SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 NEWSLETTER
CHILD SAFETY STATEMENT
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents and Carers,
When we return from holidays we will be focusing our attention to our 175th anniversary of St. Patrick's Primary School on October 26/27/28. We are looking for past students (parents, grandparents, great grandparents) to write an interesting or funny story about a time when they were a student at St. Patrick's, to display in the school. We will also be calling for families to provide a plate for the morning tea following the mass in the school hall on Sunday Oct 27. Then to round off the celebrations we invite our Grandparents to visit the school on Monday Oct 28.
I'd like to sincerely thank Cindy Heggie for all that she has contributed to St. Patrick's in her time here and wish her well in her new position starting at the beginning of Term 4.
Happy Holidays! Congratulations to all of the children and staff for another wonderful term at St Patrick's. I hope that everyone has a relaxing break and if you are travelling, be safe.
Olga Lyons
Pupil Free Days
Thursday September 18 and Friday September 19 are Pupil Free Days. The staff will be attending 2 days of professional development.
School will finished for students on Wednesday September 17 at 3.30pm.
FROM THE RE LEADER - ELIZA DWYER
FAREWELL AND THANK YOU
We are very sad that we have to say farewell to Cindy Heggie at the end of this term. Cindy has been our Foundation teacher and a valued member of our staff for the last 2 and a half years. We will miss her smile and friendly nature.
We wish Cindy all the best in her new role with the Department of Education as a Disability Inclusion Facilitator. The schools she works with will be very lucky to have her working with them in an area that she is so passionate about. She has promised to visit us often.
CONDOLENCES
Our condolences go out to the Lee family, Paddy, Julieanne & Elsie, on the recent passing of Paddy's sister, Chantal. Please keep them in your prayers.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Amy Armstrong and George, Alex & Nike Harris who become Australian Citizens at the Moyne Shire Council's Australian Citizenship ceremony in Port Fairy this week.
PE NEWS
The St Patrick’s Girl’s Table Tennis team advanced to the Greater Western Regional Finals after coming out on top against, St Pius, Our Lady Help of Christians and St Mary’s Hamilton in the school finals on Friday. Well done to Ivy Condon, Ruby Condon, Annika Fitzsimmons and Maeve Wright.
The boys team finished close runners up to St Mary’s Hamilton. Congrats to Sam Porter, Jensen Rowbottom, Matty Greene and Dan Kelly for their efforts.
CLASS AWARDS
RESPECT: Hazel Taylor for excellent work in Mathematics. Hudson Lehne for his insightful and knowledgeable contributions to class discussions. Wilton Knee for showing great leadership while on camp. Tully Brittain-Watts for excellent work in Mathematics.
LEARNING: Annika Fitzsimmons for consistently completing all tasks independently with exceptional quality. Will Leddin - for using his learning time effectively and always completing his work to a high standard. Billy Wagg for taking responsibility for his own learning and diligently catching up on missed work after holidays. Maeve Bourke for her positive approach to school and making great progress in Literacy. Melinsa Felsianes for great work in Sounds Write! Poppy Ruiz for Showing resilience and working to a great standard. Marli Coxall for working hard and excellent writing. Bella Rincon for working hard and excellent writing.
SAFETY: Lilly Roberts for helping and looking out for her classmates while on camp. Katie Keane for the way she looks out for her buddy and other junior students at school. Gus Mackenzie for sharing an amazing camp experience with his peers. Aurora Down for always giving 100% to all areas of school life at St Pat’s.
SWIMMING PROGRAM - TERM 4
Our swimming program will start on Friday October 11 at Belfast Aquatics
Swimming lesson times 2024
10.00am - 10.30am Foundation
10.30am - 11.00am Yr 1
11.00am - 11.30am Yr 2
11.30pm - 12.00pm Yr 3
12.00pm - 12.30pm Yr 4
12.30pm - 1.00pm Yr 5
CATHOLIC NATIONAL PARENTS SURVEY
Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) is running a parent survey in partnership with the University of New England on Student Wellbeing and Learning and are seeking your perspective as parents/carers of children who attend a Catholic School in Australia.
You are invited to share your views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to your child/children’s wellbeing and learning.
The survey is anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary. For more information about the study and to participate please click on the link below.
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.
or phone: 03 5568 1371 (during school hours)
Help us celebrate this momentous occasion and create more lasting memories.
#stpatricksprimaryschool
#celebrating175years
St Patrick's Student Art Competition - 175th Anniversary
St Pat's is holding an Art Competition to coincide with our 175th Anniversary. If you think your child would be interested in participating in this competition, click on the link below for more information.
SCHOOL DATES - 2024
| Term 4 | |
| Monday October 7 | First Day of Term 4 |
| Friday October 11 | Swimming Lessons commence for Foundation - Yr 5 |
| Monday October 14 | St Pat's Foundation 2025 Story Time at 2.30pm |
| Friday October 18 | Assembly in the Hall at 2.40pm |
| Thursday October 17 | Years 3 & 4 Pillowcase Program |
| Monday October 21 | St Pat's Foundation 2025 Story Time at 2.30pm |
| Hooptime Yr 3 & 4 - Hamilton | |
| Saturday October 26 | St Patrick's 175 years celebration |
| Sunday October 27 | St Patrick's 175 years celebration |
| Monday October 28 | Grandparents & Special Friends Day |
| St Pat's Foundation 2025 Story Time at 2.30pm | |
| Tuesday October 29 | SAC Meeting at 7pm |
| Thursday October 31 | Division Cricket |
| Basketball Yr 5 & 6 - Colac | |
| Friday November 1 | Assembly in the Hall at 2.40pm |
| Monday November 4 | St Pat's Foundation 2025 Story Time at 2.30pm |
| Tuesday November 5 | P & F Special Lunch |
| Friday November 8 | Colour Fun Run |
| No Canteen Day | |
| Monday November 11 | Foundation 2025 Transition 9.30am-11am |
| Tuesday November 12 | Foundation 2025 Information Night at 6.30pm-7.30pm |
| Friday November 15 | No Canteen Day |
| Assembly in the Hall at 2.40pm | |
| Tuesday November 19 | Foundation 2025 Transition 9.30am-11am |
| Friday November 22 | Year 6 Surfgroms |
| Monday November 25 | Foundation 2025 Transition 9.30am-11am |
| Friday November 29 | Year 6 Surfgroms |
| Assembly in the Hall at 2.40pm | |
| Tuesday December 3 | Foundation 2025 Transition 9.30am-11am |
| SAC AGM & Dinner at 7pm | |
| Friday December 6 | Year 6 Surfgroms |
| Monday December 9 | End of Year Mass at 12.30pm |
| Tuesday December 10 | Orientation Day - all classes |
| Friday December 13 | Year 6 Surfgroms |
| Assembly in the Hall at 2.40pm | |
| Carols | |
| Tuesday December 17 | Year 6 Graduation & Awards Night |
| Wednesday December 18 | Students Final Day at 3.20pm |
| Thursday December 19 | Pupil Free Day |
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: 07/10/2024 - Nieka Geekie
Week of: 14/10/2024 - Myra Murrihy
Week of: 21/10/2024 - Donna Parsons
SPORTING SCHOOLS
Sporting Schools will recommence the second week of Term 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Whooping cough
The incidence of Whooping cough cases is continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children.
Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms include:
- blocked or runny nose
- tiredness
- mild fever
- severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.
Whooping cough can lead to life-threatening infections in babies.
If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.
Students diagnosed with whooping cough must not attend school
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, they must not attend school for 21 days after the onset of the cough, or until they have received 5 days of antibiotic treatment.
You must notify the school if your child is diagnosed with whooping cough.
To further reduce the spread of infection to your child and the school community, the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 require that some students who were in the same classroom as a student diagnosed with whooping cough should not attend school.
Your child should not attend school for 14 days after they were last exposed to a person diagnosed with whooping cough, or until they have taken 5 days of a course of antibiotic treatment if they are:
- aged less than 7 years; and
- not fully vaccinated with 3 doses of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.
This exclusion is required by law – refer to the School exclusion table for primary schools and children’s services.
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.
Your support in keeping our students safe and well is greatly appreciated.
For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.
Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.
