2 February 2024

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Hello St Patrick’s families,

Welcome to 2024!

I know we’re two weeks into the term, but… welcome to 2024! I hope your start to the school year has been as good as mine – I’ve really enjoyed being back in the routines of school; starting the day, saying hello to students and families, seeing the students settle into their classrooms and seeing the learning begin.

Amongst other things, Thursday night’s BBQ & Blanket’s welcome evening was another great night and a terrific community builder for us early in the year. It was really nice to see families both old and new to the school, coming together to celebrate everything that is so great about our St Pat’s community. I also want to thank the P&F for their hard work preparing the meals and serving them for us on the night, their efforts did not go unnoticed and really made the night special.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead and working with you all, in partnership, to support and nurture the fantastic students we have at St Pat’s. have a great weekend and I’ll see you at school!

Loving Our Community – Mr. Wren’s New Hat Collection

Something that has caught my imagination since being in St George is the communities love for a Trucker Cap, it’s great! I love the way families and community groups make hats that represent their organisation, be it a farm, a small business, or a sporting club; it’s a great expression of who you are and the pride you have for what you do. With that in mind, I am now collecting hats from families at school that have them and hanging them around my school office space. I’ve started already and would love to thank the following families for their contribution to my new collection.

• Andrew & Candice Cross (Reagan & Sonny Cross) – Cross Engineering
• Ben Tierney & Caela Bateman (Abigail & Lachlan Tierney) – Tierney Mechanical & Air Conditioning
• Owen & Samantha Hams (Brooke Hams) – ‘Cooly’ Droughtmasters
• Andrew & Amelia Sevil (Theresa Sevil) – Whyenbah Development

My dream is to have a ring of hats around the whole of my office so, if you’ve made a hat for your farm or business or club and have a spare one lying around, throw it my way so I can proudly add it to the collection.

Our BAIT Weekly Focus

At St Patrick’s our students follow the rules by taking the BAIT;

• B – Be Safe
• A – Aim High
• I – In Control
• T – Thinking of Others

These four simple rules frame up how our students can learn and interact with each other in a way that embodies our values of Compassion, Courage, Empathy & Empowerment.

To help our students understand how to follow the four BAIT rules, we have created a poster that breaks down how the rules look when they learn, when they gather, when they move around, etc. and each week we will focus on one of these points as a whole school.

For the first four weeks of Term 1, our focus points are;

• Week 1 – Follow Instructions.
• Week 2 – Be in the right place at the right time.
• Week 3 – I am prepared.
• Week 4 – I am kind and thoughtful of others.

Teachers will focus on these points every week with their class and communication will go out to parents making them aware of the focus point as well. Discussing each week’s focus point with your child at home would be a great opportunity for you to reinforce the message from school at home but also engage with your child around what is happening with them at school. A conversation that starts about how your child can be prepared to learn will easily lead on to what they are learning, how they are learning, who they are sharing their learning with, and this in turn will build your connection with your child and their education. Definitely too good of an opportunity to miss!

Everyday Counts – Attendance at St Pat’s

Knowing that learning is a journey that takes time, it is so important that our learners are at school every day possible, so that they have the time to learn to the best of their ability. Research shows that absenteeism is one of the leading factors in declining student outcomes, with a consistent attendance record of less than 90% being the tipping point for students to start having difficulties at school. 90 % is only one day a fortnight! But when you start to add it all up, one day a fortnight totals to one week a term, which totals to four weeks a year. And when you look at it in that light, it’s easy to see how missing four weeks of school could impact your child’s learning. A lot happens in a classroom in four weeks!

And yes, there will always be times when it is appropriate for children to stay at home – sickness, family events, appointments, etc. – but at all other times it is important to remember that every day at school counts! And that applies for late arrivals and early finishers as well. Once again, there will be times when these are unavoidable but, every minute of the day counts too! The morning is a great time to learn as the children are generally fresh and switched on so being in class and ready to go at 8.30am is paramount – it’s the best start to a great day!

If your child is going to be away or late, please ensure that you have registered the absence through the parent portal or contacted the office to let them know. And if you are having trouble getting your child to school, also touch base with your teacher to make them aware; they may be able to give some insight or ideas on ways you can work together to support your child.

Every day counts!

St Pat’s Has a New Senior Education Leader – Welcome Mr. Chris Golightly

St. Patrick’s belongs to the greater organisation of the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools and every school within this organisation has a Senior Education Leader (SEL), a representative who acts as a conduit between the school and Head Office in Toowoomba. The role of the SEL is to advise and support schools on their day-to-day operations, as well as be a point of contact for families who wish to raise an enquiry or concern with the Head Office. In recent years, our SEL has been Mr. Marty Savage but after a reshuffle of schools, our new SEL from 2024 onwards will be Mr. Chris Golightly. Chris is an experienced education professional with over 25 years’ experience as a principal, most recently at Our Lady of Lourdes in Toowoomba. He visited our school this week and will be visiting throughout the year to meet with myself and the staff. Chris is also available to speak with parents and families if they wish to make a private appointment with him via his email chris.golightly@twb.catholic.edu.au.

Calendar Keepers Coming Up in Term 1

That’s all from me for now. Stay safe and have a great weekend,

God bless,
Jim Wren

PARENT PORTAL

IT’S HERE!

In recent weeks you will have seen communication from the school regarding our transition to a Parent Portal for more streamlined communication with parents. The transition will take place from Monday of week 3 (Monday 5^th February), so if you haven’t already, make sure you follow the instructions recently emailed out to all parents on how to register on the Portal. If you are having issues registering, please contact the school so we can help with the process.

Warm Regards,
Jim Wren

OUR PRAYERS…

Let us support each other in Prayer, especially for the Sick and the Deceased and those who are suffering Hardships, in our Parish and School.

APRE News

Well, what a start! My family and I have been in St George almost a month now.  While we are still finding our feet, we have been overwhelmed by the way in which so many people have wrapped around us and made us feel so welcome. Living so far away from our original home where our families are (Townsville), and away from the home we have loved for the last 9 years (Toowoomba), we have found this support in St George to be incredibly important.

It is amazing how quickly you can feel settled when you are supported. The last month I have been reflecting about the concept of ‘community’.  Community is not always something we are born into, instead it is a choice we make to commit to, contribute to and engage in. Community is active – it is a ‘doing’ word.

During the Pupil Free Week, before school commenced, we gathered as a staff for a day of spirituality and formation. The theme I chose for the day was ‘Community’.  This was by design, to give staff an opportunity to unpack what it means for us to feel like we are a community. 

There was some meaningful discussion, and the words that came through loud and clear were -:

Belonging                          Accepted                           Cared for                          Loved

Another idea that was a common thread through the day was that ‘Community’ meant working together towards a common goal. We discussed the difference between culture and community, and how the latter lends itself to a gentler, more nurturing way to be.  We looked at the ways that ‘community’ could be entwined in our four values at St Pat’s – Service, Courage, Compassion and Empowerment. Throughout 2024, you will be hearing the term ‘Community’ a lot – hopefully seeing it and feeling it too.

Here are some opportunities coming up to share in the Community at St Pat’s:

This Saturday night at 6pm, Fr Antony is celebrating the Eucharist at St Patrick’s Church.  Everyone is welcome to attend, and we especially extend an invitation to our new families to St Pat’s!

Next Friday (9^th February) is our Senior Commissioning and Opening Mass at 9am. There will be more information to share early next week.

At the end of the day, God calls us to community. Jesus’ greatest teachings in the New Testament challenged his disciples to consider how they can be a community. Can you imagine how they must have felt?

 It is a tough gig to follow Jesus, but wow, look at what happens when we do.

Come as you are, that’s how I want you.
Come as you are, feel quite at home.
Deidre Brown.

Learning Support News

The first two weeks have been very busy, and it has been wonderful to meet students, parents, and carers.

I have spent a lot of time working with our wonderful team of School Officers since the school year commenced.  We welcome a couple of new faces to our team this year. Together with the existing staff, we have a group of highly dedicated, passionate, and experienced staff who will be supporting our students and teachers to ensure students at St Pat’s engage in effective teaching and learning experiences.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like to discuss student concerns or just to say g’day!

God bless,
Mrs Anna Chandler
(Assistant Principal Religious Education & Learning Support)

MASS TIMES

St George-Dirranbandi Parish

Priest Administrator: Fr Anthony 0409 278 968 Email: balonneparish@bigpond.com 

TUCKSHOP

Welcome back for another year at St Pat’s. Please click the links below for our new and updated uniform price list and tuckshop menu.

Flexischools App

When ordering food for the students on the Flexischools app please be mindful that the cutoff time is exactly 8:00am on Friday mornings (at 8:01am your order will not be processed).

Regards
Sue Hopkins

CLASS News

Health & Drama

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Avril Easton (P-3) Eden Rhodes (Y4-6).

Happy New Year!

 We have had a positive start to the year with some super work being completed by the students. I’m thoroughly enjoying being back teaching after taking leave for a knee replacement. My role this year is the Health and Drama Teacher, and my classroom is in the Music room.  This Term we will be introducing the Zones of Regulation, communicating, and interacting for Health and Wellbeing. We will be practising skills and acting out different scenarios to establish and manage relationships and identifying and describing their emotions in a variety of situations.  We will be developing and identifying positive relationships whilst showing kindness, respect, empathy, and valuing differences.

It's fantastic watching the students developing their confidence whilst putting their best positive foot forward. Our Bait focus for this week has been being kind and respectful to each other, to animals and the environment.

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend.

Regards
Mrs Jane Webster

Peeking into PrepM

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Spencer Johnstone, Ellie McArthur.

I would like to congratulate all the students on a wonderful first week. It was a big week learning about the transitions at school, lunchtime protocols, our learner quality persistence and how a classroom operates. Students navigated all of this with a positive attitude although we were all ready for the weekend! 

Here are a few pieces of information regarding the coming week/s: 

• Sentral for Parents – please ensure you have downloaded the app and registered your child/ren as all communication from the school will be through the app as of Week 3. There may still be times when email communication will be necessary so, please also continue to check your emails. 
• Sports Uniform – must be worn on Wednesday as this is the day students participate in PE lessons. 
• Library - We have our first visit to the library this Thursday and students will be able to borrow books. They are allowed to borrow two books; these can be picture books or junior fiction books. Please take the time to ask your child if they borrowed and spend some time reading their books together. Library books are to be returned each Wednesday morning so that the library staff have time to return books before borrowing on Thursday. Home readers won’t commence until later in the term, but further information will be forthcoming regarding homework.
• A reminder to return KIT books each day to ensure any notes that need to go home can be placed in them. Also, if your child catches the bus, it would be greatly appreciated if you can write in the KIT book each day if they are on or not. 
• This week we start more formal learning, but still with lots of hands-on activities. We will continue to develop classroom expectations around behaviour and slowly increase student's ability to stay focussed. 
• English – For the first couple of weeks of term we will learn one letter a week and then work up to two letters a week. Our letter this week is the letter Ss and our song is Sausages are sizzling s s s . We will also start to learn about Concepts of Print; the title of a book, where we start reading, identify letters, words, sentences and full stops and discuss what an author is.  
• Mathematics – We commenced counting forward and backward to 10 last week and will continue with it this week. Our number for the week this week is 1 and we will discuss the concept of more or less. 
• Friday Assembly – currently takes place in our large hall, the MPC, commencing at 2.20 pm. Parents are most welcome to attend. During assembly, each class presents their class awards/certificates which are either around our BAIT (Be Safe, Aim High, In Control, Thinking of others) or Learning Qualities. If your child is receiving an award at assembly, you will be notified via Sentral for Parents.

Kind regards,  
Nichole & Courtney

Year 1H

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Vincent Cowan, NgKylah Saunders.

Welcome to week 2.  We have had another wonderful week getting to know each other and settling into year 1.

In English, this week we revised the single sounds and letters of the alphabet.  This week our focus has been on the letters s, a, t, p, i, n.   We also used these letters to make and sound out CVC words. 

In Mathematics, we continued to recognise and represent numbers to 20.  We also discussed words we can use to describe time and began discussed things we can do in seconds and minutes. 

In HASS, we continued to talk about who is a part of our family and what makes our families special.  It was lovely listening to your child talk about what they think makes their family special. 

Have a wonderful weekend. 
Mrs Fiona Harch

Year 1/2D

Students of the Week

Week 2 - Eddie Casalegno and Sonny Cross

Welcome to Week 2! We have had a wonderful start to the year, and it has been so great to witness the students building their relationships altogether. Thank you to all parents and carers for the time and effort taken to prepare your child for returning to school. 

Homework will commence in Week 3, being sent home each Monday. It would be great if this could please be returned each Thursday. Information regarding homework will be glued into your child’s homework book.

Some important things to note ahead of this year:

• Sports uniform – Tuesday and Wednesday
• Academic uniform – Monday, Thursday and Friday
• PE and Health – Wednesday
• Return library books please – Wednesday
• Library and Drama – Thursday

We welcome Mrs Sarah Muller and Miss Ash Ferguson into our class this year as school officers.

Please email me if you have any queries about the upcoming year.

Kind Regards,
Miss Beth Daly

Year 2G

Students of the Week

Week 2 - Annie Stewart and Dustin Keeping.

Hello, 2G parents, and welcome to our first newsletter entry for 2024!

The start of the year has been an excellent opportunity for us all to build relationships, share ideas and interests and settle into new routines.

Here are some highlights and important information:

Math: We have started learning about place value and three-digit numbers. We have mainly looked at naming the number by writing it down as it is said, then highlighting the tens and ones from the number building to recognise the hundreds column.

English: We are practising and developing our comprehension and analysing skills based on an authentic text process. This includes reading a story of interest. Some stories we have looked at included "Chip", "Giraffes Can't Dance", and "Lost and Found." After reading the story, children participated in a guided writing task where we looked at different concepts the books portrayed. 

HASS: We have started looking at places and places of significance. Topics of discussion include what the place means, what it looks like and how these features contribute to the place.

Science: We have started discussing and gaining an understanding of our science focus for the term. This focus will be based on "Change and Growth." This includes looking at how things change and grow and the process that this includes. To make this experience authentic, engaging, and relevant for the students, please email me merryn.gaggi@twb.catholic.edu.au  your child's baby photo if you would like to contribute towards this term's focus. 

Religion: We have started looking at the local parish and making connections between Jesus' mission and ministry. Discussions have been based on who serves in the local parish here at St Pat's Parish and what the parish looks like.

Art: We have begun looking at our identity through art and self-portraits. This includes portraying us in a drawing and representing our features to show who we are in the portrait.

Question to ask your child: What was the “Wonderful Word” of the day on Wednesday?

Kind regards
Miss Merryn Gaggi

Year 3C

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Tori Lamb, Chelsea Cross, Charlie Harch.

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2024. I would like to begin by welcoming families and children to Year 3. I am looking forward to forming positive partnerships between school and home. Year 3 are well into the process of having regular routines and expectations set up within the classroom.

Thank you, parents, for sending ‘Snack Attack’ in a separate container or bag. This is working well, and we are continuing to keep our lunchboxes in the classroom while the weather is hot.

We have had an excellent start to the year with the children settling very quickly into the new school year. Please feel free to pop in for a chat if you have any questions or concerns about the start of the year. 

Please see the following things to be aware of throughout the week: 

• Monday – homework is sent home.
• Tuesday – PE and Health.
• Wednesday – library books to be returned to school.
• Thursday – Library borrowing and The Arts
• Friday – Homework to be returned to school, Assembly.

Kind regards
Mrs Annette Colley

Year 4R

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Hannah Nott, Geoff Easterbrook, Kayden Passman.

Welcome to the 2024 School Year! 

I'm thrilled to be teaching Year 4! We've already had a fantastic start to the year, getting to know one another, setting classroom routines, and outlining expectations. I'm delighted with our initial progress and am eagerly anticipating our future success. 

We're indeed fortunate this year in Year 4, as we'll have the assistance of three wonderful school officers. I extend a warm welcome to Sue Hopkins, Ashleigh Ferguson, and Tony Dalton; I would also like to thank you in advance for your incredible work both inside and outside the classroom. We're excited for the wonderful year ahead with all of you. 

In our class sessions so far, we have been learning about each other and adapting to our new class routines. We've been delving into our school theme of ‘Community,’ and exploring what makes St. Patrick's Community unique. We've engaged in art classes, creating half self-portraits, and enjoying our class novel, "The Twits" by Roald Dahl. Year 4 students have also begun their new science unit titled 'Magnetic Moves.' In our first lesson, we examined different types of forces. 

Additionally, we've been investigating the thematic framework of “Under God’s rainbow we will be of service to others.” Students have participated in prayer and art activities, expressing their understanding of service, and discussing how they can render their services to others. 

Here are important events and uniform requirements for Year 4: 

Monday: Formal Uniform Required 
Tuesday: Health and PE from 8:45 to 10:45. (Sports Uniform Required) 
Wednesday: Sports Uniform Required 
Thursday: Music from 11:30 to 12:00, and Library from 12:00 to 12:30. (Formal Uniform Required) 
Friday: Homework due, weekly spelling test, homework set for next week, tuckshop, and assembly. (Formal Uniform Required).

Every day at 9:45 am, we have Snack attack. During this quick break, students can enjoy a healthy snack (fruit or vegetable sticks). Please ensure these snacks are placed in a named zip lock bag or separate container to be put in the snack attack box at the front door. During this time, students also can use the bathroom and get a drink of water.

I look forward to working with you and your child this year. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to email me at alice.rathie2@twb.catholic.edu.au . 

Here's to a wonderful week and weekend! 

Kind Regards,  
Miss Alice Rathie

Year 5W

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Levi McCulloch, Eden Rhodes.

Good afternoon, Parents and Caregivers of Year 5W,

Welcome to the end of week 2. Wasn’t the rain amazing? Particularly after those extremely hot days!

We have had a wonderful start to the school year.

In Maths, we are learning about our number facts and how fast we can recall the answer as well as being able to explain the strategy to use.

In English, we have begun to read the beautiful rich text, ‘The Last Bear,’ by Hannah Gold (does anyone have a hard copy please -that I could borrow?) This book leads very well into our science unit about adaptive behaviours for survival of animals and plants.

HASS is all about Colonial Australia, Convicts, the Goldrush and the impact on indigenous Australians. Our sailing ships are nearly completed in Art!

We are also completing daily reviews in both Literacy and Mathematics to recall facts and information about what we have learnt and what gaps we need to fill. Religion has begun with looking at scripture and comparing the authors of the Gospels.

Homework has begun, please help support your child by reminding them to hand in homework on Thursday please.

Library is on Thursday; however, the library has asked if you could you please have books back by Wednesday.

Kind regards

Mrs Christina Wardle 
Year 5 Classroom Teacher 2024

Year 6M

Students of the Week

Week 2 – Gus McCosker, Rory Southern.

Mrs Claire McDonnell 

Sport & Library News

Eley Elite

Week 2 – Kalicia Saunders.

SPORT 

Welcome to 2024.  Firstly, I would like to congratulate each student on their presentation in their sports uniform – very impressive.   We are starting the semester off with skipping – a fun, high energy activity.  From there we will move onto Roo ball, a modified soccer game and then athletics to finish off the semester. 

Today we had several students competing in the Balonne Swimming Carnival – good luck to these students.

Sporting trials will commence soon, so please keep an eye out for notes going home.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me at school.

LIBRARY 

The library is up and running for 2024.  All classes will be borrowing on Thursdays.  Please ensure you child has a library bag for borrowing.  Book return day is Wednesday so the books can be processed before borrowing again on Thursday. 

Reading is Power and Knowledge,

Binnie Eley & Julie Pike

COMMUNITY NEWS

TCKC – Position Available!

Toowoomba Catholic Kindergartens and Care

Is expanding to offer outside school hours care at St Patrick’s School, St George.

Basketball After Dark

Blue Lures St George