Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome back to Term 3 of learning at St Pat's. A special welcome to our new student Dahamsa in Year 4. She and her family have recently arrived from Sri Lanka.

We also welcome Mrs Tiffany Dobson to our teaching team. Mrs Dobson will be our full time relief teacher at St Pat's and brings a great deal of experience and energy to our team. 

NAIDOC Term 3 always starts with the wonderful energy of NAIDOC Week. This year our celebrations have been yesterday's hosting of the Southern Region NAIDOC Mass. We thank elder Uncle John Dixon for the smoking ceremony and Aunty Cathy Jones for her welcome to country. We also acknowledge Mrs Ferris and thank Fr Adrian for the wonderful liturgical celebration. 

Today has been the full day of learning and celebrating NAIDOC 2025 with the theme 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy' central to the day. We congratulate and thank Mrs Franco who has worked tirelessly with Ms Gaudie, the teaching team, and the Koori students to put together this fabulous day for all St Patrick's students. 

This week we have presented gold and silver awards for Semester 1 English and Maths at each morning's welcome assembly. The awards are presented for both progress and for achievement. it is great to see so many students receiving awards for their learning.

We are looking forward to a wonderful term of learning, and the 2025 A Taste of St Pat's afternoon in Week 4 (Wednesday 13th August).

Blessings

Jo

Week 1: Starting Strong – Routines and Relationships

Welcome back to Term 3! This week, we’re focusing on re-establishing classroom routines and expectations that support positive behaviour for learning. Students thrive when they know what to expect and feel safe in their learning environment. Teachers are revisiting classroom agreements and encouraging students to set personal learning goals for the term. These routines help build a sense of belonging and responsibility. Let’s work together to ensure a smooth and successful start to the term.

Parent Tip: Help your child settle back into the term by maintaining consistent sleep and morning routines.

Resource: Raising Children Network – School Routines

NAIDOC Celebration Day 

Today our students immersed themselves in a vibrant rotation of cultural activities as part of our NAIDOC Week celebrations. Each class had the opportunity to explore and connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture through art, beading, dance, and bush tucker experiences.

The day was filled with colour, movement, storytelling, and delicious flavours — a wonderful way to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of First Nations peoples. A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day so special!

Enjoy the photos capturing the joy and creativity of the day!

Emma Grant

Dates for your Calendar

Class Mass, Friday 1st August- 1/2 Green and 5/6 Green (Families welcome)

Feast of Mary MacKillop Mass- Friday 8th August 9:15am (Families welcome)

Regional NAIDOC Mass

Yesterday, St Patrick's was honoured to host the Regional NAIDOC Mass, a moving celebration of culture, spirit, and community. The gathering brought together St Pat's students, staff and families, along with guests from St Mary's Moruya, St Bernard's Bateman's Bay and Lumen Christi Pambula, to reflect on this year’s NAIDOC theme of 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy' and pay tribute to the rich contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

From the powerful Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, to the beautiful Mass, every moment resonated with reverence and respect. The live didgeridoo played by Logan from Lumen Christi lifted our spirits, while the presence of Elders reminded us of the wisdom carried across generations.

A big congratulations to all of the award recipients. There were many deserving nominations and it would have been a difficult task to select only a few. 

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the day so special, especially Mrs Franco for her amazing effort in coordinating NAIDOC Week celebrations across the school. 

May the spirit of NAIDOC continue to inspire us all.

Mel Ferris

It’s so exciting. It's the first week back and the Kinder are starting to learn a dance for NAIDOC week. Behind their dance there is a story. Each Kinder will be a different character and when all together they create this beautiful performance. They are also becoming great Mathematicians with their subtracting and adding. Well done Kinder.

Bella