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School Planning School planning is a continuous process that involves looking at the immediate, short, medium and long term needs of the school. It also involves numerous documents and processes, including an external four-yearly school review. Annual Action Plan The annual action plan is developed from the school improvement plan. The annual action plan drives the improvement agenda for the year. Goals, key improvement strategies, and intended outcomes and drawn from the five spheres within the school improvement framework. During Term Four the Annual Action Plan is reviewed. The evidence collected determines if the goals have been met or require adjusting for the following year. School Improvement Plan The ultimate goal of school improvement is to improve outcomes for students including levels of achievement and wellbeing. The school improvement framework promotes a four year cycle of school improvement and recognises the distinctive nature of catholic school. The catholic school vision developed by the school community provides the motivating force for all school improvement planning within that specific catholic school community. The vision is embedded in five interdependent spheres of school: Education in faith, Learning and Teaching, Student Wellbeing, School Community and Leadership and Management. The framework seeks to support schools in establishing the organisational conditions to support continuous improvement. It aims to ensure that the unique features of each school situation are recognised and that the analysis of the schools particular context is used to inform the development and subsequent implementation of school improvement strategies. ​ The framework promotes an evidence- based inquiry approach to planning within the school. It requires schools to incorporate ongoing monitoring and evaluation of student outcomes to ensure continuous school improvement is made. St Patrick’s is currently in the first year of the school improvement cycle. ​ A copy of the school's current School Improvement Plan can be found here .

Wellness Programs St Patrick's Primary School have a range of different wellness programs that are aimed to providing students with a diverse range of activities and programs to address their specific needs. Bounce Back! The BOUNCE BACK! Wellbeing & Resilience Program looks at the environmental and personal skills for building resilience in children and young people. The program focuses mainly on the teaching of coping skills to help children and young people respond positively to the complexity of their everyday lives. In other words, children are taught how to ‘bounce back’ after experiencing sadness, difficulties, frustrations and hard times. ​ More information on the Bounce Back! program can be found on the KidsMatter website here . Seasons for Growth Seasons for Growth is a small group grief and loss education program. It is based on the belief that change and loss are part of life and grief is a normal response to these losses. The Seasons for Growth program provides an opportunity for children to learn the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to understand and respond well to grief and loss experiences (e.g. death, separation, divorce). ​ More information on the Seasons for Growth program can be found on the KidsMatter website here . Buddy Program Each Prep student is matched with a Grade 6 buddy. Together, they participate in regular shared learning activities throughout the year, including literacy, inquiry, maths games, cooking and craft. It helps the Preps feel safe at school and promotes leadership and responsibility in the Grade 6's, who do an amazing job nurturing and guiding the preps through their first year. It is a rewarding and positive program for all involved! Imagination Club St Patrick's work with the I-CAN Network and together we embrace Autism. Through the Imagination Club we also recognise that many students don’t have a diagnosis, or their diagnosis has not been disclosed. Our school's mentoring program is called ‘Imagination Club – for students with big imaginations’. ​ More information on Imagination Clubs can be found on the I CAN Network website here . Theraplay Theraplay is an engaging, playful, relationship-focused treatment method that is interactive, physical and fun. It can be used for children and adults of all ages, but is most effective between the ages of 18 months and 12 years. ​ Children who can benefit from Theraplay often show internalised behaviours such as withdrawal, depression, fearfulness or shyness, externalised behaviours such as acting out, anger and non-compliance, and also relationship or attachment problems. ​ Theraplay has been used with children with ASD, developmental delays and physical disorders quite effectively. If you would like some more information about Theraplay, please contact Cassie Thompson at cassie.thompson@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au . Yoga and Meditation Our Yoga and Meditation program is specialised just for kids. The program focuses on teaching self awareness, calming, emotional regulation and love. Yoga and meditation is an effective method for resolving trauma, anxiety and improving emotional wellbeing. It also assists with regulating behaviours, concentration, physical health and decreasing stress. Please watch the accompanying video for more information or contact butterflyyogameditation@gmail.com

School Houses St Patrick's have four school houses and each student is allocated to a house when they start at St Patrick's. That house allocation will apply to siblings as they enrol too. The four school houses are named after prominent people. McAuley (blue house) ​ Named after Sister Catherine McAuley, joint founder of the Sisters of Mercy, born September 29 1778 in Ireland and died November 11, 1841. ​ In 1824 Catherine McAuley leased a property in southeast Dublin to build a house to serve poor women and children. ​ On December 12 1831 Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle and Mary Elizabeth Harley professed their religious vows as the first Sisters of Mercy, thereby founding the congregation. She encouraged her Sisters to "educate poor girls, to lodge and maintain poor young women who are in danger and to visit the sick poor". Within 10 years Catherine founded nine Convents of Mercy in Ireland and England. ​ The Sisters of Mercy made a foundation in Perth, Western Australia in 1846. ​ Today there are more than 12,000 Sisters of Mercy worldwide. They run 200 health care facilities, 19 colleges, 58 schools and provide many other services that help people of every age. O'Rourke (yellow house) ​ Named after Father Timothy O'Rourke, Parish Priest at St Patrick's Catholic Church 1885-1860, died January 16 1861. ​ Fr O'Rourke was educated at Maynooth, Ireland and ordained as a priest in mid-1849. He left Ireland in August of that year to undertake missionary work in New Zealand. ​ In poor health he came to Melbourne for a holiday in January 1854 and agreed to act temporarily in the vacancy caused by the last illnesses of Fr Clarke in the parish of Kilmore. He remained and carried on with an energy far beyond his strength and accomplished much in a few short years which is testimony to the zeal of a great priest. Fr O'Rourke's first task was to assume responsibility for the building of the school-church. He initiated the building of a bluestone church-school. This building, used as a boy's school, had two large rooms with extra small rooms for a master and a school-mistress. ​ About 1855, under Fr O'Rourke's supervision, a small, solid bluestone church known as St Bridget's was built at the Survey on 2 acres of land donated by George Jessop. Maher states that the church was used for services for two years before being blessed by Bishop Goold on November 1 1857. ​ Fr O'Rourke not only took on responsibility for the building for the church, he also maintained several schools in the parish including opening at least 5 to accommodate the growing numbers of children living in the area. ​ St Patrick's Church was begun in 1857 under the watchful eye of Fr O'Rourke. He continued serving his parish despite ill health up until the last few months of 1860. Fr O'Rourke was interred in front of the Our Lady alter in the church he had organised to build on March 23 1871. Chisholm (red house) ​ Named after Caroline Chisholm, humanitarian, born May 30 1808 in England and died March 25 1877 in England. ​ Caroline Chisholm was born in England. She arrived in Australia in 1838 and set up a home for other women who had come to live here. She worked to improve life on the ships bringing people to Australia to start a new life and started a loans plan to bring poor children and families to Australia. She arranged free trips so that the families of convicts who were transported to Australia could come to join them. She also believed poor people should be able to buy farms cheaply. ​ Caroline set up a home in Sydney for young women, and organised other homes in several rural centres. The home was soon extended to help families and young men. During the seven years Caroline was in Australia she placed over 11,000 people in homes and jobs. Her 'home' - the Female Immigrant Home helped over 40,000 people in its 38 year lifespan. She became a very well-known woman who was very much admired. Morrison (green house) ​ Named after Monsignor Ken Morrison, Parish Priest St Patrick's Catholic Church 1952 - 1977. ​ Monsignor Morrison became the Parish Priest of St Mary's in Williamstown in 1936. This included becoming the part-time chaplain to the Point Cook and Laverton bases of the Royal Australia Air Force. During World War II he became the Principal Catholic Chaplain. He was responsible for 60 chaplains who served in Britain, Malta, the Far East, the Pacific, Japan and throughout Australia. He made frequent visits to their posts. In 1947-48 Monsignor Morrison served a 12 month tour of duty in Japan. In 1948 he reverted to his pre-war practice of dividing time between civil and service duties. He was awarded the OBE in 1962 for his work with the Air Force. ​ In 1952 he took up the appointment of parish priest in Kilmore, He quickly gained support of the parishioners to restore the church that was showing severe damage. He also rebuilt the school that had been condemned by the Health Authorities. In 1968 he added a larger school building and organised a bus service to bring students to St Patrick's from Broadford and Kilmore East. Monsignor Morrison drove the bus for 17 years. ​ During his remaining time at St Patrick's Monsignor Morrison added a district church at Wallan and rebuilt one at Darraweit Guim. He also administered a circuit of six district churches. ​ He handed over the reins of Parish Priest to Father Peter Rankin on June 18 1977.

COVID-19 Management St Patrick's Primary School works closely with Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) to ensure that the school is doing everything it can during these unprecedented times to provide a safe and secure environment and continue to deliver educational outcomes for our students. As the world continues to grapple with the ever-changing COVID-19 situation, St Patrick's will continue to act in accordance with the guidance of the time and remain flexible and fluid as things evolve. ​ In managing the COVID-19 situation, the school continues with the cleaning schedule of the school and implement the standard social distancing protocols required. ​ Face to face school assemblies and year level liturgies/masses will continue to be reduced in 2022 and all PSG meetings will still be face to face with the option of telephone or video conferencing. Independent music lessons for drums, guitar and piano, as well as vocals, continue to take place onsite with the music teachers. ​ Families who are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 virus are encouraged to visit the School Fees webpage here , and the Concessional Fee Policy. ​ I wish all St Patrick’s students & families the very best as they continue to adapt to this unusual holiday time. ​ Best wishes ​ Michael Bourne School Principal COVID Safe Plan

Prayer Prayer is a personal response to God’s presence and is a form of communicating with God. It fosters a personal and living relationship with God and nourishes the spiritual growth of all members of the school community. Each class takes time out of the day to pray. There are many ways of communicating with God. Students are encouraged to participate and lead prayers at assemblies, in classrooms during liturgical celebrations and at Mass. All students have opportunities to experience prayer situations, which are: • FORMAL - to learn words, songs and gestures that will help students to pray. • PUBLIC - to share aloud a prayer or prayer intention. • PRIVATE - to listen as well as speak to God personally. • SILENT - to engage in reflection, meditation or times of silence. Classes begin the day with either Christian Meditation or Prayer. All members of the school community are invited to participate in Christian Meditation and Prayer at the beginning of the day. Prayer commences with The Sign of the Cross and a scripture reading. Prayer concludes with St Patrick pray for us and we always remember to pray for one another. The staff, Parents and Friends Committee and School Advisory Council commence their meetings with prayer. Sacred Space/Prayer Table A prominent place in learning spaces is provided as a focus for prayer and a constant reminder of the presence and closeness of God. A different colour cloth is displayed for each of the liturgical seasons. The following is placed on every prayer table: a Bible, Crucifix, Candle to represent the light of Christ present during class prayer time and Resources – prayer book, biblical pictures, children’s Bible stories. Various religious icons and artefacts brought in by students can be placed on prayer tables. Morning Prayer Morning Prayer occurs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students pray before lunch and at the end of the school day. Prayer may also occur at other times throughout the day. At the beginning of every school year, each class creates their own class prayer to start their morning prayer. Christian Meditation On Monday, Wednesday and Friday we commence the day with Christian Meditation that is a form of Contemplative Prayer. The whole school sits in quietness and stillness. This allows all to continue to build a relationship with God while slowing down one’s breathing. The purpose is to clear one’s mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may be more easily heard. Meal time prayer Year Prep and Year One students are encouraged to pray a simple prayer before the lunch time meal. Students in Year Two to Year 6 say grace using a traditional prayer. End of school day prayer Classes are encouraged to pray the traditional prayer of Hail Mary or Our Father to conclude the day. School prayer St Patrick's has a school prayer which is part of the daily prayers undertaken in the school. It is as follows: ​ Let us remember we are in the Holy presence of God and each other. Au nom du père, du fils et du Saint-Esprit. Amen Upon this ancient land of the Taungurung people, we pray together: Loving God, Inspire us to learn with each other in the community. Give us strength to show love and compassion like the Mercy Sisters and Marist Brothers. We honour all those who have come before us. Help us flourish in all that we do. In the way of Mary, help us to be strong and true. St Patrick and St Marcellin, Priez pour nous. Mary our good mother, pray for us. And may we always remember to... pray for one another. In the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. ​

Enrolment Criteria St Patrick's is an inclusive Catholic primary school that welcomes families from all faith backgrounds. St Patrick's provides a wholistic approach to education that focuses on developing the whole child, including academics as well as the social and emotional skills. As a feeder school to Assumption College, we also have a strong connection and transition program with the College. 2024 Enrolments Limited places are a vailable in in some year levels. ​ ​ Go to the Enrolment tab to Book a Tour, make an Enrolment Enquiry or Request a Prospectus Enrolment Criteria Enrolment at St Patrick's is done so in accordance with the school's Enrolment Policy, a copy of which can be found here . ​ Priority for enrolment at St Patrick's is given to Catholic students. Enrolments are also invited for children from non-Catholic families. ​ The student should be a resident in the Parish and within the catchment zone for St Patrick’s Primary School Kilmore. ​ Parents/guardian, as the prime educators of their children in faith, must demonstrate a commitment to upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church in practical ways and agree to support the school in all aspects of the total education of their child. ​ Other circumstances may be considered. Catchment Zones With two schools in the St Patrick's Parish (the other being Our Lady of the Way in Wallan), there are two separate catchment areas for primary school enrolments within the Parish of St Patrick’s Kilmore. Families who live in the Kilmore, Kilmore East, Bylands, Broadford, Pyalong, Wandong and Heathcote Junction areas are zoned for enrolment at St Patrick’s Primary School Kilmore. New families who live in the Wallan, Wallan East, Beveridge and Darraweit Guim areas are invited to apply for a position at Our Lady of the Way Wallan . ​ Where either school has a year level that is full, it may be possible to enrol at the other school if there is a vacancy. Enrolment Forms and Supporting Documentation All applications should be made online through our website. In the enrolments tab, select "Apply Now" and complete the online application form. For anyone that as previously requested a prospectus, booked a school tour or completed an enrolment enquiry, you should use the same email address and many of the fields will be pre-populated for you. ​ Please remember that you will need a copy of your child’s Birth, Baptism (child/parent where applicable) and immunisation certificates. These are required before the enrolment process can be completed. Copies of immunisation certificates can be obtained by phoning 1800 653 809 or by visiting their website here . Copies of Baptism Certificates can be obtained by contacting the Parish in which the child/parent was Baptised. For non-prep enrolments, copies of the last two school reports are also required. For all enrolments, copies of all other relevant reports (speech, medical specialists etc) or documentation (court orders etc) are also required

NAPLAN St Patrick's participates in the annual NAPLAN testing for Years 3 and 5. NAPLAN is conducted online during May each year. It tests a variety of literacy and numeracy skills and is just one of many assessments that St Patrick's uses throughout the year to judge a student's academic progress. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy), is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken every year in the second full week in May. ​ The test is administered by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which is the independent statutory authority responsible for the overall management of the Australian National Assessment Program, in collaboration with representatives from all states and territories and non-government school sectors. ​ NAPLAN is made up of tests in four areas: reading writing language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation); and numeracy. ​ NAPLAN test results provide information on how students are performing in the areas of literacy and numeracy and support improvements in teaching and learning. The data from NAPLAN test results gives schools and systems the ability to measure their students’ achievements against national minimum standards and student performance in other states and territories. ​ Reports on individual student performance are provided to all students and parents/carers by the states and territories. ​ NAPLAN results are also reported nationally through summary results released in August and a full national report released in December. ​ Whilst St Patrick's Primary School actively participate in the NAPLAN testing, it is not seen by the school as a be-all-end-all test, as it is just part of an ongoing testing regime that the school does to keep close check of student's performances. Parents and students should be aware that an unexpected result in a NAPLAN test is unusual, but should it occur, the school will work with the student and family to identify what may have contributed to the results. ​ For more information on NAPLAN, go to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority website here or the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority website here . *Source: www.nap.edu.au

Specialist Subjects At St Patrick's we recognise that education is far more diverse than the traditional English and maths. To that end we provide our students with a range of specialist subjects to complete the curriculum. Physical Education Physical Education (PE) at St Patrick's focuses on developing students Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS), teamwork, cooperation, respect and to promote the benefits of leading an active lifestyle. Each class attends a weekly one hour PE lesson where students practise their movement skills, develop new movement strategies and concepts to give them the confidence to participate in a range of sporting and game based activities. For more information about Physical Education and other opportunities in sport click here . Language (French) Students in Prep – Year 6 will be involved in weekly French lessons. The students learn functional language through speaking, communicating, using gestures, reading and writing. Each class attends a French lesson for one hour a week. For more information about French, click here . Visual Arts Visual Art is an integral part of school life at St.Pats. Our students get "messy" and learn techniques that develop their creativity and curiosity. Each class attends a visual art class for one hour a week. For more information about visual arts, click here . Science Science at St Patrick's supports students in developing their skills and interest in Science, which is taught on a semester basis and each class attends science for one hour per week. For more information about Science, click here .

School Canteen St Patrick’s values healthy eating practices for students, staff and the wider school community, and aim to provide an effective canteen service that provides choices of healthy food in a manner that complies with all health regulations and requirements When? ​ St Patrick's provides a school canteen service to its students five days a week , through a lunch order system and over-the-counter sales at recess and lunch. ​ How? ​ Lunch orders are now ordered by parents through the Flexischools app. Parents can create an account for each child and order and pay online. It also makes reordering the same weekly lunch order very simple. ​ Once ordered, if you have a reusable lunch bag (highly recommended to keep food warm), the children places the lunch bag into the lunch order tub. That tub is then delivered to the canteen at the start of each school day. The lunch orders are then fulfilled and returned to the classes in the same lunch order tubs. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Menu? ​ The canteen menu is reviewed by the canteen manager each term and a copy of the current canteen menu can be found on the blue button below: ​ ​ ​ ​ Over-the-counter items are not available for purchase through the lunch order system. ​ Lunch bags? ​ Reusable lunch order bags can be purchased from the Parents and Friends Association through the front office for $15.00. The reusable lunch order bags are insulated and come in a range of colours, They have a dedicated space for the name and class details, to help ensure orders go to the right classroom. More information about the lunch bags can be found here . ​ Other information? The school canteen is operated by an independent operator under an access agreement, pursuant to the school's Canteen Policy. A copy of the Canteen Policy can be found here . ​ The canteen is operated in line with the Victorian Department of Education's 'Go for your life’ Healthy Canteen Kit – Food planner guidelines. A copy of the guidelines can be found here . ​ For more information, or to contact the canteen, you can email: canteen@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Canteen Menu Like the St Patrick's Canteen Facebook page here:

External Newsletters In addition to the internal school newsletter, there are a number of organisations that support the work of Catholic Education. Their newsletters provide insight and information to our families. Marist Schools Australia (MSA) Their latest newsletter can be found here . Catholic Schools Parents Victoria (CSPV) Their latest newsletter can be found here and select the year and "eNews". Catholic Education Today (CET) Copies of the CET magazine can be found here .

Integrated Inquiry The inquiry approach to learning is based on the belief that students are powerful learners who must be actively engaged in the process of investigating, processing, organising, synthesising, refining and extending their knowledge within a topic. In a nutshell, the inquiry process involves: Planned, direct and rich experiences that provide opportunities for students to pose questions and gather information. Activities that help students organise new information and use skills in a way that assists them to form concepts and generalizations about their world Opportunities for students to work independently and cooperatively and demonstrate what they have learnt applying the knowledge, skills and values to other contexts. The inquiry process has the potential to develop skills and dispositions for lifelong learning, for example, independence, thinking skills, confidence, decision making, cooperative learning and other life skills. We can integrate different subject areas, information technology and global issues. At St Patrick’s we have developed an Inquiry map that each level studies in a two-yearly cycle. The broad concepts and key ideas covered can be found here . ​ Content for our Inquiry units is drawn from the Victorian Curriculum. When planning units of work teachers check the following areas to ensure that these critical components of the curriculum are being covered across the school. Cross-curriculum Priorities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability Learning areas and Capabilities Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural, Personal and Social The Humanities Civics and Citizenship Economics and Business Geography History Science Technologies Design and Technologies Digital Technologies

Child Safety At St Patrick's Primary School our student's safety is of the utmost importance. The school ensures that all government regulations are adhered to with respect to child safety to make a student's time at St Patrick's not only an enjoyable experience, but also a safe one. Child Safety Standards The Child Safe Standards are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian early childhood services and schools, to ensure they are well prepared to protect children from abuse and neglect. ​ To read more go to the Department of Education's webpage on PROTECT here . Reportable Conduct Scheme The Reportable Conduct Scheme came into force on 1 July 2017 and requires schools to respond to allegations of child abuse (and other child-related misconduct) made against the school's workers and volunteers, and to notify the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) of any allegations. ​ Reportable conduct includes sexual offences or misconduct or physical violence against, with or in the presence of a child, behaviour causing significant emotional or psychological harm to a child, or significant neglect of a child. ​ To read more, go to the Commission for Children and Young People webpage here .