25 July 2019

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Parents, caregivers and friends,

Welcome back to Term 3 to all staff, students and their families. This is a particularly exciting term, as our long-awaited preparations for the Stage 2 Construction Project begin. I attended the first Construction Meeting in the holidays to review the development schedule, which will begin with establishment of the compound next week.

The successful construction company is Patterson Building Group, a Sydney-based, privately owned construction, refurbishment and interiors company serving a diverse range of clients across Australia.

Patterson has provided the following information outlining their education capabilities and experiences:

Recognised as a NSW Government Best Practice Contractor, and prequalified with NSW Government for projects up to $31 million, the team at Patterson is dedicated to delivering a balance of innovation and excellence in the design and construction of education facilities. Our team has successfully delivered education projects to State, Catholic and Independent Schools and Universities across NSW including delivery of classrooms, lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries, special purpose facilities, home bases, and administration buildings. Our proud record of delivering difficult projects in live environments is second to none. More than 90% of our projects are undertaken in occupied areas where there is various safety, noise and disruption factors that need to be carefully considered and managed. We prepare a communication plan for the school, teaching staff and nearby occupants so open and forward communication and reporting occurs to help balance the need to progress work with minimum disruption to campus operations.

CALENDAR EVENTS

GYMNASTICS

Gymnastics Lessons began this week for all classes. Please see the information below regarding the updated designated session time for each class for your reference. Children will wear their sports uniform on these days.

PARISH FAMILY MASS

On Sunday 11th August, the 9:30am Mass at St Patrick’s Parish Church, Lochinvar will be our Term 3 Parish/School family Mass. This Mass is a fabulous way for us to build strong connections with our Parish community. A note will be sent home this week for families to indicate their availability to attend. It would be fabulous to be able to celebrate with as many of our families as possible.

NAIDOC Week

Celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities, and to support the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. It is a week of remembering and promoting the rich heritage and culture of Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders, the oldest continuing culture on the planet.

St Patrick’s will hold our celebrations in Week 4 Monday 12 August at 9am. You are most welcome to attend.

GRANDPARENTS DAY & BOOKWEEK

Grandparents & Special Friends’ Day
Incorporating Book Week Activities

Friday 23rd August 2019

Theme: “Reading is my secret power…What’s yours?”

Students and staff are encouraged to come along to school on the day dressed up to match the theme.

You might like to consider your own secret powers of mind reading, super concentration, ace spelling, mighty maths ability, sporting prowess, creativity or science experimentation. Perhaps you are into weird and wonderful wizardry, brilliant sporting skills, super sleuthing, creative cooking or make-believe. Maybe you enjoy music or magic, puzzling and problem solving.

The ideas, as always, are limitless!

The overall schedule for the day will be provided next week. In the meantime…start planning your costume!

WHAT’S ON?

Please remember that our school canteen is now only open on Wednesday and Friday of each week.

Tuesday 30 July

• Beanies for Brain Cancer - Students are able to wear beanies to show support towards raising money for brain cancer

Wednesday 31 July

• Local Government Breakfast - School leaders to attend

Friday 2 August

• P&F Meeting – Chill Room (Next to the Library) following morning assembly

Friday 20 September

• P&F Meeting – Chill Room (Next to the Library) following morning assembly

RE NEWS

ST VINCENT DE PAUL WINTER APPEAL

Last term we recognised the plight of the homeless and wore our winter woollies in support of the St Vincent de Paul Society. A total of $649.55 was raised to assist those less fortunate.

MAKE JESUS REAL

Our focus for MJR for the last couple of weeks of Term 2 and moving into Week 1 of this term has been the GTS acronym. Students have focused on how to positively Greet, Treat and Speak to people.

We’d love you to talk to your children about being WEST people and GTS. If you have any stories about how you have noticed MJR in action at home please share them with us!

Next week we begin to focus on the Spirit of Jesus.

Reflection

The 6 most important words: I admit I made a mistake
The 5 most important words: You did a good job
The 4 most important words: What is your opinion?
The 3 most important words: If you please
The 2 most important words: Thank you
The 1 most important word: We
The least important word: I

CURRICULUM NEWS

LIFE EDUCATION SCHEDULE K-6

Please see the schedule below outlining the units being covered for grades visiting the Life Education van over the next fortnight.

LIBRARY NEWS

CLASSROOM NEWS

YEAR 5 CAMP

The Year 5 students at St Patrick’s are fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the Great Aussie Bush Camp at Tea Gardens.

What are the benefits of a Camp Program?

The camping program is an important aspect of the extra-curricular program we offer. Camps provide a number of benefits to our students as they participate in new experiences, often having to challenge themselves, develop social skills, resilience, independence and teamwork. The camp experience provides the opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership skills, encourages physical activity and provides experiences connected to the curriculum.

The camping program cannot happen without the strong support of staff. I would like to thank the following staff for attending the camp and supporting our students: Miss Rowe, Mrs Coulter, Mrs O’Heir, Ms Redgrove (LSA), Ms Samantha Hill (Diocesan Family Ministry Coordinator)

SRC TEAM

ORGANISATION & MANAGEMENT

WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECKS FOR VOLUNTEER

If you would like to volunteer within our school, it is a Catholic Schools Office requirement that you complete the following process prior to volunteering.

• Complete an online working with children check at www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/check. Upon clearance from the RMS please provide a copy of the RMS verification clearance notification page to the school
• Complete a volunteer induction at the school. A volunteer induction handbook is completed with this process, which now encompasses a police check.
• Original identification is to be provided. This must be viewed and copied by a staff member. Within this identification you must have one commencement document, which includes a birth certificate (& marriage certificate if your name has changed) or a passport.

SPORT NEWS

ASC REGIONAL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

The All Saints Cluster Regional Athletics Carnival was held on Wednesday 24th July at Glendale Athletics Centre. A team of 50 students represented our school and participated with enthusiasm and sportsmanship on a picture perfect day. Congratulations to all of our students for their efforts and fantastic sense of fun and friendship. There were many individual personal best performances, as well as team relay successes that will lead some students to the Diocesan carnival which will be held in August. Once the paperwork comes through, those students will be notified. As a school, we can be very proud of those 50 students who represented us so very well.

Info from Christine

COMMUNITY NEWS

PARENTING PAGE

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