2025, Term 3, Week 6 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,

This morning our Year 5/ 6 students boarded the bus to Melbourne at 7am, for their school camp. There was a lot of excitement and they have a very busy sight seeing schedule. We wish them all the best, along with Ms McDonald, Miss O’Keefe, Amy, Josie, Sophie and Dobbo, and look forward to seeing photos and hearing about their time away. Camp provides students with a valuable opportunity to build resilience, develop independence, and strengthen their sense of community. 

Helen Diamond - Parenting Practitioner sessions

Opportunities are still available for parents to take advantage of a special opportunity to meet with Helen Diamond, Parenting Practitioner from CatholicCare, during her visit to St Patrick’s on 28th August. With almost 30 years of experience and a compassionate, down-to-earth approach, Helen offers practical guidance tailored to your family's needs. She will be providing free one-on-one parenting consultations—an ideal chance to discuss concerns, ask questions, and add valuable strategies to your parenting toolkit. 

Register your interest by emailing Helen directly at helen.diamond@catholiccarevic.org.au.

Book Week

Last week we celebrated Bookweek, by turning our school into an airport and providing students with passports and plane tickets to 6 different countries, inspired by the theme ‘Book an Adventure!’  It was fantastic to see the efforts students put into their costumes and the engagement across the entire day. A special thanks to Captain B for coordinating all the other pilots and flight attendants to ensure smooth flying across the day for all! 

First Eucharist

Congratulations to our students who made the Sacrament of Eucharist over the weekend- 

Hudson Smits, Fraser Gleeson, Olivia Foster, Jobe Dobson, Harry Atwell and Lydia Andriessen.  We are so proud of you and continue to keep you in our prayers as you grow in faith. We wish Tadhg Duus well as he prepares to make his Sacrament of Eucharist this weekend in Port Fairy. 

Closure Days Update
Last week our staff came together for two closure days of spiritual formation and professional learning. A key focus was on Ignatian spirituality, inspired by St Ignatius of Loyola. We learnt how St Ignatius invited people to encounter God through prayer that engages all of the senses, using imagination to enter into the Gospel stories as if we were really there. This way of praying helps us to see God at work in our everyday lives.

We also explored educator and student wellbeing, taking time to reflect on how we care for ourselves and one another. The two days were a wonderful opportunity for growth, reflection, and connection. We return feeling renewed and ready to share these new learnings with our students.

Upcoming events for the week ahead:

• 5/6 camp - Melbourne
• Little Learners
• 3/4 camp - Ballarat 3rd-4th September

Kind regards,

Shona Louden

Acting Principal

Reflection

We invite you to listen to the song Ordinary by Alex Warren and reflect on the connection between it and Ignatian spirituality. 

Alex Warren’s Ordinary uses sacred imagery—“holy water,” “sanctuary,” and “altars”—to describe a love so profound it transforms the everyday into something extraordinary. Lines like “The angels up in the clouds are jealous…” and “At your altar, I will pray. You’re the sculptor, I’m the clay” echo themes of reverence, surrender, and transformation.

This mirrors Ignatian spirituality, which invites us to find God in all things and recognize the sacred in ordinary life. The song celebrates how love can turn the mundane into a “masterpiece,” resonating with Ignatius’s call to live with gratitude and attentiveness.

Though Ordinary is a pop love song—not a worship song—its spiritual tone and metaphorical language make it deeply reflective. Warren himself compares his devotion to his wife to his relationship with God. As a chart-topping hit in 2025, Ordinary offers a relatable, modern entry point for contemplating love as something sacred and transformative.

Parenting Practitioner sessions

Free Parenting Sessions with Helen Diamond – Don’t Miss Out!

We’re thrilled to be welcoming Helen Diamond, Parenting Practitioner from CatholicCare, to St Patrick’s on 28th August. With nearly three decades of experience, and her own journey as a parent and grandparent, Helen brings warmth, wisdom and practical support to families.

Helen will be offering free one-on-one parenting consultations during her visit. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk through any challenges, ask questions or simply gain new insights to support you on your parenting journey.

Spaces are limited, so be sure to register your interest by emailing Helen directly at helen.diamond@catholiccarevic.org.au. You won’t want to miss this!

Book Week 2025

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3 Way Conversations & PSG Meetings

3 Way Conversations/Parent Teacher Interviews are now available for booking in PAM.

Monday 8th September
Tuesday 9th September

(Sorry - these were previously advertised with the correct dates but incorrect days).

⏱ Format:

• 10 minutes – Student led sharing of learning (3 way conversation).
• 10 minutes – Teacher discussion with parents.

This is a valuable opportunity for students to celebrate their progress and for parents and teachers to come together to support ongoing learning.

If you have a PSG meeting, the 3 way conversations will happen during that scheduled meeting in addition to the PSG meeting. 

PSG meetings are now available for booking in PAM.

Thursday 11th September
Friday 12th September

School TV

Register here.

Father's Day Breakfast

We invite you to join us for Father's Day/Special Persons Breakfast on Friday 5th September.

Breakfast will be held in the Hall from 8am - 9am.

We will have a coffee van on site & the P&F are providing a free coffee for the Dads/Special People to kickstart their Father's Day celebration. (Hot drinks for kids available at your own expense).

Juice box available for kids. Preschool children welcome or this can also be something special with just the St Pat's kids - whatever works for your family!

Please RSVP by 9am Tuesday 2nd September to assist with catering quantities.

RSVP Here for Father's Day Breakfast

Footy Colours & Hot Dog Day

Leading in to the end of school term and football finals, the P&F are organising a Hot Dog day for Thursday 18th September.  Orders via CDF Pay, closing 9am on Tuesday 16th September.

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 2 meetings remaining before the event:

• 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!

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 

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 Lila Stephenson and Jen who celebrated their birthdays last week.  We hope you had a fantastic time celebrating with family and friends!

Star of the Sea - Parish Bulletin

Sports Shirts

If you have any Sports Shirts at home from Basketball or other representative events, please return them to Mrs Swarbrick.

Library Returns

There are lots of students with overdue books - it would be great if you could take a look around home for any St Pat's library books & send them in.

Thanks.

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

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