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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. 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.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Social and Emotional Learning Social and emotional learning (SEL) helps students to learn and practice skills that they need to build resilience and manage their emotions and relationships with others. This may include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills and responsible decision-making. To provide the best opportunities for all students to achieve their full potential, Catholic school communities seek to provide a comprehensive curriculum with strong pedagogical understandings and evidence-informed practices to personalise learning and engage young people at a level appropriate to their knowledge, skill and ability. (Horizons of Hope, CEM, 2017) To do this St. Patrick’s has clear expectations in regard to the teaching of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Each class is expected to explicitly teach SEL in a 45- 60 minute lesson per week. To do this the school uses 3 approaches including a new approach for St Patrick’s being the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program as the main source of content for SEL lessons. This program aims to support students develop students’ social, emotional and positive relationship skills. The RRRR program links with the Australian curriculum and ensures that students are being consistently taught the expected outcomes across their schooling at St Patrick’s. Secondly we use resources obtained from the trauma informed practices of the Berry Street Education Model particularly in the areas of self regulation and teacher instruction/ co-regulation skills. The whole school was trained in these practices over 2017, 2018 and 2019. The third source of information for the successful teaching of SEL at St Patrick’s is the use of the Zones of Regulation program. This program is utilised by many external specialists including Occupational Therapists and Speech Pathologists. St Patrick’s utilises this program to ensure that there is a common language among the school and external professionals in reference to emotions and emotional regulation tools. It supports students to hear consistently that all people have emotions, there are no good or bad emotions, and all people need tools and/ or support to regulate their emotions sometimes. The RRRR explicit learning program falls under the whole school approach of Respectful Relationships (RR). St Patrick’s is in our first Year of RR and is under the mentorship of Assumption College who also use these methodologies and the RRRR program across all year levels. St Patrick’s has combined the methodologies of Respectful Relationships and our involvement in the Berry Street Education Model to address the needs of the St Patrick’s community. St. Patrick believes in nurturing student wellbeing in order for all students to engage in their learning and inevitably flourish. The school system targets wellbeing and Social Emotional Learning at an individual, class and whole school level. “Engaged learners have a positive sense of identity, connection with their peers and community. They are invested in learning in and beyond the classroom. This enables them to flourish and grow in confidence as curious, optimistic and inspired knowledge-builders, problem-solvers, conceptual thinkers and self-motivated learners.” Horizons of Hope, CEM, 2017 Religious Education Specialist Subjects

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Language - French St Patrick's offers the study of French language and cultre to our students. French is a major language spoken across five continents, and the official language in 29 countries. It is also one of six official languages of the United Nations. The French language also aligns St Patrick's with one of the languages taught at Assumption College. Gabby- Alliance Française French Poetry competition finalist, 2021 Students interact with the teacher and their peers using simple language and gestures for exchanges such as greetings, farewells, and for talking about self and family. They participate in group activities through song, rhyme, games and transactions. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the state-wide Alliance Française French Poetry competition. They develop a curiosity for French culture and traditions, and compare cultural differences. The study of a second language contributes to the overall education of students, enhancing communication, cross-cultural understanding, cognitive development, literacy (in both English and French) and general knowledge. Have a look at this video to see what French looks like at St Patrick's:

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. 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. Parents at School There is strong evidence that parent engagement is associated with improvements in academic outcomes for students of all ages. It is for that reason that St Patrick's welcomes and encourages parents to be involved in the school program wherever possible Options for helping at school St Patrick's offers many options to parents, carers and indeed grandparents, who wish to help at the school and those options are not limited to within the classroom. Whilst many parents choose to help in the classroom, there are many other avenues to help in a way that is suitable and comfortable for you. Helping in the classroom - contact your classroom teacher, or go to your class page to work out when it might suit you to help in the classroom. This type of help can include reading with your child, working with small groups, changing readers with children, or just generally providing a helping hand. Parents are not expected to fulfil the role of "teacher" and any help that you can provide is absolutely welcome. Helping in specialist classes - do you have a particular interest in art, or sport, or have skills in the performing arts field like dancing, singing or playing an instrument, or maybe you can speak French? Then why not consider helping out in one of those specialist classes? Parents have a wealth of knowledge that can really be influential in a child's education and St Patrick's welcome the opportunity for parents to come to class, either as a one-off or on a regular basis, to get involved in these classes. Assisting with class excursions - every year, each class level will be involved with incursions, excursions and camps. Excursions and camps are reliant on parent participation. St Patrick's appreciate that these can be big commitments for parents and we do everything we can to make this as easy as possible for you to participate. Canteen helper - our school canteen operates Tuesday to Friday and parent helpers are an important element in ensuring that we have a canteen service for our students. Parents can contact the canteen manager, Helena Putnik, ****** to find out more about helping in the canteen. More information about the canteen can be found here . Parents and Friends events - the Parents and Friends conduct many events during the year, such as Mothers and Fathers Day breakfasts and gift stalls, a biennial fete/fair, and other events throughout the year. If you have a particular interest, or can only help out once or twice a year, these events are great opportunities for you to be involved at school. More information about the Parents and Friends can be found here . For more information about getting involved at school, information from the Department of Education can be found here . Working with Children's Checks Government regulations require that anyone that attends the school that has more than incidental contact with students must have a current and valid Working With Children's Check. If you do not hold a current Working With Children's Check, you must go online, complete the application form and then attend an Australia Post outlet to finalise the application. It will then be processed and you will be notified of the outcome. The website for applications 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. 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

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Vision, Values and Logo A school's vision and values speak to the core of the school and what it believes in. Our logo is a well-known symbol that represents the school's history and mantra of walking in the footsteps of the Lord. School Vision St Patrick’s Primary school works in partnership with families, the parish and the community both locally and global. Together the whole school community developed its Vision statement in 2017. “St Patrick’s is a Catholic learning community. We commit to being a school where all members have an opportunity to flourish in an inclusive relational environment. We believe in developing active and curious learners. We aspire to be compassionate and responsive to the needs of all.” School Values We value celebrating Catholic traditions, engaging in dialogue and critically reflecting on faith in a contemporary context, and that social justice is an integral part of our Catholic faith. We value and nurture a caring community of staff, students and parents by promoting the values of respect, tolerance and co-operation. We value that every child at St Patrick’s should experience 12 months growth in 12 months. We value that personalised learning is embedded in our curriculum with student engagement, rigorous teaching and purposeful learning in all areas of the curriculum. We value that all students should accept responsibility for their own learning and need to develop a higher level of self-esteem which in turn will lead to resilience and empathy. We value the criteria for St. Patrick’s Primary School to be Child Safe compliant. We value a staff culture that is characterised by a shared vision and a strong sense of team work. We value the involvement of all families and community groups in the life of the school. School Logo The St Patrick's school logo is: In the Footsteps of the Lord The motto was selected after a school-wide competition was run in 1988. The competition was won by a Year 3 class (3J) after one of their families had discussed the competition around the dinner table and spoke about how at times in life Jesus may have helped and how they could live like Him, hence "In the Footsteps of the Lord". The class submitted that motto and won and it has been the school motto ever since.

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. Back to School 2025 Whilst school holidays can be a wonderful time of Christmas and New Year celebrations, filled with less routine, maybe a holiday and some relaxation, there is also the necessary job of preparing to get students back to school. At St Patrick's we aim to provide as much information as we can for parents to help in that process. School Uniform All of the school uniform information can be found on our website here . All uniform items that identify the school, such as polo shirts, house polos, backpacks, jumpers, hats and dresses are to be purchased through Academy Uniforms. Their Thomastown store is open over the school holidays and the school uniform shop near the netball courts will reopen on Thursday 3 0 January from 9:00am to 5:00pm . All other uniform items (except shoes) can also be purchased through the uniform shop, but can be substituted for like items from other department-type stores. School Requisite Items St Patrick's provides a list of items that a student will use throughout the year, broken up into a list of items the school provides and a list of items re quired to be supplied by families. The list was provided at the end of Term 4, but copies of the School Requisite List for 2025 for each year level can be found here: Prep Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Back to School Reminders Please remember the following: Label everything that is being sent to school; If a 2024 classroom is labelled on an item, such as lunch boxes, please change it to the 2025 class; Do not forget to also change the classroom on the reusable school lunch order bags to avoid lunch orders being lost; Lunch orders recommence on the first day of school - Friday 31 January; Specialist classes will commence on Friday 31 January - check infographic for your class sports uniform days. School Reopening The school office will reopen on Thurs day 30 January , and our Year 1-6 Get To Know You meetings will also be on Thursday 30 January . S tudents will return with classes to commence for Prep to Year 6 on Friday 31 January . Communication A reminder to ensure that your email address is registered with the front office so that you receive the weekly ewsletter. Please email Elise Vlasveld (elise.vlasveld@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au ) to request to be added to the newletter list. We also recommend that all families with Facebook, request access to our parent/carer-only Facebook group. You can find the group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stpatskilmorefamilies . You must answer all questions to be admitted to the group. Only parents and carers will be accepted, and all other requests will be decli ned for privacy reasons. Finally, you must ensure that you setup your PAM account. The Parent Access Module (PAM) is connected the school's SIMON student management system. From this account you can notify absences, access reports, provide and update medical information, nominate emergency contacts, etc. You will be provided with access information if you have not already got access. Other Dates Please refer to the Hours, Dates and Days webpage for further information about school hours, terms dates and other school calendar dates. 2025 Welcome Barbeque To welcome our families to school for 2025, there will be a back-to-school barbeque on the evening of the first Friday of school, Friday 7 February 2025 from 4:45-6:00pm . 2025 School Fees Finally, school fees for 2025 have been set, and information can be found on the webpage here . School fee invoices will be sent out early in Term 1. The school is moving to all payments being made by direct debit (either weekly, fortnightly or monthly). Please contact Deb Amodio, the Finance Officer, to setup your direct debit arrangement . 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. In order to be eligible for the Concessional Fee Policy, you must be entitled to the CSEF Payment, with an eligibility cut off date in April. Do not delay in applying for CSEF and Concessional Fee, as we cannot apply the discounts if the CSEF application is not approved. If you believe that you may be eligible for a concessional fee, please contact Deb Amodio (deb.amodio@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. If you face issues in paying the school fees, at any time during the year, please contact Deb Amodio, and discuss what arrangements can be made to assist your situation. It is important that you contact the school early so that we can assist appropriately.

St Patrick's Primary School is a Catholic education provider in Kilmore, Victoria where we work collaboratively to maximise student outcomes. Physical Education Sport, recreation and play are essential attributes in the physical and social development of our students at St. Patrick’s. Sport also helps to define culture and our PE program includes interschool Summer and Winter Sport Carnivals. Not only does sport develop specific physical skills, it also improves health, fitness, develop social skills, friendships, team work and fair play. At St. Patrick’s Primary School, Physical Education is an important part of the curriculum. Students participate and enjoy a one hour lesson each week of Physical Education (PE) and our aim is to provide ALL students with: Physical activities that encourage maximum participation, are inclusive and fun and cater for all student’s needs. Various challenging activities to engage, maintain interest and increase student enjoyment in physical activity. To develop students Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and sporting skills so they can participate confidently in a wide range of physical activities and sport. We are a 'Sporting School' at St Patrick's and each year we provide opportunities for our students to enjoy a range of different sports, delivered by specialist coaches. Click here to find out how this initiative benefits our children. At the end of each year, St. Patrick’s holds its own sports carnival where the focus is on participation and having fun. Students compete for their house, Chisholm, McAuley, Morrison or O’Rourke, earning points throughout the day. Inter-School Sporting Carnivals The Interschool Sport program runs separately to the Physical Education program for students in Grades Three to Six. It incorporates swimming, cross-country and athletics carnivals. It is a voluntary program, where students who wish to participate, are required to trial for different events. Students who are successful in gaining a place in these teams, participate firstly at the Mitchell District level against other local primary schools. From the District level, students who achieve a first or second placing go on to compete at the Whittlesea Division level and from here they may be successful to compete at the Northern Metropolitan Region level. More information about this can be seen below as part of School Sports Victoria. In addition to these carnivals, all Grade Six students participate in Interschool Summer and Winter Sports. These sports include basketball, softball, rounders and modified cricket for the summer and netball, AFL, soccer and tee-ball for the winter carnivals. School Sport Victoria St. Patrick’s has a long and proud history of students from Year 3 to 6 competing in School Sport Victoria (SSV) events. Trials are held at school and students are selected for the District Team based upon their commitment, respect and skill in their chosen sport. If successful at District events students will get the opportunity to compete at Division, Regional and State Championships. The ‘Mitchell District’ competitions are: Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics. NB: Students can also compete at a National level and would have to attend a trial for their respective sport, which is organised through School Sport Victoria (SSV). Parents and Carers, please click here https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/ for further information on the nomination process and selection for state teams. Participation in School Sport Victoria events are an extremely important part of a child's learning here at St Patrick's Primary School. Have you got a sporting achievement that you are proud of! You can print off your Participation Certificate, by selecting the relevant button and typing in your details. This can be accessed in the School Sports Victoria website link: https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/Pages/ParticipationCertificates.aspx 2025 Program Pathways to Excellence - Victorian All Schools Track & Field and Cross-Country Championships St. Pat’s students that are interested in representing Victoria in Track & Field and Cross Country at a national level will need to compete in Athletics Victoria (AV) organised events to qualify. Parents and carers please click on the following link for further information: http://athsvic.org.au/events/competitions/avcompetitions/schools/

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 Joint Teaching and Learning STEM Learning Diversity Student Wellbeing Michael Bourne Kate Ruck Tracy Connors Elizabeth Darvell (Mo-Th) Jessica Kurzman (Mo-Th) Shelly Michalke & Jessica Kurzman (Mo-Th) Shelly Michalke Natalie Rees Carly O'Neal-Shipley Sallyanne McMeikin 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 natalie.rees@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au carly.onealshipley@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au sallyanne.mcmeikin@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Classroom Teachers Prep Blue Prep Green 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 Sarah Benetti Erin Gray Rachel Trotter Tiffany Phillips Cassie Thompson Kayla Anquetil Aleisha Mellado Mandy Chandler Monica Barca Kiandra Kindred Anh Castles Sam Gauci Whitney Pobjoy Michael Walsh Rachael Finnin Emma Rayner Danica Smith Rachael Williamson Natasha Borg (Tu-Th) Tanya Cunningham (Mo-Fr) Bonnie Cullinan Shara Hall Jake Peric Taylah Schofield sarah.benetti@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au erin.gray@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rachel.trotter@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au tiffany.phillips@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au cassie.thompson@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kayla.anquetil@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au aleisha.mellado@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au mandy.chandler@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au monica.barca@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kiandra.kindred@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au anh.castles@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au sam.gauci@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au whitney.pobjoy@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au michael.walsh@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rachael.finnin@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au emma.rayner@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au danica.smith@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au rachael.williamson@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au natasha.borg@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au tanya.cunningham @spkilmore.catholic.edu.au bonnie.cullinan@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au shara.hall@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au jake.peric@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au taylah.schofield@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au Specialist Teachers Science Visual Arts Physical Education French Tracy Richardson (Mo-Tu) Ben Boyd (We-Fr) Jodie Hopper (Mo,Tu) Kirsty Bridge (We) Sophie Smith (Th-Fr) Nick McDermott TBA Support Staff Psychologist Library Technician Learning Support Officers SBAT LSO Melissa Duggan (admin@everymindpsych.com.au ) Cathy Minogue Kerry Bickerton Rosa Cannizzaro Nikki Cook Renee Dickson Natasha Dimkovski Mandy-Jane Frost Amanda Harris Donna Hinsley Angela Hodgins Emily Jacobs Danielle Laffan Kira Lazarev Corina Lilburn Charlotte Marsh Justine McElvogue Amanda McKay Hayley McLaughlin Seema Oberoi Justine Richardson Sylvia Ruiz Meg Tait Sarah Tomsky Carol Tully Lisa Wesselman Charlie Connors Admin staff Administration & Enrolments Officer Administration Officer Administration Officer Digital Tech Admin/Admin Officer First Aid Officer/Admin Officer Finance Officer Payroll Officer Maintenance Manager Groundsman Elise Vlasveld (M, Tu, Th, F) Kaitlyn Bickerton (Mo-Th) Emily King (Tu, We) Kate Filipovic Gin Gannan Deborah Amodio Robyn Hallowell Adrian King (Mo, Tu, Fr) Paul Liddy (Mo, We, Th, Fr) elise.vlasveld@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kaitlyn.bickerton@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au emily.king@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au kate.filipovic@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au mikayla. gin.gannan@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) Corey Mills Corey Mills Nathan Brincau Edward Mountain Ethan Wynne Isabelle Zoch corey.mills@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