Newsletter Thursday 14th March, 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.

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

Tomorrow we will be having our whole school cross country. For the students in years 3-6, they will be running in the morning between 9.15am and 11am.

The students in Foundation to year 2, they will run after recess from 11.45 to 1.30pm.

Parents are welcome to come and watch and there will be designated areas for parents to stand/sit in. Please ensure you remain in these designated areas. The only people who will be allowed onto the course are those staff and parents who are working/volunteering on the day. We ask all spectators to be mindful on the day about this and to not be approaching their child/ren.

I would like to invite all families to come and celebrate our feast day that is St Patrick's on Sunday 17th March. There will be a mass at 10.30am on that Sunday and afterwards we will have a sausage sizzle to continue the celebrations. There will be no money required on the day as the sausages etc will be supplied by the school. We also appreciate any parent volunteers to help cook the BBQ on the Sunday.

We have asked any families attending to let us know so we can cater for the event and so we are not caught short on the day.
See below some information about our Patron Saint.

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. According to the Declaration, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland.^[19] It says that he spent six years there working as a shepherd and that during this time he found God. The Declaration says that God told Patrick to flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home. After making his way home, Patrick went on to become a priest.^[20]

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands.

This week our Year 3's and 5's also began their NAPLAN tests and they are to be commended on the calm and collected way they have taken on this task. As we do any other work in the school, the students are encouraged to do their best and to just approach these days as they would any other.

Over the last week we have had a few upgrades to our playground as well. On the concrete outside the E block are new fun playground activities boards. Please see the pictures below!

Take care and God Bless,

Meg

Year Level Camp/ Fun Day Dates:

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 House Cross Country will be held TOMORROW!

The permission slips for Year 3 - 6 students have been submitted, any students without permission will still be participating but will do the course within the school grounds.

Our junior students will be participating on a course that is solely on our school grounds.

Families are invited to watch the event. Please note there will be a spectator section that families must stay in to ensure student saftey.

Use the link below to log into your CDF Pay account to purchase raffle tickets:

https://stppakenham.cdfpay.org.au

What: A BOWL OF RICE

When: TUESDAY 26th MARCH

Cost: A GOLD COIN DONATION

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are nearing the end of the season of Lent. It is a time for prayer, fasting and giving to those in need.

We have been discussing the work done by charitable organisations like CARITAS who work tirelessly to meet the needs of those who are impoverished and need our support. The Project Compassion boxes that were sent home at the start of Lent is one way we can be part of Catholic Social Teachings. We have been inspired by stories set in Asia that illustrate how we can be a contributing part of the lives of people there.

In keeping with the Asian theme, it has been decided to hold a RICE DAY. On this day, the children will be given a small bowl of rice to eat so that they can experience what it would be like to live in a third world country where a bowl of plain rice would be considered a luxury. This will be symbolic. Of course, they could have their lunch as well if they so wish.

We ask that the children enter wholeheartedly into the spirit of giving and bring a gold coin donation.

Thanking you in anticipation for your generosity.

This year’s theme is Everyone Belongs

Harmony Week, celebrated from Monday to Sunday during the week that includes March 21, is dedicated to celebrating Australia's rich multicultural heritage. This year, under the theme “Everyone Belongs,” Harmony Week is scheduled from Monday, March 18 to Sunday, March 24 2024. We will be celebrating Harmony Day on Thursday 21^st of March.

The students are encouraged to dress up in their national dress and or something Orange which is the colour of harmony day. This is not just a free dress day.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

It is a nationwide measure through which parents/carers, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

NAPLAN results allow parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards.  

The tests support monitoring and evaluating of the performance of schools and school systems in these fundamental capabilities. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education approaches are working, areas to be prioritised for improvement, and those schools requiring support in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.

The results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress.

NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into their students’ educational progress. Parents/carers can use NAPLAN reports, along with other school assessment reports, to discuss their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with their teacher. 

NAPLAN results do not measure overall school quality.

The assessments are undertaken nationwide, every year. From 2008 to 2022, NAPLAN tests were held in May. From 2023, education ministers agreed NAPLAN tests will be held in March. 

NAPLAN is made up of tests in the 4 areas (or ‘domains’) of:

• reading
• writing
• conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
• maths

If you have any concerns or questions regarding NAPLAN, please contact your child/ren’s classroom teacher/s.

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 (29 January 2024), or the first day of Term 2 (15 April 2024)  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 both forms 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.

Conveyance allowance

The conveyance allowance is a State Government allowance that may be available to students attending government or non-government schools.

If you live more than 4.8km from your closest school you can apply for the conveyance allowance and:

• travelling by public transport or by private car, motorbike, bicycle or bus, and
• whose nearest school is not serviced by a free school bus provided under the School Bus Program

The conveyance allowance is a State Government contribution towards transport costs and is not intended to cover the full cost of transporting children to and from school.

 Application for private car travel  (also available in the knowledge bank section in PAM)

 Application for public transport travel    (also available in the knowledge bank section in PAM)

School Bus Program

The School Bus Program is an extensive school bus network that provides free travel to eligible students. Students must be attending government and non-government schools and living in rural and regional Victoria. 

* Students are expected to use public transport where a service is available within 1.6 km (measured by shortest practicable route) of their home or closer to their home than the nearest school bus service. This applies to both students applying to access the SBP at no cost and to fare paying passengers. * * 

If your child is eligible, they can travel for free.

There are different categories that decide if your child is eligible for free travel. For more information read the eligibility guide below.

School bus program eligibility guide

Click on the link below to check if a school bus is available in your area.

School Bus Management System

School Fees

Please find the school fee schedule attached. Some school fees have gone out, the rest are following shortly. If you have any questions plese contact Cindy in the school office.

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.