WHAT'S ON - TERM 2
28th April - Start of Term 2
30th April to 2nd May - 5/6 CAMP
30th April - Transition Day for Term 3 Receptions
11th May - MOTHERS DAY
12th - 19th May - CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
6th - 13th July - NAIDOC Week
6th June - PUPIL FREE DAY
9th June - Public Holiday (King's Birthday)
4th July - End of Term 2 (Finish at 12.30pm Casual Day)
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Welcome back to Term 2. We trust that you had a more relaxing time with your children and did not need to stick to schedules. It was a great joy to see all the children return for a new term.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across South Australia from May 12-18, 2025 (Week 3, Term 2).
In 2025, Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) celebrates 180 years of Catholic education in South Australia, coinciding with the Jubilee Year. Our theme for this momentous year is: Pilgrims of Hope.
Pope Francis reminds us:
“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given to us and help everyone
to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a
trusting heart, and far-sighted vision.”
Hope is at the heart of our message, woven into the phrase ‘open hearts’ - for when our hearts are open, we embrace hope, compassion, love, and joy.
Inspired by these words and guided by CESA’s mission to nurture thriving people and capable learners in the world God desires a unifying theme for Catholic Education Week in 2025 is:
CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF ADELAIDE SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE POLICY
The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide is committed to protecting and valuing all children. We prioritize their safety and wellbeing in the Church and their communities. Our goal is to create a child-safe culture where their welfare comes first. We also ensure that our interactions are inclusive and respectful of children from all backgrounds.
For parents wishing to read this policy, it can be sighted near the entrance door of the Front Office as well on our school website on:
Safeguarding Children & Young People
WIRRAWAY CAMP
From Wednesday to Friday, our Year 5 and 6 students had an exciting camp at Wirraway Homestead in Strathalbyn. They stayed busy learning skills like archery, shelter building, sheep herding, low ropes, bushwalking, and horse riding. Many activities required teamwork, helping students collaborate to succeed. They also practiced responsibility by keeping their dorms tidy, packing their belongings, and assisting with kitchen duties. Although they returned home exhausted, they truly enjoyed the experience.
A heartfelt thank you to our parents for supporting the camp, even with the extra financial commitment. And an especially big thank you to our dedicated staff, who generously gave up time with their families to make this opportunity possible for our students. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!
TERM 3 RECEPTION STUDENTS
Last Wednesday, our Mid-Year Reception students had their first transition visit, and it was a joy to see their enthusiasm! They joined our current students to listen to a story and take part in a fun activity, making their first experience a memorable one.
SAVE THE DATE
Friday, 6th June 2025, is a Pupil Free Day for Term 2. Please mark this date in your diary and arrange care for your children as needed. Camp Australia will be available for student supervision, but bookings are required. Bookings can be made online or by phone.
PARENTS AND FRIENDS
The Parents and Friends Group has been working hard to prepare for the Mother’s Day Stall. A special thank you to Huyen Kemp for generously volunteering her time to organise gifts, giving students the chance to buy affordable presents for their mums. Your efforts are truly appreciated!
Our P&F team plays a vital role in our school community, but we need new members as some of our amazing parent helpers have moved on. If you'd like to join us in organizing events like Mother’s and Father’s Day gift stalls, school discos, and raffles, please contact the front office. We'd love to have you on board!
This Sunday, we wish all mothers a HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY!
In all things love
Barbara Ahern
Principal
Holy Week and Easter
At the end of Term 1 we remembered Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and the events he experienced during Holy Week. We began the week with Year 5/6NT leading us in Prayer for Palm Sunday. Each day classes focused on Jesus’ journey, including a Last Supper prayer service, our Prayer and Liturgy Group led a reverent reenactment of Jesus’ washing the Disciples’ feet and his experiences in the Garden of Gethsemane, and classes visited the Stations of the Cross as they were displayed around the school.
Returning to school after the break, we gathered together for a Liturgy of the Word to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection at Easter. The Easter Season continues for 50 days and finishes on Pentecost Sunday. Learning will focus on Jesus having new life in each of us as we learn to follow Jesus’ teachings of God’s love.
Sacramental Meeting
The next Parent Meeting is Wednesday 7th May @ Whitefriars’ School. We will be using a different space in the school, our usual meeting space is in the Mary MacKillop Centre (hall/gym), this time we will be meeting in the Caritas Building.
Please enter through the front gate of the school, there will be a sign to direct you to the building.
A requirement of the Sacramental Preparation Program is that the child preparing for the sacraments and a parent attend the meetings. If it is not possible for you to attend, please let me know prior to the meeting.
Catholic Education Week 2025
Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across South Australia from May 12-18, 2025 (Week 3, Term 2). This week is a time to celebrate the outstanding teaching and learning that takes place in Catholic schools every day. The theme for Catholic Education Week is: 'Shine With Open Hearts'
This theme reflects the high-quality teaching and learning in South Australian Catholic schools, where students shine, live, and lead with open hearts—now and into the future—aspiring to be all they hope to be. Hope is at the heart of our message, for when our hearts are open, we embrace hope, compassion, love, and joy.
Have a look at our Facebook site next week to see our St Patrick’s student's shine.
Buddy Class Mass Dates for Term 2:
We would love families to join their children and as they celebrate their class Mass. Mass starts at 9am on Wednesday in St Patrick’s Church. Please put the dates in your diaries.
Have a lovely week.
Anne-Marie Platten
APRIM
Pope Francis - May he rest in God’s peace
It was a sad day when we heard Pope Francis had left us and is now with God. He was an inspirational man who lived and spread the word of God in his life.
We pray that all will follow the example of Pope Francis and be advocates for hope, justice and peace for all of God’s creations. Amen.
LEARNING
This week the Year 3/4 MB have been learning about Exposition writing in English.
The students and I looked at the meaning of Exposition writing and examples of,
Persuasive texts that are used in everyday life, such as the campaign arguments being used for the Election this weekend.
We also reflected on the author’s purpose and how through their writing they convince us about a theme or topic, making us believe or change someone’s mind.
Our Learning Intention was:
What is an exposition? Brainstorm?
Read an exposition piece and discuss its format, the supportive language and information used for their arguments and how the conclusion was summarised.
The students then went into their table groups and began creating their own piece of Persuasive text. Some of the themes the students are writing about are the following:
We had lots of fun with some of these themes and our class will continue working on their pieces of Persuasive text for the remainder of this week.
HASS
This week year 3/4 MB is learning about what is Landfill? Many of the students were really interested in learning about where are rubbish goes once it has been collected by the Council to get to Landfill.
Our Learning Intention for this week was:
We learnt about how some of our rubbish is used again for other materials such as plastics and other materials including gas. We are also going to go for a walk around our school and reflect on how tidy are we keeping our school, are we using the correct bins for our rubbish?
We will continue with this theme over the term.
RELIGION
In Religion this week we refocussed on Easter and the events of the Resurrection of Jesus. We also discussed what events happened during Easter Sunday.
On a sad note, we also talked about the passing of the Pope Francis and his amazing care and focus to helping others in need, social justice, his love of care for the environment, the first letter he wrote to children on the first World Children’s Day and so much more.
Lastly Pope Francis asked us to always pray.
He encouraged us to use our fingers when we pray. It is called Pope Francis’ Five Finger Prayer. We are using this prayer in our prayer time this week.
Mother’s Day Gifts for Mum
The Parents and Friends Committee have organised a Mother’s Day Gift Stall for our students to buy a special gift for their Mum or a special lady in their life.
Mother's Day Stall
Gifts will be on sale at:
Lunch - Thursday 8th May
Recess - Friday 9th May
Picture Frames, Candles, Hand Cream, Key Rings, Cards & much more
Gifts Available - from $1.00 to $10.00 only
(Younger students can bring their money to school in a named envelope to give to their teacher to look after until recess time)
OPEN - MONDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY
PLEASE ORDER ON QKR APP before 9AM
Nude Food Day every Wednesday
Please leave wrappers at home.
Use reusable containers or lunch boxes to help keep our school clean and tidy.
OPEN - MONDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY
8.30am - 10am
PLEASE ORDER ON QKR APP before 9AM
AVAILABLE - Wednesday & Fridays
From 9.30AM - 11.30AM
Closed on School Holidays
Playgroup, family fun for families with children under 5 years
Playgroup SA has partnered with the Office for the Early Years (Department of Education) to provide free development checks for children aged 12 months to 4 years. The checks provide an opportunity to monitor your child’s development, identify any concerns and celebrate milestones. A development check helps to monitor whether a child is meeting the milestones for their age (such as dressing or talking). Please note this is not a health check.
Please contact Chau Tran 8303 4500 if you would like further information or would like to book in child development check.
As a Volunteer at St Patrick's, you can get involved in:
An important role of the P&F is to promote strong links between the parents and the school but also strong links between families, where members of families really feel that they belong to the school.
An active parent group also ensures the school is well resourced and the grounds are always well maintained.
The Parents and Friends Association organises regular socials and fundraising events to maintain the grounds and continue to provide resources of the highest quality for all children.
We are welcoming new parents to come along and Volunteer at the School and join the Parents and Friends Group. Any amount of time is helpful.
Please enquire at the front desk or call on 8303 4500
A friendly reminder to those families, who do not have a direct debit set up, that Term 2 school fees are due by the last day of Term 2 the 04/07/25
We offer direct debit, BPAY, EFTPOS and also direct deductions from Centrelink payments to cater to the changing financial needs of our families at St Patrick’s School. When the direct debit payment option is selected your school fee payment is calculated over the full school year right up until the 31st of December 2025. This means smaller payments are required, making this method the most affordable way to budget for your commitment. Please come into the office or ring me on 83034500 if one of these options would better suit your financial requirements.
School Card 2025 must be applied for online each year and the instructions are in this newsletter. If you have any problems please come and see me if you are having any issues.
If at any time you are having trouble meeting your school fee commitment, or have any queries, please contact me on 8303 4500 to discuss this matter.
Christine Lavender
Finance Officer
Hi Everyone
Welcome, If you require our services please register on www.campaustralia.com.au and follow the link.
Hours of Operation
Before School - 7AM - 8.30AM
After School - 3.10PM (2.30PM Tues) - 6PM
We offer breakfast for the children in the morning and fresh fruit and second snack after school. Kids will enjoy sports, art and crafts,
There is a PUPIL FREE DAY on the 6th JUNE- We will be open for bookings from 7am to 6pm on the day.
Thank you Michele
For all enquiries and Bookings Please call - Ph 0447 141 518
