Dear Parents

Springtime is just around the corner and the radiant sunshine is certainly good for the soul and easily lifts our spirits!  We look forward to the slightly warmer weather and new growth.  We wish our Principal Chris Baron a safe journey on her holy pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal.

Confirmation Congratulations

Congratulations to all Year 5/6 Confirmation candidates who celebrated this special sacrament at last Saturday’s Mass led by Archbishop Christopher and assisted by Father Joe and Father Xavier.  The Archbishop was immensely impressed by the maturity, respect and friendliness shown by the confirmation students.

Many thanks to our REC Kate Howe for organising such a memorable occasion for all students and their families.  This has been an ongoing commitment over the past couple of months for students and families.  Congratulations!

Spring Cleaning Thankyou!

A big thank you must go out to Carla Barton and Marg Nicholls for their massive efforts cleaning up our school garden shed, learning hub and storerooms!  This is most appreciated as these areas were extremely cluttered, untidy and not being utilised effectively for their space.  We are thrilled to have this space back! I believe their next area to target is the storeroom under the learning hub.

Capital Works Update

At last the temporary toilet block has been removed from the school blacktop by crane over the weekend and this has opened up so much more space for students, parents and teachers.  The new toilet amenities are so spacious, modern and currently getting a lot of foot traffic in all the excitement!

The next step in our school improvements is our exciting COLA planning and construction which is planned to commence at the end of Term 3 in the school holidays.  

Sporting Excellence

Congratulations to our athletes who proudly represented our school and the Western Region at the Archdiocesan Athletics Carnival last week.  Well done Fletcher Smith, Lane Johnson, Billy Eccleston, Harley and Phoenix Rose.

Huge thanks to Miss Bartlett for training the boys weekly in their 100m, 200m sprints, relay baton changing and discus throwing.  Thanks to the Smith family & Archie Wheaton for guiding Fletcher with his discus.  

Fletcher, Harley and Phoenix will now head to Sydney to represent us in the Canberra Goulburn Team at the MacKillop Athletics Carnival.  Best of luck!

Mrs Baron On Leave

Mrs Baron has commenced her overseas holy pilgrimage and in her absence I will remain off class as Acting Principal with the 5/6 class arrangements as follows:

• Mr Tarron Makeham and Miss Erika Wilson (4th Year ACU Prac Teacher) will be on 5/6 for the remainder of the term. Mr Ferguson will continue on 5/6 every Thursday.

Father’s Day BBQ Friday 5 September

Mark this special date on the calendar as we celebrate all the important male figures in our student’s lives.  We look forward to a BBQ and some games on the oval and blacktop. Please ensure you send in your RSVP by this Friday 29th August. 

Many thanks to all families for your continued support,

Lisa Wilson

Acting Principal

Sacrament of Confirmation

On Saturday night we celebrated a joyous occasion when 16 of our wonderful young parishioners celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our children have diligently been preparing for this Sacrament for several weeks both at home and at school.

The children were confirmed by Archbishop Christopher Prowse. Archbishop Christopher was very impressed by the children and the reverent way they participated in the Mass and carried out their roles. He congratulated the children and their families on their commitment to their Catholic faith. Archbishop Christopher gave everyone in the Church a special blessing asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us all with his gifts and fruits.

During the Homily, the Archbishop spoke on three main points. Firstly, about the wonderful role model Saint Mary MacKillop and how her dedication and faith is an inspiration to us all. Archbishop Christopher pointed out to the children that Mary MacKillop was about their age when she began her work following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Secondly, he spoke about the soon to be canonised Saint Carlos Acutis. The Archbishop, told the story of how Carlos encouraged his family to come back to Mass and how he reached out to those who were less fortunate. Blessed Carlos Acutis shared what he had, to help people enjoy a better life. Carlos will be the Patron Saint of Technology, and we were reminded of how we really need a saint to help us with the mind field of modern media. Archbishop Christopher encouraged us to put away the technology and make family time, a time where we communicate with each other personally.

Thirdly, Archbishop Christopher spoke about the Abdallah family, who lost three of the children and a cousin in a horrific incident when they were run down and killed by an intoxicated driver. He spoke of their amazing gift of faith and how they demonstrated their faith by forgiving the driver and helping him with his rehabilitation.

We sincerely thank all those involved in preparing the children for Confirmation, Mrs Wilson, Mr Ferguson, Mrs Hughes and Miss Wilson. A very special thanks to Father Joe and Father Xavier for their guidance and support and to Archbishop Christopher for making this a memorable night, not only for the children but for all those present in the Church. The Holy Spirit was truly present on Saturday night in our Church.

Also, a huge thank you to our amazing Altar Servers Harry and Archie Peterson. These boys had to learn some new routines for the Archbishop, that required extra practice. We appreciate your dedication to your ministry.

Thank you to Mrs Denise Reardon for assisting with the music as always, and to Emma McDonnell for arranging the flowers on the altar. As you can see a Sacrament involves many people to make it a special occasion.

Congratulations to our Confirmation Candidates. May you always remember your Confirmation Day and may the Holy Spirit fill you with all his goodness.

Kate Howe

REC

Parish Officer – Part Time Position Tumut Mission (Tumut, Gundagai, Adelong and Batlow Parishes)

People are invited to apply for the position of Parish Officer Tumut Mission. This is a permanent part-time position of 12-15 hours per week and will be based in the Parish Office, Tumut. There may be some travel between parishes when required.   

Essential Requirements:

• Experience with database packages & Microsoft Suite
• Strong communication and liaison skills
• Strong organisational skills
• Ability to work on your own, as part of a team, and take direction
• Understand and administer areas of church and regulatory compliance (eg. Parish sacrament registers, Working With Vulnerable People, WHS, child protection, copyright)
• Understanding and respect for the Catholic Church and its teaching
• Current experience in an office environment.

Employment conditions are subject to Clerks Award. 

For a copy of the Duty Statement please email the Parish Office tumut@cg.org.au 

Applications addressing the Selection Criteria above and current CV to be sent to Fr Yoseph (Joe) Neonbasu, Parish Priest yoseph.neonbasu@cg.org.au

by CoB 5 Sept 2025.

Week 3: Friday 31 October 9.00-1.00pm

Week 4: Friday 7 November 9.00-1.00pm

Week 5: NO KINDER ORIENTATION DUE TO SCHOOL EVENTS

Week 6: Friday 21 November 9.00-3.15pm

Friday 21 November: Parent Information Session 9.00-11.00am-

This session will provide parents/carers information about 2026 starting dates, Kindergarten class information, routines, events etc and an opportunity to look at uniforms.

Please mark your calendars and send back the RSVP slip for catering purposes by Friday 29th August.  

This Thursday our Yr 5 and Yr 6 will participate in the Gundagai Mortimer Brothers under 12's Gala Day being held at Owen Vincent Oval, Gundagai.  The day will feature a Yr 5/6 Rugby League mixed tackle team combined with St Mary's Batlow (boys) and a girls Leaguetag Team. Wishing both the boys and girls all the best for their day. Thank you to Mr Ferguson and Miss Bartlett for training the teams.

Uniform Survey Results

The Community Council would like to thank our school community for the strong response to the recent uniform survey, with 45 survey submissions providing feedback.

Key findings from the survey included:

• A majority of parents/carers indicated support for a trans-seasonal uniform.
• The most common comment received was that the yellow shirts are difficult to maintain.

Other responses and comments were varied and did not provide a clear majority view that would prompt immediate changes. However, the Community Council will continue to carefully review all feedback to determine if, and when, adjustments to the uniform may be made.  We will be seeking input from uniform suppliers to help us in this process.

Please be assured that families will be given plenty of notice before any changes are introduced, and any updates will include a transition period to allow the best use of existing uniform items.

We thank you again for your input and ongoing support.

Last Wednesday our Year 3/4 Class set off on their school excursion to Canberra Zoo. Thank you to the Community Council for their support in funding the cost of the bus for this excursion to reduce the cost to our families and children. 

Report by Lilly Ferguson

The National Zoo and Aquarium Trip 2025

On the 20th of August 2025 Yr 3/4  of St Patrick's school  went to the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra.

The children arrived at school at 8:10 and waited for the  bus to arrive at 8:15. The bus trip took 2 hours straight, and the children just couldn’t wait to see the animals and the fish in the sea. 

By the time the children arrived it was 10:15. The children walked into the zoo, and then ate their fruit and watched the monkeys while waiting for the tour guide to get there.

The tour guide arrived at about 10:20. The tour guide’s name was Sabrina and she was really nice. Sabrina walked us over to the cheetah and the hyena section, and we watched the cheetah walk around while waiting for Sabrina to get the first animal. The animal was a snake named Pepper who was really sweet and Sabrina asked us if we would like to hold pepper. Not surprisingly we said yes. Sabrina did say that if we didn’t want Pepper on our hands we would be able to say “ I want Pepper off now”. No one actually wanted him off!

Sabrina then showed us the other animals, including otters, fish, deers, alpacas and many other animals you could even think of! Then it was time to say goodbye to Sabrina after we saw an emu. When Sabrina left we paired up into groups of 8. My group went on an adventure trail and we accidentally got lost looking for FAKE alligators!! But we did see an extinction walk where we saw statues of extinct animals like the dodo bird and of course the dinosaurs. My group arrived way later then expected but it was a fun day overall!

During lunch my group only had forty minutes left to eat and buy something from the gift shop. I bought a paperweight and a shark pen.

The day was really fun overall and I 100% recommend the national zoo and aquarium as an excursion for all ages!

As per our last Newsletter our annual street stall date has been set for Thursday 26th September and Friday 27th September.  Please save this date in your diaries as we will be calling upon our families for donations of baked goods, garden produce or donations. 

Information has previously been sent home for items that need to be sent into school to build our hampers.  Thank you to the families who have already sent in their items.

Kinder and Yr 1/2 need to bring in a gardening item for our Spring Hamper. Items like gardening gloves, pest spray, garden tools, potting mix, plants, seedlings or even vouchers from Bunnings or Mitre 10 

Year 3/4 are asked to please send in an item for the Spring Cleaning Hamper.

Year 5/6 have the Party Hamper which will no doubt be a favourite for any family.  Items like chips, lollies, biscuits, drinks or anything you feel would be a great party hamper item. 

We have baskets set up in the front office for items to be dropped off.  Hamper items can be sent in anytime now until Friday 12th September. 

Raffle Tickets will also be sent home shortly per family.  Raffle books will be to the value of $20.00 each. 

Tash Smith & Lisa Peterson

This term the whole school is involved in Peer Support every Friday at 2.00pm - 2.40pm.  Our topic is "Promoting Harmony"

This module supports students to develope the knowledge, skills and attitudes enabling them to identify their values and align their actions with their beliefs. 

Promoting Harmony focuses on four specific values 

* Caring

* Respect

* Responsibility

* Fair Go

Students are provided with activities designed to help them explore ways of caring for themselves and others, identifying and respecting their rights and those of others, acting responsibly, having a go and encouraging others to do their best. 

Students will be given opportunities to reflect on their own values and the values of others. Acknowledging these shared values assists in bringing harmony to society. 

Tune into "Sounds of the Mountains" radio station (FM94.1) every Wednesday at 2.15pm to hear about what our classes and school have been up to over the week.

Week 6 (27th August) - Zoe Morgan & Ollie Crowe

Week 7 (3rd Sept) - Leila Gaskin & Indi Cole

Week 8 (10th Sept) - Mackenzie Little & Conor Cotterill 

This is our final Term for the year for our fundraising raffle at The Family Hotel. Thank you to the families for your support of this meat raffle. 

Thank you to our children and families for your committment to Altar Serving on Saturday evenings. 

Roster:

Sat 30th August - Leila Gaskin & Lachlan Hargreaves

Sat 6th Sept - Lane Johnson & Sarah Gailey 

Sat 13th Sept - Fletcher Smith & Reuben Smart

Sat 20th Sept - Harry Barton & Lachlan Barton

On Friday afternoon we held our special Student of the Month and Principal's Awards for Week 5 Term 3. 

Congratulations to the following students for receiving the Week 5 Student of the Month and Principal's Awards

Kindergarten : Ned Phelps 

Year 1 : Tannah Elliott

Year 2 : Sophia Knight-Gregson 

Year 3 : Imogen Graham 

Year 4 : Max Zhu 

Year 5 : Zoe Paton 

Year 6 : Lachlan Hargreaves

Principals Awards were awarded to : Eddy Smith, Hallie Butt, Levi Bayley, Toby Nicholls, Zoe Morgan

Congratulations to all of our students for a great 5 weeks.

Congratulations to our Week 4 and Week 5 Class Awards: 

Week 4 - Friday 15th August 

Kindergarten: Jaxon Wolley for showing increased confidence towards all aspects of school life (Absent for Photo)

Year 1/2 :  Olivia Smart for getting a perfect score in her spelling test

Year 3 : Clancy Smart for great sportsmanship and team work

Year 4 : Lane Johnson for always giving 100% across all areas 

Year 5 : Mackenzie Little for showing determination in learning tasks

Year 6 : Conor Cotterill for always trying to improve

Week 5 - Friday 22nd August 

Kindergarten:  Fateh Kahlon for coming to school with a smile and trying hard to listen

Year 1/2 : Pippi Nicholls for an impressive homework record

Year 3 : Lottie Worldon for working hard with number accuracy/speed

Year 4 : Archie Peterson for excellence across all areas

Year 5 : Reuben Smart for consistent effort to strive for excellence in all learning

Year 6 : Emma Brown for determination and perseverance to do her absolute best

The long awaited OOSH Service in Gundagai is getting closer to operating. All going to plan should be started next term.   Families will need to enrol using the QR Code below or emailing the admin team