AUGUST 15, 2024 NEWSLETTER

CHILD SAFETY STATEMENT

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers,

This Sunday some of our Year 4 students will be making their First Eucharist at the  10.30am mass.  I congratulate them and wish them well for their next step in their faith journey. 

We are looking forward to the Trivia Night this Friday; it's always the social event of the year. So get you tickets and join the fun. And how about those raffle prizes?!  Well worth winning! Thank you to the team who have worked hard to organise the donations and to those businesses who have made such generous donations. 

Next Wednesday (August 21) all staff will be participating in Structured Literacy professional learning at Deakin University. Please remember it is a school closure day. 

I'm looking forward to helping the Foundation Class celebrate their 100 days of schooling on Friday.  The year 6's will be doing buddy activities with them to add to the festivities. 

Congratulations to our year 3-4 students who played in the Hooptime competition on Monday.  The boys won their section and the girls did very well.  

Olga Lyons

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary - August 15

The feast of the Assumption of Mary originated in the sixth century as the feast of "Falling Asleep of Mary."  By the seventh century the feast became known as the "Assumption of Mary." The feast commemorates the glorification of Mary, chosen by God, to be the mother of Jesus.  On this feast we are encouraged to affirm our humanity and work to enhance the dignity of people as daughters and sons of God. Mary accepted God wholeheartedly into her life and this feast is an opportunity for us to recommit to follow her lead. 

FROM THE RE LEADER - ELIZA DWYER

SCHOOL CLOSURE: WEDNESDAY AUGUST 21

NAPLAN MEDIA REPORT

We need to be cautious about narratives in the media stating that Australian students’ performances in NAPLAN and other standardised tests are getting worse. It has been reported that in 2024, about one in three school students were into the bottom two proficiency bands, with the remaining two-thirds in the top two. About one in 10 students were rated as needing additional support.

Sally Larsen,  a senior lecturer in education at the University of New England, in her study clearly shows no long-term decline in NAPLAN results from 2008 through to 2022. It even shows some considerable gains. In particular, year 3 and year 5 reading showed good progress at the population level over the 14 years of NAPLAN to 2022.

It is important to note that in 2023, some of the processes around NAPLAN  changed. This included reporting results in four proficiency levels within each year, rather than the 10 bands used from 2008 to 2022. Because there are now fewer categories in the new reporting of proficiency, there are now higher percentages of students in each category. As is clearly evident from the media report, categorising students into fewer proficiency levels can be misinterpreted.

I'd also like to point out that results in Victoria are well above the data from other states and our own St. Patrick's results are comparative to or above the state mean when compared to like schools. 

CLASS NEWS - YEAR 1

OLYMPIC FUN IN YEAR ONE!

In year one we have been learning all about the Olympics! 

In Inquiry lessons we have been learning about the history of the Olympics as well as the geography of the countries that are taking part. 

In Literacy, we have been reading biographies about some amazing athletes.  We have been learning about all the different sports and thinking about which events we would like to take part in ourselves.

In Maths, we are taking part in ‘The Potato Olympics’ ! Our potatoes are entering different events that are helping us to apply our measurement skills.

CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

SOCIAL INNOVATORS - DONATIONS!

BOOKWEEK - AUGUST 19 -23

Book Week is coming up in Week 6 (August 19th - 23rd) and will culminate in our Book Week dress up day on Friday August 23rd. 

The theme for Book Week this year is 'Reading is Magic' and whilst not compulsory, we do encourage students to dress up in a book character that matches the theme. 

The costumes do not need to be elaborate and being creative is encouraged - no need to buy anything new for the occasion. The point of the week is to celebrate reading and encourage reading more often and students will participate in activities throughout the week to support this. 

175 SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY

Do you have any St Pat's memorabilia that you could loan the school?

If you do please drop them into the school office. Photos will be scanned and the originals given back to you.

 St Patrick's Primary School is celebrating 175 years!

We're hosting a special anniversary event to mark this significant milestone - join us for a trip down memory lane! 

Whether you're a past student, teacher or a first-time visitor, this event is open to everyone. All tickets are free and program details are provided at the link below. Come along to all or as many of the sessions as you like. 

Please RSVP and grab your FREE tickets at: https://spportfairy175.eventbrite.com.au
or phone: 03 5568 1371 (during school hours)

 Help us celebrate this momentous occasion and create more lasting memories.

#stpatricksprimaryschool
#celebrating175years

P & F TRIVIA NIGHT - FRIDAY AUGUST 16

P&F Trivia Night - There are still tickets available. Click on the link to book yours!

https://www.trybooking.com/CTEFE

RAFFLE TICKETS MUST BE BACK BY TOMORROW, FRIDAY AUGUST 16

SCHOOL DATES - 2024

LIBRARY SHELVING

Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to assist in shelving borrowed books in our Library. You have been rostered on for a week but we only expect you to come in for a short time and later in the week is best.

Week of: 19/08/2024 - Leearna Moloney

Week of: 26/08/2024 - Emma Watty

SPORTING SCHOOLS

SPORTING SCHOOLS IS ON WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS FOR TERM 3. THE LAST SESSIONS WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4 & THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5.

PARISH NEWS

COMMUNITY NEWS