St Patricks Primary School Newsletter 20th June, 2017. Dear Parents and Families, What a busy term it has been! It is hard to believe that we have only two weeks until the end of term and end of the first semester of 2017. Some highlights over the past week include School / Parish Mass Sunday 18 th June A special thank you to all of our families who attended our first School Mass celebrated with our Parish at St. Patrick s Church on Sunday 18 th June. It was wonderful to see our choir leading the congregation so proudly and looking very smart in their school uniforms. Our thanks goes to Myrawin and Tim Nelson who have been working hard to prepare our choir. The children sang beautifully and we are very proud of their efforts. Thanks also to our participants; our readers adults and children, altar servers, and gift bringers. We hope this combined celebration is one of many more to come! Thanks also to our staff for attending. It was wonderful to have your support and encouragement and the children were all very excited to see them all. We also thank Miss Driscoll and Sr. Kathleen for their support in preparing the liturgy and the children so well. Well done once again! Personal Safety Incursion Bravehearts Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Show Last Thursday, our F - 6 students attended an incursion called Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Show, by Bravehearts. Whilst the messages were aimed at the lower primary school, it was important for all our students to hear the same message and to be aware of their own feelings and what to do if they ever felt unsafe or unsure. The show provided age appropriate information around body ownership and the key message; that all children have the right to feel safe from an early age. The show encouraged students to internalize these simple messages through actions and song, encouraging them to become part of their everyday language, which is aimed to support building self-esteem and resilience in children. The importance of providing positive partnerships between both school and home was reiterated to all. The promotion and reinforcement of these key personal safety messages in a clear, consistent manner, aimed to eliminate confusion for children and encourage a shared language that is easy for children to understand, remember and use. The five basic principles we need to teach children particularly between the ages of 3-8 years of age are: To trust their feelings and to distinguish between yes and no feelings To say no to adults if they feel unsafe or unsure That they own their bodies That nothing is so yucky that they can t tell someone about it That if they feel unsafe or unsure to run and tell someone they trust Have a great week, Bambi Afford.
Year F/1/2 Last week children wrote amazing information reports on a mini beasts. They will be collated and made into a book that Amanda will put in the library. This week Year 2 students will independently write an information report on an animal of their choice and the Year F/1 children will work in partners. During maths all children are working on addition and Year 1/2 children are exploring adding, with the use of a number line. Congratulations to Dylan. Eve and Sienna for reading over 100 nights, what a great effort! STUDENT OF THE WEEK Georgie Conroy for her creative writing, which had a clear beginning, middle and end. Year 3/4 On Sunday we went to the footy at the Bulldogs home ground the Etihad Stadium, to watch Bulldogs vs Melbourne. At the start Melbourne kicked the first goal. The scores were horrible, Melbourne 98 and Bulldogs 42. The Bulldogs Read people and all the other Bulldogs supporters were very angry and disappointed. The end was intense as there were fights everywhere. After the Bulldogs players went back to the club rooms, some of us got to high five some of the Bulldogs players. At the end we played markers up on the field, but it was busy as it was crowded with other families. By Charlotte, James and Will STUDENT OF THE WEEK James Reynolds for always having a happy smile on his face when he comes into school. Year 5/6 The Year 5/6 class have been learning about our Ecological Footprint and what we do as individuals, families, school community to care for, preserve and repair our environment. We have been exploring how we impact the environment, with all that we do and buy. STUDENT OF THE WEEK Issac Rawlings for the terrific way he has fitted into our school and for always giving his best efforts in developing the quality of his work. Bulldogs Read Trip to Ethiad Stadium Our Bulldogs Read participants had a wonderful outing to Etihad Stadium on Sunday to watch the Bulldogs vs Melbourne. Whilst the game was disappointing for the Bulldogs, the children enjoyed the trip to Melbourne by train and attending the game with their families. A particular highlight was having a kick on the Etihad turf after the match! Our thanks goes to Julie Bull from Bulldogs central for her organization of the day! We look forward to our next adventure with the Bulldogs Read. Check out the website http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/club/ballarat/bulldogsread-program
TOMORROW Wednesday 21st June - KELLY SPORTS for those enrolled. Interschool Sport - Away game for participants. Children will travel to and from excursion via school bus. TOMORROW - WEDNESDAY 21st June - HOT LUNCHES AVAILABLE Tuesday 27th June - P & F meeting at 9am in school board room, to discuss forming a sub committee for the Gordon Community Fair. Thursday 29th June - Anointing Mass at 11am at St Patrick s Church, Gordon. All families invited to join in this Mass. SCHOOL REPORTS WILL BE SENT HOME NEXT WEEK Friday 30th June - Whole school attending production of The Wolf & Peter at the Melbourne Art Centre. Swim and Gym 5 Week Program for all students Next Term our students will commence the Swim and Gym program at the YMCA in Ballarat. Due to the Professional Development Day on Friday 18th August, (no swim/gym on this date) the Swim/Gym program will now run until the 25th August. Our students will be transported by a Gold Bus coach, to and from the program, each Friday. The first session will commence on Friday 21 st July, which is the first Friday in Term 3. Please return your child/ children's permission slip, if you have not already done so. FRIDAY 18th AUGUST - School closure day for Professional Development Day CAN ALL PERMISSION SLIPS FOR The wolf & Peter excursion & Swim/Gym be returned this week. Monday 28th August - School Choir perform at Royal South Street competition. We warmly welcome Sumer Witcomb into our Year 3/4 Class. Sumer is in Year 4 and is settling into St Patrick s very well. We also welcome Sumer s Dad, Andrew into our wonderful school community. Our school has been asked to support the Winter Appeal for St Vincent de Paul. The need is growing and we would appreciate if families could bring along non perishable food items. Through our efforts, St Vincent de Paul is able to assist many families who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Thank you to those families who have already donated non perishable food items. Your generosity is appreciated.
KELLY SPORTS TERM 3 PROGRAM Multi-Sports Program - Wednesday's (3:40-4:40) Starting 26th July Kick, Dribble and Spike your way into our famous Kelly Sports Multi-Sports program. This term we are running a 9 week program where we aim to introduce the kid's to the wonderful world of sports whilst improving their Fundamental Motor Skills. Kelly Sports will be covering the following sports in Term 3: Soccer, Football, Volleyball, Basketball and Crazy Games! Our sessions focus on fun, enjoyment and maximum participation. So get a group of friends together and come and experience what Kelly Sports is all about!! Swim and Gym Next Term our students will commence the Swim and Gym program at the YMCA in Ballarat. Our students will be bussed to and from Ballarat each Friday to participate in the program will run over 5 weeks. The first commencing on Friday 21 st July Students will be required to bring along bathers, towel and goggles if preferred. School Closure Day for Term 3 We are currently teaching / leading our students to be respectful in their interactions with others through a program called Bounceback and through lessons during class time supported by Amy. Our aim is to be clear about what our expectations are regarding behaviour management and ensure that a consistent message is articulated to all students. A school closure day is being held in Term Three on Friday 18 th August with Dunnstown, Clark's Hill, Ballan and Siena to address this topic. We look forward to this day, as the learning will benefit all in our school community, Thanks for your support in this matter. On MONDAY 28th August, our school choir will participate in the Royal South Street Eisteddfod 2017. This is a great experience for the children and we would encourage all children to take part in the choir. Parents are welcome to come along and listen to the children perform.
Well the word has definitely spreading that GIRLS LOVE AUSKICK!! Many Auskick Centres are now running a GIRLS GROUP and girls numbers have sky-rocketed as a result! Why do girls love Auskick? Well, for the same reasons as the boys: Auskick is great fun for girls too! Girls love playing with their friends and making new friends; Girls love being part of a group or team; Girls love kicking goals just like the boys do! So a GIRLS GROUP at Auskick is a great way for the girls to be included in Auskick while learning all about footy and socialising as well. Some girls may choose to be part of their age group (with the boys) but most girls prefer to be in the girls only group. It s great to offer them both and let them choose! Do you know a young girl wanting to try her hand at football? We have 3 amazing new Girls Auskick centres set to start up in Term 3, 2017. Each program will run for 6 weeks and also includes the opportunity to play a grid game at the half time break of our first ever AFL Goldfields Womens finals, your registration fee will cover the cost of the program plus the participants will receive a special All Girls Auskick Pack on the first night. Below are our three fantastic new centers along with the registration link and details - Ballarat Girls Auskick: White Flat Oval, Hickmans Street Ballarat 3350 Days: Wednesday Time: 4.30pm - 5.30pm Duration: 1 Hour Start Date: 19/07/17 Finish Date: 23/08/17 Price: $50.00 Register for Ballarat: https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi? formid=54693&nfentitytypeid=5&nfentityid=25931&aid=25931 - Central Highlands Girls Auskick: Gordon Primary School, Gordon 3345 Days: Friday Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm Duration: 1 hour Start Date: 21/07/17 Finish Date: 25/08/17 Price: $50.00 Register for Central Highlands: https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi? formid=54693&nfentitytypeid=5&nfentityid=26356&aid=26356 Dear Families, our school will be involved in the Gordon Community Fair on the 12th November. This will be a major fundraiser for our school and we are looking to form a fair sub committee. We will be holding a meeting in the Board Room next Tuesday morning, 27th June at 9am. At this meeting, we will be having an informal chat and a brainstorming session. We are forecasting to raise huge funds from the Fair.