Newsletter Thursday 19th September

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.

 3AG's Class Newsletter

Welcome to the final week of term 3.

Class 3AG would like show off our incredible work this term. We work cooperatively in our class to achieve the best that we can in all areas of the curriculum. Here are a few pictures of our wonderful work.

As a class we learnt all about the different sacraments and their symbols of the Catholic Church.  We worked in teams and shared our posters with the class

We have been focusing on Aboriginal Dream time stories. We have read, written and developed an understanding of many Dreamtime stories. Our favourite was 'How the Birds Got Their Colours'

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.

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

This week the Gospel tells us Jesus reveals he will suffer, die and rise; but it seems the disciples were not even listening to their King, rather, too busy with the concern of which one of them is greater.

This is not a new role for disciples in terms of listening to their King. Throughout Mark, they are the ones who just don’t get it. The pattern is set early and often. Even in the face of the miracle feeding of the five thousand the disciples don’t get it. Jesus rebukes their lack of understanding several times, even though they make up Jesus’ most private inner circle, the disciples seem to be the last to know that Jesus is Messiah, even denying this knowledge at the end!

It’s not just that they don’t understand some piece of information. It’s that they don’t understand this specific teaching, at the very heart of the Incarnation. How is it possible for the Son of God to suffer and die? And why should it happen?

The question that the disciples are afraid to ask is the one that maybe we all are afraid to ask…Is it because we already know the answer and yet we do not want to hear it? Shouldn’t asking questions mean that we are able to access more information and keep ourselves informed? And if we do know the answer, why do we still want to ask it? What are the most common questions asked about Jesus I wonder? Is he real? How do we know? Do we have concrete evidence that Jesus walked the earth?

Would knowing this answer mean that more people would believe or would they simply ask more questions that will put doubt in others minds….

Welcome to our final newsletter for Term 3.

Once again, we have had an amazing school term filled with so many wonderful events.

These include, Father’s Day celebration, casual clothes Friday’s, R U Okay Day, Book Week parade and activities and we celebrated 100 years of our marvellous Foundation students. There have been excursions to Wetlands and Healesville Sanctuary. We have enjoyed popcorn Wednesdays, footy free dress day with hot pies, sausage rolls and a footy parade. Our Year 5s went off to Kryal Castle for the 3 days camp and our Year 6s enjoyed Inter-School sports on the Fridays this term.

In connection with our Parish community of St Patrick’s, we have celebrated the Blessing and Opening of the new Church and shared many masses with the Parishioners, in particular Catholic Education Week and the Feast of the Assumption.

I would like to once again thank my amazing staff for all their work they do in supporting our students. Thank you to the incredible families of St Patrick’s that helps create our wonderful community feel.

I wish all families a happy and safe 2 week break and hope that you are able to spend quality time with your families and be ready and rejuvenated for the final term of the school year.

Just a reminder that school finishes tomorrow at the usual time of 3.10pm and will resume on Monday the 7^{th of} October.

God Bless, 

Meg

Gold! Silver! Bronze!

Blue Ribbon. Red Ribbon. Green Ribbon.

Congratulations to ALL the St Patrick’s students who represented our school and the Pakenham District yesterday at the Cardinia Division level. They ALL came away with a top 3 ribbon in their hands! Thrilling efforts by all with the whole grandstand roaring for the relay team!

Their efforts prior to the event day to practise their specific discipline paid off with the following results:

• Owen 6JP - 1500m - 2nd

• Thon 5RM - High Jump - 2nd

• Gunnraj 6RS - Shot Put - 3rd
• 11 year old girls relay team - Isabella 6BC, Healey 6BC, Grace 6RS & Alek 6JP - 1st

Students who placed 1st or 2nd will now progress to the Southern Metro Regional Athletics Carnival on Monday October 21st. Students will have received information about the event and specific permission slips will be sent out early next term. Parents/Guardians requiring further clarification may contact me at school by leaving a message with our office staff or by email lbreeden@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au 

Thank you to parents/guardians who took time out of their schedules to come and support the team and to Lisa McDonald for ensuring students were ready and on time for their events.

Stay Active!

Louise Breeden

In Term 3, our newly arrived/ refugee students have been exploring some Australian animals and reading Wombat Stew with our EAL Teacher. They participated in matching activities using soft toys and real life pictures, watching videos of animals, and discussions that supported them in making connections with their previous experiences. Besides, students collected some of the ingredients in the story at our school yard and together we made an actual wombat stew. They enjoyed every bit of it. We will be exploring another book in Term 4, stay tuned!

Congratulations to all the children on receiving their First Holy Communion over the weekends of 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th September! 

It was wonderful to see how beautifully the children participated in such a significant step in their faith journey. As we reflect on the beautiful celebration of the First Holy Communion, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the tremendous effort, love, and support that went into making this sacred milestone so special. The First Holy Communion is a pivotal moment in the spiritual journey of our children, and it would not have been possible without the dedication of many wonderful people.

First, to the children who took this important step in their faith, we thank you for your commitment and openness to receiving the Holy Eucharist. Your reverence and joy were truly inspiring. You embraced this moment with grace and a deep understanding of its significance.

To the parents and families, thank you for guiding your children through this journey of faith. Your prayers and encouragement have been a beautiful reflection of your dedication to their spiritual growth.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Fr Janeesh and Office staff at St Patrick’s Parish who led the sacrament with wisdom and care. Your spiritual guidance, both in preparation for and during the celebration, was essential in helping the children understand the importance of this sacred moment.

To our Grade 4 teachers, we are immensely grateful for your dedication and passion. You have spent countless hours teaching and preparing the children, ensuring they were spiritually ready for this significant occasion. Your lessons went beyond the classroom, offering them insights into the depth and beauty of the Catholic faith, which will stay with them for years to come.

Finally, to the entire parish community, thank you for your prayers, your presence, and your support. Your participation in this sacrament, whether through kind words, music, or simply being part of the congregation, added to the sense of belonging and community for our young communicants.

The First Holy Communion is not just a one-day event; it is a lifelong journey of faith for these children. We are blessed to have such a caring, supportive community to help them along this path.

Thank you once again to everyone who played a role in this blessed occasion. Your kindness, faith, and service are deeply appreciated, and we look forward to continuing to walk together in faith and love.

May God bless you all.

Mary Tresa Andrews

Religious Education Coordinator

This term, I begin to plan for 2025 and will soon be looking at staffing for the following year. If you have a reasonable request for your child/ren in regard to classroom placement, this MUST be put into writing and be emailed to principal@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au. The closing date for this will be Friday 20^th September. Any requests coming to me after this date may not be considered.

Once again, these requests are never guaranteed and ultimately, the final placement of the students rests with me as principal.

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. 

SiMON Everywhere is an app our school uses to acces PAM and CDF Pay. We will be sending reminders through this app, as such please download and sign in. There is a guide below for your reference. If you are having any issues please contact Alex Taylor in the school office ataylor@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

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 use the link below if you would like to play in the Summer Cricket Blast for Pakenham Upper.

https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/710d29