Term 4 - Week 10
Message from the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers
It is hard to believe that we are end the end of another school year. And what a busy year it has been. I would like to thank the community for your ongoing support as we continue to build a Catholic school with a positive culture for learning, loving and serving together. The partnership between school and home is an integral part of building community and ensuring quality education and we as a staff look forward to continuing to build those partnerships in 2024.
The students have had many opportunities to participate in a variety of events and activities this year– swimming and athletics carnivals, gymnastics, Public Speaking, Spelling and Maths Bees, Tournament of Minds, representative sports, gala days, excursions, incursions, camps, ANZAC Day march, liturgies, Grandparents Day, Book Week, Science Week and a spectacular Christmas concert. Not to mention our lunch club activities and the very regular talent quests! It is exhausting just looking back at some of the things we have achieved this year. On top of all these great experiences has been expert teaching and learning. I would like to commend the staff for their commitment to professional improvement, their dedication and hard work, their collaboration, creativity and the respect they show everyone each and every day. Your children are in excellent hands!
Finally, I would like to give an extra special thanks to Mrs McKenzie who truly is the face of the school. Rachelle goes above and beyond in her role, and we would be lost without her.
It is an absolute privilege being the principal of St Patrick’s.
I wish you all a wonderful peaceful Christmas. If you are travelling, take care on the roads, travel safely. I’ll see you in 2024!
Merry Christmas
Lucy Harvey
Principal
Thank You
Our school community is built on positive relationships between home and school. This year our P&F executive – Elise Moncrieff, Jenna Maddox and Natalie Le Merchant, have organised many community events for our school. These events, such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day breakfast, a spring fair and more recently our Christmas movie night has drawn great crowds. These events take a great deal of organising. On behalf of the entire school community, we say thank you. Through fundraising efforts this year, the P&F are staring 2024 with a very healthy bank account. We have already put our wish list together for the first P&F meeting next year!
Many, many thanks to all our parent and grandparent volunteers who have so generously given up their time to help out in a variety of ways. From reading helpers to colour run assistants, for all the ways our volunteers help – Thank You!
As a school, we rely heavily on parent volunteers to help coordinate and run our uniform shop and canteen. Very sadly Leisha Fitzgibbon is hanging up the coat hangers as the uniform shop coordinator, and Alysha Greer is hanging up her apron as canteen coordinator. I would sincerely like to thank Leisha and Alysha for their dedication and commitment to these two vital services for our school. You are amazing!
Awards Assembly
As has been traditional at St Patrick’s, our Awards Assembly held last week, acknowledged individual students in each class across 3 domains: academic achievement, consistent effort and application, and community building. Congratulations to the following students:
The Sportsperson of the Year
The 2023 Sportsperson of the Year was awarded to dual recipients, Mia Porter and Skye Porter. Mia and Skye represented at Regional, Diocesan, Polding and State level in two sporting disciplines, an achievement to be very proud of. Both Mia and Skye have proudly represented St Patrick’s with exceptional sportsmanship. Congratulations Mia and Skye!
MacKillop Award
This award is given to a student for dedicated service to our school community. Mary MacKillop’s Congregation of Sisters of St Joseph founded our school in 1952. Both Mary MacKillop and our founding Sisters lived by the motto: “Never see a need without doing something about it”. This award is given to a student who has applied this motto to his/her daily work here at St Patrick’s. The recipient of the MacKillop Award for dedicated service to our community for 2023 is Jack Ayshford. Congratulations Jack!
Special thanks to The Rotary Club of Belmont, Yasmin Catley and Pat Conroy for their continued sponsorship of our awards.
Leaving Families
Today we say farewell and thank you to the families leaving St Patrick’s and thank them for contributing to the life of our school: Beckett, Cook, Fitzgibbon, Foreman, Henderson, Kelly, Lackey, Marriott, Munster, Porter and Rukin families.
Farewell to Leaving Staff
As a community we would like to say thank you and farewell to Miss Wiseman who will be leaving us for her first permanent teaching position. Thank you, Layne, for your enthusiasm and zest for life but mostly thank you for your passion and commitment to supporting our students. Layne, on behalf of the school community, we wish you all the very best at St Kevin’s. They are indeed lucky to have you!
Advent Liturgy
On Monday, our students lead a beautiful Advent liturgy to mark this very important time in the Church’s year. Many thanks to Mrs Walker and Mr Lockwood for your organisation. Thank you to the parents who were able to join us. The enthusiasm of the students singing, ‘Oh, what a glorious night’ was the perfect way to conclude our liturgy.
Rite of Passage
Congratulations to our Year 6 students for the manner in which they celebrated their Rite of Passage on Wednesday. They left us in no doubt that they are all truly amazing, talented, spirit-filled young people with very bright futures. They are going to be greatly missed! This special day was made that much more special having the Year 6 parents present to help celebrate.
School Leaders
Last week we announced our 2024 leadership team. Congratulations to:
School Captains: Oscar Claydon and Ava McCullough-Hendriks
Leaders of Mission: Chelsea Wilks, Xavier Weet, Alyssa Moore and Lucy Collins
Stewards of Creation: Sophia Dawson Angeli and Max Summers
Leaders of Sport and Health:
Seagull (Blue) House: Sienna Parker and Alex Batchelor
Pelican (Green) House: Indigo Ward and Drew Torzillo
Swan (Gold) House: Sophie Hill and Tyla Hope
Leaders of Learning: Lara Stuart, Angus Teterin and Spencer Atkins
We look forward to Year 6, 2024 stepping into the role as school leaders. The students will receive their Leader badge at the opening school mass next year.
Year 6 Dinner
Year 6 enjoyed a memorable night on Wednesday for their end of year celebration with parents and staff. We would like to thank the P&F for contributing to the cost of the evening. By the looks of the photos everyone had a great time.
Year 6 Big Day Out
Year 6 ventured out yesterday to Revolution Sports Centre for the end of year Big Day Out. From all reports the students had a fantastic day with loads of fun and great memories. A lovely way for our leaders to end the year.
Staffing 2024
Staffing for next year is now complete. We are very excited to welcome Miss Chloe Murray to St Patrick’s in a temporary position on Year 4 for 2024.
Reports
A reminder to Year 6 parents and any other leaving family to download reports before your COMPASS access expires with the end of the school year.
Swimming Carnival
Thank you to Mrs Schneider for a very well organised swimming carnival last Friday. A very big job! Thank you to the parent volunteers who assisted on the day. The certificates and ribbons will be presented at the first assembly next year. Congratulations to all the students for having a go. Excellent cheering and school spirit!
School Shoes Reminder
Please ensure that children wear the correct school shoes in the 2024 school year. Black leather shoes are part of the uniform and compulsory. No child should be wearing suede or branded name shoes. All companies now supply plenty of options that are comfortable and comply to our uniform policy. Please also note, girls are to wear white crew socks (ankle length, turned or pushed down). No knee length socks.
Sport shoes should be predominately white.
Label Clothes
Please remember to write your child's names on ALL their belongings for start of school.
Message from RE Coordinator
Christmas Giving Tree
Thank you to all the families that have been able to contribute to the Christmas Giving Tree this year. We have a great response and all the gifts were passed on to the Vinnies conference ready for distribution. Your generosity will make Christmas a more enjoyable experience for families that are in need in our community.
Rite of Passage
On Wednesday we celebrated the Rite of Passage liturgy for our leaving Year 6 students. The theme of the liturgy was ‘Let Your Light Shine’, encouraging the students to share their light, gifts and talents with those that they meet. Congratulations and thank you to our Year 6 students for their leadership this year.
Merry Christmas
Christmas is a celebration, a time for giving and not simply a day we exchange gifts. The spirit of Christmas is in the ‘togetherness’. It’s in the thought to which you put into thinking about others, it’s a selfless time, where we forgive, take stock of what’s important and become better versions of ourselves. I wish each and every family in the St Patrick’s community a safe and merry Christmas. May you enjoy the company of your loved ones, appreciating the joy and hope that the birth of Jesus Christ has to offer.
Dear God,
Our world is in darkness.
We need the light of peace and love to shine in our world.
Help us to prepare our lives and our homes to receive the One who said,
‘I am the light of the world’.
We pray in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen
Mr Daniel Lockwood
RE Coordinator
Save the Date
- 1st February First day Years 1 - 6
- 5th February First day for Kindergarten
From the Diverse Learners Team
Learning Support - Story Dogs: Reading program for Year 2
Next year, we are very excited to be introducing Story Dogs, a reading program for Year 2. A specially trained volunteer and their dog will come to school once a week to listen to students read. The aim is to improve the fluency and reading comprehension of students who need a bit of a boost. There will also be the opportunity for other year 2 students to read to the Jinx, the dog.
https://www.storydogs.org.au/what-we-do
Gifted Education - Year 1 writing
Over this last term, a group of Kindergarten and Year 1 writers have been studying a new book.
Stolen Heart was written and illustrated by author Sami Bayly and the students at St Pius X, Windale. We had a strong focus on expanding vocabulary knowledge through the analysis of character and setting. Students made good use of the dictionary to find out the meaning of new words, and could show their learning in their writing as they wrote to express their opinions about the book to provide feedback to the students at St Pius.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education – Launch of Community of Schools
Last week, Mrs Turner and Mrs Simes were honoured to attend the launch of Powaikaliko Malang (Grow Together) Community of Schools. This community includes us, St Paul’s Gateshead, St Pius X Windale, St Francis Xavier Belmont, St Joseph’s Charlestown and St Mary’s Catholic College Gateshead. We hope to work together on many wonderful projects, including developing Junior AECGs (Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups), Story Poles for yarning circles and more.
At the launch, we were gifted with the most incredible original artworks by Aunty Laurel Williams. She assigned St Patrick’s a bird totem, which is the kanbaal (black swan). The artworks comprise the symbol for Powaikaliko Malang, our school’s symbol and poem of the kanbaal. The originals will be proudly displayed in our office area and prints of the same will be displayed in the Aboriginal learning area in the library, for all to enjoy.
We will officially launch our commitment to this community of schools and thank Aunty Laurel for her incredible contributions in the new year.
Mrs Jo Simes
Learning Support Teacher
Mrs Anne Turner & Mrs Karen Devlin
Aboriginal Education Teacher
Wellbeing News
Managing Transitions
The end of one school year and the beginning of another can be an emotional time for children. It is normal for them to feel a range of emotions. It is helpful for parents to spend time discussing these feelings over the break and normalising this process with children. The following resources have some great information and advice for parents in supporting students through transitions. Although some resources focus around the transition to high school, the strategies are relevant for many.
https://swansea.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/school-transitions
https://swansea.catholic.schooltv.me/content/blog/practical-advice-starting-secondary-school
https://swansea.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-starting-year-7
https://swansea.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-transition-high-school
Managing screen time
The holiday break can be a time when children spend more time on screens. Whilst screentime can have its benefits, managing what, how and when your child uses devices is important for their health, behaviour and wellbeing. The following resources may be useful in providing strategies for managing screentime and device use with your child.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-06/EC-ESP-screen-time-tips-flyer_0.pdf
It is also imperative that parents understand the safety aspects of children being online. Please refer to the websites below for a range of information regarding eSafety.
http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/resources-tab/parents-and-carers
Smiling Mind
The holidays may also be a good time for you and your family to explore the resources available through the Smiling Mind program and practice mindfulness techniques. Please see the links below for more information.
https://info.smilingmind.com.au/parentsguide
https://www.smilingmind.com.au/resilient-families-program
SchoolTV
Please remember to refer SchoolTV for a team he of excellent resources regarding student wellbeing. This can be accessed through the Parent Information drop-down on our school website or by following the link below.
https://swansea.catholic.schooltv.me
Wishing all our families a lovely Christmas and a rejuvenating holiday.
Fiona Walker
Wellbeing Support Teacher
Year 1 News
What a wonderful couple of weeks!
A busy, fun, and festive couple of weeks in Year 1. First the colour run where the crisp, white shirts didn’t stay crisp or white for very long, so many smiles and giggles all day. It was unanimously voted “the best day ever!”.
Next, students enjoyed another fun-filled day at the League Tag Gala Day with their Year 2 friends. For many, it was their first-time playing League Tag and they competed against many of our local Catholic, State, and Independent schools. Students learnt so much while having ‘a ball of a time’, the beautiful students of stage one displayed so much enthusiasm and sportsmanship.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas with the Christmas concert next. Year one’s singing and dancing talents, coupled with a little help from Mrs Walker, shone on the night.
This week we enjoyed Christmas craft; designing a bauble for their tree, decorating a bag to keep their goodies in, making yummy eatable reindeers, a little gift for their Year 6 buddies and the cutest reindeer ears you’ve ever seen.
Year 1 also spent an afternoon with their Year 6 buddies this week. They enjoyed doing a variety of fun, energetic outdoor activities, all organised by their buddies. Year 6 also gifted them a beautiful handmade keepsake, a very well written, heartfelt letter, and some goodies. In return Year 1 gave them the portrait they’d drawn and a little note explaining all the things that they love about their buddies.
Mrs Louise Stewart
Year 1 Teacher
Kindergarten News
What a fantastic year it has been in Kindergarten! Our youngest school members have grown so much, physically, socially, emotionally, and academically and we are all very proud of them.
Term 4 has been their biggest yet! We’ve learned about Materials in Science culminating in making houses for the The Three Little Pigs and recycled paper ornaments. We’ve used a birds eye view to create maps in Geography and Library Lessons. Kinder enjoyed learning Lacrosse skills, catching throwing and scoring goals to their hearts content. Throughout the term Kindergarten have honed their numeracy and literacy talents and have become a bunch of keen little authors. In Religion we’ve learned about God’s plan for his people, we’ve created the Nativity and decorated our class Christmas Tree. Some highlights of the Term have been Kinder’s first Swimming Carnival, Christmas Craft Morning and Christmas Carol and Movie Night.
Congratulations on your first year of Big School Kinder, we are so glad you are part of our community!
ASPIRE
Sport News
Swimming Carnival
The pool was the best place to be in last Friday’s heat! St Patrick’s students enjoyed a range of competitive and non-competitive swimming races along with water fun activities throughout the day at Swansea Pool. We saw great displays of athleticism, sportsmanship, friendship and team work. Well done St Pat’s!
The Regional Swimming Squad, Swimming Champions and winning House Colour will be announced early in Term 1, details will be sent out at the beginning of the year.
A huge thank you to the parent volunteers (without you the day does not go ahead), to our year 6 students for supporting the younger students and to Mrs Schneider for convening the carnival.
Pathways Sport
Congratulations to Sophie Hill, Oscar Claydon and Cooper Brown who will be trialling for Touch Football at the Lakes Region Trial early next year. We wish you all the best!
The Year In Sport
What a massive year of sport we’ve had here at St Pat’s. 49 students represented our school in pathways sport across 10 different sports. Each stage enjoyed participating in Gala Days and learnt lots of new skills via coach delivered sports programs. The staff of St Pat’s are immensely proud, not only of the students’ achievements, but of the way they conducted themselves when representing our school. We look forward to another great year of sport in 2024!
Weekend Sports Stars
Jude Mulder had a very proud moment at Little Athletics last week, beating the Club Record for the 700 meter Power-walking for boys under 9’s by 12 seconds!
Congratulations on your fantastic achievement, Jude!
If your child is a Weekend Sports Star, please email details and a photo to claire.browne@mn.catholic.edu.au so we can celebrate their success in our next newsletter.
Mrs Claire Browne
Sports Coordinator
Office News
Medical Plans
Medical action plans are required to be updated annually. Please submit your updated asthma/anaphylaxis or allergy action plan for 2024 to the office on your return to school.
School fees were required to be finalised by the 30th November. If you have an outstanding balance and do not have an arrangement with the school, please finalise your account, as it is now overdue.
Our preferred method of payment is either BPay or direct debit. For Fee Payers wishing to establish a new Direct Debit, or adjust their existing direct debit, please complete the form on the Catholic Development Fund website www.CDFmn.com.au.
For those families experiencing financial hardship, or wishing to discuss other payment arrangements, please contact the school office to arrange an appointment with the Principal.
Schools will now commence the school fee management process if there has been no contact with school office or no initial payment received.
BYOD User Agreement Form
If Year 5 2024 haven't already returned your BYOD User Agreement please return to these to the office on your return to school.
Applications for school travel passes through Transport NSW are now open for 2024
The School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) gives eligible school students free or subsidised travel between home and school on NSW public transport, including trains, buses, ferries and light rail.
Depending on where students are travelling, they may receive a free school travel pass, a School Opal card, or both.
Please visit Transport NSW in the link below, to learn about eligibility criteria and apply for a travel pass which will help support transport options for our school community.
https://transportnsw.info/school-travel-apply
Other useful links and resources can be found here.
Volunteering at St Patrick's
We have many events still planned for the remainder of the year. Please get in early and register so you won't be dissappointed in missing out.
If you would like to register to volunteer at St Patrick's, can you please complete the "Volunteer Registration Form" by clicking on the link here.
St Patrick's will be notified by the Catholic Schools Office once you are cleared to volunteer.
If you are unsure if you have clearance, please email the office at admin@swansea.catholic.edu.au to enquire.
Rachelle McKenzie
Senior School Officer
Uniforms
The uniform shop will be open during the school holidays on the following day:
Tuesday 23rd January 2024 - 9.30am to 10.30am
Natalie can be contacted via email at stpatrickuniformshop1@gmail.com to answer any questions.
Preloved Uniforms
If you have any good condition preloved uniforms please send them in to the office, we would be most grateful.
Canteen
