St Patrick's Primary School Swansea eNewsletter

Message from the Principal

Dear God

Today we thank You for the gift of mothers and all who show us motherly love.
We are grateful for their care, kindness, and strength, and for the many ways they nurture and guide us each day.

Bless all mothers — those with children in their arms, in their homes, and in their hearts.
Comfort those who miss their mothers, and surround with peace those for whom this day is difficult.

May we always honour the love and sacrifices of mothers and follow their example of compassion and grace.
Help us to show our appreciation not only today, but every day.

Amen

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to the Term 2 Week 2 newsletter.

I hope all our families had a restful and joyful Easter break, filled with time for reflection, renewal, and time spent with loved ones. As we begin Term 2, we’re excited for the learning, growth, and new opportunities that lie ahead.

This term promises to be a busy and enriching one, with many exciting events, activities, and learning experiences planned. We look forward to working together to support every student in achieving their best.

Let’s make Term 2 a positive, productive, and joyful term for all!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Lucy Harvey
Principal

Mother’s Day

We were thrilled to welcome so many of our school community to our Mother’s Day Morning Tea and Liturgy today. The liturgy was a heartfelt celebration, filled with beautiful prayers, singing and reflections that truly honoured the special role of mothers and mother figures in our lives. The Year 3 students awarded their mothers with very creative and humorous certificates, paying tribute for their many gifts and talents – from excellent counting skills “3… 2…1!” to cooking, singing, dancing, driving and hugging. Mums can do it all!

Our Mother’s Day morning tea was again a joyful occasion, giving everyone a chance to connect, share stories, and enjoy some delicious scones. The rain stopped long enough for the heavens to showcase the most magnificent rainbow – just for our mums.

A sincere thank you to our staff, students, and Mother’s Day stall organisers and volunteers who helped make the morning so special. Your efforts created a warm and memorable celebration that was appreciated by all who attended

Welcome

We warmly welcome the Knott family - Sara, Nigel, Dylan (Kinder) and Flynn (Year 3) to the St Pat’s community. We hope you very quickly feel at home. Thank you for choosing St Pat’s!

ANZAC March

We would like to sincerely acknowledge and thank the 43 students who took part in the recent ANZAC Day service and march at Swansea. Your respectful and proud representation of our school at this important community event was deeply appreciated.

A special commendation goes to our school captains, Evie and Imogen, who read the service prologue beautifully. Their clear, heartfelt delivery reflected the solemnity of the occasion and made us all proud.

Well done and thank you to all involved for upholding the values we hold dear.

Maternity Leave

Ms Wakely will be commencing her maternity leave a little earlier than planned. Emma will finish off next Thursday 15^th May. We wish Emma all the very best during this exciting time and look forward to seeing her beautiful baby soon. There will be a line up for cuddles from the staff!

Billboard Stars

Huge thanks to the Comms Team from the Catholic Schools Office who were able to secure a billboard near the entrance to Belmont Golf Club advertising St Pat’s. It looks amazing and Thomas and Zantar are feeling very chuffed!

Shade Sail

Our damaged shade sail over the play equipment was scheduled to be replaced during the holidays but due to the persistent rain it has been delayed. We are hoping it will be installed over the weekend.

Winter Uniform

Students may begin to transition to their winter uniform. All students will be required to be in full winter uniform by Week 6. This should allow those families who are waiting on the arrival of specific items from LOWES.

LOWES Feedback

At our P&F meeting on Wednesday night, some concerns were raised about the availability of the girls’ winter tunic and the honouring of sale discounts. Mrs McKenzie has spoken to the Belmont store manager, Chantelle and her response is:

The girls’ tunic has delays with shipping and should arrive by end of May if it is not held up in customs. With the delay in stock the store was trying to accommodate all families by only allowing 1 tunic per family. If there are 2 girls in the family, they would allow the sale of 1 each until the stock arrives.
Head office no longer allows the store to write orders in a book. All orders are done electronically, and families are notified once the stock arrives in store. The preferred option is to pay for the order upfront during the sale period to receive the 20% discount at time of order. If parents don’t pay and request to be notified the electronic system does not allow for notes for verbal honouring of the 20% sale discount and the store has to check back dates of the request to make sure it was made during the sale period. Lowes IT department is working on this.

20% OFF SCHOOLWEAR at Lowes - May 14th, 15th & 16th

15276_edm_zero_may_2025_schoolwear_schools_download.pdf

School Improvement and Sustainability Visit

We are looking forward to welcoming members of our Catholic Schools and Catholic Diocese of Maitland Newcastle for our School Improvement and Sustainability Visit next Thursday 15^th May. This visit is part of our ongoing commitment to providing a high-quality, future-focused education for all students.

During the day, our visitors will meet with the leadership team to discuss collaborating to drive school success. Three goals will be explored: That Catholic identity is authentic; that student potential is realised; and that our school is thriving and sustainable. We also see this as an opportunity to celebrate the progress we've made in teaching, learning and wellbeing. This is a valuable opportunity to reflect on our achievements and plan strategically for the continued improvement of our school.

We are proud of the work our school community is doing and look forward to sharing our journey towards excellence and long-term sustainability.

Thank you

Thank you to P&F for the generous purchase of 242 novels for use by our primary classes. Your support greatly enhances our students’ learning experience!

Term 2 Week 3

Term 2 Week 4

Message from RE Coordinator

Pope Francis

Over the Easter break we mourned the loss of Pope Francis. He was the leader of the Catholic Church and lived in Vatican City, in Rome, Italy. He became Pope in 2013 and was the first Pope ever to come from South America—he was born in Argentina!

Pope Francis was known for speaking about kindness, helping those in need, and caring for our Earth, which he called our “common home.” He reminded people all over the world to treat others with love and respect, just as Jesus taught us.

Even though he had a very important role, Pope Francis was loved for being humble, gentle, and friendly. He often smiled, greeted people warmly, and always shared the message that God loves us all.

We give thanks for Pope Francis and the way he led with love, peace, and joy. We remember him in our prayers and give thanks for his life of faith and service. As a staff, we contemplated on the following reflection, which demonstrates his legacy of faith, courage, humility, love and compassion that he had God’s creation and mankind.

Thank You, Pope Francis

Pope Francis was a special leader in our Church.
He didn’t wear a crown or live like a king.
He smiled a lot, rode in a little car, and loved meeting people – especially the poor, the sick, and children just like you.

He told us that being kind is more important than being important.
He reminded us to care for our Earth – because its own home, and God made it.
He showed us that we should never ignore someone who’s hurting, and we should always choose love.

Pope Francis believed in young people.
He believed you can do great things, even small things, to make the world better.
Things like saying sorry, helping a friend, or standing up for someone who’s left out.

Now Pope Francis is with God in heaven.
But we can keep his mission going – by being kind, brave, joyful, and full of love, just like he was.

Let’s remember: Big hearts change the world.
And you’ve got one, too.

Pope Leo XIV

With great joy and reverence, we share the news of the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the successor of St. Peter and the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.

This moment is of great significance for our faith and school communities. As Catholic schools, we are deeply connected to the life of the Church, and we give thanks to God for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in choosing our new pope.

We pray for Pope Leo as he begins his papacy. As a man known as a bridgebuilder and servant, who spent many years ministering to the poor in Peru, like Pope Francis, he offers us the gift of hope. May his leadership inspire us as we continue to witness to our faith, learning, and service mission.

Mr Daniel Lockwood
RE Coordinator

Lachie Moncrieff reports on visit to Turtle Bay School

On Monday March 31st my family & I travelled to Santo, Espiritu, an island that's a 1 hour from Port Vila in Vanuatu for a family holiday.

The accommodation we stayed at, Turtle Bay Lodge, invited us to go to Turtle Bay Primary School, to play with the local children & see their school. The school has 192 students and 6 staff.

We were told by our driver to ride in the back of a ute from our accommodation to the school which was a 20 minute drive inland. Mum was not overly keen, but it's how the locals get around town. The ute turned off the main road to what you would think is a dirt road into the jungle. We all thought there was no way there was a school in this jungle! We drove through mud, long grass & overgrown roads to finally arrive at a small village with the school in the centre.

We got out and were told to line up together, while all the students came running out of the classrooms and lined up in front of us. They sang a welcome song to us and put flowers around our neck welcoming us to their school. The principal then walked us through the high school classroom to meet the senior students. Many seniors weren’t at school on this day as the teacher was off sick and therefore the kids don’t have to go to school when the teacher is sick. The high school class doesn’t have many students because the cost of education in Year 6 or above, is 50% of their parents' average monthly income which most can’t afford.

We then went into the Year 3-4 class, which had 40 students, but only enough tables & chairs for 30, so 10 students had to sit on the floor to learn. Following that, we went into the Year 1 class, where we handed out lollipops to the students & the teacher and her baby that she brings to school! Some of the kids put the lollipops in their mouth sideways because they had never had one before.

Following our class visits, it was sports time! We played soccer and volleyball with them, gave out more lollipops, all while a baby pig ran through the long grass and the local older men stood smoking near the school fence. It was very different to the playground at St Patricks. We surprised the kids by bringing big bubble blowers & frisbees to play with, something they had never seen before! We spent hours playing soccer, blowing bubbles and throwing the frisbees with them. They had some really good soccer players there!

Before we left Australia, I asked for donations of school supplies or stationery from other students at St Pat's that we could take with us for Turtle Bay School. We set a goal of getting 10kg of stationery, but thank you to all who donated to the school, we ended up filling an entire large suitcase weighing 22kg that included exercise books, hundreds of coloured pencils, sticker pads, pens, lead pencils, chalk, permanent markers, connector pens, crayons, glue sticks, scissors, stamps, sharpeners, rubber, highlighters and a big crayola artcase.! We gave the principal a big box of all the stationery supplies you all donated and they were very very grateful and excited to receive and now that we have been there, we know we will go a very long way! The schools ultimate goal is to raise money to pay for new toilets. They have 192 students and 6 staff, all using 1 bathroom with no running water. But finding bathroom supplies and builders where they are is almost impossible.

Visiting Turtle Bay school was one of the best experiences for my family and I and we all really look forward to going back again another time and if you ever have the opportunity to go there, please do. They are the happiest people we have ever met.

Lachie Moncrieff
Year 6

National Walk Safely to School Day

Now in its 26th year, National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is an annual event when all Primary School children will be encouraged to walk and commute safely to school. It is a Community Event seeking to promote Road Safety, Health, Public Transport and the Environment.

The event will be held throughout Australia on Friday 16 May 2025.

The objectives of WSTSD are:

To encourage parents and carers to walk to school with primary school age children and reinforce safe pedestrian behaviour.
To promote the health benefits of walking and help create regular walking habits at an early age.
To ensure that children up to 10 years old hold an adult's hand when crossing the road.
To help children develop the vital road-crossing skills they will need as they become mature pedestrians.
To reduce the car dependency habits that are being created at an early age and which will be difficult to change as children become adults.
To promote the use of Public Transport.
To reduce the level of air pollution created by motor vehicles.
To reduce the level of traffic congestion.

All students and families will have the opportunity to take part in this event. We will meet at Swansea RSL car park at 8am, Friday 16^th May and walk to school. If you would like your child to participate in this event, please give consent via the Compass Event.

National Road Safety week

As a school community, we all have the responsibility of ensuring the safety of our children during school pick-up

and drop-off times. National Road Safety Week is a great reminder for how we can work together to ensure the

safety of our little ones during these busy times of the school day. Please take some time to read the following brochures on keeping students safe in the road environment from Transport NSW.

crs_children_40kmh_school_zones.pdf

crs_children_driving_near_school_buses.pdf

crs_children_hold_hands_0.pdf

crs_children_walking_safely_school.pdf

crs_childrens_supervised_crossings.pdf

Upcoming information sessions and webinars for parents and carers

Parents and carers are the most important educators in their child’s life. To assist you in this important role, a list of upcoming webinars provided by reputable providers, free of charge, has been compiled and is available on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage.

A snapshot of Term 2 webinars featured on the webpage is included below.

Online safety-focused sessions:

Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner
eSafety 101, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner
Exploring the online experiences of boys and young men, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner
Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner
The Social Media Guide: What Every Parent Needs to Know in 2025, hosted by The Cyber Safety Project

Mental health-focused sessions:

Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents, hosted by Learning Links
Teen Mental Health Matters, hosted by The BlackDog Institute

Parenting sessions

What kids need now, before the teenage years, hosted by CCSP NSW/ACT and Michelle Mitchell

More information about these webinars, including registration links, can be found on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage www.mn.catholic.edu.au/our-community/supporting-parents-and-carers/upcoming-parent-and-carer-information-sessions/

Please note that the webpage will be updated regularly with news of additional webinars, and you can visit the site at any time.

Mrs Janine Schneider
Assistant Principal

Library News

200 Nights Reading

It is great to see some of the children bring in their reading folders to be sighted once they reach the milestones of 25 Nights and 50 Nights. Tokens and stickers are being awarded for these achievements.

Scholastic Book Club

All orders need to be finalised by Thursday 15^th May.

Paper shopping bags

If you have any paper shopping bags at home that you would like to get rid of, they will be gratefully received by us in the library

Mrs Karen Devlin & Mrs Penelope Hale
Library Teacher and Library Assistant

Year 1 News

Some Year 1 fun at St Patrick’s!

In Geography, we’ve been learning about different weather patterns in different places and the activities you might do when it’s sunny, raining, hailing, storming or snowing.

As part of our Science unit, we experimented with sound and vibration and watched rice “dance” to the vibrations of the music on the loud speaker.

Our Maths explored patterns and numbers through games and hands-on activities.

We also love some creative play in the classroom on a rainy day, using our imaginations and working and playing together with our friends.

And finally, Year 1 are very excited to win the tidiest classroom award from our Year 6, Stewards of Creation Team Leaders!

Mrs Louise Stewart
Year 1 Teachers

Junior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) Meeting

During the last week of Term 1, Cooper Ballard-Totten (President), William Bevan (Vice-President) and Ryker Henderson (Secretary), attended their first Junior Powaikaliko Malang (Grow Together) AECG meeting at St Mary’s College, Gateshead. We were joined by students from St Francis Xavier Belmont, St Pius X Windale, St Pauls Gateshead and St Mary’s Warners Bay.

During the meeting, students from each school were asked to provide a short report on the current developments and initiatives regarding Aboriginal Education in their schools.

Through collaboration, support, and respect for each other's strengths, we can continue to create enriching learning environments for our students, ensuring that Aboriginal voices are heard, valued, and celebrated. We look forward to working together to build even stronger connections between our schools and communities, creating meaningful educational experiences for everyone.

Congratulations Cooper, William and Ryker for representing St Patrick’s in such a mature and respectful way.

Bush Tucker Garden

Yesterday, Evelyn, Isaac and Jack from Year 2 started to clear some of the above ground gardens in our playground in preparation for the planting of some edible native bush tucker plants. We are looking forward to learning about these plants, how to care for them and how we can use them in different recipes. Bunnings have kindly agreed to donate some plants for our garden.

Story Pole Installation

In Term 3 last year, two of our students, Cooper and Will, were involved in creating an Aboriginal Story Pole for St Patrick’s. They travelled with students from our Parish Schools to St Pauls Gateshead, as part of our community of schools, Powaikaliko Malang (grow strong together), to engage in this wonderful opportunity.

Our Story Pole has many symbols including the black swan and seven meeting circles which represent the seven classes in our school. The symbol for pathway connects each class as we learn and journey together. We are very proud of our pole and the unique story that it conveys about our school community and its environment.

We invite everyone in our community to come and see our beautiful Story Pole which has been installed to the left of our yarning circle in front of beautiful Black Ned’s Bay.

NAIDOC Fundraiser

Mrs Jo Simes
Learning Support Teacher

Mrs Liz Walker
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Education Teacher

Sport News

Cross Country

A huge THANK YOU to all family members who volunteered at our School Cross Country, you helped make the day a happy, safe and successful one.

We are very proud of all students who attended, they displayed sportsmanship, persistence, resilience and athleticism.

We wish our Diocesan Cross Country Team the best of luck as they compete in Maitland next Wednesday.

Save the Date

Save the date, Tuesday June 3^rd for our School Athletics Carnival at the Fearnley Dawes Athletic Track. We will require family volunteers for the day. If you can assist, please email me.

Weekend Sports Stars

Congratulations to the Elias Family on their recent success at Nippers.

Xavier - under 10s age managers award and club encouragement award

Jonah - under 9s boys second place point score

Lailah - under 7s girls second place point score

What fantastic achievements.

Weekend Sports Stars

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

claire.browne@mn.catholic.edu.au 

Office News

Volunteering at St Patrick's

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.

2025 Fee Information

Please commence payments as per the preferred frequency (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) prior to 31^st March and then continue on that frequency to erode the fees over the course of each month and be finalised to a $0 balance by 30^th November 2025. In April, any family that has not yet commenced fee payments will be deemed in arrears of the March component of the account.

If you have any queries please contact the office to discuss.

Compass has advised a slight change on the parent portal to Fee Balances. Please see details below:

Applications for school travel passes through Transport NSW

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.

Rachelle McKenzie
Senior School Officer