MARCH 7 2024 NEWSLETTER

CHILD SAFETY STATEMENT

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers,

There is no doubt that Folkie week is upon us.  The activity around the town is exciting and the BBQ team is setting up as I write this newsletter piece.  

The students have been treated to a number of performances this week.  They grooved along with Maddie from STOMP (I hope you caught the videos on Facebook) and they learned how to STAMP out bullies with Sam of School Performance Tours. Today we have Vern from Connected Circus teaching the children cool circus tricks with help from our Year 6 students.  Tomorrow we have Stu Nuggett here to teach the Year 3-6 students an indigenous ditty in his native tongue. How lucky we are to have these opportunities.  Thank you to the Folk Festival committee for sponsoring Connected Circus and Stu Nuggett.  

NAPLAN begins next week for our Year 3 & 5 students.  We wish them all the best and know that they will do their very best to demonstrate their learning. 

This week we welcome a university student from Japan called Mao. Mao will be visiting St Patrick's each Thursday for the rest of March. 

Plans have begun for the St Patrick's Day celebrations.  As it falls on a Sunday, we will devote Monday March 18 to the special occasion.  A Time Capsule was placed inside a wall in our school entrance in 1999 and is due to be opened on St Patrick's Day in 2024.  It will be interesting to see what the students in 1999 decided to put into the capsule to commemorate what school was like 25 years ago. Each class will place items from 2024 in a time capsule to be placed in the wall and opened in 2049.  A video will be taken to share with the community. 

Families are welcome to join us at St Patrick's Church for our St Patrick's Day Mass at 12.30pm.  The day will include a special hot dog lunch, games and St Pat's Got Talent Quest in the afternoon.

Olga Lyons

FROM THE RE LEADER - ELIZA DWYER

SCHOOL DATES - 2024

IT HAS BEEN A BUSY WEEK OR TWO!!

STOMP

Over 4 days our students participated in STOMP workshops. STOMP's hip hop dance is designed to develop students fundamental movement and coordination skills, as well as instilling them with respect, social skills, teamwork and self expression. Our students really enjoyed the workshops and yesterday they performed for each other!

Clean Up Australia

Last Friday all of the students were involved in a Clean Up Australia Activity. Our junior students cleaned up around the Ponds area and the middle and senior students walked to the South Beach and Pea Soup to do their bit for the environment.

Swimming and Tennis Teams

Moyne School District Tennis Tournament

Last Tuesday, 8 students participated in the Moyne School District Tennis Tournament at Warrnambool Lawn Tennis Center.

Royce Sheehan, Billy Wagg, Matty Greene and Sam Porter represented the boys’ team.  Lola Myers, Lucy Lu, Ivy Condon and Ruby Condon represented the girls’ team.  In a round robin individual tournament against students from Port Fairy, Koroit, Woolsthorpe, Hawkesdale and Grassmere our students played some fantastic tennis.  In the boys event, Sam Porter made it through to the final and was involved in a thrilling game where he was just beaten.  His second place finish however was enough for Sam to advance through to the Greater Western Region Division Finals.  Lucy Lu, was also narrowly defeated in the final for the girls’ division and she too, was rewarded with a place in the division finals.

Both Sam and Lucy then participated today, in the Division finals in Warrnambool, competing against students from Portland, Hamilton, Warrnambool and the surrounding areas.  Both Sam and Lucy played fantastically to win one game each out of the four games they played.  The competition was of a very high standard and we are very proud of the efforts that both Sam and Lucy displayed.

Warrnambool and District Swimming Championships

Last Thursday, Evie Oswin, Darcy Kingsley, Matilda Brian, Ivy Condon, Ruby Condon, Ethan Gramss, Will Leddin, Occy Hayes, Jacob Murray and Hudson Lehne represented our school in the Warrnambool and District Swimming Championships.

All of our competitors swam brilliantly to compete at a very high level in each of their events.  Over 200 students competed on this day and students that finished in the top 6 of their age groups for each event qualified to advance to the next level at the Greater Western Region Swimming Championships in Horsham on 22nd March.

Evie Oswin finished 3rd overall in the 11 year old girl’s 50m breaststroke and Hudson Lehne finished 5th in the 11 year old boys 50m backstroke.  

FUTURE PE DATES

Regional Swimming - Friday March 8

Foundation Athletics - Tuesday March 12 at 12:40pm

St Patrick's Cross Country - Years 3 - 6 - Friday March 22

Connected Circus

RIDING IN SCHOOL VACINITY

To maintain a safe environment for all children and adults, we do not permit students or parents to ride push bikes, motorised bikes, scooters, skateboards or skates on footpaths along the front of the school.  Please walk your wheeled vehicles along the footpath at all times. 

5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

As a result of our School Improvement Review Process last year we have a new 5 year strategic plan, which can be located on our School Website. 3 Priorities were identified for the school to focus on. 

1. To embed Post-Critical Belief as a defining feature of the learning experiences planned and taught throughout the school in Religious Education.

Post-Critical Belief : believing in God, despite critical reasons not to believe. Reinterpretation of religious content so that it becomes meaningful to our daily lives.  

2. To promote, invite and prioritise effective and sustainable home/school partnerships for mutual benefit through allocating time, resources, facilities, professional learning and capacity building.

3. To promote a culture of inquiry and innovation, where creative exploration and independent, interrelated and purposeful learning are evident.

SCHOOL NEWS

SPORTING SCHOOLS

From March 6, Sporting School days will be Wednesday & Thrusday. The last two sessions for Term 2 will be Wednesday 20th & Thursday 21st March. You must register your child via the Schoolzine App. See details earlier in the newsletter regarding the App. Millie Kenna and Radush Mohan will be running the program.

Please only register your child/children the day of or the night before the session they will be attending. Cut off is 12pm.

PARENTS & FRIENDS NEWS

SCHOOLSTV - SLEEP

Overview of this edition

Children these days seem to be going to bed later and later. Distractions such as TV, computer games, internet, texting friends and social media are all having a negative impact on our childrens' sleep time. Sleep is vital to a child’s wellbeing. When children sleep well, they are more settled, happier and ready for school the next day. Sleep also strengthens their immune systems, supports overall development and their ability to function properly on a daily basis.

COMMUNITY NEWS