Dear Parents and Carers

Congratulations to the members of the St Pat's swim team who competed at Narooma yesterday! Well done on all the personal and team achievements. A big congratulations to Austin for being named junior boy champion!!

Last week I shared information about one of the three pillars at St Patrick's, our red pillar - "Look into Thinking." The green pillar at St Patrick's is "Look Ahead to the Future." This pillar describes our view to the principle life long learning as described in this infograph.

Next week we are hosting a 30minute Parent Connect Chat online at 7.30pm on Tuesday night via MSTeams. Please join the chat with some of your thinking and ideas, we hope to talk about 

• Our St Patrick’s Day whole school community afternoon celebration, &
• Ideas for connection for the year.

Blessings

Jo

Dates for your Calendar

Class Mass - 5/6 Yellow (28th Feb) Families Welcome

Wednesday 5th March- Ash Wednesday Mass (Time TBC)

Confirmation Dates                                                                                              Key Dates:

• Parent Information night- Wednesday 26th Feb, 6:00pm

• Family Mass- Sunday 4th May, 9:30am

• Retreat- Friday 6th June, 9:15-2:30pm

• Confirmation- Sunday 8th June, 9:30am

We look forward to seeing families with Children making the Sacrament of Confirmation at our first information session this coming Wednesday 26th February. Each session is crucial as it will cover all the details regarding the Confirmation process, including the significance of the sacrament, the role of sponsors, and the expectations for the ceremony. We strongly encourage all parents and carers who have a child making the Sacrament of Confirmation to attend each session.  

Reading at St Pat's

Next week, we will be conducting the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) reading assessments for all students. This important evaluation tool is designed to measure and monitor our students' reading abilities, ensuring that every child receives the support they need to become successful readers.

What is DIBELS?

DIBELS is a set of short, one-minute fluency measures that assess key components of early literacy skills, including:

• Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words.

• Alphabetic Principle: Knowledge of letter-sound relationships.

• Accuracy and Fluency: The ability to read text accurately and quickly.

• Vocabulary: Understanding and usage of a wide range of words.

• Comprehension: The ability to understand and interpret what is being read.

Why are DIBELS Assessments Important?

1. Early Identification: DIBELS assessments help us identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties early on. This allows for timely intervention and targeted support to address any challenges.

2. Progress Monitoring: Regular DIBELS assessments provide valuable data on each student's reading progress. This helps teachers tailor instruction to meet individual needs and track improvements over time.

3. Evidence-Based Instruction: The results of DIBELS assessments guide our instructional strategies, ensuring that we use evidence-based practices to support reading development.

4. Engagement and Motivation: By tracking their own progress, students become more engaged and motivated to improve their reading skills. Celebrating successes, no matter how small, fosters a positive attitude toward reading.

What to Expect

The DIBELS assessments are quick and administered one-on-one with a teacher. Each assessment takes just a few minutes, and the results are used to inform our teaching practices. Students will take the assessments in a supportive and stress-free environment, ensuring they feel comfortable and confident.

How You Can Help

Parents play a crucial role in supporting their child's reading development. Here are a few ways you can help:

• Read Together: Spend time reading with your child every day. This not only improves their reading skills but also fosters a love for books.

• Encourage Practice: Provide opportunities for your child to practice reading at home. Offer a variety of reading materials, such as books, magazines, and comics.

• Celebrate Achievements: Celebrate your child's reading milestones and successes. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in building confidence and motivation.

We appreciate your continued support and partnership in helping our students become proficient and enthusiastic readers. If you have any questions about the upcoming DIBELS assessments or how you can support your child's reading development, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

Next Monday, we will have hot dogs available (gluten-free hot dogs will also be offered), along with the option of vanilla chocolate chip muffins at the canteen.

There won’t be any chicken burgers while the hot dogs are available.

Mrs Collins

I often think that the sports teacher has the luckiest position in the school, and yesterday was a perfect example of why. We had an amazing day at Narooma pool, where our band of St Pat's kids made us all proud. Their parents and school can stand tall knowing that their efforts have paid off.

I'm thrilled to announce that we have 14 students moving forward to the Archdiocesan Carnival that will be held in a few weeks. All our relay teams placed, and all students were persistent and tried their best with some personal best times being recorded.

At the end of the carnival, we were thrilled to hear that Austin Lay was named Junior Boy Champion. Great effort, Austin! Congratulations and well done to everyone on the team.

I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the many parents and grandparents who made the trip to support their children, and to those who helped with the running of the day.

Best of luck to Isabella, Thea, Austin, Macey, Bailee, Levi, Henry, Mia, Ava, Tilly, Tommy, Liam, Scarlett, and Indi as they move on to Boorowa.

In other sports news:

Levi Dale has been selected for the combined Wollongong, Canberra Goulburn AFL team. Levi had a busy start to the year, traveling to Wollongong for trials on Tuesday, and then heading to Narooma for the swimming competition. He will now travel to Wagga Wagga for the next selection process. Well done, Levi!

We have only been back for 3 weeks, but Will Nicholson has already been travelling the countryside. This week he travels to Maitland to trial for the NSW cricket team. This is an extremely high level of competition, and we are so proud of Will. 

Mrs Harnett

Please read the attachment in regards to the 2025 Student residential address collection.