Dear Parents,   

It is hard to believe that we are already in Week 8 of Term 4. The weeks are certainly flying by! Semester Two reports will come home tomorrow. Parent/Teacher Meetings will be offered in Week 9 for those parents requesting a meeting for any academic reasons or any other reason. Please remember these interviews are optional.

Last week, Year 6 had a wonderful time at camp and it was exciting to be able to be together as their final weeks of Primary School come to a close. The students will have many lasting memories of the fun they shared on this special trip away. Special thanks to Mrs Wilson and Mrs Hughes for looking after Year 6 for the 3 days of camp.

Year 3/4/5 also enjoyed a wonderful day in Canberra at the National Zoo and Aquarium as well as a stop at Cockington Green. Thank you to Mrs Flanagan and Mr Ferguson for organising such a great excursion that was enjoyed by all.

Work on our new turfed area is ramping up this week with the laying of the concrete surface this morning. The students have thoroughly enjoyed watching the activity of the machinery as the new play area takes place. Please remember First Ave is closed to all traffic today and the buses will drop off and pick up in Homer Street.

Our 2020 Award day is set to take place next Friday the 11^th December commencing at 9.00am. Could parents please send back the confirmation note with the name of the two adults attending by THIS Wednesday 2^nd December. At this stage only ½ of our families have indicated they will be attending.   If you could please email the office to confirm your attendance if you have misplaced the original note. 

Plans for 2021 are underway with decisions being made, in regard to class structures and teachers. As soon as they are finalised, we will be sharing them with our parent community.

This Friday staff will be undertaking Professional Learning involving the new RE curriculum led by Bernadette Scott from CE. The implementation of the new RE curriculum will be one of our focus areas in 2021. Please remember this is a PUPIL FREE DAY.

As we enter the Advent Season, we pray that God blessings will be with us each day as we await the birth of the baby Jesus.

Christine Baron                                                                                                    Principal

Advent

Advent, which begins the Church’s liturgical year, began last Sunday. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

The Advent season is a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas.

The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition.

The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God and the everlasting life we find in Christ.

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical colour that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. It is called the “Shepard’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical colour for joy. The third Sunday of Advent reminds us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus.

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the “Christ Candle” and represents the life of Christ. The colour white is for purity—because Christ is our sinless, pure Saviour.

Celebrating Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas.

Staff Development Day

This Friday our St Patrick’s Staff will be undertaking a day of learning. We will be working with Staff from the Catholic Education Office to unpack the new Brisbane Religion Curriculum. This will be implemented into our RE Programs next year. We are looking forward this professional learning experience.

End of Year Mass

The Year Six Graduation and Thanksgiving Mass will be held on Friday 11^th December at 12 noon. Due to COVID restrictions our numbers of attendees is limited to the Year Six Parents only.

This Mass is traditionally our chance to support and give items of food to the St Vincent de Paul Society. The Society will compile hampers from the items and distribute these to those in our community who need assistance during the festive season.

The children will bring their items of food as part of the Offertory Procession. Please remember to bring your donation to Mass.

Whatever you can give will be appreciated.

 St Patrick’s Parish Mass times for Christmas

This year due to COVID restriction on numbers the Christmas Eve Mass will be celebrated as an open-air Mass at the Gundagai Race Course at 6pm.

Christmas Day Mass will be in St Patrick’s Church at 8 am.

Kate Howe

REC

Semester Two reports will be sent home tomorrow - Wednesday 2nd of December.  Parent Teacher Interviews will take place next Monday 7th December & Tuesday 8th December which are optional.   Should you wish to discuss any academic or social concerns please fill in the interview slip and return to the office by Friday 4th of December.  We remind families that this is optional. 

As an Archdiocesan School we must comply with the System’s Enrolment Policy guidelines. Each year in Term 4, the Catholic Education Office provides us with a staffing allocation for St Patrick’s for the 2021 school year, and this will highlight the number of classes we have been allocated. The number of classes is determined by the overall school enrolment (not enrolments per grade level). In 2021, we have been allocated 4 classes. It is then the responsibility of the School Executive Team to determine the best class structure/s for the following new school year.

When we structure classes we take into account:

- Individual student need

- Classroom support requirements

- Class sizes

- New Program requirements and how they are best structured eg In 2021 InitiaLit in Years K/1/2

We are currently considering all factors and will inform parents once this decision has been made.

We would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to Chris Rose from CEO Electrical for installing our new air conditioner in our Yr 3/4 classroom.  We are very grateful for your service and appreciate the tidy job that you, Taite and Zac have done.  The staff and students can now be comfortable and focused on learning.  

Thank you to the parents and the Community Council for fighting for this new air conditioner to be installed by Catholic Education.  

Please mark your calendar for our upcoming Pupil Free Day which will be on Friday 4th of December.  This is our Staff Development Day.  

Dates for upcoming events have been marked on our School Calendar which is located on our school website.  

Our Award Presentation Day will be held on Friday 11th December commencing at 9am on our school grounds.  This year due to social distance regulations we are unable to all fit in the School Hall.   The children will be seated in the shaded area of the amphitheatre.  If you have not already done so could you please RSVP your attendance via email or contacting the office by no later than Monday 7th of December. 

Unfortunately we can not accommodate other siblings or family members due to regulations that we have to abide by.  

Please bring your own chairs, water bottles, hats and umbrellas.  We will have our school shelters available but there may only be limited spots. 

Congratulations to our Wildcat Awards for Week 6 and Week 7

Week 6

RESPONSIBLE: Flynn Leane, Emily Ryan, Corby Rose

RESPECT: Alexander Ryan, Taite Johnson, Essie Norden

Week 7

RESPONSIBLE: Riley Smith 

Congratulations to our Week 6 and Week 7 Class Awards for Term 4

Week 6 - Term 4

Kindergarten/Year 1 - Indi Cole for being an amazing all rounder! Giving 100% effort in all areas 

Year 2 - Emma Ferguson for showing on task behaviours whilst completing tasks

Year 3/4 - Jack Paton for his participation in class discussions 

Year 5/6 - Abby McDonnell for quick and accurate recall of patterns and general algebra rules 

Week 7 - Term 4

Kindergarten/Year 1- Lachlan Hargreaves for his interesting story writing 

Year 2 - Denver Blundell for enthusiastic approach to his writing tasks - keep it up!

Year 3/4 - Emmy Gaskin for exceptional manners, behaviour and participation in all activities during the Canberra Excursion

Year 5/6 - Sarah Scott for her initiative and problem solving in complex team challenges 

Happy Birthday to the following students who have recently celebrated a birthday.  We hope you all had a special day 

19th November - Molly Lott

27th November - Tyler Manns 

27th November - Charlotte McDonnell 

Now taking enrolments for 2021

 0-2 years, 2-3 years and Preschoolers 3-5 years 

Qualified staff work with all age groups and are committed to providing individual experiences as well as a group program to challenge and stimulate learning.

Our University trained Preschool teacher’s offer a well-planned realistic curriculum following the NSW curriculum framework. Programs are based on assessment of individual needs and interests.

A full day of learning is available to all children.

For more information please call the centre on 69441889.

Rated Exceeding under our National Quality Framework.

1st Gundagai is an active Scout Group with very experienced Leaders. Scouting teaches independence and leadership skills through challenges and outdoor adventures.

Activities include:-

Canoeing
Hiking
Camping
Abseiling
Survival Skills/First Aid
Community Based Activities
Cooking
Crafts
Games
Cubs – 8 to 11 years – meet on Fridays from 6pm until 7.30pm
Scouts – 11 to 15 years - meet on Wednesdays from 5pm until 7pm
Venturers – 15 to 18 years - meet on Thursdays from 5pm to 7pm

Children are very welcome to come along and try for a few weeks before deciding whether to join. For more information please contact Lynda Petty, Group Leader on 0432 242 333  Or email – lyndapetty@bigpond.com