Newsletter 13/11/2023 Term 4 Week 7

Our Prayer for Learning

From the Principal

Dear parents and carers,

This week we begin "Assessment Week", where teachers are conducting assessments on many aspects of a child's academic  progress to help report on your child's growth and progress in our school reports. We promote this as an opportunity for children to "show off" all the learning they have done this semester. 

Trivia Night

Last friday night our P&F conducted our first Trivia Night since 2019 and it was a great success. We had a small but enthusiastic crowd who loved the challenge of answering the questions and competing in the games. The winning team "Jake brought bread" are the first to be placed on the perpetual trophy that was kindly donated by Belinda and Sam Doolan. There were many other kind donations that were made into raffle prizes on the night. Our winners were: 1st Dianne Wright, 2nd Jo Gardiner and 3rd Daelene. The door prize was won by Anna Bourke. Thank you to the Grade 6 parents who helped organise and run the evening and for all the generous donations. We raised over $800 on the night. 

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Important Dates

A few important save the dates!

Wednesday the 13th December - Grade 6 Graduation - 6pm

Thursday the 14th December - End of Year Mass - 11.30am

Friday the 15th December - Students last day of school - 3.15pm finish time

The Week Ahead

Welcome Michelle

We are delighted to welcome Michelle Wallis to our school as she completes teaching rounds for her teaching degree. Michelle will be working in 3/4L and we hopes she enjoys her time with us at St Patrick's. 

3/4 Hooptime Team

Our 3/4 girls Hooptime basketball team have qualified for the state Hooptime championships which is very exciting news.
This event wil be at the Dandenong Stadium on Monday December 4th.
A big thank you to Josh Brebner who has given up some time to come in and take students for some lunchtime training - it is much appreciated.

5/6 Hooptime Team

Our 5/6 girls Hooptime basketball team will compete this Thursday in the Regional competition in Hamilton. We have 8 girls who are excited to represent our school and we wish them and their coach, Jocelyn Fitzgerald, every success on the day.

WELLBEING

CATHOLIC SCHOOL CULTURE

Mass for a Day Professional Development

Staff gathered last Monday to explore the Mass in the course of an entire day. Justin McInerney from the Catholic Education Office Ballarat guided us through the Liturgy of the Word exploring the history of the Old Testament as context for the New Testament. I then took the staff through the Liturgy of the Eucharist with a focus on what gifts we bring to the School community and the link between Jesus’ Last Supper and the Mass. Finally, Tim looked at the Rite of Dismissal and what it means to go forward as a Catholic Christian in these times.

Jesus: What did he do?
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible’” (Mark 10:27).
We don’t know a lot about Jesus’ early life. There are biblical stories of his family travelling to Egypt to escape the slaughter of baby boys and of a trip to Jerusalem with his parents, Mary and Joseph, to celebrate the Jewish feast of the Passover. However, in the three years of his public ministry, Jesus’ actions drew significant attention.
Jesus performed many miracles. He turned water into wine and fed multitudes of people from just a few items of food. He raised people from the dead. He cured the sick of their physical and mental illnesses. Jesus extended these healing miracles to people outside the Jewish community. As people witnessed these miracles, they began to sense Jesus was someone quite extraordinary, and reports of his actions spread throughout the country.
Jesus’ way of leading exemplified inclusiveness and service. He chose to associate with people on the peripheries of society and was not ashamed to reach out to those considered “unclean”. He ate with tax collectors who were abhorred by the community because they extracted monies from them, and he broke the convention of not engaging with women in public, even when their past lives involved scandal it didn’t stop him. Women were among the strong advocates for the message he offered. Jesus treated all people with great love, yet many people judged his actions as scandalous and not in accord with religious respectability.
Jesus did not work alone. Indeed, from the start, Jesus empowered his followers to continue the good work which he had begun. He invited men and women to join him in caring for the poor, sick and outcast. He chose 12 men, the apostles, to accompany him so that they would continue his work when he was gone.
In all his actions, Jesus showed love. And while he was authentic to the very best understanding and traditions of Jewish wisdom and law, Jesus’ actions caused tension among the religious and civil authorities of his time.
“And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” (Matthew 9:10-11).
Reflection: If Jesus were alive today, who do you consider would be the people on the periphery he might associate with?

Adapted from The Catholic Enquiry Centre

Term 4 Friday Buddy Masses - our Final One!

All are welcome to attend the 9.30 Friday Mass at St. Patrick’s Church with their child’s class. 

• Friday 17th November 3/4WP & 5/6MJ

Our final school End of Year Mass will be at 11.30 on Thursday 14th December.

 Kind regards,  Mr. S. 😃

Parish Bulletin

LEADERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP

School Advisory Council Nominations

Our SAC have worked very hard over the last few years to support the school leadership through some very difficult times. I would like to thank them for their wisdom and support since I joined the school community. This year we have two parents vacating their position at the Annual General Meeting tomorrow night. Fiona Dean has been on the committee for 5 years and has been our chair this year and Sam Fox who has joined us this year, will both be finishing up.  I would like to thank them for their time and commitment whilst on the SAC. This means we have two vacancies on the SAC and I would invite parents to nominate themselves or someone else for one of these positions.

Schoolzine App

We have noticed on our records that quite a few parents have not subscribed to the SZApp.

The Schoolzine App is a vital way that we communicate with our parents.

If you do not have the app on your phone could you please ensure you download it as soon as convenient.

It will ask you for a passcode which is 2561.

Attached below are the instructions on how to download the app.

School fees

Just a reminder that school fees are now due and payable.
If you need any assistance or have any questions please contact Tim or Debbie, thank you.

Remembrance Day

Ava and Abi represented St Patrick's school at the Camperdown Remembrance Day ceremony on Saturday morning by laying a wreath in our name. We thank all of the school community who turned up on the day and Tracy Hickey who organised the students so well.

Known Dates for Term 4

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthday this week.

Bailey F, Rubi B, Poppy G, Marlee F & Mia A

Community Events

Swim Club - Terang

MRC Car Raffle

Camperdown Swimming Pool