February 16 2023 Newsletter

St. Patrick's Vision and Motto

In the tradition of the Good Samaritan sisters, we are a Catholic educational community, giving ourselves to goodness throughout our lives.

"Give Yourself to Goodness"

Child Safety Statement

Acknowledgement of Country

We Acknowledge the Gunditjmara people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are gathered today.

We respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past, present and future. We acknowledge their stories, traditions and living cultures on this land and commit to building a brighter future together.

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to the handful of parents who came to our Term 1 working bee last Saturday morning. We managed to refresh the playground soft fall, seed a new lawn area, put some plants in the new gardens, mend a fence and reinstall a goal post on the junior oval. A mammoth effort for so few people. 

This week we have a videographer shooting footage for a new promotional video that will feature on our website to welcome interest newcomers to St. Patrick's now that our building project is complete. 

Our Athletic Sports was a wonderful day. Thank you to Tommy Greene for preparing our children for the day and all staff for the work they did on the day.  It was lovely to be holding the day in Port Fairy and supporting the local Little Athletics Association. 

I will be in Horsham at a Diocesan Leadership Conference Thursday and Friday. 

Olga Lyons 

School Closure Days

Term 1 

Monday February 20 - ReLATE Wellbeing PD 

Thursday April 6 - SIF Review

Term 2 

Monday April 24 - SIF Review

Friday June 9 - VCOP

Friday June 23 - RELATE

From the RE Leader - Eliza Dwyer

Schoolzine

Schoolzine is a new platform that St Patrick's is now using. Our Website (not yet ready for the public!), Newsletter, Sporting Schools Form and lots more will now be through Schoolzine. Schoolzine will replace Skoolbag. At this time during transition we are still using Skoolbag for the Sporting Schools for but you can also use Schoolzine. You will find the Sporting Schools Form in Forms & Documents.

To download Schoolzine click on the link below. The passcode to get access to this App is 8137

PE News - Tommy Greene

Future Term 1 Sporting Events are:

Moyne Tennis - February 24

Foundation Athletics - February 28

Division Swimming - March 2

Division Tennis - March 9

Regional Swimming - March 14

St Pat's Cross Country - March 24

Age Group Winners

7 Year Old Winners: Rosie Brian & Ned Hamilton

8 Year Old Winners: Max Simpson & Nike Harris

9 Year Old Winners: Kitty Tate & Conor Sheehan

10 Year Old Winners: Audrey Bresland, Freddie Simpson & Tara Wolff

11 Year Old Winners: Royce Sheehan, Occy Hayes & Ivy Condon

12/13 Year Old Winners: Charlotte Versace & Isaiah Killen

Foundation Athletic Sports

In the past, we have found the Term 1 whole school Athletic Sports overwhelming and tiring for our Foundation students. Last year we scheduled an alternative morning for Foundation Athletic Sports activities and it was very successful.  Families are welcome to come to the school oval on Tuesday February 28 at 9.15 for this event.  

Sustainability News - Benson Steere

This year we will be taking part in our annual Clean Up Australia Day. Mr Steere and Tom will be taking a group of sustainability students, as well as our sustainability leaders Jye and Charlie down to South Beach here in Port Fairy. We will be doing our best to help clean up our community. We have provided a link for you to donate to the Clean Up Australia Day Foundation. Any donation helps to ensure we are keeping our environment as clean as possible.

Weekly Class News - 5/6LF

Archie White: I had lots of fun yesterday at my first St Patrick's sports day. My favourite event was the 800m. 

Eadie Archbold: I loved high jump yesterday because I like jumping and it was one of my best events. I love being in Mackillop house as well with lots of my friends! 

Hudson McCosh: It was really hot yesterday but I still enjoyed it. I loved doing the relay and representing my house colour.  

Ruby Connellan: I got two ribbons yesterday which made me proud of myself. I loved the high jump because I was better than last year. 

Lola Myers: I loved the sports day because everyone had a chance to participate and have fun and be a good sportsman. 

Ruby Condon: The high jump and long jump were my favourite events at the sports day because I won them! I loved getting to spend the day with my friends.

Leila Cryer: The sports day was great fun and it was a chance for me to use all my energy. My favourite event was the sprints. 

Archie Cameron: Fun! That is the word that sums up my day, I just love sports and athletics.

Rosie Currer: It was a great day because Green House didn’t come last!

CatholicCare Pastoral Worker

Strengthening families & communities

CatholicCare support people at every stage of life, to build strong, positive relationships and reach their full potential.  We have a Pastoral Care Worker (Belinda Sheen) here at St. Patrick's one day a week to provide counselling for students and family support. Referral forms can be requested from the front office or through a teacher. 

COVID-19 Reporting Requirements.

Management of confirmed cases at school
Where a student or staff member is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be
taken:
1. Parents/carers should inform the school by phone or written notification if a student tests
positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test).2. Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5
days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who isolate as a
result of a positive COVID-19 test should be supported in the same way as students with
an extended absence due to illness or injury, with learning materials provided to support
their continued learning. Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (Ltd)
3. There is no longer a requirement for principals to inform the school community of a
positive case associated with the school.

MASKS: The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a
close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home.
Additionally, the Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person
who has COVID-19 for at least 7 days after a positive test when they need to leave home. 

We are a Nude Food School. What is Nude Food?

Nude Food is a popular term in schools and preschools, but what exactly does this mean? Simply put, it's food without excess packaging. Usually, this means food that is not processed, often making it a healthier and more environmentally friendly option. Nude Food reduces the amount of 'stuff' that needs to go in bins to be sent to landfill. Durable, reusable containers are a great way to bring food, as they may last from pre-school through to high school and beyond, providing long term cost savings and environmental benefits.

Sporting Schools

Sporting Schools has commenced this week. The program will run for 7 weeks, with the final session being on Wednesday March 22. The program days for Term 1 are Tuesday and Wednesday.  You must enrol your child for each session that they will be attending, the night before or the day of, please do NOT do them days in advance as often plans change.

St Patrick's has a new platform, Schoolzine. Schoolzine is an app you can download. See details above on how to do this. 

The Sporting Schools Form will still be available on Skoolbag during our transition to Schoolzine but please have a go at downloading the app and using the new form which can found in Forms and Documents tile on the home page.

Parish Masses

Port Fairy St Patrick's & Koroit Infant Jesus Mass Times

Saturday Vigil Mass - 6.30pm at Koroit

Sunday Mass - 9am @ Port Fairy

Parents and Friends News

Community News