NEWSLETTER 21 - July 27th 2021

Acting Principal's Reflection

The Olympics seems to capture the interest of our nation unlike any other event. I am amazed that these human beings are able to operate at superhuman levels. Ariarne Titmus winning the gold medal in the 400m Freestyle event was amazing to watch (not to mention the reaction of her coach). Seeing her come back at the superstar from the USA, Katie Ledecky, over the final 50m was inspirational, made even more special for us by the fact that she was born and bred in Tasmania. Yet, we are seeing the final product (hopefully not the final time she wins gold for Australia), a four-minute moment of glory, based on many years of hard work and extreme dedication. No doubt there would have been setbacks along the way, challenges that she has faced and had to overcome. Hopefully, this is a message that our students can take on board. Not many things in life come easily. We have to work hard to achieve our goals. There will be setbacks and challenges on the way that we will need to overcome if we are to succeed. Even if we are particularly talented in a certain area, as Ariarne is with swimming, we still need to work hard and push ourselves to reach our full potential. Relying on our natural gifts getting us through only goes so far.

Our minds play the biggest role when facing setbacks or challenges. There is a growing body of research on the part that mindsets play when things are going poorly. It will not come as a surprise to you that people with a positive mindset have a much greater success rate when dealing with challenges than those with a negative mindset. Positive mindsets allow us to build the skills and resilience to deal with setbacks and push through to achieve a better result in future situations. However, it is all well and good to say “have a positive mindset”, but how do we improve our mindset? It is difficult to stay positive when things go wrong or when things are getting hard! Again, research points the way here. There is growing evidence to suggest that having a set of key phrases, or things that we tell ourselves, in difficult situations, goes a long way to improve our mindset. We call this strategy 'positive self-talk’. We may already be aware of negative self-talk. This is where we put ourselves down. For example, when something goes wrong we may say “that is so like me, I am always getting these things wrong”. Notice the very strong word “always”. We say “always”, even though that is not really true. We make the situation worse in our heads than it actually is. This stifles our willingness to try again or to make positive changes. To be positive, we need to flip this self-talk around. We can do this by having go-to lines prepared for these situations. An example would be to say, “that really wasn’t like me, I know that I can do that better next time if I …”, or “I know that I find this hard, but I know I will get it soon because I have only just started learning this new concept”. Simply using this change in language, even if you don’t fully believe it at first, allows our brain to remain open to possibilities rather than shutting it down. I hope that, as part of our work in Visible Learning, all of our students are able to build the strategies and resilience required to show positive mindsets in the face of all challenges.

I would like to congratulate our new School and House Captains for Term 3 (listed below), as well as thank our Captains from Term 2. We know that our Term 3 Captains will represent St Patrick’s with pride and we look forward to working with them over the coming months.

Kind regards

Kurt Atkins

Acting Principal

Upcoming Events

AUGUST 

• Tuesday 10th - Catholic Education Week Mass at Sacred Heart Church  - Year 6  attending
• Thursday 12th - Ye Olde Fashion Day 
  
• Upcoming Events in August - Dates TBA
• Book Week
• Book Fair 
• Book Week Dress Up Day 

Staff News

Miss. Moore was away on Monday - Mrs. Badcock and Mr. Atkins worked with Year 5.

Ms. Stuart was away on Monday - Miss. Brown taught Year 4.

Mr. O'Brien will be away on Friday at a meeting - Miss. Brown will teach Year 1. 

School Captains

Congratulations to all our Term 3 School Captains and House Captains 

School Captains - Georgie Tueon, Gideon Barker and EJ Sullivan.

Dooley House Captain - Stella Riley, Nathan Davis and Ruben Clarke.

Martyn House Captain - Tyle Bakes, Emma Watson and Tully Valentine-Smith.

Byrne House Captain - Maddy Hawkins and Kale Garrad.

Student Support

Teachers have reviewed students Learning Plan 1 from Terms 1 and 2 and are in the final stages of completing new learning plans for Terms 3 & 4.  Reviewed learning plans and copies of new learning plans will be sent home next week for your review and signature.

If you would like to make an appointment for a learning plan meeting with your child’s teacher and Mrs Marshall, could you please contact your child’s teacher to arrange a convenient time.  If you would like to book a time throughout the day, this can be accommodated. 

If you child has a learning plan for the first time, we would really like the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your child and their new plan. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Marshall.

Camps - Year 6 & Year 5

Our Year 6 and Year 5 camps will still be going ahead as originally communicated to families in Term 1.  Year 6 will have their camp as planned in September; however, we are now looking at early term 4 for our Year 5 camp. We are in the final stages of planning and getting confirmation on the accommodation and activities for the Year 6 camp and will have final details out to families this week. 

Tasmanian Victoria Cross Book Launch

Last week our School Captains had the opportunity to attend the book launch of the new edition of 'Our Heroes - Tasmania's Victoria Cross Recipients' written by Guy Barnett. This new edition includes a chapter on Edward 'Teddy' Sheean VC. Our Captains represented the school extremelly well and did an amazing job in speaking with members of parliment and Teddy's relatives. We kindly thank Guy Barnett MP for donating six copies of the new edition of the book to the school.

Religious Education - Ye Olde Fashioned Day

As part of 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia and during Catholic Education Week (week 4) we will be having a "YE OLDE FASHIONED DAY".  Please save this date: Thursday, 12th August.  
For this day we will be encouraging students and staff to dress up in old-fashioned clothes, so you may like to start planning what would be suitable for your child/ren to wear.  There are lots of ideas on the internet (boys: braces, vests, caps, long shorts, buttoned up shirts, long socks. girls: long skirts, tights, straw hat, ribbon bow around collared shirt, cardigan, shawl/poncho ...). Op shops are a great place to look for items.  As a staff we are planning lots of old-fashioned activities throughout the whole day.  It should be a great day. More details to come.  

Reminder - Reconciliation Preparation Parent Meeting

A parent-child activity based program is offered to children from the age of 7 who are preparing for Reconciliation. Reconciliation is celebrated before Confirmation and First Eucharist; usually at 8 or 9 years of age. However, as this is a family-centred approach, parents can decide when their child is ready to prepare for the Sacrament.

Parent Meeting: 27^th July 7:00pm Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Stewart Street, Devonport.       

As parents guide their children through the preparation it is essential that parents attend this meeting. If parents are unable to make this date, an alternative time can be arranged. Please call the Parish office to make an alternative time.

If you have any questions about the Sacramental preparation program, please contact:
Sacramental Coordinator - Fr Steven Smith mlcpsacraments@aohtas.org.au

Parish Office 6424 2783

Or you can speak to myself at the school or at helen.halley@catholic.tas.edu.au

Census Information

Taking Photos

Please be aware when taking photos of your own child that it is important to ensure, where possible, that faces of other students are not in the photo. This is especially important if you plan to put a photo of your child on social media. It is never appropriate to put a photo of another child on social media or upload it to the internet without the express permission of that child's parent/s and/or guardian/s.

WEST Award

Congratulations to Harper Clark who received a WEST Award during today’s morning assembly. We will continue to acknowledge those students who exhibit WEST (Welcoming, Encouraging; Sorry; Thankful) qualities and Mercy Values (Hospitality, Compassion, Mercy and Respect) by presenting awards at our Monday morning assemblies. 

Student of the Week

Prep: Esther Bloomfield for her excellent work in extending herself in her writing.  

Year 1: Archer Parry for his outstanding work with learning his sight words. 

Year 2: Owen Christie for working hard at improving his whole body listening and turn-taking skills during shared discussions. 

Year 3: Emilia Ling for being a responsible learner and for always demonstrating the WEST values.

Year 4: Frank Dewrance-Milligan for displaying the WEST quality of welcoming, especially towards our new student. 

Year 5: Sasha Tucker for an enthusiastic and positive start to term 3

Year 6: Jess Gatehouse for always being cooperative and for working with a range of individuals in a supporting manner. 

House Raffle Winners

Byrne House: Zarna Bakes 

Dooley House: Evie Bracken

Martyn House: Kaylee Chappell-Hope

Position Vacant – Casual Bus Cleaner

Seeking expressions of interest for a motivated person seeking casual hours between 9.00am and 2.30pm – perfect for a parent with school age children.

The role involves cleaning of bus exteriors and interiors, no experience necessary and on the job training is provided. Please apply to simon@merseylink.com.au with a resume

Book Club

Issue 5 of Book Club is out now. It's a  bumper Book Week Issue, celebrating The Children's Book Council of Australia's shortlists of books and some ideas for dressing up for Book Week! Make sure you have a browse! Orders need to be placed by 05/08/2021.

Nut Allergy School

A reminder to parents that St Patrick's is a Nut Allergy School and that we ask that parents not pack nuts or nut products in their children's lunchboxes.

Photos of Sporting Events

If any parents or guardians have photos of students from school sporting teams and would like to see these included in the newsletter, please email them to stpatslat@catholic.tas.edu.au 

Inquiring Minds - Birth to 5 Years

‘Inquiring Minds’ Birth to 5 program - a ‘Set-Up for Success’ Catholic Education Tasmania initiative.
Our ‘Inquiring Minds’ birth to 5 program operates each Friday during school term time from 9.00am to 10.30am. This program involves a considerable focus on communicating to parents the learning intentions of important activities that are associated with early years learning. Mrs Klug will be working to engage parents in early years learning experiences that will ensure children who are enrolling in Kindergarten, will be informed in regards to developing key social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills and understandings. Parents or an adult family member stays for the duration of these sessions; there is no cost, however if you would like to donate a gold coin it would be appreciated. Please feel welcome to participate.

Care and Concern

Please feel welcome to be included in our Care and Concern Volunteer List - thank you to the many school community members who are already on this list and are assisting others: Always please contact your child’s teacher, the office staff or Mr Atkins if you feel we could offer support in any way to anyone in our school community in need.

Devonport Library - Children's Programs

Netball - Primary Spring Roster

Please contact Mrs Hayes if your child is interested in participating in the upcoming Netball spring roster. 

Devonport Junior Soccer

Please email Devonport Junior Soccer Club devonportjuniorsoccer@gmail.com by no later than Friday 30th July if you would like to participate in this upcoming course. 

Check in TAS App

It is now a requirement, as part of our COVID Policy, that any adult that visits the school must sign in using the 'Check in TAS App'. 

Please view the below PDF for information regarding how to install and use the Check in TAS App.

We have QR codes at the office, school hall, entry doors and classroom doors that can be scanned using this app when you enter a school building.

If you do not have a smartphone or device that will let you install this app, you will need to visit the school office so that we can check you in.

Covid-19 School Safety Protocol

• Adults to please hand sanitise upon entering any school building: the school provides hand sanitiser at school venue entry points or adults may use their own (and be observed to use a sanitiser).
  
• Adults, where practicable, to maintain 1.5m physical distancing, observing seating arrangements as communicated by signage or instruction please: indoor event attendance limited to one person per 2 square metre per indoor space.
• Adults to sign-in, either at the school office or on a list provided at the entry of the school building. The school is obligated to record contact details of visitors to school events held in school venues, with this information stored securely for a period of 21 days.
• Appropriate COVID safe signage is communicated at school entry points. Key message to visitors - if feeling unwell, it is important not to be in attendance; the school will bar entry to people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who are close contacts of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
• Although daily cleaning of frequently touched internal surfaces is undertaken, we ask adult visitors to avoid touching surfaces unnecessarily.
  

THANK YOU