Newsletter - St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Griffith

Prayer
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.
Tuesday, 16th December 2014
Term Four, Week 11
3rd Sunday in Advent
Is 61: 1-2, 10-11
1 Thess 5: 16-24
Jn 1: 6-8, 19-28
(The Word Became Flesh)
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday 16th December
Year 6 End of Year Mass and
Graduation.
6.30pm Sacred Heart Church
Wednesday 17th December
Final day for Students 2014
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, Art Show, academic competitions, Sacraments,
excursions to Canberra and Ballarat, assemblies and House meetings, Masses, 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 and note the 240 pages depicting the
spirit of learning, happiness and sense of fun as a common theme that has existed
throughout the academic year of 2014. 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.
Throughout all of these activities our students have demonstrated great character.
To our graduands, I once again congratulate you all your achievements. The staff
also wish you all the best as you move to your new secondary school 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 next few 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 2015
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on January 29 for Years One to Six. Kindergarten students will commence, “Best
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Start” interviews on the 29 and will commence full-time school in the following
week.
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Thursday 29th January 2015
School Resumes for Years 1-6
Tuesday 3rd February
Whole School Welcoming Mass @
Sacred Heart Church
Wednesday 4th February
School Swimming Carnival @ Griffith
Regional Aquatic Centre
Thursday 5th February
Kindergarten commences
Wednesday 11th February
First Reconciliation Information Night
Wednesday 18th February
Ash Wednesday Mass @ Sacred Heart
Church
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Farewell to Families
As this is the last newsletter I wanted to also say farewell on behalf of the school, to all the families that will be leaving St
Patrick’s at the end of this year. We thank you for what you have brought to our school and how you have shaped our
community through your time here. We wish you every success in the future. We say farewell to the following families:
Bertoldo, Flores, Catanzariti (Harry), Falcon, Favell, Forlico (Massimo), Hutchinson, Kaur (Amrit), Mazumder, Patel (Dhruv),
Prasad, Rowe, Ryan, Scoble, Sebastian, Snaidero and Testoni (Isaac) , Austin, Clancy, Harrison (Anna), Lees, Mangrolia, Murray,
Navaneethan, Pollard, Porter, Salvestro (Michael) and Sergi (Maria) families. May God continue to watch over you all as the new
journey begins.
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 and in this society in which we live in, it is one guiding principle that is
viewed as a most desirable trait. When providing a high quality education, our staff have
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.
Thank You Parents
My sincere thanks to all our parents for the commitment you have to our school and for the
trust you place in our team at St Patrick’s. 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 understanding, and friendship throughout
2014.
New Addition to Website
St Patrick’s now has its own YouTube Channel and Apple iMoves have been created in the Quick Links Bar entitled “Video
Gallery.” Stay tuned for real life movies of our students” accomplishments throughout 2015. Our Photo Gallery will remain as an
archive section for 2013 and 2014. All photos next year will continued to be posted on our Facebook page as a way of
celebrating and sharing with extended family members student achievements. Apple iMovies will replace the classroom
connections each week highlighting our students engaging in real life learning.
Monthly Letter for December
Today, my final monthly letter will be sent home to all families. This letter will have information about our
building program for next year and highlight information regarding Contemporary Education. It is really
important that we all engage in furthering our understanding of contemporary education. See what the
latest research is saying rather than listen to unfounded sources or rumours. When you find yourself
listening to unfounded sources or rumours, ask yourself this important question: “What is the rationale
behind this person’s view point? If you don’t know then common sense will follow. There are always two
sides to a story.” Then stop and look around you will notice that the person being spoken about or the
rumour cannot be sourced because the other person is not there to explain it. What happens to us is human nature, some things
play on our minds. With the internet available at home or the library you can source what research is saying Just google Professor Richard Elmore, John Dewey, Dr Helen McGrath on Repeating students, William Spady, Ben Jense
Grattan Institute, Shirley Clarke, Helen Timperley, Professor Stephen Heppell. In a nutshell, they are saying you can’t play
chess on a Monopoly board!
Our future (students) depends on our students making informed decisions backed by research and facts rather than hearsay or
rumours! Let’s continue to model this behaviour for our children’s sake by checking out the facts before we comment.
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In closing, I ask that God be with you all and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2015. School starts on Thursday, 29
January for students in Years One through to Year Six. Kindergarten “Best Start“ program
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begins on January 29 and continues for five school days. Kindergarten formally starts full
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time on February 5 . Thanks for reading!
Take care this week and may you all be blessed throughout this beautiful Season of Advent.
David Adams-Jones, Principal
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From our Assistant Principal
2014 School Leaders
Over the years St Patrick’s Primary has always prided itself on the quality of our school leaders. And this tradition has continued
in 2014 with Julia Forner, Grace Murray, Samuel Ryan and Brock Twigg being consistently responsible, mature and reliable
school leaders. Our school leaders this year have done a remarkable job. They have worked tirelessly for our school, running
assemblies, working fundraisers, meeting and showing visitors around our school grounds while maintaining their commitment
to their class work. They have kept in constant communication with Mr Adams-Jones and Mr Wedesweiler as they strive for the
best for all students. The St Patrick’s school community of 2014 would like to thank Julia, Grace, Samuel and Brock and our Social
Justice and our House Leaders for leading by example and for their outstanding work this year as school leaders and wish them
all the best for their future.
2015 School Leaders
Congratulations to the following students who have been elected by their peers and the staff to the following roles for 2015.
We are so very proud of each of you and everyone in Year Five as we look to you for the student leadership for 2015.
Isabella Smith
Tess Woodhouse
2015 School Leaders
Abhiyash Sandhu
Connor Bourke
2015 Social Justice Leaders
Madeline Proud
Nicholas Andreazza
Grace Adams-Jones
2015 Patrick House Leaders
Isabella Salmon
Nicholas Zanatta
Maree Rinaldo
Joseph Sergi
Brooke Aloisi
Ella Salvestro
2015 Brendan House Leaders
Jonathan Codemo
Luke Armanini
2015 McAuley House Leaders
Grace Catanzariti
James Glennon
Emily Wood
Victor Catanzariti
Isabella Arcifa
Alyssa Quinn
2015 Marcellin House Leaders
Frank Pirrottina
Imreet Singh
Big Congratulations to our 2015 School Leaders:
Abhiyash Sandhu, Isabella Smith,
Connor Bourke & Tess Woodhouse.
We are very blessed to have you leading
our school community in 2015.
Major Awards Assembly
Yesterday 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
Frank Velis
Amy Clausen Memorial Award for Conduct, Study & Attitude
Aribo Kaibwa, Kimberly Ma, Fakiha Mazumder
Anderson Cultural Award for Outstanding Creativity in
Creative Arts
Emily Cozens, Grace Murray
Canteen Award for Academic Excellence
Piriyarathan Karunapalan, Nayani Navaneethan, Samuel Ryan
Cath Catanzariti English Award
Brock Twigg, Nayani Navaneethan, Samuel Ryan
Mott Family Information Technology Award
Brock Twigg, Matthew Scremin
Fr Michael Award for Interest in Science & Technology
Nathan Bruss, Christopher D’Aquino
Fr Rafe Beltrame Award for Outstanding Participation &
Achievement in all areas of School Life
Prerna Locham, Marcus Sartor, Brock Twigg
Justine Foley Memorial Award for Christian Living
Cross Carlo
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Kevin Kook Service Award
Francesca Franco
Numeracy Award
Piriyarathan Karunapalan, Brock Twigg, Matthew Scremin
School Board Citizenship Award
Julia Forner, Shantel Shipton, Joanne Sebastian
Sportsmanship and School Life Award
Jordan Austin
St Patrick’s Public Speaking Award
Nayani Navaneethan
P & F Sportsperson of the Year
Sara Negus, Abby Favell
Student of the Year
Joshua Feltracco, Samuel Ryan, Emily Cozens
Sacred Heart Parish Award
Joshua Feltracco
Librarian Award
Mitch Salvestro
Liza Simpson Positive Spirit Award
Ella Yardley
St Patrick’s Chess Champions
Stage Two (Years 3&4)
Third place: Adam Linos
Second place: Kush Patel
First place: Fergus Shelton
Stage Three (Years 5&6)
Third place: Michael Montagner
Second place: Brock Twigg
First place: Prateek Prasaad
Sports Awards
Abby Favell
Sarah Negus
School leaders 2014 Speech
I have included below the text of the 2014 School Leaders
Speech
Grace Murray
On the 13th of February, 2008 Aboriginal people all across
Australia were deeply moved. As the Australian Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generation and
said ‘sorry’. In that same month the Kindergarten of 2008
were starting their own journey at St. Patricks Griffith.
Classrooms had black boards and chalk.
Computers were the size of a small fridge.
There was a playground the size of…well it was huge!
And very tall teachers that towered over them.
Fast forward to 2014. These same wide-eyed kindies are now
Year 6 and we are sitting here at our Graduation day. The St
Patrick’s we began our education in has changed so much over the last 7 years.
Smartboards, ipads, notebook computers, a new principal, a new deputy principal, new office ladies and lots of new teachers.
A new school hall, parish priest, refurbished classrooms and open plan learning environments. These are just some of the
changes that have happened during our time.
Imagine the next seven years!
Julia Forner
Our amazing journey at St. Patrick’s has been so much fun. We started school in 2008. Our Kindergarten teachers were Miss
Goldsworthy, Mrs Hill and Mrs Pats, and Mrs Sartor. They were the amazing teachers who guided us through our first year at St
Patricks. We remember being so excited and a little nervous participating in our first ever school concert, ‘The Aussie Bush’ at
the Regional Theatre. We danced to ‘Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees’. Fast forward to Year Four and ‘The Circus of
Dreams’, which was amazing. ‘Groovin to the Movies’, in Year Five and onto our last primary School Concert ‘A Tragedy at the
Four Clovers Theatre’, which we all played a major role. We have also had the opportunity to experience school excursions like
Ballarat and Canberra. We will never forget the rush for the raspberry drops at Sovereign Hill. They are so good! And watching
Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey being drilled during question time. Both excursions provided us with fantastic memories that will
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last forever. And for everything else that our school has provided us. The opportunity to continue our faith journey through our
sacraments, being part of the Wakakirri spectacular, all the sporting opportunities that people work tirelessly behind the scenes
to organise. For this and everything else we are truly appreciative.
Brock Twigg
Thank you to the School Board and the P&F for all the amazing things that you do. We thank you for the hard work that you put
in behind the scenes, from organising and setting up our amazing art show to running two discos a night, cooking thousands of
sausages and supporting our swimming and dance programs. The funds you raise go directly towards our education and making
our school such a fantastic place to be.
Samuel Ryan
To all the teachers who have made our time at St Patricks such a wonderful journey. From tying our shoelaces and ties to fixing
our hair and handing out tissues in infants to helping us with assignments, speeches and relationships in primary.
Thank you so much for everything you have done.
To all St Patrick’s staff who make this place what it is. From the office ladies that are always so very helpful to our amazing
groundsmen that keep our school grounds so immaculate.
To all the teacher aides and assistants that do absolutely anything for you.
To all our parents.
We don’t even know how to thank you enough. You have been with us on every step of our journey. From making our lunches
and packing our bags in the mornings to scavenging through those same bags late at night looking for notes that were due last
week or putting your finger through a month old banana. We truly appreciate everything you have done for us.
We love you so very much.
Brock Twigg
Now to our kindy buddies. It has been so much fun spending time with you and getting to know you. Keeping you still in church,
making imaginative junk box creations, reading books in class and running around the dinosaur. It has all been so much fun. Now
I want all our kindy buddies to listen very carefully. We will be leaving the school to you. And it is up to you guys to take on this
role. Have fun, laugh, look out for each other and take care of our wonderful school.
Grace Murray
So from Brock, Samuel, Julia and I. We thank everyone so very much for the support and guidance you have showed us. And we
thank you for providing us with the opportunity to lead this wonderful school. We truly appreciate it.
Thank you everyone from Mr. W
It has been a year of challenging and
changing for all of us. I could stand here
and list off everything we’ve achieved
and had here this year but I won’t. You
know all of our achievements this year,
our many academic, sporting successes
and our activities have been fantastic
and have been regularly reported .
Providing the environment and quality
learning experiences in our desire to
maximise the potential of every student.
We have challenged, enthused,
invigorated, infuriated, welcomed,
farewelled, laughed, cried,
commiserated, celebrated, thought and
prayed as a learning faith community in
2014. My thanks to all. I encourage you
to continue to reflect on the great good
that you do and can dare to do.
God Bless you all and have a safe and
holy Christmas & New Year Break.
Maintain & share your
awesomeness,
Alan Wedesweiler, Assistant Principal
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2015 Calendar Dates
Term One (10 weeks)
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Updated 11th December, 2014
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Staff: Tuesday January 27 to Thursday 2 April
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Years 1-6 Students: Thursday 29 January to Thursday 2 April
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Kindergarten students: Thursday 5 February to Thursday 2 April
Term One Public Holidays (No School):
Australia Day -Monday 26th January (Wk 1)
Term One Pupil Free Days (No School for Students):
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Tuesday 27 January -Staff Professional Learning
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Wednesday 28 January -Staff Professional Learning
Key dates for you Diary Term One
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Tuesday 3 February – Whole School Welcoming Mass @ Sacred Heart Church (Wk 2)
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Wednesday 4 February – St Patrick’s Swimming Carnival @ Griffith Regional Aquatic Centre (Wk 2)
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Thursday 5 February – Kindergarten Students Start (Wk 2)
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Wednesday 11 February – First Reconciliation Information Night (Wk3)
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Friday 13 February – MIA Deanery Swimming Carnival @ Griffith Regional Aquatic Centre (Wk 3)
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Wednesday 18 February – Ash Wednesday Mass @ Sacred Heart Church (Wk 4)
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Friday 20 February – Griffith Can Assist Morning Tea (Wk 4)
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Thursday 26 February – Diocesan Swimming Carnival @ Leeton Swimming Pool (Wk 5)
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Tuesday 17 March – St Patrick’s Day Mass @ Sacred Heart Church (Wk 8)
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Tuesday 24 March – Sacrament of First Reconciliation @ Sacred Heart Church (Wk 9)
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Thursday 26 March – St Patrick’s Cross Country @ Ted Scobie Oval (Wk 9)
Term Two (10 weeks)
Staff: Monday 20th April to Friday 26th June
Students: Tuesday 21st April to Friday 26th June
Term Three Pupil Free Days (No School for Students):
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Monday 20 April – Staff Spirituality Day
Term Two Public Holidays (No School):
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Monday 8 June - Queen’s Birthday (Wk 8)
Key dates for you Diary Term Two
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Friday 24 April - Diocesan Cross Country @ Holbrook (Wk1)
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Saturday 25 April – Anzac Day
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Thursday 7 May – St Patrick’s Athletics Field Events on School Grounds (Wk 3)
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Friday 8 May – Mother’s Day Liturgy in Fr O’Dea Hall (Wk 3)
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Tuesday 12 – Thursday 14 May – NAPLAN (Wk 4)
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Wednesday 13 – Friday 15 May – Year 6 Canberra Excursion (Wk 4)
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Monday 18 May -& Tuesday 19 May – School Photos
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Thursday 21 May – St Patrick’s Athletics Carnival @ West End Oval Griffith (Wk 5)
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Friday 29 May – MIA Deanery Athletics Carnival @ West End Oval Griffith (Wk 6)
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Monday 15 June – Semester One Reports are distributed (Wk 9)
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Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 June – Sacrament of First Holy Communion @ Sacred Heart Parish Griffith (Wk 9)
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Monday 22 – Friday 26 June – Parent Teacher Interviews will be held after School Hours
Term Three (10 weeks)
Staff: Monday 13th July to Friday 18th September
Students: Tuesday 14th July to Friday 18th September
Term Three Pupil Free Days (No School for Students):
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Monday 13 July - Staff Professional Learning (To Be Confirmed)
Key dates for you Diary Term Three
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Wednesday 15 July – Confirmation parent Information Night (Wk 1)
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Friday 31 July – St Patrick’s Annual Art Show in the Fr O’Dea Hall (Wk 3)
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Friday 7 August – Diocesan Athletics Carnival in Albury (Wk4)
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Friday 4 September – Father’s Day Liturgy in the Fr O’Dea Hall (Wk 8)
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Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 September – Sacrament of Confirmation in Sacred Heart Church Griffith ( Wk 8)
Term 4 (11 weeks)
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Staff: Tuesday 6 October to Friday 18 December
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Students: Tuesday 6 October to Wednesday 16 December
Term Four Public Holidays:
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Labour Day - Monday 5 October (Wk 1)
Term Four Pupil Free Days (No School for Students):
None
Key dates for you Diary Term Four
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Tuesday 20 October – Thursday 22 October – Year 5 Ballarat Excursion (Wk 3)
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Sunday 1 November – Sacred Heart Parish Fete (Wk 4)
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Wednesday 11 November – Remembrance Day (Wk 6)
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Monday 30 November – Semester Two Reports are distributed (Wk 9)
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Monday 7 December – Friday 11 December – Parent Teacher Interviews will be held after School Hours (Wk 10)
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Friday 11 December – Year 6 Graduation Mass at Sacred Heart Church (Wk 10) TBC
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Tuesday 15 December – End of Year Mass of Thanksgiving and Awards (Wk 11) TBC
Please note: There are a further two Pupil Free Days that will be advised early in 2015.
Pastoral Care
Dear Members of our School Community,
As this is our last newsletter for the year, I would like to wish you a very holy, safe and very
family-orientated Christmas. May the focus in our homes this Christmas 2014, be one of joy,
love, peace and gratitude for all the blessings we have received throughout the year. May the
Lord touch our hearts, so that we may say “thank you Jesus” and we may recognise that the
priceless present we can give to our loved ones this Christmas is the gift of ourselves in the
present moment. The joy of commercial presents is often short lived, but the love we show to
our family lasts a lifetime and it’s free!
Let us be united in prayer and love with the many families that are grieving for their loved ones
this Christmas.
Thank you for all your love, support and encouragement in my role as a pastoral carer.
Cath Catanzariti , Pastoral Care Coordinator
Please Pray for
We pray for all the members in our school community who are
sick and for all families who have lost loved ones.
If you have any special intentions for prayers that you would
like us to include in this section, please email Alissa in the
office on woodhousea@ww.catholic.edu.au.
Dear Lord,
We entrust to your love, care & healing all families who are
experiencing grief as a result of the loss of loved ones. May your
healing spirit also restore to good health all who are ill and
others that may be enduring difficult
times in their lives.
In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Fr Grace
Dear Friends,
With Christmas fast I approaching it is important that we take
some time to reflect on the reason for the season. Jesus said,
“I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear
witness to the truth; and all those who are on the side of
truth listen to my voice.” (John 18:37). Christmas is a
beautiful time of the year to ponder afresh the reality of
whose birthday it is that we are celebrating. Jesus Christ is the
only one whose birth was prophesied; in fact there are 456
biblical prophesies spanning over a thousand years that
where fulfilled in exact detail in His very life. We know that
He is no ordinary person; He is the Eternal Word - “The Word
became flesh and dwelt amongst us.” (John 1:14). As God He
could not died but as a Divine Person, human and divine, He
could. And that He willingly did, for love of us, that we may
have Eternal Life. Christmas is a time of joy because we
celebrate that we now have a Saviour who shows us the way
to Heaven. Interestingly, Bethlehem means house of bread and at birth Jesus was placed in a manger which was an eating
trough for cattle. In His infancy, Jesus was giving us a sneak preview of the greatest gift He would leave us at the Last Supper –
the gift of His Body. Jesus said, “If you eat my flesh”... “you will live forever” (John 6). At the Last Supper He also said to the
apostles, “Do this in memory of Me”. At Christmas we remember Christ’s first Mass; His first offering of Himself as Saviour. At
every Mass we remember His sacrifice for us and we are feed with His Body. Let us this Christmas, meditate anew the gift and
mystery of Jesus with grateful hearts. O Come let us adore Him.
I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and a happy new year.
God Bless,
Fr Grace,
Sacred Heart Griffith Parish Priest
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School Council
School Council 2015 AGM Report
My first year as School Council Chairman was a very
rewarding experience. Working closely with our Principal
David Adams-Jones, and embracing the Bishop’s vision
from the document “Catholic Schools at a Crossroads”, I
believe 2014 will be looked back on in years to come as a
defining year for St Patricks. This was the year the future
of our school was cemented with the completion of the
St Patrick’s School Master Plan. The School Council firmly
embraced the plan from its conception and supported
the vision for how our school will remain a place of educational excellence for years to come. Whilst we were unable to secure a
grant this year to allow building works to begin in earnest, we are hopeful that next year will be our turn. Twice this year we
were fortunate enough to have Mark McLean, principal of Holy Spirit Lavington, visit our school and share the blueprint of his
success with open learning environments. Mark has seen incredible growth in students at his school, in the order of 30% in 3
years, and this is testament to what they are doing is working. On the back of this it is wonderful to see the teachers of St
Patricks excited about working in these environments in 2015 and beyond. Our children are going to benefit enormously and
this is what makes all our hard work so rewarding. A couple of events rang a chord with me this year. The first was Mark’s
presentation to the parents during his information sessions. When you look back at how we were taught as children and
compare this to how education is delivered today, I’m surprised we learned anything at all! The second was when I had the
honour of sitting in on the interviews for teaching positions. A number of well-credentialed candidates had only ever taught in
open learning environments and were hesitant in coming to work in a school that only offered “boxes” to teach in. The future
generation of teachers will only understand open learning so it is critical we move in this direction. Failure to do so will be to the
detriment of both our school and, more importantly, our children. The School Council had a record number of nominations for
positions in 2015. This clearly demonstrates not only the confidence of the broader school community about the direction St
Patricks is heading, but also their desire to be an active part of its future. With the support of David Adams-Jones and the School
Executive, the School Council this year has also:
 provided a new bus stop area that offers protection for not just our students but those from other schools also. The
support from the CSO Wagga is noted and appreciated.
 continued the review of school policies by the recently formed sub-committee of the School Council. This will continue
into the coming years.
I would like to extend a big thank you to departing members, in particular Rob Kelly and Angela Favell. Rob’s leadership over his
6 years on the School Council has been terrific and I am sure we will continue to benefit from his skills in the role he now fills on
the Bishop’s Advisory Council. On the other hand, Angela has spent 10 years as treasurer and would be leaving a massive hole if
it wasn’t for the way Debbie Sinclair has stepped up into the role. Many thanks Rob and Angela – you will be sorely missed.
Finally, I would like to thank our Principal David, his deputy Alan, Fr Grace, Leeanne O’Connor and the entire staff of St Patrick’s.
Your support has been tremendous. I am confident that the future of our school is in great hands and will continue to be
regarded as one of the best educational facilities in Griffith and surrounds.
Thank you,
Anthony Salmon
Chairman, St Patrick’s School Council
School Council Members for 2015
Anthony Salmon, Chairman
Craig Yardley, Vice Chairman
Margaret Andreazza, Secretary
Oscar Roche, Maintenance Officer
Debbie Sinclair, Treasurer
Alison Balind
Jane Bonny
Christine Betteridge
Tim Andrighetto
Luke Testoni
Steven Parisotto
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Sport
Swimming 2015
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Our School Swimming Carnival is going to be held on Wednesday, 4
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 2015 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 2015 School Swimming Carnival will be
sent home with students as soon as they return to school in 2015. The MIA Deanery Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday,
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13 February. The 2015 Diocesan Swimming Carnival will be held in Leeton on Thursday, 26 February.
Parent Helpers
Thanks also go to the many parents who helped with our sporting events during the year. Your assistance makes it possible to
hold all our events. To those parents who will be moving on from St Patrick’s as their youngest child heads to High School we
offer you a special thanks for your contributions to the fabric of our school.
Canteen
ST PATRICK’S SCHOOL CANTEEN ROSTER – TERM
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
1, 2015
THURSDAY
29 January
26 February
26 March
FRIDAY
30 January
27 February
27 March
L Sergi
A Sergi
M Sergi
S Sergi
6 February
6 March
23 February
23 March
24 February
24 March
25 February
25 March
K Yardley
M Dalo
V Emery
2 February
2 March
30 March
A Barbaro
NEED VOLUNTEERS
D Della Franca
J Calabria
NEED VOLUNTEERS
3 February
3 March
31 March
4 February
4 March
1 April
5 February
5 March
2 April
B Aventi
R Carlon
N Restagno
9 February
9 March
D Salmon
K Beltrame
S Bell-Smith
M Macrae
K Adams-Jones
W Andriollo
L Campbell
J Murray
A Waide
10 February
10 March
11 February
11 March
12 February
12 March
13 February
13 March
S Fanani
R Torresan
G Trimboli
NEED VOLUNTEERS
S Rossetto
L Montagner
S Catanzariti
17 February
17 March
N Codemo
A McGibbon
A Thomas
18 February
18 March
S Martinello
T Barbaro
E Catanzariti
19 February
19 March
M Andreazza
S Trotter
M Puntoriero
NEED VOLUNTEERS
16 February
16 March
T Feltracco
J Salvestro
K Andreatta
J Davidge
S Piccoli
20 February
20 March
L Salvestro
P Minato
V Forner
K Salvestro
WE URGENTLY NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE DAYS AS SHOWN. CANTEEN DUTY COMMENCES AT 9.00am AND FINISHES AT 11.20 am. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO
YOUR DUTY PLEASE TRY AND FIND A REPLACEMENT AND INFORM LISA ON 0428242348. YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A CUP OF TEA OR COFFEE OR A COLD DRINK,
ALSO A BISCUIT/CAKE – ANY OTHER FOOD WILL HAVE TO BE PAID FOR.
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www.spgww.catholic.edu.au spg-info@ww.catholic.edu.au
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www.spgww.catholic.edu.au spg-info@ww.catholic.edu.au