NEWSLETTER 31 - October 19th 2021

Principal's Reflection

The Apostle Paul wrote the following (1 Corinthians 13:13) to the young church at Corinth after being saddened by the obvious divisions that were appearing amongst the faithful: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is …”  (the final word will be revealed at the end of this reflection.) Paul had ‘the end in mind’, having faith and hope that the people in the new Christian church of Corinth would, in love, overlook, and be respectful in challenging the inadequacies of others, as they, too, would hope and have faith that others would, in love, seek to overlook, and be respectful in challenging the inadequacies of themselves.

As a school community comprised of such a wide range of temperaments, dispositions, and talents, we, too, are called upon to have faith and hope in our daily interactions with each other as, through love, we work towards an end in mind; an ‘end’ or goal that may be expressed as each member striving, with hope and faith, in endeavours to reach one’s potential according to our individual talents. Learning and education in its many guises begins by relying on drawing from each of us our unique talents, but it should ideally end with the ‘divine’ or the service to others by the recognition of these unique talents - both service to self and to/for others are integral factors in the human endeavour.

Not too many of us make a habit of reading the end of a novel before commencing the book; not too many of us watch the end of a recorded movie prior to watching the beginning; none of us can determine or predict with authority how our lives will eventuate. However, we all live in hope. Teachers at St Patrick’s start each school day meeting together and participating in a reflection and a shared conversation; the hope we have in being productive at the beginning of each day is a testament to the faith that we share in our planning, programming, resourcing and enacting of routines and protocols. At the centre of our actions is the mantra, “Staff Welfare, Student Outcomes” – each part of this mantra is co-dependent and not mutually exclusive. It is one of the aspects of our school that assists us in our endeavours to be true to the service aspect of education. Staff are busy implementing learning and teaching programs that are designed to offer both positive beginnings and ‘endings’ that reflect growth, however, despite the planning and efforts to individualise learning as much as possible in order to scaffold student learning, we cannot predict where a student will ‘end’ when we come to writing end of year reports in six weeks, as learning does not usually end with a report; rather it is an indicator of growth over a period of time and offers hope for continued progress.

There are numerous academic studies that describe school climate as the heart and soul of any school and the essence of the school that draws teachers and students to love the school and to want to be a part of it. The terms ‘hope’ and ‘faith’ to some, appear contradictory – one relies on ‘a wish and a prayer’, while the other implies action through experience. Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, writer and Catholic theologian highlighted the value in ‘contrariness’ by stating: “Two contrary reasons. We must begin with that, otherwise we cannot understand anything, and everything is heretical. And even at the end of each truth we must add that we are bearing the opposite truth in mind.” Thus, we arrive at the unifying term that the apostle Paul knew to be as contrary, yet as powerful, as the terms ‘hope’ and ‘faith’, and, in Paul’s words, ‘the greatest being ‘love’. I thank all those in our school community whose words and actions are a testament to the collective hope and faith and love that should reflect our support for each other’s learning, being only too aware that each day we need to nurture this belief if we are to avoid an ‘ending’ that is contrary to the strength that each of these words offer.

Regards,

Rod Linhart 

PRINCIPAL 

Upcoming Events

OCTOBER

• Mon 18th: Morning Assembly - All Welcome 
• Wed 20th: LHS Year 6 Taster Day (9.00am -1.00pm)
  
• Fri 22nd: Year 1 & 2 Excursion - Hagley Farm
• Mon 25th: Morning Assembly  - All Welcome
  • Fire Education Program K-6 (all week)
    
• Wed 27th: School Counselor available 
• Thurs 28th: Crazy Sock Day - Gold Coin Donation

NOVEMBER

• Mon 1st: Public Holiday - Recreation Day
• Wed 3rd: School Counselor available
• Thurs 4th: Athletics Carnival (TBC)
• Mon 8th: Morning Assembly - All Welcome
  •  School Swimming Program (2 weeks Yr 2-5)
    
  • 2022 Pre-Kinder Session (9am - 10.30am) 
• Wed 10th: School Counselor available
• Mon 15th: Morning Assembly - All Welcome
  • 2022 Pre Kinder Session (9am - 10.30am)
    
• Wed 17th: School Counselor available
• Mon 22nd: Morning Assembly - All Welcome
• Thurs 25th: Devonport All Schools Triathlon
• Fri 26th: Devonport Show Public Holiday
• Mon 29th: Morning Assembly - All Welcome
  • Year 5 Camp - Depart (Details TBA)
• Tues 30th - SBSC Orientation Day  (8.40am - 3.00pm)
  • Year 5 Camp - Return

Staff News

Mr Atkins was on leave on Monday.  Mrs Leonard is away all week. Karlie Lawson (School Counsellor) visits each wednesday - please contact Mr Linhart for any information regarding making an appointment with Karlie. Mr Linhart will be attending a Principals' Meeting on Friday. 

Year 6 News - Mrs. Kingshott

Year 6 students have been working on six word narratives based on the lives and rights of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the 20th Century 

• the first two words should grab the reader’s attention.
• the next two words should be something unexpected.
• the last two words should leave the ending open to interpretation.
  

PLEASE Help!

 Forced Slaves,

Stolen Generation.

By Grace.

Artefacts uncovered,

angry Aboriginals,

displayed forever.

By Jaxon.

1967 Referendum,

Aboriginal Rights,

Mixed Results.

Lost generation,

in need,

please vote.

By Emily.

Country gone,

lost culture,

taken away.

By Coby.

Taken away,

hurting outcasts,

new life.

By Keira.

Religious Education - Mrs. Halley

Mercy Day fundraising

Thank you everyone for a most wonderful effort with the "watch our love grow" heart and hospitality and pet food donations as part of our Mercy Week celebrations, last week last term.  We presented St Vincent de Paul with the donations and money and they were so very appreciative.  We truly have shown the spirit of the Mercy Sisters in our reaching out to others in our community. 

The thank you card from St Vincent de Paul's fundraising advisor says, 
"Thank you very much for raising $404.20 for the St Vincent de Paul Society. It is a lot of money to raise and will assist many people who are doing it tough right now. You are very kind, thoughtful and generous students and we think you are the best!

CRAZY SOCK DAY - Thursday, 28th October. 

Wear your craziest socks and bring in a gold coin donation for Catholic Mission's Socktober Month appeal. 

Fire Education Week

Canteen - Term 4

Please find attached a new summer menu for term 4. If anyone wishes to volunteer and help out in the canteen on a Thursday or Friday feel free to contact the office and we can pass on your details. A copy of the menu has gone home with students today and is available on our website. 

Staff Car Park

In the interest of safety, a reminder that families are asked to not use the Staff Carpark as an entrance to the school. Families can access the school via the gate near the Noone St turning circle. Thank you for your support of student wellbeing.

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 Evie Bracken 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. 

Term 4 - School & House Captains

Congratulations to the following students who were elected for school and house captains for term 4. 

School Captain - Gideon Barker & Georgie Tueon

Martyn House Captain- Emma Watson, EJ Sullivan & Tyler Bakes

Dooley House Captain - Stella Riley, Emily Phegan & Ruben Clarke

Byrne House Captain - Talei Sesara, Maddy Hawkins & Kale Garrad

Student of the Week

Prep: Mark Hingston for his positive attitude and increased application towards his work. 

Year 1: Ross Crawford For his consistent classroom engagement and display of WEST qualities.

Year 2: Peyton Allford for improving her reading by consistently using strategies that she has learned.

Year 3: Ruby Warren for effort and application towards completing tasks and for always demonstrating respect towards others.

Year 4: Lachlan Riley for his positive attitude to Mathematics tasks and his improvement with handwriting.

Year 5: Jack Chapman for the attention to detail he applies to all creative tasks. 

Year 6: Loretta Smith for making thoughtful and kind comments on other students’ MJR Green Cards.

House & Recycling Raffle Winners

Byrne House: Maria Al-Shabbani 

Dooley House: Loretta Smith 

Martyn House: Isaac Banks

Book Club - Issue 7

BOOK CLUB Issue 7 is out now. This issue has some wonderful Christmas gift ideas, loads of new releases for your children's summer holiday reading and it is jam-packed, so make sure you have a look! Remember you can order online or via paper order, orders close 26th October 2021.

St Brendan Shaw College Extra Transition and Orientation Days

The following days have been confirmed for the extra transition and orientation days for Year 7, 2022

• Extra Transition Day #1 - 25 November, 2021 - 10.00am - 12.30pm 
• Orientation Day - 30 November, 2021 - 8.40am - 3.00pm
• Extra Transition Day #2  - 3rd December, 2021 - 1.00pm - 2.45pm (to invited students who have been identified as needing an extra day from two previous visits).
  

Upon arrival, students are requested to meet in the Westcourt area (adjacent to the turning circle off James Street).

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 

Latrobe Junior Cricket Club

Port Sorell Table Tennis Club

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.

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 - UPDATE

We often have families who are in need of support 'on the day' and our request for support, such as a meal, may be supplied too late to really assist at a critical juncture. As such, if you feel that you are willing and able to assist in the preparation of a meal (or even a portion of a meal)  that we can then store in the school freezer and make available to families 'on the day', please feel welcome to drop in a meal - it could simply be adding a little more of the same ingredients to a meal you are already preparing and putting aside the extra quantity for our Care and Concern initiative. Always please contact your child’s teacher, the office staff or Mr Linhart if you feel we could offer support in any way to anyone in our school community in need. Thank you.

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