Principal's Newsletter
Thursday 1st May 2025
Gospel of the Week
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me?
Jesus said to Thomas:
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me?
‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, “Let us see the Father?”
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works,
because I am going to the Father.
Whatever you ask for in my name I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.’
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
This week the Gospel tells us our faith tells us to choose the ways of the Lord. He also said that he is the way, and the truth and the life. This assures us that in the midst of our uncertainties; we can rely and cling on Him. God introduced himself to us so that we will not be confused and preoccupied.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Everything that you are looking for can be found in him. All of your questions can be answered by him. Don't look to the world for the answers you seek. Turn to him while he may be found. Whatever it takes, turn to God while you still have an opportunity.
To know Christ is to know ''the way, and the truth, and the life'' (John 14:6). The words, actions, and miracles of Jesus should give Christians’ confidence to trust that He will make good on His promises. Among those are His guarantee that He is preparing to come for us, so we can be where He is.
An ENORMOUS Thankyou to the parent community for your tremendous support in keeping your children home last Monday so the staff of St Patrick’s could attend the funeral of Annette Tanner.
Out of 318 students, we only had 21 students here. This meant that any staff who needed to attend the funeral and then remain with family and friends for the day could do so. I was so genuinely touched by parent’s support as they approached staff and offered their condolences. I had flowers and plants also given and for that I am so grateful.
The school uniform for this term will be the Winter, however for the first 3 weeks, I am happy for students to move between the Summer and Winter as we continue to experience the warm weather. Please note, you must wear either the FULL Winter or FULL SUMMER and not a mixture of both. Hats need to be worn up until the end of Week 2 only (Wednesday 30th April).
Last Friday the 25th of April, ANZAC Day, I had the privilege of laying a wreath alongside our 3 school captains at the Dawn Service. It was a very emotional moment, and I am so proud of the captains as they took on this special task. They showed respect and understanding of this solemn occasion. The captains have written some of their experiences below.
Thank you and God Bless,
Meg
PLEASE TAKE NOTE-CHANGES TO THE AVENUE CAR PARK
There will be major changes to the carpark in the coming weeks. I ask all parents to please be patient as we change the operation of this carpark to make it a safer place for all. I will be asking all parents to please be familiar with the new format and to follow the rules.
The main changes taking place are as follows:
- All car parks will be angle parking. NO reverse parking is allowed.
- The car park will be a ONE WAY only now.
- There will be a Safety Crossing for anyone who has parked and are walking their children into school. This crossing MUST be observed. Please do not cross anywhere else or be prepared to be spoken to by staff.
RESCHEDULED SCHOOL PHOTO DAY
Our new school Photo Day will be on Thursday 29th May. Please place this on your calendars. Forms have been sent home already.
Year 4 and 5 Camp Information Nights
Year 4 camp information will be held on Wednesday 28th May at 6pm in the Welcome Room which is located in the B Block.
Year 5 camp information will be held on Wednesday 4th June at 5.30pm in the Year 5 classrooms which are located in the B Block.
Mother’s Day Stall and Mother’s Day Celebration
The stall will be held on Thursday the 8th May, and all gifts will be purchased via CDF pay app.
Only 1 token per student can be purchased which will represent 1 gift valued at $5.00. An additional token can be purchased that can be passed onto a Mum that may miss out on a gift on Mothers Day. This is classed as a donation token.
We are also holding a Mothers Day raffle. Tickets will be $1.00 each or 10 Tickets for $8.00.
On Friday the 9th May, we welcome all Mums to come into the school stadium from 8.30am onwards and enjoy a celebration of motherhood. There will be coffee and tea available. The official celebration will begin at 8.40am and will go for approximately 15 mins. We hope to see as many mums as possible.
Future Enrolments
This term, once again, we have had multiple inquiries for school tours, in particular for 2026.
With this in mind, can I please ask for any existing families who have younger siblings coming to St Patrick’s in the next few years, to please make sure they fill in their enrolment forms early as possible. St Patrick’s is looking to manage a high demand of places within the school community and places may become limited.
Thank you.
St Francis Xavier College, Officer school tours
If you are looking to enrol your child into St Francis Xavier, Officer, please note these important dates in your calendar.
Officer Campus Talk & Tour – 09.30am – 10.45am
Tuesday 13 May
Tuesday 24 June
Tuesday 12 August
Tuesday 09 September
Tuesday 14 October
Wednesday 12 November
Year 7 2026 Enrolment Interviews
Wednesday 4 June
Wednesday 29 October
Year 7 2027 Enrolment Interviews
Wednesday 2 July
Year 7 2026 Transition Day – Monday
8 December all day
Mobile Device Policy and Smartwatch Guidelines-
Please see below 2 new Guidelines St Patrick’s has introduced that will be added on to our website shortly. I would like to ask all parents/carers and guardians to take the time to read as this as it is certainly an issue that will continue to grow in its impact the more we rely on Mobile/Digital devices.