Dear Families,

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Thursday evening at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the city.

Confirmation is the final Sacrament of Initiation into the Catholic Church, following Baptism and First Eucharist. It is a profound step in our students’ faith journey, where they are strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and called to live out their faith with courage and commitment. It was a joy to witness our students affirming the promises of their Baptism in such a reverent and moving ceremony.

We are grateful to Fr Justin Ford for conferring the sacrament on our students and for guiding them in this special celebration of faith. We also thanks Fr Joseph for his support of our students as well. We were joined on the evening by the St Patrick’s Parish group, as well as students from St John Vianney’s and Stella Maris schools, which made the celebration even more meaningful as a wider parish community.

A special thank you to Mrs Kathryn Ady, our Religious Education Leader, and our Year 6 teachers — Mr Matt Hale, Miss Laura Smith, and Mr Nathan Mayberry — for their guidance and preparation of the candidates. Their support ensured that the students were well-prepared, both spiritually and practically, for this milestone in their lives.

We also extend our thanks to Mrs Joelle Diakrousis and Mr Anthony Speranza, our Deputy Principals, for their presence and support on the evening.

We are very proud of our Year 6 students and pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit continue to guide them throughout their lives.

🙏 Prayer for our Confirmation Candidates:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of our Year 6 students with your wisdom, courage, and love. May they use your gifts to grow as faithful witnesses to Christ, sharing their light with all they meet. Strengthen them in times of challenge and inspire them always to walk in your truth. Amen.

Father's Day

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our fathers, grandfathers and special father figures a very Happy Father’s Day for this Sunday.

It was fantastic to see so many dads join us for our special Father’s Day morning on Tuesday. My sincere thanks to our wonderful P & F for organising tea, coffee, and a sweet treat for both adults and children to enjoy together. A big thank you also to Mr Daidone and Mr Ross for capturing so many special moments on camera (some of which I have shared below). It was also very moving to see so many fathers and families joining us at Mass, sharing in the prayer life of our school community.

Yesterday’s Father’s Day Stall was another tremendous success, and I am most grateful to our amazing P & F team for the time and effort they put into running this very important event each year. The joy on the children’s faces as they carefully chose the perfect gift for their dads was truly priceless.

On behalf of the entire school community, I thank all of our dads for the love, guidance, and support you give your children each day. We hope you enjoy a wonderful Father’s Day with your families.

Book Week

What an amazing day we had today with our annual Book Week parade! There were so many creative costumes on display, showcasing the wide range of beloved book characters that have captured the imaginations of readers over the years.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Latto, our Literacy Leader, for organising the many Book Week events, including the parade, the Premiers’ Reading Challenge, classroom activities, the Book Week concert, and the Lamont Book Fair—which has been a tremendous hit with families.

My sincere thanks also go to all staff for their support of this important whole-school celebration of reading.

Art Show

I am thrilled to announce that the countdown to our bi-ennial Arts Festival has begun! This much-loved event will run from Tuesday 9th September to Thursday 11th September, with the main community event taking place on Wednesday 10th September.

On the Wednesday evening, from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, the school hall will be open to our whole community to view the extraordinary artwork created by our talented students. Entry will be by gold coin donation, with Tap & Go payment also available. All proceeds will support future Arts initiatives at St. Patrick’s.

Earlier in the day, we are delighted to be welcoming local kinders and residents from Mercy Aged Care to enjoy a private viewing of the exhibition. As part of this special visit, our school band will also perform, sharing their music and hospitality with our guests.

A huge congratulations to Mrs. Jen Brown, our Art Teacher, for the incredible creativity, energy and preparation that has gone into making this event possible. We also extend our thanks to Mrs. Susan Williams for her wonderful contributions to the Performing Arts and community aspects of the festival.

The order of events for Wednesday 10th September is as follows:

Junior Choir – 4:30pm
Prep to Year 2 Live Art Auctions – 5:00pm
Senior Choir – 6:30pm
Year 3 to Year 6 Live Art Auctions – 7:00pm

In addition, as communicated by our Parents & Friends Association, each year level will be contributing items to our silent auction. Further details about these can be found below and on the P&F page of this newsletter, items can start to come in ASAP to the office for collection and collation.

Here is the link to bid on the art pieces and hampers before the live auctions.

https://www.myminiauction.com/stpatricks-artshow

To make the evening even more enjoyable, a selection of food trucks will be on site during the Wednesday night event, providing families with the chance to grab a bite to eat while enjoying the exhibitions and performances.

The Arts Festival is always a wonderful celebration of creativity, community and talent. We look forward to welcoming families, friends and visitors to join us in celebrating the incredible gifts of our students.

School Fees

Just a reminder that all school fees are due by the end of Term 3, 2025. (Unless prior arrangements have been made with Mrs Easton and myself)

Cyber Safety Evening

📅 Wednesday 8th October🕖 7:00pm – 8:30pm

St. Patrick’s School is very excited to be partnering with Marty and Carley McGauran from Inform and Empower to present a parents-only online Cyber Safety Webinar for our school community.

This session will provide parents with practical strategies, up-to-date information and valuable insights to help keep children safe and supported in the ever-changing digital world. It promises to be an engaging and informative evening, equipping families with the tools they need to guide their children in developing safe and positive online habits.

We encourage all parents to mark this date in their calendars and join us for this important event. Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

CDFpay school fees pilot update

As you may be aware, select families from our school will be helping pilot a new school fee management feature in the CDFpay app this term.

From this week, you may see a new ‘School fees’ tile on the CDFpay home page, including the option to ‘Link school fees’.

Families participating in the pilot will receive separate instructions on how to set up and manage school fee payments in CDFpay.

For all other families, we ask that you please disregard this new feature for now. If you do attempt to link your school fees, you’ll receive an error message.

We look forward to providing you with an update on the pilot outcomes later this term and hope to be able to offer this new feature to all families in 2026!

2025 School Improvement Surveys

In 2025, our school is participating in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings that students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. These surveys help inform the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

We would appreciate it if families could take the time in the next 3 weeks to complete the survey. Information captured ultimately benefits the school and the community.

The survey which will be available online, can be accessed from Monday 1 September and needs to be completed by Friday 19 September 2025. This survey may only be completed once. The survey link is www.orima.com.au/macsfamily . A unique family PIN will be issued via email and hard copy notice to each eldest child next week.

Upcoming P & F Events

School Calendar

Please use the following google link to add the school calendar to your own calendar for ease of information exchange. School Google Calendar HERE.

God Bless

Pat Berlingeri

Principal

Parents and Friends Association

Art Show Hampers

Online Auction Items link HERE

Casual Clothes Day

Footy Colours Day

School Umbrella

2025 Fundraising for the Junior Playground Upgrade

Please note the following 2025 P & F dates for your diaries:

P & F Constitution