6 February 2025

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Hello St Patrick’s families, I hope you are all well! 

It’s been a fantastic start to the term, and it’s been great to see lots of smiling faces at school, both familiar and new! As every year does, 2025 is starting off at pace, so please keep abreast of class and school communications of what is coming up at school. 

BBQ & Blanket Evening – Thursday 13^th February from 5pm 

This coming Thursday we will be hosting our annual BBQ & Blanket welcome evening. This will be a relaxed ‘mingle’ evening where the focus is on us welcoming families to the school and celebrating our community. Classrooms will still be open at set times and teachers will still be in the rooms to answer any questions you may have, but more importantly it will just be great to see everyone coming in and saying hello. Importantly, bring a blanket to sit on and relax while the family has some food, listens to some music, and catches up with friends! A flyer was sent out last week with details so check it out and I’ll see you there! 

Learning at Home Policy 

You may have noticed that no homework has been sent home so far this term. That is intentional as in 2025 we will be trialling a new approach to homework at St Patrick’s. 

At St Patrick’s we are conscious of the effect that societal changes have on families and are aware that each family has its own unique way of life. In today’s world, families are constantly faced with challenges. We at St Patrick’s do not want homework to be another challenge. We want learning at home to be a manageable, positive time for interaction between children and their families. Importantly, we also want learning at home to be reflective of the latest evidence based best practice, consistent across our classes, and something that allows for the deepening of skills learned at school. 

With this in mind, we will be trialling a new approach to homework which will move away from structured worksheets being sent home and instead have reading as the focus of any learning at home. I am currently working with staff to finalise what this will look like for students and families so keep an eye out for more information coming out soon from the school regarding this exciting change. 

P&F AGM Thursday 20^th February – 5.15pm – All Positions Vacant 

On Thursday 20^th February, we will be holding our P&F Annual General Meeting. After speaking with our current P&F Executive, all positions will be made vacant and available for election. 

• P&F President 
• P&F Vice President 
• P&F Secretary 
• P&F Treasurer 
• P&F Equipment Hire Coordinator 

I would like to strongly encourage all families to give some consideration to these roles and how you might be able to contribute as a member of the Executive. You may also like to consider going for a role as a team. The different roles of the Executive mean members will be working together hand in hand, so standing for office as a team will potentially put you ahead from the start. 

I would also like to take this moment to thank the outgoing Executive of Laura Easton (President), Gina Mace (Vice-President), Courtney McArthur (Treasurer) and Sam Easterbrook.  

New TCSO Parent Engagement Charter & Parent Code of Conduct 

Over the past 12 months, the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office (TCSO) has been revising its existing Parent Engagement Charter and has also been consulting with schools on the creation of a new Parent Code of Conduct. Following this process, TCSO has created a new Parent Engagement Charter and Parent Code of Conduct to sit across all 32 schools in the Toowoomba Diocese. The Parent Engagement Charter defines/articulates the relationship between parents and school and the Parent Code of Conduct sets the boundaries for this relationship and interactions between school and families. Both documents have been posted to the policies tab of our website that can be accessed below. A limited number of hard copies will also be in our office for families to take with them. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with these documents and, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Start the Year the Right Way – Attendance Counts! 

Knowing that learning is a journey that takes time, it is so important that our learners are at school every day possible, so that they have the time to learn to the best of their ability. Research shows that absenteeism is one of the leading factors in declining student outcomes, with a consistent attendance record of less than 90% being the tipping point for students to start having difficulties at school. 90 % is only one day a fortnight! But when you start to add it all up, one day a fortnight totals to one week a term, which totals to four weeks a year. And when you look at it in that light, it’s easy to see how missing four weeks of school could impact your child’s learning. A lot happens in a classroom in four weeks! 

And yes, there will always be times when it is appropriate for children to stay at home – sickness, family events, appointments, etc. – but at all other times it is important to remember that every day at school counts! And that applies for late arrivals and early finishers as well. Once again, there will be times when these are unavoidable but, every minute of the day counts too! The morning is a great time to learn as the children are generally fresh and switched on so being in class and ready to go at 8.30am is paramount – it’s the best start to a great day! 

If your child is going to be away or late, please ensure that you have registered the absence through the parent portal or contacted the office to let them know. And if you are having trouble getting your child to school, also touch base with your teacher to make them aware; they may be able to give some insight or ideas on ways you can work together to support your child. 

Everyday counts! 

Loving Our Community – Mr. Wren’s Office Trucker Hat Collection 

Something that has caught my imagination since being in St George is the communities love for a Trucker Cap, it’s great! I love the way families and community groups make hats that represent their organisation, be it a farm, a small business or a sporting club; it’s a great expression of who you are and the pride you have for what you do. With that in mind, I am now collecting hats from families at school that have them and hanging them around my school office space. I’ve started already and would love to thank those families who have already contributed to my new collection. 

I’m still going though, and my dream is to have a ring of hats around the whole of my office. So, if you’ve made a hat for your farm or business or club and have a spare one lying around, throw it my way so I can proudly add it to the collection. 

Looking Ahead 

That’s all from me for now. Have a great weekend, 

Jim Wren
Principal

NEWS FLASH!

Click on the link provided 

PARENT PORTAL

Download & Use the App Now!

The St. Patrick's Parent Portal is now active, providing more streamlined communication with parents. If you haven't already, please follow the instructions below to register. If you encounter any issues with the registration process, contact the school office, and we'll be happy to assist you.

Warm Regards,
Jim Wren

TUCKSHOP

Please click the links below for our 2025 uniform price list and tuckshop menu. When ordering food on the Flexischools app please be mindful that the cutoff time is exactly 8:00am on Monday mornings (at 8:01am your order will not be accepted).

Regards
Hannah Gunn
(Tuckshop Convenor)

APMI & Learning Support News

Dear Staff and Families,

Peace and Blessings to All!

Welcome to 2025! We've had a wonderful start to the year, and I've loved catching up with returning students and welcoming new faces. As we embark on our journey through the school year, I'm excited to share some faith-related updates, particularly focusing on a message that has been deeply inspiring for our community: Pilgrims of Hope, as introduced by Pope Francis.

Faith Formation Updates
Considering Pope Francis' message, we continue to deepen our students' understanding of hope and faith. Our students are reflecting on how they can be "pilgrims of hope" in their lives, bringing light and love to those around them. Through our religious education curriculum, prayer, and acts of service, we are fostering a spirit of hope in all our students.

Upcoming Events

• Opening Liturgy and Year 6 Commissioning: A special celebration on Friday, February 14th, 2025. We invite families to join us for this joyful celebration, which will begin at 9:30 am at St. Patrick's Church.
• Lenten Journey: With Lent approaching, we are preparing for a school-wide initiative focused on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Each class will participate in acts of service and spiritual growth during this holy season.

Service Opportunities

In line with our focus on "pilgrims of hope," we believe it is important to serve others. We're excited to start with our Year 6B class, which will be participating in Meals on Wheels delivery to support members of our community. Please look out for more information on how you can get involved and help make a difference.

Pilgrims of Hope: A Call to All

Pope Francis recently shared a powerful message with the world, calling us all to become "pilgrims of hope." He emphasized that despite the challenges and difficulties we may face in life, we are always invited to walk in faith, hope, and charity. As pilgrims, we are called to move forward, trusting in God's guidance and sharing His love with others.

This theme is especially relevant to our school community as we strive to live out the message of hope and compassion each day. We are all called to be "pilgrims of hope" in our daily interactions, whether at school, at home, or in the wider community.

Closing Prayer

Let us close with a prayer inspired by Pope Francis' message to be pilgrims of hope:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of hope. Help us to be pilgrims of hope in our daily lives, bringing Your love and light to those around us. May we always walk in faith, trust in Your guidance, and share the hope of Your Kingdom with others. We ask for Your blessing on our school community, that we may be a beacon of hope in the world. Amen.

Thank you for your continued support as we live out our faith and walk together as pilgrims of hope. We look forward to continuing our journey of faith with each of you.

Blessings,
Mrs Anna Chandler
(Assistant Principal Mission & Identity and Learning Support Teacher)

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 Samy 0409 278 968 Email: balonneparish@bigpond.com

ML Curriculum News

Welcome to 2025. This year, I've taken on a new role as Middle Leader - Curriculum/Intervention. In this position, I'll be working closely with teachers on their lesson planning and curriculum administration tasks. I'll also collaborate with teachers across the school to provide targeted small group instruction and practice in literacy skills.

We will continue to implement the Diocesan Approach to Reading (DAR) this year. All English classes are structured into a three-part "Literacy Block":

1. Daily Review - Revision of previously taught skills
2. Literacy Skills and Reading - Explicit phonics instruction (lower grades) and spelling/morphology (upper grades), as well as reading
3. English Block - Using high-quality texts to teach sentence-level and text-level writing, including grammar and vocabulary

This year, we'll be providing more information about the Literacy Block components and hosting parent engagement evenings. These will give families insights into how they can support their children's literacy development at home. If you have any questions about the Literacy Block, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

Annette Colley 
(Middle Leader Curriculum)

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Students of the Week 

Health & Music

Happy New Year! Welcome back to school, I hope you all had a wonderful festive holiday.

We've had a positive start to the year, with students completing some excellent work. For new families, I'll be teaching your children Health, Music, and Drama, and my classroom is in the Music room near the junior school oval.

This is my second year in this role after teaching various primary grades for many years. This semester, students will be learning Health and Music, and in Semester Two, they'll cover Health and Drama.

This term, we'll be introducing and consolidating the Zones of Regulation, as well as communicating and interacting for Health and Wellbeing. We'll practice skills and learn how to manage relationships, identify and describe emotions in different situations, and develop and recognize our own talents, hobbies, and positive relationships, all while showing kindness, respect, empathy, and valuing differences.

It's always rewarding to watch students grow in confidence as they put their best foot forward. For the next two weeks, our focus will be on being kind and respectful to each other, animals, and the environment.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend.

Keep Smiling! 
Mrs Jane Webster

Library & Sports

Sport News

2025 is shaping up to be another action-packed year for sports.

Prep students are learning to follow instructions, play safely, and stay within boundaries.

Year 1 and 2 students are engaging in ball games and skipping.

Students in Years 3-5 are skipping, bush dancing, and playing indigenous games, while Year 6 students are skipping and participating in a UNITE program of diverse sporting challenges.

This term is also a busy one for Balonne sports, with trials scheduled for swimming, basketball, netball, touch, boys' rugby league, and tennis.

Please be on the lookout for any paperwork sent home regarding these activities.

I'd like to extend a big thank you to the St Pat's P&F, who funded the purchase of 4 new sets of numbered bibs last year. We've started using them in our sports lessons, and the properly fitted, numbered bibs make a noticeable difference.

Library News

Welcome back to the 2025 school year. Borrowing begins in week 2, starting with a small number of books and gradually increasing throughout the term. This year, our goal is to cultivate the "will, skill, and thrill" of reading. If you have the time, reading with your child for enjoyment and pleasure can be a wonderful gift.

As in previous years, books must be returned on Wednesday for processing, and the children will then borrow new books on Thursday.

“Reading is Power and Knowledge”

Happy borrowing and reading,  
St Patrick’s Library Staff 

OSHC News