St Patrick's Primary School Pakenham
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136 Princes Highway
Pakenham VIC 3810
Subscribe: https://stppakenham.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: principal@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 03 5943 9000

A Message from Mrs Escalante

Luke 3:1-6

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

All people shall see the salvation of God.

In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah:

A voice cries in the wilderness; Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, winding ways will be straightened and rough roads made smooth. And all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

 

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

This week the Gospel tells us it is a proclamation of God's message. John the Baptizer's message is that the people need to repair their lives and prepare for Christ's coming. He does this by calling the people to repent and be baptized. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

With God's Holy Spirit in his life, we see Jesus go out and share the gifts of the Holy Spirit with others – like God's healing love, forgiveness and mercy. He also invites people, like his disciples, to follow him and learn how to do the same thing – how to make room in their lives for God's Holy Spirit.

Yesterday morning, we held a Christmas morning tea for our Myanmar and African Community members. There were games played, a presentation around the many services we offer as a school and Parish and then a wonderful spread prepared by Nadine, Yoke and Eugenie! I would like to take the time to especially thank these 3 staff members who have gone above and beyond in supporting these 2 communities and making sure they feel included and part of our wonderful St Patrick’s community. See some photos below.

Last week, our Year 6 students and teachers spent the week at Camp Coonawarra in the heart of Gippsland. They experienced some warm weather and lots of flies! I have heard nothing but praise for our leaders of the school. Both the staff and the camp staff acknowledged our students’ manners and their inclusion of others as well as their encouragement for all to take a risk. I am so proud of them and all they have achieved. A HUGE thanks goes to Belinda Couch, Jo Peterson, Rebecca Schleemann, Paul Beswick, Catherine Edwards, Nadine King and Donna Ward for their patience and preparation in looking after our students. Nothing happens without the support of a great team!

Today we held our final Foundation transition which concludes the 5-visit process. We had some very excited students and nervous parents. Thanks to Geraldine Wilmann and Katherine Gronek for the work they have put in to make this a very special moment for the newest members of our community!

Next Thursday the 12th of December, we will be having our annual Christmas concert. Hopefully we will be blessed with good weather as we have had in the past 2 years and the function can go ahead outside on the basketball courts. The concert will begin at 5pm, however we do encourage our parents to come as early as possible as it gets busy very quickly. This year we have a special guest who will be performing live from 4pm onwards, and this will be your opportunity to have a relax and enjoy some great music. Conor Bermingham is his name, and he can be found on Instagram. I look forward to a wonderful evening with you all. Do not forget your picnic dinner, snacks and drinks.

It is important to keep an open discussion with your child/ren around their expected behaviour and work ethic as we enter the last few weeks of term 4. Even though the year is winding down, the staff of St Patrick’s will continue to insist that all 5 values of RESPECT, SAFETY, CO-OPERATION, COURAGE AND RESILIENCE will be adhered to both inside and outside the classroom.

God Bless

 

Meg