Dear Parents

I can’t believe how quickly another term has gone by!  It has been wonderful to have had more opportunities to welcome you back into the school and we look forward to many more exciting events next term.

In the first two weeks of Term 4 I will be taking some long service leave.  During this time Mr Gavan Hoctor will be stepping up to the role of Acting Principal.  I know that the school will continue to thrive in his very capable hands during my absence.  

On Wednesday night we had more students receive the sacrament of Confirmation at Immaculate Conception Church, Unanderra.  We continue to hold them and all the children receiving the sacrament of Confirmation this year in our prayers.

As we continue to live with COVID I have had a few questions in relation to keeping your children home when sick.  As a general rule if your child is unwell we want them to stay home.  This allows them to recover and prevents the spread of germs among our school community.  There are no current restrictions that state your child must be symptom free to attend school, therefore if they are well enough to attend school you can send them.  If they have cold and flu symptoms we would appreciate you testing them prior to sending them to school.  If your family requires RAT kits please contact the office.  If in doubt, I would suggest consulting with your family doctor.

Congratulations to our Term 3 Excellence Award Winners!

MacKillop Award: Olivia Harb, Nicholas Mineeff, Leah Dragarski, Cleo Capocchiano, Tia Dimovski, Israel Friesen & Christian Nagy.

English Award: Luis Cowan, Ruby White, Oliver Meta, Zoe Naumovski, Hannah Dos Santos, Maya Dimitrovski & Emma Usljebrka.

Mathematics Award: Aria Blottin, Will Ernst, Cohen Horsley, Oscar Ernst, Joey Harb, Marco Alves & Maicyn Todev.

Positive Behaviours for Learning: Kira Jones, Lucia Sharpe, Meila Kusa, Georgia Stojanovski, Clara Dray, Dean Dragarski & Toby Ritchie.

P&F Meeting

Our next P&F meeting has been changed from Tuesday 18 October to Wednesday 26 October.  Our current P&F do such an amazing job, particularly in the area of fundraising for the school.  We would love to see some new faces at the next meeting, so please come along, even if this is your first time.  

 WEEK 10 TERM 3
POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS FOR LEARNING (PB4L)
Our PB4L focus for the Week 1 of Term 4 will be Respecting our School Environment
In the explicit teaching lessons, the expected behaviours taught will be:

1. Putting my rubbish in the correct bin
2. Packing up my toys
3. Putting my lunch box and drink bottle in the class tub
4. Staying in-bounds
5. Cleaning up any mess I make

Examples of behaviours that negatively impact on Respectful, Responsible and Safe
behaviour when Respecting our School Environment to be taught include:

1. Littering
2. Leaving my toys behind
3. Leaving my lunch box or drink bottle behind
3. Going out-of-bounds
5. Leaving a mess 

Our PB4L/SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) focus for the Week 2 of Term 4 will be based on Responsible decision making with the Focus being: Working with others (Being a team).

In the explicit teaching lessons the expected behaviours taught will be:   

1. Identify the task to be completed.
2. Assign tasks to each person.
3. Discuss ideas in a calm, quiet voice and let everyone share his or her ideas.
4. Take responsibility for your part of the task
5. Work on tasks until completed or when instructed to stop

Examples of behaviours that negatively impact Working with Others (Being a Team) to be taught include:
                   
1. Being bossy
2. Not allowing others to be heard
3. Disrespecting another person’s point of view
4. Not completing my part of the task

We would very much appreciate your discussing these weekly PB4L/SEL focuses with your children and reviewing the expected and non-acceptable behaviours in our endeavour to see that St Patrick’s is a more respectful, responsible and safe learning community for all.

PB4L Data
It is with pride that I inform you that over the last two weeks 73 students were given
Citizenship, Merit, Excellence, Library, Uniform  or Playground Affirmation Awards whilst there were 4 incidents of Inappropriate behavior recorded. Thank your girls and boys. Please continue to act respectfully, responsibly, and safely.

END-OF-TERM DISCO
A great day was had by all on Wednesday as we celebrated with an End- of -Term Disco and cake/treat stall. There was certainly a school full of very satisfied tummies thanks to the generous donations of the families of our Year 6 students who provided the very tasty treats. Thank you also to M&M Entertainment Group for the groovy music provided at the disco. I can proudly share that we raised an extraordinary $1358.00 to put towards the Year 6 Graduation.

Mr Gavan Hoctor - Assistant Principal

Christmas Story Art Competition – Year 5 & 6 Finalists!
I am thrilled to announce the Year 5 and 6 finalists for the Christmas Story Art competition. Massive congratulations to these students, in no particular order: 

Year 5: Sienna Fargnoli, Sofia Mineeff, Maya Dimitrovski                                                                                                            

Year 6: Dylan Capocchiano, Paige Lukarovski, Liana Meta

These student’s artworks have been framed or mounted and been sent into the Catholic
Education Office for the next round of judging. The students will be judged against the top 3 artworks from Stage 3 classes across the diocese. Should they be selected in the next round of judging they will be displayed at the Wollongong City Art Gallery next term. Fingers crossed for the girls and boys!

Report from ‘The Living Classroom’

Can you (no) dig it??
Year 4 had an absolutely fantastic day working and learning in our permaculture garden, ‘The Living Classroom’, on Tuesday September 20. The sun was shining, and the bees were buzzing as the children smashed out three massive no-dig garden beds.
Soil is the cornerstone of any nutritious garden and ensuring that you feed your soil twice a year – during spring and autumn – ensures the soil is replenished after a lengthy growing season. Like any healthy soil composition (and life!), balance is key, and the children learned about the importance of adding multiple layers of both carbon and nitrogen to the no-dig beds (check out Aaron’s secret recipe in the photo below, thanks to Elemental Permaculture). The beds will breakdown nicely over the next couple of weeks into black gold, ready for a massive planting session! Bring on the tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant and leafy greens! Thanks girls and boys, it was a cracking day!

Feast of St Matthew - Apostle and Evangelist

Please find below a spiritual reflection regarding the Feast of St Matthew:
Matthew the Apostle, also known as Saint Matthew, was a 1st-century Galilean and one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. As a tax collector, Matthew would have been despised by his fellow Jews for collaborating with the Roman occupation.

After Matthew’s encounter with Jesus, he is profoundly changed and invites Jesus for a feast. On seeing this, the Scribes and the Pharisees criticised Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance". St Matthew reminds us that even those who were considered to be the worst of people could be saved and were welcome to follow Jesus. It is comforting that Jesus wants to spend time with ‘those of us who are less than perfect’. It is even more encouraging that Jesus actually “calls us” to share in his mission. Jesus knows everything about us (our good points and bad) and still wants and loves us. The challenge for us is to remain open and to allow the revelation of Jesus’s love to grow within us. This requires us to prioritise our relationship with him so that, like Matthew, we encounter Jesus in the realities of our own life.

Rembrandt’s painting depicts an elderly St Matthew who may be pondering the words of the Angel as he reflects on his encounter with Jesus. The pages of his book are crumpled which could indicate that the book may be a journal. Despite the fact that St Matthew appears old in this painting, there is a great energy and wisdom in Rembrant’s portrayal of Matthew which communicates a ‘sense of purpose’ or ‘mission’.

As we enter the school holidays, let’s think about how amazing it is that Jesus calls each of us to be part of his mission. You may be inspired by Rembrandt’s painting to commit to journaling as part of your spiritual practice. Let us ponder our gifts and remember that Jesus refers to us as ‘the light of the world’ (Matthew 5:14).
As you ponder and listen to the whisperings of God in your heart, how are you being called to participate in God’s mission?

All the best,
Mr Sam Mattas - Religious Education Coordinator

NSW Police would like to advise the school community of the increased possession of gel guns by young people in NSW. These guns are illegal in NSW and are considered to be firearms.

If a student is found to have a gel gun they can be arrested and charged for possession of a firearm (under Section 36 (1) of the NSW Firearms Act 1996).

In the interest of the safety and student welfare please take note of the following information.