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Heavenly Father,
In the midst of conflict in Israel and Gaza, we humbly seek your divine intervention. Bring peace to the hearts of leaders and citizens. Inspire understanding, empathy, and a commitment to dialogue. Comfort those who have lost loved ones and guide us towards a world where peace prevails. May your transformative power unite us in a shared pursuit of harmony.
Amen.
Dear Parents
We are delighted to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the exceptional Year 6 students who have been elected to lead our school community in 2024.
Congratulations to the following students:
School Captains: Leena Carolan & Joseph Harb
Yellow House: Fiona Meta & Joseph Habak
Blue House: Milla Lokys & Ellirah Gavin
Green House: Charlotte Blacker & Jakob Giuditta
Red House: Harrison Sharpe & Kimora Markovski
Staffing News
It is with a heavy heart we announce the departure of Ms Deb Brighton at the end of the year, a cherished member of our St Patrick’s family. Unfortunately the funding provided for the National Schools Chaplaincy Program is not available to us in 2024. As our Pastoral Support Worker, Deb has not only demonstrated exceptional skills and commitment but has also enriched the lives of our students with her unwavering faith, kindness, and passion. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for her contributions to our school community. Deb will be dearly missed, and we wish her every success and fulfilment in her future endeavours. Let us keep Deb in our prayers as she continues to spread the light of knowledge and faith elsewhere.
Miss Glen-Marie Phillips
Last week we celebrated Miss Phillps' well-deserved journey into retirement.
Miss Phillips has been an integral part of our school community, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of countless students. Her passion for education, commitment to excellence, and unwavering support for her students have been truly inspiring.
Throughout her 43 years in Catholic Education, 23 of them here at St Patrick’s, she has not only imparted knowledge but has also been a source of encouragement, motivation, and kindness. Her classrooms have been vibrant spaces of learning, where students have not only grown academically but have also developed a love for learning that will stay with them throughout their lives.
As we express our gratitude for the impact Miss Phillips has had on our school, we also extend our warmest wishes for a retirement filled with joy, relaxation, and new adventures. May this next chapter be as fulfilling and rewarding as the countless lives she’s touched during her time with us.
Principal, Shamrock or St Patrick’s Award
Congratulations to the following students who will receive a Principal, Shamrock or St Patrick’s Award at our End of Term Assembly. If you believe your child’s name has been missed, please contact the office ASAP so they can be included in this assembly.
Principal:
Noah Hunt, Lara Kusa, Anden Kotevski, Iziaha Ma’u, Nichola Nebu, Olivia Harb, Luis Cowan, Sasha Naumovski, Hannah Dray, Aneira Hogg, Caidy Leite, Alice Ryan, Mia Lock, Ivy Dimovski, Oliver Meta, Owen Pucillio, Emelia Connor, Ashton Kotevski, Meila Kusa, Jake Jovanoski, Aurora Leite, Zoe Naumovski, Eva Zafiropoulos, Marco Alves, Sienna Fargnoli, Levi Kinnas, Sophia Mineeff, Christian Naumovski, Jacob Svarc Bede Woods
Shamrock:
Jayden Figueira, Nicholas Mineeff, Ethan Fargnoli, Luka Batur, Ebony Rogers, Eleni Michaloudakis
St Patrick’s Award:
Jack Agius, Tyler Burns, Levi Marras Scerri, Rose Varela De Sousa
Christmas Hats and Earrings
Students are permitted to accessorise their school uniform with one Christmas item, such as, a Santa hat, Christmas earrings, etc, for the remaining two weeks of school.
In the explicit teaching lessons, the expected behaviours taught will be:
It is with pride that I inform you that over the last two weeks 51 students were given Citizenship, Merit, Library or Uniform Awards or Playground Affirmation Awards whilst there were 5 incidents of Inappropriate behaviour recorded.
Congratulations to Meila Kusa who received the sacrament of First Holy Communion last weekend in our Parish. Several staff members along with Meila’s family were fortunate to be there to celebrate with her during this most precious, treasured time as a young Catholic person. Well done, Meila, we will continue to keep you in our prayers!
Thank you to all who have donated to the 2023 Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We have been inundated with donations so far and are truly grateful for your generosity.
We are continuing to accept donations until December 7 If you can please donate anything that may be considered a treat - lollies, biscuits, pancake mix, long life custard, panettone/pandoro etc - that would be greatly appreciated. Send them in with your children who will place them in their class gift sacks. Thanks again!
A cracking day was had by Year 4 on Monday November 20 in the Living Classroom. We built a huge hot compost with Aaron, planted a heap of seedlings, painted trees with biodynamic tree paste, pulled out a heap of weeds and had a heap of fun. Thanks to Aaron for leading the day! A gentle reminder to Year 4 parents that we are back in the garden on Monday of next week, December 4.
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Coordinator
A friendly reminder to please finalise your school fees by 8 December 2023.
Please see following information from School Fees Liaison Team
PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY INSTALMENT – NEW FAMILIES TO OUR SCHOOL
School Fees are invoiced as an annual account, due for payment in full 30 days after invoicing. However, many families elect to pay their school fees by regular instalments and as a new family to our school, we would like to offer you this option. If you wish to take up this offer, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request, either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.
IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.
PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY INSTALMENT
EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITH INSTALMENTS
If you are currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments eg Weekly to Fortnightly
EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITHOUT INSTALMENTS
If you would like to pay school fees by instalments in 2024 and have previously not taken up this option for payment, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.
IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.
School Fees Liaison Team
Students who suffer injury at school may be eligible to lodge a claim under a Student Accident policy, in place with Chubb Insurance.
A summary of the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong's Student Accident Plan can be found in the following Parent brochure: Parent brochure
Both the Student Accident Claim Form and Student Accident Medical Practitioners Statement are required to be fully completed for the successful lodgement of a claim.
You will see from the claim procedures included on the claim form that once downloaded and printed, all documents, including the Claim Form and Medical Practitioners Statement, should be forwarded directly to Chubb Insurance. This will streamline the claim process and alleviate additional administration.
If parents/carers have any questions regarding the policy coverage or the management of a claim, please contact Chubb Insurance, 1300 722 032.
Please note that in relation to coverage, the insurer is not permitted under Australian Law to reimburse medical expenses or any payment ‘gap’ for services which are eligible under Medicare. Only medical expenses that do not fall under Medicare are able to be assessed. All benefits, except for fee relief, are paid directly to the parents of the injured student.
On Tuesday 21st November the children from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 went for an adventure through the Wollongong Botanical Gardens. The children learned how to plant a seed and fish for insects. They listened to a bear story to learn about the 6 layers of soil for a no dig garden bed. They saw a turkey, a bearded water dragon and some ducks. They even got to hold a stick bug. The children went into the rose garden and searched for the golden rose. They found it! Everyone played a fun game which helped them learn about bees and wasps and nectar collection.
(Co-constructed by Miss Figueira and Kindergarten)
On Tuesday, November 21 Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 visited the Botanical Gardens for their excursion. The children engaged in a variety of different activities including, growing plants from seeds, treasure hunt, life in aquatic environments and worm farm storytelling. The children had a fantastic day and learnt many new things about living things.
Mrs Cudina - Year 1
On Tuesday, 21 November Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 went on an excursion to the Wollongong Botanical Gardens. The children enjoyed participating in the various activities. The drizzly weather did not hinder our adventure and the children were able to plant seeds, participate in worm farm storytelling, learnt about bees and wasps and how they collect nectar. It was a fantastic day and we learnt lots about living things.
Mrs Barnes - Year 2
Uniform and information day will be on Saturday 3rd February, 10am to 2pm at Berkeley Netball Courts, Hooka Creek Rd, Berkeley. For more information go to
our website or Facebook page, or phone Gerry on 048 770 4890. Come and join a netball team, make lifelong friends and learn new skills
Looking forward to seeing everyone in the 2024 season.
I LOVE NETBALL
