St Pat's News

Term 1 - February 10, 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

We Acknowledge the Gunditjmara people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are gathered today.

We respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past, present and future. We acknowledge their stories, traditions and living cultures on this land and commit to building a brighter future together.

From The Principal - Olga Lyons

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

There is a positive vibe around the school.  The children and teachers have settled into their routines.  During the first few weeks the classrooms are focusing on developing agreed expectations and norms around how they will work effectively to maximise their learning..  We call it 'Learning to Learn' time.  It's an important time when we establish effective working habits and strategies to ensure that the learning environments are safe, respectful and productive.  

During the Learning to Learn weeks we introduce the children to our School Wide Positive Behaviour matrix and mantra...Be Safe; Be Respectful; Be a Learner.

Thank you to the parents who came to the working bee last Saturday morning to freshen up the playground soft fall and sandpit.  Our concrete logo at the front of the school is gleaming after it was pressure washed.  It was a smaller team than usual so there were a couple of tasks that we didn't get to.  If anyone has some time to spare during the week, we need a path built outside the old school house.  Please contact me for details if you are interested. 

Kind regards,

Olga Lyons, Principal

2022 School Closure Dates

Term 1 - March Thursday 3 & Friday 4 (Staff Conference)

Term 2 - May 5 (Public Holiday/May Races)

Term 2 - Friday May 6 (Writing PD)

Term 2 - Tuesday June 14 (Report Writing)

Term 3 - Friday August 5 (School Wide Positive Behaviour PD)

Term 4 - Monday September 21 (Report Writing)

From The RE Leader - Eliza Dwyer

COVID-19 UPDATES

School Attendance

Please do not send children to school with cold like symptoms.  It is highly recommended that you administer a Rapid Antigen Test.  If the result is negative and symptoms persist, seek a PCR test result before sending them back to school. Unwell children should not be attending school.

Building Project

Update

This week the trenches/holes for the footings have been dug and prepared for concrete next Monday. Materials are starting to arrive onsite for the framing.  

Learning & Teaching

Reporting of Maths Learning

Over recent years, teachers at St Patrick’s have reported students’ Maths learning to parents through Seesaw posts (traffic light data). This has been in the form of pre-assessment data being sent home at the beginning of a learning cycle, followed by post-assessment data at the conclusion of the learning cycle. This year, in the interests of improving our collection of data and reporting to parents, we are trialling a platform called Essential Assessment. Teachers have begun training in the use of this platform and have begun using it with their students. As we transition to using Essential Assessment fully, teachers will not be sending Maths learning data home in Term 1. Parents wanting to know how their children are progressing in Maths in the meantime are invited to make an appointment to discuss this with their child’s teacher.

Donation Thank You

We were delighted this week to accept a generous donation of a painting created by the talented Indigenous Artist Cody Bindii Nappangarttii Smith.  The painting highlights the NAIDOC 2022 theme of  Get Up - Stand Up - Show Up.  It features in our entrance hall way.  Thank you to Cody and her family for considering our school as a worthy place to display this beautiful painting. 

From The Office - Janine Moloney & Bec Amor

Office Updates

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 or downloaded from the link below.

DOBCEL Family Fee Assistance Scheme

The Family Fee Assistance Scheme operates across all DOBCEL Catholic Primary Schools. Families who qualify for the scheme will pay $520 ($10 per week) for Primary School Tuition Fees.  Tuition fee discounts are available to holders of a means tested Health Care Card, Pension Card or Veterans Card and must be eligible for the education maintenance allowance.  Eligible families can present their cards to the office and complete an application form.  Forms and information can be downloaded from the link below. If circumstances change at any time the office need to be informed. 

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.

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.

Uniform

Uniform items can be ordered through CDFpay, by cash or EFTPOS at the office. Orders through CDFpay will be dealt with as quickly as possible but this may take a few days.

Folkie Camping - Help erecting lights and marking out the sites

St Patrick's runs a campsite in the school grounds during the Folkie Festival weekend. This is a major fundraiser for the school.

For this venture to be a success we need your help. Parents are needed to set up the lights and mark out the sites. If you can help please fill in the google form using the link below. All help will be eligible for volunteer family fee assistance.

Folkie Camping Set Up Help

DOBCEL Family Assistance Scheme Information Documents

Download

Camps, Sports and Excursions Information Documents

Download

HAVE YOU?

Filled in our Volunteer Jobs google form?  

Parent Volunteer Jobs

There are many ways you can help around the school, some of these jobs are eligible to volunteer levy rebates. If you are interested in helping in some way please click on the link above.

Filled in the 2022 Working Bee google form?

Working Bees

Working Bees are great way of helping the school and working off your volunteer levy points. We would appreciate it if each family could commit to one working bee for the year.

Each working bee is worth 15 volunteer points per person (5 points = 1 hour/$25).

Working Bees are held on the first Saturday of each term from 9am-12pm.

Please click on the link above to select a date.

PAM - Updated your child's medical information & checked that your contact details are up to date?

Please login to your PAM account and check that your child's medical profile and amend as necessary. You also need to check your contact details, your child's emergency contact and your address are correct. If any changes are needed please email Janine jmoloney001@spportfairy.catholic.edu.au

School Advisory Council

School Advisory Council

The School Advisory Council (SAC) meet once a term.  The Council members sign a DOBCEL Child Code of Conduct and A Fit and Proper Persons Declaration each year. The first meeting is March 1st at 7:30pm in the school library.

2022 SAC Members:

Chairperson: Matt Porter    Deputy Chairperson: Andrew Prosser

Secretary: Bec Greene

Principal: Olga Lyons 

Deputy Principal: Peter Sanderson

Parish Priest: Fr. John Corrigan 

Staff Rep: Anne Robertson     

P & F Rep: Lucy Lehne

Parents Elect: Clare Leddin, Jo Mackenzie, Jess Condon

5/6LW Class News

School News

Upcoming Events

Tuesday February 15 - P & F Meeting @ 7.30pm

Friday February 25 - P & F Street Race @ 4pm

Tuesday March 1 - SAC Meeting @ 7.30pm

Wednesday March 2 - Opening School Mass @ 10am

Wednesday March 2 - Folk Festival BBQ Meeting @ 7.30pm

Thursday & Friday March 3 & 4 - Pupil Free Days - Staff PD

Thursday March 10 - Folkie BBQ Set-Up @ 8am

Week of March 14 - Harmony Week

Thursday March 17 - St Patrick's Day

Thursday March 17 - Whole School Liturgy @ 10am, Special Lunch @ 11am, Kaboom Sports @ 11.30am

Monday March 21 - School Photos

Wednesday March 23 - School Athletics

Monday March 28 - Yr 6 Reconciliation @ 7pm

Friday April 8 - Last day of Term 1 @ 2.20pm

Tuesday April 26 - First day of Term 2

Saturday April 30 - Working Bee @ 9am - 12pm

Tuesday May 3 - Confirmation Parent Night @ 7pm

Thursday May 5 - Warrnambool Cup Day - Public Holiday

Friday May 6 - Pupil Free Day - Staff PD


Sports News

Our school sports this year will be held on Wednesday March 23rd 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.

Sporting Schools Program

The Sporting Schools program this year will run on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons after school from 3.20pm - 4.30pm. This program runs for 7 weeks each term. Term 1 finishes on Thursday March 24. Tom Sell, one of our Learning Support Officers, will be coordinating the program this year, along with our trainees.

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. 

Please use the Skoolbag App for each session your child is going to attend.

If you do not have the Skoolbag App, click on the link for instructions.

https://www.moqproducts.com.au/skoolbag/installation-instructions/

PAM - Parent Access Module

PAM is used for excursions/activities, absences, medical profile, emailing parents, learning conversations, literacy/numeracy bookings and school reports.

All absences, excursion permissions, medical information will be accessed through PAM (Parent Access Module). PAM is where you have been accessing your child's reports and making bookings for interviews.

You will use the same login and password that you were given at the end of last year. If you have forgotten your login please contact me. If you have forgotten your password you can reset it from the login page.

When you log in, there may be a warning at the top that asks you to verify your email address - please do this.

PAM Information

Instructions on how to complete a student absence and how to give permission for your child to go on a school excursion/activity.
Download

Folk Festival Volunteers

Do you want to make a significant contribution to our school community? Do you want to meet more parents from St. Patrick's school?  Do you want to earn a ticket to the Folk Festival Arena and soak up the atmosphere while listening to some great music?

If so...volunteer to work a shift at the St. Patrick's BBQ or to do food preparation at the school canteen on the Long Weekend in March.  We need more people to put their hand up to assist with this major fundraising event.  

2022 P&F Newsletter

Meeting

There will be a P & F Meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 15th February. Due to Covid restrictions this will take place via Google Meet.

The link to get into the meeting is:

https://meet.google.com/iap-njni-ebf

We hope to see you all there.

Term 1 Activities

-25th February- Street Race and Welcome BBQ

-11th – 14th March- Folk Festival BBQ Fundraiser

-17th March- St Patricks Day Special Lunch

- Easter Raffle

Folk Festival BBQ Fundraiser

We are still seeking helpers for the Folk Festival BBQ. This is one of our biggest fundraising opportunities for the year so it would be great to get as many helpers as possible. Please see Janine if you are able to help out. Please click on the link below to access the BBQ Google form

Folkie BBQ Google Form

This button takes you directly to PAM for Absences, School Activities, Reports, Learning Conversations, Numeracy & Literacy Interviews

Parish Masses

Port Fairy St Patrick's & Koroit Infant Jesus Mass Times

Saturday Vigil Mass - 6.30pm at Koroit

Sunday Mass - 9am @ Port Fairy

Community News

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