How quickly things can change! Last Friday, staff members were attending a Professional Learning day when news came through that Victoria was going into a Circuit Breaker Statewide Lockdown for five days and students would be returning to Remote Learning during that time.

I am very pleased with the efforts of the teachers and the Learning Support Officers to get the learning packs prepared for collection on Monday, and also for the support received from families.

Almost as quickly, the lockdown came to an end of Wednesday night and students were back at school yesterday. Given how quickly we were thrust back into lockdown, we are fully aware that we may yet find ourselves in a similar situation down the track, however we also pray that we may be able to proceed with continuity of learning on-site for the remainder of the year. Whatever happens, I know that we will work together for the benefit of our children.

Unfortunately, a consequence of being in lockdown was that we missed out on sharing in a couple of significant days together. On Tuesday we would have celebrated Shrove Tuesday with pancakes at recess and a Liturgy in the afternoon as we prepared ashes for Mass the following day. Our Ash Wednesday Mass was obviously unable to proceed and so we commence our Lenten journey towards Easter without the having shared the preparatory events as we would usually have done. As we have seen over the past 12 months, many things in our lives currently are not as they have been previously.

Lent is a time for reflecting, reviewing and renewing. We as a society have done a lot of this already since the start of the pandemic. Our Lenten journey, however, reminds us of the Good News to follow. Our Lenten journey guides us towards Easter Sunday and the Risen Christ.

During Lent, many of us make sacrifices, for example going without chocolate or coffee, or we focus more on prayer, and some prefer to 'do' things like volunteering or helping others.

Sharing with others is a key aspect of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. Through a holistic approach, Caritas is working with communities providing hope for a just and fair world regardless of their ethnicity, political beliefs, gender or religion. Through our own generosity and support of Project Compassion, we are empowering communities with hope and helping those in great need to shape a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice.

We are encouraged to put our compassion into action this Lent through our prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each family will receive a Project Compassion box for their donations or you can donate online at lent.caritas.org.au.

Project Compassion boxes are to be returned to school by the end of term please.

Each week we will share a short story of an example of the difference Project Compassion is making in our world.

Get-To-Know-You Meetings

This opportunity for parents to catch up with teachers for a chat about your child's start to the school year will take place on Tuesday afternoon from 3.30 – 6.30pm. It is pleasing to see that a number of parents have accessed the Parent Access Module (PAM) and been able to book their preferred interview times online. I encourage all families to logon and to familiarise yourselves with the module. A reminder that each interview is limited to eight (8) minutes. Please keep to the allocated times as failure to do so will create timing issues for the rest of the evening. If you require extra time, please arrange with the relevant staff member for an alternative time at a later date.

Swimming Program

Students will be participating in the Swimming Program on Monday to Wednesday next week and again on Monday and Tuesday of the following week.

There will be slight changes to the lunch breaks for students due to the travel to and from the pool and because of the fact that students need to be split into four groups for each afternoon as well. Students will still be dismissed at the usual time.

Please ensure that all items of clothing, as well as towels, are labelled with your child's name.

No lunch orders next Wednesday 24 February

There will not be any lunch orders on Wednesday due to the swimming program.

Opening Mass

Monsignor Glynn Murphy will be leading us for our Opening Mass for the school year next Friday, 26 February, at 10am in the Church. All parents are invited to attend and to share in a morning tea in the school hall afterwards.

2021 School Fees

Fee statements were sent home today with your children. We would appreciate completion and return of the Fee Payment Election by Friday, 5th March. If you have a Health Care Card then provide a copy to the office so that your fees can be recalculated and the Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund can be applied for.

If at any time payment of fees becomes an issue for your family, please do not hesitate to contact me to arrange a convenient time for a confidential discussion.

Digital Technology Agreements

St. Patrick’s School is committed to the ideals and benefits of 21st Century learning for all students. We believe that embracing digital technologies will provide students with the best opportunities to succeed in a world that is rapidly changing.

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop capability as they learn to use digital technology effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school, and in their lives beyond school. The capability involves students in learning to make the most of the digital technologies available to them, adapting to new ways of doing things as technologies evolve and limiting the risks to themselves and others in a digital environment.

At St. Patrick’s School students have 1:1 access to iPads and access to a class set of laptops at all year levels.

The school has a Digital Technology Policy which you can read on the school’s website.

Students are expected to abide by the policy and associated agreement. We have included this documentation in the pack sent home with your child, for you to read with your child, sign and return.

As always, thank you for your support as we work to create better learning outcomes for your children. If you have further questions, please contact me as soon as possible.

Reminders - on-site learning

Following the Governments announcements last weekend there have been a number of changes to restrictions across Victoria. As a school we are still unpacking what some of those changes mean for us as part of the St Patrick's School community.

The following coronavirus restrictions, however, still remain in place:

All unwell students must stay home. Parents will be called to collect any students who experience symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat.
Students must bring their own water bottles to school for use (and refilling).
We will continue to provide routine environmental cleaning, including progressive cleaning throughout the day, as well as easy access for hand hygiene (hand washing and sanitiser).
Parents/carers are asked to observe physical distancing measures before and after school by not congregating in areas inside or around the school, including at the main entrance.
Parents/carers can attend the school office if necessary.
Face masks do not need to be worn at school by primary school children, but children over the age of 12 must wear masks when not at school.

Link to latest restrictions

Remember to follow us on Facebook

Those who are on Facebook are encouraged to follow our page at St Patrick's School, Nhill. 'Like' our page, enjoy our posts, and share them with your friends. Stay connected through our Social Media page.

Our Josephite Heritage

The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the "Josephites" or "Brown Joeys", were founded in Penola, South Australia, in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and the Rev. Julian Tenison Woods. In 1949, three Josephite sisters arrived in Nhill to open St Patrick’s School. In 1978, the Sisters of St Joseph informed the Nhill Parish that they would no longer be able to maintain their role within the school.

We endeavour to honour our Josephite heritage through the regular presentation of the Little Joey awards at our assemblies. In support of this we also include a reflection from Mary MacKillop on our newsletter each week.

"God's love is too deep for words to express" Mary MacKillop, 1870

God Bless you all.

Kingsley Dalgleish

Principal

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