From the Principal

 

As Term 2 draws to an end, I wish to thank you all for your ongoing support of our school.  Once again we have had a term affected by lockdowns, remote learning and restrictions to parents being able to join us for various school events.  We have missed seeing you at our school assemblies each week and at our Catholic Education Week celebrations.  The students have missed the opportunity to participate in some interschool sport activities as well.

On a positive note though, we did celebrate Catholic Education Week, including the 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia Masses and activities; we had a wonderful afternoon with our Mums and Grandmothers for Mothers Day; our Senior students competed in the Athletics sports and Cross Country events; we've had school photos completed; participated in the National Simultaneous Storytime and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea; our Year 3s and 5s completed the NAPLAN assessments; and our students were taught how to play Tee-Ball by the staff!  In amongst all that, we also did some work in the classroom as well.

The students and staff are looking forward to the break and we hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable time over the next couple of weeks.

Refugee Week 

 

Abba Father, our beloved Father,

look down with mercy on us and all refugees.

 

Remember your son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

had to leave his homeland and flee to Egypt,

when he was a baby,

with his mother, Mary,

and foster father, Joseph.

 

Help us to be aware

of the fears, anxiety, pain, sorrow,

difficulties and uncertainty all refugees suffer,

and to remember that we all belong

to the same human family.

 

Holy Spirit,

please give us compassion and courage

to help them in any way we can.

Amen.

 

Student Reports

Students will receive their end of semester reports today so please check for them in their school bags if you do not receive them from your child.  Electronic copies will also be uploaded later today and you will be able to access them through the Parent Access Module (PAM).

We will have Parent-Teacher interviews (pending COVID regulations/restrictions) early next term.  Details will be advertised in the first newsletter of Term 3.

Miss Walker

As previously advised, Miss Walker will be taking leave for the remainder of this year.  We wish her well and thank her for her contributions to our school over the past semester.  Ms Murphy will be the senior class teacher from the start of next term.

St Brigid's College

St Brigid's College is currently accepting enrolment applications for Years 7-12 for 2022.  The Principal of St Brigid's College, Mr Gerard Raven, will be coming to visit St Patrick's School on the afternoon of Tuesday 20 July and will be available to meet with parents at the end of the school day to answer any questions regarding possible enrolments for next year and beyond.  St Brigid's College is looking at options to provide transport from Nhill each morning and back again at the end of the school day.  If you are interested in meeting with Mr Raven to discuss this further, please make a note of the date and time. This will be in week 2 of Term 3.

IGA Support

Yesterday, Mr Steve Braybrook from Nhill's Supa IGA presented a $500 cheque to St Patrick's School to use towards resources for our students.  We certainly appreciate the ongoing support of IGA.  Last year their donation was put towards ICT equipment for student usage.   Steve is pictured presenting the cheque to Year 6 students, Tia and Riley.

Faith in the Future commemorative magazine

The latest edition of the 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia is now available and can be accessed here

Staff v Students Tee-Ball

On Tuesday afternoon we had some mini competitions involving Tee-Ball.  The students were divided into two teams and all participated in a batting drill where they scored points for their team based on how far or how accurately they hit the ball.  They also had a relay race around the bases.

And then it was time for the main event - the Staff v Students Tee-Ball game.

Whilst it was all about participation and having fun, the staff had a bit more fun as they won by one run!  Some great field catching by Miss Williams, power hitting by Mrs Rintoule, and classy base running by the other staff members ensured the victory that we all anticipated!

The students are now considering options for another challenge next term.  At least they have the next two weeks to try and practice!

eSafety Webinars for Parents

The Australian Governments eSafety Commissioner is presenting free webinars for parents and carers on Sexual harassment and Image-based abuse and Popular social media apps.   The sexual harassment and image-based abuse webinar is aimed at parents of children aged 13-18.  The popular apps webinar is aimed at parents of children aged 8-13.  

Despite the fact that none of the children at our school should be using apps such as Snapchat, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook (the minimum age for these sites is 13 years), parents are encouraged to join the webinar and learn more about these apps.

Details about the webinars and the session dates and times can be found by clicking here

Jolly Soles Socks for sale

There are a number of socks remaining from last year's socks fundraiser - 16 sizes M/L/XL and 9 sizes XS/S, various designs.  We are selling these at a reduced price of $5.  Please contact the office with your order and money.  Any socks remaining after the end of July will be donated to charity.

The Push-Up Challenge

Today is the last day of the Push-Up Challenge.  Our team of five staff members have completed in excess of 10200 push ups over the past 25 days to raise awareness and funds for mental health and to help put the spotlight on the 3,318 Australians who tragically died by suicide in 2019.

If you would like to donate to this cause you can do so by clicking here.

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.

St Patrick's School, Nhill
St Patrick's School, Nhill

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.

 

"Find happiness in making others happy."  Mary MacKillop, 1899

 

 

The Power enjoyed a good win against the Suns last weekend, however we lost another two players with injuries.  Hopefully the list of players unavailable will start to shrink soon, just as the Swans chances of making the finals will do after Saturday's match!  Go Port!!

 

 

 

God Bless you all.

 

Kingsley Dalgleish

Principal

 

 

 

Our Vision

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all.

St. Patrick’s School is a Child-Safe School.

 

Our Mission

Therefore, inspired by the Gospels, our community will:

  • Build on the traditions of our Catholic faith.
  • Offer engaging, contemporary education aligned with Catholic tradition.
  • Provide a safe and inclusive environment to support and nurture the development of all.
  • Provide and maintain a supportive environment that effectively utilises resources.
  • Promote caring and responsible relationships between the school, family, and wider community to enhance student learning.