It was nice being able to chat with most of you last week and to hear how things are going at home with the online learning. The feedback was very positive and it was also good to receive some constructive suggestions which have been implemented into the students’ programs this week. I thank you for working collaboratively with us to ensure that our children are engaged and embracing this way of learning.

DOBCEL

The School Advisory Council met on Monday night, via Google Meet of course, and among the items for discussion was our involvement in DOBCEL.

Early last year, the Catholic Bishop of Ballarat, the Most Reverend Paul Bird, formed a company limited by guarantee to take over the running of parish schools in the Diocese of Ballarat. The new model for school governance will provide consistency and professionalism of governance for parish schools and will relieve parish priests of the administrative burdens associated with employment of school staff and operation of schools.

It is anticipated that the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL) will become the proprietor of St Patrick’s School, together with the majority of Catholic schools in the Diocese, on 1 January 2021. This is the deadline for compliance set by the Victorian Government and a number of administrative tasks associated with the transfer are being completed now. As part of the application to change the registration status of our school from parish governance to governance by DOBCEL, the Catholic Education Commission Victoria (CECV) must attest that the school’s compliance with the Minimum Standards for School Registration has been validated by an independent reviewer, and provide copies of a range of documents that are particular to our school.

It is important to note that DOBCEL will act as a governing body for Catholic schools. Principals will continue to manage the day to day administration and operations of schools, and priests will continue to play a fundamental and active role in pastoral ministry in schools.

As a result, when our school transitions to the new model, the change will be of minimal impact to students, staff and families.

Attendance Roll

I have enjoyed being able to join Miss Webb and Ms Murphy for some of their morning roll calls at the start of the day. There is great enthusiasm when the students are all online together and they able to see their friends who most have not been able to catch up with physically since the end of last term.

We ask that children are ready for the morning roll and check-in each morning as we are required to maintain a record of attendance at “school” each day.

If your child will be absent from school or online classes I ask that follow the usual protocol of informing the office as per normal practice.

Mother's Day

As I think of my own mother who will be spending Mother’s Day on her own in Adelaide this year, we think of all mothers – those who gave birth to us and those who did not give birth to us but who have been there as a mother when we have needed them in our lives. Whether you receive breakfast in bed, a bunch of flowers from the garden, a hand-made card, or just spending time with your children, I’m sure the day will be special. I hope that you all have a wonderful day on Sunday.

Annual Report to the Community

The Annual Report to the Community has been completed for 2019 as required by legislation. The report reflects on the past year at St Patrick's School under the five key pillars - Catholic School Culture, Learning & Teaching, Wellbeing, Leadership & Stewardship, and Community Engagement. This document has been ratified by the Catholic Education Office Ballarat and is now available via the school website.

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.

In line with Mother’s Day this week, I think the quote from Mary MacKillop that I shared on the newsletter two weeks ago, fits perfectly for this week and so I share it again.

“Think of the love too deep for words to express.” – Mary MacKillop, 1870

God Bless you all,

Kingsley Dalgleish

Principal

St Patrick's School Newsletter

Issue 12 · 07 May 2020

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