Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

Tonight, we welcome our families to come along to our Christmas Concert for 2023. It will begin right on 5.30pm so please be on time. We will be all sitting on the basketball courts, so please bring your chairs, picnic rugs and snacks etc.

Please note the Adventure Playgrounds will be roped off. As with last year, I will be asking any children on these playgrounds to move off and to sit with their families. This is a FAMILY event and no anti-social behaviour will be tolerated. Families will be asked to be responsible for all of their family members including their older siblings. Staff will be moving around the school asking any children to make their way back to the basketball courts.

Tomorrow is our Colour Fun Run beginning at 1.30pm. Parents are welcome to come and watch. Please stay off the large oval as there are parent helpers who will be interacting with the staff and students and we do not wish to have any confusion. 

On Monday the 11^th December, our students will meet their new teachers and their classmates for 2024. After this, I will be sending out the staffing list for the whole school. Please remember that as has been detailed in previous newsletters, once the class lists have been made public, they will NOT be changed. Teachers put an incredible amount of work into these and the process must be respected as we take each student into account.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

God Bless,

Meg

Dates to Remeber:

End of Year Mass

Wednesday 13th of December at 9:30am in our school stadium

Year 6 Graduation

Wednesday 13th of December at 6:00pm in the stadium

Last day for Year 6 students is Wednesday the 13^th December. If parents of Year 6 students intend to send their child to school after this date, this must be placed in writing to office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

The students will be placed in the younger classes as there will be no formal classes being held in the final 3 days of school.

Last day for students in grades F-5 is Monday the 18^th December at 3.10pm.

Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS)

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System highlighted that primary schools provide opportunities to identify children with mental health and wellbeing challenges, who can then be referred to treatment, care and support.

The Mental Health in Primary Schools program is being expanded to every government and low-fee non-government primary school in Victoria. Scaling up across the state from 2023, by 2026 every primary school will be able to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader to implement a whole-school approach to wellbeing.

The Department of Education and Training has been piloting the Mental Health in Primary Schools program in Victorian schools since 2020 in partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Evaluation of this pilot program has shown that 95 per cent of Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders consider the Mental Health in Primary Schools model has improved their school’s capacity to support students’ mental health and wellbeing needs.

Participating schools receive funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, a qualified teacher, to work across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.

Congratulations to Kelly Wilson who will be our Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) teacher. 

Kelly began work at St Patrick’s this year as a tutor teacher and she comes with plenty of experience and background in Mental Health. Kelly will work across the school to lead implementation of the MHiPS program. The role will:

• build the capacity of school staff to identify and support students with mental health concerns
• support the school to create clear referral pathways and connect to local services for students identified as needing further assessment and intervention
• implement effective mental health strategies aligned with social and emotional learning and adapt a whole-school approach to health, wellbeing and learning initiatives.

The mental health and wellbeing leader promotes a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing to students, staff and families, and does not provide one-to-one intervention or counselling support to students.

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.

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.