From the Principal

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Next Tuesday afternoon we will be conducting Parent-Teacher Interviews between 3.30 and 6.00pm.    Due to COVID-19 regulations, only parents are permitted to attend.  No children are permitted to be in the school during the interviews.  All parents will need to enter via the front office door and sign in upon entering the school and sign out again after the interview.  Parents are not to linger in the school building nor out front of the school.

All parents and staff are to comply with social-distancing rules and to maintain a distance of at least 1.5m between each other.

Each interview will be scheduled for 8 minutes, and we ask that you respect this time limit.  You are asked to ensure that the interview concludes on time to allow the teacher to clean the desk and interview area before the next parent enters.   

If next Tuesday does not suit you and you wish to speak to your child’s teacher, please contact them and arrange an alternative, mutually suitable time.  If you wish to discuss your child at greater length, please arrange another meeting with your child’s teacher for a time that suits you both. 

Teacher Appointment

Interviews were conducted on Wednesday to find a teacher to replace Ms Murphy in the Junior Class.  I am pleased to be able to announce that we have offered the position to Miss Katherine Williams.  Miss Williams has taught in St Colman's School, Mortlake, St Bernard's Parish Primary School, Bacchus Marsh, and Lumen Christi Primary School, Delacombe.

Miss Williams will commence at the start of Term 3, however she will be joining us for two days next week in order to meet the class and acclimatise herself with our school.  Miss Williams will also sit with Ms Murphy during the Parent-Teacher interviews on Tuesday night and will get to meet some of the parents at that time.

Refugee Week

This week is World Refugee Week and tomorrow is World Refugee Day.  

Migration is a common theme throughout the Bible with migrants and refugees being forced into exile by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans.

In the Old Testament, God is constantly on the side of the stranger. 

“Do not harm the stranger in your midst, for you too were a stranger in Egypt” (Exodus 22:20).  And also from Exodus, He demanded of the people and of the leaders that they not exploit the foreigners, nor should they be unjust to them, nor should they abuse them, nor should they subject them to forced labour .

And from Deuteronomy, And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)

In the New Testament we find Jesus the Son of God, who experiences forced migration as well as prejudice because of where he was from (John 1:46). 

We often hear asylum seekers referred to as illegal immigrants or illegal refugees. These terms are contradictory given that by definition an immigrant is a person who has legally been given permanent residence, and if an asylum seeker is found to be a refugee, Australia is obligated under international law to offer protection. 

There are no illegal human beings.  Actions and behaviours can be illegal, but people cannot.

It is not illegal to be a refugee.  Refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents.  

The motivating factor for refugees is safety and protection from persecution and human rights abuse.

As members of the Christian community, our mission is to offer assistance to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers.

Borders are for the protection of people, not for the exclusion of people seeking protection.

Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40)

Thank You Nhill

Our Senior students have created posters which have been distributed around Nhill to thank everyone for their efforts in keeping the town operating under difficult circumstances in recent months.  You can read more about this on the Classroom News page.  It has been pleasing for our students to receive some very positive and appreciative responses from community members and businesses.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

This feast day recalls the mystery of God who is love, and honours the heart of Jesus as the source and centre of the incarnate love of God.  The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus points us to God's love which we can see in Jesus' kindness and care.

God of love,

open wide our hearts

so that we might know the great love

you make visible in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Donation from Nhill Supa IGA

On Wednesday, Steve Wilson from Nhill's Supa IGA presented St Patrick's School  with a cheque for $500.  This money will be used to build our ICT resources.  We sincerely thank Steve and Nhill's Supa IGA for this extremely generous donation.  Steve is pictured with Hanna and Mia.

Free Downloadable Book

Here’s a fabulous free downloadable social story about the challenges and experiences of this time of coronavirus & COVID19.

It can be downloaded from https://rosaliemartin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/My-Book-About-Coronavirus-By-R-Martin-KB-Song.pdf

In early April a group of speech pathologists were looking for a suitable social story about the emerging social experiences of this time of COVID.  They couldn’t find one with simple, direct language and emphasis on what to do to be calm.  So My Book About Coronavirus is was written to fill the void.  The book is written by Speech Pathologist Rosie Martin and is beautifully illustrated by artist KB Song.

It gently shares the messages of this time that we have lived through and the tensions we still hold.  Written in accessible language, it is suitable for primary school children of all language levels.

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 is good" Mary MacKillop, 1871

God Bless you all,

Kingsley Dalgleish

Principal