Dear Parents and Carers,

Year 5 Leadership Day This week begins an exciting time for our Year 5 students as they begin to more fully explore what it means to be a Year 6 school leader. On Tuesday they participated in the Journey with Jesus Retreat Day. The day was designed to deepen their understanding of faith, leadership, and personal growth through a series of engaging and reflective activities.

Throughout the retreat, students explored themes such as God’s love, forgiveness, salvation, and reconciliation. They took part in drama, small group discussions, and symbolic activities using items like a backpack, water bottle, torch, and first aid kit—each representing aspects of their spiritual journey. Icebreakers and creative games added energy and fun to the day, while prayer and reflection provided quiet moments for personal connection and growth.

The retreat concluded with a look ahead to how students might continue their faith journey through Youth Ministry opportunities in 2026. We are proud of the way our students embraced the day with maturity, curiosity, and open hearts. These experiences are helping to shape them into thoughtful, compassionate leaders for our school community.

On the day I spoke with the students about the processes by which they apply for school leader roles and encouraged them all to consider applying for a school or sport captain role for next year. Please encourage your child to apply for a leading role at St Patrick's in 2026, and if you have younger children you can speak with them about future possibilities of leadership.

Key dates for speeches have also been provided.

Friday 21st November 12.40pm- Sport Captain Speeches
These will be delivered in classrooms to the student’s sport house group. Please note that parents do not attend these short meetings.

Friday 28th November 12.40pm- School Captain Speeches
These will be presented in the hall to students from Years 3 to 6. Parents are warmly invited to attend and support their child during this special occasion.

Class Placement 2026 Last week I published the St Patrick's guidelines for class placement. Please again see here the Class Allocation Statement of Practice. If you  wish to raise educational concerns regarding class placement please make an appointment to speak with me in person or by phone. These conversations must take place by Friday of Week 6, Term 4 (21st November 2025) to be considered in the allocation process. 

Kind regards,

Jo