Message From Our Principal

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break, filled with memorable moments and quality family time. As we embark on this new term, we are excited to continue our journey of learning and growth together. Our dedicated staff has been preparing an array of engaging and enriching activities to inspire and challenge our students. Term 3 promises to be filled with opportunities for academic achievement, personal development, and community involvement. We are thrilled to welcome back our returning families and extend a warm greeting to any new families joining our school community. Together, let's make this term a productive, enjoyable, and successful one for all.

Swimming Week

It was great to attend the whole school swimming program last week. The smiles on all of the students faces were priceless!

The whole school swimming week program at the Echuca pool offers a myriad of benefits for our students and the wider school community. Firstly, it provides an essential opportunity for students to develop and enhance their swimming skills, a vital life-saving ability. The program fosters a sense of confidence and safety in the water, ensuring that all students can enjoy aquatic activities responsibly. Beyond physical benefits, the swimming week encourages teamwork and camaraderie among students, as they support and motivate each other through various exercises and challenges. It also promotes physical fitness, contributing to the overall well-being of our students. Additionally, the immersive, week-long format allows for consistent practice and rapid improvement, far surpassing the progress that can be achieved in sporadic lessons. By utilising the local Echuca pool, the program also strengthens community ties and supports local facilities. Overall, the whole school swimming week is an invaluable initiative that nurtures our students' physical, social, and emotional development.

THANKS!!!

How lucky are we at St Patrick’s? We are super lucky because we have amazing parents who are active within our school community and make things happen- like our new Gaga Pitt!!

A massive thank you to Leigh and Troy for making this happen. The kids absolutely love it!!!

This project also happened thanks to our Student Advisory Council, who shared the voices of their peers.

Lastly thank you to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising over the last 18 months.

My Principal Appraisal 

As a part of the contract of Employment, each Principal of a Catholic school in the Diocese of Sandhurst must undertake an appraisal.  

The purpose of an appraisal is to provide the Principal with feedback about their leadership of the school.  An appraisal also seeks to improve the professional practice of the Principal through feedback about the leadership of specific areas of school life. At the end of the appraisal process, the Principal will receive a detailed report about the information gathered from the process and this will support them in shaping their professional goals  and practice for the future.  

To assist in this process you will receive an email in the next week asking you to participate in a short survey. The raw data results of the survey are confidential and will be used by the Principal Appraisal Panel in conjunction with other datasets gathered. Some parents will be invited to attend an interview with a panel member.

An Exciting Job Opportunity:

2nd Open Day

Due to the overwhelming success of our first open day, we are excited to announce a second open day! The enthusiasm and positive feedback from attendees exceeded our expectations, highlighting the immense interest and engagement within our community. To accommodate this growing interest and ensure that everyone has the chance to experience what we have to offer, we have decided to host another open day. We look forward to welcoming even more of you and continuing the fantastic momentum from our first event.

Please register using this link:

https://forms.gle/vucT7AEYtVG5cocG6

Bullying No Way Week

Bullying No Way Week is all about the important roles school, family and community play in helping young people feel accepted, respected and that they have a place where they belong.

From 12 to 16 August, you can help create positive action with students, school staff and our communities for Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative.

Our theme for 2024 is Everyone Belongs. In school, belonging is like a superpower against bullying. It's what brings us together, makes us stronger, and helps us understand and support each other. Find out more about this year's theme and daily focus areas.

What does belonging mean to Australian students? Check out the Bullying No Way Week video. 

Tongala Community Voices Survey

Tongala Health along with the Tongala Community Voices Committee are conducting a short survey to gather the communities input around your local health service.

If you could please click the link below or scan the QR code and take a few moments to fill in the survey it would be greatly appreciated!

If you would like further information about the survey please feel free to contact Tongala Health on 58 570245.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C952BZ8

Yard Maintenance

The teepee and new bar-ball got a fresh coat of paint during the holidays! Don’t they look impressive!

Lions Club Publis Speaking Competition

Last Sunday we had the pleasure of hosting the next stage of the Lions Club Public Speaking Competition.

James and Jim were successful at reaching this stage of the competition. They both spoke with amazing confidence today and should be really proud of their efforts. Congratulations boys!!

A big thank you to Dani who attended the event on behalf of our school.

Bendigo Bank Grants:

On behalf of our whole school community, we would like to extend a very big thank you to the Bendigo Bank Community Bank Tongala for their generous donation towards 2 of our projects. $1999 is going towards the purchase of our defibrillator and $7500 is going towards the ‘Boys to the Bush’ Program for our Senior boys in 2025.

Kyabram Club Donation:

On the 21st of June the Kyabram Club presented our school with a generous donation towards the upgrade of our outdoor fort. We are extremely thankful for their generous donation!

Enrol your Foundation student for 2025 NOW: