Dear Parents,

It is brilliant that all students will return to school next week, as a result of passing the 80% fully vaccinated mark the roadmap for school return has changed.  On Wednesday the 3^rd of November all students will return to school. We look forward to having everyone back with us.  A reminder that Monday 1^st (Report Writing) and Tuesday 2^nd (Cup Day) of November are School Closure Days. Please note that when your child returns to school there will not be a remote learning program operating at the same time. Essentially, we cannot teach two different programs at once. Therefore, when your child’s grade is scheduled to be onsite the expectation is that the children are at school.

Friday 29^th – Grades Onsite 1/2 & 5/6

A reminder that tomorrow it is only Grades 1, 2, 5 & 6 onsite.  All other grades are learning remotely.

2022 Enrolments

If you know of anyone looking to enrol their child at St Pat’s for 2022 please encourage them to contact the school Office on 5943-9000 or email office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

Developments at St Patrick’s

Whilst we have unfortunately had to endure another extended lockdown period, and the school was in a remote learning phase, there has still been a significant amount of work continuing behind the scenes.  Below is a snapshot of what has been happening;

• VRQA – Last week we were forensically analysed by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority. Essentially, they investigate all of our processes and procedures to ensure that we can remain registered as a school.  This was a very impressive result for St Patrick’s and I thank Anna Viney, and all of the staff, for the efforts they have put in to make us compliant in this space.
• School Review- As well as VRQA the school undertook our four-year Review. Here we analyse what is working well and areas we need to keep to developing. Our report and assertions are then tested by Reviewers from the Catholic Education Office.  Again, this was a very successful day for St Pat’s and we now use the information gained to formulate our strategic plan for the next four years.
• Capital Grant Application / School Refurbishment – We are in the final stages of the creation of our Capital Grant application which will involve that refurbishment of the B Block, E Block and surrounding grounds. This is extremely exciting for the school and we are very hopeful that work will commence in early 2022.

Water Leak

Parents visiting the site will notice that there are a couple of areas where the concrete has been cut up between the Admin Building and the Parish.  This is due to a consistent water leak at the school that is being investigated to establish exactly where it is and then the repair process can begin.

Uniforms

We understand that as students return for the last few weeks of the school uniforms may not fit as well as hoped and it is difficult to purchase uniforms at the moment.  We ask that parents are very respectful of our uniform policy and that students wear the uniform with pride, however, we understand that there may be some items that cannot be purchased.

Sacraments

New Sacrament dates are being finalised by the Sacramental Team.   Noleen Chalmers (REL) will inform families of the new dates once they have been arranged.  If you have any questions please email Noleen noleen@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

Hats

Please remember that as we enter Term 4 it is compulsory for the students to be wearing hats when outside.

The following COVID Restrictions remain in place when all children return onsite next week;

• Initially, to ensure the safety of children, parents will have to drop their children at the black gates (staff will be on duty) and cannot enter the school. As restrictions ease we hope that this requirement will as well.
• We are hoping that with three entry points to the school we can avoid the need to engage staggered pick up times. We will monitor how the traffic flows next week. Both carparks will be open for drop off and pick up.
• Student Masks – As per Government regulations all students in Grades 3-6 are required to wear a mask whilst indoors (unless you have an exemption). Masks are encouraged for students in Grades P-2.
• Adult Masks – Masks are required to be worn by parents at all times when in the school.
• Please communicate with staff via phone or email.
• The Office will be open next week, however, if it is not essential please contact via phone 5943-9000 or email office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au  
• All extra cleaning and hand hygiene that was in place is still being adhered to.
• Please do not send food items to share with others when it is your child’s birthday as they cannot be handed out.
• Bubble taps are operational at school.
• An ample amount of sports equipment will be provided at school so we ask that students do not bring equipment from home.
• COVID Exposure Sites – We ask that families please keep abreast of the COVID Exposure Site list and follow the Government requirements. If you have been exposed and are required to quarantine please contact the school.
• If your child is sick, or displaying symptoms, please keep them at home. Children that present as sick or displaying symptoms at school will be sent home.  It is our preference that they gain a medical clearance or negative COVID test before they return to school.

Reimbursement for Activities Not Undertaken / Fee Assistance

Currently we have rescheduled many activities that have been missed throughout the year for this term.  At this stage we remain hopeful that they will go ahead.  If they cannot proceed parents will be reimbursed the cost.  If you are experiencing difficulties due to the pandemic please contact Fil at the Office for a confidential discussion regarding fees.

Regards,

Simon

Please read the article below in regards to helping children to cope with uncertainty during  COVID.

Using Play to support Children during COVID

Things are hard right now and if you need to talk about it or would just like to read some information on how to look after ourselves and our children, the following services will help you and articles will help you. 

If any families are struggling at this time and would like to reach out for a chat or support please contact Meg Escalante, our Wellbeing officer, via email on mescalante@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au. 

You can also visit the Be You website which has contact numbers for you to call. 

Reconciliation - Grade 3 Students

News from Fr Janeesh

The parent workshop for the sacrament of reconciliation is due to take place on the 14^th of October. I spoke to Fr Janeesh yesterday and he said, that with all that is going on at the moment, we will cancel the parent workshop for this year.

14th October - Parent Workshop - Cancelled

20th and 21st October - Reconciliation - New Dates to be confirmed

Hi Everyone,

Now that the weather is getting warmer and we are spending more time outside being active we need to remember to be Sun Smart.  I wanted to share some sun activities with you to help you remember.

This week I have include a colour by numbers worksheet.   Have fun with it and don't forget to send me the finished sheet to include in the newsletter.  

These activities are optional but a fun way to remember to be Sun Smart!

Don't forget to send me any finished work or photos of you being active. 

Have you set up your PAM account yet!

From the start of 2022 PAM will be 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.  

A new app (SimonEverywhere) will soon be available to download to allow easy access to PAM but for now please save the PAM log on screen to the home page of your device or bookmark it in your browser.  

Access PAM via this link   Link to PAM 

SIMON -  a Learning Management Software solution for schools.

St Patrick’s Primary school is now using SIMON in the classroom to keep track of your child’s progress and learning as well as attendance.  SIMON will also be used for School Reports and Student Wellbeing.

PAM, SIMON’s Parent Access Module

PAM (Parent Access Module) is our new 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.cathlic.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. 

The Book Club orders that were ordered early last Term, before we went into lockdown, have arrived at school. 

However, due to the restrictions on movement the items have not been sorted through or distributed.   This will be done over the next week and will be given out to the students during week 6 (week beginning 8th November). 

Thank you for your understanding.

Terri Morris 

Operoo is still our main platform for communication!  All correspondence will continue to go via the Operoo email platform.  In most cases it will be in Operoo that you will first be notified of any upcoming excursions or events.  Most of these events must first be approved before they appear on any calendar.  

Please remember to update any details in Operoo, for example change of address or phone number,  this will send us a message that your details have changed and we are then able to update our database.

Don't forget to upload your child's hayfever letters including symptoms specific to your child!

If you have any problems using Operoo, please call into the school office preferably on a Monday, Thursday or Friday and we will be able to help you.  

Please remember to update your contact details and any relevant medical details for your child.  

This can be either done via Operoo or contacting the school office.

The medical profile section of PAM has also now been turned on.   Please update this at your convenience.  We will still be using Operoo for any medical issues until the end of this year but as of the start of next year we will be moving to PAM for all communication and medical needs. 

Have you installed the new SZapp?   

Skoolbag is no longer being used, install SZapp now! 

 Follow the installation guide below to install the new app on your smart devices.