

Our class structures and staff allocations will not be announced until the end of Term 4 which is our standard practice.

Teeth On Wheels

Teeth On Wheels is all about making dental care fun and stress-free while teaching children the importance of oral health. They specialise in working with children, offering services such as check-ups, cleans, and more—right here at the School! The team is specially trained to provide compassionate and tailored care for neurodiverse patients, ensuring a respectful and supportive experience for everyone.

If eligible under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), your child may even receive FREE dental care. 

To participate, complete the E-form by the cut-off date August 5th 2025.

Picnic in the Paddock

Picnic in the Paddock is a major event on the St Pat's calendar and hosts families and friends from all over the south west to come and see our wonderful school and enjoy a really fun day out for everyone. We have a committee who meet twice per term to organise the event. PIP is on Sunday October 26. 

We have 3 meetings remaining before the event:

• Wednesday August 6th @ 7pm (Term 3)
• Wednesday September 10th @ 7pm (Term 3)
• Wednesday October 8th @ 7pm (Term 4)

If you have been interested to know more about PIP or wondering if you'd like to get involved, please feel free to come along to any or all of these meetings, without any commitment. We will be organising sponsorship packs, sampling some new merchandise, and chatting about tasks to be completed before the event. We'd love to see you there!

Little Makers Market

The call is out for any young creatives (15 years & younger) who might wish to have a stall at the the Little Makers Market at Picnic in the Paddock this year. Please see flyer below for more information.

Parent contact information

If you have changed your phone or email, address or wish you update your non-guardian emergency contact details, please send an email to Bronie or Kate so we can update your detail in our database. 

bmoloney@spkoroit.catholic.edu.au or kdobson@spkoroit.catholic.edu.au 

Book Fair

The Book Fair is set up in the foyer and looks so bright and colourful!  There are lots of great titles, something to please everyone.  Sale continue until August 4th.

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

NEW ST PATRICK'S SOFTSHELL JACKETS!
Now available to order through Directwear.

We’re excited to introduce our brand new school softshell, waterproof jacket!

These jackets are warm, durable and feature the school logo – perfect for chilly mornings and outdoor play.

✔ Comfortable and weather-resistant
✔ Smart, uniform compliant design
✔ Available in a wide range of sizes

Current families are welcome to purchase and begin wearing these immediately!

📌 PLEASE NOTE:
From 2026, these jackets will become a compulsory uniform item (if wearing a jacket) for all new Foundation students as we begin to phase them in across the school. Current families are not expected to purchase but are welcome to.

Canteen & Cake Raffle

The Canteen & Cake Raffle are coordinated by our P&F.

Canteen operates at lunchtime on Wednesday and Friday.  Wednesday is sales of  icy-poles and snacks and Friday includes distribution of lunch orders. 

Click here to sign up for the Term 3 Roster

Cake Raffle is just something for fun! Students can purchase tickets in the classroom on Friday mornings for 20cents and the raffle is drawn by a student from the family who has supplied the cake.  "Cake" is a general term - the prize does not have to be home made and you can choose to bring whatever you like biscuits, slice or chocolates.

Click here to sign up for the Cake Raffle Roster

Assembly Roster

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Max Hillam and Octavia Bidmade who celebrated birthdays last week.  We hope you had a fantastic time celebrating with family and friends!

Star of the Sea - Parish Bulletin

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

Community News