Newsletter Thursday 28th March, 2024

We the staff of St Patrick’s acknowledge the traditional owners, the Kulin nations, of the land on which we learn and play.

We pay respects to the Aboriginal Elders, past and present, who are our teachers.

We thank them for taking care of children and country for countless generations.

Year Level Camp/ Fun Day Dates:

TERM DATES 2024

2024 PUPIL FREE DAYS AND SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS:

The 4 Pupil Free 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.

Thank you to the P&F for organising our Easter Raffle. They did any amazing job !!

We had over 30 prizes and our top four prize winners were:

4th: Kenneth 2SM

3rd: Shelly 3OG

2nd: Jemma FGW

1st: Noah 3AG

Mrs T. read 'Stay For Dinner' by Sandhya Parapukkaran and Michelle Pereira with our Year 5 students and explored different ways of dining in different cultures. The children attempted to hold chopsticks which are widely used in some Asian cultures.

We also invited Kuei Maluk from 5RM to present her book which she co-created with her family and cousins 3 years ago. It is called 'This is My Home'. She told us the story behind some of the pictures she and her family drew.

Starting next erm, our stduents will be learning Italian as another language other than Enligh (L.O.T.E) This exciting change will open student thinking around how we learn new languages. It will be run by our classroom teachers for approximately 15 minutes on most days. This structure optimises memory and will create opportunities for the class to use the signs they learn together throughout the day.

The Teachers as Co-Learners (TCL) model is where teachers learn with students. They are thoroughly supported to do this through a purpose-built website. We will be following the lesson plans, resources and assessments aligned to the Victorian Curriculum for Italian. Through learning Italian with students, teachers will also be able to model effective learning behaviours such as positive self-talk.

What is it?

Teachers as Co-Learners (TCL) is a highly innovative language teaching and learning approach grounded in both academic research and practical teaching applications offered to all Victorian Catholic primary schools. At its core, TCL provides high frequency language sessions delivered by classroom teachers, embedding effective literacy and language learning practices. 

How does it work?

The TCL approach encourages and supports the use of communicative and functional language throughout the day and seeks opportunities to integrate language across various curriculum areas. TCL fosters the active participation of the whole school community in language learning, whilst increasing teacher understanding and mastery of language acquisition principles through a comprehensive and highly scaffolded program.

Evidence Based

A high-quality whole school language learning program modelled after evidence-based research and best practice in language acquisition pedagogy which empowers schools and their communities to actively engage with language learning and realise their full potential as inclusive global citizens. 

Our library is looking for volunteers to help cover our new books. You will be shown how t do this and given the books and equipment to take home. 

If you are able to help out please email Terri at tfraser@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au

Have you logged into your PAM account yet! 

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. 

Please remember to update your contact details and any relevant medical details for your child.  

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. 

CSEF Applications are now due! 

If you have a current Health Care Card you may be eligable for the school fees concession program. 

The applicant must be one of the following:

1. a parent/carer (of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school) who is:
   • on the first day of Term 1 (29 January 2024), or the first day of Term 2 (15 April 2024)  a holder of one or more of the eligible financially-means tested cards (Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card), or
   • a temporary foster parent

The parent/carer must submit an application to the school by 23 June 2024.

If anyone has any questions or would like to discuss their school fee account, please contact the school office. 

Please download and fill in both forms below if you qualify.

If there are any changes from last year, this includes a new child starting at the school or any child who has now left the school, there is an additional form that needs to be filled out. Please come by the school office to collect it.

Conveyance allowance

The conveyance allowance is a State Government allowance that may be available to students attending government or non-government schools.

If you live more than 4.8km from your closest school you can apply for the conveyance allowance and:

• travelling by public transport or by private car, motorbike, bicycle or bus, and
• whose nearest school is not serviced by a free school bus provided under the School Bus Program

The conveyance allowance is a State Government contribution towards transport costs and is not intended to cover the full cost of transporting children to and from school.

 Application for private car travel  (also available in the knowledge bank section in PAM)

 Application for public transport travel    (also available in the knowledge bank section in PAM)

School Bus Program

The School Bus Program is an extensive school bus network that provides free travel to eligible students. Students must be attending government and non-government schools and living in rural and regional Victoria. 

* Students are expected to use public transport where a service is available within 1.6 km (measured by shortest practicable route) of their home or closer to their home than the nearest school bus service. This applies to both students applying to access the SBP at no cost and to fare paying passengers. * * 

If your child is eligible, they can travel for free.

There are different categories that decide if your child is eligible for free travel. For more information read the eligibility guide below.

School bus program eligibility guide

Click on the link below to check if a school bus is available in your area.

School Bus Management System

School Fees

Please find the school fee schedule attached. Some school fees have gone out, the rest are following shortly. If you have any questions plese contact Cindy in the school office.