Thursday 30 November 2017

Week 8, Term 4 2017

Advent
This Sunday, we come to the beginning of Advent and the Church’s new liturgical year. In Advent we remember Jesus Christ, who has been born into human life, and look to the future when God’s Kingdom will come. We look forward to celebrating the coming of Christ at Christmas, while we know that Christ has already been born. We can live in this paradox, because we know that Christ continues to be born in us. Each time we let go of those parts of ourselves that are not life-giving or loving, and choose the God of life and love, Christ is born again in us and we are born again in Christ.

It is always hard to hold to the invitation and challenge of Advent in all the busyness of the end of the school year and the preparations for Christmas and the holidays. But somewhere in the midst of the busyness we are called to find space to make the choice anew for love and life and open our hearts to the God who waits to be born there.
(Taken from Catholic Education Melbourne Director's e-News, November 2017)

Catholic Education Today

The Term 4 edition of Catholic Education Today will arrive in schools in the next few weeks.
This edition features an article on Advent, an explanation of the Year of Youth, a discussion on opportunities for learning in the use of digital technologies, a reflection on the role of parents as mapmakers, and the usual features of Educators in Profile and Around the Archdiocese.

School fees and funding for 2018.
Please take the time to read the important letter from Father Paul on Flexibuzz regarding school fees for 2018. You can read more information in the Parish Education Board letter below.

Youth Leadership Programme
Congratulations to all of our Year 5's who graduated from the Public Speaking Programme this week. All of the children were outstanding. Special thanks to Sandra De Geest who ran the 5 week programme. The speech skills are skills for life.


POPE Meeting Cultural Consultation
You can read the minutes from the meeting at this link.


Get off the screen and into the green
Two of our young Year 4 leaders have a special message for us all.

Our names are Ivy and Mackenzie and we’re in Grade Four.
We are doing a project about Healthy Habits that we’d like to share with you.

We love being outdoors in nature and we’d like to encourage you to get amongst it too.
Three years ago an important study found that most Australians spend almost 24 hours a week online, plugged in, looking at a screen.
That’s one whole day a week. Then last year a report found we spend about 10 hours a day plugged in.
We think that’s crazy, 10 hours each day you're not moving, talking and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.

Being outdoors can be active or relaxing. It is also good for our bodies and minds.
It helps us to concentrate, learn, solve problems and be creative.
The air is fresh and the plants and bugs are so interesting.
The garden has many different smells and the sounds of nature are always changing.
We love bike riding, trampolining, gardening, exploring, climbing trees and just hanging out

It’s time to GET OFF THE SCREEN and INTO THE GREEN.
Check out our video HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy8lVp9hU0w&feature=youtu.be

Spread the word!
From Mackenzie and Ivy
A letter from Parish Education Board

Dear School Community,
As the year draws to close on another successful year at St Patrick's Primary School, the Parish Education Board, has recently discussed the school finances, which also includes the review and setting of school fees for 2018.
As you may be aware the Federal Government announced in its 2017 budget, that the government intended to change the funding of schools, which also includes the Catholic Education system.  There has been media reports about how this may impact Catholic Schools, however, no definitive funding changes have advised to the Catholic Education Office or St Patrick's at this time.
So what does this mean for the fees at St Patrick's?
The board has been following a strategy over the past few years to provide a steady and measured approach to fee changes, to ensure that the quality education provided at St Patrick's Primary is affordable for our families.  The Board, after lengthy discussion, has passed a resolution to increase the fees by $200 per family.
We understand that any change in fees has an impact on the family budget, therefore we have tried to keep the increase to a minimum.
Over the past few years the school has operated a refundable “working bee levy” of $150 per family, Following a recommendation by the school accountant, and to reduce the significant administration required, the Board has approved the change of the “working bee levy”, to the “Building Maintenance levy”.  The fee will be reduced to $75 per family and will be non-refundable. 
Master Plan
We are excited to announce the appointment of K2LD architects to begin work on the St Patrick's Parish School Master Plan.  We look forward to several workshops run by K2LD with Teachers, Students, Parents and Parish to gather ideas, concerns and successes about the buildings, grounds and their operations, to form these into a Master Plan that suits our school and community now and into the future.  Exciting times!
This involves:
1.       Developing a snapshot of the school building and grounds;
2.       Advising the school on what is required to maintain the standard of the current buildings;
3.       Developing a staged plan for what the school might do in the future, to further improve the learning environment;
4.       Enabling funding and grants to be accessed at the appropriate times.
The Board wishes you and your families a safe and wonderful Christmas.  To those families and the grade 6’s who are leaving us this year we wish you well in years ahead.

Regards

Travis Westcott

Chairman,  On behalf of the Parish Education Board.

CyberSafety
Here is a link to a new police site that has resources for helping to keep children safe online www.thinkuknow.org.au


ST PATRICK'S COMMUNITY NOTICES

The 2018 St Pats Dads Golf Day has been booked.

Next year our talent will be on display at the Flinders Golf Club in Flinders. Great course, lunch spot ideal and guaranteed cold beer. What could go wrong!!

The day will consist of a similar agenda to this year that included 4 ball Ambrose, lunch, bus to the course and back, prizes and drinks. 2 full size buses have been booked to accommodate 80 spots that have been booked. First in will secure the positions.

Date: Friday 23rd March 2018
Course: Flinders Golf Course
Cost: $160
If you would like to be part of the fun please send an email to Andrew Pickering apickering@ebosgroup.com.au to book your spot.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

Mon 4th December       5/6 Sailing program
Wed 6th December       Buddy afternoon 2:30 pm (Year 5s and new preps)
Fri 8th December          5/6 Beach program
Wed 13th December     Carols Night 6-7 pm
Thu 14th December     Music Melodies Concert 9-11 am
Wed 18th December     Year 6 Graduation
Wed 20th December     Last day for 2017.  End of the Year Mass @ 9 am, Assembly @ 12 pm
Children dismissed @1pm


Friday 24 November 2017

Week 7, Term 4 2017

Family Mass Thank You
A special thank you to the children who participated enthusiastically with reading, singing and bringing up the offertory during the family mass on Sunday.


Assembly Monday 27th November 3pm
The final awards assembly will be at the later time of 3pm this Monday due to the swimming programme. RSL and Hooptime certificates will be given out as well as other weekly awards.

Swimming 
Just a reminder that swimming commences this Monday for Years Prep - 4 for the next nine school days. Children are to wear their bathers under their sports uniform (girls to leave their arms out of straps).  All children are to wear their runners to school and bring thongs (to change into just before going to the pool) along with their other change requirements.  Parents who opted to help with the swimming program  by registering with the school office, should meet at the pool where they will  given an identification badge allowing entry into the change rooms to provide assistance.  Parents who haven't registered are still welcome to spectate.  

Fete Thank You
Thanks to everyone who organised, helped and supported the fete on Saturday especially Mikaela Kelly. We were certainly fortunate with the weather. Great fun was had by all.


A message from Michaela - A big thank you to all the stall holders and crew that pulled the fete day together. Massive effort year in year out but of course the kids just love it!! 
A few significant farewells this year with some families finishing their educational tenure at St Patrick’s. Your efforts loyalty and ability to pull it all together on this day for many years has not gone unnoticed. 
If I have forgotten anyone who is finishing up this year with their babies in year 6 or year 3 /4 or 2 please let me know as I would like everyone to be acknowledged by the community for their continued support and contribution.
Brasher family, Galvans family, Seletto family, Downie (The Sashman) family, Nugara Family, Davey family, Bremner family, McAuliffe family, Higginbotham family, Stewart family
Lea family although they finished last year they had a swan song thanks Stuart.
And big thanks Nicole Lalande for always sorting the finances Pete Righetti and Wayne Pickering who pull a set up out of the sky and Dannae that is the stall holders fairy making this process as painless as possible for everyone!!
Many thanks again for all your support ,Michaela Kelly and the Fete team

Student Participation Programme
Thanks to John Middleton who coordinated the student involvement in the fete again this year with the support of Kylie Telfer. Here are some extracts from John's very informative report:

I am pleased to advise that the most ever students participated in the program providing 84 hours of support. This is the best result since the program’s inception in 2012.
1. We had a record number of 66 grade 5 & 6 students take part in the sixth year of this program providing 84 hours support to the fete stall holders. The number of hours of support provided this year is up 12% on last year. Refer to chart below for details.
2. We had 3 groups of Grade 6 students (Cake decorating, Origami and Soccer) and 1 group of Grade 5 students (Black Rhino) run their own stalls this year. This is the up from the one group who did it last year.
2. Approximately 70% of all Grade 5 & 6 students participated in the voluntary program
3. Since the program introduction in 2012, student participation has grown at 44% pa, with the total hours of support provided increasing 42%pa. 359 hours of support has been provided to the stall holders over the last 6 years.
4. The students that are volunteering are also doing more, with more students working more than 1 hour than ever before.

Yr 5 & 6 Chromebook Programme
Our school is embarking on a new digital device programme going forward for our Year 5's and 6's. You can access full details on our Learning Community Site at this link.
Cultural Consultation Tuesday 28th November 7:30-8:30 
Just a reminder that the focus of the next POPE (Parents as Open Partners in Education) is around our school cultures. Looking forward to meeting with you.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

Tues 14th November     Host Family Night
Sat 18th November       St Patrick's Parish Fete
Wed 22nd November    School Closure Day
                                        Parish Education Board Meeting @ 7.30pm
Mon 27th November     Swimming commences P-4
Tues 28th November     Cultural Consultation @ 7.30 - 8.30pm in the staffroom
                                        Advanced Presentation Skills Year 5 @ 5.30 - 8.30pm in the hall
Mon 4th December       5/6 Sailing program
Wed 6th December       Buddy afternoon 2:30 pm (Year 5s and new preps)
Fri 8th December          5/6 Beach program
Wed 13th December     Carols Night 6-7pm
Wed 18th December     Year 6 Graduation


Wed 20th December     Last day...Mass  9 am, Assembly 12 noon, students dismissed 1 pm




Thursday 16 November 2017

Week 6, Term 4, 2017

Family Mass this Sunday 9am
We look forward to joining our families in prayer this coming Sunday. We have so much to be grateful for in our lives, and coming to mass is an opportunity to give thanks through prayer and participation in the Eucharist celebration.


Hooptime Congratulations
I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to support the Year 4 girls basketball team at the Regional Finals on Monday. Our talented girls team qualified for the finals at MSAC and played 5 games  winning 4 out of 5 to make it through to the qualifying final. They lost the final by one point but their sportsmanship, skill and enthusiasm shone through to the end. A big thank you to all of the parents who supported the team on the day, especially coach Rob Magnanini and scorer Pip Compton. Certificates will be presented to the team on Monday 20th November during assembly.
Fete
We are all looking forward to the annual Parish and School Spring Fete this Saturday 10am-4pm. You can learn more about the fete by joining this Facebook group at this link.
Host Family Night
Thanks to Sandra, Deb, Liz, Helen and Angela for helping to ensure the night for families with children starting at St Patrick's was a success. Thanks to all of our existing families who came along to support our new families. We are looking forward to our new children starting school in 2018 and to families joining our vibrant community of engaged and motivated learners always faithful to our loving God.

Out with the principal's desk !! Desk for sale.
I have never felt comfortable talking to adults or children from behind a desk. Although desks are great to sit and work at, they can prevent opportunities for genuine collaboration. Many workplaces encourage shared ownership of work spaces. In order to create a more collaborative work space, the principal's desk has been dismantled and is ready to go to a welcome home. The desk will be replaced with a large meeting table to support a collaborative space for the principal and groups of staff, students and parents to utilise. I did something similar a few years ago in my last work place. If you are interested in learning more about the reasoning behind this you can go to this link.
Principal's desk removed to make way for a collaborative meeting space.

The first desk I removed in Jan 2015.
Lost Property
With the ever changing Melbourne weather, jumpers and windcheaters are constantly being abandoned.  Please take a few minutes to check that all your children's uniform items are clearly named, especially coming up the swimming time.  The lost property cupboard is located outside the hall if you are missing any items.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

Tues 14th November     Host Family Night
Sat 18th November       St Patrick's Parish Fete
Wed 22nd November    School Closure Day
                                        Parish Education Board Meeting @ 7.30pm
Mon 27th November     Swimming commences P-4
Tues 28th November     Cultural Consultation @ 7.30 - 8.30pm in the staffroom
                                        Advanced Presentation Skills Year 5 @ 5.30 - 8.30pm in the hall
Mon 4th December       5/6 Sailing program
Wed 6th December       Buddy afternoon (Year 5s and new preps)
Fri 8th December          5/6 Beach program
Wed 13th December     Carols Night 6-7pm
Wed 18th December     Year 6 Graduation
Wed 20th December     Last day...Mass  9 am, Assembly 12 noon, students dismissed 1 pm


Community Notices



Friday 10 November 2017

Week 5, Term 4, 2017

Remembrance Ceremony
Saturday 11th November is Remembrance Day. Today our Year 4's led a school Remembrance Day Ceremony.



RSL Awards
Congratulations to the six finalists of the East Malvern RSL Remembrance Day Project : Emma Sanders, Josh Compton, Georgia Howard, Josh Draga, Sophie Theodorakis, Georgina Seletto (absent).
I was privileged to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremony with the finalists and their parents. Well done to Emma Sanders who read "In Flanders Field" and Josh Compton who recited "The Ode" at the ceremony. Special congratulations to Georgia Howard who was judged as the winner of the scholarship from the St Patrick's finalists.


                                                                                            


Staff morning tea
We don't often share photos of our staff.  Here are some of our wonderful staff enjoying an Oakes Day morning tea. There was much fun and laughter as we shared Sandra's collection of fascinators and displayed a range of creative hats !!

Fete
Thank you to all of our parents who are busy preparing for the annual fete next Saturday 18th November. We all appreciate your support and look forward to this exciting event.


Clothing Racks and Hangers for the Fete.
Do you own a clothing rack or two? We would be grateful to borrow some clothing racks & hangers for the Preloved Clothing Boutique stall.  If you can help, please call Liz Sullivan on 0438 141 004 or Julie Jacobs on
0421 700 794.



Celebration of Catholic Primary School Education, Victoria.
It is importance to celebrate and remind you of the daily success of Catholic primary school education. The good story to keep telling is about our vitality, our educational success and that we educate one in five Victorians with a message of a hope-filled world.

 Here is a link to a video from the Victorian Association of Catholic School Primary Principals. Engaging visuals, inspiring music and clear commentary celebrates what is right and great about our Catholic primary schools.The schools and students involved in the video are from across both metropolitan and rural Victoria. 

Be proud that you have chosen a Catholic education for your children.

https://vimeo.com/240096307/f2dda12558


IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

Tues 14th November     Host Family Night
Sat 18th November       St Patrick's Parish Fete
Wed 22nd November    School Closure Day
Mon 27th November     Swimming commences P-4
Mon 4th December       5/6 Sailing program
Wed 6th December       Buddy afternoon (Year 5s and new preps)
Fri 8th December          5/6 Beach program
Wed 13th December     Carols Night 6-7pm
Wed 18th December     Year 6 Graduation
Wed 20th December     Last day...Mass  9 am, Assembly 12 noon, students dismissed 1 pm

Community Notices

Friday 3 November 2017

Week 4, Term 4, 2017

All Saints Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd)

Pope Francis marked All Saints' Day on Wednesday saying the saints are honoured not because they were perfect or did everything right, but because they allowed God to touch their lives and fought hard against sin.

Saints, he said, “are not perfect models, but are people whose lives God has crossed,” and can be compared with the stained glass windows of a church, “which allow light to enter in different shades of color.”

The saints above all are our brothers and sisters “who have welcomed the light of God into their hearts and have passed it on to the world, each one according to their own 'tone',” he said, but stressed that no matter the “color” they give, “all of them are transparent.”

Praying for the dead is a Christian obligation. In the modern world, when many have come to doubt the Church's teaching on Purgatory, the need for such prayers has only increased. The Church devotes the month of November to prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and participation in the Mass of All Souls Day is a good way to begin the month.

School Building and Grounds Masterplan
When I commenced my tenure as principal in Term 4 last year, the Chair of the Education Board at the time, Peter Righetti, spoke of the importance of a strategic Masterplan for the school buildings and grounds. I am pleased to say that the Education Board has followed through with this goal. This year a Masterplan Committee was formed with representatives from the Parish, Parents and Staff : Fr Paul Newton, Travis Westcott, Gerald Dillon, James Hawkins, Fiona Walshe and myself. Through consultation and recommendations from the Catholic Education Office, based on the work of the committee and expressions of interest and an interview process, an architectural firm will shortly be appointed to develop the Masterplan. In the coming weeks, there will be an opportunity for our community to contribute ideas through a consultation workshop. The Masterplan will guide us as we review and redevelop our school over the next ten years to ensure we can maximise the educational effectiveness of our indoor and outdoor learning spaces for all children, staff and families at St Patrick's. 

Cultural Consultation 28th November
In response to a survey with parents at the mid year interviews, the next POPE (Parents as Open Partners in Education) meeting will be held on an evening to allow an opportunity for working parents to attend. The Year 5 Learning Expo at the end of Term 3 focused on the diverse cultural backgrounds of our school families. This will be one of the themes of our POPE meeting. How can we ensure we are culturally inclusive ? What more can we be doing at our school to appreciate, utilise and learn from the rich tapestry of cultures within our school ? Please come along to a gathering at school on Tuesday 28th November from 7:30-8:30 and share your ideas.



Adventure Playground Upgrade
Our playground has been measured up for an upgrade. Plans are underway and the work is due to be completed before the start of the 2018 school year. Funds raised through the P&F this year will contribute to this exciting upgrade.


Hall Kitchen Progress
Yes ! The Hall Kitchen plans are still in progress with the goal to have the kitchen completed by Term 2 2018 or earlier if possible. Funds raised through the 2016 Fete will still contribute to this long awaited hall kitchen upgrade.

Kids Artwork
Don't forget to order your children's works of art.  They will be on display again Wednesday 8th November and orders close on Friday 10th November. 

Parish Reunion Movie Night for Past Students
Fr Paul has organised a reunion night for past students and friends from St Patrick's school who are presently in Year 7-9. Our present Year 6's have been invited to host the evening. You can read more on the flier.

Fete
It's November already and the St Patrick's Parish Fete is only a couple of weeks away. Thank you to our community who are busy preparing for this special occasion. Make sure you keep the 18th of November free.

TOYS TOYS TOYS
Thank you for all the donations to date but PLEASE ensure that secondhand toys are clean and in full working condition and that games are complete.  Many thanks.







IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

Mon 6th November       School Closure Day
Tues 7th November       Melbourne Cup Day holiday
Tues 14th November     Host Family Night
Sat 18th November       St Patrick's Parish Fete
Wed 22nd November    School Closure Day
Mon 27th November     Swimming commences P-4
Mon 4th December       5/6 Sailing program
Wed 6th December       Buddy afternoon (Year 5s and new preps)
Fri 8th December          5/6 Beach program
Wed 13th December     Carols Night 6-7pm
Wed 18th December     Year 6 Graduation
Wed 20th December     Last day...Mass  9 am, Assembly 12 noon, students dismissed 1 pm

Community Notices