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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. 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 .

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 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.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. French Conversation Classes St Patrick's Primary School offer all of our families the opportunity to participate in French conversation classes with our French teacher, Mr Quentin Berlatier. One of the specialist subjects offered at St Patrick's Primary School is French. Our French teacher, Mr Quentin Berlatier, is a native of France and is fluent in French. He is offering all of our families the opportunity to attend the school before pick up time on a Monday, 2:15-3:00pm, and participate in French Conversation classes free of charge. It is a wonderful opportunity for families also partake in the French language and engage in the students' learning of the French language.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Request a Prospectus Considering St Patrick's for your child? Request a prospectus to receive an electronic and/or hard copy prospectus. The booklet provides a lot of detailed information about the school to assist you in your school selection. Enrolment Criteria and Process Transition to Prep

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Playgroup and Breakfast Club At St Patrick's Primary School our Community Lounge is more than a staff room, it is a space for everyone, staff, students and families, to interact with the school. We value the relationships with our families and we believe that when we enrol a student, we enrol the whole family. That's why at St Patrick's we offer opportunities for younger siblings and their parents/carers to also engage with the school through our Playgroup and for students to come together and participate in the Breakfast Club program. Playgroup Playgroup takes place in the Community Lounge every Thursday from 9:00am to 10:30am. It is a fun environment for babies, infants, through to kinder aged children, to come together and play. It is also a wonderful opportunity for parents and carers to come together and get to know each other. The St Patrick's Playgroup is open to everyone, including existing families and those families looking to enrol at St Patrick's in the future. The playgroup allows both the children and the families to get to know the school and the staff, which aids with transition to school as the children get to school age. Breakfast Club St. Patrick’s Breakfast Club is open to all students every Friday between 8:15am and 8:40am. Whether a child is in need of breakfast, or is looking for a social opportunity, breakfast club is open to all students. With the support of St Vincent De Paul, the breakfast club encourages students to eat breakfast and to engage with other students in a relaxed environment. Parents/Carers must give permission for a child to attend and provide any allergy information. A permission form is sent to all families at the start of each year via the Parent Access Module (PAM) which can be found in your SIMON Everywhere phone app or through the computer login.

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

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

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Family School Partnerships “To build and strengthen links with families and the local community to improve student learning and wellbeing outcomes.” Catholic Education Melbourne's Family–School Partnerships initiative At St.Patrick’s, we are dedicated to building and strengthen links with families and the local community to improve student learning and wellbeing outcomes. “Each person’s formation takes place within a process that is implemented over many years by several educators, starting with parents.” – Pope Francis (2014) What is Family School Partnerships? Family-school partnerships are collaborative relationships and activities involving school staff, parents and other family members of students at a school. Why are they important? At St. Patrick’s we believe that families are the first educators of their children and they continue to influence their children’s learning and development during the school years and long afterwards. It is vital for schools and families to work in partnership together. Research tells us that the most effective schools have high levels of parental and community involvement and that this involvement is strongly related to improved student learning, attendance and behaviour. A copy of the school's Family School Partnerships Policy can be found here . To find out more about Family School Partnerships watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GQQ2bzdugA “To be hoped that the school and the family will be in harmony... to the process of education and the individual’s formation.” – Pope John Paul II (1981)

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. School History St Patrick's Primary School Kilmore is a far cry from the Catholic primary school started sometime in 1848, being school number 358, situated on the highway. There are some unconfirmed reports of there being a boys and girls school as early as 1844. A Brief History St. Patrick's Catholic Parish, centering on the township of Kilmore and the surrounding rural district, is situated approximately 60 kms north of Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, Australia. St. Patrick's was the first inland Catholic parish to be established (1849) in the southern part of what was then the Colony of NSW and is now the State of Victoria, Australia. Earlier parishes in Victoria were Melbourne (1839), Geelong (1842), Portland (1847) and Port Fairy (1849). The parishes of Melbourne, Geelong and Kilmore represent the three oldest parishes in the Archdiocese of Melbourne whilst the parishes of Portland and Port Fairy are the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Ballarat. Early Parish Primary Education in Kilmore St Patrick's Primary School Kilmore is a far cry from the Catholic primary school started sometime in 1848, being school number 358, situated on the highway. There are some unconfirmed reports of there being a boys and girls school as early as 1844. The Vicar General, Dr Geoghegan wrote in an application to the Denominational Schools Board, dated July 3 1848: “There are sufficient Catholic children here (Kilmore) to entitle the teacher to Government aid.” On March 27, 1849, the Bishop wrote: “There is an unaided school at Kilmore….. The average attendance is 30 - 40. The schoolroom is most inadequate and unsuitable…” And so in 1850 school number 358 officially opened, as a boys-only school, with government aid. The girls school, using the same name and number, opened on the opposite side of the highway in 1851. The school inspector Childers visited the schools in 1851 and wrote: “I visited this school in Sydney Street on April 30 accompanied by the clergyman, Rev. C. Clarke …The school is a slab hut with shingled roof, not plastered, no floor. Is in good condition, and was erected in 1848... Schoolroom is 86 x 11. Has glass windows, a fireplace, and two windows. There are 33 boys and 7 girls present." In 1854/55 the bluestone school was built in the church grounds, which was later demolished in 1956, and replaced by the brick school. In 1875 the Mercy Convent opened with Sisters teaching primary levels. Then in 1890 the new Mercy boarding and day school opened. In 1893 the Marists began Assumption College, taking over the boys day school, and then taking boarders in 1901. And more recently... With humble beginnings, there has been a rich history of Catholic education in Kilmore, being initially provided by local parents or community members acting as teachers, then later by the Mercy nuns, Marist brothers and then Parish school teachers. Catholic primary education has had a number of locations including the Parish centre (next to the Church), the now-Kilmore International School when the school was known as St Joseph’s, and the last school site opposite Assumption College from 1968 when it changed its name to St Patrick’s, and now at the current site since 2011. Today, our Parish Priest is religious head of our school, governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS). Our school is a beautiful and very well-resourced school that can accommodate up to 582 students in 21 classes, with over 70 teaching and non-teaching staff members.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Transition to Secondary School Transitioning from primary school to secondary school can be a time of great emotion. Whilst some students transition to other local secondary colleges, and participate in their transition days, the majority of our students transition across to Assumption College. St Patrick's likes to ensure that its students are ready for that move by implementing a range of transition sessions and programs to assist St Patrick's Primary School prides itself on its relationship with Assumption College (ACK). That deep bond between the schools extends to our Year 6 to Year 7 transition program. Our transition program is a year-long program that includes key staff from Assumption College attending St Patrick's throughout the year, as well as regular tours and invitations to participate in Assumption College events. In 2021, the transition program was extended for Terms 3 and 4 to include a fully immersive experience where the Year 6 St Patrick's students select one of Assumption College's Year 7 subjects that interests them and attend that subject onsite at Assumption College three times per week with the Year 7 students. All Year 6 students participate in this transition program regardless of which secondary school they attend for Year 7. The program is about providing our Year 6 students with a secondary experience such as attending different classrooms for different subjects, having different teachers and participating in a different style of learning. These experiences are transferable to any secondary school setting. Assumption College provides all Year 6 students with an Assumption email address and access to the Assumption SIMON Learning Management System (LMS) at the start of the program and are emailed a booklet of subject alternatives. Students electronically select a number of subject preferences and, depending on timetabling, the student will be allocated one of their preferences. As students could be allocated any one of their preferences, families are encouraged to work with their child to ensure that the subjects that are selected are reflective of the child's interests. Our Year 6 students fully participate in whichever class they attend. The class is conducted for 75 minutes, three times a week. Students are required to complete all work set both for in the class, and outside if required. Students also participate in all class assessments. Where students are required to have a laptop, St Patrick's provides the students with those laptops. As the Year 6 students are at Assumption College for almost four hours per week, there is an adjustment to the learning expectations at St Patrick's. Students continue to participate in their regular Literacy, Maths, RE and specialist subjects. Whilst students do not participate in formal SEL or Inquiry lessons, these subjects are incorporated into the other areas of their learning. As such, SEL and Inquiry are not reported on in the Semester 2 report, however their Assumption College subject will be. The content of this part of the report depends on the subject that the student participates in. Students at St Patrick's Primary School receive a unique transition experience that we believe is not replicated anywhere else. By giving our Year 6 students six months of genuine transition in a secondary school environment, the students learn how to move around a large campus, how to find and get to and from classrooms. In addition, they receive the benefits of the experience of having different teachers each day as well as engaging with current Year 7 students, from whom they can learn from their transition experiences, which helps to reduce transition anxiety in students. At St Patrick's we pride ourselves on developing the whole child, not just their academics, and this program is another way that St Patrick's sets up our students for success into the future, regardless of the secondary school they attend in Year 7. For those students who do attend Assumption College in Year 7, the Year 7 coordinator keeps in touch with the classroom teacher and throughout the year will occasionally attend the Year 6 classrooms so that the children have the chance to ask any questions they may have and it also gives them the opportunity to get to know them. For students with need, during the Parent Support Group (PSG) sessions in Terms 2, 3 and 4 there are ACK staff participating in the meeting so parents have the opportunity to voice any concerns they may have. Class teachers also fill in a personal transition form on each child in Year 6, including information about them so that their secondary school teachers have up-to-date and relevant information about the student before they get to their secondary school.

Assessment and Reporting Assessment and reporting is a critical element in the education process. Assessment allows teachers to track a student in their learning journey, and the reporting of that assessment ensures that the information is shared to families and goals are set going forward. Teachers, Students and Parents/Carers work in partnership in the assessment and reporting cycle. At St Patrick's, assessment is an ongoing process, both formally and informally, as they watch, record, collect data and help develop the children in the classroom. That assessment is not just academic, but can also include their social and emotional wellbeing as well. The following formal assessment and reporting events take place during the year: Term 1 - "Get to know you interviews" for parents and teachers to meet early in the term. Term 1 - NAPLAN 11-23 March 2026 for Years 3 and 5. A report to the child’s family is then distributed at a later date. Term 2 - Mid-year written school report, delivered electronically through PAM (below). Term 2 - Three-way conferences, between parent, student and teacher, where students lead the meeting to present their learnings. Term 4 - End of year written school report, delivered electronically through PAM (below). In addition to the above, there are a range of literacy and numeracy tests that the students do throughout the year to assess and develop their skill and progression in these areas. Productive partnerships are valued by the school community. At any time of the year, parents/carers are welcome to make an appointment with the classroom teacher to discuss their child’s progress. To access reports, the school uses the SIMON system and the Parent Access Module within SIMON provides access to your children's information, including reports. To access PAM, click on the SIMON logo below: