Dear Parents and Carers,

On Sunday we will celebrate with the children who are receiving the sacrament of Eucharist for the first time. This is a very special time in the faith life of these children.

We were blessed with great weather on Wednesday for the Junior Athletics Carnival. Some students were showing me their strength in readiness for the fun.

 

Thank you to the many parents who were able to attend to celebrate fun and active engagement of all students. We thank the Year 6 student leaders for their organisation and facilitation of all the events on the day. Thanks Mrs Harnett and the teaching team who ensured success!

We are moving ahead with our planning for  A Taste of St Pat's Multicultural Expo - our first opportunity to celebrate our growing multicultural school community. Thank you if you have been able to complete the at-home pack this week and return it to school. If you haven't finished it yet, thank you for helping your child/ren to complete the activities and return the pack to school as soon as possible. 

As the information note stated, we are hoping to set up market stalls for all the cultures in our school community. Some of the stalls will be information only, others may have an interactive part like food tasting, music and dancing, or a game to learn. Can you help your child to gather some things for their table display?

Do you have some cultural items from your child / your / another culture?

• a flag
• a costume or national dress
• a game
• other memorabilia / books

...that you are willing to share for the event? We are gathering materials and would love you to send in what you are willing to share. Please ensure your name is on the items.

Community Council Thank you to the Community Council for funding our new rope play element on the flats (or on the hills!), it is a climbing rope and is a great upper body strength challenge. Some students walk up the slope, others are hand over hand on their stomachs! We are asking students to tell us about other removeable play features we can add!

We are looking for more parents to join our school community council. 

• We meet once per term.
• Our meetings are about an hour in duration.
• We talk about engaging and growing support and inclusivity in our school.
• We talk about raising funds for school projects.
• We are super friendly.

Please let me know if you can come along and join the council!

And here are a few images of our Footsteps program this week when the children were having some outdoor play.

Blessings

Jo

Engaging Parents and the Community: A Key to Student Success

In today’s educational landscape, the involvement of parents and the broader community is more crucial than ever. Research consistently shows that when parents and community members actively participate in school activities, students benefit academically, socially, and emotionally.

Ways to Get Involved at St Pat’s

• Volunteer Opportunities: We need volunteers for canteen, reading, Footsteps and events such as The Taste of St Pat’s Cultural Expo. Parents and community members can offer their time and skills to support these initiatives. Please reach out if you are interested.
• Community Council: As Jo mentioned we are looking for Community Council members, see her article for more information.

Dance Concert

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to rescheduled our Dance Concert. The Dance Concert will now take place in Term 4.

Aleeta will visit in Week 5, Term 4 and the Dance Concert will take place in Week 7, Term 4:

Wednesday 27th November - 12pm Matinee
Thursday 28th November - 6pm Concert 

Tickets will go on sale early Term 4.

Supporting Students & Parents

Pip-Ed is a new, updated version of the award-winning, evidence-based parenting program, ‘Partners in Parenting’, offered to parents and carers of teenagers aged 12-18 who are refusing school due to anxiety or depression, reside in Australia, are fluent in English and have regular internet access.
The program is not recommended as a sole source of support for young people experiencing school refusal. Although all parents are able to take part, the program content is not tailored for parents of teenagers living with Autism Spectrum Disorder or intellectual disability.

Link: https://pip-ed.web.app/

Today, the annual Book Week Parade took centre stage, transforming our community into a vibrant celebration of literature and creativity. Students, teachers, and parents gathered to showcase their favourite book characters, bringing beloved stories to life with colourful costumes and enthusiastic performances.

The parade featured a delightful array of characters, from classic fairy tale heroes to modern-day protagonists. Highlights included a group of young wizards casting spells, a parade of animals from popular children's books, and even a few superheroes saving the day.

As the parade concluded, participants and spectators alike were left with a renewed appreciation for the magic of books and the power of imagination. Here's to another successful Book Week Parade, and many more stories to come! ?✨

Thank you to the families who have paid their Term 3 school fees. 
 
Term 3 fees are now overdue, except for those with approved payment plans in place.
 
Please contact the Office Manager, Cathy Smith on cathy.smith@cg.catholic.edu.au, if you would like to set up a weekly, fortnightly or monthly payment plan for your school fees.
 
If at any time your family is experiencing financial hardship, or if your family is in need of other support, please contact the school to organise an appointment for a confidential meeting with our Principal, Jo Scott-Pegum to discuss how the school can help support your family. Please remember that if we don’t know your circumstances, we are not in a position to provide assistance. Applications for fee concessions are managed by the Principal in a confidential and sensitive manner.

Junior Athletics Carnival 

On Wednesday St Pat's hosted an exciting Junior Athletics Carnival. It was a fantastic day filled with energy, sportsmanship, and lots of smiles. Congratulations to all our young athletes and to Tension who was the winning house. 

CANTEEN SPECIAL 

Homemade Bacon, Egg & Cheese Quiche available please order on Qkr!

Australian Dental Health NSW, Dental Clinic Van will be visiting our school again in 2024, during Week 7, Term 4.

Consent forms have gone home, if you wish your child/ren to see the Dental Clinic Van in 2024, forms need to be returned to the office by Monday 9^th September, 2024.

Please contact the office on office.bega@cg.catholic.edu.au if you require a form to be sent home with your child/ren.

Neurodiversity – language

Continuing on from the last newsletter introducing the theme of Neurodiversity, this newsletter will explore the language of Neurodiversity.

Over recent years, the language has changed and this can be difficult to keep up with.

Before delving into the language generally used and preferred today, it is important to note that preferences for language are individual. It is always best to check with an individual the language they prefer to use when referring to themselves or their families.

The following has been taken from the Divergent Futures website (https://www.divergentfutures.com/) where you can find a ‘Pocket Guide to Neurodiversity Affirming Language’ in the Resources section.

Identity-first vs person-first language

Essentially, the question is: should the person’s name preface the disability, or should the disability preface the person?

Identity-first language: Puts a person’s disability identity before reference to the person. Many people with disability prefer to use identity-first language because they see their disability as a key part of who they are.

Identity-first language is used to show connection to the disability community, demonstrate disability pride, and emphasise that it is society (not the disability itself) that is disabling. Examples: “Colin IS Autistic” , Rachel is disabled”

Person-first language: puts the person before their disability. Person-first language was first used to emphasise a person’s right to an identity beyond their disability. Examples: “Colin HAS Autism” , “Rachel HAS disability”

There are identity first vs person-first language debates within the disability sector about preferred language.

Please note: Research highlights that the strong preference among Autistic adults is identity-first language (Taboas et al., 2023). Example “Rachel IS Autistic” .

Neurotype

A type of brain, in terms of how a person interprets and responds to social cues (e.g., Autism would be one Neurotype, ADHD another etc.)

Neurotypical

Not displaying or characterised by Autistic, ADHD, or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behaviour.

Masking

Masking (AKA Camouflaging) refers to the learnt process whereby Autistic people mimic socially desirable behaviours, and suppress socially undesirable Autistic traits, due to fear of social rejection and desire to fit in.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Neurodiversity-affirming language at the end of the term!

Thanks for reading, Sam, School Counsellor

World Goju-ryu Karate-do Academy

World Goju-ryu Karate-do Academy classes that are held every Tuesday afternoon during the School Term, in our School Hall. Please see flyer or contact Adam for further details.