Dear Parents,

I hope that all families are coping as well as possible throughout Lockdown.  Again, I remind families that your child’s teacher is there to support you in any way that they can.  Please contact us if assistance is required. 

To restrict movement and keep us all as safe as we can strict requirements are in place for students to attend school.   The school will be open for the very few students of essential workers who meet the following criteria;

• Children where both parents and or carers are considered authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an authorised provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made.
• Where there are two parents/carers, both must be authorised workers, working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.
• For single parents/carers, the authorised worker must be working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.
• Children experiencing vulnerability, including: in out-of-home care, deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home
• Identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable, (including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)
• Where a parent/carer indicates that a student with a disability is vulnerable because they cannot learn from home, and/or informs the school the student is vulnerable due to family stress. This may apply to students enrolled in specialist schools and students with a disability enrolled in mainstream schools 
  

If you are one of the few families who need to send your child(ren) to school, you must have completed your intention to send your child(ren) to St Patrick’s Primary form that was distributed to families, supported by your essential worker permit form. This will enable us to ensure that we have sufficient staff on duty to supervise students in attendance.

Please note that if you choose to send your child(ren) to school, your child(ren) will be supervised whilst undertaking the Remote Schooling program which has been designed by our school.  As such, your child will be undertaking the same program as those children learning at home.

Classroom Google Meets operating between 9.30-11.30am and 1.00-3.00pm each day.  On Wednesday the Specialist Google Meets will continue as they have been. Once again, all work will be uploaded to Google Classroom. If you have any questions about this, please contact your child(ren’s) classroom teacher.

In addition, I wish to advise you that your child(ren)’s teacher will not be supervising your child(ren) on-site, but will continue to support your child through the Remote Schooling program as previously advised to you.

2022 Enrolments

If you know of anyone looking to enrol their child at St Pat’s for 2022 please encourage them to contact the school Office on 5943-9000.

First Communion and Confirmation

Disappointingly the last of the First Communion Masses and Confirmation celebrations that were planned have had to be cancelled due to restrictions.   Noleen Chalmers will inform families of the new dates once they have been arranged.  If you have any questions please email Noleen noleen@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

Staffing Updates

We welcome Mr Matt Brown onto the staff as our Music teacher replacing Jane Baxter.  Matt brings a wealth of experience teaching Music with him and has undertaken CRT work at St Pat’s previously.  I am sure that he will be made to feel welcome by all.

At the end of Week 8 Andrea Richardson will be resigning from St Pat’s to take up a position at Explorers Early Learning.  Andrea's role will be Kindergarten teacher, something she has wanted to do for a long time.  The center is brand new and she will be helping the directors to get the early learning programs up and running. On behalf of everyone I thank Andrea for her time at St Pat's and we wish her well in her new role.

Grade 5 Camp

As you know this had to be postponed.   We can finally let you know that it will now take place in Term 4, 10th to 12th November (COVID restrictions allowing).  The students will still travel to Ballarat and spend some time at Sovereign Hill, but they will now be staying at Kryal Castle, a replica medieval castle that will take them back to a time of Knights and Maidens. 

The following COVID Restrictions remain in place when anyone visits the school site;

I remind parents that the following procedures are in place for the safety of all;

• Masks are required to be worn by parents at all times when in the school.
• Parents wishing to come into the grounds to drop off or collect their children must scan the QR code on the way in and wait out the front of the classroom. Please do not enter the rooms and social distance whilst waiting.  You must limit your visit to less than 15 minutes, gates open at 3pm at the end of the day.
• Parents waiting for children in the pick-up lines need to ensure that their children know which carpark to go to.
• If you do park your car you must walk over and collect your child. Please do not call for your children to walk across to your car unaccompanied. 
• Meetings with staff are by appointment only. Any parent that is going to be in the school for more than 15 minutes needs to sign in and complete the COVID form at the Office.
• Please communicate with staff via phone or email.
• The Office is open if required, however, please wear a mask and observe the density limits (maximum of 6 people). It is preferable to phone or email if possible rather than come to the Office.
• All extra cleaning and hand hygiene that was in place is still being adhered to.
• Please do not send food items to share with others when it is your child’s birthday as they cannot be handed out.
• If your child is sick, or displaying symptoms, please keep them at home. Children that present as sick or displaying symptoms at school will be sent home and asked to gain a medical clearance or negative COVID test before they return to school.
• Children displaying symptoms may be temperature checked while at school.
• Bubble taps are operational at school.
• An ample amount of sports equipment will be provided at school so we ask that students do not bring equipment from home.

Regards,

Simon