Message From Our Principal
Mrs Jackie Stockdale
The past two weeks have been incredibly busy, with plenty happening across the school, including all our Parent Support Group (PSG) meetings. We appreciate the time and effort from families, staff, and support teams in ensuring these meetings run smoothly and effectively to support our students. A huge thank you to everyone for their ongoing commitment and collaboration. As we wrap up this hectic period, we hope you all enjoy a well-deserved long weekend and take the opportunity to rest and recharge!
Unfortunately I have to report that our current attendance statistics are worse than the last time I shared them with you:
WEEK 4:
| Attendance | Above 95% | Between 90-95% | Under 90% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Students | 55 Students | 17 Students | 23 Students |
WERK 6:
| Attendance | Above 95% | Between 90-95% | Under 90% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Students | 46 Students | 24 Students | 25 Students |
Regular school attendance is essential for every student's learning, growth, and overall success. Attending school consistently helps students build strong foundations in their education, develop positive routines, and form important social connections. Missing school can lead to gaps in learning, making it harder for students to keep up with their peers. We encourage all families to prioritise attendance and ensure students are at school every day unless they are unwell. Together, we can support our students in reaching their full potential.
What a fantastic evening we had at our Welcome BBQ! Again I apologise for not being able to attend this year due to Max's cricket grand final. I am happy to report that he won!!! From all reports the event was a great success. Looking at the photos it was great to see so many happy, smiling faces enjoying the event. A huge thank you to everyone who came along and made our school feel like family. Events like these remind us just how special St Patrick’s is!
Congratulations Dani and family on the safe arrival of your beautiful baby boy- MACK DALLAS. He was born on 21/02/25 at 7.39pm, weighing 7lb15oz.
What an amazing day we had at our swimming carnival! A huge thank you to all our students for their enthusiasm, participation, and sportsmanship throughout the day. Their effort and positive attitudes made the event a great success. We are also incredibly grateful to our parents and families who attended, cheering on the students and creating a supportive atmosphere. A special thank you goes to our dedicated staff for their hard work in organising and implementing the carnival, ensuring everything ran smoothly. It was wonderful to see our school community come together to celebrate and enjoy such a fantastic day.
This year we announced Age Champions from our swimming carnival. Congratulations to our age champions:
9/10 Boys
Ryder
Ollie
9/10 Girls
Madi
11 Boys
Jim
11 Girls
Ella
12/13 Boys
Zeb
We choose to use the Stanhope Pool for our school swimming carnival because it offers three different pools that cater to all swimming abilities, ensuring a safe and inclusive experience for all students. The facility allows us to run a whole-school F-6 swimming carnival where every student can participate, regardless of their skill level. Additionally, its close proximity to Tongala makes it a convenient and accessible option for our school community. By using the Stanhope Pool, we also continue to support our local outdoor pools, helping to maintain these important community facilities for future generations.
Our Grade 6 boys wrapped up their incredible five-week journey with Boys to the Bush this week! This program has been an amazing experience for our boys, giving them the chance to connect with their local community, build resilience, develop life skills, and grow in confidence. We are incredibly grateful to the Boys To The Bush for running such a fantastic program and to the Community Bank Tongala, whose generous support made this opportunity possible for our students.
On Wednesday night, we had the pleasure of hosting the Inform & Empower Seminar for Parents and Carers, welcoming families from St Patrick’s, Tongala PS, and beyond. It was fantastic to see so many parents taking an active role in helping their children navigate the challenges of the digital age.
A huge thank you to Community Bank Tongala for making this event possible for both schools—we truly appreciate your support!
Expert educator Marty and experienced psychologist Carley led an insightful session, covering key topics such as:
Social Media
The Impact of Screen Time
Online Gaming & Cyberbullying
Managing Conflict
Child & Tween Trends
Explicit/Adult Content
Family Communication
It was an engaging and valuable evening, equipping parents with practical knowledge and strategies to support their kids in today’s digital world. A big thank you to everyone who attended—we hope you found it as beneficial as we did!
Bike shorts are not part of the official St Patrick's School uniform. Students are expected to wear the designated school uniform as outlined in the 2025 Information booklet and on our school website. This ensures consistency, maintains a sense of pride, and reflects the school’s values. We ask that all students adhere to the uniform guidelines and wear the correct attire each day.
3-4 Camp Session:
To help prepare, we will be running a camp information session for our Grade 3/4s on Wednesday, the 19th of March at 2:50pm in the CilDara. This will be a great opportunity for parents to come along, ask any questions you may have, and find out more about the camp itself. We will also email home the slideshow presentation for your own reference and for any families who are unable to attend.
Kindly wanted for the Art room:
Some of our students require some small recycled items to begin making some epic artworks next week, if you have any of these items listed in the photos please can you send them with your child before next Wednesday, it would be much appreciated. Students can put these on the bench in the art room in the mornings. Thank you!
MAGNIFY SANDHURST
Learn more about Magnify Sandhurst at https://www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au/lea.../magnify-sandhurst
CSEF (Camp, Sports, Excursion Fund)
Please find attached the information sheet and application form to apply for CSEF (Camp, Sports, Excursion Fund).
If you applied for CSEF last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
If you are a new family, your circumstances have changed, or new siblings have commenced this year, please complete the attached form with a copy of your Health Care Card.
You can also get a hard copy of the form from the office.
If you have any questions regarding this form please contact Teresa in the office.