From the Principal

Dear families,

As we move towards the end of another busy month, I've found myself reflecting on just how much happens in the life of a school. Every day brings moments of learning, growth and connection, many of which are captured throughout this newsletter. While the larger events often fill our calendars, it is the everyday interactions between students, staff and families that continue to make St Patrick's such a special place.

This week has also been a privilege as we've welcomed many of our 2027 Foundation families for interviews. Meeting our newest students and beginning to build relationships with their families is always one of the highlights of the year. These conversations are the beginning of a partnership that we hope will flourish over many years, and we are excited to welcome these young learners into our St Patrick's community next year.

As we head into August, there is plenty to look forward to, with our School Disco and Book Week just around the corner. These are always wonderful opportunities for our community to come together, celebrate and create lasting memories for our students. You can find out more about the events in the Parent Information and Around the School pages.

At the end of Week 5, I'll also have the privilege of travelling to Finland to represent DOBCEL at a series of educational conferences, share the work of our Diocese through our Collaborative Innovation Research Prototypes, and participate in school visits with educators from around the world. It is an opportunity I am genuinely looking forward to -not only to learn from some outstanding education systems, but also to build collaborative partnerships that will benefit DOBCEL schools into the future. I look forward to returning with new ideas and insights that will continue to support the learning, growth and wellbeing of every student here at St Patrick's.

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support. Together, we continue to foster a school environment where every child is known, valued and encouraged to flourish.

School Closure Day - Tomorrow

A reminder that tomorrow is a School Closure Day as staff from our four Cathedral Parish schools come together for a shared day of professional learning and formation. 

Opportunities such as these allow us to learn alongside colleagues, strengthen our collective practice and continue providing the very best learning experiences for our students. Thank you for your ongoing support of these important days.

Teaching Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships education

Teaching respectful relationships education is part of the Victorian Curriculum and delivered by all Victorian government and Catholic schools. It supports students to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed for respectful relationships and helps to build respect and equality across the entire school community.

Research tells us that providing respectful relationships education at school can lead to positive impacts on students’ academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour and relationships.

The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships resources have 8 topics that teach students about emotional literacy, personal and cultural strengths, resilience, problem-solving, stress-management, help-seeking, gender norms and stereotypes and positive gender relations.

This term in class we are working on..

Your children may talk to you about the conversations they have been having in class and practice some of the strategies they use in times of stress.

SchoolTV 

This week on SchoolTV you will find additional resources available to gain greater insight into the importance of sleep and sleep habits.

"Children these days seem to be going to bed later and later. Distractions such as TV, computer games, internet, texting friends and social media are all having a negative impact on a child’s sleep time. Sleep is vital to a child’s wellbeing. When children sleep well, they are more settled, happier and ready for school the next day. Sleep also strengthens their immune systems, supports overall development and their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation. Recent studies have shown than many children, especially teenagers, are missing out on vital REM sleep, which is particularly important for memory and learning."

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