Our Year 5 Students have spent a fabulous few days in the city. Here a few photos of there time away. More photos will be in next weeks newsletter.

The Grade 3 students are reading the book called Charlotte’s Web. The book is set on a farm. Many students have not experienced a farm. It is a good opportunity to relate what happens at a farm in real life and make a comparison with the animals in the book. The students were able to enjoy hands on experience with feeding the farm animals, milking goats, a train ride to the Wetlands to see the bats and patting the baby animals in the nursery.

Congratulations to Amity H (6NB) who represented St Patrick’s at the Southern Metro Primary Cross Country Carnival. She qualified through the Cardinia Division event a few weeks ago after placing 6th at that event. What a thrill to compete in such a high standard event at the Hastings Foreshore! Amity ran an outstanding time but was unable to progress to the State Titles. The St Patrick’s Community is so proud of Amity’s efforts and achievement throughout the cross country season. 

Thank you to parents/guardians who took time out of their schedules to transport to and support her on the day. Amity represented our school proudly. 

Stay Active!

Louise Breeden

Please enjoy a selection of amazing artwork by some of our very talented students

Maksawm 6NB

James M 6TA

Charlotte Y 6TA

Hello everyone, I hope you’ve had a wonderful week.

Life can be crazy busy right, and it can sometimes feel like we never have enough time for what’s really important. This week I’ve put some information in about spending quality time with our children. Life goes by so fast, and creating memories and a strong bond with your family is so very important.

Special time together: why it’s good for your child

Spending special time with your child is good for your child’s development and wellbeing. That’s because it builds your relationship and boosts your child’s confidence. Special time with your child is a chance to:

• give your child your full attention
• send the message that your child is the most important thing to you
• see the world from your child’s point of view
• find out more about your child’s likes, dislikes, worries and frustrations
• give your child some guidance, talk to them and listen to them
• be a role model for your child.

When you and your child spend enjoyable time together, it can help your child feel happier and more relaxed. It can also help your child build resilience for the teenage years. That’s why it’s so important to lay the groundwork early on.

And some regular special time with you can help your child to handle the times when they don’t have your full attention or when you’re apart.

Special time together: why it’s good for you

Sharing special time can be great for you too – it’s your chance to be a kid again and just have fun.

You’ll also feel good about being close to your child and staying up to date with what’s happening in your child’s life.

Special time with your child can happen while you’re doing everyday things like folding the laundry. Or you can make time to go for walks together, play board games and so on. Just sharing happy experiences helps to build your relationship with your child.

Everyday activities to do with children: ideas

Sometimes you can make special time and have fun as part of your everyday family life. Here are ideas:

• Make a special after-school snack together. Or let your child choose a dinner recipe that you can cook together.
• Go food shopping and let your child help to make decisions, pay for things and have conversations with shop assistants.
• Eat meals together as a family and chat about your day. (A great idea is to have no phones or devices allowed at the family table. This goes for children and adults.)
• Make car trips fun by playing ‘I spy’ or ‘spotto’ or ‘Who can see the next car with a number plate that makes a word?’ You could sing along to music together too.
• Read books or tell stories together at bedtime.
• Point out things that you know your child likes as you go about the day, and talk about these things with your child – for example, a cool car or a beautiful tree.

If you’re away from your child for a long period of time, you can use digital technology to spend quality time with your child. For example, you could video-call your child and read books together, send each other text messages or play games online together.

Play activities and games to share with children: tips

When it comes to play and your school-age child, try to let your child choose what to play or let your child take the lead with play. You’ll soon find out what your child enjoys or what sparks their imagination.

Here are simple ideas to get you started:

• Play word games and make up jokes and riddles together. You can start with jokes like ‘Knock knock’ or ‘Why did the chicken, frog, cow (whatever makes you laugh) cross the road?’ Then get your child to make up their own.
• Chase, wrestle or roll around together. This kind of rough-and-tumble play can help your child learn how to be strong without hurting.
• Play board games like ‘snakes and ladders’, dominoes and simple card games. This helps your child learn to take turns and play fair.
• Spend time making things together, like drawing a picture or making a collage from photos cut out of a magazine.

Outdoor activities to enjoy with children: tips

Outdoor play is fun, and it’s good exercise too. Here are ideas for getting outside with your child:

• Make time to go to the park together – walk or ride a bike there, if you can.
• Give your child the chance to practise skills and get better at things like climbing and catching a ball.
• Lie on the grass and look for shapes or animals in the clouds.
• Go for a walk around your neighbourhood.
• On a dark, clear night, go outside and look at the stars.

Families are such a blessing. Not every day will be perfect in your home, some will be very difficult. But your family unit is very important and as adults we can set the example of resilience, acceptance and unconditional love, so our children grow up emotionally strong.

Have a great week.

SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of Indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities and is a great opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your Special Report https://stppakenham.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-naidoc-week

Year Level Camp/ Fun Day Dates:

TERM DATES 2025

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.

Our Foundation classes are requiring empty shoe boxes for a class project.  We are needing 1 per each Foundation student. If you have any spare can you please bring them to the Foundation class room. 

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 From 8:30 - 9.00am and 3.00 - 7.00pm

Wednesday From 8:30 – 9:00am and 3:00 – 6:00pm

Thank you again for your support

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!

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: 

1. Importantly celebrate their relentless pursuit of school improvement.  
2. 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

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, 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. 

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

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/receiving-school-saving-bonus#non-government-school-
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. 

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

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

 

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.

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.

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.

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.