Week 10, Term 4, 2018

Principal News by Jenny Hawkins
End of Term Mass Friday 21st September at 9:30am
Everyone is welcome to join us for the end of term mass tomorrow morning at 9:30. We are looking forward to coming together as a school and giving thanks for the gifts and talents of our children.
Thanks to all of our parents who have contributed in a number of ways during the term. We wish all of you a safe holiday period and look forward to welcoming everyone back to school in their Summer Uniform on Monday 8th October.

Archdiocesan Update
This Saturday 22nd September, our School and Parish community will receive an interim update from the Archdiocese with regards to Fr Paul's administrative leave. As soon as I receive the letter, I will share this with our school families via Flexi Buzz as requested by the Archdiocese. Although the release of this information coincides with the start of the school holidays, please feel free to contact me via email principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au

Parents as Open Partners in Education POPE
Thanks to the new parents who joined me last week. You can read about our discussion by going to  the POPE Updated Information at this link.

Parish Education Board News September Update
Thanks to John O' Sullivan (Board Chairperson), Gabby Paroli (Secretary) and the whole board for your support this term. We have had a very productive term. Here are some of the developments:

• MasterPlan - K2Ld Architects presented the next stage of the Masterplan to the board and Masterplan Committee last night. This is a detailed feasibility study consisting of a refurbishment of the main teaching block. John O' Sullivan, Stephen Peters and Jenny Jones have formed the Grants Committee and will complete an application for a Capital Grant to the Catholic Education Office next term with Jenny Hawkins.

• Parent Skills  - Thanks to those of you who have returned the blue forms and offered to share your skills and expertise with our community for the benefit of our children. Jenny Jones has volunteered to collate these lists. If you haven't had a chance to return your form, you can access a form from the office or access a digital version of the form at this link.
• Website Development - John O' Sullivan and Anne Mullan have been exploring opportunities to improve our school website. Next term, we will be forming a Website working group and welcome any of our parent community to join us as we begin to improve our school website.

Parents and Friends
A huge thank you to Annie and Bree and the Parent and Friend's team for all of your hard work this term. Last week's Disco Bingo night was a successful community social event. The children are looking forward with anticipation to the School Disco tonight.

FOOTY & FAIRIES DAY
Don't forget to come dressed in your favorite football team's colors, as an umpire or as a fairy.  (The admin office will be a jungle of YELLOW and BLACK!) 
The Grade 6 students have also organised a fund raiser for MND tomorrow so children are requested to bring a gold coin donation to participate in the fun games and sporting activities that they have planned. 
Just a reminder that any children not having a footy lunch ie a pre ordered pie or sausage roll, need to bring their lunch from home because there will be no lunch orders. 

Sunsmart 
Term 4 sees the return of hats.  All children MUST wear their school hats during all outdoor activities, recess and lunchtimes.

Important Term 3 Dates:

Friday 21st September             Football & Fairies Day

                                                 End of Term Mass @ 9.30am
                                                 Children dismissed @ 2pm

Important Term 4 Dates:
Monday 8th October                Children return to school
Tuesday 9th October                Prep Orientation for Group 1 @ 2.15pm
Tuesday 16th October              Prep Orientation for Group 2 @ 2.15pm
Tuesday 23rd October              Prep Orientation for Groups 1 & @ @ 2.15pm
                                                  Parish Education Board Meeting @7pm
Monday 29th October              Catholic Missions Week commences
Monday 5th November            School Closure Day
Tuesday 6th November            Melbourne Cup Day
Tuesday 13th November          Prep Information Night @ 7pm
Wednesday 21st November      School Closure Day
Monday 26th November          Swimming Program  commences (P-4)
                                                  Year 5/6 Beach/Sailing program commences
Wednesday 19th December      Last day of term 4 (children dismissed @ 1pm)

Week 9, Term 3, 2018

Principal News by Jenny Hawkins

End of Term School Mass Friday 21st September 9:30 am
Everyone is welcome to join us for our end of term school mass on Friday at 9:30am. This will replace our Family Mass. Here are some prayer reflections taken from the songs we will sing at mass on Friday.

Our School Concert Success 
THANK YOU for the messages of CONGRATULATIONS from so many of you. Please read some of our messages below. We were all very proud of our children. Special thanks to all of our staff and to our parents for your support.
Thank you to Tass Vassiliou for sharing some excellent photos of the concert. These will be shared shortly on our school Facebook Page.

"I feel every student shone on the evening. This does not just happen. It is clear to me that the staff have worked hard to provide the environment for all students to feel comfortable to take those risks and have a go - promoting a growth mindset..... It was obvious from the staff performance you have a great team of people who clearly are committed to their jobs...." Year 2 Parents

" As parents of three and grandparents of five, we've been to a few concerts  - but I don't think we've ever enjoyed one as much as St patrick's today. Such a sense of fun by the kids on the stage and the audience members..."  Grandparents

"We wanted to thank the staff for an outstanding concert on Monday night. We have been to numerous concert over the years.. they do seem to just get better and better !" Year 4 Parents

"Well done to all the St Pat's staff ! My husband and I thought it was a wonderful production. Our children had a ball up on the stage. The new venue was a refreshing change, spacious, comfortable seating, easy viewing lots of parking and the children were happy not to sit on the floor.."  Year 2 &4 Parents

"Thanks for a wonderful concert, everyone was brilliant. The venue was a great improvement, very comfortable.." Year 5 Parents

" Congratulations... Not only was it a very professional and enjoyable performance but it was so pleasing to see every person that took the stage fully embracing the experience. The enthusiasm, commitment and pure joy on every student's face was so beautiful to see and a real credit to the nurturing school environment you have created and provide at St Patrick's...." Prep Parent

Three of our Year 5 students (the AIM girls) wrote a great review of the staff act from the concert. You can read it by going to this link.
Classes for 2019
We have begun to make plans for 2019. If you haven't already notified me, please email principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au by Friday 21st September, only if your family will not be attending St Patrick's next year.

Fees Adjustment Letter
In last week's Shamrock, we mentioned the recommendation from the Parish Education Board with regards to the 2019 school fees. Here is a link to the letter from Bishop Elliott with further details.

A reminder that all school fees for 2018 are now due in full and should be finalised by the end of this term. Thank you for your payments so far.

School Disco Thursday 20th September
Hopefully everyone is still in the mood for dancing after the stellar concert performances.  Don't forget to return disco forms and payment as soon as possible.

Footballers and Fairies Day Friday 21st September

Football/Fairy Day is a long-standing tradition at St Pats and allows the children to come to school dressed up as a footballer/fairy/supporter/umpire OR a combination,

To keep with the footy theme, meat pies, sausage rolls or pasties will be available. Please complete a paper bag for each child and include money inside and return to school by Tuesday.
Meat Pies/ Pasties: ($3) Sausage roll: ($2)  Sauce = 30cents extra

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO NORMAL LUNCH ORDERS ON THIS DAY.

NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER TUESDAY.

If your child does not want any of the above, please provide lunch from home.

Parent Skill Registration Form "A hundred ways to help"
Thanks to those of you who have returned your form with skills you are willing to share with our school community. If you have misplaced your copy, you can access another one from the office or go to the Parish Education Board tab on the Learning Community Site.

BEACHSIDE DIVISION ATHLETICS
Congratulations to our students who represented Dendy at the Beachside Division Athletics Carnival at Lakeside Stadium last Friday. What an amazing effort by Angus E, Lila S, Mitchell J, Luci D and Mackenzie K on the track, and Thomas R in the field events. The standard of competition was high and our children enjoyed the opportunity to participate at this level. We thank the parents who attended with their children and shared these wonderful photos. Special mention to Thomas R (Yr5) who came 1st in the 9/10 Boys Discus and will now compete at the Southern Metro Regional Athletics. We wish him luck!!

Buddy Bench
Thanks to the P & F who organised the Buddy Bench for our children. It was installed today !! Our Year 1's will meet with Miss Karin to make a plan to decorate it.

Some of our Preppies were please to discover the new bench !

Parking Conditions

Parking restrictions around the school are there for a reason, the primary one being to create a safe pickup and drop off area for our children.  People not obeying the signage are putting all our children and road users at risk.  We have been advised that several complaints were made this afternoon to  Glen Eira Council.  Please be advised that a Council Officer will be visiting next week.

Lost scooter

Unfortunately this Envy prodigy black scooter with some colour around the bottom disappeared last Friday from the bike shed. If anyone knows of its whereabouts, please contact the office. Thank you

Important Term 3 Dates:

Wed 19th September                Education Board Meeting @ 7pm
Thur 20th September               School Disco

Friday 21st September             Football & Fairies Day

                                                 End of Term Mass @ 9.30am
                                                 Children dismissed @ 2pm

Week 8 Term 3 2018

Principal News Jenny Hawkins
National Child Protection Week

          Prayer for Child Protection Week

Lord,
You asked that the little children be allowed to come to you;
for it is to such as these that the Reign of God belongs.
You entrust them to the care and protection of our communities of faith.Guide us as we strive to ensure that our Catholic communities provide a safe environment for each child.
Amen.

Concert on Monday 10th September

We are looking forward to the concert this Monday. The concert is taking place at the Crossway Centre, 2 Vision Drive, Burwood East. Meet You at the Drive - in !!

POPE (Parents as Partners in Education) Morning Tea Tuesday 11th September 9-10am
New Prep parents and other new families are invited to a special morning tea and catch up. It is an opportunity to come together to get to know each other and find out more about the Learning Community Site and education at St Pat's. I look forward to hosting this event in the staff room. Please RSVP by 4pm Monday principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au

WE ARE POSITIVE - Staff Professional Learning
As you will be aware, staff are involved in a three year professional learning project with the Schools That Deliver Network. You can learn more at this link and read the latest progress at this link. When we met with the facilitators in Term 1, our whole staff agreed on our core values. These are the values we aim to follow as we work together. Importantly, these are the values that also apply to our children and our parent community. This week we focussed on the value WE ARE POSITIVE.  Our goal is to provide a positive environment for our children. This includes a positive attitude from you our parents too. Let's all work together to exude positivity and continue to make our school community the best place for our children in the classroom, in the playground and in our homes.

HOOPTIME Basketball Days
Over the last two weeks, St Patrick's has participated in Senior and Junior HoopTime Basketball Days. It is wonderful to see our children participate in sport at all levels- from the beginners division through to experienced and competitive players. We congratulate them on their teamwork and the support they showed each other throughout the days. Special mention goes to the following teams:
* Senior All Star Girls - Runners up in the Grand Final!
* Senior Future Stars Pioneers - who played against two other St Pat's teams to reach the Future Stars Grand Final. They came Runners Up.
* Junior All Star Boys - Runners up in the Grand Final yesterday!!
And finally, we must acknowledge our parent helpers without whom we couldn't participate in these days. We had 15 parents assist us over these days. Your time and efforts are very much appreciated.

YEAR 4 HOOPTIME THURSDAY 6th SEPTEMBER 2018
‘And the winners are.....St Patrick’s Year 4’s

Yesterday’s Hooptime Tournament was a fantastic experience for all of the Year 4’s. For some it was their first experience of playing a competitive match at a basketball stadium; for others it provided an opportunity to showcase their basketball skills. Congratulations to everyone of you for the great sportsmanship, encouragement and enthusiasm you displayed throughout the day.
The Year 4 All Stars Team played off in the Grand Final and were runners up to St Mary’s. This was a skillful and well drilled team who should be extremely proud of their achievement in a fiercely competitive competition. Well done too to our Future Stars team who also made it into the finals.
A huge thank you to our parent helpers on the day, Cameron, Ramona, Campbell, Gabby, Patricia and Vanessa, who took on the roles of coach and team manager for the day.
Lastly a big thank you to Michelle Barclay who did a brilliant job organizing the teams, rosters and equipment for the day, ensuring that everything was in place so that the day ran smoothly and would be such a positive experience for the Year 4’s. To quote a number of Year 4’s, ‘This was the best day ever!’

Parish Education Board News Update for August

• Annual Financial Report - The board made a recommendation to support a fee adjustment for 2019 as highlighted in 2016 to allow for an increase in inflation and future capital works. A letter from Bishop Elliott with full details will be sent to the community shortly.
• Parent Skills Registration form - This fits with our school vision narrative: "St Patrick’s taps into the expertise and initiatives of our parents and the wider community and regularly invite them into our school". A hard copy of this form will be sent home to parents tomorrow to return to the office before the end of the term.
• Parish Report - Unfortunately we still have no further update on Fr Paul. We await an update from the Archdiocese now that the new Archbishop has been appointed. 
• Student Well Being and Child Safety report -  Feedback from the board in relation to a survey for the staff Schools That Deliver research team led to a rich discussion from board members around transition to high school, cyber safety and future parent education evenings.
• Masterplan - The architects have begun the next stage, the feasibility study. This is primarily looking at a refurbishment of the existing building. Two options were evaluated by the Masterplan Working group. The next workshop will take place at the September board meeting.
• Grant - The Grant Working group have begun to source the information required to prepare the paperwork for submission of a Capital Works Grant application in Term 4.
• Website - Board members are currently reviewing the existing school website and sourcing alternative options for an upgrade of the site. 

Parent and Friends News 
Parent's Social Event of the Year - DISCO BINGO
There is only a week until the St Pat's parents social event of the year. Please book tickets via the link below https://www.trybooking.com/XFEF

 Please note the *Venue Change to The  ROSSTOWN HOTEL FUNCTION ROOM* for catering purposes can you please book your tickets by Wednesday 12th September. We are fortunate enough to have the footy finals shown live on TV.

Children's School Disco will be held on Thursday 20th September.  We request parent helpers on the night.  A roster has been placed outside the school office, please put your name down if you can help.  Extra permission forms for the disco are located in the office.

The Buddy Bench has arrived and will be installed very soon.

Important Term 3 Dates:

SCHOOL CONCERT               Mon 10th September

POPE Meeting  @ 9am            Tues 11th September

Disco Bingo Social Event         Fri 14th September

School Disco Night                   Thur 20th September

End of term 3                            Fri 21st September  Children dismissed @ 2pm

Collecting Preloved children and baby PJ's supporting families in need.

One of our school mums, Lisa Gordon, is co ordinating donations of baby and children's PJ's for the St Kilda Mum's Charity. Collecting all sizes from infants through to size 12. Lisa will leave a collection box in our office. You can contact Lisa on her mobile 0414 586 708