26 October 2023

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Hello St Patrick’s families,

Happy World Teachers Day!

I’ve been walking around the school a lot this week, and every time I do, I’m taken aback by the level of activity and engagement I see in all our classrooms. I see our students reading, writing, counting, playing, problem solving, working together… the list goes on, and always in everything, having fun! Moments and activities like this don’t happen by themselves, it is because of our great teachers that our students get to learn and grow in this fantastic environment. Teaching isn’t always an easy job – it asks a lot of our teachers, demanding their time, energy, and emotions – but we do it because we love the job and the role, we have in helping our young people grow. Yesterday was World Teachers Day, our opportunity to go out of our way to thank our teachers for the wonderful role they play. To be honest, you don’t need a special day to say thank you to your teacher, but we have one so it’s important we make the most of it! I personally want to thank all the teachers at St Patrick’s for the wonderful job I see them doing every day. They truly are a special bunch and I know our school and our learners are blessed to have them in our lives. Thank you to all our teachers – you’re great!

Day for Daniel

Today (Friday 27^th October) the students of St Pat’s were invited to wear the colour red to school to help raise awareness for ‘Day for Daniel’. ‘Day for Daniel’ is Australia’s largest national child safety education and awareness day and is a great opportunity for us to remind our children and young people about how to stay safe in physical and online environments. Something we reminded our students of today is that we have designated adults at school, titled Student Protection Contacts (SPC), that they can talk to any time they feel unsafe or concerned about something at school or outside the school. Although all staff are trained in the appropriate processes to follow if they become aware of a situation where a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed, the role of the SPC is to be a very visible and known face that the children know they can talk to at any time.

Another message that was reinforced to the students today is that they can play an active part in keeping themselves and others safe. In all circumstances, if a student is feeling uncertain or unsafe about a person or situation, they can use the 3 R’s;

• Recognise – Recognise the clues your body is giving you that something isn’t right.
• React – React by getting away from the danger.
• Report – Report by letting a trusted adult know what has happened to make you feel unsafe.

Remember, child safety is everyone’s responsibility. Find out more information at https://danielmorcombe.com.au/ 

School Demountables Update

At the end of last term, I wrote in my newsletter that we had a confirmed buyer for our demountables. Unfortunately, that buyer has now withdrawn their offer as unforeseen transport and timeline issues have arisen for them, making the demountables a now unsuitable option. I was really excited by the confirmation of the purchase they gave us as it meant we were going to be able to progress our Master plan but, it seems it was not meant to be. Please spread the word that the search for a new buyer is on again. If you are aware of someone who would be interested in inspecting the demountables to purchase, please encourage them to contact the school and we will be happy to arrange a time they can inspect the buildings.

St Patrick’s Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) Application Update – Potential Start Date Term 1 2024

Many families have been asking about our application for an OSHC service to begin at St Patrick’s, and if we have an update on whether this application has been successful. At this point, the application has been submitted but is still being processed, so we are still waiting for a definitive answer. It was made clear to us when we put in our submission that it can take up to 3 months to process so when we know more, we will let you know! At this point, the Toowoomba Catholic Kindergarten & Care Team do not see a reason why the application wouldn’t be approved and are envisioning that the service will start in 2024, but, until we get the official go-ahead, I am not able to make a formal announcement that we have been successful. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed!

2024 Attendance Intentions

The school is at a point in the year where we are finalising our enrolments and staffing for 2024, and a key part of this process is knowing just how many students we will have attending the school next year. With that in mind, if you know that you will be moving on in 2024 and your children will no longer be attending St Patrick's, can you please contact the school to make us aware of this as soon possible. The best way to do this is by email to stgeorge@twb.catholic.edu.au  If your child/children are still going to be attending next year, there is no need to make contact and you can ignore this email. I appreciate your time in addressing this for us, it will greatly aid in our preparations for 2024.

Marty Savage – SEL Visit

From Wednesday 8^th November to Thursday 9^th November, we are fortunate enough to have our schools Senior Education Leader (SEL), Marty Savage, visit us from the Toowoomba Catholic Schools head office. Marty is the representative for the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office at St Patrick’s and will be visiting us to say hello and see what is happening in the school. He is also available to speak with parents and families if they wish to make a private appointment with him via his email marty.savage@twb.catholic.edu.au.   

FETE

Our Fete is soon approaching, and it is all happening at school and in the parish to get it organised.

Mega Draw tickets – Soon it’s going to be time to SELL SELL SELL those tickets! I’ve seen some of the prizes coming in for this year’s mega draw and they are great! The mega draw is a key part to the fundraising efforts of the fete so make sure you’re canvasing the neighbourhood and selling those tickets.

And if you are available to help sell mega draw tickets on a Friday night or Saturday morning before the fete, please contact Amelia Sevil on 0429 207 030 to let her know and she will add you to the roster.

Donations for the Sweets Stall, Cake Stall, Container Stall & Plant Stall – donations are now being sought for the Sweets Stall, Cake Stall, Container Stall & Plant Stall and keep your eyes peeled for more notices and please donate kindly!

SUNDAY PACKUP – The Sunday after the fete is always a busy one with the pack-up and clear away of all the events and activities. There is lots to do on this day but, many hands make light work, so please find some time to come down and help.

Calendar Keepers Coming Up

School Calendar Dates – Term 4, 2023 

That’s all from me for now. Stay safe and have a great weekend,

Jim Wren

FETE News

Container Stall

The students have recently received 4 containers to fill. Examples of goodies to put in the containers are packets of lollies or small chips, crayons, coloured pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, small toys or anything that is suitable for a child’s raffle item.

Sweet Stall

Plant Stall

Once again, we are asking for plant donations for the Parish Fete. Please add a tag to each plant with the type of plant and the bloom colour it produces. You can drop your plants in on the day of the fete at 4pm or call Sarah Sheedy 0428 548 183.

SKOOLBAG APP

Dear Parents/Carers

Our school uses the Skoolbag app for iPhone and Android, to help us communicate more effectively with our Parent community. We are asking parents/carers to search for and install the Skoolbag app.

Once you have installed the Skoolbag app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store just search for our school’s name St Patrick's Primary School St George.
For Windows users search for Skoolbag in the Windows Store, install the app, and then find our school. Please note it must be a Windows 8.1 or 10 device.

Please check the flyer below for instructions.

OUR PRAYERS…

Let us support each other in Prayer, especially for the Sick and the Deceased and those who are suffering Hardships, in our Parish and School.

Acting APRE News

Welcome to Week 4! How incredibly fast is this term going?  

This week, we join with schools across the country celebrating the annual Day for Daniel on Friday, October 27. All students and staff are encouraged to wear red this Friday to help raise awareness about child safety. Students may like to wear all red clothing, red socks, a red shirt, red hair ribbon … anything red that they have at home already. Last term each class completed lessons from the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum and engaged with Australia’s Biggest Child Safety lesson. The annual Day for Daniel is another way to reinforce the important child safety messages that help to keep our young people safe. If students don’t want to wear red on Friday, they are required to come to school as usual in their school uniform.   

Religious Life of the School Update 

This week we celebrate World Teachers’ Day! On Thursday, October 26, Mrs McCosker and Prep M will lead us in a special liturgy to celebrate our teachers here at St Patrick’s School and teachers around the world who do a wonderful job educating and caring for students. All families are most welcome to join us from 8:45am in the St Patrick’s Church.  Although I have only been at St Patrick’s for a short amount of time, I can confidently say we have some very hardworking teachers here! Make sure you say a big Happy World Teacher’s Day to all our teachers this Thursday.  

In Week 5, we come together again to celebrate grandparents and those like grandparents to us with our St Patrick’s School Grandparents Morning on Wednesday, November 1! Miss Daly and Year 1 will lead us with a special prayer from 10am in the St Patrick’s Church. This will be followed by classroom visits for our grandparents and morning tea for those grandparents who wish to stay. Our morning will conclude at 11am when the children go out for playtime. We warmly welcome all our St Patrick’s grandparents and those who are like grandparents to come along and celebrate with us.  

Have a great week.

God bless,
Miss Kristin Byrne
(Acting Assistant Principal Religious Education)

MASS TIMES

St George-Dirranbandi Parish

Priest Administrator: Fr Anthony 0409 278 968 Email: balonneparish@bigpond.com 

CLASS News

Peeking into PrepM

Students of the Week

Week 3: Ava Lamb, Loghan Avery.
Week 4: Sophie Bradfield, Eddie Casalegno, Mackenzie Hyland.

Dear Parents, 

Welcome to week 4! 

Swimming Notes – Can you please ensure you return your swimming note as soon as possible? If you have misplaced it, please contact the office to get a new one.   

World Teacher’s Day – The Prep students did a wonderful job of presenting the World Teacher’s Day Liturgy. Thank you to the parents who were able to attend.   

English – This week we commenced writing our letters to Santa to practice our writing skills by using our knowledge of letter sounds and sentences. We have discussed that in our letter we need to tell Santa something, ask him a question we would like to know about and ask for some gifts for Christmas. Once we have written our letters and checked that they make sense then I will type them up ready to post. Parents you will also receive a copy of your child’s letter. Can I please ask that you send in an envelope with YOUR address on the back, 65c for the stamp or prepurchase your own and put it on the envelope? Can these please be brought to school by the end of week 5? 

Library – The school library will close for student borrowing after week 5. That means we only have two more weeks to borrow picture books and home readers. Every week counts in term 4! 

Nichole & Courtney

Peeking into Prep & Year 1H

Students of the Week

Week 3: Madeline Sheedy, Iggy Woods, Cooper Lambert.
Week 4: Dustin Keeping, Sarah Duffin, Billie Fuller, Ngkylah Saunders.

In Religion, we have been looking at the stories of Mary in the bible and are finding out why she was a very special person.  We have also begun to learn the Hail Mary as part of our meditative prayer each morning.   

In Science, we have been examining how things move.  We have been finding out that force causes objects to move and that this force can cause objects to move in more than one way.  For example, a ball can only roll but a cylinder can roll or slide depending on if it is placed on its curved or flat side. 

In HASS, we have been looking at our local community and identifying places that are natural, managed or constructed.  This will lead into us creating a diorama of a place in St George that is either natural, managed or constructed.  For the students to be able to do this they will need a shoe box or a box of a similar size.  Could you please send one in with your child by the end of next week.  If you have a spare box you don’t need, could you please also send it in, in case another student can’t get one. 

The Fete is just around the corner and our hats are on the way.  Could you please ensure that your child is wearing a white shirt on the day and either colourful shorts or skirt and their white school shoes. 

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Kind Regards,
Fiona & Kira

Year 1D

Students of the Week

Week 3: Ellie May, Oscar Muller.
Week 4: Elouise McNamara, Jules North, Cooper Passman.

Hello, Year 1 families,

In Math, and Digital Technologies, we have been learning about direction and using positional language to move a ‘BeeBot‘ within a space. Students have thoroughly enjoyed this.

All students have been putting in a great effort with their writing, it has been so pleasing to see the growth in their writing this year.

In HASS, we have been exploring ways to care for our environment.

Another reminder of important dates this term:

• 1^st of November - Grandparents Day (10am)
• 4^th of November – Fete (Please see note sent home regarding costume)
• Monday 6^th – Friday 10^th of November – Swim Block
• Friday 24^th of November – Swimming Carnival
• Tuesday 28^th of November – Awards Night
• Wednesday 29^th of November - Last Day of School

Each day of swim block, please remember to pack your child a swimming shirt, towel, thongs, a swimming cap, sunscreen, and a plastic bag (swimming bag/backpack) to carry their wet clothes in.

Kind Regards,
Miss Beth Daly

Year 2W

Students of the Week

Week 3: Sophie Luck, Max Muller, Riley Bradley, Roly Mace.
Week 4: Zara Rhodes, Xander King, Ollie Easton, Tori Lamb, Chelsea Cross.

Dear Parents and Caregivers of Year 2W,

Welcome to week 4!

Homework has gone home again today, please work through the next activities. These final tasks for the year are mostly revision. Some children are also writing sentences, but others have full books. So, sentences are optional. Please continue with spelling and reading nightly.

Fete Dance Costume- Boys are wearing a Santa hat and girls are having a high piggy tail with red ribbon and red lipstick! Some girls have short hair now, so they can wear a Santa hat if preferable. White shorts/skirt/bike pants and then a green or red t-shirt or polo. (If the t-shirt/polo has Christmas on it then great, but this is not essential!)  Fete is Sat 4th Nov at 4pm-students arrive earlier to prepare for dances.

Reading tests are underway this week and some students have competed testing today. Well done! Tomorrow and Wednesday will be more testing of reading and possibly until the end of the week, depending on how we go. Also, next week will be school testing of Pat R (Reading) and Pat M (Mathematics).

Please do not hesitate to make contact for any queries.

Kind regards
Christina Wardle

Year 3C

Students of the Week

Week 3: Jake Kingston, Hunter Mellifont, Jorja Summers.
Week 4: Cohen Curtis, Abbey Duffin, Eleanor North.

Welcome to Week 4.

This term in English, we are learning how to describe the setting in a narrative story. It’s easy to see the setting in a picture book but very hard for the reader to get an image from a novel. That’s why we need to be very specific in the vocabulary we choose because we are trying to paint a picture for our reader using words. In this unit we have talked about “showing” what is happening rather than telling.

To help us do this, we have used our five senses to try and describe the setting. We have used picture stimuli to inspire our writing and have created word walls with lots of fabulous words that we have brainstormed about different types of settings. The aim is to use these words in our writing so that our readers feel as if they are standing right there in the setting that we have described. 

Please keep watching your emails for updated information about the Fete. Thanks to the families who have taken ‘Moo Poo’ tickets to sell. Please send the ticket butts and money back to me at school as you finish your book of tickets and let me know if you can sell some more. 

Kind regards
Annette Colley

Year 4/5

Students of the Week

Week 3: Gus McCosker.
Week 4: Amber Sting, Brooke Hams, Hannah Acton. 

Dear parents and caregivers, 

We are nearly halfway through the term already!!  

The students have been busy exploring Jackie French’s wonderful natural disaster books, bushfire, flood, drought, and cyclone. In this investigation, the students have been looking at the author's purpose, tone, and language features used throughout.  The class has also analysed the books and recognised they have been written in the style of couplet poetry. This has sparked their enthusiasm as they have started writing their own poem about a chosen natural disaster in a couplet format. 

In Religion, the students have been practicing their bible skills and they have been busy finding and reading the verses from the four mysteries; Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries. They have also investigated the history of the rosary and how to pray the rosary.  

The students have been working also very hard on their fete dance and I commend them on their efforts and energy. Well Done.  

Some past/ upcoming celebrations: 

• World Teachers Day 26^th October we celebrated at Mass Thursday morning.
• Day for Daniel 27^th October Again we celebrated by wearing red.
• Grandparents Day 1^st November we will be celebrating with a Mass. 

Just a final reminder to please bring back your swimming notes as soon as possible. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you.

Miss Alice Rathie

Year 5/6A

Students of the Week

Week 3: Bella Mellifont, Rhiana Bradley, Stella Acton.
Week 4: Ella Easton, Sabrina Reyes, Theresa Sevil.

Welcome to the end of week 4. How the term is quickly moving! We have been very busy in year 5/6 preparing for the fete dance, attending high school transitions, and learning the last of our content before the end of the year.

Students have been enjoying investigating fruits and vegetables in design technologies to design their own vegetable gardens, ensuring that they are sustainable.

In English, students have been exploring Jackie French texts of Fire, Flood, Cyclone and Drought, analysing the language features, visual features, and literary devices to then create their own couplets about a natural disaster. Following on with the natural disaster theme, we have been investigating volcanoes and earthquakes and how they affect the Earth’s surface.

A few reminders that year 6 students have their full day high school transition next Monday 30^th of October and that Swim block notes need to be returned if you haven’t already brought them back.

Drought – Lyndall Southern

Earth too dry and cracked to grow,

Need rain quickly, all-time low.

Food is rationed, livestock starving,

This is not a time for laughing.

Clouds are empty, no rain to measure,

Taps are just drizzles, not much pressure.

All cows do is kick up dust,

This is why the farmers bust.

Cyclone - Isabella Ballin

On Easter night a storm comes tonight 10

As day is sucked by night, we get a fright.

The biggest grey spiral ever seen 10.

Will defiantly be something very very mean.

All will be a loss to this sucking gain 9.

And we will have nothing of to gain.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs Claire McDonnell 

Sport & Library News

Eley Elite 

Week 3: Wyatt McArthur.
Week 4: Andrew Cross.

SPORT 

Swim block will be held in week 6: from 6^th - 10^th November.  A note has already been sent home regarding the swim block, so please ensure you have filled it out and returned this note to the front office by the due date.  The St Pat’s Swimming Carnival will be held on November 24^th with the IM’s being the morning of the 23^rd of November.  More information regarding the carnival will follow.

LIBRARY News

BOOK FAIR

Thank you, for your support during book fair.  It was well supported and with the commission from book fair purchases we were able to purchase more books and resources for the library.

LIBRARY BORROWING

WEEK 5 IS THE LAST WEEK FOR BORROWING AS THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED FOR STOCKTAKE.

From week 6 onwards all Library books will need to be returned by the students in preparation for 2024.  If you have an issue with finding particular library books, please come and have the conversation with Julie or myself.  Thank you.

Borrowing days are as follows, so please try to remember to send along library books:

Reading is Power and Knowledge!

Happy borrowing and reading!
Binnie Eley & Julie Pike

COMMUNITY NEWS

Christmas Blue Light Disco

Volunteers Needed – Blue Light Disco