Community Update #1.7

 Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer.

Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too.

Due to the latest lockdown, Fr Siby will distribute ashes to the children at a special liturgy on Tuesday 23rd February in the church. This year, the ashes will be sprinkled onto our heads.

IMPORTANT - Date change for Year 5 First Communion masses

Fr Siby has announced today that to avoid potential restrictions with numbers and in order to allow as many family members to attend this special celebration, the Communion masses will no longer be held during Parish mass times.

Instead they will be held on the following dates:

Saturday 8th May at 9:15am  -   5S

Saturday  15th May at 9:15am - 5J

Notice of Parent Information Meetings for the Sacraments this term

The following workshops will be held either in the school hall or via Zoom depending on restrictions. Further details will be sent to school families. It is important you notify Jenny Hawkins with any questions, queries or requests around attendance at these meetings.

Monday 15th March Year 6 Confirmation meeting at 7pm

Monday 22nd March Year 5 Communion meeting at 7pm

Zoom parent meetings (optional)

Those parents and carers attending Zoom meetings scheduled for Wednesday 24th will need to wait in the waiting room and the teacher will admit you; families with PSGs booked are not required to attend the Zoom meetings on the 24th.

Teachers will send a link home. Please make sure you log in with a recognisable family name.

Assembly Awards Presentation Video

Last week, we held our first awards assembly. Due to the fact that parents can't currently attend  onsite, the award part of the assembly was recorded. Here is the video.

Connection Video - Meet the teachers

This year, we can't meet you face to face onsite at school. Here is a video to help you put a face to a name and learn who our leaders and teachers are for 2021.

IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGES

Some parents are driving into the staff car park at drop off and pick up time. This means that these parents are driving in and out of the driveway just when there are numerous children and families using the path next to the busy back yard gates in Dalny Road.

Please keep our families safe and DO NOT use the staff car park and driveway to drop off or pick up your children.

Child Safety WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECKS WWCC

During the year (Covid restrictions aside) there are many occasions when we may request the assistance of parent helpers with activities. These activities may include: inter-school sports events, school excursions, classroom helpers, cooking, etc.
In line with our Child Safe Policy, St Patrick’s requires that any parents who wish to help in this capacity must have a current Working With Children Check. Parent helpers are asked to bring their WWCC card with them when they sign in on the i-pad at the school office. WWCCs can be applied for online at http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au and are free for volunteers.
We value the contributions of parent helpers across the school and strongly urge ALL parents to apply for a WWCC.

Enrolments open for 2022/2023

Sibling enrolment forms are now available from the office. Please email the office and a form will be sent home with siblings.

St Patrick's Parents & Friends (P&F) Updates

The Pink List is almost complete - Last chance to promote your business in our community pages!

The Pink list will be finalised shortly, printed and distributed. If you have not already received correspondence (via email or a letter) to confirm your childrens' details, please send a note to christiemalexander@gmail.com .This year we will be providing an electronic version of your grade and one physical hardcopy of the full school list to each family. 

Don't forget to give your family business a plug by sending through details of your business and a logo to pandf@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au , so that the school community can support you.

Have you joined the P&F Facebook group yet?

The P&F have several ways for you to keep across P&F activities. All notices are published in the Shamrock and where necessary via ad hoc notice via the Flexischools app. We also have a private Facebook Group: "St Patrick’s P & F news” which all members of the school community are welcome to join.

The Easter Raffle is coming!

The famous St Patricks Easter Raffle will be held again in 2021. For families who are able to support this marvellous fundraiser, we ask that you purchase a few Easter eggs or Easter themed stationery or books of any shape and size and have your children drop them into the school office. Tickets are $1 each, and you can buy one or many. Payment for raffle tickets will be cashless again this year via CDF Pay. Details of the Easter Raffle will be sent home with your children soon. Donations will be collected and the many prize hampers assembled. The raffle will be drawn on the last day of school at assembly (Wed 31st March 2021) and prizes will be sent home to be consumed over the holiday break. This fundraiser is definitely a favourite of the kids.

Second Hand Uniform Shop

Due to ongoing COVID restrictions, the secondhand uniform shop is currently operating offsite. Please email Kellie at heathcote.kellie@yahoo.com to discuss your requirements or to arrange to drop off donations. We have lots of stock available in sizes 4-10, limited stock of sizes 12+,  as well as items like school and library bags and great quality school jumpers. All items are now $5 each. Payment is available via EFTPOS.
We require donations of larger size boys and girls clothing 12+. Donations of all sizes are welcome (clean, no holes).
All funds raised from the secondhand uniform shop go towards the Parents and Friends fundraising to assist in the purchase of resources for the school.

PatCare - Families Supporting Families

Members of the PatCare group support those in the school community who are experiencing hardship, grief, illness or other need – generally by providing meals / baked goods / kid-friendly snacks. You don’t need to be a whizz in the kitchen – every casserole, steak and veggies, batch of biscuits or chicken pie you provide is immensely appreciated. Every PatCare meal is one less thing that they have to do.

Our PatCare coordinator Sarah Luck (Grade 1Y) maintains a list of volunteers, and will reach out to each person in turn when required. Your contribution may be just a few meals per year.

Please email pandf@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au if you’d like to help.

P&F Guidelines

A set of guidelines outlining the roles and structure of the P&F has been drafted for consideration by the school community. Please click on this link to read the draft. The P&F Committee have already identified a need to include the role of the committee and P&F Class Reps, however, any comments or suggestions in relation to the guidelines can be sent to: pandf@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au  for collation and consideration at the next P&F meeting.

Pizza Night COVID Restrictions & 2021 P&F Calendar of Events

As the recent 5 day lockdown has shown, planning for COVID-proof events in 2021 continues to be difficult. We are devastated for the Prep families who are not able to hold their Pizza Night this week, but hope that this will be rescheduled as soon as restrictions are lifted. The Prep P&F Class Reps will be in contact with parents to communicate a new date, as will the Gr 2 and Gr 3 P&F class reps if postponement is necessary next week.

Please see below some of the planned P&F activities coming up:

St Patrick’s Primary School Parents & Friends Association

2021 Calendar of Events

Date	Event	Organiser
Term 1
Feb	Pink List	Christie Alexander
Fri 12-Feb-2021	Grade 1 Pizza Night	Gr 1 P&F Reps
Wed 17-Feb-2021	P&F Meeting #1	P&F
Fri 19-Feb-2021	Prep Pizza Night To be rescheduled	Prep P&F Reps
Fri 26-Feb-2021	Grade 2 Pizza Night Awaiting COVID advice	Gr 2 Class P&F Reps
Fri 26-Feb-2021	Grade 3 Pizza Night Awaiting COVID advice	Gr 3 Class P&F Reps
Tue 16-Mar-2021	P&F Meeting #2	P&F
Wed 31-Mar-2021	Easter Raffle drawn	P&F Committee
Wed 31-Mar-2021	End Term 1
Term 2
Mon 19-Apr-2021	1st Day – Term 2
Thu 22-Apr-2021	P&F Meeting #3
Fri 7-May-2021	Mothers’ /Special Friends Day Stall

Next P&F Meetings

All members of the school community are welcome to join our P&F meetings. Where COVID restrictions permit it, we hope to hold them at school so that we can meet in person. The next two meetings will be on:

• Tuesday 16-Mar-2021 at 7.30pm
  

• Thursday 22-Apr-2021 at 7.30pm.

2021 Term Dates

Sacrament Dates are published below for your reference.  Note changes as above for First Communion

Term 1

Zoom/Telephone Chats (optional)               Feb 24 3:45 - 5pm

Education Advisory Board                           Feb 24 at 7pm

Confirmation Parent Information                 March 15 at 7pm

Parent and Friends  Meeting                        March 16 at 7:30pm

Communion Parent Information                  March 22 at 7pm

Education Advisory Board                           March 24 at 7pm

End Term 1                                                    March 31 at 1pm

Closure Day Staff PL Day                             April 1

Term 2 

Beginning Term 2                                          April 19

Year 5/6 Camp ADANAC                               April 19-21

Year 5 Reconciliation                                    May 5 10:30am

Year 6 Confirmation                                      May 7 7pm

Year 5 First Communion   5S                       May 8 9:15am

Year 5 First Communion   5J                        May 15 9:15am

Year 4 Reconciliation                                    June 16 10:30am

End Term 2                                                     June 23 at 1pm

Closure Day Staff PL Day 1                          June 24

Closure Day Staff PL Day 2                          June 25

Term 3

Beginning Term 3                                          July 12

Year 3 Reconciliation                                    Sep 8 10:30am                                 

End Term 3                                                     Sep 17

Term 4

Beginning Term 4                                          Oct 4

Year 4 Reconciliation                                    Oct 20 10:30am

Year 4 First Communion                               Oct 24 9am & 5pm

Closure Day Assessment                                Nov 1

Closure Day Planning 2022                          Nov 19

School Swimming                                        Nov 29 - Dec 10

End of term                                                   Dec 15 at 1pm