Welcome to the 2020 school year.
I hope everyone had a restful break over the holiday period. Staff and students appear to have all settled in well and are looking forward to the year ahead.
Being the first newsletter for the year, there is a bit to get through, so put the kettle on and sit down with a cuppa as you read.
Congratulations to Rhea Thomas and Seif Sakate on receiving their Australian Citizenship on Australia Day.
Also, congratulations to Bethany Dyson, Sophie Gapes and Tilly Gapes for representing St Patrick’s at the Macarthur Pony Club Interschools equestrian event. Our school was awarded second place.
Vision and Mission
To start the year I remind everyone of our school Vision and Mission statement:
Vision
In the tradition of the Good Samaritan sisters, we are a Catholic educational community, giving
ourselves to goodness throughout our lives.
Mission
We do this by:
Nurturing, developing and celebrating faith
Welcoming, including and supporting each other
Inspiring and challenging each other through excellent teaching, leading to high levels of learning and
achievement for all
Respecting the uniqueness of each person
Enjoying life as part of a community
Responding to the personal safety and developmental needs of our students to support their mental,
spiritual and physical wellbeing, making our school a Child-Safe school.
As we move forward into the new school year, we pray and trust that each and every one of our
children will have the opportunity to develop and grow to their full potential as part of our school
community.
Welcome
We welcome our new Foundation students and their families to our school this year:
Nellie Bourke, Matilda Brian, Amala Brittain-Watts, Grace Burris, Maggie Currer, Otto Carrucan, Taj Chisholm, Lola Edmonds, Henry Elliott, Elsa Grahek, Tilly Hetherington, Darcy Kingsley, Wilton Knee, Harvey Lambert, Jack Leddin, Hudson Lehne, Eloise Little, Billy McCorkell, Tommy McCrohan, George Moutsos, Iney Murphy, Nelly Parkinson, Bonnie Phillips, Lilly Roberts, Poppy Robinson, Connor Sheehan, Will Versace, Sawyer Williams
We also welcome 3 new students and their families in other classes:
Finn Dempsey (Yr 1) Reuben Dempsey (Yr 3) Zeb McIntosh (Yr 1)
This year we also welcome new staff members:
Benson Steere (Yr 5/6 teacher)
Sarah Roberts (Learning Support Officer)
Harry Evans (Trainee / Learning Support Officer)
We hope that our new staff, students and families will find St Patrick’s a welcoming and supportive school community.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following students who have been elected student leaders for 2020:
School Captains: Poppy Myers and Max Clancey
School Vice-Captains: Lottie Cameron and Charlie Blake
House Captains:
Winnen: Sam Graham
Mackillop: Jack Matthews
Polding: Maisie Henderson
Samaritan: Isabella Little
Mini Vinnies Leaders: Lara Tamer and Mia Hetherington
Sustainability Leaders: Ella Jarrold and Hugo Jarrold
Eating breaks, food and rubbish
All classes have a fruit break at 10.00am and it is expected that every child will bring a piece of fresh fruit to eat during this time. The first main eating break is at 11.30am after first play, and it is at this time that children eat their sandwich. Canteen orders will be provided during this time on Thursdays & Fridays.
A reminder also that as part of our requirements for accreditation as a sustainable school, we ask that children bring rubbish free lunches every day. Children are encouraged to bring their sandwiches and other food in reusable containers or take their rubbish home with them.
Sunsmart
All students must wear a school hat each day from the beginning of September until the end of April.
Our policy is ‘no hat – no play’. Each classroom has sunscreen and the children are reminded to put some on before each break.
Class Representatives
Thank you to the parents who have offered to be a Class Rep this year. This role entails contacting other parents to contribute to the food bank, organising morning teas and social activities, liaising with the class teacher, filling in forms for head lice checks, doing odd jobs for the class teacher and attending 4 P & F meetings throughout the year. We are still looking for reps for Yrs 1/2M, 1/2CR, 3/4M and 5/6B. Please let the office know if you are able to fill these roles. This role is worth 40 volunteer points which is a full rebate on your volunteer levy.
The class rep will be given a list of family contacts for each class. Please notify the office if you do not wish your details to be included in this list.
Pupil Free Days
Our pupil free days for the year are as follows:
March 20th - Writing Professional Development
May 29th - Network RE Day
July 30th / 31st - Staff Retreat
Sports Day
Our school sports this year will be held on Friday February 28th at Brauerander Park from 10.00am - 2.30pm. All children will be competing in a variety of athletic events on this day and families are very welcome.
Assembly
Assembly is held every second Friday (on the odd weeks for Term 1) at 2.50pm in the hall. All parents and family members are welcome
to join us.
Working Bee
Our first working bee for this year was held last Saturday. Thank you to those families that were able to attend in very wet conditions. Working bees are held on the first weekend of each term and families are asked to nominate for one working bee per year. All working bee hours are eligible for volunteer levy points.
Sporting Schools Program
The Sporting Schools program will this year run on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons after school from 3.20pm - 4.30pm. This program runs for 7 weeks each term. Tom Sell, one of our Learning Support Officers, will be coordinating the program this year, along with Harry Evans, our trainee. Attendance forms are located on the Skoolbag App. Attendance slips must be filled out by 10am for each day your child is attending Sporting Schools. Any child without an attendance form will not be permitted to attend. There is more information regarding the Skoolbag App & attendance forms later in the newsletter.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund
CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child. The annual CSEF amount per student is $125 for primary school students. Families that have applied for CSEF funding last year do not need to reapply. New families will need to fill in the application form and provide a copy of their current Health Care Card. Forms can be collected from the school office.
Absences from school
In line with Catholic Education Office requirements, parents will now be contacted on the day if their child is absent from school and we have not received any communication regarding this. We would ask that parents notify us of their child’s absence as early as possible on the day (or earlier if the absence is planned). Our preferred method of notification is through PAM (Parent Access Module) or by ringing the office after 8.30am.
Supervision of students
Playground supervision will be provided before school from 8.40am and after school until 3.30pm and no formal supervision of the playground occurs outside those hours. You are requested to ensure children are not dropped off earlier or collected later than this.
Bus students will be supervised while getting off the bus in the morning and while waiting and getting on the bus in the afternoon.
Student Safety/Late Attendance
The side entrance door near the hall is locked from 8.55am, once the bell goes. Anyone arriving after this time, or visiting the school during the day, will need to enter via the front entrance. Any student arriving after 8.55am will need their parent/carer to fill in a late absence on the iPad located at the office.
Pedestrian Safety
With so many cars out the front of the school both before and after school it is very important that you use the school crossing if you park on the opposite side of William St, to ensure that both pedestrians and drivers remain safe. Parents are also asked not to use the staff car park, including the grassed area behind the hall, when dropping off or picking up children, as there are safety concerns for children with cars going in and out of the car park and children walking to/from school buses. The grassed area behind the hall and the staff car park is required for staff parking. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Website login
Our newsletters and many forms can be located and downloaded from our school website. The website also contains a calendar of current events. Login details can be found in this newsletter. We also try to post updates and information on our school Facebook page and via the Skoolbag app. Details on how to download the app are included in this Newsletter.
Canteen
Canteen will begin Thursday February 13th. Canteen is available most Thursdays and Fridays and a menu has been emailed to parents. The menu is also available on the Skoolbag app and the school website.
Wellbeing
Centacare will continue to offer families and students additional support at St Patrick’s in 2020. Our Family School Support worker, Melissa Lesu, is available at the school every Tuesday from 9.30am to 1.30pm and Wednesday from 9.30pm to 1.00pm. The wellbeing of every family in the school community is important to us and
Melissa is able to work with both parents and students. You can contact Melissa directly on 0429 144 082.
Folk Festival Camping
We are looking for a family to supervise the overnight camping for this year’s Folk Festival. This family will be responsible for supervising the camping ground from 8pm - 8am. A classroom is provided for the family to sleep in and 2 free Folk Festival tickets are available. Please let the office know if you can assist.
Year 6 parents, who supervise the campground during the day, will receive information regarding this in the next few days.
Thank you
Sincere thanks to our Parents & Friends for all their fundraising efforts last year. Their hard work and the support from our parent community saw the P&F hand over a cheque for $7,000 at our awards night last year.
Being the start of the year, this newsletter contains lots of information. Your patience in reading it all and responding is appreciated. We really do value the wonderful parental involvement and assistance we receive here at St Patrick’s and I thank you in anticipation.
Please feel free to contact me at any stage if you have any concerns or queries throughout the year.
We look forward to an exciting and productive year ahead.
Kind regards,
Peter Sanderson
Principal
