Term 4, Week 2 2025

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 4. I trust you had a relaxing break and enjoyed the beautiful weather and warm seas. Over the break we had several companies and people complete deep cleaning, gardening and attend to maintenance. It was lovely to walk back into a school that sparkled and looked loved. I thank our cleaning team, Sue and Michael and ground maintenance Craig and Graham and Fran who organised the plethora of trades people to do what was needed. Over the next few weeks, we will have tagging and testing done as well as carpet cleaning. We also have the possibility of getting some bigger fans installed in the hall before the end of the year ready for the summer heat. Technicians were out this week looking at the project.    

Teachers kicked off the term with next year at the fore. Teachers are being asked to implement two new syllabi in 2026 and two more in 2027. Each syllabus requires extra professional learning support to update teacher’s knowledge and understanding. We are very fortunate to have a new Leader of Learning in the Catholic School space who is guiding this implementation. CSMN called for skilled teachers to be trained and to assist in creating resources. Primary Coordinators, Megan Robinson and Chloe Williams have been assisting the Diocese to create resources for 2026. Megan and Chloe also presented the staff with a thorough explanation of the changes to the syllabus and walked them through the new programming and pedagogical requirements of the HSIE and PDHPE syllabi. I thank the PCs Megan, Chloe and Cassie for their time and generosity of giving up some of their holiday time in preparation for this day. The professional leaning gained from this day is invaluable and will give teachers a head start to 2026.

We welcomed Miss Tara Payne to 3B this term, to work in Mr Nolan’s secondment. Tara has just completed a very successful internship on Year 6 and is excited to be offered the position. Mrs Hacker is stepping up to Acting AP role and Mrs Lees is doing the extra days in Year 6. Mrs Standing is doing extra days in Year 1 as Miss Dennis has stepped back into the Acting REC role. The generosity of these staff members is very much appreciated.   

On Monday we had authors and Illustrators Sean Avery and James Foley present their insights into their books with students K-6. Both have written and illustrated wonderful stories that all kids are familiar with and enjoy. We have their delightful books in our school library, so it is a real privilege to have had them come and work with our students. Storytelling is a vital part of humanity, described by Roald Dahl as “the most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal. The old Dr Seuss saying, “the more you read the more you’ll know and the more you learn the more places you’ll go” is the gate way to a brighter future. We are very happy to provide these unique opportunities to our students to foster their love of learning. Thank you to Helena Powell for her enthusiasm and coordination of these events.

This week we had our first of three Kinder 2026 Orientations. Our 93 excited Kinders came for a play with their parents, and teachers got to observe them in a safe and secure environment. The following fortnight orientation will see parents stay in the hall with myself to meet other staff whom they will encounter during their child’s learning journey, with new Kinders spending the time in the Kinder pod. A big thank you to Sally who put the student’s pack together, and Learning Support personnel and Kinder teachers who helped organise the sessions. The traffic congestion was unfortunatley unavoidable as we held two morning sessions prior to lunch. Thank you for your understanding.

Congraulations Indi Silgar and Sophie Webber on their recent Aspire Script Writing experience and performance. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the event but I understand from staff who were at the event it was a terricic evening.

Virtual Academy students are gearing up for their end of project presentation at the Newcastle University city campus. This event allows the students to showcase their Semester’s work in their chosen area. We are proud of our VA students as they spend much of their time independently working on their quests. VA teacher, Julian visited school today and Elizabeth will be visiting students next week to ensure they have the tools and skill they need to complete their project. I am excited to view their work at the end of year event and thank Tracee Cinello our school GEM for the work she does in assisting students achieve their potential. Tracee has spent much of her time recently putting forward documentation to have new students join VA in 2026. Successful students will be contacted in due course. Data from CogAT results, triangulated with NAPLAN and PAT as well as teacher observation and class assessments is used to identify students with high potential; their work ethic and ability to work independently also plays a role in being chosen to join the VA team. If you have any questions about this Diocesan initiative, please contact Tracee.

Over the next few weeks students will be participating in summer sport trials in basketball and tennis. We are also involved in the Lower Hunter Netball Gala Day on the 31^st and thank the five teachers who are making this possible. I would like to thank Jack Crich for his ongoing coordination of sport at St Patrick’s and wish all participants well in sporting events this term.

Year 5 have a leadership day coming up in week four. This is a wonderful opportunity for our budding leaders to spend quality time being guided through activities that highlight their strengths and the skills and attributes they need to be Year 6 leaders. Every Year 6 student is a leader, badged or not. We take pride in being able to give our students special responsibilities and at this stage and invite Marty Ogle, from MJR back to St Patrick’s to continue the great work he has being doing with our students and staff for many years.        

On Friday 7 November the staff will be participating in mandatory spirituality formation in the form of a retreat. School will be closed, and staff will be at a retreat centre at Kincumber being led in prayer, meditation and theology by Diocesan RE and Spirituality consultant Adam Frost. Over the years, I have attended other days with Adam so am looking forward to what he has planned for us this year. Thank you for your support of this event in making alternative arrangements for your children.

The Diocese is putting on the annual Vivace concert in Newcastle Town Hall on 11 November, and students are gearing up for their performance. This morning at Assembly we were treated to the pieces that they will be playing, and they sounded fantastic! Thank you to Jane Kleinman for her expertise and time in working with band each week so that our students have the opportunity to enjoy music performance at his level. Tickets are on sale through Civic Theatre bookings should anyone wish to purchase. Thank you too to the parents who support their children in having lessons and in taking them to this event.

Also, in Week 5 we will have Year 6 transition day to St Joseph’s, an exciting but daunting time for everyone. Please contact Learning Support if you have any questions or concerns.

Before our next Newsletter in Week 6 we will have held the regional Debating competition. Thank you to Chloe Wiliams who is undertaking the task of guiding the school debating team. Chloe has had ten students interested in being part of the team and will work with these students over the next few weeks to narrow ten down to four to make a team for the competition. We are also hosting the Diocesan Finals in Week 8 regardless of our success at regional level.

As always, we are here to assist you and your children on their learning journey. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have concerns or queries. I urge you to have your children arrive at school each day on time and ready to engage in learning. Partial and whole days off, quickly add up. Overall, we have a lower-than-average attendance rate, compared to other Diocesan schools. We managed to have an average rate of 93% attendance in March but our April through to October average rate was down to 91% with our goal being 95%. Research shows that absenteeism impacts results and life-long learning goals. Every month I fill out an attendance report and have to account for individual students who have low attendance rates for that month. This doesn’t always paint a true picture as our attendance level is 70% meaning that 30 % of our students are not consistently present. Reports for Semester Two will have absent whole days listed. Bona fide reasons for not being at school are accepted and often unavoidable.  Please reduce non-essential days off for the remainder of the year so that we can increase our rate and reach student learning goals more readily. 

Have a great term,

Niamh

CALENDAR EVENTS 

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2025

ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT

CLASS ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR 

Planning for the coming school year will commence early Term 4 and involve considerations for student class placement. Many factors need to be taken into consideration including: 

• the student’s intellectual, social, emotional, and behavioural developmental levels & needs
• the student’s physical and social maturity
• the student’s interactions with other students
• the “social dynamics” factors within the class
• learning support needs
• the male/female balance in each class
• student friendships

If there are any special considerations or concerns that parents/carers feel the school should take into consideration, please put them in writing and send them to school no later than Monday 27th October. Email/Letters should be addressed ‘Attention: Niamh Marzol and marked ‘Confidential’ and sent to admin@lochinvarsp.catholic.edu.au.

Please note, this is not the opportunity to request friendship groupings or specific teachers for your child. While all requests will be noted and discussed, final decisions on placements will be made following careful consultation with teachers. Information provided after 27th October will not be considered and parents should not assume that previous requests or communication will suffice, as situations do change over time. 

ST PATRICK’S PRIMARY SCHOOL P & F COMMITTEE

Our school has now moved to the Family and Community Engagement Forum (FACE Forum) going forward in place of the P & F Association/ Committee. We would like to sincerely thank our school P & F committee for all of the hard work they have done over the years in working with our school.

The final P & F Committee meeting was held at the end of Term 3, if you would like a copy of the minutes from this meeting please contact the school office admin@lochinvarsp.catholic.edu.au to be sent a copy of the meeting minutes.

Term 4 FACE Meeting on Tuesday 25th November at 6pm in School Libaray will be on the School's Behaviour Management Procedures and Positive Behaviours for Learning Stragegies. 

LOST AND FOUND

 A small child’s guitar has been found in the carpark of our school this week. If your family is missing this item please contact the school office to discuss.

END OF YEAR AWARDS

Our Awards ceremony will take place this year on Friday 12^th December. Please see the table below indicating the categories for the awards:

KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION FOR 2026 

Our Kindergarten students for 2026 attended their first orientation on Wednesday. Students enjoyed playing with their parents and new friends, we welcome the students and their families to our school and look forward to 2026.

A Webinar is available on Thursday 30th October titled "Transition to Kinder"

RE NEWS

UPCOMING FUNDRAISING EVENTS

We are excited to announce two special events to support Catholic Mission and raise awareness for their important work:

• CRAZY SOCK DAY – Friday 24th October Students were invited to wear their craziest, most colourful socks and bring a gold coin donation to support Catholic Mission. Thank you for your support.

• MISSION DAY – Friday 28th November Our Year 6 students will be hosting a variety of activity stalls during Mission Day. It promises to be a fantastic celebration of community and generosity. Details about purchasing ‘St Pat’s Bucks’ for the stalls will be sent out soon, so stay tuned!

We are proud to support Catholic Mission, whose work empowers communities around the world through education, healthcare, and spiritual development. Your generosity helps bring hope and dignity to those most in need.

In 2025, Catholic Mission are raising funds for communities in Zambia to help ensure children have access to food and education.

If you would like to donate online, please follow the link to our fundraising page - 

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NEWS

CURRICULIUM NEWS

2025 TERM 4 CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

REGIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING

Congratulations to Eadie Geronimi and Tess Cunningham for being finalists in the Regional Public Speaking Contest and receiving a recognition of outstanding achievement. 

SHAMROCK UPDATE

WEEK 1

A top 'o the gorgeous spring day

We had 494 Shamrocks to kick off the Term 4 competition.

Congratulations to Murray for receiving the most 

WEEK 2

The winner of the Shamrocks this week is .....Dirkin! Congratulations.

314 Positive interactions were acknowledged this week.

CELEBRATING YOUNG TALENT: ASPIRE YOUNG SCRIPTWRITERS PROGRAM

We are thrilled to share that two of our talented Stage 3 students, Sophie Webber and Indi Sligar, were selected to participate in the ASPIRE Young Scriptwriters Program. This exciting initiative invites students from across our diocese to explore the art of storytelling through scriptwriting workshops held throughout the year.Sophie and Indi worked diligently to craft their own original 3-minute scripts, exploring themes and genres of their choosing. Their creative efforts culminated in a staged reading performance, which took place last night—Thursday, 23 October 2025—at the Performance Arts Centre in Cessnock. With the support of local secondary school actors, their scripts were brought to life in front of a live audience.We are incredibly proud of Sophie and Indi for embracing this opportunity and showcasing their creativity. Programs like ASPIRE not only nurture artistic expression but also build confidence and collaboration among our young learners.In our next newsletter, Sophie and Indi will share reflections from this amazing night. Well done, girls!

CHRISTMAS CRAFT DAY 

Our Christmas Craft Day will be Friday 5^th December. All students will participate in a Christmas Craft activity on this day. Parents of students in K -2 are welcome to attend to help in the classroom on this day.  Further details will be communicated with regards to times and details.

IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR PARENTS

MESSAGE FOR YEAR 6 PARENTS- YEAR 6 GRADUATION 

The Year Six Graduation Liturgy and dinner will be held on Thursday, December 4^th. 

The Graduation will take place at East Cessnock Bowling Club (ECBC) commencing at 6:00 pm. Year 6 students and their parents are invited to attend the Graduation. Dress code will be smart casual for this evening, students are not expected to wear school uniform. when availavle tickets can be purchased through Qkr. Full details will be sent home with Year 6 students in the coming weeks. This information is a save the date for parents.

UPDATE ON THE AIR CONDITIONING PROPOSED FOR OUR SCHOOL HALL

I have had a few enquiries regarding the progress of the air conditioning that was proposed to be installed in the school hall. Earlier this year we communicated that we had received half of the required funding from the P&F and there were quotes being sought. We had several quotes and installation recommendations for different systems. The Diocese facilities team then asked that we get comparable quotes for a system of specifications that were recommended. We did as requested and were of the understanding that we would have air conditioning installed by Term 4. Towards the end of Term 3, I regrettable had to inform the P&F that the Diocese had changed their policy regarding the heating and cooling of halls and were no longer supporting air conditioning. To that end we were asked to investigate “big ass fans” a company that supply large industrial fans. We are very disappointed by this change; however, I have had these fans in previous schools, and they are very effective. I was also told that this would need to be in the 2026 budget due to budget spending in other areas this year. I have negotiated with the Diocese to have large fans installed over the break and we are in the process of having electricians and consultants measure and quote for the size and number of fans required.

I am very cognisant of the weather, especially the hot temps we had this Wednesday. If we have a run of very hot weather, we will endeavour to work with OoSH and offer a pod for cooler afternoon quiet play. There is nothing more that we can do and I thank all of those involved in the fundraising for the project who may feel let down by this change of policy. We are working as quickly as we can to have the fans ready to be installed as soon as possible. As for heating, we will look at potentially increasing the number of heaters we have in the space so that they can be more effective in the cooler months.

Mrs Marzol

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOL

A big thank you to Hudson's Mitre 10  at Rutherford for donating some outdoor water play resources. Our 2026 Kinders will have lots of fun with these.

ST NICHOLAS OOSH WILL BE OPEN ONSITE ON OUR PUPIL FREE DAY

FIRE RESPONSE

IMPORTANCE OF HYDRATING

SPORTS NEWS

NSWPSSA ATHLETICS

Congratulations to Hughston Robinson who completed at the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships on Wednesday 22^nd October and Thursday 23^rd October. Hughston competed in Long Jump and High Jump, enduring the extreme heat and facing some fierce competition from students all over New South Wales. 

CONGRATULATIONS ON OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL SPORTING ACHEIVEMENTS

Congratulations to Valley Hicks who attended the Nationals Dance Finals last term and won many awards.

Congratulations Maddyx Wither who will be heading to Melbourne for the Australian titles for Martial Arts.

Maddyx has competed in the Newcastle and Port Macquarie tournaments and placed positions in multiple divisions. He attended a couple of weeks ago the NSW state titles in Ryde and placed in his Kata, 2nd for NSW.

CANTEEN NEWS

PARENTING PAGE

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