24 July 2024 — Week 3, Term 3

Welcome from the Principal

Dear Families

Catholic Education Week always holds a special place in the liturgical life of the school. Being able to witness the beautiful sounds of our students singing during Mass on Tuesday is central to the distinctiveness of Catholic education where we are hopefully nurturing faith, inspiring hope and embracing love. Catholic Education Week awards were also presented to individual students from each class to acknowledge their contribution to the community of St Patrick's School where they, by their actions, inspire hope and embrace love. 

Catholic education plays a vital role in shaping the hearts and minds of students, fostering a holistic approach that integrates faith, academics and character development.

Faith remains at the core of Catholic education. It is not merely a set of doctrines or rituals; rather, it is a living relationship with God. Students learn to embrace faith through prayer, scripture, sacraments, and the example of dedicated educators.

Hope bridges gaps and unites diverse perspectives. In a world often marked by uncertainty, Catholic education instils hope by pointing students towards a better future. Whether it is the adoption of a positive mindset, the resilience to face challenges, or the anticipation of a better future, hope propels us forward. We also foster hope by encouraging critical thinking, promoting social justice and emphasising the dignity of every person.

Love is not a mere sentiment; it is a self-giving commitment. Catholic educators exemplify love by caring for each student as a unique individual. Love manifests in acts of kindness, forgiveness, and compassion.

As we celebrate Catholic Education Week in 2024, let us remember that education is not just about imparting knowledge; it is about forming hearts. Faith, hope, and love intertwine, shaping resilient individuals who contribute positively to society. In our Catholic schools, these values are not relics of the past but living realities that empower students to embrace their purpose and make a difference.

Keith Blaikie—Principal

Keith.Blaikie@twb.catholic.edu.au

Raising Awareness of Diabetes

The Diabetes Australia fairies visited St Patrick's School on Thursday 18 July and delivered some delicious cupcakes for our students and staff to enjoy. The main aim of their visit was to raise awareness of diabetes in our school community. Whilst the cupcakes were decorated with blue icing, we would like to make it clear that we were not celebrating NSW's series win in the State of Origin which was much to Ms Preston's disappointment. 

St Patrick’s P&F Care and Concern Group

The St Patrick's Care and Concern Group is once again ready to spring into action around the township of Allora. Our next outing will be on Saturday 3 August.  Please meet at St Patrick’s School at 9:00am and bring garden tools, lawnmowers and trailers for rubbish removal. Everyone is most welcome to attend!! 

Central Downs Athletics

Central Downs Athletics was held at Allora P-10 State School on Wednesday and Friday during Week 2. This carnival saw children from the Central Downs district represent their schools in many track and field events. Wednesday’s weather was freezing and made everybody’s hands, feet and noses numb but that didn’t stop the athletes trying their best. Oscar, Dustyn, Beau, Katelyn, Riley and Hunter received a place in the running events on Wednesday. The high jump was a thriller and Riley succeeded in jumping the highest in his age group and coming first.

On Friday, the weather was cool in the morning and became a little bit warmer as the day went on. Multiple students made it to the finals of their events. Congratulations to all the students who ran in the finals of the sprints which included many of our younger students. St Patrick’s had 49 students attend the carnival on Friday. It was also wonderful to see the many parents and grandparents attend the event on Friday to support their children.

Congratulations to the following students who will attend Southern Downs Athletics in the coming weeks. They include Aiden, Dustyn, Alby, Katelyn, Hunter, Toby, Kaleah, Beau, Oscar and Riley.

Teaching and Learning

NAPLAN 2024

All students who participate in NAPLAN receive an individual report of their results. NAPLAN individual student reports (ISRs) will be provided to schools. St Patrick’s School have received these reports and they will be distributed to parents during Week 4. The teaching staff of St Patrick’s will also view the individual student reports and discuss possible areas of improvement to be addressed before the end of the school year.

NAPLAN individual student results are reported against proficiency standards to provide parents and carers clear information on student achievement. The proficiency standards are set to a challenging but reasonable level expected for students at the time of NAPLAN testing. The results are classified into one of 4 proficiency levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support. The report shows the student’s achievement against the national average for their year (shown as a black triangle) and the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in their year level.

Manipulatives and Maths

The students of Glengallan have hit the ground running in Term 3 and like any good mathematicians, will use manipulatives to explore a new concept or cement their understanding of previous learnings. Glengallan were given the task to estimate different volumes, weights and linear measurements, and then confirm the accuracy of their estimations using appropriate units of measurement. Using practical examples and accessing everyday items are always highly engaging for both students and staff. Keep up the good work!

Religious Life of the School

Absent from the Table study

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is undertaking a research project aimed at investigating why some Catholics do not participate in regular weekly Sunday Mass (Sunday Mass includes the Saturday Vigil). The project will provide in-depth information about contemporary religious practices and beliefs of Catholics in Australia. The insights would enable parishes, movements and school communities to respond to the trends in participation in the Church, update the Church’s awareness and understanding of the present-day context, and enable responses and collaboration around the underlying factors for non/dis-engagement. You can read more about the study here.

The participants in this study will include Catholics within Australia aged 18 years and over who do not attend Sunday Mass on a regular weekly basis. Regular weekly attendance is defined as physical attendance at Sunday Mass three or more times a month, including the Saturday vigil celebrated in many parishes. 

The survey will run from Monday, 17 June 2024 and close on Tuesday, 20 August 2024. If you are happy to assist with this research please follow this link: https://bit.ly/AbsentFromTheTableSurvey

Upcoming events - July

• Friday 26 July - Bishop's Inservice Day (PUPIL FREE - school closed)
• Tuesday 30 July - Marty Savage to visit
• Tuesday 30 July - Southern Downs 1500m events in Warwick from 3:45pm
• Wednesday 31 July - Southern Downs Athletics at Allora P-10 State School (Glengallan and Dalrymple students only)
• Wednesday 31 July - Prep 2025 'Come and Try' from 9:00am until 11:00am 
• Wednesday 31 July - St Patrick's P&F meeting from 6:00pm (library or zoom)
• Friday 2 August - Whole School Assembly from 2:15pm in the Church
• Monday 5 August to Thursday 8 August - TCSO Principals' Forum in Chinchilla 
• Wednesday 7 August - St Patrick's Playgroup from 9:00am until 10:30am
• Wednesday 7 August - Newsletter

See the Sentral calendar for more information.

Reminders

Uniform Days

Sports
Wednesday, Friday

Formal
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

Please remember that we are a...
‘Nut Aware’ School.

Times for Mass at St Patrick's Church are as follows:

1st Sunday - 9am 2nd and 3rd Sunday – 5.30pm

4th & 5th Sunday Liturgy of the Word with Communion - 9am