From the Principal
St Patrick's Day -17th March
This week we celebrate St Patrick, the life of the man our school & parish is named after.
St Patrick was Born into a wealthy English family. Patrick was kidnapped at the young age of sixteen. He was brought to Ireland and sold into slavery, spending much of his teenage years and early twenties tending to sheep, working as a shepherd. St Patrick wrote of how he heard God tell him to flee from Ireland and return to England. It was there that he would take up his religious studies, leading eventual priestly ordination.
Patrick returned to Ireland (ordained as a Bishop) as a Christian Missionary and is said to have baptized thousands of people, been a charismatic speaker, and ordained new priests to minister to the new Christian population. He preached, converted and spent roughly forty years travelling around Ireland until he passed away in Sault, where he had built his first church. The date of his death March 17th was chosen as his feast day, which is celebrated in Ireland as a Holy Day of Obligation.
It was in the solitude of the Irish countryside that God spoke to Saint Patrick and gave him the opportunity to develop his faith.
Saint Patrick did not believe that he was unique, or especially qualified to bring faith to people. The humble evangelist even referred to himself as an “unlearned sinner,” and tells us that anything good he achieved should not be seen as work of himself, but as a gift from God.
So when we are celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day, it is important to remember the faith lessons taught to us by this great man of faith.
That we have a communal responsibility to build the kingdom here on earth.
Happy St Patrick's Day!
O'Connor Catholic College Information for Yr 5 & 6 Families
Thank you Ms Menz and Eliza Clark for visiting Year 5 & 6 students on Tuesday 12th March. The children enjoyed learning about O'Connor and are very interested in all the different sports the school offers. Our Year 6 students will attend the O'Connor STEP day next Thursday 21st March. Thank you O'Connor for covering the cost of the Bus and hosting us for the day.
Enrolments for 2020 are now being accepted at O'Connor. As a feeder school to O'Connor students who are enrolled at St Patrick's are offered a place in the first round of enrolments. YR 6 students received an enrolment packages to take home on Tuesday fro Ms Menz.
Mrs Pam Watt - farewell
The school community would like to farewell Mrs Watt with a whole school Mass followed by a BBQ lunch.
Date: 12th March
Time: 11:30 am Mass in St Patrick's Church followed at 12:30 pm BBQ Lunch school grounds.
All current and past students, families, friends and colleagues are invited to come and give thanks for Pams 22 years of service and celebrate the beginning of her retirement. Please pass the invitation onto family & friends who have been connected to Pam through St Pat's.
Please RSVP to bburton@arm.catholic.edu.au
Bullying. No Way! National Day of Action 15th March
Bullying. No Way! is developed by the Safe and Supportive School Communities (SSSC) Working Group. It is an initiative of all Australian education jurisdictions – all state, territory and federal education departments, as well as national Catholic and independent schooling sectors. The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence is a major activity for Bullying. No Way! and is an initiative of all Australian education ministers. www.bullyingnoway.gov.au
Please see the Council of Catholic School Parents Media Release on the next page on National Day of Action.
School Funding FAQs
