Newsletter 27/11/2023 Term 4 Week 9

First Sunday of Advent

From the Principal

Dear parents and carers,

With just three weeks of the school year to go, our attention is turning to finishing the year well and planning for the beginning of school next year. Our students have their last day on Friday 15th of December, finishing at 3:15pm. The staff will return to school on Monday 29th of January next year and we will have a school closure day on Tuesday 30th. This means that students will begin school on Wednesday 31st of January 2024. 

2023 St Patrick's Arts Night

Last Tuesday we opened the school to our families to showcase the wonderful art work the students have completed this year in Visual Arts. It was a great way for students to share their artistic and musical talents and an opportunity for families to be involved in school life and have a social catch up with other school community members. Thank you to all our staff who gave of their time and energy to make this a success and thank you to all who came to see the school full of awesome art made by our students. 

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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

Move Up Day

Tuesday the 12th December is our Move Up Day.

Children will spend the day in their new class with their 2024 teacher and class mates on this day.

Class lists for 2024 will be available before this day.

Grade 5 Leadership Interviews & Leadership Day

Next Monday the 4th December the Grade 5 students will be participating in their Grade 5 Leadership Interviews. They have been preparing for these at school with a written application and interview technique practice before they sit in front of the panel. We wish them luck as they vie for their leadership positions within the school.

On Monday the 11th December the Grade 5's will be attending their Leadership Day. On this day the students will participate in a range of activities & have guest speakers. The 2024 leadership positions will be announced on this day.

Grade 6 Excursion

On Monday the 11th December the Grade 6 students will be going to Port Campbell on their excursion for an open water swim led by the surf lifesaving club of. A BBQ lunch will be supplied and on the way home they will go to the Timboon Ice Creamery. Students will need to wear their sports uniform on this day and bring their bathers, wetsuit and towel.

A PAM permission and details to follow.

The Week Ahead

Grade 2 Excursion

Our Grade 2 students went on their excursion to Flagstaff Hill in Warrnambool last Friday and had a wonderful day exploring the history of our region. They almost made it to the end of the day but were caught in the rain during their lunch break. Thank you to the Grade 2 staff who organised the event and cared for the students on the day.

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Grade 3 camp to Coorimungle

Our Grade 3 students headed to Camp Coorimungle today for their overnight camp.  

The children are having a great time!

WELLBEING

F-2 Swimming Program

The Foundation to Grade 2 swimming program will run for four sessions and the dates of each of these sessions are as follows:
Wednesday 6th December
Friday 8th December
Wednesday 13th December
Friday 15th December 
On these days each grade will participate in a 30 minute lesson.

Children will swim between 9:30am - 12:30pm. 
We request that parents consider the following points in order to make their child’s time at the pool as enjoyable and productive as possible. 
*Appropriate swimming attire e.g. bathers, rash vest, board shorts (avoid thick shorts & t-shirts). 
*Goggles that fit comfortably & do not allow water in (strongly recommended for all students). 
* A dry towel. 
* Spare underwear. 
*All clothing & towels clearly labeled with the student's name. 
* Students are encouraged to bring a pair of thongs to school in their bag to wear to and from the pool.

Graduation and Celebration

Our Grade 6 graduation is being held at St Patrick's Church on Wednesday Dec 13.  Children will come along with their parents for the evening to start at 6.00pm, and finishing by 7.30pm.  

Our Graduation class of 2023 have chosen to offer an opportunity to gather as a group to celebrate the end of their primary school lives,  after our graduation ceremony on the 13th of December. Natalie Roberts has booked the court yard at the back of the Hampden Hotel and pizzas will be able to be purchased for a shared dinner. Could you please RSVP to Natalie on 0417035474 with your availability.

Light Up Camperdown

This Friday our students from Grades 3-6 will be making lanterns for Light Up Camperdown.

Due to the students being busy with this project there will be no assembly this week.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL CULTURE

Final School Mass

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

Don’t forget to mark it in your diary or on your calendar or in whatever device people use these days!

In our continuing reflection as we prepare for the season of Advent in the lead up to Christmas we will now look at what Jesus said. 

Jesus: What did he say?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous’” (Matthew 5:43-45).

The Bible provides us with many examples of what Jesus said when he commenced his public life. It should be noted here that the Bible was written by many authors, and Jesus’ words and actions were often recorded by different people. This helps to verify the truth of what he said and did.

Jesus had a particular style of communicating. For example, he often used parables. This was very effective, as it invited the listener to think deeply about what he was trying to teach. A well-known parable is The Good Samaritan. You can read it in the Bible, in the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). 

Jesus held the Jewish leaders to account. When he saw the teachers of the law and the pharisees substituting their own laws for God’s laws, and putting themselves above the people in their community, he astonished them by calling them hypocrites (Matthew 23:13-37). This was a dangerous thing to do and would bear consequences. 

Jesus taught the people to pray. One of the greatest prayers, the Our Father – or the Lord’s Prayer – was taught by Jesus himself. You can read it in Matthew 6:9-13 or Luke 11:2-4. This prayer, which summarises the essentials of how to live as a follower of Jesus, has endured throughout the centuries.

Jesus said challenging things. Addressing thousands of people, he said the poor, the sick and those in mourning were blessed. He asked people to love their enemies and to forgive those who harmed them in any way (Matthew 5:43-48). This was as counter- cultural back then as it is today.

Jesus called his followers “friends”. This might have seemed strange given he was God. But Jesus emphasised the importance of friendship and service, rather than domination (John 15:15).

Jesus also spoke of the kingdom of God – God’s kingdom on earth and in heaven – one where love of God and love of neighbour would abound. The idea of any other kingdom than what currently existed was deeply offensive to the Jewish and Roman leaders.

Adapted from The Catholic Enquiry Centre

Kind regards,  Mr. S. 😃

Parish Bulletin

LEADERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP

School Advisory Council Nominations

At the SAC Annual General Meeting last week we held elections for the new executive for 2024. I am delighted to let you know that the new chair of the council is Xan Colman, the deputy chair is Nina Pasque and Hollie Theodore will be the secretary. We thank these people for their committment taking on these vital roles. 

Parents and Friends AGM

Our P&F will conduct their AGM this Wednesday the 29th of November at 7pm at the Hampden Hotel. If you wish to join us for the meeting or dinner please come along. 

Tania Lafferty's time at our school has come to an end. We thank her for her time on the P&F over the years.

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.

Known Dates for Term 4

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Container Deposit Scheme

We have registered our school for the container deposit scheme that has now commenced in Victoria. The nearest deposit machines are located at Cobden, Timboon, Terang & Warrnambool.

How to claim your refund at a CDS VIC Return Point;

Charity Donation
You can donate some of your 10c refund directly to St Patrick’s School.
You can donate via:
 -the CDS Vic West app
– select your preferred “Charity” as your active payout
– scan your app barcode at the machine
– insert your 10c drink containers and select “Transfer” directly on the screen of the machine when finished. 100% of the donated refund will be transferred to the donation partner you selected within the next 5 to 12 days.

Birthdays

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

Daisy B &  Courtney B

Community Events

Cobden Swimming Club

Swim Club - Terang

Free Golf Coaching Clinics - Cobden

Junior Netball Trials -CFNC

Basketball Clinic - Terang

Camperdown Magpies Junior Netball Tryouts

Christmas Carols - Camperdown