23 Jun 2023

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Hello St Patrick’s families,

The holidays are here! I just want to say a big thank you for a terrific Term 3 and wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. I hope you all find an opportunity for some downtime with friends and family.

APRE Update & Thankyou Mrs. McKay

As previously communicated to parents, we are currently advertising for a new APRE to fill the role left open by Mrs. Williams, who is seeing the year out in Tara before transferring to Toowoomba in 2024. At this point we are still on the hunt and are yet to confirm someone for the role. With the support of the Toowoomba Catholic Education Office, we are actively looking for a candidate to fill this role and I will make our community aware if this changes.

In the meantime, we have been fortunate to have Mrs. Emily McKay join us for the second half of this term to fill the role in Mrs. Williams’ absence. Mrs. McKay has been a tremendous help in her time here and on behalf of our school community I want to thank her wholeheartedly for her contribution to St. Pat’s this term. Have a great holiday Mrs. McKay and enjoy your return to Lourdes, we’ll miss you.

School Uniform Expectations – Term 3

Earlier this term I sent a message out to all families to highlight our school uniform policy expectations and clear up some areas of uncertainty that have been raised about our school expectations around uniform. The school uniform policy is a document created with the support of the school board and school community and expresses the standards we have for the presentation of our students. This standard is in place to ensure we have consistency across the school and that our students are presented in a way that proudly represents our St Patrick’s, and our history, in the community. The uniform policy can be found on our website.

From Term 3 on, consequences will apply for students who continue to not comply with the uniform policy. This may include the loss of privileges such as playtime or other extra-curricular activities. This of course can be easily avoided by ensuring your child attends school in the correct uniform each day.

I’m asking for your help in maintaining an expectation that helps make our school great. If your child complains about the uniform, feel free to use me, Mr. Wren, as the bad guy and say he’s the one enforcing the rules. Please do not allow your children to dictate what they wear as part of the school uniform.

I am also very aware that the management of uniform costs can, at times, be difficult for families. With that in mind, there are avenues the school can provide to support you in this. If you are experiencing any genuine difficulty with sourcing the correct uniform requirements, please contact the school and arrange a time to meet with me to discuss possible support options. We are here to help.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our school.

2024 Prep Enrolments – Due by the End of Term 2 – Enrolment Interviews Start of Term 3

2024 seems a long way away, but for the school we are already putting processes in place for next year’s Prep class, including identifying how many applicants we have and finalising our Prep cutoff numbers. If you have a child you wish to enrol for next year or know of a family who are wanting to enrol their child for next year, now is the time to ensure you have gone on to our website and done so via our electronic enrolment link.

Although we do preference siblings when identifying Prep enrolments, their online enrolment must still be lodged! Prep students with older siblings cannot be offered a place if there is no application for them!

The school will now begin contacting families for enrolment interviews to start early in Term 3. We look forward to seeing our new families soon and meeting our future Preps.

Term 3 Start Date

A reminder that school resumes in Term 3 on Tuesday 11^th July, as Monday 10^th is a ‘pupil free’ day.

School Calendar Dates – Term 3, 2023

That’s all from me for now. Have a safe and happy holiday and I’ll see you in Term 3!

Jim Wren

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 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.

MASS TIMES

St George-Dirranbandi Parish

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

APRE NEWS

Coming into a new community provides a unique opportunity to reflect, especially when you remove all the distractions that life at home gives you. The old saying it takes a village to raise children is so true. Every person, whether parent, family member, principal, teacher, school officer, specialist or coach, plays a significant role in the development of children. I know this firsthand, as my village back in Toowoomba has stepped in and cared for my family in my absence, but also, that you have your own village clearly at work within St Pat’s.  The upcoming NAIDOC week theme ‘For Our Elders’ and Catholic Education week theme Communities of Faith, Hope and Love, all tie into the importance of the network we have around us and the importance of significant others in our lives. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your village, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.  

Dates for Term 3 

• Friday 14th July – 8.45am Mass - NAIDOC – ‘For Our Elders’
• Monday 24^thJuly – 9am Mass – Catholic Education Week – ‘Communities of Faith, Hope and Love’ 
• Wednesday 26^thJuly – Pupil Free Day – St Pat’s Staff attending Bishop’s Inservice Day in Roma 
• Tuesday 8^thAugust 8.45am Mass – St Mary of the Cross Mackillop 

MIDDLE LEADER NEWS

Following on from the previous newsletter article, the 'C' result in any learning area subject is the expected result. For further clarification, the following list provides definitions of other key terms you will read in the report card: 

• Evidence- a range of information that teachers collect including data, work samples, digital media, teacher notes, formal assessment tasks.
• Typically- allows for those students who may not have displayed this during a particular assessment task, but it is evident in their work with the frequency required within this grade. There are a range of opportunities provided to demonstrate student learning to obtain the reported grade and it is not limited to one test or one assignment.
• Conceptual Understanding- a connected web of knowledge, rich in relationships and understanding and must be learned by thoughtful, mental activity.
• Sophistication-employing advanced or refined concepts. 
• Skills- these are often what students need to be able to do, for example, creating texts, asking questions, re-reading and editing, summarising, counting etc.
• Transfer- the ability of a student to take their current knowledge, skills and understandings and apply this to a new scenario and/or different context; the ability to think about their thinking (metacognition) and reflect on their learning and understanding.

Below are definitions of the grades you will see on your child’s report card. 

Kind regards, 
Emily McKay (Acting APRE)

Sacrament of Reconciliation

We are now taking names for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  This program will commence at the beginning of term 3.  Eligible children need to be 8 years of age (or older) and be in their third year at school.  Children need to complete this Sacrament prior to receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation and Communion (2024).   

Enquires and enrolment forms please contact Belinda Eley - belinda.eley@twb.catholic.edu.au. or Majella Morris -majella.morris@twb.catholic.edu.au .  The Parent information session will be on Wednesday 12^th July (Term 3 week 1) at 8.00am and again at 3.15pm in the St Patrick’s School Library.

Thank you,
Belinda & Majella

CLASS News

Peeking into PrepM

Students of the Week

Week 9: Millie Harrison, Lucy Wren.
Week 10: Carter Keeping.

Dear Parents, 

We made it to week 10!

Work experience student - Last week we had Millie here for two days assisting in our classroom for work experience. It was wonderful having an extra set of hands and we thank Millie for all her help and support and hope she enjoyed her short time with us. 

Parent helpers – I would like to slightly restructure my morning literacy groups starting next term but require parent help to ensure learning can occur for all the children. It would be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8.45 to 9.45am and I need just one parent each morning so that we would have three adults in the room. If you can assist at all, could you please let me know? 

Learning in Week 10 – we have finished off the term with some cooking and craft activities as well as practising lots of skills that we have learnt this term such as letter names and sounds and our numbers to 20. 

Term 3 – please be aware that term 3 commences on Tuesday the 11^th of July as Monday is a pupil-free day. I urge you to also check the school calendar for term 3 as we have a few pupil-free days.  

Thank you all so much for your help and support this term. I hope you all enjoy a well-earned break and look forward to seeing you all in term 3.  

Have a wonderful school holiday,

Nichole & Courtney

Peeking into Prep & Year 1H

Students of the Week

Week 9: Sarah Duffin, Dustin Keeping.
Week 10: Hallie Cross, Mia Kennedy, NgKylah Saunders.

Welcome to week 10! 

It is hard to believe another term is over and the Preps are now halfway through the year. 

Over the past few weeks, we have begun to look at Baptism.  We have talked about what happens at a Baptism and watched a short clip of a Baptism.  Next term I would like to set up a small display in the classroom.  If your child was Baptised, could you please send in a photo of the day so that we can share it with the class.  If you would like to send in their gown, candle, or certificate we can also share these with the class and send them home again as I know they are precious items. We will also visit the Church and look at the Baptismal font. 

In HASS, we have been investigating toys from the past and present.  We have noticed that a few toys from the past we still have today or have changed a little.  The children have loved these discussions.

In Math, we have been investigating time.  We have been looking at how long something takes to do from start to finish.  We have discovered that clapping and clicking our fingers takes about a second, brushing our teeth takes minutes and watching a movie can take around an hour.  We have also been looking at ordering these events from shortest to longest time.  The year 1 students have also been discussing things that take a week, month, or year.  We have had some very interesting conversations around how long it takes to do things from start to finish. 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and I look forward to seeing you all again next term. 

Happy holidays.

Kind Regards,
Fiona & Kira

Year 1D

Students of the Week

Week 9: Sonny Cross, Jimmy Easton.
Week 10: Lyla Manning, Leo Young.

Hello Year 1 families,

Halfway! We have been very busy in Year 1 the past few weeks. 

In English, we have begun our new learning focus of sentences. We have introduced the language of verbs, nouns and punctuation. Students have been busily exploring and applying this language in their own writing. 

In Math, we have also begun learning about duration. We are focusing on hours, days, months and years. 

Thank you all for a great semester, your continued support is greatly appreciated. I hope everyone has a safe and happy break. See you in a couple of weeks! 

Kind Regards,
Miss Beth Daly

Year 2W

Students of the Week

Week 9: Oliver Easton, Danielle Fuller, Max Muller, Brayden Ryan.
Week 10: Tilly Willoughby.

Dear Parents and Caregivers of Year 2W,

Congratulations everyone, we have reached the end of Semester 2 for Year 2. What an achievement! Thank you for all your hard work with homework. Thank you for presenting your child each day to school ready to learn. Thank you for returning library books each week.

Thank you for the support which you have shown towards me over the past few weeks and for your kind messages.

I look forward to beginning next term, to continue working with your child and to assist them with their learning.

Kind regards
Christina Wardle

Year 3C

Students of the Week

Week 9: Charlie Irwin, Kayden Passman.
Week 10: Addison Avery, Kalicia Saunders.

Welcome to Week 10 as we come to the halfway point of the year.

In Science, this term, Year 3 has been learning about living and non-living things. We have developed criteria showing what living things need to survive and this week we will commence our first science experiment by investigating the conditions seeds need to sprout.

We will follow the structure for writing a Scientific Report showing the question we are trying to answer, the equipment needed, making predictions and the procedure to follow. After this, the experiment will be set up and children will bring their experiment home so that they can watch their seed sprout over the holidays and even plant it in the garden if they wish.

After the holidays, we will talk about what we saw happening and write about our findings and what we can conclude from our investigation. The aim of this experiment is to confirm our thoughts about what living things need to survive. This will also be a good introduction to our unit for next term, which is all about heat and will include more experience with conducting experiments and writing about them.  

Kind regards
Annette Colley

Year 4/5

Students of the Week

Week 9: Eden Rhodes, Madison Emerson, Jacob Kings and (wk 8) Tom Easton.
Week 10: Chase Hawthorn

Hello parents and caregivers, 

We have made it to the end of term and halfway through the year already!! 

I know the athletics carnival was a couple of weeks ago now, but I wanted to say congratulations to all of those involved. The students should be proud of their efforts over these few days. I saw positive attitudes and some excellent sportsmanship. Well done! 

In 4/5R over the past two weeks the students have been very busy completing their assessment. The students have done a wonderful job writing a persuasive news article to save their chosen endangered animal. They have then started developing ideas to turn this into a Media News Report. 

The class had a wonderful last week of school completing art tasks, participating in sports, playing each other’s scratch games they have made. They also had a wonderful opportunity listening to the Nudgee Rock Band and finally, celebrating their learning about zones of regulations with the ‘Inside Out’ movie. 

Finally, I wish everyone a wonderful, happy, and safe holiday. Enjoy your time with the students at home. 

Miss Alice Rathie

Year 5/6A

Students of the Week

Week 9: Rhiana Bradley, Finn Taylor, Blake Brunner, Bella Mellifont.
Week 10: Henry McCosker, Georgie Nott, Sabrina Reyes.

Year 5/6A have been busy finishing off assessments ready for the holidays.

In English, the students have been creating feature articles on protecting and saving endangered species that they are now turning into a news report using iMovie for media arts. They are all enjoying experimenting with different effects and videos. We will continue this into Term 3.

In Math, we have started to revise adding and subtracting fractions. Students are enjoying exploring and practising this concept through games and hands on activities. We are all looking forward to holidays and a fresh start to another busy Term 3.

Have a wonderful holiday, 
Miss Claire Armstrong 

Sport & Library News

Eley Elite

Week 9: Tori Lamb.
Week 10: Madeline Sheedy.

SPORT

SW Cross Country

We have had a very busy couple of weeks with representative sport. Monday 29^th May several students travelled to Wandoan to compete in the SW Cross Country trials.  Everyone ran really well, however there were no successful St Patrick’s students for the SW Cross Country team.

SW Soccer

Tuesday 30^th May, children travelled to Chinchilla to compete in the SW Soccer trials.  A couple of students were successful in being selected in the SW team – Peter Behrend and Reagan Cross with Ella Easton, Finn Taylor and Harry McCosker selected as shadows.  Congratulations.

SW Netball

Several students attended the SW Netball trials in Roma on Monday 5^th June. Harriet Sheedy was successful in selection for the SW 10-11 yrs. Netball team.  Congratulations Harriet.

Early June, Stella Acton was called up as a shadow to represent SW and attend the State 10-12 yrs. Netball trials which were held in Caloundra.  Competition was tough, however a great experience to be a part of.

SW Tennis

Theresa Sevil and Peter Behrend attended the SW Tennis trials in Roma on 13^thJune and Theresa was successful in her selection for the team with Peter being selected as a shadow.  The state trials will be held in Caloundra mid-August.

St Pat’s Athletics Carnival

We held our annual athletics carnival in week 8.  Participation and Competition was fantastic and thank you to everyone who made the day such a success. 

Below are the results –

Winning House – GOLD
Age Champions and Runner-up for the 9-12 yrs.

The recipients of the Peter McDougall Encouragement Award were Matthew Cott and Theresa Sevil. Congratulations to all students.

Change of Procedures for Regional Sports & South West Forms

The current procedure for Regional & SW Sports Trials are - selected students bring required paperwork to school for the principal to sign & school to email through to respective sports manager, this emailing process will no longer take place, the correct procedure will be as follows -

1. Paperwork to school admin for principal to sign.
2. Paperwork is signed by principal & returned to the student, for parents to email or give to respective sports manager.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact school.

LIBRARY

Due to staff shortage, there will be no catch up borrowing on Fridays this term, so please remember your books on your library day.

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