Dear families,

As the first semester of 2025 draws to a close, we reflect with pride on the remarkable journey our school community has undertaken together. This semester, our whole school focus — Change: Growth Matters More than Comfort — has inspired us to embrace new challenges, step outside our comfort zones, and celebrate the growth that comes from change.

Throughout the semester, we have continued to deepen our engagement with the Deep Learning framework and concept-based learning. Our exploration of the idea that “Everything in Existence has a Story” has encouraged students to connect their learning across subjects, understand diverse perspectives, and share their own unique stories.

Some Semester Highlights:

Grade 5/6 Camp to Anglesea: Our senior students demonstrated resilience, teamwork, and a spirit of adventure as they tackled new experiences and built lasting memories together.
Official Building Opening: We celebrated a significant milestone with the opening of our new school facilities. This event marks a new chapter in our story, providing innovative spaces that support collaboration and creativity.
Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion: Students prepared for and celebrated these important milestones, deepening their understanding and sense of community.
Enriching Excursions: Learning beyond the classroom has continued to be a priority, with excursions that brought classroom concepts to life and fostered curiosity.

Further Learning and Development:

Systematic Synthetic Phonics: This semester, we have made significant strides in our approach to literacy, with a strong focus on Systematic Synthetic Phonics. Our staff have worked closely with DOBCEL personnel to further develop our understanding of contemporary literacy strategies, ensuring that our students are equipped with the foundational skills they need to become confident readers and writers.
Mathematics with Michael Ymer: We have also had the privilege of working with Michael Ymer, who has helped us to build our expertise in open-ended problem solving. His guidance has enlivened our maths curriculum, encouraging students to think creatively and collaboratively as they tackle mathematical challenges.
Victorian Curriculum: If that wasn’t enough, we have also delved into the completely new version of the Victorian Curriculum. Our teachers have embraced the changes, adapting their planning and practice to ensure our students continue to receive a contemporary and relevant education.

We are also delighted to begin welcoming our 2026 Foundation students and their families. Many have already joined us for Story Time sessions, and we look forward to integrating them into our vibrant, supportive, and ever-growing school community. There are many experiences to look forward to in Term 3. We will be engaged in lots of learning experiences in the Arts in readiness to share our work at the School Concert. We have 3-Way Chats (more info below), Confirmation, Book Week, SEED visits, Father's Day, Royal South Street, Interschool Sports....there's a bit going on!!!

Thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a place where growth is valued above comfort, and where every member is encouraged to embrace change and reach their full potential.

Celebration of Learning Morning

You are warmly invited to our Celebration of Learning Morning on Wednesday, 2nd July, from 9:00 to 10:00am. This special event will be a wonderful opportunity for you to witness the incredible creativity and hard work of our students as they showcase their work centered around our semester one concept of 'Change.'

Winter Woolies Day – Supporting the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

On the last day of term, we’re inviting all students to get cosy and colourful for our Winter Woolies Day!

Students are encouraged to accessorise their school uniform with winter apparel — think beanies, scarves, coats, gloves and other toasty touches to help celebrate the season in style. It’s a fun way to stay warm while supporting a very worthy cause.

To participate, students are asked to bring either a gold coin donation or a non-perishable food item (such as canned soup or long-life pantry goods). All proceeds and donations will go directly to the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, which provides vital assistance to those doing it tough during the colder months.

Let’s come together as a school community to show warmth, generosity, and compassion this winter. Thank you in advance for your support!

Staffing Announcement

Next week marks Jenny Harbour’s final week with us at St Patrick’s. Over the past 12 months, Jenny has been a phenomenal addition to our team, sharing her passion, expertise, and warmth with students, staff, and families alike. Jenny has expressed how much she has enjoyed her time here, and she has truly valued being part of such a wonderful and welcoming community.

After an incredible career spanning more than 40 years in education, Jenny has decided to retire. We feel extremely blessed to have benefitted from her vast experience, wisdom, and dedication during her time at St Patrick’s. Jenny’s positive impact will be greatly missed by all.

We wish Jenny all the very best for her retirement and thank her sincerely for everything she has contributed to our school.

Looking ahead, we are pleased to announce that Kate Mahon will be returning in Semester 2, working Thursdays and Fridays in the Grade 1/2 class. We look forward to welcoming Kate back to our team.

Thank you, Jenny, for everything—and best wishes for your next adventure!

SWPBS Behaviour Blitz Update: From Respect to Safety

At St Patrick’s, we’re proud to be a SWPBS school, where we actively teach and promote the positive behaviours we want to see in all areas of school life.

Over the past fortnight, our whole-school behaviour blitz on Respect has been a great success. Students were reminded of the importance of showing respect for property, staff, and each other — through their words, actions, and care for the environment. It was fantastic to see so many respectful choices being made, whether it was taking turns during games, using kind language, or helping others in the classroom and yard.

We wrapped up the Respect blitz with a raffle draw last Friday — and what a celebration it was! The sheer number of tickets in the draw was a real testament to the many moments of respectful behaviour that were noticed and acknowledged by staff. Well done to all our students who were ‘caught being great’!

This week, we’ve kicked off our next focus: Safety. Across the school, we’re turning our attention to what it means to be safe — including keeping hands and feet to ourselves, moving safely through shared spaces, and using equipment appropriately. Staff will be reinforcing these expectations with targeted teaching and positive reinforcement over the next two weeks.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to build a culture where every student feels safe, respected, and proud to belong.

Sacrament of Confirmation

We are now preparing for the next Sacrament in our students’ faith journey: Confirmation. This special Sacrament is open to all students in Grade 3 and above who have been baptised. To begin the process, please register your interest by completing this form.

An information session for parents will be held on Thursday, July 24th at 9:00am at St Patrick's Primary, and we encourage all families to attend. Alternatively, parents can join the Parish Information Session in the Glowrey Room at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 5:30pm on Thursday, July 24th.

We look forward to supporting our students as they prepare to receive this important Sacrament.

Uniform Update

Thank you to all the families who took the time to provide thoughtful and comprehensive feedback about our school uniform. The insights were both helpful and, at times, surprising — which is exactly why feedback is so valuable. It helps us see things more clearly and respond to the evolving needs of our community.

One of the clearest points raised was around the knitted jumper, with many families noting that it no longer meets the needs of our students — whether in terms of comfort, durability, or ease of care. In response, we’re pleased to share that Noone is now stocking a long-sleeve softshell jacket. This is the same style and material as the popular softshell vest, but with added sleeves for extra warmth. A number of students are already wearing the new jackets, and the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

A quick reminder that school shoes must be entirely black — this includes soles and logos. Shoes with white soles, coloured detailing, or large visible logos are not in line with our uniform policy. We are currently tracking uniform compliance and you may receive a friendly reminder via email if your child is out of uniform.

We appreciate your ongoing support in maintaining a high standard that reflects the pride we all take in being part of the St Patrick’s community.

Semester 1 Reporting at St Patrick’s

Next Wednesday, your child's Semester 1 will be available to via on PAM after 4pm. You will receive a PAM notification informing you of when they are ready to be viewed. Thank you for the immense effort that teachers have put into the writing of reports. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the reports so far (I haven't quite got to them all yet!) and feel I have got to know the wonderful students even more. As always, the semester reports are one mode of feedback. Should you ever have any queries, questions or feedback about how we can support your child the doors are always open.

3-Way Chats

In Week 2 of Term 3, we are looking forward to offering 3-Way Chats to reflect on learning achievements throughout semester 1 and to co-design learning goals and experiences as a team for the second semester. A few years ago the School Advisory Council composed the below protocols for the 3-Way Chats that are quality guidelines for what we aim to achieve through this interview model.

At the end of this term, 3-Way Chat bookings will be available via PAM. The interviews are scheduled for 10 minute bookings between 3:30-6:00pm on Monday 28th or Tuesday 29th of July. Please note that Miss O'Brien and Ms. Lamb are unavailable and will schedule interviews for later in the term - TBC.

Aims of the Three Way chats

That students will articulate their learning goals with support from classroom teacher and parents
That communal understandings about individual learning needs will be established between student, parents and classroom teacher
That attention will focus on goal setting as a means for improving learning, behaviour and/or social interactions
That the student will be affirmed in their ability to articulate and desire to improve their learning, social interactions and/or behaviour
That the principles of twenty first century learning are fostered among students

Protocols for Three Way Chats

Families will be responsible for booking their 3 Way Chats
Once a booking has been made, a commitment to attend the 3 Way Chat will be presumed
In the event of unforeseen circumstances, an alternative meeting time may be arranged at a mutually convenient time
10 minutes will be strictly adhered to for each 3 Way Chat
No 3 Way Chat will be permitted to go over time
Failure to book a 3 Way Chat will be understood to mean that a meeting is not sought by the family and this will not be followed up by the school or classroom teacher

SchoolTV

This week on SchoolTV you will find a focus topic on anxiety.

“Untreated anxiety disorders in children can lead to more serious issues in adulthood. Parents need to educate themselves so they can identify the symptoms early.”

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

"Anxiety disorders can start early in childhood or adolescence. It may only have a moderate impact on a child’s ability to function in daily life and can therefore often remain undetected. If a child finds it extremely difficult to control their anxiety, then you should seek help or medical assistance."

Click on the link below to access a wealth of videos, articles, and resources on the aforementioned topics.

All Editions | St Patrick's School - Ballarat (schooltv.me)

Kind regards,

Ben Shields

School Calendar Term 2 and 3 2025