Newsletter 172- August 15th 2025

School Assemblies:  Our assemblies happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:45pm in the school hall.  Students are dismissed from the hall on this day.  We invite all our community to come along.

Week 4- Senior R
Week 5- Book Week Parade Assembly
Week 6- Junior C
Week 7- Senior M
Week 8- Junior B
Week 9- Commendation Badge Presentation

Professional Development:  At St Patrick’s Primary School we are committed to Professional Development of our team.  At various times staff members will be working off site or online which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.

Term 2 Week 5 & 6- 

Literacy Assessment Update – DIBELS

This week, students across Foundation to Year 6 are participating in our mid-year DIBELS assessments (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). DIBELS is a research-based assessment tool that measures the development of key reading skills. These short, targeted assessments give us valuable insights into how students are progressing in foundational areas such as phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and oral reading.

Each year level completes age-appropriate tasks. For example, Foundation and Year 1 students might be asked to name letters or segment sounds in words, while students in older years complete oral reading fluency tasks and nonsense word reading to assess decoding strategies.

The purpose of DIBELS is not to generate marks or grades, but to help teachers identify students’ strengths and needs, and to adjust classroom instruction or interventions accordingly. The data we collect allows us to track growth over time and ensure that every child is supported in developing strong literacy skills.

This is one of several assessment tools we use at St Patrick’s throughout the year to monitor progress, inform our teaching, and ensure that all students are thriving on their learning journey.

Senior R:

I know I tend to say this every time, but the term is flying by! Apart from a bit of illness sweeping through the class, it has been a wonderful start to Term 3.

We started the term with a visit to Eventide Homes which is always a lovely time.  The children played darts, quoits and nerf target with the residents and some painted.  It was lovely to see the talents of residents and their beaming smiles when the children walked in.  We were even spoiled with chocolate as we left.

There are many things happening in our Literacy sessions.  We have daily reviews, spelling, vocabulary and grammar as well as continuing to read our class novel Boy Overboard.  In our comprehension activities for this book we are focussing on literal and inferential information and defining words. Our rotations have a variety of activities including; handwriting, touch typing, comprehension, teacher read and free read.  In Writing, we are completing information reports on a chosen animal.  The children have researched their own information for certain sub-heading and are now at the publishing stage.  There is a choice on how to present the information reports with slide show, poster and Google Sites being the most popular.

In Maths, the Grade 5’s have been learning different strategies you can use to solve division problems.  They have also been learning to measure angles with a protractor and read and convert 24-hour time.  Grade 6’s have also been solving division problems using the partitioning strategy.  Due to a high number of students being away on Tuesday, both Grade 5 and 6 came together for Maths.  They worked in teams to complete a challenge titled ‘The Celebrity Killer’ which was created by Mia and Archie as one of their extension tasks.  While we have not completed it yet, it will be good to see who was to blame!

In Religion, we were lucky enough to participate in Kindness Day.  We went and visited some kindergartens, Greenfingers Nursery, the SES and Skene Street School and then ended the day with a movie night.  We have since been learning about Mary MacKillop as it was her Feast Day last Friday and now we are learning about the Assumption of Mary.  We have our liturgy on Friday morning if you are free to join us in the hall at 9am.

Miss Bonney has been working very hard to prepare the children for the upcoming school concert.  This will be a wonderful community event and we thank Miss Bonney for her tireless work in putting this all together.

Next week we celebrate Book Week.  We take a break from our usual routine and will be reading books nominated for The Children’s Book of the Year Awards. Don’t forget we have our Book Week Dress Up Day next Friday 22nd August and you are all invited to come and see all our costumes, visit our classrooms and then join us for morning.

We look forward to seeing you at our assembly this week!

Week 3: 

Oliver Dickson - For retelling your own fairy tale and recording your ideas independently, showing the superpower of being a risk-taker.

Sophie Sanderson - For improved focus during InitiaLit PowerPoints and for helping care for God’s creation by picking up rubbish.

Mackenzie Bourke - For being an outstanding example of a student who is respectful and responsible at all times. Thank you for being an absolute delight in the classroom!

Johan Joseph - For working really hard to make sure that your sentences make sense and sound right. Congratulations and well done!

George Darker - For the active participation you have been displaying in Maths so far this term. Keep up the awesome work George!

Imogen Nelson - For being a kind, compassionate member of the classroom. You are always willing to help out your classmates when they need. Thank you Immy!

Emila Jones - For your enthusiasm, positive attitude and dedication towards making sure that our play was a success. Thank you Em!

Delilah Terwisscha- For your positive attitude towards all your learning tasks this week. You have been listening carefully to teacher instructions and making sure to use all your Learner Superpowers. Keep it up!

Mason Scott - For approaching all learning activities with a positive and resilient attitude. Well done Mason!

Mac Bibby - For the way in which you contribute to class discussions. Your input is invaluable and demonstrates a great depth of understanding. Keep it up!

Beverly Parkin Alamo - For demonstrating great skill during maths in dividing whole numbers and decimal fractions using parts.

Willow Boylan - For the joy and enthusiasm you show during our Performing Arts lessons. Keep it up Willow!

Fletcher Thomas - For the hard work you have put into your information report about fresh-water crocodiles. I can't wait to read the published piece.

Sophie O'Callaghan - For taking risks in all areas of your learning but especially during writing. Keep it up Sophie!

Week 4: 

Levante Di Pietro - For sharing your knowledge with others by teaching them new skills, and continually extending your own learning, showing the superpower of self-motivation.

Emilia Nelson - For working hard on your writing skills by sounding out unfamiliar words and using them to make your sentences more interesting.

Aurie Lyons - For always completing set tasks efficiently and swiftly. Congratulations and thank you for working really hard to finish your work.

Amelia O'Callaghan - For writing insightful sentences about the books we have been reading. Congratulations and thank you for thinking so deeply about topics.

Kaison Portelli - For the wonderful self-motivation you have been displaying in all areas of your learning this week. Keep up the hard work Kai!

Madilyn Carlsen - For being a resilient and self-motivated learner in all areas of your learning this week. Well done Madi!

Ruby Allen - For the determination and resilience you have displayed this week in all learning areas. Keep it up Ruby!

Beau Cullen - For the engagement you have shown during your small group work in Literacy this week. Well done Beau!

Edie MacPherson - For always completing your work with care, consideration, and pride.  Well done Edie!

Jack Driscoll - For the enthusiasm you bring to every class discussion.  Keep being curious about the world around you.  Congratulations Jack!

Zarli Nicholson - For the effort and detail you are putting into your information report on otters. Well done on seeking feedback to uplevel your work. Keep working hard!

Prithvi Renjith - For the great improvements you have shown in your reading fluency and comprehension. Keep up the hard work!

Augus Justin - For being an amazing member of Senior M this year, we are going to miss you. Good luck with your move to Ballarat.

Marnie Currie - For the detailed information report you produced on lemon sharks. Your published booklet was of outstanding quality.

Mary Mackillop Feast Day

Last week we celebrated the feast day of St Mary of the Cross Mackillop

Mary MacKillop led an extraordinary life. She was born on January 15, 1842, in Fitzroy, Melbourne, to Scottish immigrants Alexander and Flora MacKillop. She passed away on August 8, 1909, in North Sydney. Despite early financial hardships that led to what she considered an “unhappy” childhood, Mary’s life took a remarkable turn.

At the age of 18, she moved to Penola, South Australia, to work as a governess for relatives. During her time there, she crossed paths with Fr Julian Tenison Woods. Together, they established a school for underprivileged children. This initiative laid the foundation for the creation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, making Mary the founder of Australia’s first religious institute.

In 1871, a dispute with the Bishop of Adelaide led to Mary’s excommunication (the act of refusing to allow someone to be involved in the Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, and not allowing that person to take part in the Sacraments). The following year, the Bishop reversed this decision, acknowledging Mary’s innocence. In a testament to her commitment, Mary journeyed to Rome in 1873/74. There, she secured the Pope’s approval for the rule of her Order, a significant achievement.

Under Mary’s guidance, the Sisters of St Joseph thrived. They embarked on a mission to provide education, especially in remote and rural Australia, (including in the Ballarat Diocese) also caring for orphans, and engaging in other charitable endeavours across the countryside. Despite facing challenges, Mary’s determination remained unwavering.

The Sisters of St Joseph continue Mary MacKillop’s legacy today. They serve the disadvantaged in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Timor Leste, Scotland, Ireland, and Peru. Her story resonates as a testament to the transformative power of determination education and compassion. Adapted from Diocese of Parramatta

Do you or someone that you know need some help?

 If you need help with groceries and shopping vouchers go to -

The Cottage 20 Sloane St Stawell.  Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10:30am and 12:30pm. In out of hours emergencies ring 0408 038 949.

If you need help with fresh fruit and vegetables go to -

Stawell Neighbourhood House 42 Sloane St.  Open Mondays – Fridays 9am -5pm.

If you need help other than groceries and food, contact – Stawell St Vincent de Paul Society – 0437 344 324 and leave a message.  They will contact you within 24 hours.

Mary Rita Thomas
Sec. and Public Officer, Stawell Inter Church Council (welfare Cottage)
President, Stawell conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society

Stawell St Vincent de Paul and Stawell Inter Church Council welfare Cottage would like to thankyou all for your lovely donations to help those in need in our community.  Your dental health care packages were beautifully presented and much appreciated.  We would also like to congratulate St Pat’s Mini Vinnies for their lovely school assembly on Friday 1^st August.  Well done.

Thanks,

Mary Rita Thomas
President Stawell St Vincent de Paul, Sec and Public Officer, Stawell Inter Church Council.

FUNDRAISING:

Each Friday our MiniVinnies group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00 each St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a student program. As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support. 

Finn

For being a kind and thoughtful member of your classroom

Thank you for your Kindness.

Curtis 

For being a responsible member of our school community and looking out for those younger than himself

Thank you for your Kindness.

Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday in the last fortnight: 

Beau, Oliver S, Ethan and Harry S