Dear families,

As we move into the final weeks of the school year, there is a wonderful sense of activity, anticipation, and community spirit across St Patrick’s. Our recent Foundation transition sessions have been especially uplifting. The children engaged beautifully, and it has been heart-warming to welcome so many new families into our school community. These sessions not only help our newest learners feel safe and confident - they also remind us of the strength and warmth of the St Patrick’s culture they are joining.

There is also great excitement building for our upcoming Celebration of Learning, a highlight of the semester where students proudly share the growth, creativity, and achievements made throughout 2025. We look forward to welcoming families into classrooms to celebrate with us.

At the same time, we are preparing to enter the season of Advent. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Kathy Finn for her thoughtful planning and organisation of our family Advent activity and the Advent liturgies to come. Her work ensures that our children - and our whole community - are invited into this season with meaning, reverence and joy.

At school, your children will be focusing on the weeks of Advent in very special ways. It is important that they come to understand that for every significant event, there is always a time of preparation. In the case of Advent, this preparation invites us to pause, reflect on the year we have experienced, and ready our hearts for the special time ahead. The challenge is not to rush immediately into Christmas with its gifts and celebrations, but to allow space for spiritual and personal preparation. The arrival of the Christ child deserves our attention, and Advent graciously gives us this time.

So, as the school year draws to a close and we enter these final weeks together, let us allow ourselves a moment to breathe, to think, and to prepare for the Christmas season. Our children are learning to slow down and appreciate this special time - perhaps the challenge for us, is to try to do the same.

Going Up Morning

Next Tuesday is Going-Up Morning and the children will have the opportunity to spend some time with their new teachers in their classes for 2026. How exciting! Our new Foundation students will be here also and we look forward to welcoming them at school between 9.00-11.30am.

Students will begin the day in their current classrooms where they will find out their 2026 classes and transition to their new areas, with their new teacher.

Celebration of Learning

Our Semester 1 Celebration of Learning morning was a great success and received glowing feedback from those who attended. We will be holding a Semester 2 Celebration of Learning morning on Friday 5th December between 9-10am.

Carols on the Turf

We are looking forward to hosting our Carols on the Turf on Tuesday 2nd December from 5.30pm (Carols starting from 6pm). This is a very special event where families are invited to come along and enjoy a picnic on the Turf while being entertained with some traditional Christmas carols. Mark the date in your diary so you don’t get double booked at this very busy time of year!

This year, our Carols on the Turf Raffle will be presold, following a similar format to our Easter Raffle. Raffle sheets will be sent home with students in the week ahead, giving families the chance to purchase and sell tickets before the event.

We are currently seeking donations of prizes for our raffle. If you or your business are able to contribute an item, voucher, or service, we would be most grateful. Donations can be dropped off at the school office over the coming week.

Please note that a limited number of tickets will also be available for purchase on the night. However, our aim is to complete most sales in advance so that our wonderful volunteers can enjoy the evening with their family and friends.

Library Borrowing

The last date for children to borrow books for this year is tomorrow. All books then need to be returned to the library by Friday 5th December.

End of Year Mass & Grade 6 Graduation

St Patrick’s Primary School is pleased to invite all families and friends to our End of Year Thanksgiving Mass, which will take place on Tuesday 9th December at 6:00 pm in St Patrick’s Cathedral. This special celebration marks the conclusion of our school year and provides an opportunity to reflect, give thanks and come together as a community.

Following the Mass, we invite everyone to gather in St Patrick’s Cathedral Hall for the Grade 6 Graduation Ceremony. This is a meaningful occasion to mark the achievements of our Grade 6 cohort as they prepare for the next stage of their educational journey. During this ceremony, we will also farewell families who are leaving St Patrick’s, whether due to a child’s transition to secondary school or other circumstances.

To conclude the evening, Grade 6 families are warmly invited to enjoy a light supper and hot drinks in the Glowrey/MacKillop Rooms, hosted by our generous Grade 5 families.

Evening Timeline:

6:00 pm: End-of-Year Thanksgiving Mass.
Approx. 7:00 pm: Grade 6 Graduation Ceremony.
Approx. 8:00 pm: Supper for Grade 6 families.
8:30 pm: End of Celebration.

We look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with our students, their families and the school community.

Final Day for Students 2025

This year, the final day for students will be Thursday 18th December, with the school day finishing at 1:00pm. We hope this early reminder supports families in planning ahead for the end-of-year period.

Classes for 2026

We are pleased to be able to confirm that the following classes and classroom teachers for the 2026 school year are as follows:

Junior School

Foundation/Grade 1: Chelsea Greenbank

Foundation/Grade 1: Paige Irvin

Grade 1/2: Cecily Frost

Grade 1/2: Marney O'Brien

Middle School

Grade 2/3: Narelle Lamb

Grade 3/4: Melissa Cornell

Grade 3/4: Ben Stott

Senior School

Grade 5/6: Kaitlyn Arnold (Mon-Wed), Kate Mahon (Thurs-Fri)

Grade 5/6: Kathy Finn

Grade 5/6: Matthew Wakely

Specialist Program

The programmed time for specialist classes will change for 2026. All specialist classes* will run on Tuesday for Senior classes, Wednesday for Middle classes and Thursday for Junior classes.

Music - Kerin Johnson

Indonesian - Emma Ferguson

Physical Education - Aaron Valentine

*Healthy Living - Healthy Living will continue to run to a different schedule to other specialist classes with Julie Delaney on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please see calendar future calendar updates to see when classes are scheduled.

Important Dates for 2026

To support our families with early organisation, we are pleased to share a set of key dates for the 2026 school year. Providing this information now helps ensure everyone can plan ahead with confidence - whether it’s booking family commitments, arranging care, or simply preparing for the year to come.

There are, of course, many more relevant dates across the school year; however, the list provided captures several of the major events and milestones to help guide your 2026 planning.

Term 1
29th January	First day of term one for students
16th February	School Closure Day (Staff Professional Development - Literacy)
2nd April	Term 1 Concludes
Term 2
20th April	Term 2 Commences
20-22nd April	Grade 5/6 Camp
26th May	School Photos
5th June	School Closure Day (Staff Professional Development - Collaboration)
8th June	King’s Birthday Public Holiday
26th June	Term 2 Concludes
Term 3
13th July	Term 3 Commences
31st July	School Closure Day (Staff Professional Development - Religious Education)
1st September	School Closure Day (Staff Professional Development - Literacy)
18th September	Term 3 Concludes
Term 4
5th October	Term 4 Commences
2nd November	School Closure Day (Staff Professional Development - Numeracy)
3rd November	Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
13th November	School Sports Day
17th December	Last day of Term 4

Note: Foundation students have Wednesdays off throughout February - first full week at the beginning of March.

That's enough dates for the moment! The Term 1, 2026 calendar will be shared in the weeks ahead.

2026 Classroom Helper - Child Safety Induction Sessions

We value any time parents support us with learning activities or special events such as excursions and Mother's and Father's Day stalls and breakfasts.

If you would like to participate in any such activities, you are required to attend a 'Child Safety Induction' session each year.

For those of you getting prepared for 2026, the following sessions are available in Term 1.

Sessions run for 20 min.
Tues 10th Feb 9 am	Fri 13th Feb 9 am	Wed 18th Feb 2:45pm	Thurs 19th Feb 9 am
Tues 3rd Mar 9 am	Fri 6th Mar 9 am	Wed 11th Mar 2:45pm	Thurs 12th Mar 9 am

SchoolTV

This week you'll find extra information on a special report entitled Surviving Christmas.

As families around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas by decorating their homes, singing carols, buying gifts and planning feasts, often the true meaning of Christmas can be lost due the commercial exploitation of this time of year. Many people see it as a joyous occasion to spend with family and friends, but for others it is viewed as a stressful and challenging time attributed by a combination of things such as financial pressures, relationship issues, and quite often, loneliness.

During the Christmas period, there is a huge increase in the number of calls to support organisations. Many of these callers are considered to be in a high-risk category and sadly, this is the ugly side to Christmas. Should you, or a loved one, ever feel that the pressure of Christmas becomes too much, it is important to seek help. Reach out to a trusted friend, talk to your doctor or counsellor, or phone one of the many support organisations available to you 24/7.

Click on the link below to access a wealth of videos, articles, and resources on the aforementioned topic.

All Editions | St Patrick's School - Ballarat (schooltv.me)

Kind regards,

Ben Shields

School Calendar Term 4- Updated 27/11/ 2025