School Newsletter - Term 2 Week 5- 2025

News from the Principal

Dear Families,

This coming week we celebrate Catholic Education Week - a time to reflect on what makes our school great and enjoy all that we have. We will fill the week with a mass, senior sport's carnival to finish of our season and a walk to school day on Friday.

Last week school hosted the Parish's 150th anniversary luncheon and it was reminder of the journey the parish and school have been on since 1870. We heard some truly remarkable stories of past parish life, and I even found out school was the local dance hall for many a young couple who went on to marry. The stories of priest or nuns checking on the school grounds with torches was interesting. 

We have, on Monday 1 student participating in the District Cross country in Warrnambool and we wish Annie Clarke all the best with her run and we await hopefully a good result.

At this week's School Advisory Council meeting I will present work staff and students have completed on reviewing and rewriting our school values - whilst they remain as Respect, Responsibility and Resilience, we have now incorporated Saint Mary MacKillop sayings and the ways we show each value is from our current students. I will also explain the processes we go through when supporting students external to Tier One (daily classroom) routines, and the steps necessary to receive support from agencies such as psychologists or speech therapists. This will be relayed to families following our meeting.

Parents and Friends

At my last meeting with our committee, I applauded Jenna, Louise and Dana for the wonderful reinvention of the Mother's Day High tea which had 100 attendees and raised in the vicinity of $3000 for school to use towards students and facilities. The new school fence is a result of 2024/25 fundraising, along with basketball ring and playground. The committee continue to look for ways to have families connect, not just fundraise, and the forthcoming Trivia Night, will be a great night if it follows on form the 2024 event. Stay tuned!

Bendigo Community Bank grant application for 2024/25 has seen the new installation of cupboards in our school hall which look fantastic and are the result of work by Shannon (grant) and Peggy, with assistance form Chloe (construction). They add a touch of class to the space and we will work towards new equipment for playgroup.

Enjoy your week and I'll see you in school or in the carpark.

Paul McDowell

Principal

Little Feet Big Footprints

On Tuesday, 20th May, our school proudly hosted the Little Feet Big Footprints transition program designed to support Year 6 students as they prepare for their exciting move to high school. The event welcomed students from several local primary schools and offered a range of engaging activities and informative sessions aimed at easing their transition.

A highlight of the day was a panel discussion featuring current senior high school students from Loreto, Damascus and St Patrick's Colleges, who shared their personal journeys and insights into high school life. From managing homework and making new friends to discovering new interests and navigating challenges, their stories resonated deeply with the younger students.

We’re proud to play a role in supporting our future students and look forward to welcoming them as they grow into confident and capable high schoolers.

Sovereign District Sports

A huge congratulations to our AFL team for an outstanding performance at the recent u9's Sovereign District school sports event! Many of our players were new to the game, but that didn’t stop them from giving it their all on the field. Their determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship were on full display, and they represented our school with pride and spirit. We’re incredibly proud of how everyone stepped up, supported each other, and made the day a great success. Well done, team!

Catholic Education Week

You're warmly invited to join us for our upcoming school Mass on Tuesday, 27th May at 9.30am. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our school community—students, families, and staff—to come together in faith, prayer, and reflection. We look forward to celebrating with you and sharing in the spirit that makes our school so special. All are welcome!

Walk to School Safely Day is Coming Up! 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🎒

Mark your calendars! Join us on Friday, 30th May  for Walk to School Safely Day, a fun and healthy way to start the day, meeting at the Gordon General Store at 8.30am. This annual event promotes safe walking habits, encourages physical activity, and brings our school community together. Whether you’re walking from home or joining us from the Gordon General Store, let’s make safety and school spirit our top priorities. Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes and stay alert — let’s walk smart and walk safe!

Book Club Issue 4 has gone home today, if you would like to place an order, please do so by following the link below or bring in the correct money to the office by Wednesday, 11th June.

https://issuu.com/scholastic_australia/docs/scholastic_book_club_issue_4_2025

Hello everyone

I wanted to let you know I attended the "Peaceful kids training" recently. Some of your children may have attended this program with Vivian Lunt in previous years. I will be working with the staff to identify children who may benefit from this program. Essentially, the focus is on working with children over 8 weeks to focus on developing their skills to manage stress in this busy world.

The program focuses on breathing, meditation, how our brains respond to stress and helping children to understand their individual responses to stress. The program aims to teach children the life long skills that will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives. In addition to the group work, I will work with children one on one to support them in their emotional resilience.

The key to this program is your engagement as a parent or caregiver. When we walk alongside our children and learn with them their engagement is much greater. Your contribution is vital. Children will be asked to talk with you at home about what they have learnt and they will show you some of the activities they have taken part in. Your role is to support this and perhaps try some of the activities together.

Please contact your child's teacher, Mr McDowell or myself if you think your child may benefit from being a part of a group or some one on one sessions.

I will run a session here at school on June 3rd and June 10th at 1pm for parents who may wish to learn more about the program.

I'm also happy to make time to chat with you individually.

The truth is we could all do with a little more deliberate breathing and calm in our busy lives.

Take care and reach out if there is anything you would like to discuss.

And just in case you need it - please follow the link below for meditation.

Thank you - Jacinta

Out of Hours School Care 

We have had a smooth transition across the term to having YMCA at our school.

Staff have been employed to run our program, and have made a wonderful start to the new program supporting our families.

The strength of the program relies on families using the service so I encourage families to sign up - we look forward to continue with The Y in 2025.

Children must be enrolled to attend the program - whether ongoing or casual

TO ENROL PLEASE USE THE ATTACHED LINK:

https://prodadmin.myxplor.com/enrollment_v2/centre/4MxeRH0TsTorIGPLx24356Sh0A

Sadly, the number of children in out of home care are increasing while the number of foster carers are decreasing. This often results in very young children residing in residential care, or moving regularly from home to home.

If you or anyone you know may be interested in this worthwhile cause please reach out to CAFS. 

St John Defibrillators – Ready to help you save lives

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is one of the leading causes of death in Australia.

Defibrillators have the power to change this, with the potential to save thousands of lives if they are located within 1-2 minutes of where people work, live and spend their leisure time.

Having a defibrillator means you can step in with the tools to save a life before paramedics arrive – every minute counts. Research shows survival rates of up to 70% can be achieved if an AED is on hand.

We have a defibrillator located in the front foyer of St Patrick's Primary School - this is a lifesaving tool for our community.

Health Update For All Families: Policy Update

Dear Parents

As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being at all students at St.
Patrick’s, we are reaching out to inquire about any unnotified asthma or allergy plans that may be in
place for your child.

Your child’s health and safety are our top priorities and your cooperation in providing this information is greatly appreciated.

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma or allergies (also seasonal), we kindly request that you
inform us of any existing plans or protocols that should be followed while they are at school. This
information will help us better understand your child’s needs and enable us to respond
appropriately in case of health related situations.

Due to policy updates we will no longer be able to store or administer medications such as Panadol, Nurofen, pharmacy only medications (including zyrtec & claratyne) or other non-prescribed medications at school. 

The First Aid and Infection Control Policy states: Non-Prescribed: School staff are not permitted to store or administer any non-prescribed medications including analgesics (paracetamol and aspirin). 

This is because analgesics and other non-prescribed medications can mask signs and symptoms of a serious illness or injury. 

As a result of this policy; medications will only be allowed on school property with a document signed by your doctor. This could include an action plan, letter or treatment plan. 

This means that from the beginning of 2025 we will no longer accept medications for your child without doctor's instructions. 

We thank you in advance for your support keeping all of our children safe.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact us with any
questions or concerns.

Playgroup

Playgroup is a fun and relaxed opportunity for children, parents, families and communities to come together for  play and social interaction.

It is an inviting and relaxing atmosphere and all families are welcome to join in, it is held from 9am until 10.30am every Monday in the school hall. Heaters are turned on, it will be warm and toasty, tea and coffee making facilities available and story time with our foundation teacher and students. 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call the office on 5368 9495.

School Term Dates

Gordon Parish Mass

Music lessons

We are now taking bookings for 2024 music lessons.  If you would like any information please contact Tim on 0450 904 464 and he can discuss with you. 

We acknowledge that St Patrick's Primary School is on Wadawurrung Country.

We would like to acknowledge and extend our appreciation for the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land that we are standing on today.

Today, we pay our respects to leaders and Elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes of all Wadawurrung Peoples.

We express our gratitude in the sharing of this land, our sorrow for the personal, spiritual and cultural costs of that sharing and our hope that we may walk forward together in harmony and in the spirit of healing.