Newsletter 24/03/2025: Term 1, Week 9

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all the families who attended the St Patrick's Celebration picnic at school on Friday evening. The event was a wonderful success, with nearly 70 people joining us for a fun and relaxed evening together. We were certainly blessed with perfect weather!

A special thank you goes to our families for making the time to attend amidst their busy after-school schedules. Your presence and support were integral in making this event such a success. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to enjoy each other’s company and parents to meet one another in a laid-back, friendly environment. It’s events like this that help to build the strong sense of community we cherish at St. Patrick's. 

Once again, thank you to everyone who came along and made it a memorable evening. Thank you to the Lions' Club for cooking up the BBQ, the Doolan Family for donating the free Timboon ice-cream and Aiden for entertaining us with his tunes. We look forward to more opportunities to gather as a community in the future!

Have an enjoyable week.

Kind regards,

Darren Lloyd

Prayer.

Easter Raffle

Please get your Easter eggs in before next Tuesday 1st, as the Parents & Friends are making the prizes up on Tuesday at their meeting.

Our Easter raffle will be held on the last day of Term 1 - Friday the 4th April.

We ask parents to supply one Easter item/egg per child. These can be brought into the office now.

If you require additional books, please contact the office. Please write on both sides of the tickets & return them to school along with the money. ($1 per ticket = $20 per book).

The Easter raffle is one of our major fundraisers for the year and is a highlight for the children!

Athletics Carnival

Our annual Athletics Carnival was held last Tuesday.

Thanks to the families that came along and supported the children.

Congratulations to all the children on the efforts and a big congratulations to the following students who were named age champions on the day.

12 Year Olds

Harrison Pyle / Cess Evans

Zahlia Hill

11 Year Olds

Roy Molan

Emma Lillie / Marlee Fitzgerald

10 Year Olds

Josh McConachy

Emmy Sinnott

9 Year Olds

 Maxwell Hutt

Daisy Barry

8 Year Olds

Harry Evans

Tessa Narik/Peggy Glennen/Tilly Brebner/Molly Gardner

7 Year Olds

Lulu Burmeister

Leo Hutt

5/6 Year Olds

Neve Unwin

Jude Martin

Grade 5 Portsea Camp

The Grade 5 Camp is on this week from Wednesday the 26th March until Friday the 28th March.

Grade 5 parents have received information regarding the camp via PAM.

Please make sure that you complete and sign the 2 forms sent home last week and return to your classroom teacher or the office ASAP.

MRC Taster Day

Our Grade 6 students will participate in the Mercy Regional College Taster Day this Friday the 28th of March.

Details of this day were sent home with the Grade 6's last week. 

A PAM permission is not needed as they will be at the McAuley Campus not to Noorat.

Regional Swimming

Congratulations and best wishes to our swimmers competing this Wednesday in Horsham, good luck to Essi, Willow, Millie, Lyla, Ruby and Orla.

Cross Country

Our cross country is being held next Thursday the 3rd of April.

Students in grade 3-6 will be competing at the showgrounds and the Foundation - Grade 2 students will run their races on the Mercy oval.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL CULTURE

Parish Bulletin

LEARNING AND TEACHING

School Closure Days

These are our known Closure Days, which will mean that students are not required to attend school on these days.

• April 22nd (ReLATE)
• April 23rd (Positive Behaviour)
• April 24th (DOBCEL)
  
• July 4th (ReLATE)
• September 19th (Structured Literacy)

The first week of term two contains two public holidays - Easter Monday and ANZAC Day (Friday). With the support of our governing body, DOBCEL, Tuesday 22nd April, Wednesday 23rd April and Thursday 24th April will be student free days. St. Patrick’s staff will be participating in collaborative professional learning days with St. Colman's Mortlake, St Mary’s Ararat and St Thomas’ Terang as well as all schools in the Southern Zone of the Diocese of Ballarat. The focus for these professional learning days will include ReLATE and  Strengthening our Universal practices in School Wide Positive Behaviours

This creates a three week break, inclusive of Easter, for our students at the end of Term 1.

I understand that this extended time off can require careful planning for families. I am hopeful that by providing you with advanced notice, you will have ample time to make any necessary arrangements, whether it be coordinating childcare, planning family activities, or simply enjoying some time together. TheirCare is open for bookings on these school closure days. We note that although TheirCare is open for late bookings they have in the past not ran on the day if there are no bookings for the school closure day. 

I appreciate your understanding and support as we work to ensure the best possible educational environment for our students. As always, please get in touch if you would like to chat about this further.

WELLBEING

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg Mental Health Roadshow

LEADERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP

New Research Highlights Lifelong Benefits of Catholic Schooling

It would seem that the benefits of educating your child in a Catholic school can now be backed by data. A new study using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey shows that people who attended Catholic schools tend to have better outcomes in employment, health, and overall life satisfaction.

The study highlights that Catholic schooling provides both personal and community benefits. On average, alumni from Catholic schools are more likely to have jobs and earn higher wages than those who attended government schools, with wage differences ranging from 4% to 11%. They're also more likely to work in public-serving industries and donate to charity. Plus, attending a Catholic school seems to positively impact personal health and life satisfaction.

You might already know about these benefits, but others in the community might not. Feel free to share these findings with anyone who is deciding where to send their child to school. It could help them make an informed decision about the best place for their child's education. A copy of the full report is available on the DOBCEL website (link below), and you can also watch a video featuring lead researcher for the report, Mr. Andrew Wade.

School Hat Reminder

This is a friendly reminder to send your child with their named school hat to school during Term 1 as the weather is warm and the children are not allowed outside without one.

Zooper Dooper Sales

Throughout Term 1 the Student Representative Council will be selling Zooper Doopers to raise money for the school.

These will only be sold at second lunch.

The cost will be 50 cents each.

Upcoming Events

Some important dates for your calendar for Term 1.

Wednesday 26/03              Regional Swimming

Wed-Fri 26/3-28/3             Grade 5 Portsea Camp

Wednesday 26/03               MRC Open Day

Friday 28/03                         MRC Taster Day

Tuesday 01/04                      District Athletics

Thursday 03/04                   Cross Country

Friday 04/04                         Last Day of Term -Easter Raffle early finish 2.15pm

Important Parking Reminder

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please adhere to the safety road signage and road marking around our schools during drop off and pick up times. The designated YELLOW drop off and pick up bays are not a parking zone. Drivers are not to leave their cars and enter the school whilst parked in the yellow zones.

We love school visitors, please park in the proper parking bays before coming into the school.

Noone's Uniform

Noone's now have stock of the soft-shelled jacket for purchase. You can pop into the uniform shop to try on.

The school shorts have arrived and pre orders will be sent home tomorrow. They are also in stock for purchase.

The shop is located in the Mercy Regional College building.

In Term 1 the uniform shop is open on the following days -

Monday 12.00pm - 4.00pm, Tuesday 8.00am - 12.00pm & Thursday 8.00am - 12.00pm

The uniform shop will be opened during the holidays on Thursday 24th April, 8am -12pm.

Canteen

The canteen will continue to be closed on a Monday this year.

The canteen will be open to students every Friday at first lunch.

We still strongly encourage parents & students to order lunch through the Spriggy app, however students will also be permitted to purchase extra snacks using cash each Friday during their break.

Please download the Spriggy App and make your orders through there. Please make sure that you choose the right classroom for your child/ren.

The menu for 2025 is below.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

ANZAC DAY

Friday the 25th of April is ANZAC Day. St Pat's are supporting veterans in need by offering ANZAC Appeal merchandise to children who wish to purchase it. Most badges, pens, wristbands etc. range from $2 to 10. The SRC students are going into the classrooms to sell these and they are also available to purchase from the office.

Thank you for your support. 

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week.

Willow W, Lucas P, Stirling M, Vanessa H, Maddison H & Hudson W

Mercy Regional College Open Day

RSL ANZAC Day Colouring Competition

RSL Australia is running a National Colouring Competition for primary school children in the lead up to ANZAC Day. Entries are judged for Victoria with the winner being entered into the National competition. If your child wishes to participate in this colouring competition, please print the image with the form on the back and fill out the details, including the parent permission section. Colourings that don't have parent permission for this competition will be displayed at the RSL Hall in Camperdown on ANZAC Day. Please hand in entries to Tracy Hickey or the school office by Tuesday 25th of March (this allows entries to reach Melbourne by the deadline date). 

TheirCare

Theircare has now commenced at St Patrick's School and it's not too late to enrol.

We are excited to announce that we have now partnered with an independent Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC) provider called TheirCare.

TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. During sessions, children develop life-skills, friendships, confidence, and creativity through play-based programs.

For further information, visit www.theircare.com.au or call our support office on 1300 072 410

Community Events

Camperdown Magpies Junior Football

Cobden Development Netball

Cobden Night Netball

Corangamite Hockey Club

Hook In 2 Hockey

Corangamite Shire - Planning Survey

Beaufort Car & Truck Show

Thank you to the sponsors of our raffle!