Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
As we close in on the end of Term 1 2023, I wanted to highlight some of the amazing things that have been happening at St Patrick’s. Whilst it has been a busy term for everyone, it has also been a highly successful one.
As a staff we have had a significant focus on Literacy. A lot of our focus over the past year has been on building our knowledge and skills in this area and in Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2, MultiLit (Making Up For Lost Time In Literacy) has been implemented. This program is evidence-based and provides explicit Literacy instruction. This 2-hour daily Literacy program supports students Literacy skill development. Students have been assessed using the program, with those students that have significant gaps in their learning, being supported in small groups through the MiniLit intervention program. Both the classroom program and the intervention program have been going well and we are seeing some really positive results.
In the Grade 3-6 area, Literacy looks a little different to that in the Junior school, however throughout the year the Leadership Team will support the teachers to develop and implement a consistent approach to teaching Literacy. The Grade 3-6 students have however also been assessed using the MultiLit tests. Those students that again had significant gaps in their learning are being supported through the MaquLit intervention program. This program targets the gaps in the students Literacy skills and accelerates their learning from their point of need. The teachers have responded really well to this change in practice and we are seeing some positive changes in the classroom. The students have also responded really well to this change and are very settled, working well and demonstrating great progress.
NAPLAN
Over the past two weeks our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students have participated in NAPLAN (National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy). The students completed tests in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling) and Numeracy. NAPLAN has been run earlier this year and it is hoped that we will receive student results earlier so that we can use this data to further support student learning.
ST JOHN FIRST AID IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM
Recently, all students were involved in the First Aid in Schools program. This taught the students many skills including what they can do if they are faced with an emergency situation. The students really enjoyed the program and learnt a lot.
FIRST COMMUNION
Paige Fischer and Chase Shaw celebrated the Sacrament of First Communion on Saturday evening. This was a great celebration at the Cathedral, with students from St Mary’s Sale, St Thomas’ Sale and some of the public schools participating also. First Communion is the Sacrament where students receive the body of Christ, in the form of bread, just like Jesus’ disciples did at the Last Supper. We congratulate Paige and Chase on making this important sacrament.
CONFIRMATION
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated next term for those Grade 6 students that have already received the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion. The proposed dates for the Confirmation meetings are as follows:
Parent information session – Wednesday, 3rd May at 6pm St Mary's Cathedral/St Mary's Sale Primary School.
Confirmation Student Day – Thursday, 18th May St Mary's Cathedral/St Mary's Sale Primary School.
Reconciliation for candidates and their families – Thursday, 18th May at 6pm St Mary's Cathedral.
Practice session – Wednesday, 24th May at 6pm St Mary's Cathedral.
Sacrament of Confirmation – Sunday, 28th May at 9:30am St Mary's Cathedral.
If you have a Grade 6 child that would like to celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the St Mary’s Parish Office on 51 444 100.
HOLY WEEK
Holy Week is a time in the Catholic Church calendar which remembers Jesus’ last week of physical life, beginning with Palm Sunday and concluding on Easter Sunday. The events of Holy Week are:
Palm Sunday, which commemorates the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, when palm branches were placed in his path.
Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest.
Good Friday is the day on which Catholics commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Easter Sunday is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
HOLY WEEK PRAYER SERVICE
Next Wednesday, 5th April at 9:15am all students will be involved in a Holy Week Prayer Service in the Church. The students will retell the events of Holy Week through prayer, song and actions. All parents are invited to attend.
SCOTT’S BMX TRICK BIKE SHOW
Today, all students experienced Scott’s BMX Trick Bike Show. The students were treated to an action-packed bike show with amazing tricks, whilst Scott also encouraged them to practice, persevere and perfect, whatever it is they set their mind to. The students thoroughly enjoyed the show and I do apologise if your child is trying to perform amazing tricks on their bike over the weekend or holiday period.
START OF TERM 2
We have a different start to Term 2, with the students first day back at St Patrick’s not until Thursday, 27th April. On Monday 24th April, all staff have a Time in Lieu day to accommodate the extra hours they do outside their scheduled work time. Tuesday 25th April is also a school closure day due to the ANZAC Day Public Holiday. On Wednesday 26th April, we have a Religious Education staff Professional Development day. On this day we will be learning more about prayer and the different ways in which we can pray in our school. We will also be looking at Catholic iconography and how we can interpret this and make it relevant to our students today.
I hope that you all enjoy the upcoming holiday period with your family.
Kind regards,
Joel