Newsletter Thursday 8th February, 2024

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.

6JP NEWS OF THE WEEK!!

Welcome to the new school year at St Patrick’s 2024. We are very excited to be back!

Here are some topics and reminders we have been working on over the past week:

FIRST DAY OF YEAR 6, 2024

 On the first day of school I wasn’t nervous or worried at all. I was actually excited to see all my friends again after just texting them for SIX WEEKS! For me the first day was amazing, mostly because we did no work but also because after 6 years at St Pat’s, to now become a leader of the school and a role model to the juniors truly is an honour. So I hope that the rest of the year is as good as the first day for all of us.

By Tatenda 6JP

On the first day of Year 6 I felt ‘galvanized’! If you don’t know what that means, it’s a synonym for excitement. I was excited for Year 6 because I like my class and I felt that a new year was like a fresh book with nothing in it. 

By Riley 6JP

INTERVIEWS IN 6JP

Mark interviewed Ngun Tha.

Mark- “How did you feel on the first day?”

Ngun Tha- “Nervous”.

Mark- “What are your goals going to be?”

Ngun Tha- “I want to be a fashion designer”.

Mark- “How was your holiday?” 

Ngun Tha- “It was really boring because I didn’t do anything”.

Mark- “How was your experience at school?”

Ngun Tha- “It was alright and I like my friends”.

Mark interviewed Tum.

Mark- “How did you feel on the first day?”

Tum- “I felt really excited and amazing”.

Mark- “What are your goals going to be?”

Tum- “To be a great Social Justice Captain”.

Mark- “How was your holiday?” 

Tum- “We did exciting things like camping”.

Mark- “How was your experience at school?”

Tum- “It was fun and exciting”.

Cyrus interviewed Anyieth.

Cyrus- “How did you feel on the first day?”

Anyieth- “I was super excited to be back with my friends but I had mixed emotions to see everyone in one place again”.

Cyrus- “What are your goals going to be?”

Anyieth- “I would like to get better at maths, especially multiplication and division”.

Cyrus- “How was your holiday?” 

Anyieth- “I quite enjoyed my holidays. I had lots of fun spending time with my friends and family and relaxing at home”.

Cyrus- “How was your experience at school?”

Anyieth- “There are lots of ups and downs in Year 6. There are more responsibilities but I’m older now and smarter”.

Cyrus interviewed Tatenda.

Cyrus- “How did you feel on the first day?”

Tatenda- “I was very excited to be back with all my peers after quite a long time and it’s really nice to be a leader of the school now”.

Cyrus- “What are your goals going to be?”

Tatenda- “This year I hope to become smarter and extend my knowledge further to achieve more”.

Cyrus- “How was your holiday?” 

Tatenda- “I had a lot of fun on the holidays. I went out a lot with family and friends and relaxed at home”.

Cyrus- “How was your experience at school?”

Tatenda- “I like being in this class because of the people”

Lachlan’s cartoon on ‘The Night Before School!’

SOME FIRST DAY PHOTOS IN 6JP

 On the first day in Year 6, we had wacky photos taken to remember the special event of ‘the last first day of primary school!’

‘DIVERSITY IS UNITY’

 In Year 6 we have been learning about ‘Diversity is Unity’. This is a quote that means together as one or all of us together even though we may be different in so many ways. This is important because we should all be together in peace. Playtime will be more fun than it is. This is why we should all follow this quote.

 By Owen and Nathan 6JP
 

We hope you enjoy 2024! Follow our class motto of ‘Diversity is Unity’ and you should have a fantastic year!

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

It has been another productive week for our students. Our Foundation students have begun full time and yesterday we held two parent information sessions for the newest (and existing) parents of our school, and they were well attended. Thanks to Geraldine Wilmann and Katherine Gronek for the organisation and running of these workshops.

Tomorrow we will celebrate our Beginning of School Year Mass at 9.30 and this will be held in the stadium. All are welcome to attend. Thank you to Tresa Andrews for her efforts in preparing this Mass.

I would like to bring to parents’ attention the concern I have with students bringing to school particular lollies called, LIL NITRO. These lollies contain CHILLI of the hottest kind and teachers have heard students saying that they are saving up to buy these. Whilst I do not control what happens outside of school hours, I do not wish to see these items brought to school under any circumstances please. We had a sick student who was experiencing some unpleasant side effects after consuming this item. If these items are found, they will be confiscated and returned at the end of the day. Please ensure that you do check your child’s lunchbox each morning before they come to school. I encourage you to help them to choose their own snacks, however it is important that a parent takes the time to look over the lunchboxes to ensure the food is healthy and plentiful.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. See image below.

Take care and God Bless,

Meg

Staffing News

This week, Debbie Boswell, one of our Education Support Offices has informed me that she will be resigning from her position at St Patrick’s. Debbie has been with us for the past seven years and she is now going to be spending some much-needed time with family. I would like to thank Debbie for her wonderful hard work and dedication to the students of St Patrick’s and wish her every happiness.

TERM DATES 2024

2024 PUPIL FREE DAYS AND SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS:

The 4 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.

Our Year 2's begin their swimming lessons next week. The swimming lessons will be every day for two weeks.

On these days students are allowed to wear their P.E uniform to school and wear their bathers underneath their clothes. Please remember to pack your child a towel and change of underwear/bathers in a separate bag (ie plastic bag/swimming bag). Please ensure that all items are clearly labelled.

This past week the Scholastic brochures where handed out in class. All orders are made online via Book Club LOOP. Please follow the link below to make your purchase.

All purchases must be made before Thursday 22nd of February. 

https://www.scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/

Please see below the library borrowing times for each class:

CSEF Applications are now due! 

If you have a current Health Care Card you may be eligable for the school fees concession program. 

The applicant must be one of the following:

1. a parent/carer (of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school) who is:
   • on the first day of Term 1 (31 January 2022), or the first day of Term 2 (26 April 2022)  a holder of one or more of the eligible financially-means tested cards (Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card), or
   • a temporary foster parent

The parent/carer must submit an application to the school by 23 June 2024.

If anyone has any questions or would like to discuss their school fee account, please contact the school office. 

Please download and fill in the form below if you qualify.

If there are any changes from last year, this includes a new child starting at the school or any child who has now left the school, there is an additional form that needs to be filled out. Please come by the school office to collect it.

Please find the school fee schedule attached. The school fees will be emailed out to families in the next few weeks.

You can now book in for a Family Learning Conversation (FLC) through PAM. 

To book through PAM you click on 'Parent Teacher Interviews'. Each child will have their own drop down box with the available times and dates for you to book.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as the Sacrament of Penance and Confession, is an important element of Christian life where we encounter God's presence and unconditional love.

The Year 3 students are preparing has been preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation at school. You can help your child prepare in many ways such as family prayer and attending Mass regularly.

PARENT WORKSHOP (ONLY PARENTS)

IT IS AN EXPECTATION THAT ALL PARENTS OF CHILDREN RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION WILL ATTEND ON THIS NIGHT.

When: Thursday 29th February 

Time: 7:00 pm

Where: St Patrick’s Parish Hall

Speaker: Fr Elio Capra SDB

Students receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation and parents are to attend the Commitment Mass on Saturday 2nd March at St Patrick’s Church, Pakenham.

Any student attending St Patrick’s school who is baptised in the Catholic Church, attending Year 3 onwards can register to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Bookings will open on Monday 19th February at 10:00 am. The link for registration will be posted in the next week's newsletter. 

Please feel free to contact Mary Tresa Andrews, Religious Education Leader, via email at mandrews@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au 

KEY DATES

Regards,

Mary Tresa Andrews

Religious Education Leader

St Patrick’s Primary School

As per the DOSCEL requirement we will be having 2 emergency drills each term. Our first emergency drill will be on Monday 12th February. Our classroom teaches have made adjustments for any students they believe will struggle with this, but if you have any concerns please contact your classroom teacher.

Have you logged into your PAM account yet! 

We use 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. 

Our second hand uniform shop is located D3 (across from the Discovery Centre). It is open every Tuesday and Thursday in February from 3:00pm - 3:30pm. Any other days of the week are booked by appointment.

We have uniforms that are labelled, however we cannot read the labels. These items are in the office and will be held here until tomorrow. Any uniforms still here next week will be donated to the second-hand uniform shop.