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Dear Parents and Carers,
As Principal of St Pat’s I am very proud of our school and our students. It is lovely to recognise that each day the vast majority of our students are in class following school rules and fully engaged in learning. On the playground, the vast majority of students are having fun playing and spending time with their friends. We also have some students each day who are learning how to participate respectfully in the learning community. We know that our children are between 5-12 years old. We know they are children. We know they are at school to learn. We know that making mistakes is expected. Some children each day are learning more about social skills, some about self-regulation, some about higher order thinking skills. We know this and respond to this.
Here are some statistics from this week:
Monday 9 children needed office support = 4%
That means 96% were happily engaged in learning and play.
Tuesday 6 children needed office support = 2.7%
That means 97.3% were happily engaged in learning and play.
Wednesday 5 children needed office support = 2.2%
That means 97.8% were happily engaged in learning and play.
Thursday 10 children needed office support = 4.5%
That means 95.5% were happily engaged in learning and play.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is office support?
This is the term we use referring to when a member of the leadership team supports a student with their learning or behaviours for learning /play and supports them to return to class for learning.
This may mean short term removal from class.
This may mean ‘in office suspension.’
*The statistics above do not refer to all of the positive engagements the members of the leadership team have with students who have play plans, learning support plans, behaviour support plans etc and visit to receive regular positive feedback, encouragement and check ins.
Did my child need ‘office support’ today?
If your child needed support to follow the rules by spending time in the office you will know. You may be asked to come immediately to school. You may be phoned and informed. If you don’t answer you may receive an email with a follow up phone call/email/meeting. If your child came to the office and was supported for minor managed events you may not receive a call.
What happens to the other children involved in an incident?
We will never speak about your child to another parent. We will never speak about another child to you. We must follow Privacy Legislation. We will follow the school policy and procedures and individual support plans for each child.
Are parents in the community talking about my child?
The school is regularly made aware of parent communications beyond school that may name or infer the identity of another child. If the school is informed about an unfortunate circumstance such as this we will work to address these matters with the families involved. It is very important not to speak about other people’s children and perceptions or hearsay.
What should I do if my child is worried about their learning or I am concerned about their learning?
- Thank them for telling you. If concerned let your child’s teacher know.
- Stop them talking – ‘It is not our business.’
- Call your friend and tell them what your child said and ask what their child said.
- Make a social post.
What should I do when my child talks about something that they saw or heard at school?
- Thank them for telling you. If concerned let your child’s teacher know.
- Stop them talking – ‘It is not our business.’
- Call your friend and tell them what your child said and ask what their child said.
- Make a social post.
What should I do when my child tells me about something worrying them at school?
- Thank them for telling you. If concerned let your child’s teacher know.
- Stop them talking – ‘It is not our business.’
- Call your friend, tell them what your child said, and ask what their child said.
- Make a social post.
What should I do if my child tells me something their friend told them that they had heard from someone else…..etc?
- Thank them for telling you. If concerned let your child’s teacher know.
- Stop them talking – ‘It is not our business.’
- Call your friend, tell them what your child said, and ask what their child said.
- Make a social post.
What should I do if I am concerned about my child’s learning, engagement, behaviour?
- Thank them for telling you. If concerned let your child’s teacher know.
- Stop them talking – ‘It is not our business.’
- Call your friend and tell them what your child said and ask what their child said.
- Make a social post.
ALWAYS CHOOSE A. If you need to discuss anything about your child and their learning and engagement please contact your child’s teacher and make an appointment with them. Thank you for not speaking about other people’s children. Thank you for your commitment to working together in the education of your child. Our community is stronger when we work together.
Blessings
Jo
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Infrequently Asked Questions There is a need to address these questions as the school has been made aware of conversations beyond the school regarding staff and staffing at St Patrick’s.
Why did staff leave St Pat’s mid-year? One teacher moved to Queensland, one teacher retired, one teacher had been looking to change profession and was offered a position elsewhere, one teacher can now walk across the road to work and also have more time to look after her 3 young children. One support assistant took more hours in her other position and discontinued her school position.
Did any staff leave because of my child’s behaviour? No staff talked about specific students at St Pat’s or student behaviour when deciding on their move. In the event your child was part of the reason for a member of staff leaving, this has not been communicated. No staff member would talk about specific students for many reasons, but importantly because this would breach both professional conduct and confidentiality. The teachers and staff at St Patrick’s show absolute commitment to supporting the learning and engagement of each child.
Are staff leaving because of ‘naughty children?’ The teachers who join our team are professionals and dedicated to supporting all children including those who present with unmet needs each day. One teacher recently joined our community and decided not to remain because she felt she did not have the background and capacity to meet the needs of some of the St Pat’s students.  |
We are creating a culture of learning. How can you help?
Raising Resilient Problem Solvers.
By Michael Grose. #3
Coach them through problems and concerns.
Imagine your child feels they were unfairly left out of a school sports team by a teacher and asks you to get involved.
The easiest solution may be to meet with the teacher and find out what’s going on. You may or not resolve the problem but in doing so you are teaching a child to become dependent on you.
Alternatively, you could coach your child to speak to the teacher themselves and find out why they were left out. Obviously, there are times when children need their parents to be advocates for them such as when they are being bullied, but we need to make the most of the opportunities for children to speak for themselves. Better to help your children find the right words to use and discuss the best way to approach another person when they have problems. These are great skills to take into adulthood.
Caz Perryman
Please note there may be sudden changes to these dates as circumstances in the school community change and advice is received from Catholic Education.
Family Retreats – Sunday 23rd & 30th August 4:30-6pm
Retreat – Wednesday 16th September 9am-3pm
First Eucharist – Thursday 17th September at 6pm
First Eucharist Thanksgiving Mass – Sunday 20th September at 9:30am
Father’s Day Appeal: - The annual collection for retired priests. 30 priests of our Archdiocese come under the care of the Clergy Retirement Foundation. This Appeal raises much needed funds to meet the needs of these priests and to give them security in their retirement years. Donations can also be made at www.cgcatholic.org.au/donate All gifts are tax deductible. Please give generously as you have in the past.
The students have made a positive start participating in the Empowered Program this term with the new addition of a “buddy”. Every student in the school has been paired up with a “buddy” in a class two grades above or below them. As the focus this year is on relationships, how to make them and keep them, it has been comforting for every St Pat’s kid to know that they have someone to reach out to, especially in these changing times. The students have progressed so far through five weeks of their empowered journey with each session ending in a Mindfulness challenge;
Week 1 & Week 2
LISTEN
Challenge.....say your “I am” statement every morning and every evening before you go to sleep.
Week 3 & Week 4
FEEL
Challenge....to “tap” even though I feel (add emotion here).... I love, honour and accept myself (3 times).
Week 5
LET GO.....
Today students were encouraged to “Let Go” of limiting self-beliefs, eg “I can’t do it” to saying “I can’t do it yet”
Challenge.... to say “sorry” to someone for some past hurt.
The highlight for me so far has been the way the students have interacted with their buddies. I have witnessed care, cooperation and a deep sense of connection with someone outside of their family and friendship circle.
Continually inspired
Ms Spicer
Wholebeing Coach
Junior and Senior Monday Clubs
Another initiative at St Pats to promote wellbeing is the “Clubs”. Every Monday at recess students volunteer to lead clubs;
Craft- Alice, Abbey & Maya
Drawing - Rowan Colouring Competition - Isobel, Lincoln, Jack & Tyler
Disney movie - Abbie
Loom Making - Sienna & Eva
Fitness - Amy & Lilli
Eco - Alisha
Spy Clubs - Tadhg, Kye & Emmett
These students are some of our “natural” leaders who are using their strengths to teach other students a skill. The leaders meet and plan a different activity each week for up to between 6-8 students with little help from myself. Every Monday there are up to 60 students happily involved in the clubs. A big thank you for the leaders who have stepped forward to make St Pat’s.... the happiest school in the world.
Stay tuned for more before school activities 8:30 am till 8:50 am...... coming to St Pat’s.
Drink Bottles
It is imperative that your child brings a drink bottle to school each day. Due to recent Covid-19 restrictions there are no bubblers available and the students must provide their own drink bottle.
School Uniforms
Could parents and carers please check the names on your child’s school clothing? Please return to the office any items of school clothing that may have been taken home accidently.
The Community Council meet via zoom for its meeting on Wednesday 5 August.
It’s with much anticipation and excitement we announce the Senior playground is completed! Children have been able to explore this wonderful new play space this week. With reports of beaming smiles, laughter and physical limits challenged, we can safely say it’s a hit! We are proud to have supported this project and we would also like to thank the former P&F committee for their support.
You will recall feedback was sought from the school community regarding families feeling connected and supported within our school community. Thank you to all those who offered feedback. Given continuing COVID restrictions, the Community Council has decided to revisit these ideas at a later time, once restrictions ease.
The Community Council is seeking input from the school community regarding the proposed use of Social Media for sharing celebrations and positive learning experiences with the broader community. Please keep an eye out for a survey being sent home with the eldest child from each family.
A request from an external Music Educator to conduct private music lessons in the school hall has been approved. More information regarding this opportunity will be made available via SkoolBag shortly.
The Community Council continues to explore several grant funding opportunities with the aim to further support our St Patrick’s School Community in numerous ways. A grant application through UNICEF was recently submitted.
We are grateful for the support of Catholic Education’s Student Welfare and Counselling program, which has been increased from 1 day per fortnight to 6 hours per week.
The tender process for the new toilets was extended to 7 August. Further information regarding this project will be available after our next meeting.
The next Community Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 9 September, via zoom.
We are here to help so please reach out if we can support you in any way. Take care.
The Community Council Team
Kat, Donna, Antoinette, Wendy, Sarah, Tamara, Carmen, Jo, Caz & Fr Luke
Webinar: Parent's guide to popular apps
Keeping young people safe online takes a whole-of-community approach, we strongly encourage you to register for the new parent webinar provided by the ESafety Commissioner. The webinar explores popular apps like Tik Tok and Snapchat, and offers targeted advice for supporting young people to have safer, more enjoyable experiences online.