"That they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I am in you"
Filter Content
- Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope
- Birthdays
- Principal's Newsletter
- Foundation excursion to Healsville Sanctuary
- 2025 Book Fair
- Artist of the Week
- St Patrick's Beanies
- DATES TO REMEMBER
- Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
- General School Reminders
- D'Vine Kids
- Artist Talk - The long way home with Kush Kuiy - Copy
- Sacrament Dates
- Camp Australia Holiday Program
- PAM and SIMON Everywhere
- CDF Pay by Flexischools
- SIMON Everywhere
- Contact, Media Consent and Medical Details - Copy
- School Fees and Concessions
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!
Raine 4VR, Faith 5SA, Olivia FGW
Gospel of the Week
Gospel of the Week
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
As the Father sent me, so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit.
In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
The Gospel tells us that this is the first time Jesus appears to His disciples after being raised from death. They are hiding behind a locked door in fear when Jesus appears to speak with them. Jesus shows physical evidence of His crucifixion, then gives the men a partial measure of the Holy Spirit.
In this room, Jesus comes and stands among them, and His first word, the first word out of His mouth is peace. “Peace be with you.” I'm just thinking about how Jesus brings peace to you and me in a world where there is so much reason for lack of peace. Every week at Mass, we hear the prayers of the faithful that continually pray for peace in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine and for any other unrest in our world. Will we ever come to know peace? Will the hearts and minds of humanity come together to understand we all bleed, laugh, cry and love. Why can we not find solitude in that we are all human…
Tomorrow is a Pupil Free Day. The teachers will be onsite as part of our professional development. Tomorrow we are continuing to explore our journey as we prepare for our School Review. We will focus on our priorities as a school and how we can continue to improve our process and procedures in order to ensure the best outcome for our students, socially, emotionally and academically.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending Healesville Sanctuary with the Foundation students. We were blessed with cold but sunny weather; however we were so busy, we didn’t get time to notice. Together we visited the dingoes, the wombats, we saw some snakes and had the opportunity to attend the Spirits of the sky bird show. Here we saw a buzzard, some cockatoos and a wedge tailed eagle. Such an amazing creature! There are some photos in the newsletter and next week, we will have some stories from the students themselves.
We are having some issues with staff shortages at the moment due to illness amongst the teachers. Your children may come home and explain they have been split amongst other grades if we have been unable to secure a classroom teacher. Please know that all the students are still with teachers and will continue to work off Google classroom as well as be included into that classes’ activities. Many of the older students being split are going into the junior grades and assisting in there which is something they really enjoy. Once again, I ask that if your child is presenting with cold and flu symptoms, please keep them home.
REMINDER: TOMORROW FRIDAY 6TH JUNE IS A SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY. Monday the 9th of June is the King’s Birthday and a Public Holiday. The students will resume on Tuesday 10th June.
Thank you and God Bless,
Meg
What a wonderful day our Foundation students had at Healsville Sanctuary. Please enjoy a few photos of the day. We will share some more in next weeks newsletter.
The Book Fair will be in the Library again this year.
Parents, carers, grandparents are welcome to come in with your child/ren to purchase any book/s.
Children will come home with a wish list after viewing the books at school. You can send cash with the child or go to the Lamont website www.lamontbooks.com.au and pay by credit card. These are options if you are unable to come and visit the book fair at school. This year the book fair will be open while parent teacher meetings are on. Your child/ren must be accompanied by an adult.
Book Fairn Dates:
Monday June 30th – Wednesday 2nd July
Monday From 8:30 – 9:00am and 3:00 – 4:15pm
Tuesday and Wednesday From 8:30 – 9:00am and 3:00 – 6:00pm
Thank you again for your support
Please enjoy a selection of amazing artwork by some of our very talented students
Vula 6TA
Alexandra 6TA
Ziva 6TA
Chase FGW
Carter FKG
Mia FGW
We are selling St Patrick's Primary School branded beanies. These can be purchased for $12.00 from the office.
Perfect for the chilly mornings!
DATE | ACTIVITY |
6/06/2026 | Pupil Free Day |
09/06/2025 | King's Birthday Public Holiday - No School |
10/06/2025 | Year 3 Excursion - Myuna Farm |
11/06 to 13/06 | Year 4 Phillip Island Camp |
16/06 to 18/06 | Year 5 City Camp |
01/07/2025 | Parent Teacher Meetings |
02/07/2025 | Parent Teacher Meetings |
04/07/2025 | Last Day of Term 2 |
Year Level Camp/ Fun Day Dates:
DATE | YEAR LEVEL | ACTIVITY & LOCATION |
30/10/2025 | 3 | Fun Day - St Patrick's Primary |
11/06/2025 - 13/06/2025 | 4 | Camp - Phillip Island |
16/06/2025 - 18/06/2025 | 5 | Camp - City |
25/11/2025 - 28/11/2025 | 6 | Camp - Coonawarra Farm Resort |
TERM DATES 2025
First Day | Last Day | |
Term 2 | 22nd April | 4th July |
Term 3 | 21st July | 19th September |
Term 4 | 6th October | 16th December |
2025 PUPIL FREE AND TIME IN LIEU DAYS:
The 3 Time in Lieu days ensure that we can manage our commitment for all staff to continue to provide activities such as school camps for our students.
Please note, these dates are separate from our 8 Staff Professional Development days. Those 8 days are for our staff professional learning which will focus on Religious Education, Learning and Teaching and Student Wellbeing.
07/03/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
06/06/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
21/08/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
22/08/2025 | TIL |
31/10/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
03/11/2025 | TIL |
17/12/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
18/12/2025 | Pupil Free Day |
19/12/2025 | TIL |
Dear parents, guardians and carers
Re: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
- consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
- develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.
The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).
Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).
If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.
School Review
Every 4 years, a school undergoes a thorough review process. This year we have 3 Reviewers coming in June to conduct this. During this time, we complete a Self-Reflection Tool which helps us to reflect on the goals we had for the last four years. This review is occurring in June this year. See below an explanation of the self-reflection process.
The Purpose of the School Self-Reflection Process
The Self-Reflection Process is an opportunity for schools to pause and reflect on their achievements within the school improvement cycle. This will support schools to deepen their understanding of their current context and provide a clear and succinct high-level summary of where the school has had impact in pursuit of their strategic intent.
The summary supports schools to evidence their successes across all areas of their Strategic Improvement Plan. This will be the outcome of an in-depth analysis of the data available to the school. Additionally, the Self-Reflection Process will assist School Reviewers to understand the goals and practices that the school currently has in place to enhance student learning.
The Self-Reflection Process provides schools with the opportunity to:
- Importantly celebrate their relentless pursuit of school improvement.
- Begin to understand where they are situated in their school improvement journey in line with the evidence-based criteria underpinning the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) School Improvement Tool (SIT) and Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) Catholic Identity and Religious Education Improvement Tool (CIREIT).
Health Issues
Once again, we are hitting the Winter season and along with that comes cold and flu. We have also seen an outbreak of Gastro going throughout the school. I ask all parents to PLEASE be very vigilant when it comes to deciding if your child is well enough to come to school. Children with nasty coughs, runny noses, fevers, sore throats and upset tummies need to be kept home and monitored. Sending your children to school will not do them any good, nor will it be wise for the rest of the community. If your child/ren are showing these symptoms, we will be ringing you and asking you to collect them please.
Head Lice has also begun to make its way back into the classrooms. Please be extremely vigilant when it comes to any of these health concerns. Thank you.
Parking and Road Safety issues
As no doubt you have read, there will be changes made to The Avenue car park over the coming months. In light of this, Cardinia Shire Council have sent me some correspondence relating to parking and road safety. The council has noted that that there have been reports of illegal parking and dangerous driving, something that is not acceptable in any situation let alone a school car park. To ensure the safety of all pedestrians, staff, parents and students, we ask that you:
- Park only in designated areas-not on nature strips, bus zones or area reserved for staff
- Follow up drop off and pick up procedures
- Be mindful of pedestrians
- Be respectful of all drivers
Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE-CHANGES TO THE AVENUE CAR PARK
There will be major changes to the carpark in the coming weeks. I ask all parents to please be patient as we change the operation of this carpark to make it a safer place for all. I will be asking all parents to please be familiar with the new format and to follow the rules.
The main changes taking place are as follows:
- All car parks will be angle parking. NO reverse parking is allowed.
- The car park will be a ONE WAY only now.
- There will be a Safety Crossing for anyone who has parked and are walking their children into school. This crossing MUST be observed. Please do not cross anywhere else or be prepared to be spoken to by staff.
Future Enrolments
This term, once again, we have had multiple inquiries for school tours, in particular for 2026.
With this in mind, can I please ask for any existing families who have younger siblings coming to St Patrick’s in the next few years, to please make sure they fill in their enrolment forms early as possible. St Patrick’s is looking to manage a high demand of places within the school community and places may become limited.
St Francis Xavier College, Officer school tours
If you are looking to enrol your child into St Francis Xavier, Officer, please note these important dates in your calendar.
Officer Campus Talk & Tour – 09.30am – 10.45am
Tuesday 24 June
Tuesday 12 August
Tuesday 09 September
Tuesday 14 October
Wednesday 12 November
Year 7 2026 Enrolment Interviews
Wednesday 4 June
Wednesday 29 October
Year 7 2027 Enrolment Interviews
Wednesday 2 July
Year 7 2027 Parent Information Evening
Wednesday 7 May 7.00pm
Year 7 2026 Transition Day – Monday
8 December all day
Parent Helpers-Term 2
We will be running an induction for any parents who wish to help in the classroom early in Term 2. Please note, any parents wishing to assist in the classroom must have a Working with Children Check. It only needs to be a Volunteer one to assist in the classroom. The school will require a copy of this to keep in our files. We will notify parents of the date once we have finalised it.
Artist and producer Kush reflects on almost four years of research into diasporic artmaking, festival-making, and cultural memory.
Through Rise of South Sudan Music and Arts Festival and a new work, Homecoming, she explores how art can teach us who we were, are, and — most importantly — could be, while strengthening community. Join us for an evening of storytelling, dialogue, and connection.
A lifelong resident of the South East of Melbourne, Kush has become a prominent figure in the local arts scene, staging innovative experiences that spotlight performing artists emerging from the vibrant community.
First Holy Communion
“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Lk. 22:19
"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,”
Mark 14:22-25
Key Dates
Enrolment packs to be collected from the Parish |
Tuesday 24th June 2025 – 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm Friday 27th June 2025 – 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm Tuesday 1st July 2025 – 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm Choice of enrolment dates and times: A fee of $20 will be paid on the day. |
Commitment Mass |
2nd and 3rd August all weekend Masses Saturday- 6pm, Sunday -9:00,10:30 and 5pm |
All students receiving the Sacrament of First Holy Communion will receive Reconciliation at 11.45 am on 10th September 2025.This will happen during school time.
|
|
Blessing mass |
September 13th and 14th all weekend Masses Saturday- 6pm, Sunday -9:00 and10:30 |
Parent Workshop- Fr Elio Capra |
Thursday 28th August 2025 at 7.00pm
PARENT WORKSHOP (ONLY PARENTS) IT IS AN EXPECTATION THAT ALL PARENTS OF CHILDREN RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF COMMUNION WILL ATTEND ON THIS NIGHT. |
Reflection Day |
Friday 10th October at school. (time TBC) |
Celebration of the Sacrament |
October, Saturday 11th at 6 pm and Sunday 12th at 10:30am October, Saturday 18th at 6pm and Sunday 19th at 10:30am
|
Bookings for your preferred time and link will be shared in the coming weeks.

BE SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (Act 2:1-5)
For students in Grade 6 and have received the sacrament of First holy communion
Key Dates
Enrolment packs to be collected from the Parish |
Tuesday 13th May 2025 – 1.00pm – 2.00 pm Friday, 16th May 2025, 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm Tuesday 20th May 2025 – 6.30 pm – 7.30pm Choice of enrolment dates and times: A fee of $20 will be paid on the day. |
Commitment mass |
14th & 15th June all weekend Masses Saturday- 6 pm, Sunday -9:00 and 10:30 |
Parent Workshop |
Thursday 21st August 2025, at 7.00 pm |
PARENT WORKSHOP (ONLY PARENTS) IT IS AN EXPECTATION THAT ALL PARENTS OF CHILDREN RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION WILL ATTEND ON THIS NIGHT |
|
Blessing mass |
23rd and 24th of August, all weekend Masses Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. |
Reflection Day at school |
Tuesday 26th August. Time TBC |
Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation |
Saturday 30th August,3 pm and 6 pm |
Bookings for your preferred time and link will be shared in the coming weeks.
For more information please contact:
Mary Tresa Andrews
mandrews@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Religious Education Leader, St Patrick’s Primary School.
We use 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 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.
St Patrick’s Primary School will now use a NEW form of CDFpay that is different to the one that we have used in the past. The NEW CDFpay is powered by Flexischools and is an App based system. This is a way of collecting money for any Fundraising, Events and paying for school lunchtime treats like Popcorn for your students.
Parents and Guardians will need to download the App and register. Instructions on how to register are as follows:
How to register for a CDFpay account
1. Search ‘CDFpay’ on the App Store (Apple) or Google Play store, download the app, then click ‘Sign up now’ or enter the following link in your web browser:
Look for this App Logo and Download
2. Enter and confirm your email address, then click ‘Sign up’.
3. Check your email inbox and follow the prompts to complete your account registration (check junk/spam if lost).
Have questions? Visit https://flexischools.zendesk.com/hc/en-au/ for detailed FAQs or chat to the Flexischools Digital Assistant. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please complete the online Contact Form and Flexischools will get back to you directly.
When you are set up on the App. you will be able to select the Event, Fundraiser or item to purchase for your student. The school will be notified when the payment is made.
School Fees will continued to be paid via the Direct Debit arrangement, BPay or via Card in the school office.
SiMON Everywhere is an app our school uses to acces PAM and CDF Pay. We will be sending reminders through this app, as such please download and sign in. There is a guide below for your reference. If you are having any issues please contact Megan McMenamin in the school office mmcmenamin@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Please remember to update your Contact Details, Media Consent Details and any relevant Medical Details for your child if they change.
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.
School Fee Statements have been emailed out to most families. Please check your junk/spam folder if you haven't received it. As in previous years, all Fees are charged at the start of the year with the expectation that they will be paid by the end of the school year. This can be done as one payment or instalments, via Direct Debit, Bpay, EFTPOS or cash. You can find Direct Debit forms in the Knowledge bank section of PAM, or ask at the school office. If paying by BPay please use the code on your statement to ensure the payment comes off your fees.
2025 SCHOOL SAVINGS BONUS (SSB)
The School Savings Bonus is a State Government initiative designed to assist
families with cost-of-living pressures. Under this funding, each eligible student is
entitled to a $400 bonus for application towards activity levies and uniform purchases
from approved supplier. Within our school, all CSEF applicants are eligible to receive
this funding. All families who have a Centrelink Health Care Card and have not
applied for CSEF in the past are encouraged to contact the school office and initiate
an application this year. Please refer to the below link for more information:
https://www.vic.gov.au/
information
Health Care Card and School Savings Bonus
For those families who have an eligible Health Care Card your fees are still being processed with the concession rate to be applied. If you haven't filled in a CSEF (Camps, Sports, Excursion Funding) form please download the attached form or pick one up from the school office. This needs to be done as soon as possible so we can receive the funding and apply your concession. This year it will also affect the allocation of the School Saving Bonus ($400) that the government announced last year. So the sooner these forms are in the better.
We have also received more information in regards to the School Saving Bonus which will be sent out soon.
Bus Travel and Conveyance allowance
Bus travel may be available to some families if they live more than 5klms distance from the school. Please see the information on the link below.
The Conveyance allowance is also a government initiative to help support parents with the cost transporting student to school. To be eligible you must live more than 4.8klms from school and St Patrick's must been your closest Catholic school. Please fill in the application form below if you think you may be eligible. These applications have a cut off date of 13th March, so please fill them in as soon as possible.