20 February 2025

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

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

NAPLAN – 12^th to 24^th March 

In week 7, 8 and 9 of the term, our year 3 & 5 students will take part in the annual NAPLAN testing window. 

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents and carers to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress. 

Throughout the week, students will complete four tests: Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy. The window for testing will begin on Wednesday 4th^th March and finish on Monday 16^th March. If your child is away during this time, they will be given an opportunity to make up these tests on their return to school. Results will be forwarded out to families later in the year. 

NAPLAN testing assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students have already learnt through the school curriculum and should be treated as just another routine event on the school calendar. Teachers will ensure that students are familiar with the test formats and will provide appropriate support and guidance throughout the testing process. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to reassure them that NAPLAN tests are just one part of their school program, and to advise them to simply do the best they can on the day. 

The Australian Curriculum Assessment & Reporting Authority have a dedicated website you can visit to find out more. 

If you have any further questions or queries about the NAPLAN process, please contact your classroom teacher to discuss this further with them. 

Start the Year the Right Way – Attendance Counts! 

I know I put this information in my newsletter entry last week, but given the importance of attendance, I thought I would throw it in again. 

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! 

School Photos – Friday 28^th February 

Our school photos will be taking place on Friday 28th February (week 5) of this term. As per the last 5 years, these will be taken by MSP Photography New England. Envelopes with information on how to order photos came home with your child last week. If you have seen yours, check your students’ bag or call the office. 

School photos are a great way to capture and keep a special memento of your child's journey at school so, on the day (Friday 28th February), can you please ensure the following regarding your child's presentation. 

• Academic uniform only - no sports uniform. 
• Please ensure that students have the correct shoes and socks. 
• Please ensure that all hair is clean and neatly presented. If it is more than shoulder length, it must be tied back. 
• Please ensure any accessories are in school colours and meet the standards of our uniform policy. 

Family Photos - there is the option for families to have group shots taken on the day. Please be aware, these are only for groups of siblings currently attending school. Given the tight timelines of photo day, we WILL NOT be allowing whole group photos with parents and other siblings. 

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)

School Guidance Counsellor News

I am delighted to have been appointed to the position of School Guidance Counsellor at St Patrick’s. My focus will be upon supporting students and teachers to understand the many ways in which mental health and wellbeing can impact upon learning and functioning at school. I am available to provide small group or individual counselling to students and to assist in referring students to external support services. Most students requiring support will be referred by their classroom teacher. Parents are also able to contact me directly to discuss social-emotional concerns that are impacting their child at school. 

In some cases, students may self-refer to discuss issues that are affecting them or to request counselling. In these cases, I will seek family consent before commencing work with a student. After initial consultations between teachers, parents and student, students may be provided with a program of brief counselling or further support dependent upon need. This support may be school based or may take the form of referral to an external provider. 

My days of work are Tuesday and Wednesday. I can be contacted through your child’s classroom teacher, the school office or via email – Eleanor.Blanch@twb.catholic.edu.au  

APMI & Learning Support News

Dear St. Patrick's Families,

The new school year is off to an energetic start. It's delightful to see our students eager and enthusiastic each morning, ready to learn. From our youngest Prep students to our senior classes, everyone has embraced the new year with a drive to learn and grow in faith.

Our dedicated teachers and school officers have been working hard to create engaging lessons that nurture both the academic and spiritual development of our students. Our upper-level students are making impressive gains in their literacy skills, while our younger students have been exploring the world through fun, play-based learning activities that complement their regular instruction.

At St. Pat's, we aim to foster creative, critical thinking in our students. This is achieved by encouraging meaningful discussions and problem-solving exercises. We also continue to integrate the teachings of the Gospel into our daily lessons, reminding our students that their faith is central to all they do.

As always, we are proud of how our students live out their faith. This weekend, we invite everyone to join us for Family Mass at St. Patrick's Church at 8:30 am. It will be an opportunity to come together, share in the Eucharist, and prepare our minds and hearts for the Lenten season.

Last Friday, we celebrated a wonderful Year 6 Commissioning and Opening Liturgy. Our families were filled with pride to see their Year 6 students receive their leadership badges and shirts. This year, our Year 6 students have been called to live as Pilgrims, following in the footsteps of our entire community in Hope.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to provide a nurturing and inspiring environment for all our students. May God bless you, and may this year be filled with learning, growth, and faith.

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

Daily Reviews are an embedded part of our Literacy Blocks at St Patrick’s. A daily review is a short, quick paced chance to consolidate phoneme/grapheme correspondences, blending, segmenting, vocabulary and other concepts. Daily reviews help students to build the necessary automaticity that enables them to undertake more complex tasks.   

While it is important for students to practice skills daily, it is also just as important for that practice to be spaced. Spacing is the practice of delivering learning across more than one lesson. Retrieval practice is the strategy of getting children to actively recall their learning. The more often we bring information that we have previously learned to the front of our minds and work with it, the more likely it is to be retained in our long-term memory. 

Spaced retrieval then, is the practice of recalling learning at a point in time after the initial lesson. When we learn new information and practice it over a few sessions, it gets moved into long term memory. If we retrieve that information after a while and work with it again, it will become easier and easier to retain that information. 

Research has shown that: 

• Spacing learning allows students to remember more in the long term than if they learn everything at once.
• Retrieval practice is more than just rote learning; it is about accessing their learning and transferring it to new tasks.
• Deliberate spacing and retrieval boosts student learning.

What can you do as a parent to help your child?  

• Talk about some information and ask them to recall it a few days later
• Read with them and note words they have difficulty with. Help them with these words and read the same text a few days later.
• Ask them to retrieve what they learned at school that day.

Annette Colley 
(Middle Leader Curriculum)

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Students of the Week 

Health & Music

Welcome to the Week 4 Term 1 2025 Health and Music News.

Health:

Students have been exploring and identifying their inner and outer strengths and challenges by creating individual profiles that highlight their unique personal characteristics. We've been using diverse fiction books to help develop kinder, more respectful, and empathetic relationships. Students have been examining the positive qualities and skills that make a good friend, and why being a good person and friend is important.

In Health for Prep-Year 2, students will learn skills and strategies to build respectful relationships with peers, adults, and First Nations Australians. They'll explore how different situations influence emotional responses and practice strategies for seeking, giving, or denying permission respectfully.

In Health for Years 3-4, students will learn how respect, empathy, and valuing diversity can positively impact relationships. They'll investigate how emotional responses vary and discuss health information from media sources.

In Health for Years 5-6, students will practice skills to establish and manage relationships and examine how emotional responses influence behaviour and relationships. They'll identify the skills needed for healthy friendships and relationships and develop strategies to maintain emotional well-being and address bullying.

Across the school, students will learn the Zones of Regulation program to develop self-regulation skills for managing their emotions and behaviours.

Music:

We've started the Aural and Sing & Play units from the Funmusic Program. Aural skills build attentiveness and concentration - key skills for all areas of life. Each grade is learning a variety of engaging, curriculum-aligned songs.

Songs - Term 1  

Prep - Cows in the Kitchen 
Year 1- Alouetta 
Year 2 - Bow Wow Wow 
Year 3 - A Ram Sam Sam 
Year 4 - Day O 
Year 5 - Bucket Drumming and Composing – Introduction to improvisation  
Year 6 - Drumming In Da House and Composing – Introduction to Music elements. 

Keep Smiling! 
Mrs Jane Webster

Library & Sports

Sport News

This week, I have attached some photos from our PE lessons. Year 1 students were skipping and bounce passing the ball. Year 6 students were completing challenges using the UNITE process. Year 5 students were playing Purlja, an Indigenous passing game. As you can see, we always have a lot of fun during our PE lessons!

Congratulations to the following students on their selection in various sporting teams:

Balonne Swimming Team: Brooke Hams, Noah Ballin, Darcy Stower, Oscar Acton, Hannah Acton, Miller Hardie, and Alistair North. The South West swimming carnival will be held in St George on February 21st.

Balonne Basketball Team: Jake Kingston, Yancy Dayag, and Olivia Harch. The South West Trials will be held in Roma on February 25th.

Balonne 10-11yrs Netball Team: Addison Avery, Eleanor North, Hannah Nott, Amelia O'Toole, Ty'Lee McNamara, and Ellie McCosker (shadow).

Balonne 10-12yrs Netball Team: Brooke Hams, Hannah Acton, Abigail Tierney, Karlie Alderman, Emily Webster, and Ivy Vickers. The South W est trials for netball will be held in St George on March 7th.

We wish all these students the best of luck with their upcoming trials.

Procedures with Trial Forms: 

Balonne district trial forms are to be handed back to the front office, so the school can organize the nomination and distribution of the forms to the trial convener. 

South West trial forms need to be sighted and signed by the school, and then returned to the student to take to the manager of the team they have been selected for.

Library News

Welcome back to the 2025 school year. We are in full swing with our borrowing program. Last week, students in Years 1-3 took home DRA readers along with books for pleasure reading. Students in Years 4-6 are responsible for selecting their own books to read at home. This year, our focus is on cultivating the "will, skill, and thrill" of reading. If you have the time, reading with your child for enjoyment and pleasure is a wonderful gift.

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

“Reading is Power and Knowledge”

Happy borrowing and reading,  
St Patrick’s Library Staff 

Other Stories

Join Us for St Ursula's College Open Day!

We are excited to welcome you to our vibrant campus for Open Day! Explore our facilities, meet our dedicated staff, and discover the unique opportunities that await you at St Ursula's College.

Take advantage of our special "Come and Try Boarding" opportunity, available before or after Open Day. Students can stay in our boarding house to experience boarding life firsthand, while parents and families can be accommodated in our vacant boarding rooms. This is a fantastic chance for everyone to tour the school and see what we have to offer.

Come and witness how we foster unity, belonging, courage, and compassion – the Ursuline way. Don't miss out!