Newsletter 14th November

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,

In today's Gospel reading Jesus speaks of being on our guard for we do not know the day or the hour when we will be called to Him. But if we take his words to heart and stay close to Him as we journey, we have nothing to fear. His gift to us is His presence with us 'till the end of the world.

Even in our darkest hour the Lord does not abandon us. His eye always upon us He watches over us night and day. I have no doubt that in today’s world, there are many of us who experience dark hours or days. These days will always come and go, but often the darkness remains. How can we ensure we find the light in these situations when all hope appears lost? Is our faith strong enough to have us turn to our Lord in those deepest darkest hours and know that there will be some glimmer of hope given to us. Like my favourite Christian poem, Footprints in the sand, when the person walking along the beach notices that there was only set of footprints and wanders why they were abandoned at their most troublesome times in their life; to which the Lord replied, it was then that I carried you…

This week, our Year 1s and Foundation students have begun their swimming over at Splashes and they have been having a wonderful time. Thank you to our parent helpers who have assisted the teachers in walking the students across to the pool.

This week you will notice an range of wonderful photos from the various events that have taken place over the past 2 weeks, including Junior and Senior athletics, Year 2 excursion to Old Gippstown and Year 1 Excursion to LegoLand.I am always so proud of our students and how well they continue to conduct themselves in public and cheer and encourage one another at sporting events!

It is important to keep an open discussion with your child/ren around their expected behaviour and work ethic as we enter the last few weeks of term 4. Even though the year is winding down, the staff of St Patrick’s will continue to insist that all 5 values of RESPECT, SAFETY, CO-OPERATION, COURAGE AND RESILIENCE will be adhered to both inside and outside the classroom.

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.

Oue Year 1 students had a blas at LegoLand two weeks ago. Here are some photo's and students accounts of this day!

Last week the Year two classes went to OLd GippsTown to learn about history. We learnt that in the olden days the girls were not allowed to show their ankles. We went to the old school where the teacher was scary and he had a long cane.  In the old days he used the cane to hit the tables and the children if they did not do as they were told. We also got to see some old cartoons. They were funny and blurry. Then we played some old games and liked when you had to make the teddy climb the rope without touching it. I really liked the excursion. - Isabella.K. (2SM)

Students in Year F-2 participated enthusiastically on a warm and steamy Wednesday in the Junior Athletics Day, displaying their locomotor, manipulative and teamwork skills learnt in PE throughout the year. The focus was on using correct technique, being safe and demonstrating Team Spirit. Activities included Tic Tac Toss, Sack Races, Adapted Shot Put/Discus/Javelin, Soccer Dribbling and Goal-kicking, Relays Galore, Sprinting, Throwing and Catching, Hoops and Skipping, Dance Routines and Gymnastics.

It was exciting to see students wearing their House colours with pride and cheering each other on. It was also lovely to have members of the St Patrick’s community onsite to watch students display our school values in a positive and active manner. 

Thank you to the Year 6 students who helped to run the events applying organisational skills learnt during their PE lessons, helping staff and supporting students throughout the day.

Thank you to the amazingly supportive St Patrick’s Staff who adjusted their daily routines to allow learning of a different kind to occur.

Stay active!

Louise Breeden

After a warm Wednesday, students in Years 3-6 boarded buses on Thursday November 7th to the new Pakenham Athletics Track at IYU Recreation Reserve in Pakenham to participate in some athletics events, showcasing skills they have been learning during PE lessons. 

Students wore their House colours with pride, participating to receive House Points for completing events, with bonus points awarded for Top 3 placements, including ribbons. The focus was on using correct technique, being safe and demonstrating Team Spirit. 

It was fantastic to have many of our St Patrick’s community at the track to support and cheer on students throughout the day. 

Year 6 students were given the option to participate as a competitor or as an official. Student Officials applied skills learnt during PE to help staff measure, time and record results throughout the day. Students who took on this role showed tremendous cooperation and resilience, remaining at the track all day and supporting each other to get the job done correctly and effectively.

Students had a fun-filled day! Thanks to Staff who made adjustments to their usual day to accommodate different and valuable learning opportunities. 

Stay active!

Louise Breeden

I am asking please that all students, in particular our Senior school, to be wearing our proper School Uniform this final term. It is important that we still maintain a high standard of uniform and not use Term 4 as an excuse to become complacent about what we wear to school.

I will continue to ask all students to be wearing proper school shoes and uniform right up until the end of the year. I understand that students are growing constantly, however they will continue to grow for many more years and so I cannot always accept this as an excuse. We must remember that many students are adhering to the correct standards of school uniform and therefore, it is important that the students and their families please respect this. Secondary schools do not accept poor uniform standards.

If finance is a concern when it comes to uniform, please speak to your classroom teacher. St Patrick’s has a very good second-hand uniform shop that you can top up your child’s uniform with. It is a third of the price you would pay at the normal uniform shop, and the money goes straight back to the school.

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 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.