St. Patrick's Primary School Ballarat Issue 2
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St. Patrick's Primary School Ballarat
Past issue · Issue 2

St. Patrick's Primary School Ballarat

To Love Is To Serve

10 articles
Wellbeing Matters: A Note from the Vice Principal
Whole School

Wellbeing Matters: A Note from the Vice Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, and Students,

As we navigate the middle weeks of Term 3, the chilly winter mornings can sometimes make it a little harder to jump out of bed! It is around this time of year that our energy levels can naturally begin to dip, making it the perfect moment to check in on our collective wellbeing.

This fortnight, our focus across the school is on the importance of "filling our cups." For our students, this means finding a healthy, sustainable balance between schoolwork, co-curricular activities, and essential rest.

Introducing Wellness Wednesdays To help support this balance, I am excited to announce the launch of "Wellness Wednesdays." Starting next week, teachers will dedicate 10 minutes every Wednesday morning to a mindful activity. This might include a guided breathing exercise, quiet journaling, or a brisk, screen-free walk around the oval to get the blood flowing before lessons begin.

How you can support wellbeing at home:

  • Prioritize Sleep: Encourage a consistent bedtime routine, ideally keeping phones and tablets out of the bedroom to ensure a restful night.

  • Open Conversations: Try asking your child, "What was the best part of your day?" or "What made you laugh today?" instead of the standard "How was school?"

Remember, our door is always open. If you or your child ever need extra support, our wellbeing team is here to help.

Take care and stay warm,

Mr. Wilson Vice Principal

Gold Coin Donation for Our New Playground Fundraiser Tomorrow

Gold Coin Donation for Our New Playground Fundraiser Tomorrow

Rmemeber that tomorrow is a Casual Clothes day and all stduents are encouraged to donate a Gold Coin that will go towards the the uprgade of our junior playground area.

Strings & Strumming: Unleash Your Inner Rockstars with Instrumental Music Lessons!

Strings & Strumming: Unleash Your Inner Rockstars with Instrumental Music Lessons!

Is your child constantly air-guitaring around the living room or tapping out rhythms on the dinner table? We are excited to announce that expressions of interest are now open for our Term 4 Private Instrumental Music Program, featuring 1-on-1 and small group Guitar Lessons!

Whether your child is a complete beginner looking to learn their very first chords or an intermediate player aiming to master their favourite riffs, our visiting peripatetic music tutors offer tailored instruction across acoustic, classic, and electric guitar styles.

Program Highlights & Details

  • Tailored Learning: Lessons are custom-designed around your child's musical interests, covering music theory, rhythm reading, ear training, and performance confidence.

  • Flexible Scheduling: Weekly 30-minute sessions are held during class hours on a rotating timetable to ensure students do not miss the same core subject each week.

  • Instruments Provided: Don't have an instrument yet? No worries! Acoustic guitars can be borrowed during lesson time, and rental advice is available for home practice.

  • End-of-Term Showcase: Participating students will have the exciting opportunity to show off their progress at our end-of-year Performing Arts Showcase!

How to Register Your Child

Places for Term 4 are strictly limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Cost: $32 per individual 30-minute lesson / $20 per student for small group sessions (2–3 students).

  • Sign-Up Deadline: Expressions of interest must be submitted by Friday, September 18th.

To register your interest or download the tuition agreement form, head to the "Extra-Curricular" tab on our school app, or pick up a physical form from the front administration desk. Let's get strumming!

Student Agency

Student Agency

Recently, the Student Agency Team conducted interviews and surveys with students across the school to gather student voice, learn more about what students love about St Mary's and how we can make our school even better.

We were thrilled with the response, with students sharing many thoughtful and creative ideas. The survey results highlighted that students value their friendships, sporting opportunities, camps, leadership experiences and the kind, welcoming community that makes St Mary's such a great place to learn.

Students also suggested a range of ideas to improve our school, including a Buddy Bench, outdoor oval clock, wellbeing dog, sensory spaces, friendship programs, more lunchtime clubs and additional sporting equipment. These ideas have provided the Student Agency Team with valuable information and direction for future projects.

Over the coming months, the Student Agency Team will begin investigating and researching some of the most popular suggestions to determine what may be possible for our school community.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all students and staff who took the time to complete the surveys and share their ideas. Your feedback is helping us ensure that the student voice continues to play an important role in shaping the future of St Mary's.

Together, we can continue to make St Mary's an even better place for everyone.

Managaing Screen Time Advice for Parents

This interview ahs some really useful tips for parents looking to take back control of screen time on devices. Danielle, our ICT and STE leader thought it was worth sharing gwith the school community.

Uniform Shop Roster Week 3

Day

Person

Time

Monday

Michelle Kennedy

8:30 - 10:00

Wednesday

Ita Buttrose

3:00 - 4:00

Whole School

Celebrating National Science Week 2026!

Grab your safety goggles and lab coats! Next week, our campus will transform into a buzzing hub of discovery as we celebrate National Science Week (August 15th – 23rd). This year’s overarching theme, "Innovation Generation," focuses on empowering our students to ask big questions, solve real-world problems, and see themselves as the scientists and engineers of tomorrow."Innovation Generation,"

What is happening in the classrooms? Throughout the week, students across all year levels will dive into hands-on experiments. Our Foundation to Year 2 classes are exploring the magic of magnets and testing chemical reactions, while the Year 3 to 6 students will be tackling a collaborative engineering challenge to build sustainable, wind-powered vehicles out of recycled materials.

What is happening around the school? The excitement is not just limited to the classroom!

  • Science Showcase (Thursday): Join us in the school gymnasium from 3:30 PM to view a spectacular display of student science projects and interactive prototypes.

  • Mobile Planetarium (Friday): A giant pop-up dome will be set up on the school oval, offering classes an immersive journey through our solar system.

We encourage you to keep the scientific inquiry going at home. Ask your children what they discovered today!

Warm regards,

Science & STEM Coordinator

Spring Seeds Gardening Program
Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3

Spring Seeds Gardening Program

With spring just around the corner, we are thrilled to announce the official relaunch of our beloved School Community Garden! After resting through the cold winter months, our garden beds are ready for a major overhaul, and we are turning them into an engaging, hands-on outdoor learning space for all year levels.

This term, our students will be getting their hands dirty planting seasonal vegetables, native pollinators, and sensory herbs. The garden project will directly link to our science and sustainability units, teaching students about food security, ecosystems, and the lifecycle of plants.

How You Can Help Out

We are calling on our wonderful community of parents, grandparents, and local green thumbs to help us bring this space back to life! Whether you have a background in horticulture or simply enjoy digging in the dirt, we would love your support.

  • Volunteer Your Time: Join us for our Garden Working Bee on Saturday, September 12th, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Bring along garden gloves, shovels, or wheelbarrows if you have them! A BBQ morning tea will be provided to thank our hard-working helpers.

  • Donate Items: We are currently accepting donations of clean potting mix, seedling trays, unused garden tools, sugarcane mulch, and terracotta pots. Items can be dropped off outside the maintenance shed.

  • Share Seedlings & Seeds: If you have surplus vegetable seedlings or native seeds at home, please consider sending them in with your child!

If you’d like to join our Parent Garden Committee or assist with student gardening sessions during lunchtime, please contact the front office or email the school coordinator. Let’s work together to make our garden bloom!

Partner With Us: Showcase Your Local Business!
Whole School

Partner With Us: Showcase Your Local Business!

Are you a local business owner looking to connect with families in our wonderful school community? We are excited to announce a new opportunity for local enterprises and community members to become official school sponsors!

Our digital newsletter is distributed to families every fortnight and is consistently read by hundreds of parents, carers, and staff members. To help support our school's ongoing programs, facility upgrades, and student initiatives, we are opening up exclusive advertising space directly within these pages.

By becoming a school sponsor, your business logo, contact information, and a direct link to your website will be prominently featured in the left-hand column of our newsletter. This prime placement ensures high visibility among a highly engaged, local audience who loves to support community-minded businesses. It is a fantastic way to raise your local profile while directly contributing to the educational experiences of our students.

Whether you run a local café, a trades business, or a professional service, we would love to partner with you.

If you are interested in joining us as a sponsor and securing your spot in our next edition, please contact the front office today for further details!

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