Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2.

I hope all families enjoyed a restful break and had the opportunity to spend some quality time together during the Easter Period. It has been wonderful to see the children return with such enthusiasm and a readiness for the term ahead.

Term 2 promises to be another busy and exciting time in the life of our school. We look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day in the coming weeks, a special opportunity for our students to acknowledge and give thanks for the important women and special friends in their lives.

Mother's Day Morning booking Link

https://www.trybooking.com/DLNDO

Our School Cross Country event will also take place next week, providing students with the chance to challenge themselves, demonstrate perseverance, and enjoy a sense of achievement. In addition, our Year 3–6 students will participate in the School Athletics Carnival on 19th May, which is always a fantastic day of competition, teamwork and school spirit.

We also keep in our prayers our Year 3 students as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist. This is a very special milestone in their faith journey, and we look forward to celebrating this important occasion with them and their families.

I look forward to all that lies ahead this term and thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of our school community.

Memorial Garden

In the coming weeks, we will be finalising a special project that has been in the planning phase for the past six months. With the recent relocation of the sandpit to the other side of the playground, we are now able to move forward with the next stage of this initiative.

We will be selecting three commemorative benches to be installed in the garden, in memory of past staff members - Mr Tim Noonan, Miss Leanne Brown and Mr Daniel Bau, who sadly passed away last year. These spaces will provide a place for quiet reflection and remembrance within our school grounds.  

The SRC students, School Advisory Council and staff, together with Mr Anthony Speranza, Mr Danny Benoiton and myself, will coordinate the selection and installation of the benches and plants, along with the commissioning of plaques to honour our valued past staff members.  We also extend our sincere thanks to parent Sam Higgins for his support and assistance with this project.

New Sand Pit

My sincere thanks to Mr Danny Benoiton for his continued hard work in making our playground such a special place for our students. In partnership with Steve May, Danny has coordinated the relocation of the sandpit to a new location on the other side of the oval.

The new sandpit will be larger and deeper than the previous one and will provide many hours of enjoyment for our students as they relax and play in this space. I look forward to seeing the finished results next week.

In addition, the kitchen garden space is currently being refurbished, further enhancing our outdoor learning environment. We also look forward to the return of “Danny’s Garden” later in the year, once the produce has had time to grow and flourish.

We are also excited to welcome additional chickens later in the year, who will join our current chicken and further enrich this engaging and hands-on learning environment for our students. Special thanks to the Cole family for their assistance with this initiative.

Staff Baby News

Congratulations to Mrs Stephanie Hulse and her husband Luke on the safe arrival of Lily Mae born on 23rd February.

Congratulations to Mrs Ellie Connell and her husband Stuart on the safe arrival of Lachie James born on 15th April.

Congratulations also to Miss Isabelle Douglas and her partner Matt on the safe arrival of Georgie Alice born on 16th April.

All families are doing well and are excited to welcome their new arrivals home.

School Winter Uniforms

At the commencement of Term 2, students may wear either the FULL summer uniform or FULL winter uniform (please do not mix and match the uniforms) until the end of Week 3.  From Monday 11th May, ALL students must be in FULL WINTER UNIFORM, including correct shoes.

Welcome to New Students

We warmly welcome the following students to the St. Patrick's Community who have joined us at the start of Term 2:

Year 1: Florian W

Year 2: Sophia B, Heidi S

Year 3: Lulu O

Year 5: Perrie O

Kingston Parking Inspectors

Kingston City Council’s Parking Enforcement team will be commencing school patrols and applying the road rules to ensure compliance and safety around schools in the morning and afternoon throughout the week.

Council will be prioritising schools that receive concerns from School Crossing Supervisors and concerns from public, the schools themselves with parking enforcement.

The first week back, Parking Officers will be focusing on educating the parents of the road rules as there will be a lot of new parents to schools, which Council appreciates.

After that, Council’s Parking Enforcement team will be enforcing the road rules for illegal parking that is observed.

Could you please ensure that this message is being distributed to parents of children that attend your school.

If anyone has any concerns raised by parents, community members or from the school regarding School Crossing Supervisors and enforcement of parking, could you please direct your enquiries to schoolcrossings@kingston.vic.gov.au or email me directly.

Take care and wish you all the best for the year ahead.

Kind regards,

Ryan Salvesen

kingston.vic.gov.au

Ph 9581 4778

Email ryan.salvesen@kingston.vic.gov.au

Anzac Day March - Saturday 25th April 2026

ANZAC Day, observed on April 25th each year, marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I. It is a day to remember all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in war and on operational service. 

The Mentone RSL have invited us to participate formally in the March along Mentone Parade, we will assemble behind our school banner (carried by year 6 students) alongside our returned servicemen and women. Students attending are requested to wear their full school uniform as a mark of respect.  We will gather at 8:30am @ Keith Styles Reserve  (Look for the school banner). 

Please note the following information for the day:

Commemorative March:  8:40am - 25th April 2026 - Assemble at WW1 memorial at Keith Styles Reserve (near Council Chambers) and proceed down Mentone Parade to Memorial Park (in front of Mentone RSL) for the Commemorative Service.

Commemorative Service:  9:00am - 25th April 2026 - Mentone Memorial Park (in front of Mentone RSL on Mentone Parade)

Please note all students must be accompanied by an adult/family member as this will not be a staff supervised event.

Prep 2027 Enrolment update

Please note that all Prep 2027 enrolments (sibling and new families) have closed. Any applications received after today will not be accepted, as we have far exceeded capacity.

We will have a full complement of three Prep classes for 2027. With 40 sibling enrolments already confirmed, demand is very high. A waiting list will also be established for families who are unsuccessful in receiving a first-round offer of placement.

This is an exciting time for our community, reflecting the strong level of interest in our school and all that we have to offer.

School Advisory Council and P&F Meetings

The next P & F meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 12th May at 7:30pm

Our next School Advisory Council Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 13th May at 7pm. 

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