Week 6 Term 1 Newsletter
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Dear Parents, caregivers and friends,
We invite you to school on Friday morning 8/3/24 (8:30am onwards), before our first assembly, to wander the newly established grounds of MacKillop Park. We are so thrilled to have our beautiful new space, ‘MacKillop Park’ completed. It has been a challenging project for our school with much planning going into the design and creation of the space. The final result is outstanding. ‘MacKillop Park’ has been created as a tribute to the Sisters of St Joseph keeping in line with the Josephite charism that has existed in Lochinvar for 140 years, since 1883. The co-founders of the Sisters, Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods speak to us with their quotes around the 3 stations.
The area is a passive reflective space for all to enjoy. Future plans include:
- Placing shade sails over the 2 sandstone stations closest to the pathway leading to the top playground
- Anti-clockwise around the path- history of the Sisters at locations around the path
- Clockwise around the path- Aboriginal Stations of the Cross around the path
Our Penola Catholic School model, built in 2010 for the Canonisation of Mary MacKillop, now has a real purpose, being a real feature of the space.
Sincere thanks go especially to Craig Durham, our groundsman, for the time, passion and effort that was placed into all aspects of the project- planning, drainage, building and final touches. Tribute is also extended to Paul Mahony, our signwriter. Paul has been a friend of St Patrick’s for many years. His own children attended the school and now his grandchildren are with us. Thanks Craig and Paul.
The quotes below are featured around the space. They can mean different things to different people. That is the whole purpose. God speaks to us through the words of others. MacKillop Park will be used extensively throughout the years for our current school community, and future communities. Please take the time to read over the quotes and reflect upon them.
Quotes in MacKillop Park:
‘Find happiness in making others happy.’
Mary MacKillop
1899
‘We have much for which to be thankful.’
Mary MacKillop
1873
‘We are but travellers here.’
Mary MacKillop
1867
‘Be a gift of love and compassion for one another.’
Mary MacKillop
1870
‘God’s presence seems to follow me everywhere and makes everything I do or wish to do a prayer.’
Mary MacKillop
1875
‘Put kind construction where you can, and where you cannot, be silent.’
Mary MacKillop
1880
‘A little patience will in the end be rewarded.’
Mary MacKillop
1868
‘Believe in the whisperings of God to your own heart.’
Mary MacKillop
1903
‘When I want something very much, I thank God beforehand, for I feel God will certainly grant what he has been thanked for.’
Mary MacKillop
1884
‘Living in harmony with nature and with God gives us full happiness and purpose.’
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1877
‘There is no thought into which God does not enter. I see him in the woods and mountains and then their peaceful beauty seems so insipid.’
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1870
‘Nothing is too wonderful for me to believe about God, the richness of whose creative power was a constant subject of love and admiration.’
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1877
‘Keep courage whatever you do. The best and strongest trees you know are the slowest growing.’
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1875
‘Go on courageously and continue to pray.’
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1868
Pray like the blind man in the Gospel for sight - 'Lord that I may see.'
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1868
‘Cultivate …. Prayer, meditation. Keep hold of this no matter what else you neglect’.
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1864
‘All created things give us ideas and glimpses of the beauty of the infinitely beautiful Creator’.
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1881
‘The presence of God does not consist in thinking of Him but in a sense of His presence in every occupation.’
Fr Julian Tenison Woods
1877
With best wishes,
Dennis Nolan
Acting Principal
CALENDAR EVENTS
IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2024
WEEK 7:
11/3- School photos
13/3- 22/3- NAPLAN window
15/3- St Patrick’s Day celebrations- information below
15/3- St Patrick’s Family night- information below
WEEK 8:
21/3- Harmony Day
21/3- Marty Ogle- Cybersafety parent talk @ 7pm- information below- save the date
22/3- School assembly- 9am
22/3- Marty Ogle 3-6 student Cybersafety workshops
WEEK 9:
27/3- P & F Meeting @ 6pm
28/3- Holy week liturgy/ Hat parade/ Easter raffle
29/3- Good Friday
30/3- Holy Saturday
WEEK 10/11:
31/3- Easter Sunday
1/4- Easter Monday holiday
5/4- School assembly- 9am
5/4 – School cross country – more information to follow
2/4- 12/4- Parent Teacher Conferences- more information to follow
9/4 – Combined ANZAC Service – Civic Theatre
12/4- Term 1 concludes
ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
PUPIL FREE DAYS
Please find our planned pupil free days for 2024 for staff development. School will be closed on these days.
Term | Date/Week | Content |
2 | 29/4/24 | 1. Office Of Safe Guarding mandatory training |
2 | 7/6/24 | 2. Restorative Justice PL- aligned to PBS initiative |
3 | 16/9/24 | 3. System Formation Day |
4 | 15/11/24 | 4. Curriculum – data analysis and development linked to writing/ Data analysis and triangulation |
IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR PARENTS
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Our school photos will be on Monday 11th March 2024. Please ensure that if you would like to purchase school photos for your child you log into compass, select more in the bottom right hand corner if using a phone and then select photo ordering. Sibling photo’s for students within our school can also be purchased through this system. Please contact the school office should you have any problems with this.
Please ensure that all students are in full school uniform on this day.
ST PATRICK’S FAMILY NIGHT
St Patrick’s will be hosting a family night/ picnic on Friday 15/3/24. The evening will run from 5.30pm- 8pm. This is an opportunity for families to come together socially and celebrate the commencement of the school year. This is especially important for new families who have just joined the St Patrick’s community.
Gregory Rd Gates Open 5.30pm. Bring a picnic blanket, foldup chair, and picnic food to share or order a sausage sizzle meal deal through Qkr.
Grazing boxes will also be available through Qkr
There will be an ice cream van onsite on the night and they will offer Eftpos facilities for payment.
NB: NO ALCOHOL PERMITTED, CHILDREN MUST BE IN THE IMMEDIATE CARE AND SUPERVISION OF PARENTS.
FEES
2024 Fees have been finalised and parent can access their account through COMPASS. Fee statements have now been issued. This will have the annual fees balance on the statement.
It is expected that all fee payers determine the payment that needs to be made each week/ fortnight/ month depending on your payment frequency. Fees paid by regular instalment must be finalised by the 30th of November 2024. Annual lump sum payments must be cleared by the 30th June 2024.
A number of parents found themselves in a difficult position at the end of 2023 having to pay a lump sum payment as they had not been checking their account and making regular payments. While we know that the cost-of-living expenses have increased over the last 12 months, this has also affected the school and this cannot be used as a reason not to keep payments up to date.
Where family circumstances change such as separation, it is not the role of the school to negotiate who is going to pay fees – parents must come to an arrangement and honour the enrolment contract.
Please note that fee concessions are rare and only made after careful consideration of the person’s financial position which is evaluated and based on evidence provided. Where parents are not making regular payments after receiving fee letters and have a debt beyond the current year, referrals will be made to the Diocese’s Fee Management Officer.
Should you be experiencing financial hardship, please contact the school office.
KEEP CONNECTED WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING AT SCHOOL THROUGH COMPASS & THE NEWSLETTER
Please make sure you are connected to COMPASS and receive the newsletter fortnightly.
All families need to subscribe to the St Patrick's COMPASS portal. Regular information comes from this site to families, including important alerts, reminders and updates. Past issues of the newsletter can be found electronically on COMPASS.
Each parent is given a personal login. If you have lost your login details or are having difficulty logging in, please call the School Office for assistance.
CYBERSAFETY PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT AND STUDENT SESSIONS
On Thursday 21st March, Marty Ogle will be presenting a parent information session on Cyber Safety commencing at 7pm in the school hall. This will be followed up by student sessions on Friday 22nd March. We encourage as many parents as possible to attend this session on 21/3 as this is such an important topic in our current world. Please click here to RSVP.
School Communities session on ‘Internet Safety and Social Media – Pros & Cons’
Presented by Marty Ogle
The topic of ‘Internet Safety and Social Media’ is relevant to students, staff and parents and in this day and age, we all need as much help as possible so as to ensure we all make the correct decisions for ourselves and those in our care. The presenter, Marty Ogle with expertise as a teacher, principal, education officer and as an educational consultant, shares his knowledge and passion to positively impact on this important topic.
The topic of ‘Internet Safety and Social Media’, is extremely relevant to those in our school communities. As well as gathering and sharing data and information to ensure those in our care are aware of the dangers, Marty will present a wide array of connected topics plus the benefits of social media.
Marty will be delivering many aspects of Social Media during the next day to the students and staff and he will endeavour to cater for their needs according to their age plus social circumstances. Some of the areas he will present to parents and carers, and then to students will include;
- IT – it is here to stay so how best to be involved
- Laws in Australia
- The eSafety government website eg parent pressures and family digital agreements
- Pressures associated with social media including peer pressure, screen time, cyberbullying, addiction plus more
- Pornography & Groomers
- Gaming – benefits and problems
- Other issues including online gambling, scams, and Ai
CHANGES TO HOME ARRANGEMENTS
The school is still receiving a very large number of emails and phone calls for changes to childrens pick up without the child/ren’s class or bus number attached. Please ensure your are familiar with the below procedure to ensure that you are completing this procedure when making contact to change your child’s arrangements.
An email should be sent to admin@lochinvarsp.catholic.edu.au advising of changes prior to 2:30pm; the email must include your child/ren’s full name, class, and the changes or contact the school office on 49307270 prior to 2:30pm. If your child is aware of the changes and you are just advising the office as a backup please notify of this.
If the change is a bus, please ensure that you know the bus number. If your child is new to catching the bus or is likely not to remember where to get off, please advise the office where they are getting off so we can remind them.
KINDER ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN
Enrolments for Kindergarten 2025, opened last Friday, 1st March 2024. Parents/carers are encouraged to go online to St Patrick’s Lochinvar website:
and complete the enrolment application. If you are unable to do this, you can collect an enrolment package from our office. St Patrick’s Lochinvar is one of 8 Pilot schools trialling the online enrolment process this year.
RE NEWS
OFFICIAL BLESSING AND OPENING
Last Tuesday we held the Official Blessing and Opening of the Stage 3 building project. We were joined by Bishop Michael Kennedy, Hon. Jenny Aitchison MP, Sean Scanlon – CEO for the Diocese, Steve Lemos – Head of Catholic Schools for our Diocese along with past principals of St Patrick’s, many representatives from the Sisters of St Joseph and Catholic Schools Office, parents, teachers and students.
This was a beautiful event and a chance to showcase our most recent building works with the wider community. Our school leaders did a fabulous job welcoming our guests and showing them around our new facilities.
Thank you to all of the staff and students involved in this event. Above we have a couple of lovely pictures Mrs Cunningham took. One is of past principals of our school (Mr Treloar, Sr Marie Hughes, Mrs Wilkinson and Mr Nolan).
OPENING SCHOOL MASS
Congratulations to our 2024 student leaders who were presented with their school badges at our Opening School Mass. The remainder of our leaders will receive their badges at our first school assembly for the year this Friday. We wish our student leaders all the best in their roles, may they fulfil their duties throughout the year with pride, care, and respect.
We were also able to officially welcome our Kindergarten students at this Mass through a special procession accompanied by their buddies. Our Opening School Mass is an important liturgical celebration for our school community, and it was wonderful that many of our parents & friends were able to join us.
ST PATRICK’S DAY – FRIDAY 15TH MARCH
Next Friday, 15th March, we will celebrate the feast day of St Patrick – an important day for our school. Year 4 will be leading our liturgy at 9:30 in our school hall. Parents are welcome to join us for this celebration.
Students are welcome to wear green to celebrate the occasion!
CURRICULUM NEWS
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Please see the table below detailing the extra curricular activities we have available, who they are open to and what students can expect if they attend these activities.
Activity | Time offered (Lunch/Recess) | Open to | Short description |
Library | Lunch Monday- Friday | All students K- 6 | Board games, puzzles, construction, colouring, drawing, making and reading |
Chill n’ Play | Recess, Monday-Friday | All students K-6 | Chill n Play is a place for students to come and participate in board games, card games, colouring-in or just relax away from the hustle and bustle of the playground. Learning support teachers are available to develop and support positive interactions with peers and encourage developing friendship groups. |
Choir | Tuesday Lunch (after eating) | Year 3 - 6 | As a member of the school Choir, children can gather and sing for enjoyment! If they have a love of singing, then the school Choir is for them! Songs are selected based on the children’s interests, school celebrations and special times of the liturgical year. We sing a variety of songs, and opportunities are provided for children to represent our school at Choir Showcases and local Eisteddfods. A child’s confidence can be improved when performing in front of an audience. |
Mindfulness | Tuesday Recess (after eating) | K - 6 | Mindfulness is all about paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement. Wellbeing is essential for learning and we address students’ needs through a variety of activities (i.e. meditation, yoga, mindful colouring, breathing techniques, etc). With mindfulness, students are more focused and more engaged learners. Start Practicing Mindfulness Today to… · Reduce worries, anxiety and distress · Create a sense of calm · Learn how to relax and regulate emotions · Improve concentration and increase productivity · Develop a sense of empathy and connectedness · Enjoy better health and sleep |
Minecraft Club | Recess Tuesday and Thursday | Years 4, 5, 6 | Opportunity for students interested in the world of Minecraft to come together to build and explore. |
Yarning Circle – raffia weaving | Recess (After eating) Tuesday- beginning term 2 | Years 2-6 | This activity allows all students to engage in Aboriginal culture. This will include learning how to weave raffia for multiple different purposes, from making toys, gifts for loved ones, and dilly bags. |
Craft Club | Recess Wednesday | Years 2-6 | An opportunity for students to engage in various crafting projects, learn new skills, and express their creativity through hands on DIY craft activities. |
Junior Band | Lunch Wednesday | Years 3-6 | Location- 4 White Beginning musicians learning to play music together. Including guitars, drums, keyboards, ukulele, violins |
Senior Band | Lunch Thursday | Years 3-6 | Location- 4 White Experienced musicians playing music together. Playing at assemblies and other school activities. |
Scratch Coding | Recess Wednesday | Year 3 | Location- 3 White An opportunity to learn and develop coding skills using the program scratch. |
Primary Dance Troupe | Wednesday Lunch (after eating time) | Starting with year 5-6, potentially 3-4 depending on interest | |
Looking after Country | Thursday Lunch 11.10 to 11.25 | Open to students K-6, with a maximum of 15 students per term. | Students will be involved in Looking After Country by immersing themselves in the Bush Tucker Garden and establishing small pockets of habitat rehabilitation. |
Stewards of Creation | Every day before school, lunch, recess | Year 4-6, and potentially offering to Year 3 later in the year. | For students who enjoy taking part in caring for and maintaining our school grounds. They are responsible for looking after recycling around the school and assisting with various garden care such as wood chipping, path maintenance, and other gardening tasks. |
CANTEEN NEWS
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NEWS
WHS
We welcome the installation of a chilled water station to St Patrick’s. This station provides chilled water for drinking, along with providing the ability for students to fill their drink bottles with chilled water. It will certainly prove very popular on these hot day.
SPORT NEWS
DIOCESAN SWIMMING CARNIVAL
On Tuesday 27th February 8 students from St Patrick's competed at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival. The three fastest students in each event have been selected to represent our Diocese at the Polding Swimming Carnival on Wednesday 3rd April . Congratulations to Charlotte Echentille and Madden Mason.
REGIONAL TOUCH FOOTBALL TRIAL
Congratulations to Kye Hedges, Leura Russell and Phoenix Russell who have all progressed through to the Diocesan trials for touch football.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Isabella Crouch, Scarlett Crouch, Phoenix Russell and Leura Russell who have been selected to represent the Mid North Coast & Inland region in Australian Football. They will now trial to be selected in the NSWPSSA girls team.
We wish all of our students the best of luck at their future trials and sporting events.
LIBRARY NEWS
GREAT BOOK SWAP
Thank you to all our wonderful families for their incredible generosity donating their unused books to the Great Book Swap!
All funds raised will be donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The great book swap is on tomorrow – Friday 8th March 2024
Books are available for a gold coin donation – one coin per book!
Students will be attending the Great Book Swap during class time with their class teacher.
What is the Great Book Swap?
The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally, learn more about Indigenous Languages and culture, while raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation who work to gift carefully chosen books to children in remote communities. Schools, libraries, universities, book clubs and individuals can host a Great Book Swap. The idea is to swap a favourite book in exchange for a gold coin donation.
How will it work?
On Friday 8th March classes will be taken to the hall where the donated books will be on display. Students will be able to choose a book to take home for a gold coin donation.
Thank you to everybody who has donated books for the event.
To learn more or make a donation click here.
Thank you so much for your support.
Happy reading
Mrs Powell (Teacher Librarian)
COMMUNITY NEWS
Sr Carmel Hanson, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph, is the worthy recipient of the Newcastle Local Woman of the Year Award for 2024. Sr Carmel was present at our Official Opening last week, being a Sister of St Joseph as well as a former Principal of St Patrick’s Lochinvar from 1978- 1982.
The annual award acknowledges a resident, within the local electorate, who is an inspiration to others, and Sister Carmel certainly offers that.
Sr Carmel founded the ‘House of Hospitality’ and has devoted her life to helping those less fortunate. Since entering the convent at the age of 18, she’s pursued careers in teaching, psychology and law. While working as a psychologist for the St Vincent De Paul Society, Sister Carmel noticed many men in alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs had few accommodation options, often residing in pubs. In 1991, she established the ‘House of Hospitality’, originally in Adamstown. It provided a safe shelter and an alcohol and drug-free home. While it’s since moved to Broadmeadow, it’s also opened its arms to other residents in need, such as women and children escaping domestic violence, asylum seekers and women who have completed a detoxification program. In that time, Sister Carmel has made available shelter and support to thousands of people.
Congratulations and well done to Sr Carmel.
PARENTING PAGE
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