Religious Education
St. Patrick’s is a Catholic school, where Religious Education is programmed for 2½ hours each week. This is based on the Awakenings document that was developed by the Diocese of Ballarat.
As well as lessons, we have regular School and Parish Masses, in which the students participate and families are welcome to attend. The Sacramental Program* (Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist) is family based, Parish organised and supported by the school.
The school welcomes the enrolment of non-Catholic families. All cultures and religions represented by school families are valued and respected.
As a Catholic School, Religious Education at St Patrick's is an overarching Domain.
Religious Education is inspired by the message and person of Jesus Christ, and committed to the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of each person.
As a Catholic Parish Primary School, St. Patrick's responds to its mission of teaching the message of and about the person of Jesus Christ, through offering a particular cultural experience that is grounded in a Christian view of the world, of culture and of history. At the heart of the culture of our school is an explicit commitment to the promotion of each person in all their dimensions, capacities and relationships.
Religious Education recognises the essential educational partnership of home, school, parish leaders and our diocese and is planned and taught in an exciting, engaging, relevant and integrated manner that is connected to the total curriculum. The Religious Education curriculum “Awakenings”, used throughout the Diocese of Ballarat, forms the basis of our curriculum framework.
Religious Education recognises that any educational process is unique to each person and involves a relationship with self, others, culture, environment and God.
Religious Education is an integral aspect of our school’s role of evangelisation. It permeates all aspects of school life including relationships, structures and policies, pastoral care, sacraments, liturgies celebrations and routines, as well as our formal curriculum.
Religious Education draws its foundations from Scripture, Tradition and the living faith experience of the Christian community. It is a living faith; believed, shared, celebrated and passed on.
Religious Education sets out to inform, form and transform learners and teachers. It provides rich, nurturing experiences for children based on: love, trust, wonder, reassurance, belonging, gratitude, a growing sense of responsibility and commitment – all of these which set the foundations for lifelong religious learning, promoting justice, reconciliation and environmental responsibility.
Religious Education promotes values such as compassion, inclusiveness, tolerance, justice and reconciliation. We recognise and value other faith traditions to whom we extend, and involve in, our Religious Education curriculum.
*2024 Sacramental Program Information
This year St Paul VI Parish has completed its first Sacramental Program involving over 50 children and their families. The Program has been engaging and enjoyable, as well as educational and inspiring.
Parents and their children re-discovered the richness of our faith, responding with their lives to the words of Jesus “ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Mt. 7:7)
Parents are the first teachers of the faith to their children. The fruit of parents playing an active part in helping their child prepare for the Sacraments this year has been evident, and therefore the Parish based Sacramental program will run according to this model in 2024 also. For those families who have a child in Year 4 and above who has not received the Sacrament Reconciliation or Holy Communion, or for children in Year 6 and above who have not received the Sacrament of Confirmation – please feel welcome to attend an information session in the Church on Friday 24 November at 3.45pm.
Community Service
At St Patrick's we particularly encourage community involvement in a number of ways. On occassions children deliver Meals on Wheels to elderly residents in Nhill. Children also go to the local aged care facility to talk to or sing to the elderly residents. We are also regular attendees at ANZAC Day celebrations. If there is an event or a need within the community we are always willing to assist in some way.
Mission support
Normally during Lent and in October children are encouraged to organise fundraising events to raise money for Catholic Missions.
Discipline & Pastoral Care
School rules are simple and are positive in their approach. They are concerned with fostering positive attitudes towards self, others and the school environment. The Pastoral Care Policy outlines the school behaviour code and discipline procedures. We rely on families to work in partnership with the school to ensure the best student behaviour resulting in students working to their potential.
At St Patrick’s School everyone has the right to:
Be Safe
Be Happy
Learn to the best of their ability
Our students follow the following five basic rules:
Hands are for helping.
Everyone has the right to learn.
Play in play time and work in work time.
Stay in the right place - keep yourself safe.
Speak to please - not to tease.
We follow a ‘Restorative’ approach to discipline. Through this approach we view relationship-building and behaviour management as a means to strengthen community among students and between students, teachers and parents, through educative processes. In the philosophy, conflict or wrong doing is seen as causing harm to people and relationships, and there is an obligation first to repair this harm in order for the people involved to move forward. It is a way of educating students towards self-regulated appropriate behaviour that is respectful of all concerned.
Prayer, Mass & Liturgy
At St Patrick's School, children are invited to develop a prayerful relationship with God through prayer times which are incorporated into our daily routines.
School Masses and Liturgies are an essential part of the life of our school and parish community and are held regularly throughout the year. Special events are celebrated with whole school liturgies which are held during school times. These are just one way of helping students to discover and experience ways of speaking with and celebrating God in their lives. Parents are most welcome at these celebrations and we encourage them to be present. All families are welcome to attend the weekly Sunday Parish Mass.
The Sacramental program (Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist) is family based, Parish organised and supported by the school. Children generally receive these Sacraments during Years 3 and 4.