From the Principal
How fantastic to finally have all of our students able to attend classes at school again. It was wonderful to see all the smiling faces on Tuesday morning as our Senior students caught up with each other in person. The Juniors were equally as excited to have their older colleagues back at school. At recess and lunchtime it was very pleasing to see all students mixing together regardless of which year level they are in. There was even a special visitor to the school on Tuesday to welcome all the students back! Just like the Junior students, the Seniors have also grown a little bit over their extended time away from school.
School Reports
Our teachers are completing the End of Semester reports and these will be sent home next week. The reports will look a little different this semester as a result of COVID-19. This is based on the advice of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV).
The reports will give an indication of the levels achieved during Term One, however the usual assessments undertaken in the classroom during Term Two have not been possible.
Our end of year reports will provide a more comprehensive summary of the year's learning across all curriculum areas as has been the case in previous years.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Given the limited opportunities for parent-teacher discussion on student progress throughout this term, I am looking to hold a Parent-Teacher Interview evening in the last week of term. I am awaiting guidance from Catholic Education Office regarding being able to conduct such an evening given the current regulations regarding parents on-site. Once I have confirmation that we can proceed, I will advertise the day and time via our various notification platforms. If we are unable to have these meetings before the end of term, we will hopefully have an opportunity to do so early in Term Three.
Classroom Teacher Interviews
We will be conducting interviews next week as we seek to find a replacement for Ms Murphy. We pray that God will guide us in our decision making process and assist us to appoint someone who will embrace the spirit of working in partnership with our St Patrick's School community to provide an engaging and positive learning experience for our children.
Refugee Week
Matthew 25: 35 "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome"
Refugee Week runs from Sunday 14th - Saturday 20th June. The Week culminates with World Refugee Day on 20th June. This year's theme is "Celebrating the Year of Welcome." Refugee Week raises awareness of the issues affecting refugees and aims to promote harmony and togetherness.
A refugee is someone who is forced to flee from their country and cannot return unless the situation that forced them to leave improves. Some are forced to flee without any warning. The motivating factor for refugees is safety and protection from persecution and human rights abuse.
A person seeking asylum is a person who is seeking protection as a refugee and is still waiting to have his/her claim assessed. Every refugee has at some point been seeking asylum.
Refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents. As a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Australia has sworn a commitment to offer protection to people who have fled from their home country due to a real threat to their lives and/or basic freedoms. If an asylum seeker is found to be a refugee, Australia is obliged under international law to offer protection and to ensure that the person is not sent back unwillingly to their country of origin.
God of safety
We remember that Mary and Joseph escaped to safety in Egypt when Herod tried to kill baby Jesus and we remember how Mary MacKillop found safe places for homeless mothers and children.
Let our country now find room for the refugees who come begging for safety.
Let our hearts be big enough to welcome them so that they can forget their terror and sadness and find peace here.
Let us give them a home and a good future in our country.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who knew what it was like to be a refugee.
Amen
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.
"Love one another, bear with one another and let charity guide you in all your life" Mary MacKillop, 1909
God Bless you all,
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal