From the Principal

Dear families,

It's a busy time across St Patrick's and all schools at the moment. This week marks an important milestone for us as we begin to offer Foundation positions for 2025. We are excited to welcome new families to our community and start planning for the future.

This period also coincides with National Reconciliation Week, a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Recently, our staff gathered at BADAC in Main Road to enhance our knowledge and awareness of Indigenous culture. This meeting was a significant step in our ongoing journey to deepen our cultural understanding. We are now preparing for the next phase of professional learning, which will involve comprehensive cultural awareness training for our staff team on August 16th.

Like any organisation, we continuously seek improvement opportunities. One identified area of need is to expand our knowledge of cultural diversity and awareness of Indigenous perspectives. This focus has gained  ever greater importance with the introduction of new child safe standards in 2023, which emphasise the importance of respecting and valuing cultural differences.

Closure Days - Next Friday

A reminder that next Friday, 7th June is a school closure day. This time will be used by teachers for curriculum and assessment planning.

St Patrick's Beanies

I mentioned in our last newsletter that Grade 5/6 students had been designing a school beanie with a picture of Charlie sharing his successful design...

...it has progressed a little:

...soon to be a photo of the final beanie on Charlie's head...and many more! We'll be sure to let you know how to purchase a beanie (we have both kids and adult sizes on order).

Visiting Authors

Last Monday, we had the pleasure of welcoming author Nicky Johnston to our school. Nicky ran engaging sessions for all levels, sharing her writing and drawing process with our students. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn some drawing techniques from a professional. Our students were inspired by Nicky's creativity and enthusiasm, making it a memorable day for everyone involved.

Parents and Friends

It's pleasing to be able to share that a significant celebration for our 100 years will be going ahead on Friday 25th October at Oscars. Tickets will be limited due to venue capacity, so please keep an eye out for further information in the very near future. There were many grandparents particularly interested at our morning tea this morning!

Our next meetings are scheduled for Monday 29th July:

• 9am at school
• 7pm at The Western Hotel

There will be further information to come regarding the following events, but please note the below dates:

• Thursday 15th August - Disco (date before a school closure day)
• Thursday 29th August - Father's Day Breakfast 
• Friday 30th August - Father's Day Stall
• Friday 25th October - 100 Year Celebratory Cocktail Party
• Thursday 5th December - Carols on the Turf

Any help or support for the events is always appreciated - if you're keen to be a part of the organisation for any of the above, please let us know. 

Winter School Uniform

There has been a marked improvement over the past fortnight in regards to the school uniform. Your support is greatly appreciated as we continue to work together to instill an ongoing sense of pride in our school.

SchoolTV 

This week on SchoolTV you will find additional resources available to support discussions with your child around Friendships and Belonging. In the Grade 3-6 area we are currently undertaking a wellbeing survey to gain some further insights into student connectedness and safety at St Patrick's.

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

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

Kind regards,

Ben Shields