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Dear Parents and Carers,
Parent Engagement At St Patrick's we work hand in hand with you in the education of your children. We honour and respect that you are the first educators of your children, and we appreciate the ways in which you communicate with us about your child and their interests, their needs and more. For our relationship as parents and teachers to flourish we hope to engage you in your child's learning. One powerful way this happens is through your commitment to attending parent / teacher interviews, and Student Parent Teacher Learning Conversations when they happen. At the end of term we will communicate times for interviews, please book a time to meet with / speak with your child's teacher.
Parent involvement have you wondered about how you can be involved in aspects of the daily life of the school? In the Classroom Support Teacher messages some ways you can consider being involved are listed.
All volunteers need to complete a short induction program to highlight the importance of student safety and confidentiality of volunteering in the school.
Reporting 2023 At the end of Semester 1 and 2 you receive a report on your child's engagement and achievement at school. This year the report will not include written comments. Parents will be invited to attend a parent teacher conference at the end of term to discuss your child's progress and achievement. We firmly believe these conversations are a strong way to communicate your child's current needs, learning, and goals, and to work together toward their continued improvement journey.
Please note you can email your child's teacher at other times to organise a conversation about their learning and engagement in class and at school.
Attendance as a courtesy, emails were sent to parents this week to inform you if your child's attendance to date this year has fallen below 85%. We know that the single most helpful action parents can take to support student learning is getting your child to school everyday. We also know there has been a lot of illness this year. You do not need to reply to the email unless you were invited to attend a meeting regarding your child's attendance.
Thanks for working together to support your child and their learning through their strong attendance at school.
Blessings,
Jo
On Wednesday, our Year 6 students attended an open day at Lumen Christi Catholic College. This was a good opportunity for them to have an early high school experience and see what happens in a Year 7 classroom. Students were split into smaller groups, where they had short sessions in different classrooms with different subjects. They then participated in some sports on the school fields, followed by a BBQ lunch and a concert put on by Lumen students. The feedback from the students on their return to school was excellent, with many now even more excited to begin their high school journey.
Mel Ferris
Acting Assistant Principal
Benefits of a strong parent-school relationship
As a parent, you know your child better than anyone else does. Your child’s teachers want to get to know your child too. When you have a strong and respectful relationship with your child’s school and teachers, you’re in a good position to give them information to help your child get the most out of education. You and your child’s teachers can work together to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.
When everybody is working together in the best interests of your child, your child is likely to reap academic and social benefits, like:
- regular school attendance
- positive school results
- a positive attitude towards school
- good social and relationship skills
- a sense of wellbeing, and into the future
- school completion
- progression to post-secondary education like TAFE, university or an apprenticeship.
How to build a strong parent-school relationship
You can build a parent-school relationship in several ways:
- Say hello to teachers and other staff at school pick-up and drop-off times.
- Ask teachers for information or feedback about your child, and share your child’s special events or achievements outside school.
- Go to parent-teacher interviews and parent meetings.
- Check the school website and emails regularly.
- Be involved and help out in the school community in whatever ways you can.
- Learn more about the school by looking at its annual report, website, newsletters and so on.
- Go to school performances, school social events, school fairs and parent information sessions.
Not all parents can be involved in school as much as they’d like, but you can still let your child know that school is important to your family. Talking about school with your child, being warm and friendly at school events, and being positive about the school and its staff sends the message that you value education and are interested in what’s happening for your child at school.
Getting involved
- volunteering – for example, helping with classroom activities like reading groups or excursions or in the school canteen
- attending parent groups or committees – for example, Community Council open meeting
- working on school fundraisers and events – for example, the school Christmas Market
- doing social activities with other parents and families
- attending events like assemblies, concerts and Book Week parades.
Over the last weeks, all students have been studying the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Gifts of the Spirit and the Rite of Confirmation. They have each chosen a Saint to research in preparation for receiving the Sacrament. Confirmation Mass is taking place on Sunday at 9:30am. Children are to be at the senior primary classrooms at 9:00am to have their sashes pinned on and receive their pins. Please bring a plate of food to share after Mass.
Finance Transformation: Notice of Finance System Changes
Dear Parents,
Please read the attached letter with important information about changes to the Finance Systems at St Patrick's. This information will impact school fee payments.
Over the past few weeks we have had five students representing our school at Archdiocesan Carnivals. Arly, Will, Sienna and Archie travelled to Canberra to compete for the Southern Region at the Cross Country Carnival. The St Pat's kids all tried their hardest and should be proud that they made it to this level.
Drew also travelled to Canberra for selection trials for the MacKillop U12 rugby league team. The Sydney, Wollongong and Wagga Wagga teams come to Canberra where they play trial games to select 17 players. To be chosen in the MacKillop team is a high accolade. Most of the players chosen come from the Sydney teams where the best of the best are very good and some of the kids are very big! We congratulate Drew and are proud to say he was selected in the MacKillop team. He will now travel to Wagga Wagga to play against all schools for selection into the NSW U12 team.
Jannene
Our Book Fair is here! Come to the library to see all the great new books we have available.
Remember, every book you buy earns free books for our school!
Wish lists will be created over the next week as children browse the collection of wonderful books and stationery.
Students are encouraged to discuss their reading interests with their parents or caregivers in the hope that some wonderful online pre purchases can be made.
Families might have already checked out titles using the pre-payment link in the brochure going home this week.
Pre purchases are to be collected at the library with a completed receipt by the 6th June.
If families wish to visit our Book Fair, please come to the library on either
Thursday the 1st of June
between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.
No cash or cards will be taken from the students themselves.
Move your body
Moving our bodies and incorporating exercise into our days is something we all know is good for us and yet it can be so difficult to fit in and it can be difficult to get our young people moving too!
The good news is that we don’t have to go to the gym or run a marathon to feel the benefits of movement on our physical and mental health. Moving our bodies can help to improve the quality of our sleep, boost our self-esteem, increase our energy levels and decrease our risk of physical health issues.
So how can we get ourselves and our young people moving more? Here are some simple tips:
- When you go to the shops, park a little further away from where you are headed
- Walk or ride a bike rather than taking the car when possible
- Try a dance workout video online or just dance to a favourite song
- There are lots of kids, teens and adult yoga videos available for free online eg. Cosmic Yoga for kids
- Walk the dog
- Go to the park
- Do some chores such as vacuuming or washing the car
- Play movement games like musical statues or Simon says
- Try some sit ups, burpees or press ups – why not make it a fun family competition
- Use a balloon to play ‘keepy uppy’ or kick a ball around outside
Get creative, especially with young children, and play games which involve movement. Ask them to ‘be’ different animals, find some puddles to jump in, play hopscotch, blow bubbles and run around to catch them…the possibilities are endless (and we might find ourselves getting involved and moving too).
Thanks for reading – Sam, School Counsellor (Provisional Psychologist)
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