Welcome to St Patrick’s Parish School, Cooma, in 2012.

We are a Kindergarten to Year 10 Catholic school that has been delivering a holistic education to students on the Monaro for over 100 years. Gospel values underpin all that takes place at St Patrick’s as we enrich the spiritual, academic, social and physical development of the children entrusted to us. 2012 continues to unfold as another exciting and fulfilling year in the life of our great school.

Our school vision statement at St Patrick’s is “A School with Altitude” which challenges every member of our school community to strive to achieve their best in whatever they do. This statement complements our motto “Strength in Gentleness” whereby in achieving our best we must be aware of our relationship and interaction with others around us. We promote an atmosphere at our school of mutual respect as an integral part of relationships in a Christ-centred environment.

A strong academic base is a key element of our school. Teaching and learning is developed through the commitment of a qualified, experienced and dedicated staff, assisted by the latest technology, available across the school. Our academic results are very sound and help provide a firm foundation for continuing success throughout a student’s life.

Opportunities abound at St Patrick’s for your child to extend themselves through an extensive extra-curricular program. Children are encouraged by staff to become involved in areas of school activity that will continue to enrich them throughout their lives. Whether this involvement is in the arts, cultural pursuits, sporting endeavours or areas of personal growth, it is important that students feel open to developing their full potential. I invite you to have a look at our weekly newsletter to see the exciting array of opportunities available to our students.

I would encourage you to visit our school and see for yourself “A School with Altitude” in action. Please feel free to contact me to arrange a mutually convenient time for a visit. The school may be contacted via email through office@stpatscooma.nsw.edu.au.

Kind regards

Phil Stubbs

Principal

Enrolling Now for 2013

We are now accepting enrolments for 2013. Parents seeking enrolment forms and information about St Patrick's, please contact the School Office on 02 6452 1721 for an enrolment package. Alternatively, enrolment forms can be downloaded from the CEO website.

Read the 2011 School Report to the Community

Important dates for 2012

*  NAPLAN Tests Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.  15 - 17 May

*  Walk Safely to School Day 18 May

*  Grandparents and Friends Day  Friday 25 May

*  Year 10 exams begin Wednesday 23 May

What's the latest news at St Patrick's?

Thank you to the many visitors who attended the school during Catholic Schools Week. All prospective enrolments are reminded that you may make an appointment to visit the school at any time by contacting the office on 6452 1721. The CSW activities included the open classrooms, an interview about school activities on ABC South East radio and the St Vincent de Paul fundraising effort by students which raised more than $500.

Students from both the Primary and Secondary performed with great commitment and enthusiasm at the recent events at the Sydney Aquatic Centre at Homebush. Congratulations to all participants and we wish Zac Saddler all the best at the NSW All Schools Championships on Monday 7th May.

Thank you to everyone who participated in or supported the ANZAC marches throughout the district. There was a great representation by many students and they represented the school with distinction.

Our strong tradition over many years of solid performances in the state-wide Mock Trial competition continues with our recent success against an experienced team from Canberra Girls' Grammar in the Cooma Courthouse. The efforts of the team were a credit to them after many lunchtimes spent in preparation. Well done to Courtney Rolfe, Lora Fraser, Gabbi de Rooy, Vasek Wichta, Harry Fletcher and Ben McConkey.

The whole school joined in the celebrations on Monday 19 March to recognise the place of St Patrick in our school ethos and culture. A beautiful liturgy, highlighted by a reading of the Irish Blessing in Gaelic by Stage One student Tomas Carton, was followed by a spirited session of tabloid sports on the Cooma Showground. Our thanks to all the staff and students involved in the day's success and a particular thanks to the parents who helped out with the tabloid sports activities.

St Patrick's was proud to host the BoS Regional Seminar day on 2 April that addressed the assessment requirements for the new NSW Record of School Achievement. Executive staff from schools throughout the district were in attendance.

We are endeavouring to place more of our routine documents online so that parents can access and download them through links on the website. Online forms for the "NOURISH" recipe book are available via the 'Parent' link on the homepage.