Term 1 - Week 6
Message from the Principal
Welcome to the Week 6 Newsletter.
The enrolment period for 2025 for all Catholic schools in our Diocese opened on 1st March. This week we commenced our enrolment open days for new families seeking a place at St Patrick’s for next year. It is a privilege to showcase our beautiful school and we look forward to welcoming more families to our community. During our first information session on Tuesday, our School Captains, Ava and Oscar, spoke of why they love St Pat’s. Ava and Oscar were joined by Indigo and Spencer who confidently interacted with our new families as they led a guided tour of our spaces and answered questions about life at St Pat’s. The voice of the student is pivotal to our school, and I am very proud of Ava, Oscar, Indigo and Spencer for their maturity in sharing their thoughts and experiences. Our next open day session and tour for this term is Tuesday 12th March at 4:30pm. Word is spreading that St Patrick’s Primary School Swansea is EXTRAORDINARY!
Lucy Harvey
Principal
2025 Kinder siblings
All current parents who have a child starting Kinder in 2025 are reminded to pick up an enrolment pack from the front office. The enrolment period closes on 24th May and letters of offer will be sent out on the 14th June.
Year 7 2025 St Mary’s Information Evening
Parents of Year 6 students enrolling at St Mary’s Gateshead for 2025 are invited to attend an information session on 12th March at 5pm at St Mary’s.
St Patrick’s Day
Next Friday is a very important day for our community as we celebrate the feast of our patron saint, St Patrick. We encourage all our little leprechauns to wear green and bring a gold coin for the missions. Families are encouraged to join us, please see attached flyer in Mr Lockwood's news.
Important Reminders – Kiss & Ride
The safety of our students is our joint priority and responsibility. We rely on all families to respect and follow the school rules around the drop off and pick up of our students. It only takes one person to ‘bend’ the rules for a potential accident to occur. Concerns have been raised by frustrated families who do the right thing but see others thwarting the rules. Therefore, please remember:
- No drop off or parking in the church carpark during 8:00am and 9:00am. Students cross the drive walking / riding to school and parishioners use the car park for morning mass. Please use the Kiss & Ride zone.
- No parking in the Tenison Southern Cross carpark. This is private property.
- If you park on the opposite side of the road to the school, you need walk students across the pedestrian crossing. It is extremely dangerous to walk between the cars on Kiss & Ride and is instilling unsafe practices in the children.
- If your child needs assistance with putting on their seatbelt, we encourage you to come a little later on the Kiss & Ride line, so the flow of traffic is not held up.
- Family names need to be displayed on the dashboard. New signs will be sent home next week.
Thank you for working with the staff to keep our students safe.
School Fees
Fee statements were emailed out last week. If you elected to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly you are required to make a payment by 31st March 2024 otherwise you will be in arrears by 1st April 2024.
School fee payments are expected to have commenced by March and be finalised by 30 November 2024, please contact the school office if assistance is required to work out best payment method or frequency to accomplish this requirement.
Week 7
Week 8
Message from RE Coordinator
St Patrick’s Day
Next Friday, we celebrate the feast of St Patrick, the patron saint of our school. St. Patrick was born in Britain and as a young man was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. After six years in Ireland he escaped, returned to his family and trained for the priesthood in Gaul. He returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop. Through his work, Christianity flourished, and the church became organised. St Patrick was known for his sincerity and pastoral care, especially caring for the human dignity of all people. There are many legends about Ireland’s most beloved saint, including his use of the shamrock for explaining the Trinity, and his banishing of all snakes from Ireland.
His story would be ordinary if it were not for his decision to return to Ireland as a well-educated and faith filled priest to give something back to the country where he had such profound experiences of faith. Patrick used his own experiences of being enslaved and then his position of influence as a priest, to overcome evil and offer himself for service to others. He stands as a living witness for the fight against slavery, intolerance and the diminishment of human dignity in our own time. He was someone who made the world a better place.
As a school community, we will celebrate St Patrick’s life and his feast with a Mass on Friday morning (15th March) at 9.30am. This is a wonderful opportunity to gather as a Catholic community, making connections to our faith and the stories that contribute to our journey here at St Patrick’s. After Mass, the classrooms will be open for parents to spend some time with their children celebrating their learning before gathering for a picnic lunch as a community.
Each year, the school community participates in the Caritas Project Compassion campaign. As a school we value the experience of formation that this program offers the teaching students the Catholic Social Teachings of preferential option for the poor and dignity of the human person. To support this initiative students have the option to wear a piece of green, for a donation that will be donated to Caritas Australia. Thank you for contributing to this worthy cause.
Project Compassion
Lent also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.
The theme of Project Compassion 2024 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each family should have received a Project Compassion box or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: lent.caritas.org.au
Mr Daniel Lockood
RE Coordinator
Save the Date
- 11th March P&F 6:00pm (Library)
- 12th March Open Day 4.30-5.30pm
- 12th March St Mary's Year 7 2025 Information Evening 5.00pm
- 15th March St Patrick’s Day Celebrations– Feast Day Liturgy, celebrations & Family picnic
- 22 March Easter Hat Parade and raffle 2:00pm
- 27th March Holy Week Liturgy 10.00am
- 28th March Inservice Day
- 29th March Good Friday
- 1st April Easter Monday
- 8th April School Cross Country
- 9th April Stage 3 ANZAC service at the CIVIC theatre
- 11th April Years 3,4,5 & 6 Soccer Gala at Speers Point
- 12th April Last day of term 1
- 29th April First day of term 2
- 10th May Mother's Day Morning Tea & Liturgy
- 24th May 2025 Enrolments close
- 3rd June Athletics carnival
- 10th June Kings Birthday long weekend Public Holiday
- 5th July Last day of Term 2
- 22nd July PUPIL FREE DAY advance notice
- 23rd July First day of Term 3
Assistant Principal News
NAPLAN
All students in Years 3 and 5 will sit NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy) tests over the next 2 weeks. The test window is open from 13th to 22nd March to allow students who may be absent on a test day to catch-up when they return to school. See the timetable below for which test is on which day. There are 4 tests – Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language, and Numeracy. Students will complete all tests online except for the Year 3 Writing test which will be completed on paper.
NAPLAN is just one part of our school learning assessment program. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school.
In preparation for NAPLAN, our school will undertake activities to help students become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.
The public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) is available to see the types of questions, tools and functions used in the NAPLAN tests.
Further information about NAPLAN is available on the NESA website (https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/naplan/parent-information).
If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact me by phone or email janine.schneider@mn.catholic.edu.au.
Professional Learning
Last week, Miss Harvey, Mr Lockwood and I attended two professional learning days provided by the Catholic Schools Office. The days were run by Michael McDowell, Dr of Education from Michigan, USA.
Michael is the author of several bestselling books and presents practical tools and resources to thousands of teachers and leaders around the world. He has served as a teacher, coach, principal, and central office administrator. Michael presented the importance of providing opportunities for deep learning in the classroom. He explained many high impact teaching strategies including the importance of students knowing where they are going, where they are, and next steps in their learning, and using strategies to ensure collaboration during student groupwork is both positive and productive. We will continue our learning with Micheal throughout the course of the year and work with our St Patrick’s teachers to embed these strategies and improve our teaching practices.
Mrs Janine Schneider
Assistant Principal
From the Diverse Learners Team
Learning Support - Recess Club
Every recess, Mrs Turner or Mrs Simes open up the Learning Centre as an alternative play space for students wanting a quieter, slower paced playtime. Some children can find the playground a little overwhelming sometimes and just want some quiet time or a more structured play environment. Others just enjoy being creative. Here are a few of the activities we have been enjoying: peg scavenger hunts, jigsaw puzzles, making key rings, weaving, Lego, making a home for dinosaurs, playing with the kinetic sand.
Mrs Jo Simes
Learning Support Teacher
Mrs Anne Turner & Mrs Karen Devlin
Aboriginal Education Teacher
Year 4 News
In Year 4, we've wholeheartedly jumped into our learning journey! Our weekly gymnastic lessons have us tumbling, balancing, flipping, and cartwheeling, boosting both our physical and mental wellbeing. Thriving in the digital age, we acquire essential skills and explore online wonders to enrich our learning experience. Our curiosity guides us to hands-on experiments on sunlight's energy. 'The Thing About Oliver,' our class novel, not only captivates us but also influences our writing skills. We love the challenge of developing a strong sense of numbers and adopting efficient problem-solving strategies. Our determination and positive attitude fuel both our sporting achievements and our daily commitment to learning, loving, and serving. As we progress, we value strengthening friendships, teamwork, and self-belief. Our adventure is just beginning!
Mrs Chloe Murray
Year 4 Teacher
Aspire News
Sport News
Pathways Sport
Swimming
Congratulations to Chelsea Wilks, Sienna Parker, Indigo Ward and Sara Corbett who braved yet more inclement weather to compete valiantly and both individual events at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival. We are excited to announce that both Chelsea and Sienna qualified for the Polding Swimming Championships. Fantastic achievement, girls!
Touch Football
We are proud to announce that Cooper Brown and Oscar Claydon have both been selected for Diocesan Touch Football. Congratulations, boys!
Netball and Soccer
This week St Patricks students attended Regional Netball and Soccer Trials.
Well done to Sienna Parker on qualifying for the Diocesan Netball Trial and to Florence De Champlain, Khloe Hansen and Drew Torzillo who were selected for the Diocesan Soccer Trial. We’re all cheering for you!
If your child attends a Pathways Sport or Trial, we’d love to see your photos and include them in our next newsletter.
Catholic Schools NSW offers many sporting pathway opportunities for talented athletes. If your child is an aspiring athlete, you might like to familiarise yourself with the CSNSW Sport web page here: https://csnsw.sport/
Sport information specific to our Diocese can be found on the Maitland Newcastle Diocese tile on the CSNSW Sport page https://csnsw.sport/maitland-newcastle/primary/home
Any registrations on these pages must first be approved.
Weekend Sports Stars
Jude Mulder has recently achieved fantastic results in Athletics. Jude has progressed to State Little Athletics for high jump and to NSW athletics for discus, long jump and 200mtrs. Very impressive results!
If your child is a Weekend Sports Star, please email details and a photo to so we can celebrate their success in our next newsletter.
Mrs Claire Browne
Sport Coordinator
Office News
School fees have been processed for the year. Fee statements were emailed last week. If you do not receive an email please contact the office.
You can commence making regular payments. Payments must commence prior to 31st March 2024 and your account must be paid in full by 30th November 2024. Please contact the office if you would like assistance with calculating your weekly, fortnightly, monthly deduction amount.
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.
Please remember to complete the 2024 Fee Settlement Option Event in Compass.
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
P&F
P&F Financial Report Jan-Feb 2024
Have you got your orders in for Hot Cross Buns?
* Chocolate Chip
* Fruit
* Fruitless
All available in 6 generous sized packs, baked fresh and delivered straight to our school!Orders close on Qkr on St Patricks Day, with delivery Wednesday March 27th, just in time for Easter!
Ask your friends, families, neighbours & colleagues to place an order with you!
All profits of this fundraiser go towards covering the cost to give our Year 6 students of 2024 a beautiful end of year celebration send off!
St Pat's Community, we need your help!
Our P&F Committee are again putting together hampers of chocolates & goodies ready to raffle off at our Easter Hat Parade on Friday March 22nd and are seeking donations of chocolate eggs. Donations can be left at the front office.
Last year we had over 40 prizes and raised over $1000 which went directly into purchasing items for our students!
Raffle tickets will be on sale soon, so keep an eye out on Qkr! and in your childrens bags.
Canteen
QKR
Please update your child’s homegroup in the profiles tab so that their correct class is on any order you place for them.
Uniforms
The uniform shop is open on Monday from 2pm - 3pm during the school term.
For any uniform enquiries Natalie can be contacted via email at stpatrickuniformshop1@gmail.com.
Preloved Uniforms
We have some uniform supply delays and our P&F are desperately seeking preloved uniforms in good, clean condition. In particular we are seeking:
* Boys size 6, 8 & 16 summer shirts
* Girls size 8 summer blouses
All hand me downs welcome. If you have any uniforms no longer being used, please drop them off to the front office so they can be put to good use.
