Prayer Reflection
New Reports/Surveys and Parent Teacher Meetings
Next week your child will bring home their mid year school report. This is a new look report based on parent feedback. There will be a brief survey available at the Parent Teacher Meetings on Wednesday in order for you to provide further feedback.
If your family circumstances have changed and your child requires an extra report, please email jhawkins@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au so that this can be arranged prior to the meetings.
School finishes at 1pm on Wednesday to allow the meetings to commence at 1:30pm in the school hall.
Camp Australia will operate an after school service on Wednesday from the Art Room and Prep Classrooms.
Team Kids Information Evening
About thirty parents attended the Team Kids evening on Wednesday. The loud round of applause at the end of the presentation showed the positive response to our new Before/After school providers. Team Kids will commence Day, Term 3, 2017.
All families will need to register with TeamKids, as your enrolment and bookings with Camp Australia cannot be transferred across.
If you have not used TeamKids before then you will need to register your child and add your bookings for Term 3. Please go to the website www.teamkids.com.au and select your program and follow the enrolment instructions.
If you have used TeamKids before, please contact the Customer Service Team and they will link your account. You will then just need to add your bookings for Term 3.
Please contact their Customer Service team via email info@teamkids.com.au or phone 95320366 #1 if you have any questions.
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| James and Aaran from Team Kids present to the parent community |
Child Safety Mid Year Report to the St Patrick's Community
In an article I wrote about Child Safety on the 3rd September 2017 and shared with you in our school newsletter, The Shamrock, 6th September 2017, I shared seven dot points of next steps for our community. Since then, we have in fact achieved these goals and made several further changes to continue to ensure we keep filling in the holes of the Swiss Cheese. I wish to share these changes with you. Firstly, here is a copy of the original message.
Child Safety Message Reminder from The Shamrock 6th September 2017
Last Wednesday, I attended a workshop at the Catholic Leadership Centre around the Child Safe Standards. I have written a summary of my learning to share with you. You can learn more at this link. I hope this helps to explain the significance of the many changes we have had to make to the way we run things at St Pat's. Ultimately we have the safety and well being of every child at the heart of our decision making. I would like to set up a Child Safety Committee. If you are a parent who is particularly interested in joining the group, please let me know either in person or by email principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au
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| Read this link to find out what Child Safety has to do with Swiss cheese! |
- Draw attention to Child Safe procedures with children, staff and parents during National Child Protection Week 3-9 September - Achieved
- Ensure the Child Safe Policy and other documents are visible on our website, newsblog and learning site -Achieved
- Initiate a Child Safe Team including teachers, parents and children - Achieved
- Work with the Student Representative Council to develop a child friendly Child Safe Code of Conduct and give our children a voice around Child Safety - Work in Progress
- Include Child Safety on the agenda of all meetings - staff, board and parents - Achieved
- Review camp and excursion Safety Action Plans - Achieved
- Use the CEM Embedding a Culture of Child Safety Reflection Tool with the community - Work in Progress
- Introduction of a detailed risk assessment plan for all school trips including interschools in Feb 2017. No school buses are booked until the principal sights this plan.
- Non Alcohol Policy
- The removal of displays from glass windows and doors into classrooms to provide transparency of learning spaces
- Reading Recovery office relocated to an office adjacent to a classroom space for visibility
- Child Safe school signs displayed on fences, gates at school boundaries
- Parents / visitors requested to sign in at the office and wear a visitor lanyard
- Child Safe Code of Conduct sent home for parents to sign
- Parents/visitors no longer able to go into children's bathrooms, instead use the disabled bathroom
- Children able to enter the school directly at 8:50am instead of waiting in the playground until 9am.
- Every staff member completed the Victorian Government Protecting Children- Mandatory Reporting online module. A copy of the certificates of completion are held at school.
With the support of our staff and the Child Safe Team, our school will continue to proactively ensure we maintain a Child Safe environment for every child at St Patrick's.
Parish Education Board News
At our last board meeting, we discussed the success of our parent working groups. When I commenced at St Patrick's, many parents suggested they were keen to share their professional expertise with our school. How best to do this than to join a proactive working group that contributes to our St Patrick's school community ? Our Child Safe Team, Masterplan Team and Before/After School Review Team are made up of staff and parents willing to share their skills. At the board meeting we discussed suggestions for other groups and we are keen to invite parent volunteers to the following groups :
- grants committee/group to help with grant applications
- health and safety: checking the physical environment
- website: needs a refresh
- Alumni- Possibility of securing sponsorship? Visits from past students
We will also send a Flexi Buzz invitation. If you are keen to share your expertise then contact principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au
NCCD Letter to Parents
In arctic conditions our Yr6s participated in the Dendy Netball and Football Lightning Premiership Days last week. Our three netball teams played consistently well throughout the day, resulting in them all making the grand final in their respective sections. Congratulations to the boys who played in the Mixed B section- they will now compete in the Beachside Division Netball Tournament next term. The following day, our footballers played against some strong opposition, putting in a solid performance in the semi finals. We are very proud of the manner in which all teams participated in these days; the resilience in tough conditions and the teamwork/ support you showed each other was fantastic.
A special mention must go to the Parent Helpers who braved the conditions on these days- we are grateful for your assistance.
Important Term 2 dates
Wednesday 27th June Parent Helper Course @9am
Wednesday 27th June Mid Year Parent Meetings in the School Hall children dismissed @1 pm
Friday 29th June End of term 2 ... students dismissed @ 2 pm
Community Notices
