6 March 2025

APMI & Learning Support News

Dear Friends,

Last Wednesday marked the start of a special season in our Church year - Ash Wednesday. As we begin our Lenten journey, we are called to open our hearts to renewal and transformation. Ash Wednesday ushers in a time of penance, prayer, and fasting, where we seek to grow closer to God through reflection and action.

On Ash Wednesday, Year 2G and Miss Gaggi led us in a beautiful and reflective liturgy. We were reminded of the words spoken over us as ashes were marked on our foreheads: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." These words ground us in the humility of our earthly existence, calling us to focus on the eternal - our relationship with God and our commitment to love and serve others.

As a school community, Ash Wednesday is a day not only of solemn reflection, but also of hope. It is a time to deepen our faith through acts of kindness, prayer, and self-discipline. Let us embrace this Lenten journey together, supporting one another as we strive to live more fully the message of the Gospel.

May Ash Wednesday renew our hearts and minds, drawing us closer to Christ through prayer and reflection. As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, may our faith, hope, and love be renewed.

Prior to beginning our day of fasting, we gathered for breakfast to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. On this day, people traditionally cook and eat pancakes to use up foods like fat, eggs, and milk before the Lenten fast begins.

Through the generosity of our families, who donated cooking supplies and gold coins, we have raised over $250 for Caritas and the Project Compassion campaign. Special thanks to the teachers who arrived early to help, as well as our Tuckshop Convenor Ms. Hannah Gunn and her family who joined us. The best part was seeing our families and staff come together for this joyful celebration before the school day began. We even ran out of pancakes - a testament to how food brings people together!

Over the final 5 weeks of school, each class will lead a fundraising activity to add to our total. Wouldn't it be wonderful if St. Patrick's School could donate over $1000 to Caritas this Easter? Let's set our sights on that goal!

If your family would like a Project Compassion moneybox for your home, please let me know. We welcome your family's contributions, as this is one way we can demonstrate our care for others during this Lenten season.

Blessings for a meaningful Lenten journey.

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

NEWS FLASH!

Click on the link provided https://www.stgeorge.catholic.edu.au/

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)

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

It's hard to believe we're already halfway through Term One. Our students are fully engaged in learning, and our teachers are ensuring they're set up for maximum success. Learning doesn't just happen - it must be facilitated.

Students learn best when they feel a sense of belonging, safety, and inclusion in a learning-focused environment. Teachers create this environment by getting to know their students, building positive relationships, and establishing calm, inviting classrooms with clear rules and routines. Our teachers also promote social-emotional regulation and a culture of learning by embedding key learner qualities: persistence, collaboration, curiosity, innovation, and ownership.

There are multiple ways our students can demonstrate their learning, as teachers regularly check for understanding. Students are encouraged to develop self-efficacy skills, which will motivate them to take ownership of their learning and become their best selves. To support this, teachers set high expectations and provide daily opportunities for students to meet those expectations.

When teachers set students up for success and students feel valued and supported, our learners will achieve maximum success. In upcoming newsletters, I'll discuss the phases of learning and how our teachers are preparing students to become lifelong learners.

Annette Colley 
(Middle Leader Curriculum)

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Students of the Week 

Health, Music & Drama

Welcome to Health and Drama 

Through their explorations, students have learned how practicing respect and empathy can improve communication and help everyone feel valued. They have examined various behaviours that impact our relationships with others. Additionally, the students have discovered the importance of friendship, recognizing that being kind and friendly towards others provides opportunities to feel good.

Lower School

In the lower school we have been learning about.... Sharing is caring! We read the beautiful story, Rainbow Fish, which depicted the importance of sharing and identifying the benefits and when we share and how it makes you and others feel.  

Middle/Upper School

In our middle and upper-level classes, we have continued exploring how to build strong, respectful relationships and demonstrate being a good friend. We discussed strategies for navigating conflict in relationships and the importance of being mindful of how our actions and words may impact others. Additionally, we will examine our emotions, different types of bullying, and techniques to help us self-regulate when faced with challenging situations.

Music 

The music program has concluded its initial set of songs and is now moving on to a new repertoire that will incorporate both tuned and untuned percussion instruments across the school. Additionally, the first component of the term's assessment task has begun.

Prep 

Aural Training - Listening and Echo Rhythm 
Frere Jacques - Song 

Year 1/2

Aural Training - Echo Rhythm 
Apples and Bananas - Song 

Year 2 

Aural Training - Echo Rhythm 
Charlie over the Ocean - Song 

Year 3  

Aural Training - Echo Singing 
Robot Bop - Song 

Year 4 

Aural Training - Echo Rhythm 
Goose with an attitude - Song  

Year 5 

Aural Training - Listening skills 
Marimba Band - Calypso Dreaming – Keyboard Xylophone  
Composing  

Year 6  

Aural Training - Echo Rhythm 
Marimba Bank - Juggling – Learning the Base section - Keyboard Xylophone 
Composing a Melodic Fragment. 

Keep Smiling! 
Mrs Jane Webster

Library & Sports

Sport News

The Balonne District has experienced a relatively quiet period over the past couple of weeks. The boys' rugby league trials scheduled for this week have been postponed, with a new date yet to be determined. However, the 10-12 girls' netball trials were set to take place on Friday, and we wished these young athletes the best of luck.

In more exciting news, Hannah Acton and Brooke Hams have been selected in the South West Swimming Squad. They will now compete at the state trials in Brisbane in the coming weeks. Congratulations to Hannah and Brooke, and good luck at the state 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

In the last few weeks, 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, we aim to cultivate 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 then borrow new books on Thursday.

“Reading is Power and Knowledge”

Happy borrowing and reading,
St Patrick’s Library Staff 

Other Articles

St Pat’s OHSC Monthly Newsletter

St George Netball Assoc.

Welcome to the 2025 Netball season. Our junior registrations are now open - please follow the link below to register:

The registration fee for the 2025 season is $160 per player. Fairplay Vouchers are accepted, and we also offer payment plans. All registrations must be paid through Netball Connect - cash payments will not be accepted.

To arrange a payment plan, please contact our registrar, Lisa Southern, by email, phone (0427 346 542), or text. Emails can be sent to our club address: stgeorgenetball@gmail.com

We also ask any volunteer umpires or coaches to register via Netball Connect at no cost.

We strongly encourage all players to register online before the Grading Day on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

If you need assistance with the registration process, please reach out to us at stgeorgenetball@gmail.com