Newsletter 01/03/2021 Term 1 Week 6

From the Principal

Prayer

School Calendar

No Upcoming Events

New Newsletter & School App

We have now changed to our e-newsletter online. Hopefully families are finding it easy to navigate. 

Please follow the instructions below and down load the School Zine app -SZapp

There is also a link to our Parent Access Module (PAM) on the app.

Community Meal

This Wednesday Mr Sinnott's class will be involved in the Community Meal Project at the Uniting Church. We are excited to be back doing this Social Justice activity again and hope that we can be involved for the whole year. 

I Can Imagination Club Program

We are still trying to get a date for an info night.  I will let you know as soon as we can find another date. 

I will also be sending letters to parents over the next week for children we believe might benefit from this program, especially for the social & emotional benefits it gives. 

Parents Association Meeting

Tomorrow night is our Parents Association Meeting which will be 7.30 in the staff room .

Looking forward to see you there. 

Grade 5 Camp

The grade 5 camp to Portsea was a wonderful camp full of lots of challenge by choice activities, such as canoeing, swimming, giant swing, high ropes, flying fox, snorkelling and many others. The food was good as always and the multi million dollar views & beach were definely a highlight. 

Other activities the children completed were: the night time Star Wars game where Mr Sinnott's grade were the eventual winners, a Movie theatre visit to see 'War with Grandpa', a visit to Point Nepean to see the old army barracks & the Crossing to & fro on the Ferry with dolphins coming along for the ride. 

Once again many thanks to everyone for ensuring a great time away. 

My New Gallery

Catholic School Culture

Mass

Fr Neville is back to having a normal load at church (200 max) so families are most welcome to attend.

Mass will not be live streamed while we can attend mass. If anything changes we will let you know. 

Sacraments

Many thanks to the parents who made it to our Sacramental Program meeting last week and thank-you to the parents who sent in their child’s enrolment forms. Sacraments will take place on the following dates:

Reconciliation: Thursday 11th of March at 6.00pm in Camperdown.

Confirmation: Thursday 6th of May at 6.00pm in Camperdown.

First Communion (Eucharist):  Saturday 5th June at 6.30pm in Cobden or Sunday 6th of  June at 11:00am in Camperdown.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as Confession or Penance. During this sacrament, Catholics confess their sins to the priest in the spirit of true repentance and they receive forgiveness. The priest is a representative of Christ, who forgives sins through Him, when he says the words of absolution. Please keep the following children in your prayers as they continue to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation at home and at school; Alexis Barake, Halle Barake, Millie Bourke, Brodie Burkett, Theo Cheeseman, Matthew Cridland, Tommy Fox, Isabelle Gordon, Lucy Kleinhenz, Jayden Kleinhenz, Max Lucas, Abby Mulholland, Liam Pascoe and Wally Rees.

Lent: Week 2

This week through Project Compassion we learn about 39-year-old Margret, a teacher at a vocational school for deaf students in the Solomon Islands. She was born deaf, so she knows the challenges it poses to education and employment. Apart from the difficulties the students all have, the school also faced water shortages, with not enough to supply staff and students with safe water for drinking, cooking, washing and growing vegetables.

Then Tropical Cyclone Harold damaged the school and its vegetable garden, amidst the threat of COVID-19. Staff and students rely on the vegetable garden to provide food for their meals. 

With Caritas Australia’s support, the school installed water tanks, provided cyclone-proof building materials and helped to implement COVID-19 prevention measures. Margret’s school now has enough water for its students and the capacity to cater for more, with plans to boost food security, through increased agricultural production. Around 60% of people in rural areas in the Solomon Islands don’t have access to piped water, while about 80% don’t have access to latrines or toilets. (UNICEF, 2019)

 “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

COVID

In order to ensure the health and safety of all community members, we ask that all families adhere to the following guidelines;

Testing- Symptomatic (Feeling unwell) or Asymptomatic

If a member of a family is recommended by their doctor to have COVID 19 testing, this person is asked to self isolate until the results are known. Any children/siblings of this family are requested not to attend school unless the results of the testing are known. At best we will restrict the spread of possible contact with the virus if the test is positive. At worst we will have cost some children a few days at home if the test proves to be negative. This is a duty of care for all at school. If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice. Any unwell children WILL be sent home. We will temperature check any child we feel is unwell.

Sick Children at School

Every student that presents to the sick bay with cold or flu like symptoms will have their temperature taken and as we are operating on a zero tolerance, they will be sent home.

Visitors to St. Patricks

At this stage parents, volunteers, or community groups can come on a limited basis onto the school premises or grounds. Those visiting for educational purposes can do so, after answering the health questionnaire before entering and having a temperature test. This includes Catholic education staff to work with our teaching groups, and other allied health staff (speech, OT etc) working with students. Parents and guardians are asked to maximise the use of phone (5593 1962)and email communication with the school or directly to their child’s teacher.

Anyone coming in for longerthan 15 minutes will need to sign in at the office. 

Cleaning & Hygiene

To support the health and wellbeing of students and staff, the school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent handwashing by staff and students. Hand sanitizer will be located in high traffic/high touch areas and the classrooms.

Physical distancing

A range of measures will be in place to enable staff to do this. Our advice is that social distancing is still very difficult to manage between students and that while we will still be endeavouring to do this when we can, the reality is that there will be times when this will not be able to occur.

Drop Off & Pick Up Arrangements

Drop Off- Parents are welcome to drop off at the normal time from 8.30am onwards. All children will need to enter the school via Dimora Ave. Pick Up- Children being picked up by parents or walking home will continue to do so at 3.15. Children being collected from the church will leave school at 3.05 for F-2 children and 3.15 for grades 3-6. 

Bus Travel

Please also remind your children who travel on school buses of the importance of:

•       practicing good hygiene, including using hand sanitiser
•       maintaining physical distance from others where they can
•       wearing a face mask (secondary students)
•       obeying all instructions from bus drivers

Schools must follow the health advice set out in the Operations Guide.

 Reinforcing COVID Safe behaviours, such as staying at home and getting tested when unwell, physical distancing and wearing masks

• Creating COVID Safe spaces, including ensuring ventilation and regular cleaning
• Promoting COVID Safe activities, such as limiting visitors to schools, and reducing mixing between groups.
• Responding to coronavirus (COVID-19) risk.

Students of the Week

Birthdays

Happy Birthday From St Patrick's 

To the following students that celebrate their birthdays this week

2nd March 

Alice Dennis 2B

Evie Mahony 56D

Jonty Raven 56W

3rd March

Victoria Buckle 56C

Congratulations to Amanda, Steven, Maddison, Leroy and Harry Fisher on the  arrival of Olivia.  We are sure she will be one spoilt little babe!

School Community

Competitor Information

The 2021 Equestrian Interschool Championships, will be held at the picturesque Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, 10th-14th April 2021. The state-of-the-art facilities provide each competitor with the opportunity to perform at their best.

If you are interested in competing in the above event please contact the office.

https://equestrianinterschoolvictoria.com.au/

Community Events