WHAT'S ON - TERM 2
12th - 19th May - CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
27th May - 3rd June - National Reconciliation Week
Week 9 - Vinnie's Winter Appeal (Donations)
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,
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
This year, we’re celebrating a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church and 180 years of Catholic Education in South Australia. Last week was Catholic Education Week, with the theme “Shine with Open Hearts.” Ms. Smoljan captured wonderful moments of our students, asking how they shine at St Patrick’s. These photos and videos were shared on our Facebook and Instagram pages, and we were also featured on the CESA Facebook page.
MID-YEAR RECEPTION CLASS
The Mid-Year Reception class is almost finalised! Children born between 1st May and 31st October are eligible to start Reception in July. Enrolment forms need to be completed and submitted to the Front Office as soon as possible, and interview times will be offered right away. There are still a few spots available. Enrolled students participate in a 10-week transition program every Wednesday afternoon.
PUPIL FREE DAY
Our next Pupil Free Day is on Friday, 6th June—mark your calendars! This day will focus on continuing our learning in Explicit Instruction and differentiated learning with the University of South Australia, along with further work on Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Please arrange care for your child(ren) in advance. If you plan to use Camp Australia, be sure to book as soon as possible.
SECONDARY SCHOOL
If your child is in Year 5 and hasn’t been enrolled in a secondary school yet, now is the time to do so. St Patrick’s students have guaranteed entry into Mount Carmel College, but an enrolment form must be submitted to assist with staffing plans. Many schools have waiting lists, and late enrolments won’t be accepted, so it’s best to start the process right away. All Year 6 students should already be enrolled in a secondary school.
UNWELL STUDENTS AND STAFF
As we head into the colder months, please remember that students and staff should stay home if they’re feeling unwell. Taking care of our health helps keep everyone safe and well. Let’s look out for each other!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!!
Please enquire at the Front Office - See form below
Excursions are a valuable part of learning, giving students the chance to explore beyond the classroom, gain new skills, and create lasting memories. To ensure safety, we must meet a legally required adult-to-student ratio. Without enough volunteers, excursions may need to be cancelled. All volunteers must have a Working With Children Check (WWCC). If you’d like to help but don’t have one yet, Luisa in the Front Office can assist you in obtaining it—at no cost to our parent community.
The Parents and Friends (P&F) Committee plays a crucial role in enriching life at St Patrick’s. There are many ways to get involved, from becoming a member and attending regular in-person meetings to assisting with fundraising activities and events. The funds raised help make our school community even better. The P&F also supports initiatives like school discos, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gift stalls, and raffles throughout the year. This welcoming committee encourages participation and fresh ideas. If you’re interested, call 8303 4500 to learn more—and please consider joining! Your involvement makes a difference.
St Patrick’s School is seeking new Board Members!
The School Board, alongside the Principal, plays an essential role in the school's governance, ensuring strong leadership and sustainable growth. Board members help uphold the school’s Catholic identity, support academic excellence, and oversee financial management. Members serve a two-year term, with the option to renominate. Meetings are held twice per term in Weeks 3 and 8, with most conducted via TEAMS. This is a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the school community. We truly appreciate the time and dedication of our volunteers!
UNIFORM
Wearing the correct school uniform fosters a sense of pride and belonging at St Patrick’s. To keep costs manageable for families, we have a Sports uniform as our standard attire. Parents are asked to ensure their child(ren) wear it correctly.
The uniform includes:
Thank you for helping maintain our school’s tradition and unity!
REPORT WRITING
Teachers are currently preparing Semester 1 Reports, where each child will receive grades for both achievement and effort. When reviewing the report with your child, it's important to discuss both grades. Encouraging perseverance, especially when faced with challenges, can lead to stronger academic success. A positive mindset and resilience go a long way in fostering growth and learning!
WEDDING
This Saturday, Ms. Anastasia Stavropoulos, our Reception Teacher, is getting married! We send our heartfelt congratulations to her and her future husband, Vasili. Wishing them both a lifetime of love, happiness, and wonderful memories together!
In all things love
Barbara Ahern
Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week. Our students embraced the opportunity to record their reflections about learning at St Patrick’s Catholic School and shared some beautiful reflections about their thoughts and experiences at St Patrick’s. we are so blessed to have such a creative and diverse community and much to be thankful for. Here are some of the students’ reflections:
Last week our Year 3/4JB and Reception AS classes celebrated their first buddy class Mass for 2025. It was a wonderful celebration where all of the students engaged with the Mass through singing, prayer and reflection. We welcomed Monsignor Minh Tam to St Patrick’s at the Mass with our students and look forward to welcoming Fr Olek this week.
May 27 to June 3 is National Reconciliation Week. The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2025 is Bridging Now to Next.
The theme reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future - learning from the past to look ahead and push forward together on the reconciliation journey.
Next Wednesday St Patrick’s School will celebrate a whole school Mass focusing on God’s call for forgiveness and reconciliation. Please join us on Wednesday May 28 at 9am for Mass in St Patrick’s Church. We hope to see some of our community members there.
Thanks to those who have already donated food items to the winter appeal. If you are in a position to donate non-perishable food items, classes will continue collecting them until Week 9 and then be given to St Vinnies who will distribute them to people in need. Your donations will be very much appreciated.
May 8, 2025
First American Pope: Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the first US-born pontiff and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Leo made his first remarks as pope from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of tens of thousands of onlookers, calling for peace and paying tribute to the late Pope Francis.
About the new pope: Leo, a 69-year-old from Chicago, is a leader with global experience. He spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and holds dual citizenship in the US and Peru, where he served as a bishop. He most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments. He is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms.
God bless,
Anne-Marie Platten
We’ve been learning all about numbers — big ones, little ones, and how they all fit together using place value.
Place value is how we know that the 3 in 34 is actually 30 and not just a 3! It tells us how much each digit is worth!
We’ve learnt how to partition numbers, like this:
245 is really 200 + 40 + 5! That’s place value magic!
Some of us even challenged ourselves to rearrange numbers and see if we could build the biggest or smallest number possible.
We’ve played games, solved number riddles, and worked in teams like real mathematicians!
We are learning that maths is not just about getting the answer - it’s about thinking, explaining, and having fun!
Maths is more than just numbers - it’s fun, challenging and helps us think like detectives!
We love learning in Year ONE/TWO CS!
Sr Catherine Seward and members of the Croydon Park division of St Vincent De Paul have asked our community if we could help by donating non-perishable food items to the St Vinnies Winter Appeal. There are many families in need of food support this winter and our donations will be greatly appreciated.
If you are in a position to donate a food item to support St Vinnies, we will welcome your donations. St Vincent De Paul volunteers will make food hampers and give to families in need. Suggested items are:
PLEASE bring items of Donations to your class Teachers by Week 9 Term 2 2025
THANKYOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS
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.
An important role of Volunteer 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.
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
