Wednesday 29 March 2017

Week 9, Term 1, 2017

Easter Blessings to all of our families. We wish you all a safe and joyful holiday.

God of Promise and God of Hope,
who through your great mercy 

have granted us new birth

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,

we praise your wonderful name!

God of Glory and God of Might
who through your great power
have granted us new strength
to endure all things through faith in Christ our risen King,
we praise your wonderful name!
Thanks to our Preps for this special Palm Sunday display outside their classrooms.

You are welcome to join Year 5 for mass on Friday morning at 9am or to come to the children's reenactment of the Way of the Cross from 10:15am to 11:00 am on Friday.

Thank you
Special thanks to all of our staff who have worked hard this term to ensure every child at St Patrick's school is engaged and motivated in their learning. We also thank our wonderful parent community who have helped and supported our school in many ways this term.

We especially thank our Parish Education Board members who will complete their term on the board during our final meeting for Term 1 this week. We acknowledge the outstanding contribution to the board from Peter Righetti, Natalie Cromie and Vanessa Tripodis. We look forward to continuing their good work with our new and continuing board members in the future.

We look forward to the draw of the Easter Raffle at our final assembly for the term on Friday commencing at 12:45pm. School will finish at 2pm this Friday.

If you haven't already seen the children's artwork in the corridor downstairs, then ask your child to show you their portrait. You can also get an insight into the diverse cultural background of our children on the World Harmony Day calendar outside the Prep classrooms. 



History Expos
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Alicia Cerreto who has worked with all classes as part of the Historian in Residence Programme this term. So far, our Year 3 and Year 4 classes have shared their learning at the History Expos this week. 
Many parents have commented on how engaged and motivated their children have been with their learning this term.
This is a wonderful way to bring our school vision alive: Engaged and motivated learners always faithful our loving God.







SCHOOL UNIFORM
Please take the opportunity over the upcoming school holidays to check all student's school uniform, most importantly ensuring students have the correct school shoes and that all items are clearly named.  There will be a transition period until 1st of May when either summer or winter uniforms can be worn dependent on the weather conditions.  As of May 1st, all children will be expected to be in full winter uniform.  

PARKING IN DALNY ROAD
We would like to thank you for patience and cooperation in not parking at the church end of Dalny Road on the days that we requested recently.  Unfortunately the new traffic island makes it almost impossible for the school buses to access the school if there are cars parked on the road.  We are currently in discussion with Glen Eira Council regarding a possible solution.

UPCOMING DATES for TERM 2
Tues 18th Apr    School resumes
Tues 25th Apr      ANZAC DAY holiday
Thur 27th Apr      School Sports Day
Fri 12th May        Mother's Day Stall
Fri 19th May        Dendy Cross Country years 4-6
Mon 22nd May    Year 5 Camp until Wed 24th May inclusive



   

Thursday 23 March 2017

Week 8, Term 1, 2017

Thanks to the many families who attended the Family Mass on Sunday. Thanks to the children who participated enthusiastically. We look forward to preparing for Holy Week with a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross next Friday morning.
The whole school celebrated St Patrick's Day in style last week.
Fr Paul's open door invitation to pray and safety arrangements
We are fortunate to have our school on the same grounds as our Parish church. Fr Paul has opened up the doors of the church to welcome children and families into the church to pray.

As the safety of every child at school is paramount to both Fr Paul and to our school staff, we wish to inform you of new safety arrangements.

The side door to the church that opens into our front yard will be locked in the morning when the school bell goes at 8:55am and will remain closed until 3:30pm. The doors will then be closed at 3:45pm. This means that there is no access into the playground from the church during the school day apart from the times when children wish to make a morning or afternoon visit with their parents.

It is important to note, the children may not go into the church on their own at any time. They can only go into the church in the presence of their parents or with their teachers. This message has been passed onto the children at school. Please reiterate this at home.

Working Bee
A big thank you Danny Egan and to the 25 families who attended our first working bee of the year.  Although attendance was down, a lot was accomplished.  Don't forget, in order to have the $150.00 working bee levy refunded from your school fees, attendance at one working bee is required.

School Sports Day- Thursday 27th April
Please note that our School Sports Day will be held on Thursday 27th April (Week 2 of Term 2) This has been moved to earlier in the year due to planned reconstruction work at the Duncan McKinnon Athletics Track in Term 4. We will have a modified timetable and will be asking for Parent Helpers on the day. Further details/ permission forms will go out early next term.

Building Social Skills THANK YOU
Thanks to the many parents who attended the Year 4 event last week. We had over 70% attendance from Year 4 families. This was a great opportunity to partner together to learn how building social skills at school and home can support learning outcomes.
Here is a link to a reflection around the evening and the process leading to it.



POPE Meeting
Thanks to the parents who came to our meeting last week. Here is a link to our discussion. We discussed reports, Premier Reading Challenge, Tiq Biz and the Learning Community Site.

Premier's Reading Challenge
Here is a link to information around parents registering their children for this annual challenge. Bernadette Wood our teacher librarian is happy to be a contact person for any further information to support parents: bwood@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au  At the end of the challenge, children can bring certificates into school to be presented at assembly. Children from Prep to Year 6 can register. This must be done on the website link directly by parents.



Historian in Residence Expos
A reminder that the year 3 and year 4 History Expos will be in the hall next week.  Year 3 on Monday 2 - 3.30 and Year 4 Tuesday 2.15 - 3.15

FORGOTTEN LUNCHES & LUNCH ORDERS 
We have noticed a much higher incidence of children forgetting to put their lunch orders in of a morning, despite repeated reminders.  Commencing next term we will be offering those children a choice of a Vegemite, butter or cheese sandwich made by school staff in the staffroom.  Children will be asked to donate $2 of their lunch order money to pay for the sandwich (this will inturn be donated to Project Compassion).



    DON'T FORGET TO COME ALONG

REMAINING DATES for TERM 1
Mon 27th Mar     3L Assembly
Wed 29th Mar     Parent Teacher Meetings. Children dismissed at 1pm
Wed 29th Mar     Parish Education Board Meeting 7:30pm
Thur 30th Mar     Year 5/6 Soccer Lightning Premiership

Fri 31st Mar        End of term 1. Children dismissed at 2pm

UPCOMING DATES for TERM 2
Tues 18th Apr    School resumes
Tues 25th Apr    ANZAC DAY holiday
Thur 27th Apr    School Sports Day
Fri 12th May      Mother's Day Stall
Fri 19th May      Dendy Cross Country years 4-6
Mon 22nd May  Year 5 Camp until Wed 24th May inclusive




Wednesday 15 March 2017

Week 7, Term 1, 2017

Principal Updates - Jenny Hawkins
Happy St Patrick's Day March 17th !!
This Friday we celebrate St Patrick's Day. All children are asked to wear green and wear their runners to enable them to participate in a wide range of planned activities at school.
All families are invited to join us for a school mass at 9:10am on Friday morning.
Here is one of St Patrick's special prayers :
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me,
Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me, Christ in the hearts of all that love me,
Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger.


We are looking forward to welcoming as many of our families as possible to our next Family Mass this Sunday at 9:00 am.
Grade 6 School Camp
We wish all of our Grade 6's a safe and enjoyable camping trip to Queenscliff next week. Thanks to the following teachers who will be accompanying the children: Matt Hale, Brigid Little, Paul Jones, Kerryn Oliver and Ange Mason.
P.O.P.E Meeting Thursday 16th March 2:30-3:30
Tomorrow will be a chance for parents to come together with me and catch up in the staff room as we look further at our school vision and how we can support our children's learning from a parent perspective. All interested parents are welcome to join us.
Staff Conference 
Our staff were warmly welcomed to St Louis de Montfort's school on the second day of the staff conference last week. Here is an outline of our visit. We thank the staff and students of St Louis de Montforts for opening up their school to us.




Working Bee Saturday 18th March 9:00am to 1:00pm
Thanks to Danny Egan for co ordinating our first Working Bee for 2017. All keen workers are welcome to attend to be able to get a refund on the Working Bee Levy.

Parish Education Board Nominations Close today 4pm
Nominations close today. We look forward to welcoming new parents to the board and to expressing our appreciation and thanks to our existing board members at the end of the term. We will keep you informed of the process. Here is the information from Fr Paul's letter:
One way parents can significantly contribute to the enrichment of the School is by joining the Parish
Education Board. I would warmly encourage you to consider joining a wonderful team already very
dedicated to your children. Therefore, I would now like to request nominations in writing from parents across the school community. Nominations are to be in writing including a few words about yourself and addressed to the Returning Officer and kindly delivered to the box in the school office by 4pm Wednesday, 15th March. There are many reasons for excitement concerning the coming year for St Patrick’s School. We would love you to embrace the opportunity to play an active and decisive part is this. God Bless, Fr Paul
Fr Paul's Parish Updates
Fr Paul welcomes families to the next St Pat's Cafe gathering tomorrow from 5pm-7pm at Rovira House, 5 Dalny Road, Murrumbeena. During the gathering time, there will be a chance to talk and think about a way forward as the cafe develops into a 'hub of compassion' for our regional community. Bring a plate and come along and find out how young and old can get involved in this community initiative. As Fr Paul reminds us of the words of St Mary of the Cross ( McKillop) - "Never see a need without doing anything about it."
Upcoming Dates
Dates for the year can be accessed via our school calendar. This is available directly on the TiqBiz app, at the bottom of the page on this newsblog, on our school website or on our Learning Community Site in the communication section. To make it easier for you, we will also keep dates for the term updated each week here with dates for the coming week in red. Any new dates will be in blue.
Here are some Term 1 dates to be aware of:

Thurs 9th Mar     School Closure Day
Fri 10th Mar        School Closure Day
Mon 13th Mar     Public Holiday - no school
Wed 15th Mar     Board Nominations Close 4pm
Thur 16th Mar     POPE Meeting at 2:30pm
Thur 16th Mar     Middle School Social Skills Information Evening Yr 4 7:00pm
Fri 17th Mar        St Patrick's Day
Sat 18th Mar       Working Bee
Sun 19th Mar      Family Mass
Mon 20th Mar     Year 6 camp
Mon 20th Mar     Parent & Friends Meeting 7pm
Tues 21st Mar    World Harmony Day 
Mon 27th Mar     3L Assembly
Wed 29th Mar     Parent Teacher Meetings 
Wed 29th Mar     Parish Education Board Meeting 7:30pm
Thur 30th Mar     Year 5/6 Soccer Lightning Premiership
Fri 31st Mar        End of term 1. 


Wednesday 8 March 2017

Week 6, Term 1, 2017

St Pat's Cafe
Thanks to our Year 6 leaders and all of our families who supported the cafe last week. Fr Paul has sent an invite to all school families to come again and join others at this week's St Pat's Cafe. Last week was a huge success. Fr Paul hopes to see more of our Year 6 leaders helping to serve our community.

School Closure Days
The school is closed this Thursday and Friday to enable the whole staff to spend quality time together focusing on our teaching and learning. Our staff will start on Thursday at 8:30am in the Conference Centre in Mornington. Ingrid Green from the Catholic Education Office will be facilitating sessions around the Horizons of Hope Catholic teaching framework and the renewed RE curriculum.
The focus on Friday is a visit to St Louis de Montfort school in Aspendale. We will be learning about the Sustainability Precinct, including the Garden to Kitchen Programme. We will also be learning about the Civics and Citizens and Social Justice Programmes. 
As a staff, we have been reflecting on our own teaching practices in relation to our school vision Engaged and motivated learners always faithful to our loving God. We will be referring to our St Patrick's expert teaching indicators to understand engagement and motivation in learning at St Louis school.
Please note the following days are also school closure days: 21st June, 6th November, 22nd November. All of these dates are on our school calendar.

Parish Education Board Nominations
Nominations close on Wednesday 15th March. Here is some further information from Fr Paul's letter:
One way parents can significantly contribute to the enrichment of the School is by joining the Parish
Education Board. I would warmly encourage you to consider joining a wonderful team already very
dedicated to your children. Therefore, I would now like to request nominations in writing from parents across the school community. Nominations are to be in writing including a few words about yourself and addressed to the Returning Officer and kindly delivered to the box in the school office by 4pm Wednesday, 15th March. There are many reasons for excitement concerning the coming year for St Patrick’s School. We would love you to embrace the opportunity to play an active and decisive part is this. God Bless, Fr Paul

St Patrick's Day
We will be attending a whole school mass on the morning of Friday 17th March and following mass with a number of exciting activities. All are welcome to join us at 9:10 for mass.

Harmony Week
As part of our celebration of Harmony Week (Mon 20- Fri 24th March), we will be creating a world map showing the places of origin of children's parents, grandparents or families. This may be overseas, within Australia, or in Melbourne. We are asking each child to bring a small photo of themselves (approximately 10cm x 10cm), with their name on the back, and the place they are referencing. (We understand that children may have ties to many countries, states or places, in which case they can choose just one). The unnamed photos will help create a montage celebrating our cultural diversity. As Year 6s will be on camp, we will work with them in the following week.

FIRE DRILL
Last week we held our first Fire Drill for the year. All students from P-6 practiced evacuating the school building in a safe, timely and orderly fashion. The children are to be commended on the way they conducted themselves. We evacuated 380 people in under 3 minutes. Further drills will be scheduled at regular intervals, including practicing our "lock down" procedures. 

Upcoming Dates

Dates for the year can be accessed via our school calendar. This is available directly on the TiqBiz app, at the bottom of the page on this newsblog, on our school website or on our Learning Community Site in the communication section. To make it easier for you, we will also keep dates for the term updated each week here with dates for the coming week in red. Any new dates will be in blue.
Here are some Term 1 dates to be aware of:

Thurs 9th Mar     School Closure Day
Fri 10th Mar        School Closure Day
Mon 13th Mar     Public Holiday - no school
Wed 15th Mar     Board Nominations Close 4pm
Thur 16th Mar     POPE Meeting at 2:30pm
Thur 16th Mar     Middle School Social Skills Information Evening Yr 4
Fri 17th Mar        St Patrick's Day
Sun 19th Mar      Family Mass
Mon 20th Mar     Year 6 camp
Mon 20th Mar     Parent & Friends Meeting 7pm
Tues 21st Mar    World Harmony Day 
Mon 27th Mar     3L Assembly
Wed 29th Mar     Parent Teacher Meetings 
Thur 30th Mar     Year 5/6 Soccer Lightning Premiership
Fri 31st Mar        End of term 1.