Message From Our Principal

Welcome back to the final term of 2024! I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break, and that the students are returning refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4. As we begin this term, there is much to look forward to. From class projects and excursions to important celebrations and end-of-year events, we are committed to making this term both productive and enjoyable for all our students.

This is a time for students to consolidate their learning, set goals, and work towards finishing the year strong. For our Grade 6 students, Term 4 marks an important milestone as they prepare for their transition to secondary school. We will be supporting them every step of the way to ensure they are ready for this next big adventure.

Parents, your continued partnership is vital, and I encourage you to stay engaged in your child’s learning journey throughout this term. Together, we can help every student achieve their personal best and enjoy a sense of accomplishment at year’s end.

Let’s make the most of these next few weeks and finish the year on a high note! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further support. Looking forward to a fantastic Term 4!

During the holidays we had some exciting projects completed within the school:

-a new door installed in the Specialist classroom

-a new chook yard surrounded by an amazing garden, this included 5 new chooks (1 for each class)

-a synthetic cricket pitch

They have all been a great addition to our school!

The Curriculum Day originally scheduled for Thursday the 19th of September will now be occurring on Tuesday 19th of November.

Everyone who completed the volunteer induction earlier in the year with myself and Emma has been sent an online module to complete. This was emailed to you all for the second time earlier this week. Please ensure that you click into the portal, using the email, and complete the module. This module is related to child safe code of conduct.

Specialist Showcase:

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our amazing Specialist Staff—Sarah, Lisa, Fiona, and Alex—for their incredible work in bringing together this year’s Specialist Showcase. Their dedication, creativity, and commitment to providing enriching learning experiences have truly shone through in this wonderful event. The showcase was a brilliant opportunity for our students to demonstrate their skills and talents, and it was only possible because of the hard work and collaboration of our specialist team.

Thank you once again, Lisa, Sarah, Fiona, and Alex, for your passion and for making such a positive impact on our school community.

A huge thank you to all the parents and family members who attended our Specialist Showcase. Your presence and support made the event even more special for our students. It was wonderful to see so many of you there, celebrating the incredible efforts and achievements of the children. Your involvement in these moments not only encourages our students but also strengthens the bond between home and school, creating a positive learning environment for everyone. We truly appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to many more events where we can come together as a community.

All the photos from this event can be seen on Facebook.

At this annual event I have the pleasure of selecting a piece of art work to be framed and displayed in my office for the following year. This year I selected these pieces from James Zobec and Isla Cavill & Ella Morris:

2025 Foundation Students:

Last Friday, we were thrilled to welcome our 2025 Foundation students to school for their first session of the Mini Paddy's Transition Program. It was wonderful to see their excitement as they began their journey with us, exploring their new learning environment and meeting their future classmates and teachers.

Mini Paddy’s is essential in helping children feel confident and comfortable as they start school. By familiarising students with the school routine, their peers, and teachers in a supportive setting, we help them build important social and emotional skills. This early connection sets a strong foundation for a smooth and positive start to their school life in 2025.

We look forward to seeing our new students continue to grow and thrive throughout the rest of the transition program!

What is StepUP! #21YourWay?

StepUP! #21YourWay is a national fundraising and awareness campaign held during Down Syndrome Awareness Month every October. It celebrates the significant contributions people with Down syndrome make to our communities and raises valuable funds to support the Down Syndrome Federation. It takes place with a variety of face-to-face events around the country as well as the option to participate online with #21YourWay.

Why #21?

The significance of 21 is that most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes in each of their cells (46 in total). People with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes in their cells. They have an extra chromosome 21, which is why Down syndrome is also known as trisomy 21.

So what are we doing?…

Team Blake is bringing back 21 Acts of Kindness for the month of October. We are giving away 20 goody bags to randomly selected students at Blake’s school (St Patrick’s Tongala) along with 1 self care teachers pack!

https://www.mycause.com.au/p/355745/team-blake

The winners so far have been:

Regional Athletics:

Congratulations to Zac for representing our school at the Regional Athletics Carnival in Bendigo last Monday. Zac competed triple jump and 200m, setting a new personal best in both events. We are very proud of your efforts!!

Upcoming Community Events:

We have 2 upcoming community events: Outdoor Twlight Movie Night & Healthy Habits Shakes Day

Get ready for a spooktacular night under the stars!

Join us for an evening filled with fun, good company and entertainment as we screen "Hotel Transylvania".

Purchase tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/CVQGV

Can Collecting:

Don't forget to send in your cans for our community partnership with KCLC. Thank you to everyone who has been sending their cans in.

The team would just like to remind everyone to ensure that cans are fully emptied before bringing them in. It would be great if families can leave cans emptied and upside down to drain them properly before they send them in.

We are so lucky to have lots of amazing resources and sports equipment at St Pats for your children to play with during snack and lunch however, we could always use more to fill up the yard basket. 

If you have any old sports equipment you don't have space/need for at your house we are holding a sports equipment drive where you can drop it off to us and the Sports and Health leaders will determine its condition and put it out in our sports tub for Lunch and Snack time use. 

There is no pressure to contribute and please do not buy anything to donate- this is not the aim of this drive. Anything you have spare is great and we would be so appreciative if you could bring anything in. For example a lot of our tennis balls have grown legs and have run away so we are always looking for tennis balls to use in the yard. 

Send in your donated sports equipment and our Sports and Health Leaders will rename it, rehome it and relove it!. 

School preparations for the bushfire season:

Each year, to prepare for bushfires and grassfires, schools complete a range of activities. Please read the attached document to see what we have done: