"That they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I am in you"
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Thursday 6th February 2025
Gospel of the Week
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 5:1-11
They left everything and followed him.
Jesus was standing one day by the lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.
When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
In the Gospel this week, Simon had been fishing all night with no success, then working from the early morning hours cleaning his nets. Most likely he was exhausted and looking forward to going home and getting some sleep. So, it must have seemed a bit of an imposition when Jesus got into Simon’s boat and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Nevertheless, Simon did what Jesus asked (5:1-3).
Luke does not tell us what Jesus taught the crowds that morning. The focus is on what follows. Jesus tells Simon to put out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. Simon obviously believes this will be a futile exercise. He is the professional fisherman, after all. We can almost hearthe exasperation in his voice when he responds, “Master, we have worked all night but have caught nothing.” But then he continues; “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets” (5:4-5).
We know what happens next — nets so full of fish that they begin to break, boats so full of fish that they begin to sink. Seeing what is happening, Simon is overwhelmed with fear and wonder, sensing that he is in the presence of divine power. He responds by falling down at Jesus’ knees and begging him, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (5:6-8)
Simon is caught by surprise. Amid his ordinary daily grind, and in fact, after a particularly lousy night at work, he is encountered by one who changes everything. Amazed by the power of God displayed in the abundant catch of fish, Simon is immediately aware of his sinfulness and unworthiness. He sees the overwhelming disparity between God’s power manifest in Jesus and his own mortal, compromised life.
Jesus responds to Simon by saying, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (5:10). The Greek word for “catching” used here (zogron) is rare in the New Testament but means “to catch alive.” Of course, fishing with nets was a matter of catching fish alive, but those live fish would soon be dead. Here Jesus calls Simon and his partners to a new vocation of catching people so that they might live, a life-giving vocation of being caught up in God’s mission of salvation for all.
We have had a very hot beginning to the school term with temperatures reaching up to 37 degrees. All our classrooms have fully functioning air conditioners as well as our stadium. We have been checking the temperature each day and have been allowing the students to play between 11 and 11.30, however the second break at 1.30pm, we have chosen to keep them in the cool. Please ensure your child/ren have a full drink bottle at the beginning of the day and that they are wearing their summer uniforms. Please discourage your child from wearing any jackets or jumpers on these days of extreme heat.
Next Tuesday 11th and Wednesday the 12th February, we have our Parent Teacher Meetings. These are an excellent opportunity to meet with your child/ren’s teacher/s and to have a discussion around how the year has begun. These conversations are vital to the success of your child’s time at school. These meetings can be booked via the PAM up. Please see the steps below and/or contact the office if you have any questions.
God Bless
Meg
ESOs and teachers
2025 Classes, Teachers and ESOs
|
YEAR LEVEL |
NO. OF CH’N |
TEACHER/S |
ESOs |
|
|
FGW |
20 |
Geraldine Wilmann |
Mel
Tania
|
Jen |
|
FKG |
20 |
Katherine Gronek |
||
|
1AF |
18 |
Amali Fernando |
Nimali
|
|
|
1NC |
18 |
Noleen Chalmers |
||
|
2JM |
22 |
Jacky Merrey |
Terri
|
|
|
2WJ |
23 |
Jen White Jayme Jamieson (Thurs/Fri) |
||
|
3OG |
21 |
Dez Orchard Emily M (Mon) |
Cathy Richard
|
|
|
3RS |
22 |
Rebecca Schleemann |
||
|
4VR |
23 |
Janelle Van der Veer Jake Richardson (Thurs) |
Karina Nadine
|
|
|
4MR |
25 |
Rosa Mitchell Jake Richardson (Mon, Fri) |
||
|
5SA |
17 |
Shiny Antony |
Rupinder
Vanessa
|
|
|
5SM |
17 |
Sarah McGill |
||
|
5BC |
17 |
Belinda Couch |
||
|
6NB |
26 |
Neesha Bateson |
Paul
Sharon
|
|
|
6TA |
26 |
Tresa Andrews Donna/Lisa (Friday) |
||
Parent Helpers-Term 2
We will be running an induction for any parents who wish to help in the classroom early in Term 2. Please note, any parents wishing to assist in the classroom must have a Working with Children Check. It only needs to be a Volunteer one to assist in the classroom. The school will require a copy of this to keep in our files.
ATTENTION PARENTS: School Uniform
I am asking please that all students, to be wearing our proper school uniform. It is important that we maintain a high standard of uniform throughout the school year and to wear it with pride. I will continue to ask all students to be wearing proper school shoes and uniform right up until the end of the year. Runners are NOT school shoes. Please see pictures below. 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 unform 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.
This is an example of a school shoe to be worn every day, except on sport days/events:
This is a runner and NOT a school shoe
| DATE | ACTIVITY |
| 11/02/2025 | Parent Teacher Meetings |
| 12/02/2025 | Prep Rest Day |
| 12/02/2025 | Parent Teacher Meetings |
| 17/02/2025 | Yr 2 Swimming lessons begin |
| 19/02/2025 | Prep Rest Day |
| 21/02/2025 | Whole School Mass 9.30am |
| 26/02/2025 | Prep Rest Day |
| 5/03/2025 | Ash Wednesday |
| 7/03/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 10/03/2025 | Labour Day - Public Holiday |
| 4/4/2025 | Last day of term - 2.30pm finish |
Year Level Camp/ Fun Day Dates:
| DATE | YEAR LEVEL | ACTIVITY & LOCATION |
| TBC | 3 | Fun Day - St Patrick's Primary |
| 11/06/2025 - 13/06/2025 | 4 | Camp - Phillip Island |
| 16/06/2025 - 18/06/2025 | 5 | Camp - City |
| 25/11/2025 - 28/11/2025 | 6 | Camp - Coonawarra Farm Resort |
TERM DATES 2025
| First Day | Last Day | |
| Term 1 | 30st January | 4th April |
| Term 2 | 22nd April | 4th July |
| Term 3 | 21st July | 19th September |
| Term 4 | 6th October | 19th December |
2025 PUPIL FREE AND TIME IN LIEU DAYS:
The 3 Time in Lieu 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.
| 07/03/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 06/06/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 21/08/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 22/08/2025 | TIL |
| 31/10/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 03/11/2025 | TIL |
| 17/12/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 18/12/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
| 19/12/2025 | TIL |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!
Alaska 2JM, Koah 2JM, Shaylah 5SA, Chamath FGW, Tony 5SA, Nathaniel 1NC, Mandela 6TA, Kabir 6TA, Karan 6TA!
Our Parent Teacher Meetings are next week. If you have not done so already please log onto PAM to book in a time that suits you best.
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.
Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings will be held during week 5 for students who are provided with supports and adjustments to their classroom programs. These meetings will provide families with an opportunity to meet with the classroom teacher and the Learning Adjustment Team. During PSGs, we will set goals and discuss current and future adjustments required to support your child’s learning. Some parents may like to bring others to support them during the meeting. Please advise the Learning Adjustment Leader of any additional people attending prior to the meeting to allow for adequate planning.
PSGs can be booked through PAM for families invited to attend.
This past week the Scholastic brochures were 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 20th of February.
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 Megan McMenamin in the school office mmcmenamin@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, Media Consent Details and any relevant Medical Details for your child if they change.
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.
Parents who would like to have their children baptised are required to attend baptism preparation. Please enroll through the parish website https://stpatrickspakenham.com.au/
For further details and assistance please contact
Mary Tresa Andrews
Religious Education Coordinator
National Lunchbox Week celebrates the uniqueness of every lunchbox. A lunchbox can reflect love, care, and nourishment from simple sandwiches to creative meals. St Patrick's Primary School is proud to support National Lunch Box Week to help make lunchboxes enjoyable, nourishing and pressure- free. Every lunchbox tells a story shaped by family traditions, available resources, and unique preferences, reminding us there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. During National Lunchbox Week, we embrace the diversity of lunchboxes and promote supportive, judgment-free conversations around food. We know that packing a lunchbox can sometimes feel daunting. Nutrition Australia’s tips and simple options can make busy mornings much more manageable. More importantly lunchbox packing isn’t about perfection but finding what works for you and your family. Affordability matters, too, and with some practical ideas, nutritious lunches can be both satisfying and budget-friendly. Lunchtimes can also help children build lifelong positive relationships with food, turning every lunch break into an opportunity for enjoyment and connection. The heart of National Lunchbox Week is collaboration. Families, schools, early childhood education services, and health advocates share a common goal: for children to have nourishing, enjoyable meals that support their growth and learning. Through National Lunchbox Week we can inspire meaningful change that benefits the next generation by working together, sharing ideas, and creating inclusive spaces. Be sure to explore the National Lunchbox Week website for helpful resources: www.lunchboxweek.org
