Dear Families,

I hope you had a lovely and restful long weekend, even if the wet and chilly winter weather kept you indoors a little more than usual!

It's been so heartening to see many of our students and staff returning to school after recent bouts of illness. The school has definitely felt more complete with so many friendly faces back in classrooms and learning spaces. We continue to think of those who are still unwell and send our best wishes for a smooth and speedy recovery.

Our teachers are currently working hard on writing Semester 1 student reports. This is always a rewarding time of year as we take a moment to reflect on the growth, progress, and achievements of each student. We look forward to sharing these celebrations with you when reports are released during the last week of term.

Deepening Our Commitment to Creation: Laudato Si' Action Planning at St Patrick’s

On Friday 6th June, the staff at St Patrick’s Primary School gathered for a dedicated day of learning, reflection and planning, focused on an important and timely initiative: the Laudato Si’ Action Plan.

Rooted in Pope Francis’ powerful encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, this initiative challenges us as a Catholic school community to consider how we can better live out our Gospel call to care for creation, build ecological awareness, and work toward sustainability and justice for future generations.

What Is Laudato Si’?

The day began with a powerful introduction to Laudato Si’, which reminds us that care for the Earth is not an optional “extra” but central to who we are as people of faith. Pope Francis invited us all to listen deeply to the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” and to act with urgency and hope. Through reading, discussion, and shared prayer, our staff engaged in the Church’s synodal process of listening, discerning and responding, contemplating how we can bring this message to life in our classrooms, playgrounds and community.

Understanding the Seven Goals

In our second session, we explored the Seven Laudato Si’ Goals, which include:

Response to the Cry of the Earth
Response to the Cry of the Poor
Ecological Economics
Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles
Ecological Education
Ecological Spirituality
Community Resilience and Empowerment

These goals will guide us as we work to develop a tailored, long-term Laudato Si’ Action Plan for St Patrick’s. The work is not just about environmental change - it’s about cultural and spiritual transformation, starting with small actions and growing into whole-school practices that reflect care, respect and interconnectedness.

Beginning Our Self-Assessment

In the afternoon, staff undertook the Self-Assessment Tool, a practical and reflective resource that allowed us to evaluate where we currently stand in relation to the Laudato Si goals. This initial step will help us identify our strengths and where we have opportunities to grow - whether in areas such as energy usage, student engagement in sustainability, curriculum development or community partnerships.

This is just the beginning of an ongoing journey for St Patrick’s. In the months ahead, we will continue working together to shape our school’s Laudato Si’ Action Plan - with input from students, staff and families alike.

We look forward to sharing this journey with our whole school community, as we take small but meaningful steps toward a future that is more sustainable, more just, and more reflective of the Gospel values we strive to live each day.

“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue.” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

A Message from CDC Victoria: New Bus Strike Dates and No School Bus Services for 16 & 17 June 2025

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has changed the dates of the protected industrial action, and it will now be a 48-hour strike. The strike will take place on Monday, 16 June and Tuesday, 17 June 2025 instead of Thursday, 12th June 2025 as previously advised.

This means that Thursday, 12th June 2025, will operate as a normal school day with all school bus services running as scheduled.

Unfortunately, the school bus service for your school will not operate for the two strike days - Monday, 16th June and Tuesday, 17th June 2025.

We kindly ask for your support in informing parents and carers of potential impacts on route school services and to start considering alternative travel arrangements for both school drop-off and pick-up on these two days.

Head Lice Alert

It has come to our attention that some students in the school may have head lice and we seek your cooperation in checking your child’s hair this week.

Head lice do not transmit infectious diseases – they are transmitted by having head to head contact with someone who has head lice. You may be reassured to know that head lice are commonly found in places other than at St Patrick’s Primary. Head lice are common in school-aged children and are the most adaptable of creatures. They have survived living solely on humans for 10,000 years!!!!

What can you do?

I seek your cooperation in checking your child’s hair and in those instances where head lice or eggs are found, treating your child’s hair. Please visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au and search for “head lice (nits)” for advice on finding, treating and preventing head lice.

If head lice or eggs are found on your child’s hair you need to inform:

the school and advise when the treatment has started via email to: info@spballarat.catholic.edu.au
parents or carers of your child’s friends so they too have the opportunity to detect and treat their children if necessary.

When can my child return to school?

Health regulations requires that where a child has head lice, that child should not return to school until the day after appropriate treatment has started. Please note, this refers only to those children who have live head lice and does not refer to head lice eggs. More information about exclusion requirements can be found by searching for “school exclusion table” at www.health.vic.gov.au.

We appreciate that head lice can be a sensitive issue and are committed to maintaining your confidentiality.

School-Wide Positive Behaviour

At St Patrick’s, we’re proud to be a SWPBS school, where we actively teach and promote the positive behaviours we want to see in all areas of school life. Right now, our whole-school focus is on Respect - for property, for staff, and for each other.

This means we’re putting extra emphasis on how we speak, act, and care for our environment, both inside and outside the classroom. From using equipment appropriately to showing gratitude and listening respectfully, our students are being supported to understand what respectful behaviour looks like and why it matters.

During break times, we’re also seeing this focus in action. Whether it’s taking turns, using kind language, or including others in games, respectful choices are being recognised and celebrated. By working together as a community, we’re creating a culture where everyone feels safe, valued, and proud to belong

Sacrament of Confirmation

We are now preparing for the next Sacrament in our students’ faith journey: Confirmation. This special Sacrament is open to all students in Grade 3 and above who have been baptised. To begin the process, please register your interest by completing this form.

An information session for parents will be held on Thursday, July 24th at 9:00am at St Patrick's Primary, and we encourage all families to attend. Alternatively, parents can join the Parish Information Session in the Glowrey Room at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 5:30pm on Thursday, July 24th.

We look forward to supporting ours students as they prepare to receive this important Sacrament.

Uniform Update

Thank you to all the families who took the time to provide thoughtful and comprehensive feedback about our school uniform. The insights were both helpful and, to be honest, a little surprising — which is exactly why feedback is so valuable. It helps us see things more clearly and respond to the needs of our community.

One of the clearest pain-points across the school was the knitted jumper. Many families noted it just doesn’t meet the needs of our students — whether for comfort, durability, or ease of care. In response, we’re pleased to let you know that Noone is now stocking a long-sleeve softshell jacket. This is essentially the same style and material as the popular softshell vest but with sleeves, offering a warm, practical and uniform-compliant solution moving forward.

A quick reminder that school shoes must be entirely black—this includes soles and logos. Shoes with white soles, coloured detailing, or large visible logos are not part of our uniform policy.

We are currently tracking uniform compliance, and you may receive a friendly reminder via email if your child is out of uniform. We appreciate your support in maintaining a high standard that reflects the pride we all take in being part of the St Patrick’s community.

Additionally, we have many unnamed items of clothing that has been at the office for the past week. Any uncollected items will be added to the second hand uniform shop tomorrow afternoon.

Semester 1 Reporting at St Patrick’s

As we approach the end of Semester 1, our teachers are finalising assessments and preparing student reports. This year marks a shift away from the use of Learning Journals. Instead, as you may have noticed, we’ve shared a variety of student work samples throughout the semester via the Learning Areas visible in PAM. These have offered real-time insights into your child’s progress and achievements across key learning areas.

The Semester 1 report will compile a summary of these learning tasks alongside clear, objective commentary about your child’s academic achievement and their approach to learning. This includes their attitude, effort, and engagement in the classroom.

Families will also notice a change in how Mathematics is reported. With the implementation of the Victorian Curriculum Mathematics Version 2 (V2), progress in Mathematics will now be represented by a single dot - reflecting an overall teacher judgment - rather than individual dots for each strand (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability). This update better aligns with the revised curriculum and provides a more streamlined view of your child’s mathematical development.

We encourage you to read the written comments that accompany each learning area for a holistic picture of your child’s growth and achievement. Reports will be available via PAM later this term.

SchoolTV

This week on SchoolTV you will find a focus topic on anxiety.

“Untreated anxiety disorders in children can lead to more serious issues in adulthood. Parents need to educate themselves so they can identify the symptoms early.”

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

"Anxiety disorders can start early in childhood or adolescence. It may only have a moderate impact on a child’s ability to function in daily life and can therefore often remain undetected. If a child finds it extremely difficult to control their anxiety, then you should seek help or medical assistance."

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

UPDATED - School Calendar Term 2 2025