Dear Parents and Carers,

We have now entered the final weeks of the school year. It is so hard to believe another school year is nearly over and another Year 6 class are preparing to move on!

YEAR 6: In conversations with our Year 6 students, there are mixed emotions about next year. On one hand they are excited to be moving on to new adventures but on the other hand, sad to be leaving behind the school community they have always know and become such an integral part of. We have some exciting, planned activities for Year 6 to help conclude their primary school years in a special way.

Friday 9^th December: Year 6 Graduation Mass

Monday 12^th December: Year 6 Big Day Out

Wednesday 14^th December: Year 6 Dinner at Lott’s Family Hotel at 6pm

Friday 16^th December: Traditional ringing of the school bell commencing at 3pm

We wish Year 6 a very happy last three weeks here at St Patrick’s school and look forward to celebrating these special events with them and their families.

2023 PREPARATION: Plans are well underway for the 2023 school year. Class groups and teacher information has already been provided for parents and carers. School budgets, fee schedules and plans are also being finalised. CE personnel are supporting this process and  

2023 YEAR 5 SCHOOL CAPTAIN SPEECHES:

Congratulations to our Year 5 students who presented outstanding speeches for the 2023 School Captain positions. The content of the speeches was varied but extremely interesting. Students and staff voting took place last Thursday. Our 2023 School Captains will be announced at the Award Day.

STAINED GLASS WINDOW: St Patrick’s School, have been the benefactors of a very generous donation from an ex-St Stanislaus student, Mr Bernie Hennessey. Mr Hennessey has made a donation on behalf of his family and the Young family, both past residents of Gundagai. Both families have expressed their gratitude for the wonderful education they received as former students of St Stanislaus’s school (St Patrick’s Schools former name) and the successes they have enjoyed in life, as a result of wonderful foundational education they received in their formative years. The donation has been put towards developing a beautiful Stained-Glass window in the new administration area that will have a dedication to the Hennessey and Young families included in the design. A big thanks you to Deb from Elegance Stained-Glass who has worked with the Exec Team to come up with a design that is reflective of our Catholic context in the Gundagai community. Mr Hennessy has been kept abreast of the designs and planning process. We are hoping the Stained-Glass window will be installed during Term 1.

SEMESTER TWO REPORTS: Semester Two reports are being finalised and checked. Reports will be available to parents on Wednesday 7^th December via the COMPASS portal. Parent/Teacher interviews will be available on Monday 12^th and Tuesday 13^th December on request from parents.

ALICE THE MUSICAL: Thank you to families and community members for all the wonderful feedback we have received following on from our whole school production, Alice the Musical. It was certainly very much appreciated by all and a wonderful opportunity to gather again as a school community. We hope families managed to get a copy of the Gundagai Independent paper as we received a fabulous write up and photos on the front page and on another page inside. Lovely to see St Patrick’s shining!

Christine Baron

Principal

St Patrick, Pray for Us.

The Season of Advent

We have now entered the season of Advent. At Mass on Saturday night Tessa Crowe and Tahlira Rose lit the first Advent candle. 

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday.

The first candle (purple) is the prophecy candle or the candle of hope. It represents Isaiah and other prophets in the Bible who predicted the coming of Jesus.

We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises made to us. Our hope comes from God. Romans 15:12-13

God of hope, awaken our hearts to you this advent season and fill our hearts with hopeful anticipation of your coming, so that when Jesus arrives, we are ready to receive him in our hearts and minds. Amen.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is pink and symbolises joy. It is called the “Shepard’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical colour for joy. The third Sunday of Advent reminds us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus.

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolises peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the “Christ Candle” and represents the life of Christ. The colour white is for purity—because Christ is our sinless, pure Saviour.

The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God and the everlasting life we find in Christ.

Celebrating Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas. As we approach the Christmas Season, let us all remember the true meaning of Christmas. May you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the peace of His love at Christmas and always.

           Faith makes all things possible,
           Hope makes all things work,
           Love makes all things beautiful,
          May you have all three this Christmas.

Altar Serving Practice

This Friday, Father Namora will hold an Altar Serving practice session. Our new Altar Servers along with our existing servers will have the opportunity to practice the various roles they undertake when serving. We thank Father for generously giving his time and the children for their continued support in this ministry.

End of Year Graduation/Thanksgiving Mass

Our Year 6 Graduation / Thanksgiving Mass will be held on Friday 9^th December at 12 noon. This Mass will be our opportunity to celebrate the conclusion of the Year 6 children’s time at St Patrick’s School. We also come together to thank God for another dynamic and productive year at our school. This is always a very special Mass, and we warmly welcome our parents to join with us to celebrate.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

Please keep in mind our annual Christmas appeal to support the St Vincent de Paul Society. At our Year 6 Graduation / Thanksgiving Mass on Friday 9^th December, we are asked to donate food and household items that can be put together as hampers to assist those in our community who need some help during the festive season.

Your generosity will be greatly appreciated.

To ensure we provide a broad range of hamper items we have designated each class a specific item to donate.

Kindergarten: Drinks (non-alcoholic)

Year One: Dinner Savoury Pantry (pasta, sauces, 2-minute noodles)

Year Two: Party Pantry (biscuits, nuts, chips, popcorn)

Year Three: Tins and Cans (fruit, soup, vegetables)

Year Four: Cleaning and Toiletries (spray & wipe, toothbrushes, laundry powder)

Year Five: Breakfast Savoury Pantry (cereals, spreads, food bars)

Year Six: Sweets and Desserts (mince pies, custard powder, chocolates, puddings).

Kate Howe

REC

This is the CC’s final update for 2022. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the CC activities for 2022 and helped us make them a great success. It was a busy year, but we were fortunate to be able to be back in the swing of hosting events which bring the community together, and we are proud of our achievements which include:

• Tesselaar Bulb Fundraiser
• Western Region Cross Country Canteen + Raffle
• Trivia Night + Auction
• Weekly Meat Raffles in Term 3 and 4
• Street Stall + Raffle
• Crazy Camel Fundraiser
• Spring Working Bee
• Weekly Tuckshop and Cookies
• Application for a grant to upgrade the hall facilities
• Completion of the playground upgrade and cultural space

CC fundraising activities paid for the following items in 2022:

• Parent’s BBQ during the Disco in Term 1 - $214.00
• Subsidised cost of buses for excursions - $5,000.00
• Purchased logoed marquee for sporting/representative events - $1,766.99
• Sourced and provided funds towards the purchase of ride on mower - $700.00
• Poly pipe & fittings to provide water from underground rainwater tank - $849.50
• Commissioned preliminary sketches for the Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA) - $950.00
• Purchased curtains for the Stage of the school hall - $5,105.00

CC also paid for the following to finalise the grant for the playground upgrade:

• Cultural Mural - $5,000.00
• Lighting for Mural - $2,264.00

Our fundraising plans for 2023 include:

• St Patrick’s Day Fair - March 18^th, Carberry Park
• Degustation Night + Auction (Date TBC, possibly August 2023)
• Street Stall (Date TBC)
• Meat Raffles (Term 2 and 3)
• Tuckshop and Cookies (ongoing)
• Cupcake Monday returns! (ongoing)

We are working towards our ‘WISH LIST’ which includes:

• Continued subsidy for the cost of buses for excursions
• Funding of new Chromebooks for classrooms
• COLA – currently pursuing quote(s) and grants
• Electronic school sign for Sheridan St.
• Netball and League Tag representative sports uniforms
• Upgrade and soundproofing of the school hall

Happy Holidays,

Kate Graham

Secretary – Community Council

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

Your generosity will be greatly appreciated.

To ensure we provide a broad range of hamper items we have designated each class a specific item to donate.

Kindergarten: Drinks (non-alcoholic)

Year One: Dinner Savoury Pantry (pasta, sauces, 2-minute noodles)

Year Two: Party Pantry (biscuits, nuts, chips, popcorn)

Year Three: Tins and Cans (fruit, soup, vegetables)

Year Four: Cleaning and Toiletries (spray & wipe, toothbrushes, laundry powder)

Year Five: Breakfast Savoury Pantry (cereals, spreads, food bars)

Year Six: Sweets and Desserts (mince pies, custard powder, chocolates, puddings).

Don't forget to send in your Cupcake Monday form if you are able to help out with cooking.   Cupcake Monday's has been absent for the past 3 years and we are super excited to have it back in 2023 if we are able to get enough volunteers to go on a roster.  The cupcakes will be sold every Monday by our Yr 6 Leaders. 

An Event has been set up on Compass for parents to accept or decline the volunteering to cook cupcakes on a Monday - Click on Events, go to Volunteering Tab and the invite is set for parents to accept or decline. 

Parent Helpers Needed

The old administration area, staffroom and verandah are undergoing a revamp in the holidays with painting and new carpet being laid. We are calling upon our families to assist for a short period of time to help move shelves, cupboards, and books.

If any parent volunteers are able to assist with moving furniture to other areas of the school. we would really appreciate your help. Moving will begin at approximately 10.00am following on from the Week 10 Award Assembly. If you can assist please call the office and let us know. Thank you.

Thank you to all of our wonderful families who came along to watch our Alice the Musical play last week.  It was a wonderful performance enjoyed by all who attended.

Thank you to all who supported our Lucky Door Raffle. 

Deyanne Field was the lucky winner 

Eugowra Flood Mufti Day Fundraiser 

The SRC are holding a Mufti Day fundraiser next Wednesday on the 7th of December. We ask all students to bring a gold coin donation and dress in warm colours such as orange, red, yellow and pink. We are having our last fundraiser of the year so let's make it count! We are raising money to help with the floods in Eugowra. We will be sending this money to the Eugowra Flood Appeal to assist the community with essential items and support

SRC Christmas Tree

The SRC are hoping to count the money that we have fundraised this year and they would like to buy a christmas tree and decorate it. Mrs Baron would assign a different decoration for each class. We think that it would be a festive and creative way to end the school year. 

Abigail Bock, Charlotte McDonnell, Molly Lott, Lane Johnson

TERM 4 Dates:

SEMESTER TWO REPORTS: Wednesday 7^th December

2022 Award Day-Friday 9^th December-9.30-11.00am

Year 6 Graduation Mass-Friday 9^th December 12pm

Year 6 Graduation Dinner-Wednesday 14^th December 6pm

Year 6 BIG DAY OUT-Monday 12^th December

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS: Monday 12^th and Tuesday 13^th December. Parents are asked to contact their child’s teacher to request and interviews

WEEK 10 AWARD Day: Thursday 15^th December 9.00am

PRINCIPAL AWARD’S MORNING TEA: Thursday 15^th December 10.30am

Term 4 concludes-Friday 16^th December at 3:15pm. Year 6 traditional ringing of the school bell will take place from 3.00pm onwards.

Monday 30^th January-CE CATALYST System Day in Canberra

Tuesday 31^st January-Staff Preparation Day

Wednesday 1^st February-Students K-6 begin Term 1

Our deepest sympathy is extended to the Chew family on the loss of Zoe’s father and Anson’s grandfather, recently. Zoe, Soon and Anson have been in our thoughts and prayers.

Just a reminder that Sports uniform will need to be worn on  Thursday and Friday again this week. 

Thursday - Swimming - Please ensure you pack your swimmers, sunscreen, towel, goggles (if required), rashie and $2.00 for pool entry if you are not a current season ticket holder at the pool. 

Friday - Gymnastics - This is our final Gymnastics session with Little Champions so sports uniform will need to also be worn on Friday. 

If anyone is available to assist with cooking the BBQ could you please contact the office to advise.   

Thank you to our Children and Families for your continued support. Mass is now at 6.00pm Saturday evenings and if children could be there by 5.45pm. 

3rd December - James Reardon & Indi Cole 

10th December - Taite Johnson, Riley Smith, Sophie Graham

17th December - Emmy Gaskin & Christyne Calub

Christmas Eve Mass 24th December - Charlotte McDonnell & Nate Tozer 

As we draw closer to the end of the year we would like to thank each and every one of our parent volunteers who have either cooked or worked in the canteen throughout the year.  Your time and committment to our school canteen is extremely grateful.   We all look forward to our Friday treats. 

Thank you to Alicia Hargreaves for your time, patience and for all you have done in coordinating another successful canteen year. 

Friday 2nd December - Alicia Hargreaves & Silvia Sedrak

Cookies:  El Williams and Claire Somerville

LAST CANTEEN FOR 2022 

Thursday 8th December - Simone Jones & Louise Crowe 

Cookies: Simone Jones & Louise Crowe 

Congratulations to our Week 6 and Week 7 Class Awards 

Week 6 - 18th November 

Kindergarten: Billy Eccleston for his positive role modelling and behaviour

Yr 1/2 : Remi Taylor for improvements and increased independance when writing 

Yr 3/4 : Eliza Graham for being organised, on task and applying consistent effort 

Yr 5/6 : Miya Zhang for her wonderful enthusiam in both her class work and preparation for Alice the Musical 

Week 7 - 25th November 

Kindergarten: Toby Nicholls for his amazing reading and writing 

Yr 1/2 : Jimmy Robinson for his impressive results in Maths assessments

Yr 3/4 : Denver Blundell for his effort and enthusiam during Maths 

Yr 3/4 : Harry Peterson for his consistent work ethic and application to his handwriting 

Yr 5/6 : Emmy Gaskin for her determination and effort in Literacy and continuing to shine and make her class brighter

Yr 5/6 : Eliza Hargreaves for her thoughtfulness and respect in all peer learning

We would like to extend our Birthday wishes to the following students who recently celebrated their birthday: 

17th November - Zoe Morgan, Abigail Bock, Emmy Gaskin

19th November - Molly Lott 

25th November - Kingsley McDonnell 

27th November - Charlotte McDonnell