"That they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I am in you"
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- Principal's Newsletter
- Birthdays !
- DATES TO REMEMBER!
- Colour Run - ORDER YOU PRIZES NOW
- 2024 Year 6 Jumper
- Year 2 - Old Fashion Games
- Year 4 Assembly - Nativity Play
- Year 5 Captain Speeches
- Year 6 Camp - Coonawarra
- Lost Property
- St Patrick's Parish - Movie Night
- PAM
- Contact and Medical Details
- P&F
- Paddy's Kitchen
- A+ School Hair Accessories
- Moonlit Sanctuary
- Melbourne Stars School Holidays Program
Newsletter Thursday 30th November, 2023
We the staff of St Patrick’s acknowledge the traditional owners, the Kulin nations, of the land on which we learn and play.
We pay respects to the Aboriginal Elders, past and present, who are our teachers.
We thank them for taking care of children and country for countless generations.
Matthew 4:18-22
'I will make you fishers of men'
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
This week we farewelled our year 6's off to camp at Coonawarra Farm Resort. Unfortunately, the weather has not been great however they continue to complete all the activities and keep a big smile on their faces. We look forward to welcoming them home tomorrow.
At the other end of our school, on Tuesday, we welcomed our new Foundation students for 2024 for their final transition. They spent the morning with some of our year 5 students who were a great help and support. The children did some art activities and played on the playground. They also had their snack. I am pleased to announce that Mrs Geraldine Wilmann and Miss Katherine Gronek will once again be our Foundation teachers for 2024.
Next week I will be announcing the remainder of the staffing and the classroom structures for next year. On Monday the 11th of December, the students will meet their new teacher and classmates for 2024 and they will be in the classroom for next year as well. Please be mindful that once your child/ren have been allocated their teacher and grade, there will be NO changes made to the class lists. Please understand that this is a complex task for staff. Their academic, social, emotional and behavioural needs as well as friendships have all been considered.
This week, I received the wonderful news that Krissie, in Year 6, had won 3 awards for a Christmas Card Design Competition that was held in all of the DOSCEL schools. The awards were:
- Best of Primary School
- Winner Top Ten
- Winner of Best School Entry
The St Patrick’s community are so proud of Krissie and the incredible piece of work that she created. Her artwork will now be used as the official Christmas Cards that are used by DOSCEL. Please see her magnificent design below.
In the news this week, we have heard about the ceasefire over in the Gaza strip that has allowed the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to exchange hostages as well as allow aid into the region. It was incredible to hear that the truce was being extended by a couple of days to allow for more healing of sorts to begin. As we read in the Gospel today, the disciples were called to follow Jesus and then in turn they called others to follow Him. Once again, we place our prayers in the Lord to bring peace to the region and allow for all hostilities to cease once and for all.
God Bless,
Meg
If your child/ren will NOT be returning to St Patrick’s in 2024, please contact the office on office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au at your earliest convenience.
Christmas Concert
Once again, St Patrick’s will be holding its Annual Christmas Concert. We ask that families bring along with them a picnic basket of goodies to share with your family and friends and join in the Christmas spirit with our wonderful community. Wear your Christmas finest and get your singing voices ready!
We will begin at 5.30 sharp so please be on time.
End of Year Mass
Wednesday 13th of December at 9:30am in our school stadium
Paddy’s Kitchen-Food Drive
Paddy’s Kitchen is an outreach program initiated by the parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church, Pakenham, to serve our community.
Students, staff and parents of St Patrick’s school have been playing an important role to reach out to the community by volunteering to help with cooking, serving and cleaning. This year our school as a part of the Advent giving program, will be doing a Paddy’s Food Drive to reach out to our beautiful Pakenham community.
Through this program, our school community makes it evident that, ‘The person is not only sacred but also social. Moreover, we believe we have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable people.’
One family - one item and we together can make a difference. Thank you.
List of items
- Cereal, oats, muesli bars
- Chocolates
- Biscuits
- 1 kg Rice bags
- Pasta
- sugar
- Pasta sauces.
- Canned tomatoes, fruits and soups
- Canned lentils, veggies, corn, chick peas
- Oil
- Vegemite
- Honey
- Pancake shakes.
- Gift cards for groceries also welcome.
2024 ENROLMENTS:
If you have a child beginning at St Patrick’s next year, please come to the office and get an enrolment form. If they are younger siblings beginning at St Patrick’s, you do still need to complete an enrolment form. If you know of any families living in our area and looking for a school, please tell them about us. If they wish to make an appointment to have a tour, they can contact the office on 5943 9000 or email us at office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Church Building Project/Church car park pick up
Thanks so much to all of the parents for your cooperation of the new arrangements in the Church car Park. It is wonderful to have the support of our parents as we endeavour to set in place new routines for getting the students safely in their cars.
The main focus will always be the safety of our students and irresponsible behaviour and dangerous driving will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. Please continue to check updates on PAM and the newsletter.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Mason 5RS, Luke 4JV and Ava 4PA !
| DATE | ACTIVITY |
| 28/11/2023 - 1/12/2023 | Year 6 Camp - Coonawarra |
| 05/11/2023 | Year 1 Incursion - Art |
| 05/11/2023 | Year 6 Incursion - Disco |
| 06/12/2023 | Year 6 Excursion - Clip 'n Climb |
| 07/12/2023 | Christmas Concert @ 5:30pm |
| 08/12/2023 | Colour Fun Run |
| 11/12/2023 | Year 3-6 End of Year Awards @ 9:15am |
| 11/12/2023 | Whole School Move Up Day |
| 13/12/2023 | End of Year Mass @ 9:30am |
| 14/12/2-23 | Foundation to Year 2 End of Year Awards @ 9:15am |
| 13/12/2023 | End of Year Mass |
| 13/12/2023 | Year 6 Graduation @ 6:00pm |
| 15/12/2023 | Swimming Trials |
| 18/12/2023 | Last Day of Term 4 |
TERM DATES
| First Day | Last Day | |
| Term 1 | 31st January | 5th April |
| Term 2 | 27th April | 23rd June |
| Term 3 | 10th July | 15th September |
| Term 4 | 2nd October | 18th December |
| 27/01/2023 | Professional Development Day |
| 30/01/2023 | Professional Development Day |
| 13/03/2023 | Public Holiday - Labour Day |
| 06/04/2023 | Data Review Day |
| 07/04/2023 | Public Holiday - Good Friday |
| 25/04/2023 | Public Holiday - ANZAC Day |
| 26/04/2023 | Professional Development Day |
| 12/06/2023 | Public Holiday - The Monarch's Birthday |
| 07/08/2023 | Professional Development Day |
| 03/11/2023 | Professional Development Day |
| 07/11/2023 | Public Holiday - Melbourne Cup |
| 19/12/2023 | Professional Development Day |
| 20/12/2023 | Professional Development Day |
PUPIL FREE DAYS:
These 3 Pupil Free days ensure that we can manage our commitment for all staff to continue to provide activities such as school camps for our students.
Please note, these dates are separate from our 8 Staff Professional Development days. Those 8 days are for our staff professional learning which will focus on Religious Education, Learning and Teaching and Student Wellbeing.
| 24/04/2023 | Pupil Free Day |
| 08/08/2023 | Pupil Free Day |
| 06/11/2023 | Pupil Free Day |
Our school Colour Run is on Friday 8th December. Families are invited down to watch in the afternoon.
We are asking for any parent volunteers to assist us on the day from 2:00pm - 3:00pm. If you are willing to help out and have a current WWCC please contact the school office ASAP.
You can now order your prizes through the online profile you have created. If you have any questions please reach out to Alex Taylor in the school office !
Dear Families,
You can now order the 2024 year 6 jump. This can only be done through CDF Pay, please find the link and a CDF-Pay guide booklet below. If you have any questions please contact your classroom teacher or Alex Taylor in the school office.
Tomorrow our Year 5 students will be giving their speeches for leadership roles in 2024. We invite parents and families to come down and watch these speeches, you must go to the office to sign in first as our school gates will still be locked.
We have a box full of school jumpers and jackets located between A block and admin. Please come check if you are missing any clothing items, you can access lost property when the school gates are open.
We also have 4 sets of eye glasses at the office, if you are missing a pair please come by the office to pick-up.
Have you logged into your PAM account yet!
We have been using PAM as our main form of communication. All emails, Student Attendance, Sick Bay notes, School Reports, commonly used forms, excursion/camp permission notes and Family Learning conversations, will all be communicated via PAM.
Access PAM via this link Link to PAM
PAM - Parent Access Module
PAM (Parent Access Module) is our Parent to School communication platform. PAM will provide real time access to keep parents updated with their children’s progress, important dates and messages. Relevant resources – calendar events, student reports, parent notified absences, absence data and sick bay notes will all be accessed via PAM.
Parents will be able to easily book Parent Teacher interviews through PAM, and access teacher email addresses.
PAM accounts are linked via your email address that we have in our systems.
If you have recently changed your email, please call or email us on office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Click on the 'forget password' link to set your password and then verify your email address. (Email addresses must be verified for PAM to work properly). Once your email is verified, your email can be used as the username for your account.
Once you have successfully logged in, you can save PAM to your homescreen on your device.
If you have any issues or need help with PAM please contact the school via email, office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
PAM Instructions
Parent Notified Absences via PAM
Once you have PAM set up and saved to your home screen you can easily send in Parent Notified absences. Please use this platform going forward as this automatically syncs with the class roll. This will fix the issues of receiving SMS notifications even though you had already notified the school.
Please remember to update your contact details and any relevant medical details for your child.
Most medical profiles have now been updated. Please remember to keep them up to date and upload any asthma/allergy plans that may be relevant.
To update any contact details please contact the school office.
