Community Update #11 Getting Ready for Week 8

Virtual Assembly #2
Watch this week's virtual assembly to learn about the following:

• Pentecost
• Weekly Student Awards
• Weekly House Awards
• Reconciliation Week

This Reconciliation Week poster was designed by Rhiannon Year 4

Transition Plans Week 8 and Week 9
The Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children have transitioned well back to school this week. Thanks to the parents and carers who supported the children by waiting outside the school grounds.

We trialled exiting through the double gates but that caused a safety distraction at the crossing. The main entrance gate works well for the Preps and the Year 2's.

Next week, we will use the same entry gates but reduce to two entry and exit times. 
In Week 9, we will use the backyard gate in Dalny Road for the arrival and dismissal of the Year 3-6 children.
All children will enter the grounds and proceed straight inside to their classrooms.

Parents are asked not to linger on the footpath to prevent congestion for other families.

Children arriving via scooters or bikes can enter on their own through the church gate.

TeamKids will accomodate the staggered start and finish times through the main entrance gate.

The Preps will be dismissed in the following order at 3:15pm. Please collect the children through the main gate and exit through the church gate to prevent congestion at the entrance of the school.

• Prep HB
• Prep A
• Prep Y

The Year 1's will be dismissed at 3:30pm in the following order:

• 1K
• 1H

The Year 2's will be dismissed at 3:30pm in the following order:

• 2MP
• 2V

Further updates will be shared in readiness for the return of the Year 3-6 children who commence back to school on Tuesday 9th June.

SRC Survival Tips #4
The #stpatsmbna SRC students share the ways that they have improved with their learning and organisational skills during Home Learning. How have you improved ?

Parent and Student Video Project (Time Capsule)
Following on from the interest in the SRC videos, I am planning a family project to capture the voice of our parents, carers and all children with regards to the time spent learning from home during isolation.
As the children transition back to school and parents back to work, I would love interested families to share their response to the following 2 questions.
The idea is to share your responses in a short video 15 -20 seconds long and email them to principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au

These responses will provide our staff with feedback and help us to make plans for your children going forward. I will compile the responses into a video and they will be shared with our community as well as be stored in a time capsule for the community to access in the future.

Here are the questions:
For parents and children in connection to supporting your family with Home Learning or your time as a family during COVID -19 isolation/lockdown.

• What are you most proud of ?
• What do you want to hold onto/continue with going forward ?

Dr Michael Carr - Greg

SchoolTV has developed another new resource for schools, SPECIAL REPORT: Coronavirus – The Transition Back. The CECV acknowledges the generosity of SchoolTV in enabling distribution of this latest instalment from Dr Michael Carr-Gregg to our families.https://schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-coronavirus-transition-back
Corona Virus - The Transition Back
Ensuring the mental health and well being of families.

Second Hand Uniform Sales and Donations

Our second hand uniform shop will be moving offsite.

Pre loved items can be obtained or donated by sending requests to the amazing Kellie Heathcote who will be managing our store off site.
Please email (Heathcote.kellie@yahoo.com) or text (0418996709) your requests and she will respond with availability.

Sibling Enrolments 2021
Just a reminder for sibling enrolment forms to be picked up from and sent to the office. Please contact the office for further details.

Security Notice for our School Grounds

Farm Fresh Eggs

One of our school families has started a new business and we would like to support them. Please see the details below. All St Pat's Parents will get free delivery with no minimum order to if you mention St Pat's in the notes when ordering!  If parents choose "under delivery" St Pat's Parents.... They will get free delivery regardless of amount purchased!

Term Dates:

Monday 8  June -   Queen's Birthday - school closed

Tuesday 9  June -   Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 return to learning at school learning.

Monday 22 June -  Reports : End of Semester One reports available 

Friday 26 June -    End of Term 2

NB: The Parent /Teacher meeting afternoon originally planned for Wednesday 17th June has been cancelled. Further details will be shared with the reports at the end of this term.

Community Update #10 Safe Arrival and Dismissal Plan

Welcome Back

We look forward to welcoming all of the  Preps, Year 1's and 2's back to school tomorrow. Just a reminder that the children need to wear their winter uniform. If the children haven't got their uniform due to an inability to get to the shops, the children can wear their sports uniform tomorrow.

 Please share the following slides with your children. There are some important reminders for them about health and safety protocols.   

   

Arrival Plans
School gates will be clearly labelled and senior leadership staff will be supervising children's arrival.

• Preps - Enter through the main gate from 8.45am - 9am : 3pm dismissal
• Yr 1s - Church gate from 9am - 9:15am : 3:15pm dismissal
• Yr 2s - main gate - 9.15am - 9:30am: 3:30pm dismissal (School gates closed at 9:30am)

Siblings attending school can enter at the earlier time slot (with their youngest family member).

• Onsite children from Yr 3-6 - Enter 8:45am from the Church gate and will be dismissed between 3pm and 3:30pm (with siblings as above) or at 3:30pm (no siblings P-2).

Parents are asked not to linger on the footpath to prevent congestion for other families.

Children arriving via scooters or bikes can enter on their own through the church gate.

TeamKids will accomodate the staggered start and finish times through the main entrance gate.

Dismissal Plan

In the afternoon, all Prep, Year 1, Year 2 classes will line up in the front yard and be dismissed through the gates as shown.

The double gates (as shown above) will be opened for parents/carers to collect their child and then exit immediately through the church gate.

Please wait for your class to be called. The Preps will be dismissed in the following order at 3pm:

• Prep HB
• Prep A
• Prep Y

The Year 1's will be dismissed at 3:15pm in the following order:

• 1K
• 1H

The Year 2's will be dismissed at 3:30pm in the following order:

• 2MP
• 2V

Community Update #9 Welcome Back

Welcome Back to School
All of our staff will be onsite together at school for the first time in 8 weeks on Monday 25 May.
There have been a small team of us available to work onsite for the past 6 weeks and we are looking forward to welcoming back the rest of the staff and then the Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children on Tuesday. A BIG vote of thanks to our onsite team who have been very flexible over the past 6 weeks.

Thank you again to all parents and carers for your continued support of the Home Learning programme. Thanks to all of our staff for their continued dedication to our children and families.

Details about the staggered starting times for the Prep - Year 2 children are available in Community Update #8 at this link.

Just a reminder for parents to send the children in through the signposted gate. Please don't linger on the footpath to prevent congestion for other families.

Children arriving via scooters or bikes can enter on their own through the church gate.

TeamKids will accomodate the staggered start and finish times.

Access to the Onsite Intentions form for children of Year 3-6 families can be located FAQ 2 at this link.

Virtual Assembly #1, Awards and the SRC Tips
This week, the teachers chose the names of two students per class who demonstrated our core value of being positive through their engagement with the Home Learning programme.

We have prepared an assembly video announcing the awards for those children.

The SRC leaders were asked to shared something that they have improved on or that they are proud of achieving during the Home Learning period. Their video messages have been included in the virtual assembly too.

Parish Education Board (PEB) AGM
Our school PEB held the 2019-2020 AGM via video conference on Wednesday evening.
A HUGE thank you to the input from the following parents and staff who completed their two year term:
John O'Sullivan  - Chairperson (Grants)
Jenny Jones - Secretary (Grants)
Steven Peters - (Grants)
Mikaela Kelly - Parish
Venera Gioffre - P&F
Angela Yates - staff
Anne Mullan - Staff

The Chairperson, Parish Priest and Principal AGM reports will be available on the Learning Community Site next week.

Welcome to the following parents and staff who start their two year term:
Victoria Jones - Chairperson (Hugh Year 1)
Christina Cardillo - Secretary (Thomas Prep)
Patrick Muscat - (Isabella Year 2 and Aidan Prep)
Maggie Pereira - (Rhiannon Year 4 and Alicia Year 1)
Brendan Fitzpatrick - Parish (Dylan Year 3 and Leo Year 1)
Kerryn Oliver- staff
Bernadette Gallagher -staff

Liz Hills, Jenny Hawkins and Father Leenus continue in their roles on the PEB.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) On School Students with Disability
What is the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data?
Schools must now complete the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with
Disability (NCCD) every year. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments
or “help” at school because of a disability. The NCCD helps governments plan for the needs of
students with disability.
You can read the full details at the following link.
Here is the link to the NCCD document for parents and carers.

Team Kids Newsletter

Term Dates:

Monday 25 May -  School Closure Day (Team Kids will operate for the day) Staff at school

Tuesday 26 May -  Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children return to learning at school.

Tuesday 26 May  - Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 continue Home Learning off site.

Monday 8  June -   Queen's Birthday - school closed

Tuesday 9  June -   Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 return to learning at school learning.

Monday 22 June -  Reports : End of Semester One reports available 

Friday 26 June -    End of Term 2

Community Update #8 School Entry Points and Resources

Here are a few interim updates in readiness for the Prep, Yr 1 & Yr 2 and onsite siblings from Tuesday 26th May

School gates will be clearly labelled and senior leadership staff will be supervising children's arrival.

• Preps - Enter through the main gate from 8.45am - 9am : 3pm dismissal
• Yr 1s - Church gate from 9am - 9:15am : 3:15pm dismissal
• Yr 2s - main gate - 9.15am - 9:30am: 3:30pm dismissal (School gates closed at 9:30am)

Siblings attending school can enter at the earlier time slot (with their youngest family member).

• Onsite children from Yr 3-6 - Enter 8:45am from the Church gate and will be dismissed between 3pm and 3:30pm (with siblings as above) or at 3:30pm (no siblings P-2).

Immediate school staff and students only allowed to enter the grounds. Exceptions for children with parents agreed via prior arrangements with the principal.
Families will need to plan for and adapt to arriving at specified times.

All children will need to bring a drink bottle of water as the school water fountains can't be used.

Return of books and resources

All workbooks and library books need to be wiped down with antiseptic wipes and sealed in a plastic bag before returning them to school on Tuesday.

Any loan devices must be returned with the child to the front office.

Lunch Orders
Lunch orders are available only on Fridays during Week 7 and 8.

Wet day Play
All children require an activity / colouring book in the event of wet weather play times.


There will be a further update on Friday.

Community Update #7 Further details going forward

Family Week takes place from 15-21 May every year.

You can access the resources for Family Week at this link.

 Further details going forward
The last few weeks of flexible and remote learning have been challenging for everyone in education. It has been a difficult period for teachers, students and families as we have all adjusted to new ways of learning and teaching. But where we have been successful, it is because parents and carers are partners in achieving learning outcomes.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of the school and our teaching staff, to offer my thanks for the support you have provided during this transition. I have been inspired by the commitment and energy shown by parents and teachers in educating our students, and this is reflected in the innovative and creative ways we have come together to ensure continuity of education.

I believe that meeting this challenge together has strengthened the partnership between St Pat’s and our community, which will sustain us through the learning and teaching of the weeks and months to come. That partnership is, and will continue to be, the foundation of a high-quality Catholic education.

As shared in our Community Update #6,  I wish to reiterate that following advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV) schools can begin a phased return to onsite schooling.

In the first stage, students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will return to school from Tuesday 26 May.
To support all school staff to prepare for this transition, Monday 25 May will be a student-free day.
In the second stage of our return to onsite schooling, all other year levels will return to school from Tuesday 9 June.

For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of onsite schooling will remain in place during the two-week period from Tuesday 26 May to Tuesday 9 June. The current process that we are using to enable parents and carers to indicate the days or part-days for which onsite schooling is required will continue for this two-week period. Access to the Onsite Intentions form can be located FAQ 2 at this link.

All other students in those year levels will continue learning from home until Tuesday 9 June.

Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to onsite schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home. We will continue to share year level and specialist learning plans on the Community Learning Site but our full focus will remain with the children at school.

This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact us so we can make an appropriate plan.

This same approach is being taken by all Catholic and government schools in Victoria.

To support the health and wellbeing of all students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent hand washing.

If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.

While the Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important changes to our school operations, consistent with health advice to all schools. These will apply until further notice. It is important to note that changes will include:

• adjusted arrangements for drop-off and pick-up, including staggered school start and finish time

Entry/ Exit to school for Preps - Yr 2's in Week 6 and Week 7

• Preps - main gate- 8.45am : 3pm dismissal
• Yr 1s - church gate- 9am : 3:15pm dismissal
• Yr 2s - main gate- 9.15am : 3:30pm dismissal

• restrictions on access to the school site for anyone other than immediate school staff and students 

Parents will need to avoid entering the school grounds with children and must contact the office to arrange an appointment. Families will need to plan for and adapt to arriving at specified times.

We understand that some families may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. I can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our state.

More information about the return to school and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found on the CECV website, which will continue to be updated: www.cecv.catholic.edu.au/Coronavirus-information-for-parents.

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming the children back to the classroom. Our staff are here for you and, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au for help or advice during this challenging period.

Jenny Hawkins 

Principal

SRC  Survival Tips Video #3 Indoor Activities for the Family

Thanks to our keen SRC team who have some great ideas for families to do together indoors.

Hope you enjoyed the SRC Survival Tips#2 from last week - outdoor activities. We had internet problems and couldn't display this in the newsletter.

Ms Trot has entered St Pat's in a Fitness Challenge

St Pats Workout Challenge

"We're all in this together, so LET'S GET ACTIVE TOGETHER!!

The RHSports is having an interschool sports e-challenge to help keep as all active while at home, as well as keeping some of those competitive juices flowing!
The school with the most participants and best results will win a NYDA sports equipment voucher to go towards new equipment and sports gear for the school. Challenges include, skipping, running/walking, speed dribble and wall bounce.
To Participate - Students/staff/families can complete all the activities as shown online here and enter their results in the form at the bottom. Make sure to click on St Patricks Primary School. There is no limit to how many times a student can enter so the more challenges the better!

Competition ends Sunday 31st May so let's get active.

Good luck and have fun!"

Pastoral letter from the Bishops of Victoria.
The Bishops of Victoria have released a pastoral letter with information regarding the reopening of churches in Victoria. Here is the link.

End of Semester One Report Information

The content on which we report is reduced, as the usual assessments undertaken in the everyday classroom have not been possible this term.

Teachers will use a broad evidence-base to make their own balanced assessments of your child’s progress at this point in time. Such evidence includes student-led conversations and teacher observations, Term 1 assessments, notes and work samples.

In that context, this report will look different from usual. Following the advice of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), Victorian Department of Education and Training, and Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV), this report will provide:

• a description of the areas of the Victorian Curriculum  taught in Semester 1
• a succinct descriptive assessment of student learning achievement, based on the Achievement Standards in the Victorian Curriculum where possible, progress
• a comment on how your child has adjusted to the remote and flexible learning environment, with reference to the ‘Personal and Social Capability’ curriculum.

The end of year report (December) will provide a more comprehensive view of the year’s learning across all usual curriculum areas.

The Semeseter One reports will be available in the last week of Term 2.

Term Dates:

Friday 22 May  -    Special assembly video with awards
Monday 25 May -  School Closure Day (Team Kids will operate for the day)

Tuesday 26 May -  Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children return to learning at school.

Tuesday 26 May  - Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 continue Home Learning off site.

Monday 8  June -   Queen's Birthday - school closed

Tuesday 9  June -   Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 return to learning at school learning.

Monday 22 June -  Reports : End of Semester One adjusted reports available 

Friday 26 June -    End of Term 2

Please note: 

• We await further information from the Archdiocese of Melbourne in relation to the Sacrament of Confirmation (Previously scheduled for May 7 for Year 6 students)
• The school concert will not take place on September 10 but classes will share items at the fete on November 21 if it is still able to go ahead
• All Term 2 sporting events have been cancelled until further notice

Community Update #6 - Transition back to onsite learning and term dates

Community Update #6 - Transition back to onsite learning and term dates

This morning, we received the positive news we have all been waiting for. Premier Daniel Andrews announced a phased return to face to face learning at school during May and June for our students.

A school closure day on Monday 25 May will allow staff, schools and families to prepare for the change. From Tuesday 26 May all Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children will return to on-site learning.

The onsite classes for children in Year 3-6 whose parents or carers cannot work from home will continue until Tuesday 9 June when all Year 3-6 children should be able to return to school.

You can read further details in the full media release. Here is the link.

Our leadership team have begun to make preparations and plans for a smooth and safe transition back to school and will share those plans with you in the coming days. In the meantime, any questions can be directed to principal@spmurrumbeena. catholic.edu.au

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school as we continue to observe strict health protocols and social distancing practices.

We thank all parents and carers and our staff for your ongoing commitment to educating our children during this challenging period.

Term Dates:

Monday 25 May -  School Closure Day (Team Kids will operate for the day)

Tuesday 26 May -  Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children return to learning at school.

Tuesday 26 May  - Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 continue Home Learning off site.

Monday 8  June -   Queen's Birthday - school closed

Tuesday 9  June -   Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 return to learning at school learning.

Monday 22 June -  Reports : End of Semester One adjusted reports available (details to be shared beforehand)

Friday 26 June -    End of Term 2

Please note: 

• We await further information from the Archdiocese of Melbourne in relation to the Sacrament of Confirmation (Previously scheduled for May 7 for Year 6 students)
• The school concert will not take place on September 10 but classes will share items at the fete on November 21 if it is still able to go ahead
• All Term 2 sporting events have been cancelled until further notice

Community Update #5 Getting Ready for Week 5

Community Update #5 Getting ready for Week 5

Prayer for Mother's / Special Friend's Day
We wish all mums and special friends a very special celebration on Sunday. Hopefully once we are back at school we can arrange an afternoon tea or pampering sessions to show our appreciation for you.

Staff Video

Our staff wanted to let you all know that we miss seeing you at school.
Here is the link to our staff video. Special thanks to Tia for compiling the video

Thanks to all of the parents who commented on our school facebook page or emailed expressing your delight in the video message.
Your comments (some of them shared below) are very uplifting as we continue to navigate our way forward through previously unchartered Home Learning waters. Thanks to all of you who are truly making a difference through your efforts at home. We look forward to the time when we can all be back together at St Pat's again.

Our sincere thanks for the beautiful movie clip you have all made. We feel very lucky to have joined such a supportive and caring community.The tireless work you are doing is very much appreciated.

We LOVED the you tube clip!!! We are all crying! It has made our day!!!

Such a beautiful school community we are so proud to be a part of! Thanks for making us smile. 🌈👏

oh that made me a bit teary! Thank you Tia for compiling this and thankyou to all the staff for participating. Love the new sign out the front of the school too!🌈

 Yet another reason we love this incredible school and community 🥰🥰🥰. The boys can't wait to return. Thanks for such a gorgeous video 💕

Love this! Thanks to everyone... we are all in this together!

Congratulations baby Jones
On Wednesday, Mr Jones, Year 5J teacher and his wife welcomed their second child into the world. Congratulations Paul and Bec on the arrival of Charlie, a little brother for a very excited Isabella.

SRC Survival Tips #2 
Here is a link to the second video from the SRC for helping you to stay fit and healthy at home.
The SRC are student leaders from Year 1 to Year 6 who work together with Ms Hawkins to provide student voice on making our school a great place for our community.

THANK YOU

A special THANK YOU to the Carrie family who supplied our onsite staff with a delicious lunch on Friday. It was greatly appreciated by all and gave our onsite team a much needed Friday boost ! Look out for the Carrie children in the latest SRC video.

Week 5 Home Learning & Phone Calls
As we enter Week 5 of Home Learning, the staff won't necessarily be contacting all of you by telephone to check in with you. Please continue to email teachers if you have any questions or email Liz Hills to ring you back for any urgent questions about the Home Learning curriculum.
The Home Learning for all Year Levels and specialist teachers is uploaded onto the site ready for Week 5. You can access it at this link.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) 

A reminder to Parents and Guardians who are new to our school that you may be eligible for funding from the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) which is provided by the State Government. Please refer to the link below for details and eligibility criteria. Applications are also available on the website in the link or you can contact Kellie in our office to send you an application form. All applications must be submitted by the end of term 2.

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef 

Community Update # 4 - Preparing for Week 4

Community Update # 4 - Preparing for Week 4
We have completed 3 weeks of Home Learning !! Well done everyone, be proud. As a staff, we have learnt to share learning in ways that are new for our children, families and teachers too. As parents, you have embraced the extra challenges that learning at home bring to your already busy and complicated lives.

Feedback from staff phone calls to parents and emails shared with us, say that the transition to the Week 3 daily planners is a success. Week 4 will be a breeze !! Our staff are continuing to create learning videos and resource packs for children across the school according to their needs. The children are sharing their learning through Seesaw and Google Classroom. We will continue to work in partnership with you and thank you for your efforts.

Week 4 activities have been uploaded to the community learning site this afternoon. This will enable you to look through the activities, and see how they progress from day to day in preparation for Monday.

In the meantime, listen to the SRC tips below and have a relaxing family weekend whilst the staff prepare a little surprise for you all next week.

SRC Home Learning Survival Tips #1
This week I held a Zoom meting with the SRC children from Year 1 through to Year 6. We have put together our first SRC video with some ideas to help all of you stay positive and survive Home Learning during this COVID-19 isolation time. We hope to prepare another one for your next week.

Shout out to the KIDS
Thanks to one of our school families for sharing this special reflection with all of us. Read it to your children as we give them all a big shout out.

"I just wanted to give you some feedback on what an amazing job you are doing. Your timetable, emails, take home folders are so succinct! It makes life for us “imposter teachers“ so much easier " (St Pat's parent)