From the Principal
Another interesting week!
Last Thursday night we were advised that we were going into lockdown for seven days. Unfortunately, we have become used to such scenarios and our staff, students and families were able to transition quite smoothly to the online learning phase again. Then, as if to highlight how well we are now undertaking these lockdowns, we were able to complete a seven day lockdown in less than four days!
It was certainly pleasing to hear Monday's announcement that the lockdown for regional areas was being lifted and that students were returning to school the following day. We now pray that we may be able to complete the term without further disruptions to on-site schooling.
Once again, thank you to parents for your support over this past week.
Saint Mary MacKillop Feast Day
Last Sunday was the Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop. This year we celebrated the feast under difficult circumstances, with millions under lockdown. Saint Mary of the Cross was no stranger to adversity and is with us all during this time.
Josephites Congregational Leader, Sr Monica Cavanagh, wrote in her greeting this year, "let us ask Mary MacKillop to show us the gifts that have come through the experience of lockdown while sharing with her the struggles that we face."
Ever-present God,
you gifted us with Mary MacKillop
whose life inspires us never to lose hope.
Build our confidence in your strengthening presence
especially in the darkest moments of our lives.
Be present with hope for those suffering trauma,
injustice, illness and despair
at this time in our world.
We ask this through Christ accompanying us.
Amen
Student Free Day Cancelled
A previously advertised student free day that was scheduled for Friday 3 September has now been cancelled. Teaching staff were to attend a Professional Learning day in Mildura on that day, however that event has been postponed until later in the year. School will now proceed as normal on that Friday. We apologise for any inconvenience which may have been caused by this change of dates.
Virtual Assembly
Congratulations to Miss Williams' Year 2/3 class for the presentation of their Virtual Assembly yesterday. This was a great initiative by Miss Williams and her students and allowed for parents to be able to be part of our assembly despite the current restrictions not allowing parents and visitors to be onsite at present. We look forward to even more opportunities to be able to engage with our families as we navigate our way through these challenging and restrictive times.
Book Week
Book Week will be held during the week of Monday 23 - Friday 27 August. To coincide with this, we will be having a Dress Up day on Wednesday 25 August. The theme for this year's Book Week is 'Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds'. I'm sure we will see some great interpretations of this theme in the costumes worn for our Dress Up day.
WWSSA Athletics Carnival
A group of 14 students have qualified for the West Wimmera School Sports Association's athletics carnival which will be held at ANZAC Park in Warracknabeal next Wednesday, 18 August.
| The following students qualified due to their performances at the Nhill Athletics carnival held earlier this year. We wish them well for this event. | |
|---|---|
| Nile | Ben |
| Claire | Marnie |
| Sophie | Jody |
| Georgia | Olive |
| Riley P | Thar Shue |
| Sienna | Jet |
| Tia | Olivia |
Parental permission is required by Monday 16 August - parents of the above students are asked to please login to PAM to provide consent.
No longer collecting plastic lids
Please do not send any more plastic lids to school. We have collected enough to finalise our project. Thank you for your support over the past few terms.
Enrolments
Catholic children living in the community of Nhill will ordinarily have a right to a place at our school providing there is one available. We also welcome the enrolment of all students and families who share our vision and education philosophy.
Applications are currently open for all year levels at our school.
The Enrolment Process
To ensure an equitable enrolment process of students at St. Patrick’s School, the following procedure will be followed for all new expression of interest and formal enrolments.
Prospective parents are encouraged to view our website content and check out our Facebook page St Patrick’s School, Nhill facebook.com/stpatricksnhill
Kinder enrolments
We will provide all kinder families with an information pack, which includes enrolment forms, at the time of the organised kinder visits.
Interested parents should contact the school to arrange a suitable time for a school tour and a meeting with myself (depending upon Government regulations at the time).
Ideally, completed enrolment forms are required to be provided to the school by the end of Term 3 (Friday, 17 September).
Parents and prospective students will be invited to return to the school for an interview, following which l will be in a position to confirm or deny the enrolment.
Please note that a completed enrolment form is a prerequisite to admission, but not a guarantee of admission.
| Enrolment Timeline | |
|---|---|
| Term 3 2021 | |
| 27 August | Kinder visits - these have been cancelled due to restrictions |
| 2 September | Online Information Session (details to be advised) |
| 17 September | Enrolment forms due |
As can be seen in the table above, the planned Kinder visits to each of the three schools have been cancelled due to ongoing Government restrictions on visits to schools.
Each school will now be hosting online information sessions instead. Our information session will be on Thursday 2 September with details to be provided in the near future. It is hoped that we will be able to conduct visits early in Term 4.
Other year level enrolments
We are happy to accept enrolment enquiries for all year levels at any time of the year.
Please contact the school by telephone, or call into the school office, to make arrangements.
SAC Reminders
A few reminders from the SAC Report that was included in Issue 21 of our Newsletter.
Uniform Review
Our Uniform Policy is up for its 3-year review this year. I am keen for a sub-committee to head up this process to ensure that current needs, wants and ideas are considered. Two SAC members volunteered to form part of this committee and they will work with one or two other interested parents and representatives from staff. Please contact the school if you would like to be a part of this.
Food Drive
Last Christmas, our school donated non-perishable food items, gift cards and monetary contributions to help families in need in the lead up to Christmas. WWHS and local services were astounded by our generosity and again welcome our assistance in this area. We are asking St Patrick’s families, if they are able to do so, to contribute items to make up hampers for local families. Non-perishable food items, IGA gift cards or monetary contributions can be sent to school and/or monetary or gift cards contributions made at the office.
Winter Jacket for the Homeless
Also as a part of our 2021 Community Engagement projects, SAC are looking to collect warm winter jackets as part of the ‘Heat the Homeless’ campaign, which has donated over 20,000 jackets to Melbourne’s homeless over the last five years. Our School Advisory Council will arrange for our school’s collection to then be sent to Melbourne which will then be distributed to the various charities who help those living on the streets. Jackets should be in a good, clean condition and ideally waterproof or thick/warm, however others may also be donated. Should you like to know more about this initiative, please check out https://xtm.com.au/heat-the-homeless.
Castle and Cubby
A member of our community has nominated our school to win a $20,000 play-based learning cubby village! I wish to thank whoever has nominated St Patrick's School for the chance to win this prize. And, if our school wins, one of our community members who enter could also win a $2,000 individual prize. Individuals are eligible to register / self-nominate to go in the draw to win $2000 worth of Castle & Cubby product. Nominations are open for individuals from 5pm Monday 9th August until 5pm Monday 30th August. More information can be found at www.castleandcubby.com.au.
Remember to follow us on Facebook
Those who are on Facebook are encouraged to follow our page at St Patrick's School, Nhill. 'Like' our page, enjoy our posts, and share them with your friends. Stay connected through our Social Media page.
Our Josephite Heritage
The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the "Josephites" or "Brown Joeys", were founded in Penola, South Australia, in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and the Rev. Julian Tenison Woods. In 1949, three Josephite sisters arrived in Nhill to open St Patrick’s School. In 1978, the Sisters of St Joseph informed the Nhill Parish that they would no longer be able to maintain their role within the school.
We endeavour to honour our Josephite heritage through the regular presentation of the Little Joey awards at our assemblies. In support of this we also include a reflection from Mary MacKillop on our newsletter each week.
"Help one another and ever strive to serve God in a generous spirit"
Mary MacKillop, 1881
The Blues have been struggling to stay on track recently and following last night's handing over of the external review, together with this weekend's crushing result in Marc Murphy's 300th game, the Teague Train will be completely derailed! C'arn the Power!
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Our Vision
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 Mission
Therefore, inspired by the Gospels, our community will:
- Build on the traditions of our Catholic faith.
- Offer engaging, contemporary education aligned with Catholic tradition.
- Provide a safe and inclusive environment to support and nurture the development of all.
- Provide and maintain a supportive environment that effectively utilises resources.
- Promote caring and responsible relationships between the school, family, and wider community to enhance student learning.