"That they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I am in you"
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- Principal's Message - 9th December 2021
- Birthdays
- DATES TO REMEMBER!
- Wellbeing
- Book Fair News!!
- News from the RE (Religious Education) team!
- PE NEWS!!
- The First Christmas by some children in 4T
- SIMON and PAM
- P & F News
- Contact and Medical Details
- Operoo
- Schoolzine App - SZapp
- Paddy's Kitchen - Every Sunday
- St Patrick's Parish Fundraising
Dear Parents,
This will be the last newsletter of the year as the students finish next Wednesday. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all families for your support and flexibility throughout what has been a challenging year. It has been wonderful to finish the year on a high and see so many children enjoying the activities that we have provided over the last few weeks. Below is an outline of the activities for the remainder of the year;
- Thurs 9th – Grade 3/4 Excursion Healesville Sanctuary / 2022 Prep Transition
- Mon 13th – New Grade Transition / Reports Home
- Tues 14th – End of Year Mass 9.30 (students only due to COVID it will be livestreamed for parents) /Grade 6 Provided Lunch
- Wed 15th – Students Last Day – Free Dress (wear Christmas colours) / Clip and Climb excursion Year 6 / Grade Six Graduation
- Fri 17th – Staff Last Day
Personally, it is with a heavy heart that I write this newsletter as I have been seconded along with Anna Viney to St Catherine’s in Berwick next year. I will really miss St Pat’s, it is a wonderful school, the students are a delight to work with. It is made easier leaving knowing that the school is in such capable hands next year with Meg Escalante as the Acting Principal. I thank all of the staff for their efforts once again this year, we are very blessed to have the committed and professional staff here at St Pat’s. I hope that they enjoy a well-earned break and come back refreshed for the New Year.
I hope that all families have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. The first day back for students is Tuesday the 1st of February
2022 Staffing
At the time of writing this newsletter we are still finalising the last few details of the 2022 teaching structure. This will be distributed to families in a letter on Friday.
Sacraments
Congratulations to all of the students who celebrated a Sacrament over the last few weeks, culminating with Confirmation on Saturday. Parents would appreciate that this has been a large task and on behalf of everyone I thank Fr Janeesh, Fr Paul, Siji, Noleen Chalmers and all of the Parish Sacrament Team.
Graduation Week – Year 6
We wish all of our Year Six students the very best as they leave St Pat’s and embark upon the next phase of their lives. It has been a pleasure getting to know them and they have been wonderful role models for our school. Good luck for next year and beyond.
The students will have a very exciting finish next week after just returning from camp yesterday. Thanks to the Year 6 staff and Cindy Byrne who have worked hard to organise a Graduation Week for the students to enjoy, culminating in the family Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday the 15th. Over the course of the next week the students will participate in signing of Graduation Bears, a movie, takeaway lunch, an afternoon disco, creation of memory boards, an excursion to Clip and Climb and the picnic Graduation celebration that can be attended and enjoyed by families as well as the students.
Christmas Cards Between Students
It is that time of the year when the students enjoy writing cards to each other for Christmas. We ask that if you are attaching a candy cane to the card that they are sealed and stuck to the card. They children can then enjoy them when they get home.
COVID
Please continue to watch for symptoms with your children and get them tested if necessary. If your child does return a positive result we ask that you contact the school asap. The rules have changed regarding a positive case within the school and students will no longer be required to isolate for 14 days if they are a school close contact. They will now need to provide a negative test to return to school. Household close contacts will still be required to isolate for 14 days.
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
Parent Access
Parents are now welcome to enter the school grounds without the need to QR on your way in. Please remain outside the classrooms and do not enter the buildings. If you are coming for a pre-arranged appointment please sign in and QR code at the Office. Masks are required to be worn by parents at all times when indoors at school.
Dropping Off in the Morning
A reminder that students are not to be at school before 8.30am as they are not supervised. Anyone early needs to remain with their children until a staff member opens the gates.
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;
- Parents are now welcome to enter the school grounds without the need to QR on your way in. Please remain outside the classrooms and do not enter the buildings. If you are coming for a pre-arranged appointment please sign in and QR code at the Office.
- 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 indoors at school.
- Please communicate with staff via phone or email.
- The Office is open, 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.
- 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.
Regards,
Simon
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Maluil PrF, Nathan 3S, Bowen 6R, Shaylyn 5S, Jackson 4M, Riley 3M, Edan 1O, Sophie 6R, Amelie 1W, Naomi 5RS, Ayen 6L, Mielle 6R, Mary 3S, Mikaylah 6C, Riley 4M, Emma 5TA, Tyler 2G, Mikayla 3D, Akuoch PrC, Mpho 1MT, Fyfe 4D, Abuk 2V, Abut 6C, Marcos 2G, Clara 4M, Raphael 1W, Tiana 6R, Zyjhan 3D, Deborah 3D, Achieu PrF, Anant 3S, William 4M, Winter 2V, Senuri 4T, Lillian 4M
| Friday 10th December |
Mini Olympics for Prep - Gr2 and Gr6 |
| Monday 13th December |
Gr 6 Free Dress day. |
| Tuesday 14th December |
End of Year Mass 9.30 - Click on the link to view. Click here to view Mass |
| Wednesday 15th December |
Gr 6 Clip n Climb Excursion |
| Wednesday 15th December |
Last Day for all students - free dress and icypole day - Grade 6 need to wear sport uniform. |
| Wednesday 15th December |
Grade 6 Graduation - 5pm |
| Wednesday 15th December |
Last Day for all students - 3.10 finish |
| Tuesday 1st February 2022 |
First Day for Students |
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Safe New Year.
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.
News from the RE (Religious Education) team!
NEW DATES!!!!
Tuesday 14th December will be our End of Year Mass, at 9.30am. Due to COVID we can only have students attend Mass, however we will be livestreaming if Parents wish to view. Click on this link to view Mass
Christmas Masses
Please click on this link to access the St Patrick's Parish Webpage for updated Christmas Mass times.
Mrs Louise Breeden
Phys Ed Teacher
Sports Coordinator
St Patrick's Primary School
The Story of Jesus Birth 30th Nov
Edited and proofread by Marcus
One day Joseph had a dream and the dream was an Angel telling Joseph to marry Mary and name their baby Jesus.
Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem so they could tick their name off on a census. The Emperor Augustus ordered the census.
When they got to Bethlehem all the inns were booked and then they found a stable and then Mary had her baby.There were 3 Shepherds and they were looking after their sheep. Then the Angel told them to go to the stable. You will find a baby in a manger and Women and Man the 3 Shepherds went to the stable. Some Kings saw an unusual star they followed it and it lead them to the stable and they heard baby Jesus was going to be the King of the Jews so they all went to bed. Joseph had a dream and an Angel appeared in the dream and he said wake up and go to Egypt so they got up and went back to Egypt until King Herod was dead.
The Birth of Jesus
Edited and proofread by Abby
30/11/21
Joseph didn’t want to marry Mary but in Joseph's dream, an angel appeared and told Joseph to marry Mary.
Mary was also told that she was going to have a baby and that it was going to be named Jesus.
When it was time to give birth, Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem. They tried looking for rooms but the rooms were not available, but a kind man let them give birth in a manger.
After Mary gave birth to Jesus, the 3 kings followed the star to tell the king where Jesus was but they did not tell at all.
When they arrived, the 3 kings gave Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The shepherds came too.
After they go back home, the angel tells Mary and her family to travel to Egypt so Jesus doesn’t get killed.
When King Herod dies, Mary and her family get told that they can return back to Nazabeth.
The Birth of Jesus edited and proofread by Kuai
The angel appeared in Joseph's dream and told him to marry Mary but Joseph didn’t want to but the angel said he had to so Joseph accepted to marry Mary. Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census, ordered by Emperor Augustus. Mary and Joseph tried to find a room but the inns were full. Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. A bright star appeared and the three kings followed it. The three kings gave Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. The angel said to Joseph in a dream to not go back to king Herod otherwise he’ll kill the baby Jesus so they went to Egypt until king Herod died.
The Birth of Jesus 30/11/21
Edited and proofread by Christina
Good morning Bethlehem people, I'm here with Matthew and Luke. Can you tell us the story of Jesus’s birth? Of course it started 2,021 years ago. Mary and Joseph were engaged but before they got married Mary found out she was going to have a baby by the holy spirit. Joseph was a man that always did right. Then Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant. Joseph didn't want to break off the engagement in public so he broke the engagement off privately. When Joseph was thinking about the engagement an angel appeared to Joseph and said. Joseph please marry Mary she is going to have a son by the holy spirit. You and Mary will name him Jesus. After that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census.There was no room in the inns so the innkeeper said I got a stable and then Mary gave birth to Jesus in the stable. After that Mary swaddles Jesus in cloth.Three men from the east saw a different star and said we should follow it. When the three men arrived in Bethlehem they went to king Herod and asked where the newborn king was. We have come to worship him. King Herod wanted to be king forever so he said go look for the baby so I can bring him gifts too.
But inside his heart he wanted to kill Jesus. And then they went off to find Jesus. They found Jesus and his parents in a stable. We bought our new king gifts. We have gold frankincense and myrrh. Then they went off to tell king Herod and then an angel appeared and said don't go to Herod he wants to kill Jesus go another way and so they did. An Angel appeared to Joseph and said Herod wants to kill Jesus so take Jesus and his mother and go to Egypt and don't come until God says so. They came back to Bethlehem when Jesus was a boy and after Herod died that's it for today folks its Christina for Bethlehem news signing off.
The Birth of Jesus 30-11-2021
Edited and proofread by Beaulah
Joseph did not want to marry Mary but the angel said “You have to marry Mary and name the baby Jesus”.
Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken so Joseph had to go back to Bethlehem.
Mary and Joseph had no place to stay since the inns were full. Until they went to a stable. Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger, they swaddled him up, and let him rest.
3 kings found a special star and followed it, it led to a stable. The 3 kings gave Jesus myrrh, gold and frankincense.
An angel found shepherds, The angel told them where Jesus was.
The shepherds found Jesus and worshipped him. King Herod did not want a new king so he said “Tell me where he is” but the 3 kings were warned by an angel not to go. So they went to their country.
An Angel warned Joseph in his sleep and said “ Go to Egypt because King Herod is looking for you.” So he took Mary and Jesus and went in the night.
They came back when King Herod died.
The Birth of Jesus 30-11-21 proofread and edited by Derwei
Joseph and Mary were going to have a baby but Joseph did not want to have a baby yet because you can't have a baby before marriage. So he wanted to cancel the marriage but in his dream an angel told him to marry Mary because she will give birth to the savior. He then married Mary the next day.
After they got married, Emperor Augustus demanded everyone go to the country they were born and raised in for a census. So Joseph and Mary had to walk all the way to Bethlehem. When they got to Bethlehem, they were looking for a place to stay but all the inns were full. It was too late for them to find another inn because Mary was going to give birth so they went to a stable. At the stable, Mary gave birth to Jesus and after that a star came to the three kings telling them to go there. Then when they got there they gave Jesus 3 gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. A few minutes later, some shepherds came after an angel told them to and they gave Jesus some food. The kings were meant to tell King Herod where Jesus was so he could kill him but an angel said not to so they went to their own countries. In Joseph' s sleep, an angel told him to go to Egypt and stay there until Herod died so they had to walk all the way to Egypt.
The Birth of Jesus By:Senuri Gnanadasa
Edited and proofread by:Senuri Gnandasa 30/11/21
Joseph was a man who did everything right, so he decided not to marry Mary.
In his dream, an angel appeared and said, “Joseph! Don’t be afraid! You must marry Mary! She is having a baby by the holy spirit, and you will name it Jesus!” With that said, Joseph married Mary.
One day Emperor Agustus ordered a census. Joseph took Mary and went to Bethelhem. When he went to an inn, it was full so they had to have Jesus in a stable. Jesus was swaddled in a cloth.
The three kings found a strange star in the sky, and followed it. They came to Jesus and gave him frankincense,gold and myrrh.
When king Herod heard about a “new king”, he was upset and planned to kill Jesus.
He sent the three kings to find Jesus and when they were going back, an angel appeared and said, “Don’t go back to Herod!” The three kings listened and then took another route back to their kingdom.
In Joseph’s dream, an angel said, “Leave to Egypt, take your son and his mother and don’t come back until I tell you so.!” So that night, Joseph took Mary and Jesus and went to Egypt. They stayed in Egypt until King Herod died.
The Birth of Jesus
Edited and proofread by Gurnaaz Dhillon 30/11/21
Joseph did not want to marry Mary because she was pregnant.But an angel came to him and said ‘marry Mary’
.Soon after there was a census so Joseph went to Bethlehem and took Mary with him.When they arrived to Bethlehem Mary was about to give birth so they needed to find a place to stay
.They went to 3 inns ,The first innkeeper said no,the next person also said no. The last said no but I have a stable nearby where you can stay .Mary put Jesus in a cloth and swaddled him.
Three kings saw a star then and followed it knowing it led to Jesus.On their way they met King Herod
.King Herod said ‘find the baby and bring him to me so I can also worship him’ but deep inside he wanted to kill Jesus.
The kings continued to follow the star till they found Jesus. They presented him with three gifts containing Frankincense,Myrrh and Gold.
They were now about to go to king Herod but an angel came and said Do NOT GO BACK TO HEROD so they went back on a different path
.On that same night an angel appeared and told Joseph to take Mary,Jesus and himself to Egypt and not to return till he said.They stayed there until King Herod died.Then they returned,
The Birth of Jesus
Edited and proofread by Angus Byrne 30-11-21
2021 years ago there were two people named Mary and Joseph. They were engaged but Joseph did not want to marry Mary because she was pregnant before they were married. That night an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph. The angel said don't be afraid, marry Mary and you will name the baby Jesus because he is your saviour. The next day Mary and Joseph gos married Joseph got the news of a census in Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem all the Inns were full. But one Innkeeper had a barn where Jesus was born. Mary waddled Jesus in cloth and laid Jesus in a manger. That night an angel told two shepherds about Jesus after a choir of angels said praise the lord. The shepherds went straight to Jesus and gave him a little lamb. The same night three wise men gave Jesus myrrh, frankincense and gold. When everyone went to sleep an angel told the three wise men to go to their home country because king Herod wanted to kill Jesus because he was the new king. That same night an angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt until Herod was dead.
30/11/21
The Birth of Jesus
Edited and proofread by Olivia Cridland-Hind.
Joseph didn’t want to marry Mary because she was pregnant and they weren’t married yet. An angel told him to marry Mary and to name the child Jesus.
They go to Bethlehem because of the census and Mary gives birth in a stable because there was no more room in the inns.
An angel told shepherds a special infinite was born and that they’ll find this infinite in a manger wrapped in cloth. The shepherds were scared at first but then they decided to go find the special baby.When they found Jesus they worshipped him.
Three kings from the East saw a special star and followed the star all the way to the stable where Jesus was. They were sent by an awful King called Herod who wanted to kill Jesus, but the three kings didn’t know that. They were told to find Jesus and to come back and tell Herod where Jesus was so Herod could come and ‘worship him’. The three kings gave Jesus three gifts fit for a king, gold , frankincense and myrrh. When looking for Jesus to kill him.
they were heading back an angel told them to go back another way so they did.
An angel told Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt and not to leave until Herod dies because Herod is.
The Birth of Jesus 30th of November
Edited and proofread by Addison Rose
Joseph didn't want to marry Mary after he found out she was pregnant . While he was sleeping an angel told him “ Joseph do not be alarmed to marry Mary she is an extraordinary woman ” .
There was a census in Bethlehem , Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary tried to get a room at the inn but the inn was full because of the census . They found a stable to stay in for the night . Mary gave birth to Jesus inside the stable then she swaddled Jesus in a cloth and placed him in a manger.
The three wise men saw an unusual star in the sky so they went to the east to find Jesus. They eventually did manage to find him and they started to worship him but before the three wise men found Jesus they went to see King Herod
The three wise men asked him “Where is the new king your highness ?” King Herod was confused and told them “ What are you talking about?” The three wise men told King Herod what they were talking about.In King Herod's mind he wanted to kill jesus.
In Bethlehem an angel told Mary and Joseph to go to Egypt because King Herod sent people to find Jesus to kill him ,so Joseph and Mary stayed in Egypt until King Herod died to keep Jesus safe. After they left Egypt they went back to Nazareth and continued on with their lives.
The Birth of Jesus By Zita
Edited and proofread by Zita
A man named Joseph was engaged to a woman named Mary. Joseph didn’t want to marry Mary because she was already pregnant. An angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him to marry Mary. The angel also told him to name their baby Jesus.
Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem for a census. When they got to Bethlehem there was no room in the inns because lots of people came for the census. They found a room in a stable and had the baby there. Joseph named the baby Jesus just like the angel had told him to.
When king Herod heard that a new king was born he told the three kings to find him so he too can worship the new king. The three kings followed a star in the sky. The star was shining above a stable so the three kings walked in bearing gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. An angel appeared to them in a dream telling them not to go back to Herod. The three kings listened to the angel and went back to their country on a different route.
Not long after that an angel appeared to some shepherds and said the lord had been born, in a stable in Bethlehem. Then a choir of angels appeared giving praise to the lord. The shepherds went to Bethlehem, found the baby, praised him, and then left.
After that an angel appeared to Joseph in another dream telling him to take his family to Egypt until Herod died. Joseph did what the angel told him to do and went to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. When king Herod died Joseph took Mary and Jesus back to Nazareth.
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 current committee is as follows:
Morwenna Harder - President
Karen Duiker - Vice President
Amy Condon - Treasurer
Tanya Fernandes - Secretary
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.
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.
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.
Our much awaited Church Renovation is about to begin and is anticipated to cost in the order of $4.2 million. After contributions from Parish funds, the “Be a Sponsor of Church Renovation” programme aims to provide extra funding for the Sacred Artwork that will adorn our new church as well as reducing the loan repayments to Catholic Development Fund and thereby reflecting our strong Parish Community.
Please see the flyers below for more information and keep up to date on the Parish webpage. https://stpatrickspakenham.com.au/fundraising/