From the Principal

Dear Families,

As we continue our journey through the season of Lent, we are reminded that God calls each of us to be people of compassion, forgiveness, and hope. Lent is a sacred time to pause, reflect, and consider how our words and actions can bring light and encouragement to others. As a school community, one meaningful way we live this message is through our support of Project Compassion, led by Caritas Australia, which encourages us to walk alongside those in need and make a positive difference in the world.

We warmly invite all families to join us for our Lenten Family Activity on Friday 6th March at 2:30pm. This will be a special opportunity to come together in prayer, reflection, and shared experience as we mark this important season. Your presence helps strengthen the sense of faith, connection and community that makes St Patrick’s such a special place.

We look forward to sharing this meaningful time with you.

Before School Arrangements

A reminder to families that supervision in the school yard commences at 8:30am each morning. Students should not be in the yard prior to this time, as staff are not on duty. The safety and wellbeing of students in a supervised environment is part of our commitment and duty of care during school hours.

The Errard Street gate will remain locked until 8:30am.

The Eyre Street gate will be opened at 8:20am, where students may wait on the deck in a designated safe area until supervision begins. This arrangement is in place for exceptional circumstances only and must be clearly communicated to, and approved by, the Principal.

We ask for your support in ensuring students arrive no earlier than 8:30am unless prior arrangements have been made. If your family has extenuating circumstances from time to time please make contact with the Principal for further discussion.

Join Us for Our First Parents & Friends Meeting of 2026!

We’re excited to kick off the year with our first Parents & Friends meeting on Monday 2nd March at 7:00 pm at the Western Hotel.

All parents are warmly invited to attend - coming along doesn’t mean you’ll be asked to take on a role or a job! We value your thoughts, opinions, and ideas for building family connections and creating meaningful events throughout the school year.

Your input helps make St Patrick’s a stronger, more connected community - so come along and share your thinking!

2027 Foundation Enrolments

2027 Foundation Enrolments are now open. If you have a child in kindergarten and you would like to secure a place for them in Foundation at St Patrick's in 2027, you need to follow the enrolment application process outlined on our website: www.spballarat.catholic.edu.au

Please note - this is for all enrolments including our current St Patrick's families. Applications close on 14th May.

NAPLAN 2026

Students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) this term. Assessments are completed online (except for Year 3 Writing, which is paper based). The adaptive online format provides a more accurate measure of each student’s progress. The St Patrick's NAPLAN schedule can be found on our Parent Information page.

Personal Electronic Devices at School

At St Patrick’s, student safety is always our highest priority. Our Digital Technologies Procedures clearly state that mobile phones and personal electronic devices must be handed in at the school office on arrival, where they are securely stored and returned to students at the end of the day. These procedures exist to ensure that technology is used safely, responsibly and in ways that support learning - not compromise wellbeing.

Recently, we have seen an increase in personal electronic devices being brought to school across Foundation to Year 6, including mobile phones and smart watches with internet connectivity, messaging, filming and recording capabilities. This presents an unnecessary Child Safety risk. While some devices offer a ‘school mode’, many students have a clear understanding of how to bypass these restrictions, which means these safeguards cannot be relied upon.

We understand that some families choose for their child to carry a phone or smart watch for safety reasons, particularly to communicate with parents before or after school regarding arrival and departure. This is entirely understandable and not an issue. However, it is essential that any device brought to school is handed in at administration immediately upon arrival. Devices must not remain with students during the school day, in school bags, or on their person.

For this reason, we are taking a firm stance: unless absolutely necessary, personal electronic devices are strongly discouraged from entering the school. In most cases, students do not require these devices during school hours. The presence of internet-enabled and recording devices creates risks related to privacy, inappropriate communication, and the potential capture or sharing of images or information without consent.

We appreciate your support in ensuring that St Patrick’s remains a safe environment for every child. The simplest and safest approach is for students to leave mobile phones and smart watches at home unless there is a genuine and unavoidable need. If a device is brought to school, it must be handed in at the school office on arrival and collected at the end of the day.

Toilet Refurbishment

We are pleased to share that plans are progressing for the refurbishment of the senior-end toilets. Some families may recall that this work was originally included in the scope of the recent main building project, but was removed at that time due budget constraints. We are very pleased to now be in a position to move ahead, with a start date expected to be confirmed in the near future.

Once underway, the refurbishment is anticipated to take approximately three weeks to complete. While there may be some minor disruptions during this period, we are confident the improvements will make a significant difference to the quality, hygiene, and overall presentation of these facilities.

The refurbishment will include:

• Brand new vinyl flooring throughout, including the corridor area
• Upgraded lighting
• New toilet partitions
• Replacement of all toilets

• New wall paneling

   

We will communicate confirmed dates and any temporary arrangements as soon as details are finalised. We look forward to providing students with refreshed, modern facilities in the very near future.

SchoolTV 

This week on SchoolTV you will find a focus topic on Friendship & Belonging.

“The ability to obtain, maintain and retain friendships is, according to all the childhood psychologists in the whole wide world, the greatest predictor of wellbeing. Having a rich repertoire of friends is a true indicator of whether your child is travelling ok.”

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