Newsletter Thursday 24^th November, 2022

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.

Good afternoon Parents/carers and guardians,

This has been one of our busiest weeks in the term. This week, we have moved our Junior school back into their home of the E block and we are now in the process of moving our middles and one senior class into the portables. This is all in preparation for the B block to be completely refurbished! I would like to acknowledge the work of my staff who have been busy packing, unpacking, moving furniture, teaching the students and continue to write reports all at the same time!

I would also like to acknowledge the work of our maintenance man, Dom Velten. He has worked long hours and gone above and beyond to ensure a smooth transition for our staff and students.

As many of you visit the E Block, you will notice the new Learning Space we have created and other changes such as the removal of the offices and a more open learning area. There is still some work to be completed in the E Block such as painting some of the existing walls and replacing some of the carpet. It is a long process but one that is worth waiting for.

Today we welcomed our 2023 Foundation students for their final transition where they met their teachers. See below for further details. The students were settled into their new classrooms and formally met their classmates for next year.

Many thanks goes to our P&F team for their incredible work over the weekend in both organising and working at the Bunnings BBQ on Saturday in Pakenham and the Parish Market on Sunday. Both events raised much needed funds for the school and Parish and their dedication to our school is so very appreciated.

A huge thanks also to Tresa Andrews and Noleen Chalmers who worked alongside the Parish team to ensure a successful market day on Sunday. It was wonderful to see many families there enjoying a sausage, buying up some bargains and getting to know new people. Thanks also to many of the staff who also chipped in and helped on the day by working on stalls and shopping up a storm!

Take care and God bless,

Meg

Staffing 2023

Foundation Teachers 2023

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Geraldine Wilmann and Miss Katherine Gronek are our Foundation teachers for 2023! Both teachers have been in the Junior school for the last couple of years. They have already spent a lot of time in preparation for the students next year. Yesterday, both Geraldine and Katherine visited the kinders and spoke to the teachers about the incoming students and how we can continue to support their transition.

We also welcome Mrs Donna Ward who will join our staff at St Patrick’s next year. Donna has taken up the role of Learning and Teaching Leader. Donna comes to our community with a wealth of experience and I look forward to welcoming her to our wonderful school.

Christmas Concert - 1st of December

This will be held in the stadium due to the poor condition of the oval. Families are still encouraged to bring picnic baskets and blankets, etc and chairs will be available for any older members of the family. Please begin arriving at 5:00pm for a 5:30pm start.

Rotary Public Speaking Competition

The Annual Rotary Public Speaking competition was held last night at the Pakenham Golf Club and I am proud to announce that two of our grade 6s were there to represent St Patrick’s PS. Samadie and Ryan in Grade 6 spoke with absolute professionalism and were awarded second and third place respectively. Congratulations to both Ryan and Samadie on this wonderful occasion!

Thanks to Belinda Couch, their grade 6 teacher for accompanying them last night. Another example of how our staff support their students in outside endeavours.

New NOONE uniform shop now open!

We are delighted to announce that the new Noone Officer store is open. Please find attached the location map and information flyer.  Our school uniform will be available at this location from this date going forward.  I encourage you to go and visit the store and have a look any time you are free.

Attached for your convenience the new student fitting letter for the 2023 new students.  This letter has the direct link to their online booking calendar for parents to make an appointment for a uniform fitting at the new Officer store.

Noone offers a Lay-by system where no deposit needs to be paid. The process is that the uniform is stored away until you are ready to collect it and when you do, you do not have to pay for all of the items at once. For e.g. You set aside 5 pieces of uniform in December and when you collect in January, you may only want 3 items and these are the items you pay for and the other 2 are kept aside for you.

Pick up and Drop off of students-The Avenue

Please ensure that you are NOT dropping your children off until you reach the area where that is supervised by teaching staff. Some parents/carers/guardians are dropping their children off and allowing them to walk across a busy car park and this is not safe.

Please think carefully and sensibly for the sake of all our students. Staff will not hesitate to approach parents if we feel that there is dangerous behaviour going on. We will not risk our students’ safety.

Families leaving St Patrick’s at the end of the year

As we continue to plan for 2023, any families who will NOT be returning to St Patrick’s next year are to notify the school in writing via email office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

Thank you to the parents who have put in their requests for 2023. Please note, the time frame for this is now closed and I will not be accepting any more requests for 2023 classroom placements.

Notifying the School of an Absence-IMPORTANT

Due to the increase in students not being at school, the office is taking several hours each day to chase up each absent student. I ask all parents to either use PAM or to contact the office directly to let them know that your child/ren will not be at school that day. We have a legal responsibility to know where the students are every day.

Parents please also note, that you are not able to talk to the teacher’s directly when ringing through to the school office. The teachers are in with the students and therefore staff cannot attend to phone calls to parents. If you wish to pass on a message to a teacher, please email them or ring the school office and ask the office staff to pass on the message to the teacher. Thank you.

COVID Update

With the new requirements coming through from the State Government, if your child/ren has Covid, they need to remain at home for a period of at least 5 days. it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that they remain at home after 5 days, if symptoms persist in order to minimise the spread of the infection amongst the other students and staff. I ask all parents to please be considerate of all families in our community and not willingly send an infected child to school. Please note that I will have no hesitation in sending a child home that is showing symptoms of any kind.

It is strongly recommended that students:

• Who test positive to COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five (5) days;
• Should not attend school after (five) 5 days if still symptomatic;
• Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school until their

symptoms resolve;

• Parents, guardians or carers advise the school of the COVID-19 positive test result.

To assist with limiting the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses, parents, guardians and carers

should be strongly encouraged to ensure that their child(ren) remain at home if they are unwell,

including if they have tested positive to COVID-19.

TERM DATES

TERM DATES - 2023

Please note that the below dates are subject to change

This week our Foundation students had there very first excursion to Old Gippstown !

This week our Year 2 students went to the Melbourne Museum !

Over today and tomorrow our year 4, 5 and 6 students have a Kendo Incursion where they will be learning a modern Japanese martial arts with bamboo sticks.

Last week we held our House Athletics Event at Toomuc Reserve.

This was a very successful day where all our Year 3-6 students got involved!

As you may be aware St Patrick’s Primary School has recently established a facebook page and we are thrilled to be able to share what is happening in our school life with you all via this platform.

A permission form will be sent out on PAM for you to request /confirm permission to use your child/rens photos on social media, please respond to this ASAP if you have not already done so.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087005542953

Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It’s important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying.

Often the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour.

In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month's edition https://stppakenham.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/bullying

Have you set up your PAM account yet! 

We have been using 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 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.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.