CALENDAR

Detailed calendar can be viewed at www.spnhill.catholic.edu.au or on the FlexiBuzz app

FEBRUARY Fr 15 Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival Su 17 Start of School Mass 10am M-F25-1 Stomp Dance company Mo 25 Get to Know You Meetings We 27 SAC meeting 7pm MARCH We 6 Ash Wednesday Mo 11 Labour Day Public holiday Mo 25 School Closure for Staff Professional Learning Fr 5 Last Day Term 1—dismissal at 2:15pm

APRIL Tu 23 First Day Term 2 Th 25 ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Dear Parents and Members of St. Patrick’s School Community,

It is so exciting to be back for the 2019 school year. The holidays seemed to fly by but it is fantastic to be back at school. Staff were greeted by 36 very excited students last Friday morning. This year we have six enthusiastic Foundation students—Daniel, Ben, Nelson, Link, Marnie and Tyler. We welcome the Noe, Taylor and Webb families to our wonderful school and look forward to journeying in partnership with you as your children grow and learn at St Patrick’s. Two other families have also joined our St. Patrick’s School community this year and we welcome these families to our small community. Ethan and K’Lu Doh Soe are in Year 1, while Ma Thay Thay is in Year 2 and Na Myint Thu Soe is in Year 5. Finally we also welcome Mrs Emily Ellis to our staff. She is teaching the Junior class. Emily will join Siobhan Webb and Lisa Creek as the teachers at St. Patrick’s School this year. Siobhan is back teaching the Years 3—6 class and Lisa Creek has a mixed role this year teaching some Junior literacy, PE and RE, Senior RE and Spelling across both classes. Emma Dickinson, Annette Hamilton and Caroline Pilgrim have returned to provide support to our students in their roles as Learning Support Officers. Karen and Ann are again providing administration support and will often be your first point of contact when you ring or visit the school. We are very pleased that Father Peter Hudson will again be our Governing Authority / Parish Priest and will be celebrating mass with us on a regular basis.

A couple of families will not be returning to our wonderful community this year. During the break the families of Lucas Dunbar and Erin Fraser-Klix notified us that they wouldn’t be returning to St. Patrick’s School. Unfortunately Amanda Schubert will also not be returning this year. She was offered another position during the holidays. We wish Amanda all the best for the future and we will miss her knowledge, her patience and her wonderful skill set, including her fabulous cakes.

We are all ready for a wonderful year and we look forward to working in partnership with our wonderful families as your children grow and learn at St. Patrick’s School.

SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY— Last Sunday was the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, in the church’s liturgical year. The second reading from Mass was a beautiful reading from First Corinthians which celebrates love as the ideal gift from God and the gift we should strive for beyond all others. In part the reading proclaims “Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes ... in short, there

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all. St. Patrick’s School is a Child-safe school.

Our Vision

SCHOOL

Advisory

Council

Members

Parent Representatives Lisa Braybrook Helen Cannell (Chairperson) Michelle Dickinson Jamie Donnell Zanny McEldrew Melissa Polkinghorne Ex Officio Fr. Peter Hudson Kathryn Bendall Ann Munro Karen Rintoule

St. Patrick’s Church Times

Sundays at 10.00am 10 February—Mass

St Patrick’s School

is a child safe school St. Patrick’s School

29 Leahy Street, PO Box 113, Nhill 3418

Phone 03 5391 1575

Mobile 0419 929 271

Fax 03 5391 1506

Email principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au

Web www.spnhill.catholic.edu.au

Term Dates Class Times Administration Office Hours

Term 1 30 Jan* to 5 Apr 8:55am Class time

Term 2 23 Apr to 28 Jun 11am Recess Monday 9am-3:30pm

Term 3 15 Jul to 20 Sep 11:30am Class time Tuesday 9am

3:50pm Term 4 7 Oct to 20 Dec 1:00pm Lunch Wednesday

1:45pm Class time Thursday

3:15pm Dismissal Friday 9am1pm

Newsletter No. 2019/01 Thursday, 7 February 2019

Attachments Verification Report

Class Timetables

Lunch Orders Menu

Book Club

Nelson, Link, Ma Thay Thay, Nan Myint Thu Soe, Marnie, Ben, Daniel, Ethan, K’Lu Doh Soe and Mrs Ellis. Absent—Tyler.

This week’s winner is Cooper who

was caught using our school rules by being responsible.

Nominated by Mrs Bendall

JUNIOR CLASS Hello to the St. Patrick’s and wider Nhill community. My name is Emily Ellis and I will be the Junior room teacher this year. My family and I have moved to Nhill after an adventure in a caravan to Far North Queensland last year and we feel blessed to have this opportunity in 2019.

This week in the Junior class we have also welcomed 9 new students – 6 in Foundation, 2 in Year One and 1 in Year Two. Everyone at St. Patrick’s has been very welcoming to us all and we are very excited for a big year of learning and growing together.

Together as a class we have discussed being respectful, being safe and being learners in our community and we have created a colourful display of our handprints to symbolise our dedication to being respectful, being safe and being ready to learn when we come to school.

This term we will be working on recounts in our writing block, counting and place value in Maths and discovering the 5 senses as part of our Integrated Studies unit.

Our diaries will be coming home each night with a reader book for Year 1 and 2 students to practice. As our Foundation students are just learning to read, it would be a great idea for parents to read stories to your child from home until they are ready, which may begin in Term 2.

I look forward to meeting lots of you this year; my door will always be open if you need me, and may this year be an exciting adventure for us all.

are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.” When we hear this litany of adjectives describing love, it may seem unattainable in light of our human failings, yet we are told love never fails. This reading is probably one of the best known of the readings attributed to Paul. Love should be at the heart of each person’s ministry. Love enhances all other gifts. Even the grandest of gifts are nothing without love.

SHADE SAILS UPDATE—As you can see from the photos our new shade sails have been installed over the holidays. They look magnificent and I am deeply indebted to Jamie Donnell for all the liaising he did with Carey Covers and his attendance during the installation which occurred while I was away. I would also extend my thanks to Carey Covers for their willingness to work cooperatively with

Full colour version of newsletter is on our website spnhill.catholic.edu.au/newsletters-2018.html and FlexiBuzz

SENIOR CLASS Welcome back Senior Parents! I'm so happy to be teaching the Senior class again this year! We have a few new additions to the classroom which has been very exciting. To start the year, the senior students worked collaboratively to create a list of classroom values to display in the classroom. The students worked independently to decided what values they believed were important to create a happy and positive class. Each student then wrote on a leaf one value they would work on throughout the year … positive attitude in Maths, try my best in spelling, work on my leadership skills etc. Every student’s leaf was placed around the core classroom values. The class discussed how we're going to work together to ensure we all have a wonderful and

our school to get this project completed and the evidence of their work is on display every day. Great work everyone!

NO HAT, NO PLAY REMINDER— It has been fantastic to see all students wearing hats almost from day one this year. The new broad-brim hats now stocked by Cambrelle’s are great as they provide much greater protection from the sun and if your child needs a new hat then I encourage you to invest in this new improved model.

WORKING BEE THANK YOU—A huge thank you to the many people who assisted at last Saturday’s working bee including members of the Bee, Ellis, Donnell, Cannell, Braybrook, Philip, Khin, Nyo, Panter, Toet, A Dickinson, Creek and Hamilton families. A large number of ‘jobs’ were attended to and the grounds are resplendent as a result. Much weeding and pruning was done as well as the start of the job to remove the mould from the hardcourt. Thank you everyone for your hard work.

THANK YOU TO:

Peter Schneider for cleaning the carpets over the holidays and

Joan Ingham for thoroughly cleaning inside and outside the school so that everything sparkled for the start of the year.

FOUNDATION STUDENTS—Foundation students are not required at school on Wednesdays 13, 20 or 27 February and 6 March. They begin full weeks of school from Wednesday 13 March.

SCHOOL TIMETABLE—Please find attached a copy of class timetables. Both classes have very similar timetables this year. Please note that class times are the same as last year. Students will eat their morning recess snack at 11.20am and they will eat lunch at 1.30pm.

10am FRUIT SNACK—A reminder of our 10am fruit snack each day. It is hoped that this break will revitalise and energise students and hold off the hunger pangs until recess. Students are asked to bring fresh fruit or vegetables, pre-cut if required (no dried or canned fruit) to eat during this time. Please be aware that it is only a 3 minute break and that students eat while they are sharing their learning from their reading hour. The snack provided needs to be small and easily managed so that students can return to their learning quickly. Staff will not be cutting or preparing fruit/vegetables for children.

NEWSLETTERS—The newsletter will be distributed to the oldest child in the family each week, usually on a Thursday. Please check your child’s bag for this weekly publication as it contains important dates and information relating to your child’s schooling.

BOOKCLUB—Catalogue Issue 2019/1 is attached. Orders are due by Thursday 14 February.

STUDENT ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL—If your child is absent from school we ask that you contact us via phone or email, or use the FlexiBuzz app, to notify us of their absence, before 10am on the day of their absence. Alternatively, if you know ahead of time that your child will be absent, then please send a note informing us of this. Notes in diaries are NOT a suitable way of informing us of absences as these notes have to be kept on file for future reference. If your child is absent and we have not heard from you by 10am then we will be contacting you to ensure that you are

The best gift any parent can give a child is the love of books and the joy and benefits of independent reading for fun. Children who read at home, or are read to, have a head start on reading success in school.

Our school is participating in Scholastic Book Club this year. Up to twice a term, during the school year, we will send home a Club catalogue with a different selection of books offered for all ages.

You’ll find award-winning books and bestsellers, as well as old and new favourites. These books are recommended because they span a wide range of children’s reading levels and interests and because they are inexpensive (some books cost as little as $2).

It is easy to order. The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school safe and sound and the books will be delivered to class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Owning your own books is something special! I hope that you will encourage your child to order books this year. Each order helps earn free books and teaching materials for our school, however there is never any obligation to order. There is no better way to encourage reading than to allow children to choose the books they want to read.

Maddison & Arville II

aware of your child’s absence. Thank you for your assistance with this procedure.

SIGNING OUT—Please remember to sign your child out at the office if you need to take them from school during the day. This is not only a legal requirement but also an important part of our Emergency Management Plan.

LUNCH ORDERS—This year our lunches will again be supplied by Oliver’s Diner—the menu is attached and also available on the school website and FlexiBuzz app. Lunch orders are only available on Fridays. Students, or parents, need to write their lunch order on an envelope and enclose the CORRECT money before taking the envelope to the office before the start of the school day. The 2019 menu is attached today. Lunch orders are available tomorrow. Please note that we don’t keep cash at school and so cannot provide change when correct money is not included.

MEDICATION PERMISSION FORMS—These forms are required when parents send medications to school. Please ensure you send your child’s medication in the original packaging, clearly labelled with their name. Medication forms are available on the school’s website or from the school office.

NUDE FOOD AT ST PATRICK’S SCHOOL—Last year you may remember that our students were keen to promote the idea of lunches containing ‘nude food’, that is, food without packaging. Students and their parents accepted the challenge quite readily and made an effort to reduce, or eliminate, the number of foods in student’s lunch boxes that contained packaging. We would like you to again make a commitment to not send pre-packaged foods to school. This will reduce the amount of rubbish that goes into the bins, that goes into the ground, that pollutes our planet. Package free foods are also often healthier options, such as a pieces of fruit or carrot or celery sticks.

FLEXIBUZZ—Remember to download our communication App FlexiBuzz to stay informed about everything that is happening at school.

WORLD SAFER INTERNET DAY: Tuesday 5th February 2019- This year World Safer Internet Day (WSID) was celebrated on Tuesday 5 February 2019. At the end of this newsletter there is an information sheet for parents, teachers and students around procedures associated with security and privacy for Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. We are asking all members of our school community to check their social media account settings as part of this celebration, and as a way to be safer on the web.

RESILIENCE, RIGHTS and RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS—This year students have begun a new program called “Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships.” This program complements the Zones of Regulation program in which students learn about managing their emotions and their behaviour. Research shows that students who participate in rigorously designed and well taught social and emotional learning programs demonstrate more positive social behaviour, are less likely to engage in risky and disruptive behaviour, and show improved academic outcomes. We will be integrating this program into our review of the Zones of Regulation learning from last year. Students are learning to identify and express a range of emotions in their interactions with others and to begin to identify and practice basic skills for including and working with others in groups. Students will participate in games and other activities where they develop

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vocabulary to identify emotions and also identify ways in which emotions are shown in body language. Over the course of the year students will learn about personal strengths, positive coping strategies, problem solving and stress management, as well as determine which strategies they can use to return to the ‘Green Zone’ so that they are ready and able to learn. We are looking forward to improving the social and emotional intelligence of our students through the explicit teaching of these skills.

SCHOOL FEES, ALLOWANCES INFORMATION—School fees packages will be sent home to families in the next week or so. Families are asked to commit to a payment plan by completing the relevant documents in the package. To assist families with payment of fees, we offer a variety of options to facilitate regular payment in as convenient a manner as possible. If at any stage payment of fees becomes difficult, please do not hesitate to contact me to make suitable payment arrangements. Fee assistance is available to holders of Health Care Cards. Please provide a copy of your Health Care Card to the school office as soon as possible. Other fee assistance is available in certain circumstances.

INFORMATION VERIFICATION—We have attached a Verification Form for each family to check. Please cross out any errors and write updated or new information on these forms and return them to school by next Wednesday, 13 February. It is most important that we have up-to-date information for your children, particularly for excursions. This form needs to be returned to school before the senior students attend the Swimming Carnival on Friday.

BUS NOTES—A reminder that we need to be informed of any changes to your child’s after school travel arrangements (e.g. students not travelling on their normal bus, or students who do not normally travel on the bus who need to go on the bus). Send a note to school (not written in diaries please) or use the FlexiBuzz app (contact button).

SWIMMING CARNIVAL PERMISSION FORMS (Yrs 3-6)—Don’t forget to return these (green) permission notes by Monday 11 February.

START OF SCHOOL MASS—Please remember to also return your (orange) Start of School Mass replies by Monday 11 February.

START OF SCHOOL YEAR MASS—This mass is scheduled for Sunday 17 February at 10am in St Patrick’s Church. All families are expected to attend as many students will have roles to play throughout the mass. There will be a shared morning tea at the conclusion of mass and families are asked to bring a plate of food to share.

As always, please contact the school if you have any questions about what is happening at St. Patrick’s School.

Kathryn Bendall, Principal.