Dear Parents,

A project we have been working on this term is the St. Patrick's School Song. At the start of the term, Mr. Drew Lane collaborated with our Year 6 students to create lyrics that reflect our school and community, highlighting what makes us special. He then composed the melody and assembled the song.

Mr. Lane later returned to work with our school choir, who recorded the backing tracks. I am very pleased to present to you the audio version HERE and the video version HERE for you to listen to!

Moving forward, we will be singing our new school song at the beginning of each of our weekly assemblies.

A special thanks to Mr. Drew Lane, Mrs. Kathryn Ady (Religious Education Leader), Mrs. Susan Williams (Performing Arts Leader), Mrs Stephanie Hulse (Social Media Leader) and our Year 6 staff for their invaluable support in bringing this project to life.

Out of Hours Care Update

At the start of Term 3 (21st July 2025), we will transition to Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – Early Years Education (MACSEYE) as our new provider for out-of-hours care. This change is a directive from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), the governing body for all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

I would like to personally thank our current provider, Kingston Council, for their exemplary care and dedication to our students and community. They will continue to provide out-of-hours care until the end of Term 2, with their final day of operation being Friday, 4th July.

MACSEYE will operate under the same hours of supervision that we currently provide:📅 Monday to Friday

🕠 6:45 AM – 8:30 AM

🕞 3:15 PM – 6:15 PM

I am hopeful that we will be able to retain our current out-of-hours care staff to manage the new service under MACSEYE. I will keep the community updated in the coming weeks as we navigate this period of transition.

Please know that I will continue to advocate for our St. Patrick’s Community at every opportunity to ensure we receive the best possible care and a smooth transition that meets the needs of our wonderful families. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we adjust to this change. If you have any questions regarding this transition please do not hesitate to contact me via tha school office or email.

Please see below communication from MACSEYE:

MACSEYE is a newly approved provider, set up by the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to offer a range of early childhood and school aged careprograms.

MACSEYE is committed to see every child and family flourish. Our programs are designed to foster a sense of identity, health and well-being. As a Catholic provider, MACSEYE will have strong links with the school and local parish, working together to build a vibrant community of support for children and families.

MACSEYE is an approved registered provider, and sets a high standard of quality inline with the National Quality Standards.

If you have any questions, please email MACSEYE directly at contact@macseye.vic.edu.au

St. Patrick's Hong Kong visit

Today we welcomed St. Patrick's Community – Hong Kong to our school! We had 30 Year 5 & 6 students joining our Year 5 & 6 students during their specialist classes this morning. They participated in Physical Education, Italian, STEM, eLearning, Visual Arts and Performing Arts lessons in the morning. They also had some interesting presentations for us about their schools. My thanks to specialist staff, Year 5 & 6 Staff and especially our students for being so welcoming and kind to our special visitors!

Emergency Management Drill

Well done to all our students and staff on the successful Emergency Management Drill conducted on Tuesday this week!

This term, we practiced an evacuation drill, and each term, we will go through different emergency scenarios as part of our required emergency management training. We will, of course, provide prior notice to our community before these rehearsals.

I’m pleased to report that we passed this drill with flying colors, which is reassuring for us as a community should we ever need to activate our emergency response plan in the future.

Stations of the Cross

On Friday 4th April at 9am the whole school will be participating in a reflection on the stations of the cross in the school hall. Thanks to Mrs Kathryn Ady for coordinating this important event for our school.

Last Day of Term 1

Tomorrow is the last day of Term 1. Students will assemble on the blue basketball court at 12:15pm for a short outdoor assembly and will then be dismissed at 12:30pm. Please note the change in dismissal time to last year. School will resume for Term 2 on Tuesday 22nd April at 8:45am. I wish you all a relaxing term holiday. Please note that Prep - Year 3 Swimming lessons commence on the first day back for Term 2.

Chess Awards

Congratulations to the following students who are our award winners for this term:

1st - Billy W

2nd - Nate C

3rd - Jacob J

Chess lessons will resume next term on Wednesday's during recess time.

St. Patricks Day Lolly Jar

Congratulations to Emma G in 6LS for correctly guessing the St. Patrick's Day lolly jar - 378 exactly!

Long Service Leave

I will be taking a week of Long Service Leave for the first week of Term 2. Mrs Joelle Diakrousis and Mr Anthony Speranza will be Co-Acting Principals during my absence. I will be taking an extended family holiday to Vietnam during the 2 weeks of school holidays and the first week of Term 2. I will be back at school to resume normal duties on Monday 28th April.

Year 6 2026 Canberra Camp travel update

I am currently seeking feedback from current Year 5 families—both students, parents and the School Advisory Council—regarding travel arrangements for the Year 6 Canberra Camp next year (2026).

I am exploring the feasibility of bussing to Canberra and flying back to reduce the camp duration from five days to four days. This adjustment would allow students to experience the same number of activities while significantly reducing return travel time by flying back on Thursday afternoon/evening. This would then incorporate a rest day on the Friday allowing for the students to recover from camp and for the school to acquit our 'Time in Lieu' requirements for staff as per the latest multi-employer agreement.

The cost of a five-day bus-to-and-from camp is comparable to a four-day bus-up, fly-back camp.

Below, you will find the latest feedback graphics from both parents and students regarding this proposal. The survey concludes at 12pm tomorrow afternoon if you have the option to contribute.

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

Community Information

Music Lessons at St Patricks