From the Principal
May the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the hand of God protect us.
May the word of God direct us.
St Patrick
Welcome Back to School
How nice to be able to start the term with students at school - unlike the start to term 2!
It was great to be able to meet the smiling students as they arrived at school on Monday morning with most looking resplendent in their school uniforms. I struggle to comprehend how some of the children come to school dressed in shorts or short sleeve shirts without their school jumpers (even though they say they don't feel the cold). As far as the weather is concerned, the starts of the school days have not been particularly pleasant this week. Looking at who is on top of the AFL ladder (for 17 weeks in a row) certainly brings a special warmth to my heart though!!
Welcome Miss Williams
Kate Williams officially joined us this week as the Junior Class teacher. There has been plenty of excitement emanating from the Junior classroom over the past few days as the children have welcomed Miss Williams, and she has slotted in nicely to fill the role vacated by the departure of Ms Murphy. We welcome Miss Williams and look forward to a long relationship between herself and St Patrick's School.
COVID-19
As stated above, it is very pleasing to have our children at school for the start of this term. We are hopeful that this will be the case for the whole of this term. Obviously we are aware of the situation in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire and the fact that students in those areas have returned to Online Learning for at least the next six weeks. As a community we need to continue to be vigilant and not become complacent about the coronavirus. I encourage everyone to continue to be mindful of the need to follow the advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer.
At school we are continuing with our enhanced cleaning routine and ensuring the children and staff are washing their hands frequently throughout the day.
Parents are reminded that they are not to enter the school grounds other than to visit the front office area.
I thank parents for observing the request to not congregate at the front of the school during drop-off and pick-up times.
Once again, if your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.
Let us ensure that we keep our community safe by staying home if we feel unwell.
Mandela Day
Tomorrow is Mandela Day in recognition of Nelson Mandela who has been lauded for leading the charge to put an end to apartheid in South Africa. Mandela went on to serve as President of South Africa for 5 years after he put an end to it. Mandela Day recalls the life of Nelson Mandela and reminds us of the necessity for strong men and women to stand up against injustice. In 1991, Mandela succeeded in bringing an end to apartheid. The rest of his life was spent working to better the lives of people in South Africa and continuing to expand civil liberties within the country. Mandela Day reminds us of the life and times of this hero and the work he did in his life and encourages all of us to continue his good works in our own lives.
The heart of Mandela Day is service to others and the creation of a better world for everyone.
Emoji Day
Meanwhile, today is World Emoji Day. It's funny to think that long ago the world used to communicate in images, before alphabetic languages were developed, and now in the modern age we’re back to using them again!
Sunday's Gospel
Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew (13:1-23) contained the parable of the sower. Jesus told the story of a farmer planting seed on different types of ground and the effect this has on his harvest. In the same way God’s word will have a different impact on us depending upon the ‘state of our heart’. If we ‘tend the seeds of faith and love’ planted by the Gospel then we will live rich and fruitful lives and demonstrate our commitment to being God’s disciples in all that we do. If we discard or ignore Jesus’ teachings then we will find it more difficult to find a place alongside God in heaven.
Good education plants seeds when we are young, and these continue to bear fruit throughout life.
(Pope Francis. Laudate Si' para 213.)
In our Prayers
We offer our prayerful condolences to Stu Williams, our oval and gardens maintenance person, following the recent passing of his father.
Kindness pays ...
Last term our Senior students sent messages of kindness to the residents of Avonlea, who returned the favour with this symbol of their gratitude which we were delighted to receive in the mail this morning.
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.
"I am not disturbed or uneasy about the future" Mary MacKillop, 1871
God Bless you all,
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal