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St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Bus Service The St Patrick's Primary School bus service is provided through Assumption College. All of the relevant information in relation to the bus service can be found on the Assumption College website here . It provides information regarding, locations, fees, code of conduct, bus conveyance allowance, and timetable. All enquiries in relation to the St Patrick's Primary School bus service should be directed to the Assumption College Bus Coordinator Kate Filipovic on (03) 5783 5000. Parents at School Uniform

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Communication Communication is a fundamental element of the relationship between the school and their families. St Patrick's ensures that there are as many opportunities for the school to get messages to families, and families to communicate to the school. Some of the more regular methods of communication are shown here. Newsletter The school newsletter is a document that is communicated to families every Thursday via email. Hard copies of the document can be collected at the front office on Fridays. The newsletter provides details on upcoming events, curriciulum, reviews of recent activities, community news, as well as reports from the principal and other curriculum leaders. SIMON Everywhere App SIMON Everywhere is a simple smartphone app where information can be quickly sent to parents. Through push notifications, parents can be informed of urgent information, upcoming events as well as providing reminders. As such we request that ALL parents and carers download the app and have it ready to receive notifications. Through the app, families can also access their Parent Access Module (PAM) to update student medical information, access school reports, report student absences, etc. The SIMON Everywhere app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Facebook Group St Patrick's manages a private Facebook Group for parents and carers only. This Facebook group is the place where photos of students will be posted, as they will not be posted on the main corporate Facebook page. We encourage all parents and carers to join the Facebook group by going to the group and answering the membership questions at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stpatskilmorefamilies (note that membership will not be accepted without all questions being answered). Seesaw App Seesaw gives families an immediate and personalized window into their child’s school day, and makes communication with teachers seamless. Seesaw empowers students to independently document their learning with built-in creative tools, and provides an authentic audience for their work.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. First Aid St Patrick's Primary School values students' safety and as such employ a first aid officer during school hours, being 8:30 to 3:30pm, who present to the first aid office/sick bay. Our First Aid Officer holds certificates in First Aid (Level 2), CPR, Anaphylaxis, Asthma management, as well as participating in ongoing professional development in areas such as diabetes, haemophilia and epilepsy, but should students attend with a specific health need, additional training will be provided. For all first aid queries, provision of documentation, etc, please email: firstaid@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Asthma For students that suffer from Asthma, the school requires an Asthma Management Plan to be completed by the student's medical practitioner and returned to school by the start of Term 1 via the SIMON Everywhere and the Parent Access Module (PAM) or in hard copy to the office. Copies of the Asthma Management Plan document can be found here . Anaphylaxis For students that suffer from anaphylaxis, the school requires an Anaphylaxis Management Plan to be completed by the student's medical practitioner and returned to school by the start of Term 1 via the SIMON Everywhere and the Parent Access Module (PAM) or in hard copy to the office. Copies of the Anaphylaxis Management Plan document can be found here . Some of the risk management strategies we ask all families to remember are; No food is to be shared at school. When celebrating a birthday, food cannot be shared or handed out. Alternatively children may like to bring some stickers, stamps or pencils to share. Although the school does not ban any particular foods, we do ask all parents to be mindful of other students allergies when packing lunchboxes, particularly if there is a child with an allergy in the same class.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. 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

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Transitioning to Prep Starting prep is a very exciting time for the whole family and the beginning of your child's journey through school. At St Patrick's, we aim to provide a welcoming and supportive community filled with opportunities for children to grow in confidence as they begin their first school year. Our Transition to School program is made up of several parts which include: Transition conversations Kindergarten contact Discovery days Additional transition sessions Additional family meetings Transition mornings; and Family information sessions. Once at school, the transition is further assisted through: Wednesday rest days at the beginning of the school year, where Preps do not attend school so they can take a break midweek to help them get used to attending school on a full time basis. These dates will be confirmed towards the end of 2026. the Buddy program where each prep student is "buddied up" with a senior student. More information about the Buddy program can be found on the wellness programs page here . 2026 dates Enrolments Open Families are asked to register an enrolment enquiry through the school office. The Enrolment Officer will be in contact and provide you with further information and move the enquiry to the application stage. Children must turn 5 years of age before 30 April in the year they are commencing school. Monday 2nd March School Tours Families wishing to become familiar with our school are invited to attend a school tour with staff and student leaders present. To book a school tour, please go to the Book a Tour webpage under the Enrolment tab. 24 February @ 2:00, 5 March @ 9:15am, 18 March @ 9:15am, 24 March @ 2:00pm, 31 March @ 2:00pm, 2 April @ 9:15am, 24 April @ 9:15am, 28 April @ 9:15am Prep Information Evening This is an opportunity to welcome all parents and carers who are applying for a Prep position at St Patrick’s in 2026 . Important and up to date Information about our school and the enrolment process will be shared during this session. This session is compulsory for all families wishing to apply and will be held in the school stadium as a face to face event. Tuesday 28 April 6:00pm - 7:00pm Enrolments Close Families are asked to complete their online applications by Friday 2 May 2025 to ensure that the enrolment application is given consideration. The school can take up to 105 prep students in 2026 and in the event that more applications are received than places available, a waiting list will be created. Friday 1 May Application Meetings Application meetings are an opportunity for us to begin to get to know the child and parent/carer. They are a time for parents to ask any questions you may have and to explore how to best support their child as they make the transition from kinder to school. Please note, these meetings do not aim to determine if your child is ‘school ready’. If you have any questions regarding school readiness, it is best to have a conversation with your child’s kindergarten teacher. These are compulsory for all families. Throughout May and June Letters of Offer sent out Once places are determined, letters of offer will be sent out to families at the start of Term 3. An acceptance form must be completed and returned to the school to secure the enrolment offer. Start of Term 3 Kindergarten visits Throughout Term Three and Four, our staff will contact each child's kindergarten and/or visit the children at their kindergarten to understand their education journey so far and to put things in place to support their transition. Terms Three and Four Discovery Days Mondays in Term Three (dates to be confired) , our library will be open for you to visit and start discovering what school is like. It will be a chance to share a favourite story and meet some new friends. These sessions are not compulsory. Information on how to book online will be sent with your Letter of Offer. By invitation, as required Additional transition sessions Held during Term Four, on Tuesdays to be confirmed , these small group sessions focus on supporting those children and families who may be new to the school or who would like to build their confidence at St Patrick's in a smaller setting. These sessions are by request from the family or invitation from the school. To be advised Additional family meetings Between now and when the child begins, parents/carers may want to meet and discuss any further concerns or ideas they may have to provide their child with the best possibly start to school. Meetings can be initiated by parents or the school as needed. As needed Transition mornings Three mornings filled with fun and forming new friendships. All children are required to attend to learn about school and meet their new peers and teachers. Your child’s 2026 class and teacher will be announced at the final session. All three sessions are compulsory for all students. Term Four Tuesday 10 November Wednesday 18 November Thursday 26 November 9:15am - 10:45am (compulsory) Family information sessions Whilst the children attend their transition mornings, parents/carers will attend these compulsory family information sessions. They are an opportunity for the school to pass on information. It is also an opportunity to meet other parents and ask questions. These are compulsory. As per transition mornings Held in the school stadium (compulsory)

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Mass and Liturgy Religious education at St Patrick’s is not confined to Religious Education classes. Christ is at the centre of all of our endeavours. As a learning community joined together in faith we aim to bear witness to Christ’s vision and values in all aspects of school life. In doing so, we extend our formal religious education to include class mass at church and whole school liturgies. Class Mass at Church Classroom teachers prepare liturgical celebrations with their students. Students have an opportunity to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word and Eucharist through attending class mass. Every class prepares for and attends at least once per semester. Mass is held in the St Patrick’s Church at 9am on weekdays. Families and members of the Parish and school community are always welcome to attend these celebrations. Whole School Liturgies Whole School Masses are celebrated during the year. Special Liturgies are celebrated in accordance with the Liturgical Calendar and the school community is welcome to attend. Places of worship are the Parish church, stadium and court yard.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Mathematics The heart of our vision at St. Patrick’s Primary School is to nurture a love of learning to enable all students to reach their full potential. Our Mathematics program, in line with with Victorian Curriculum (VCAA), supports the rationale that: “Mathematics provides students with access to important mathematical ideas, knowledge and skills that they will draw on in their personal and work lives. The curriculum also provides students, as life-long learners, with the basis on which further study and research in mathematics and applications in many other fields are built. Number, measurement and geometry, statistics and probability are common aspects of most people’s mathematical experience in everyday personal, study and work situations. Equally important are the essential roles that algebra, functions and relations, logic, mathematical structure and working mathematically play in people’s understanding of the natural and human worlds, and the interaction between them. The Mathematics curriculum focuses on developing increasingly sophisticated and refined mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning, modelling and problem-solving. These capabilities enable students to respond to familiar and unfamiliar situations by employing mathematics to make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.” (Victorian Curriculum: Mathematics Rational, VCAA) At St. Patrick’s Primary School we aim to to develop a Growth Mindset and positive attitude towards Mathematics in all of our students and to provide a comprehensive Mathematics program where students will: “Develop useful mathematical and numeracy skills for everyday life, work and as active and critical citizens in a technological world See connections and apply mathematical concepts, skills and processes to pose and solve problems in mathematics and in other disciplines and contexts Acquire specialist knowledge and skills in mathematics that provide for further study in the discipline Appreciate mathematics as a discipline – its history, ideas, problems and applications, aesthetics and philosophy.” Victorian Curriculum (VCAA) The main reference for teaching Mathematics is the Victorian Curriculum. The Curriculum for each level is broken up across the four terms, into Term Planners, Term Planners are then used, to plan the weekly content for each classroom. Learning in Mathematics is led and supported by the Mathematics Leader and the Leadership Team. Timetabling of Mathematics assessment is determined by the Mathematics leader, and the classroom teacher according to the following requirements: PatM testing in completed during the month of November each year, or in March and November for Year One Whole term Pre-Assessments are completed during the final week of the prior term, with the exception of Term One (where they are completed in the first 2 weeks). Whole term Post-Assessment are completed during the final two weeks of each term Anecdotal notes, and checklists are completed and collected throughout the term Daily Mathematics lessons are differentiated to meet the individual learning needs of all the students in the class. This may be done through the use of open ended tasks, as well as group based tasks and activities. Students may work in a variety of different situations such an individually, in pairs or in groups. Learning Intentions and Success Criteria are communicated and/or displayed to the students as part of each lesson One of the tools used to support teaching and learning of Mathematics, is the Mathletics program. Each student in the school has their own individual account, which allows their teacher to set work and monitor progress throughout the year. Students are expected to use the Mathletics program both at home and at school. For more information about Mathletics go to their website here

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. School Facilities St Patrick's prides itself on the beautiful facilities that it provides to its students. Despite having such great facilities on offer to the students, the school is continuously striving to update and improve these resources to ensure that the students have the necessary spaces and resources to maximise their learning outcomes. Art Room The school has a dedicated art room which is used as part of the school's specialist class program. In addition to all of the usual equipment for painting, printing, modelling, textiles and construction, St Patrick's is one of few schools in the area that also have a kiln to allow the school to offer clay modelling as well. Stadium Health and physical education is a core component of the curriculum and the school has a very well-equipped indoor sports stadium. The facilities include a full-sized basketball/netball court, stadium seating along one side with a performance stage on the other side. There are also office and classroom spaces, as well as the canteen to one end of the building. Library The school has a very well-resourced library which is accessible to all students on a number of occasions during a school week. In addition to the usual book borrowing and changing of weekly readers, the library also maintains a store of laptops for student use. The library space is also used during recess and lunchtime for various specialist programs and extra-curricular clubs. More information about some of the school programs can be found here and extra-curricular clubs here . Science The school values science as part of the Victorian curriculum. The specialist science room is resourced with a variety of equipment such as microscopes, environmental and other equipment, and has a large open space floor plan to allow students to be creative during experiments. Netball Courts The school netball area has three plexipave-surfaced courts, along with two mobile basketball rings. This area is open to students to use during recess and lunchtime, as well as being opened to the senior students before school. The netball courts are also utilised by the St Patrick's Netball Club for games on Saturday mornings during the season, along with training after school during the week. Sports Oval A school day can be long for some students, so the ability to run around at recess and lunchtime is very important. The school oval is a large grassed space for students to engage is ball sports such as football (with padded goal posts at each end) and a soccer goal net. The school oval is irrigated through an onsite bore and sprinkler system to ensure that the surface is well-grassed year-round to make it as safe as possible. Playground Play is a vital element to a student's time at school, not only for the physical activity aspect, but the social interaction and learnings that a student gains as well. The school "adventure playground" provides students with a range of activities including a sandpit, monkey bars, climbing frames, flying foxes and slide. Community Garden The school has a number of garden areas at the school to help teach students about the environment and healthy eating. The school community garden near the netball courts is a great opportunity for students to learn about things like recycling, composting and exactly where our food comes from. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to come and assist with the ongoing work in the community garden. School Canteen The school has a large canteen space that is utilised for providing a school lunch order service four days a week, as well as being used to cater for various activities that take place in the sports stadium such as movie nights, discos and parent forums. For more information about the school canteen service, please go to the canteen webpage here .

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. School Fees School fees cover basic tuition, capital works for maintenance and development of school buildings, provision of specialist tuition, as well as camps. To sustain quality Catholic education at St Patrick’s, parents agree at enrolment that full school fees and levies are payable when the school accepts the enrolment of their child. The Catholic Parish of St Patrick’s Kilmore, in association with the educational vision of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, seeks to offer a Catholic education for its children. St Patrick’s Primary School seeks to provide excellence in education, with Catholic values at its heart, wholistic in its scope and pastoral in its process. It is necessary for St Patrick’s to collect school fees to cover financial costs in meeting the goals of the school and the parents who choose Catholic education for their children. St Patrick’s sets school fees annually taking into account the Archdiocesan recommended minimum fee, government contributions and the local circumstances of the community. We recognise that in particular circumstances, from time to time, parents may need an avenue for discussion and mutual decision with school personnel about the procedure and capacity to pay the given fees. The Parish has placed the role of fee management with the Principal of the school. The Principal will access the advice and consult with other appropriate authorities within the school, the parish and Catholic Education in determining just decisions about the level of school fees in any particular year and in discussion with any particular parent or family in regard to the payments of fees. The School Fees and Charges Policy can be found here . 2026 School Fees School Fees have two components: family fees and per child fees. School fees are subject to the Concessional Fee Policy (see below). The 2026 Family Fee has been set as follows: The fees for one child in Prep to Year 3 would be $4,075 in 2026, for two siblings in Prep to Year 3 it would be $4,819 in 2026, etc. School fees are charged to the family at the start of the year for the whole of the year. All school fees are to be paid in full by the end of Term 3. The school uses direct debit as the method of payment of school fees. EFTPOS, cash, cheque, direct deposit into our bank account is available for for any overdue payments or upfront payments in full. We ask all families to fill out the direct debit form upon enrolment, or at the commencement of the school year if a direct debit is not currently in place. If you are not able to pay fees by direct debit, please contact the Finance Department (finance@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au ) to discuss an alternative payment plan. DIRECT DEBIT FORM 2026 DIRECT DEBIT FEE SCHEDULE FEES ARE COMPULSORY AND WE DO MAKE EVERY ENDEAVOUR TO COLLECT FULL PAYMENT Concessional Fee Policy Late in 2021, our head office, MACS, released a new Concessional Fee Policy, which provides reduced fees for: families of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; families with Health Care or DVA Cards; or those families facing severe financial hardship If you believe that you may be eligible for a concessional fee, please contact the Finance Department (finance@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au ) to request the documentation to apply for the concessional fee. The concessional fee must be paid by direct debit and the concessional fee is not retrospective, and any existing debt stands in full. The Concessional Fee Policy can be found here . The Concessional Fee Application Form can be found here . The 2026 Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Application Form can be found here . It opens on 27 January 2026 and closes at the end of Term 2.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. School Staff Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be. Rita Pierson (educational writer) School Leadership Principal/RE Leader Deputy Principal/Literacy Leader Operations Manager EA to Principal Maths Teaching and Learning STEM Learning Diversity Student Wellbeing RE Leader Assistant Learning Diversity Assistant Maths Leader Michael Bourne Kate Ruck Tracy Connors Elizabeth Darvell (Mo-Th) Jessica Kurzman (Mo-Th) Shelly Michalke Shelly Michalke Natalie Rees Lauren Bau Rachael Noble (M,T,W,F) Sam Gauci (Mo-Tu) Erin Gray Shara Hall (Th-Fr) principal@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kate.ruck@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au tracy.connors@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au liz.darvell@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au jessica.kurzman@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au shelly.michalke@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kirsty.bridge@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au natalie.rees@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au lauren.bau@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rachael.noble@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au sam.gauci@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au erin.gray@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au shara.hall@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Classroom Teachers Prep Blue Prep Green Prep Purple Prep Red Prep Yellow 1 Blue 1 Green 1 Red 2 Blue 2 Green 2 Red 3 Blue 3 Green 3 Red 4 Blue 4 Green 4 Red 5 Blue 5 Green 5 Red 6 Blue 6 Green 6 Red Catherine Stephens Rachel Trotter Monica Barca Tiffany Phillips Mandy Chandler Kayla Anquetil Rachel Vale Elise Wilson Mikayla Singarella Kiandra Kindred Megan Taig Sam Gauci (We-Fr) Natalie Underwood (Mo-Tu) Whitney Pobjoy Bridie Minogue Rebecca Sharp Tash Borg (We-Fr) Emma Rayner (Mo-Tu) Rajvi Dhundoo Katrina Slocombe Michael Walsh Caitlin Fandrich (M,T,T,F) Bonnie Cullinan (W) Shara Hall (Mo-We) Bonnie Cullinan (Th-Fr) Jake Peric Teagan Denny catherine.stephens@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rachel.trotter@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au monica.barca@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au tiffany.phillips@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au mandy.chandler@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kayla.anquetil@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rachel.vale@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au elise.wilson@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au mikayla.singarella@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kiandra.kindred@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au megan.taig@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au sam.gauci@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au natalie.underwood@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au whitney.pobjoy@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au bridie.minogue@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rebecca.sharp@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au natasha.borg@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au emma.rayner@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rajvi.dhundoo@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au katrina.slocombe@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au michael.walsh@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au caitlin.fandrich@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au bonnie.cullinan@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au shara.hall@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au bonnie.cullinan@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au jake.peric@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au teagan.denny@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Specialist Teachers Science Visual Arts Physical Education French Tracy Richardson (Mo-Tu) Emma Rayner (We-Fr) Jodie Hopper (Mo,Tu) Kirsty Bridge (We) Sophie Smith (Th-Fr) Nick McDermott Anh Castles Support Staff Psychologist Library Technician Learning Support Officers SBAT LSO (PE) Melissa Duggan (admin@everymindpsych.com.au ) Cathy Minogue Prep Blue - Lisa Wesselman Prep Green - Kira Lazarev (Mo-Th) Prep Purple - Justine McElvogue Prep Red - Rosa Cannizzaro Prep Yellow - Mandy Frost 1 Blue - Angela Hodgins 1 Green - Charlotte Marsh 1 Red - Seema Oberoi (Mo-We/Amanda Harris (Th-Fr) 2 Blue - Donna Hinsley (Tu-Fr) 2 Green - Emily Jacobs 2 Red - Carol Tully (Mo-Th) 3 Blue - Sarah Tomsky (Mo, Tu, Th, Fr) 3 Green - Tracy Wilson (Mo-Th) 3 Red - Jenaee Marc 4 Blue - Corina Lilburn (Mo-Th) 4 Green - Hayley McLaughlin 4 Red - Natasha Dimkovski (Mo-Th) 5 Blue - Amanda McKay 5 Green - Kasey Brown 5 Red - Stuart Rimmer 6 Blue - Kerry Bickerton 6 Green - Renee Dickson (Tu-Fr) 6 Red - Meg Tait (Mo-Th) Charlie Connors Admin staff Administration & Enrolments Officer Administration Officer Digital Tech Admin/Admin Officer First Aid Officer/Admin Officer First Aid Officer Finance Officer Payroll Officer Maintenance Manager Groundsman Elise Vlasveld (M, Tu, Th, F) Kaitlyn Bickerton (Mo-Th) Kate Filipovic Gin Gannan Simone Cameron (We) Deborah Amodio Robyn Hallowell Adrian King (Mo, Th, Fr) Paul Liddy (Mo, Tu, We, Fr) elise.vlasveld@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kaitlyn.bickerton@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kate.filipovic@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au gin.gannan@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au simone.cameron@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au deborah.amodio@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au robyn.hallowell@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Instrumental Music Staff Music Coordinator Drums Guitar Piano Vocals (singing) Isabelle Zoch Xavier Kelly Mitchell O'Dwyer Beau Farrell Oscar Poncell Ethan Wynne Isabelle Zoch Amelia Vlasveld isabelle.zoch@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Literacy At St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, we not only value the teaching of English but believe that it is paramount in providing students with the skills and understandings to fully access the curriculum and develop as divergent, critical thinkers. Through the integration of the three strands: Reading & Viewing, Writing & Spelling and Speaking & Listening, the students are provided with learning experiences that enable them to develop skills and strategies to be competent and confident users of the English language. Literacy skills are best taught through modelled, guided and independent learning experiences, based on explicit teaching. Therefore we provide a differentiated curriculum that caters for the diverse needs of the learner through effective, relevant and challenging learning and teaching opportunities. The English curriculum aims to ensure that students: learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in combination with non-linguistic forms of communication to create meaning develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts, and develop an informed appreciation of literature. Reading and Viewing At St Patrick’s, we aim to provide an evidence space based approach focusing on the ‘Science of Reading.’ We aim to encourage classroom environments which promote a love of books and reading where students feel inspired to read. Each classroom and digital platform is a language rich environment. Books are given their rightful place throughout the school. Library borrowing is scheduled once per week for every class from Prep to Year Six. Students are explicitly taught how to select ‘Good Fit Texts’ from the Library. Teachers ensure students are exposed to a wide range of reading material across genres including print and multimedia. St Patrick’s has implemented the program in the context of a Response to Intervention Framework. InitiaLit is a Tier 1 program and is designed to be delivered to whole classes by classroom teachers. Prep to Year Two use the InitiaLit Literacy Program. InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program which provides all students (Prep - Year Two) with essential core knowledge to become successful readers. Year Three - Six use an evidence-based instructional reading model based on the Science of Reading. Explicit teaching of reading strategies, vocabulary, grammar and spelling. InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit is a three-year program, covering the first three years of school (Prep to Year 2). InitiaLit–Prep incorporates the key components necessary for early reading instruction – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. InitiaLit–1 continues on from InitiaLit–Prep in providing an explicit and effective model for teaching reading, spelling and related skills to children in their second year of schooling. The program incorporates daily lessons in reading and spelling, as well as rich language instruction using children’s literature. As with InitiaLit–Prep, a set of decodable InitiaLit Readers (Levels 10-16), have been developed to align with the InitiaLit–1 instructional sequence. These readers, used alongside the program, will help students generalise and consolidate their skills. By Year 2, most children will be well on their way to reading independence. The program builds on the skills taught in InitiaLit–Prep and InitiaLit–1, with the focus shifting now to consolidating children’s reading and spelling skills, working specifically on reading comprehension, fluency, spelling and vocabulary. MiniLit and MacqLit The MiniLit and MacqLit programs are literacy intervention programs. MiniLit is aimed at Prep to Year 2 and comprises 80 lessons, delivered 4 times per week, for one hour per lesson. A placement test will indicate the ideal starting point on the program for each student, with criteria provided for grouping students according to instructional level. Regular assessments administered throughout the program will monitor progress. Each lesson comprises three main components: Sounds and Words Activities Text Reading Story Book Reading MacqLit is aimed at Years 3-6 and is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of older low-progress readers. It is a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Writing and Spelling At St Patrick’s, we aim to provide a classroom environment which promotes opportunities to support the whole of the writing process from the planning stage through to publishing. The explicit teaching of the thinking processes involved through Modelled, Shared, Guided and Interactive Writing are clearly demonstrated so that students can apply them in their own independent writing and take place across the school from Prep to Year Six. Prep to Year Two use the InitaLit Literacy Program. InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program which provides all students with essential core knowledge to become successful writers. Prep to Year Two spelling is incorporated through the InitiaLit Literacy Program. The Seven Steps are the building blocks to great writing and they break down writing into simple chunks so students aren’t overwhelmed by writing a whole piece straight away. Instead, they gain confidence with each Step they learn, to become creative and engaging writers. Eventually they will learn how to put it all together and write complete texts independently. Year Three - Year Six are explicitly taught the Steps to Writing Success strategies to improve writing skills and student engagement. Students are provided with opportunities to write both purposeful and authentic pieces. Teachers plan activities that provide opportunities for students to explore current digital technologies within the writing program. Seven Steps Step 1: Plan for Success Step 2: Sizzling Starts Step 3: Tightening Tension Step 4: Dynamic Dialogue Step 5: Show, Don’t Tell Step 6: Ban the Boring Step 7: Exciting Endings/Ending with Impact Speaking and Listening At St. Patrick’s we seek to develop the oral language competence of students across the school. Teachers plan and implement strategies which specifically target the development of oral language skills. Language and the ability to communicate effectively is a key foundation to students’ capacity to learn in most general ways. A better developed knowledge of language and how it is used means a greater capacity to learn and to manage and to direct one’s activity as a learner (Munro, 2005) Students participate in Show and Tell, 1 minute talks, debates and oral presentations of their work. Oral language permeates throughout

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. About St Patrick St Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland and credited with bringing Christianity to parts of Ireland. St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain. When he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession. In The Confession, he wrote: "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain." Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britain and was reunited with his family. A few years after returning home, Patrick saw a vision he described in his memoir: "I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: 'The Voice of the Irish.' As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as with one voice: 'We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.'" The vision prompted his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years, and was later ordained a bishop and sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. Patrick arrived in Slane, Ireland on March 25, 433. There are several legends about what happened next, with the most prominent claiming he met the chieftan of one of the druid tribes, who tried to kill him. After an intervention from God, Patrick was able to convert the chieftain and preach the Gospel throughout Ireland. There, he converted many people -eventually thousands - and he began building churches across the country. He often used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity and entire kingdoms were eventually converted to Christianity after hearing Patrick's message. Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461. He died at Saul, where he had built the first Irish church. He is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. His grave was marked in 1990 with a granite stone. In His Footsteps: Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. So complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission, he feared nothing -not even death. "The Breastplate," Patrick's poem of faith and trust in God: "Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger." Source: www.catholic.org St Patrick's School Song