Week 8 is upon us already as we continue to hurtle towards the end of the academic school year. Staffing for 2024 is in its final phases and parents/carers will be notified shortly about classes and teachers for 2024. There will be some movement among teachers on classes next year, to continue to build the professional capabilities of all our teachers.

NICK QUINE UPDATE:

HARRINGTON FAMILY VISIT: Mr Bernie Harrington and his son Mark, along with a few other family members, will visit St Patrick’s School on Friday. Bernie generously donated money for our beautiful stained-glass window and unfortunately was unable to attend the Opening and Blessing celebrations, due to illness. It will be a pleasure to host the Harrington family once again.

SCHOOL REPORTS: Reports are being finalised in readiness for Wednesday 6 December. Reports will be sent out via the COMPASS parent portal. Parent/Teacher meetings will be available on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 December. Parents are asked to contact teachers if they wish to meet with them on the above dates or before the end of the school year.

YEAR 6 EVENTS: All the focus is on our Year 6 students as they head into their final days of Primary School life. Special events include…

Year 6 Graduation Mass: Friday 8 Dec 12pm

Year 6 Big day out: Tuesday 12 Dec

Year 6 Graduation Dinner: Wednesday 13 Dec 6pm at Lott’s Family Hotel

Year 6 Traditional Ringing of the School Bell: Friday 15 Dec at 3:10pm

We have much to look forward to as we head into our final weeks of the school year.

Christine Baron

Principal

This coming Friday at our School Mass we will celebrate the Baptism of Isabella and Parker Melksham. We are so grateful to Matthew and Kimberly, that they have chosen to celebrate and share this special occasion with the school community at our Friday Mass. We congratulate the Melksham family and ask God’s blessing and love upon their family.

Thanksgiving Mass

As part of our Graduation and Thanksgiving Mass to be held on Friday 8^th December the St Patrick’s School community are asked to donate various food items to the St Vincent de Paul Society for their Christmas Hamper Appeal.

This year, maybe more than previous years, we see more and more people facing financial hardship. People are really doing it tough and need our help. Every little item that we can donate will be used to compile a hamper, which would allow a family or individual to be able to celebrate and enjoy something substantial for Christmas.

This food items will be bought up during the Offertory Procession as a gift to others.

Kindergarten: Drinks (non-alcoholic)

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

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)

Next time you are shopping, PLEASE think about your donation.

Children can bring these gift items into school as of next week.

Altar Servers

Thank you to our amazing Altars Servers and their families for the wonderful job they do to assist Father on the Altar each week. Just a reminder that if you can’t fulfil your rostered duty you must arrange a preplacement or swap your week with another Altar Server.

As the holidays approach, it can be tricky to stick to the roster, but if everyone does this, we will always have an Altar Server on the Altar. Unfortunately, last weekend we did not have any Severs to assist Father.

On Friday 1^st December, our brand new, Altar Servers Rouge Calub, Leila Gaskin and Reuben Smart will receive their first training session before they commence their Serving duties. We thank them for their enthusiasm towards their new ministry serving their Parish.

Early in the new year we will hold a training session for all our existing Altar Servers. We will keep you informed.

Advent

Advent, which begins the Church’s liturgical year, begins this Sunday. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

The Advent season is a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas.

The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition.

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.

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical colour that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

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 symbolizes 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,” symbolizes 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.

Celebrating Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas.

Christmas and New Year Mass Times

Sunday 24^th December – 7 pm Mass Gundagai

Monday 25^th December – 10 am Gundagai

New Year’s Eve Mass – 6 pm Mass Gundagai

St Patrick’s Monster Christmas Raffle

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets in the Parish Raffle which will be drawn on 16^th December.

There is an incredible 26 prizes on offer, with an amazing $1 000.00 first prize and second prize of $600.

Tickets were sent home last week. If you require extra tickets, please collect from the Front Office.

Tickets $2 each or 3 for $5.

PLEASE RETURN TICKETS AND MONEY BY 14^th DECEMBER.

St Patrick's Parish have organised a "Monster Christmas Raffle" with 26 prizes up for grabs.  totaly value of $5,500 in prizes.  Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 and can be purchased from St Patrick's School Office or Elders.  Raffle will be drawn on Saturday 16th December.     Raffle tickets were sent home last week. If you could please send them back into the school with the money would be appreciated. 

This week in "What's in my Food" we are taking a look at Strawberry Yoghurt pouches

Step 1: Ask What's In My Food? Ignore the front of the packet and turn it around.
Step 2: Count the number of ingredients on the back. The more ingredients there are, the less likely it is to help our One Body for Life. If there are more than 6, it's best to pop it back on the shelf and find a better choice.

These berry yoghurt tubs are so easy to make.

You can prepare them in advance and freeze
them, or you can leave them unfrozen and send as is. Your child's choice. This is a great recipe to get your children involved in. Get them to choose their fruit flavour. Blitz the
fruit in the blender, then add it to a plain Greek yoghurt. It's that simple.

https://quest.therootcause.com.au/recipes/berry-yoghurt-tubs/ 

FINAL REMINDER  Parents are reminded that should they wish to order for Christmas the orders need to be in before 1st of December to allow time to be sent to our school before we break up for the 2023 year.  An order will be placed this Wednesday 29th November if you can send in your orders or order via LOOP. 

LOOP orders are also encouraged via the Scholastic Website scholastic.com.au/LOOP as payment can be made online directly.

Congratulations to Corby Rose, Chase Robinson and Taite Johnson for their selection in the 2024 Canberra Goulburn Touch Football Representative Team to play in the MacKillop Carnival in Wagga next year.

We have this morning received a report of a potential case of Chicken Pox within our school community. The child is vaccinated against the virus so case is only very mild. If your child is unwell with common symptoms like fever and rash we would ask that you please seek medical advice and keep your child at home until they feel better. 

OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOKS

Could all students that have library books at home please send them into school over the next few weeks.  All books need to be marked off as returned before we finish school. 

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.

This food items will be brought up during the Offertory Procession as a gift to others: 

Kindergarten: Drinks (non-alcoholic)

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

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)

Children can bring these gift items into school as of next week. 

St Patrick’s School will host the 2023 Award Day at our School Hall on Friday 8 December commencing at 9.30am. The Award Day is an opportunity to reflect back over our school year and celebrate the successes and achievements of the 2023 school year. Family and friends are most welcome to attend. Parents/Carers will be notified if their child is receiving an award.

A lot of thought and decision goes into the recipient of the end of year awards. Many students are nominated, and it takes staff several meetings to determine which student demonstrates the qualities that meets the criteria of each particular award.

Kindergarten students will all receive a Graduation Award and Year 6 students will be formally farewelled with a graduation gift. This is also an opportunity to farewell our Year 6 families that are leaving and thank them for the contribution they have made to our St Patrick’s School community.

Year 6, their families and our award sponsors are invited to attend morning tea following the Award morning.

We look forward to celebrating the end of another wonderful school year with our families and special guests.

Our final Award assembly for Term 4 will be held on Thursday 14 December at 2.30pm in the Learning Hub. Student of the Week and Principal Awards will be presented at this assembly. Parents/Carers will be notified if their child is receiving an award.

Principal’s Morning Tea: The final Principal’s Morning Tea will be held on Friday 15 December at 10.30am. Students that have received a Principal’s Award at the end of Term 3 or in Term 4 will be invited to attend. An invitation will be sent via email to parents of students.

Congratulations to our Week 6 and Week 7 class awards. 

Week 6 - 17th November 

Kindergarten - Noah Zhu for quick number work 

Year 1 - Toby Nicholls for excellent use of regrouping in 2-3 digit numbers

Year 2 - Kaydee Smith for displaying a responsible and respectful attitude to all school activities

Year 3 - Mackenzie Little for working hard and trying her best

Year 4 - Winnie Huang for making quick and accurate connections to letters and sounds

Year 5 - Joey Gailey for writing and presenting an outstanding leadership speech

Year 6 - Emmy Gaskin for sustained maturity and focus to learning and leadership (absent for photo) 

Week 7 - 24th November 

Kindergarten - Juno Bock for fabulous reading and writing and preparing a great speech

Year 1 - Claudia Worldon for consistant application to her homework and neat handwriting (absent from photo)

Year 2 - Kaydee Smith - showing positive work habits in all areas

Year 3 - Zoe Morgan for engaged, settled and organised in spelling mastery

Year 4 - Emma Brown for being a bright and bubbly ball of energy 

Year 5 - Chase Robinson for showing maturity and positive learning habits (absent from photo)

Year 6 - Tessa Crowe for being a cooperative and respectful group member

Week 6 and Week 7 WildCat Awards 

RESPONSIBLE: Zoe Paton, Dale Paton, Lachlan Hargreaves, Sarah Gailey, Eliza Graham, Lilly Ferguson, Kaydee Smith, Fred Miller, William Potter, Gus Hufton, Juno Bock, Dylan Ryder, Ryan Robinson, Josie Lott

RESPECT: Lachlan Hargreaves, Ethan Wu, Kingsley McDonnell, Archie Peterson, Kaydee Smith, Sarah Gailey, Riley Smith, Fletcher Smith, Gus Hufton, Olivia Smart, Sophia Knight-Gregson, Juno Bock, Archie Peterson, Christyne Calub, Imogen Graham

SAFE: Harry Barton, Corby Rose, Fletcher Smith, Imogen Graham

Thank you to our parents and children for your continued support of Altar Serving duties.  If you have swapped could you please notify the office so amendments can be made to bullentin and roster. 

16th December - Charlotte McDonnell and Skye Somerville 

23rd December - Lachlan Hargreaves and Corby Rose 

Christmas Eve (24th Dec) - Archie McDonnell and Riley Smith

30th December - Emmy Gaskin and Leila Gaskin

Sending a BIG birthday cheer to the following students who recently celebrated a birthday

17th November - Sarah Gailey, Abigail Bock, Emmy Gaskin

19th November - Molly Lott 

24th November - Chelsea Crowe

25th November - Kingsley McDonnell 

27th November - Charlotte McDonnell 

ROAR (Reach Out And Relax) is an early intervention mental health service that provides support to children and young people up to the age of 18, along with their families by providing case management support.

This program is free of charge and is non-clinical, a GP or Mental Health Plan is not required for a referral. We tailor our support to assist with the goals and needs a young person has, and we can offer short-term assistance for individuals or small groups (up to 6 sessions) or intensive long-term support (support from 6-12 months).

This program will be available in 2024 for any families wishing to reach out. Referal forms are available from the office if you require information please contact Jacki from the front office.