Principal Report
Staff for 2024
Yesterday, we held our orientation session for 2024. Students met their new teachers in their new classrooms.
Next year, we say farewell and thank you to the following staff who will be leaving the school this year.
Mr Shane O’Brien will be taking a year's leave from teaching.
Mrs Kylie Fenton will take a year's leave to work at St Brendan Shaw College.
Mrs Belinda Downward will return to Our Lady of Lourdes where she takes up a teaching position, as well as Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Key Teacher.
Ms Elodie Woodcock will take up a position at Latrobe High.
Ms Kris Brown who has been our Health and PE teacher for the past two years.
Mr David Angliss will be leaving the school when his contract as Chaplain ends this year. David has worked with students in intervention, breakfast club, canteen and provided activities, such as chess, bowls, and volleyball during recess and lunch, as well as assisting with LEGO League.
Teacher Assistants Mrs Carmen Dickson and Miss Molly Kenny will also be leaving at the end of this year. We also sincerely thank Miss Zoey Woods, Mrs Julie Lockyer, Miss Darian Sutton, and all of our relief teachers and teacher assistants who helped out during the year.
We are currently still interviewing for positions for 2024, but we can confirm the following teachers:
Kindergarten / SETUP: Mrs Laura Stoessiger
Prep: Mrs Ann Jak
Year 1: Mrs Megan Meech - Mon, Tues / Mrs Jillian Bruni - Wed, Thurs, Fri
Year 2: Miss Mel Zeleznik
Year 3: Mrs Patrice Riordan
Year 4: Ms Erin Moore - Mon, Tues / TBC - Wed, Thurs, Fri
Year 5: Ms Jane Stuart - Mon - Thurs / TBC - Fridays
Year 6: Mrs Karyn Kingshott - Mon, Tues / Mrs Abbey O’Brien - Wed, Thurs, Fri
HPE: Mr Jarrod Wilson
Music / Drama: Mrs Leonie Watson Peters
LOTE - Japanese: Mrs Kayla Lockett
Aboriginal Mural - Oonah the Platypus
St Patrick’s Catholic School is located on the traditional lands of the Punnilerpanner people of the North Nation. Included in the mural landscape are the flora and fauna found local to Latrobe. Many of the animals in the story have suffered from changes in their habitat due to colonisation. Pacific black ducks have been cross breeding with introduced species, green and gold frog populations have dropped with chytrid fungus and predation, eagles and owls have suffered from rodenticide poisoning, platypus have restricted habitats. Freshwater lobster numbers are down due to farm practices.
The mural is based on the Dreamtime story of Oonah the Platypus. The platypus came to be from Woorah, the pacific black duck, and Lurli, the water rat. The narrator of the story is Erriba, the white cockatoo, who said “A terrible thing happened”, and Tarner, the kangaroo who added, “Lurli and Woorag found a way to trap many frogs”. Rala, the white frog, said “stop them, they’re eating all my cousins.” Other animals in the mural were based on the artwork from students. Rawannah, the snake with the petroglyph design, is the creator of the hills, mountains and rivers, Purinina the Tasmanian devil, Kurina the wedge tail eagle are also included in the mural. The cultural landscape includes a smoking bowl, fire sticks, tree mosaics, the iris, basket with swan eggs and the grinding stone. See if you can spot these when you see our mural.
Child Exploitation
In the lead up to the end of year school holidays, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is asking education departments to share important safety information within our school communities to help prevent sextortion.
Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where someone tricks or coerces people into sending sexual images of themself and then threatens to share the images unless they comply with their demands. The ACCCE is receiving around 300 reports of financial sextortion per month, with the majority of reports involving 13-17-year-olds. There are serious safety concerns for victims, with instances of self-harm attributed to this crime.
The ACCCE has several resources to support school communities including:
- Downloadable posters
- Animations
- ThinkUKnow online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit
- Messaging kits and social media assets
The Sextortion Messaging Kit provides links to these resources.
For more information and further access to resources visit accce.gov.au/sextortionhelp
Online child sexual exploitation, including sextortion, can be reported to accce.gov.au/report
Advent
Advent comes from the Latin word meaning "coming." Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of preparation, much like Lent. Prayer, penance and fasting are appropriate during this season.
Advent is not as strict as Lent, and there are no rules for fasting, but it is meant to be a period of self-preparation. The purple color associated with Advent is also the color of penance. The faithful should fast during the first two weeks in particular and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The color of the Third Sunday of Advent is rose. This color symbolizes joy and represents the happiness we will experience when Jesus comes again. The Third Sunday is a day of anticipatory celebration. It is formerly called "Gaudete" Sunday; gaudete means "rejoice" in Latin.
Finally, Sundays during Advent, just as during Lent, should not be given to fasting, but instead to celebration because we celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord every Sunday. It is important to remember, however, there are no particular rules for how the laity should observe Advent.
Retrieved from Catholic Online Definition of Advent - Advent & Christmas Season - Catholic Online
Thank you
I’d like to thank our amazing staff for their commitment and hard work over the year. Thank you to our amazing students for their engagement in learning and demonstrating the values of the school. Thank you to our families and school community for your support of the school throughout the year.
Carmen Aylott
Principal