March 23 2023 Newsletter

CHILD SAFETY STATEMENT

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers,

Tomorrow (Friday) we have a Ride to School and Energy Day lead by Benson Steere. On Monday we hosted a group of local teachers at St. Patrick's who lead the sustainability focus in their schools. St. Patrick's is the only 5 star sustainable school in the region which is a credit to our commitment to educating our students the importance of caring for our fragile earth. In the words of Pope Francis, "As stewards of God's creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling."  

Thank you to the families who have already donated to our Easter Raffles. They will be drawn on the Wednesday of the last week of term. Some of the items will be donated to Food Share to support families in need, which aligns with our Catholic Social Justice mission of Preferential Options for the Poor. 

Olga Lyons 

FROM THE RE LEADER - ELIZA DWYER

CROSS COUNTRY TOMORROW

We look forward to our 2023 St. Patrick’s Cross Country tomorrow at Russell Clarke Reserve.  Students in Year 3-6 are to wear school sports uniforms.

First race for: 

9 year old students will begin at 9:30am.  

10 year olds will set off at 9:40am.  

11 year olds will set off at 10:00am.  

12/13 year olds will begin their race at around 10:20am.

A reminder that students in Years Foundation to Year 2 do not participate in this event. F-2 do a modified course in the school grounds later in the year.

Top eight place getters in each year level event will advance to the Moyne Schools Cross Country on May the 12th, if they are inside minimum qualifying times.

Parents, family and friends as always are welcome to come down and support their children in their cross country efforts.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW PROMATIONAL VIDEO!

We are very proud of our school and our new promotional video certainly shows what a wonderful school we have!

2024 FOUNDATION ENROLMENTS

We invite current families only to login via our school website to complete the enrolment form for any 2024 Foundation students. Enrolments for all other Foundation families will open in May, 2023.

Online Enrolment

Online enrolments are now available and can be completed and submitted electronically. 

For this process, go to our school website and select the Enrolment tab or click on the link below. Complete the Enrolment Enquiry to add your details for reminders and updates. (see the link below)

Under the Enrolment Tab you will also notice an Online Enrolment Form - select this and away you go. A tip with this one is do not use a phone or ipad to complete the form, any laptop or desktop computer will work fine. 

You will also need to make sure you have your child's documentation (birth, immunisation, baptism certificates and any specialist reports) loaded onto your device, either by taking a photo or scanning and uploading as you will be able to upload all of that as well.

WINTER UNIFORM - ORDER NOW!

Now is the time to check on your child's winter uniform needs. If you need to order any items, you can use CDFpay or drop into the office. If you are ordering in person you can pay by EFTPOS or cash.

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

WEEKLY NEWS - JAPANESE

Jacob Murray in Year 5, has been selected for the trip of a lifetime to Japan. The Asia Pacific Childrens’ Convention is held yearly in Fukuoka, southern Japan to bring together young people from around the world to experience real cross-cultural communication and goodwill.

Jacob wrote an essay outlining the reasons why he would make a great ambassador for not only his school and his hometown of Port Fairy but also how he could best represent Australia on the world stage. The Australia Japan Society of Victoria accepted applications from all over the state and Jacob was one of only four students chosen. While in Japan, he will participate in homestay and a camp where he will experience firsthand the many differences in culture and language between Australia and the other nationalities taking part. He will also be able to visit a school to see how Japanese children learn and play. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for Jaocb and the other participants from Australia, to experience life in another culture, to learn about different customs and ways of thinking and to allow others to begin to understand aspects of life here in Australia that may be new or unfamiliar. Even though Jacob has been learning Japanese at St Patrick’s for the past 5 years, there will definitely be some eye opening experiences and a shift in awareness of the importance of mutual respect and understanding of other people, languages and belief systems. His Japanese teacher, Anne Robertson, believes his effervescent personality and readiness to be brave in the face of new experiences will definitely help him to make friends and reap the benefits of this awesome opportunity. 

The Australia Japan Society of Victoria will generously fund most aspects of the trip including airfares, accommodation and meals.  

Jacob will leave in July and spend 10 days in Japan before returning to St Patrick’s to share his experience with his classmates.

​​Congratulations to Jacob for being selected as 1 of 4 Victorian representatives to attend the Bridge Summer Camp for the Asian Pacific Children's Convention in Fukuoka, Japan in July. Approximately 180 eleven-year-old children from 43 regions around the Asia Pacific region as well as the USA, France and Peru will come together in an international exchange, which also includes a stay with a host family. Jacob has been selected as a Junior Ambassador for Australia and we wish him all the best in preparing for and attending this upcoming international trip!

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

PARENTS & FRIENDS NEWS

CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS VICTORIA NEWSLETTER

The Catholic School Parents Victoria, March update is now available.

This issue includes:

• Advocacy - CSPV survey for parents to share what's important to them in education
• Advocacy - CSPV opportunities for parent members
• Wellbeing - CSPA survey for parents to share views for a national review on classroom disruption
• Curriculum - MACS invitation for parents to participate in a forum to share views on technology in education
• Parent Engagement - Webinar with Anne T Henderson
• Child Safety - Vaping Webinar for parents
• Curriculum - Premier's Reading Challenge resources

COMMUNITY NEWS

MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER Weekend

“Live Your Best Life in Love”

Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can cause you to lose touch with your spouse. This experience gives married couples the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living. The weekend is based around Catholic values and couples of all faiths are welcome.

 Please check our website for more details.

28-30 April 2023 in  Melbourne

(Book early to avoid disappointment)

Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or

Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au    Website: wwme.org.au