1 www.spgww.catholic.edu.au [email protected]Tuesday, 15 th December, 2015 Term Four, Week Eleven DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Wednesday 16 th December Final day for Students 2015 Friday 29th January 2016 School Resumes for Years 1-6 Induction of Leaders Liturgy 2.20 pm Wednesday 3rd February School Swimming Carnival Griffith Regional Aquatic & Leisure Centre Friday 5th February Kindergarten students commence Wednesday 17th February Ash Wednesday Mass Sacred Heart Church Wednesday 24th February First Reconciliation Information Night God, whose mighty Son was born in Bethlehem those days long ago, lead us to that same poor place, where Mary laid her tiny Child. And as we look on in wonder and praise, make us welcome him in all new life, see him in the poor, and care for his handiwork the earth, the sky and the sea. O God, bless us again in your great love. We pray for this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Principal’s Message It is hard to believe that the end of the school year has arrived. The year has again passed so quickly! The year’s end always brings with it a tremendous sense of accomplishment that echoes the notion that St Patrick’s offers more than an Education. So many things have been achieved this year, that include sport carnivals, family activities, K-2 Performing Concert at Griffith Theatre, Art Show, academic competitions, School Discos, Sacraments, excursions to Canberra and Ballarat, assemblies and House meetings, Masses, Tongan Brass Band visit, end of year school concerts and much more! I encourage you to look back on our record in the “photo gallery” on the school website many pages in our photo albums on Facebook, and our Apple iMovies depicting the spirit of learning, happiness and sense of fun as a common theme that has existed throughout the academic year of 2015. There is no doubt that our students have been involved in an extraordinary number of activities. Of course, we should not forget the tremendous amount of learning which has taken place during the year. To our Year Six graduands, I once again congratulate you all your achievements. The staff also wish you all the best as you move to your new secondary schools and we look forward to hearing from you all in the future. We realise many of you will visit staff members at the school in the coming years and you’re always welcome here at St Patrick’s. To our wonderful students, families and of course our magnificent staff, I wish you all of God’s blessings and hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and New Year.
Tuesday, 15th December, 2015 Term Four, Week Eleven
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Wednesday 16th December
Final day for Students 2015
Friday 29th January 2016
School Resumes for Years 1-6
Induction of Leaders Liturgy
2.20 pm
Wednesday 3rd February
School Swimming Carnival
Griffith Regional Aquatic
& Leisure Centre
Friday 5th February
Kindergarten students
commence
Wednesday 17th February
Ash Wednesday Mass
Sacred Heart Church
Wednesday 24th February
First Reconciliation
Information Night
God, whose mighty Son was born
in Bethlehem those days long ago,
lead us to that same poor place,
where Mary laid her tiny Child.
And as we look on in wonder and
praise, make us welcome him in all
new life, see him in the poor, and
care for his handiwork the earth,
the sky and the sea. O God, bless
us again in your great love. We
pray for this through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Principal’s Message
It is hard to believe that the end of the school year has arrived. The year has again passed so quickly! The year’s end always brings with it a tremendous sense of accomplishment that echoes the notion that St Patrick’s offers more than an Education. So many things have been achieved this year, that include sport carnivals, family activities, K-2 Performing Concert at Griffith Theatre, Art Show, academic competitions, School Discos, Sacraments, excursions to Canberra and Ballarat, assemblies and House meetings, Masses, Tongan Brass Band visit, end of year school concerts and much more! I encourage you to look back on our record in the “photo gallery” on the school website many pages in our photo albums on Facebook, and our Apple iMovies depicting the spirit of learning, happiness and sense of fun as a common theme that has existed throughout the academic year of 2015. There is no doubt that our students have been involved in an extraordinary number of activities. Of course, we should not forget the tremendous amount of learning which has taken place during the year. To our Year Six graduands, I once again congratulate you all your achievements. The staff also wish you all the best as you move to your new secondary schools and we look forward to hearing from you all in the future. We realise many of you will visit staff members at the school in the coming years and you’re always welcome here at St Patrick’s. To our wonderful students, families and of course our magnificent staff, I wish you all of God’s blessings and hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and New Year.
I look forward to welcoming most of you back through the gates in 2016 on Friday January 29th for Years One to Six. Next year all students in Years 1-6 will meet in the Fr O’Dea Hall on Friday 29th to meet their new teachers at 8:50am. Kindergarten students will commence, “Best Start” interviews on the 29th January and will commence full-time school in the following week, Friday 5th February.
Special Thank You Staff!
I wish to take this moment to express my sincere thanks to the dedicated and committed staff of St Patrick’s. The staff throughout the year have dedicated so much professionalism, time and effort to the students and families at St Patrick’s. Like many staff in schools across this beautiful Nation, they spend many of their lunch and after school times offering special clubs and activities for students and St Patrick’s is one school that excels in the virtues of Generosity, Giving and Excellence. On any given day, our staff have given without expecting anything in return. When providing a high quality education, our staff has excelled. When our staff have engaged in excellence (Learning and Teaching) they are not trying to be better than anyone else, but they are modelling the best you can be! This is where St Patrick’s makes a real difference in the local community. As the term draws to a close, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our staff at St Patrick’s and wish you all a well deserved rest and a Merry Christmas. Our Amazing St Patrick’s Parents My sincere thanks to all our parents for their unwavering support and loyalty you have provided throughout the year to our staff and school. On behalf of all the staff, I wish you a heartfelt thanks and a well deserved holiday. Fr Grace and I pray that Christmas reminds us all of the precious gift of God’s love for us and that the new year continues to bring virtues of not only love, generosity and humility to you and your families but we make Jesus real in our hearts by living our faith. Finally, thank you parents for your patience, kindness, understanding, and friendship you have shown me throughout 2015. It really does take a village to raise a child and to educate one to, as I look forward to your leadership once again next year. God Bless and Merry Christmas!
To our all Students
When your parents enrolled you at St Patrick’s you became our sons and daughters. You became part of our family here at St Patrick’s. The staff want you to know that over the Christmas holiday break, that they will miss your smiling faces, your funny jokes, your quirky sense of humour, your laughter, your tears and your friendship. Throughout the year we have been impressed by how excited and proud of you all when given the opportunity to explore fully your passions and learning. We have been particularly impressed by your sense of social justice and values in support for Caritas Australia and Griffith CanAssist, and St Vincent de Paul Griffith. Your sincere commitment and outreaching nature to the
dignity of the human person, the common good for all and your participation in supporting the poor and marginalised reminds us all as adults of the importance of our values in Catholic Education. This is where you are making a difference, this is what separates you as Christians from others. Thank You! Finally, like your parents, we want you to know too, how much happiness and love you bring into our lives and how much we genuinely enjoy teaching you.
As teachers, we want you to know that we are learners too, and like you we will never give up in reaching for the stars. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for showing us hope, knowledge, love and understanding as we walk this journey of education together as one family. We love you!
In closing, I ask that God be with you all and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2016. School starts on Friday, 29th January for students in Years One through to Year Six. Kindergarten “Best Start “interviews begin on Friday January 29th in the Kindergarten classroom and continues for five school days. Kindergarten formally starts full time on February 5th. Thanks for reading. Take care this week and may you all be blessed throughout this beautiful
Season of Advent.
David Adams-Jones, Principal
From the Assistant Principal
As the year comes to a close I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you all for your kindness and care shown towards to me over the last four years. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities that I have had as part of the Leadership Team and with our staff, students and parents. St. Patrick’s is an amazing community with a very proud history and I am honoured that you have welcomed me. Goodbye, Farewell and Amen. Maintain & share your awesomeness, Alan Wedesweiler, Assistant Principal
Canberra Excursion 2016
Dates for Year 6 Canberra Excursion 2016 – Tuesday April 5th to Thursday April 7th (Term 1, Week 11).
From the REC
St Vincent De Paul Christmas Hampers Congratulations to everyone at St Patrick’s who brought in an item for the St Vincent De Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. The ladies at the care package facility on Banna Lane were overwhelmed with the quality and quantity of food donated by our school. We were reassured that there are many families in need of support
this Christmas in Griffith who will benefit from our contribution.
A big thank you to Isaac Railo, Jayden Quinn and Aden McKay who helped me collect the items from each classroom. Mr Ross was also a great support, helping me deliver the items in Mr Moraschi’s ute on a very hot Thursday afternoon.
May everyone experience the hope, love, joy and peace in the gift of giving in the season of Advent. Merry Christmas t all our families at St Patrick’s Primary and many thanks again for all the donations you have made throughout the year for the many charities we have supported.
Sincerely, Michael Morrell Religious Education Coordinator
Known important dates for 2016 have been entered onto the St Patrick’s website. Please follow the school calendar link on web.spgww.catholic.edu.au
2016 School Leaders
Congratulations to the following students who have been elected by their peers and the staff to the following roles for 2016.
2016 School Leaders
Claudia Torresan Joe Sergi
Karoua Kaibwa Jayden Skirving
2016 Social Justice Leaders
Lexi Salvestro James Uoifalelahi
Aryellah Dal Broi
2016 Patrick House Leaders
Ava Kelly Ryan Zanatta
Alexandra Parisotto Xavier Serafin
2016 Brendan House Leaders
Georgia Minato Mason Harpur
Sophie Calabria Sam Irvin
2016 McAuley House Leaders
Poppy Carlon Taine Moraschi
Lucy Cozens Jacob Testoni
2016 Marcellin House Leaders
Jaimee Martinello Ben Tyson
Allira Aventi Jayden Quinn
2015 Major Awards Assembly
On Monday 14th December we held the Major Awards Assembly in the Fr. O’Dea Hall. We congratulate the following students on their achievements: Booth Family Do All Things Well Award Isabella Arcifa and Isabella Smith
Amy Clausen Memorial Award for Conduct, Study & Attitude Sarah Zambon, Emily Fanani and Connor Bourke
Anderson Cultural Award for Outstanding Creativity in Creative Arts
Tess Woodhouse, Leyana Ma and Mark Guieb
Canteen Award for Academic Excellence Isabella Salmon, Luke Armanini and Imreet Singh
Cath Catanzariti English Award Martianne Javier, Brooke Aloisi and Emily Wood
Mott Family Information Technology Award Amanda Rizzeri
Fr Michael Award for Interest in Science & Technology Amanda Rizzeri, Leyana Ma and Imreet Singh
Fr Rafe Beltrame Award for Outstanding Participation & Achievement in all areas of School Life
Jonathan Codemo, Felicity Bonny and Elise Sergi
Justine Foley Memorial Award for Christian Living Madeline Proud
Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Wednesday, 27 January to Friday, 8 April
Numeracy Award Pavan Sharma, Victor Catanzariti and Nicholas Zanatta
School Board Citizenship Award Francesca Sergi, Monica Litisoni and Jasleen Kaur
Sportsmanship and School Life Award Luke Armanini
St Patrick’s Public Speaking Award Martianne Javier
P & F Sportsperson of the Year Jonathan Codemo, Monica Litisoni, Delroy Kasawaya and Elizabeth Napoli
Student of the Year Isabella Arcifa, Leyana Ma and Connor Bourke
Sacred Heart Parish Award Grace Adams-Jones
Librarian Award Pavan Sharma
Liza Simpson Positive Spirit Award Isabella Smith
St Patrick’s Chess Champions Stage One (Years 1 & 2) Third place: Yugam Gupta Second place: Alexander Forlico First place: Jake Roberts Stage Two (Years 3 & 4) Third place: Joshua Trotter Second place: Mason Rosengreen First place: Hayden Forner Stage Three (Years 5 & 6) Third place: Jaden Zandona Second place: Harry Laurent First place: Joseph Nehme
Sports Awards Elizabeth Napoli, Delroy Kasawaya, Jonathan Codemo and Monica Litisoni
Class Structure for 2016
Kindergarten:
Kayla Page, Danielle Martinello and Lorette Sartor
Year One:
Denise Turner, Katarina Senatore and Brittany Fraser
Year Two:
Leeanne O’Connor, Peter Moraschi and Emily Graham
Year Three:
Louise Hill, Janice Taylor and Anna Bordignon
Year Four:
Debi Watkins, David Curry with Sally Grant assisting (Monday and Tuesday)
Year Five:
Michael Morrell/Natalie Raccanello, Lesley Harpur with Sally Grant assisting
Swimming 2016 Our School Swimming Carnival is going to be held on Wednesday, 3rd February. We ask parents of students who need to develop their swimming skills to encourage their children by taking them to the pool over the holidays to become more confident in the water. There are many good programmes on offer at the Aquatic Leisure Centre that will help develop confidence and skills in the water. All 3-6 classes will attend along with Year Two students who turn 8 or older in 2016 and who can swim 50m of Freestyle. Events will include 50m and 100m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly along with the 200m Individual Medley. There will also be 18m races in Freestyle and Backstroke along with events for non-swimmers. A note regarding the 2016 School Swimming Carnival will be sent home with students as soon as they return to school in 2016. The MIA Deanery Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday, 12th February. The 2016 Diocesan Swimming Carnival will be held in Leeton on Thursday, 25th February.
2015 St Patrick’s School Council Chairman’s Report
This time last year I stood before you and declared that 2014 was a defining period in the history of our school. The St Patrick’s Primary School Master Plan was completed and our future mapped out. Today, I stand by that declaration. In August of this year we gathered as a community and celebrated the completion of Stage 1 of the Master Plan and the beginning of a new chapter in our history. In the months since then we have witnessed the success of the new learning spaces that were delivered to Kindergarten, year 1 and year 2, a success that is most evident in the children who learn in these spaces every day. We now continue our journey with the beginning of Stage 2 during the Christmas/New Year break. Encompassing years 3 and 4, in 2016 we will have 6 out of the 7 grades in open learning environments. The challenge for the school council in 2016 and beyond is how we address this whilst keeping the master plan at the forefront of all decisions.
I would like to acknowledge the incredibly generous donation from Fr Grace and the Sacred Heart Parish, not just for Stage 1 but also for the Stage 2 works that are about to commence. We simply would not have been able to get these works completed and remain in a strong financial position if it wasn’t for you. Thank you Father. It has not gone unrecognized by the school council that continued professional development for the teaching staff is required to ensure the success of the investment made in open learning. Funds were provided in our 2015 budget for this purpose and have been increased again for 2016, highlighting our understanding that we can’t just create these amazing learning spaces and expect the teachers to be able to adapt from traditional classrooms. The work of the school council in 2015 was not just focused on the building works.
- We have continued to maintain the school buildings and grounds; - We have seen the policy sub-committee continue its review of school policies; - And, for the first time ever, we have worked closely with the school’s IT committee to ensure we are aligned
with their goals and requirements. I would like to acknowledge and thank Tanya Feltracco and the entire P&F for their hard work this year. Your team did an amazing job! On behalf of the school council, thank you. Today marks the end of my time on the school council. It has been 6 very rewarding years but it is time to hand over the reins. I would like to thank Fr Grace, our Principal David Adams-Jones, his deputy Alan Wedesweiler, the staff of St Patricks and the entire school council for their support and faith in me to lead them. I trust I have delivered on your expectations. Finally, I would like to wish the year 6 class of 2015 all the very best as you move onto high school. It’s an exciting time in your life – work hard but make sure you have some fun along the way. Thank you, Anthony Salmon School Council Chairman 2015
