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Dear Parents
Last Thursday an announcement from the Director of Schools, Mr Peter Hill was sent to you all, informing you that I have accepted the position of Principal at St Joseph the Worker, Auburn South. Therefore the process to find a new principal will begin shortly, starting with a community consultation process that you are warmly invited to attend on Thursday 23 November at 5pm.
I would like the community to know that the move to Sydney Catholic Schools was a personal decision for me that I prayed on and discerned for some time. I am very blessed and privileged to hold the role of Principal at St Patrick’s and leaving will be very sad for me. I am grateful for the time I have had with you all, look forward to all that we still have to share together this year, and find comfort knowing your children will always be in good hands thanks to the amazing staff at St Patrick’s.
Farewell Mass for Miss Glen Marie Phillips
I invite you to attend our Farewell Mass for Miss Phillips next Thursday 23 November at 9:30am. At 11.30am there will be a school presentation in the hall to continue the celebrations. Miss Phillips has devoted more than 40 years to Catholic Education, more than 20 of them here at St Patrick’s, Port Kembla. Most recently Miss Phillips has taught Creative Arts to the students, however, she previously held the role of Religious Education Coordinator at the school. Her passion and commitment for teaching is nothing short of commendable and we thank her and wish her all the best for her retirement. All are welcome to join us on Thursday.
Afternoon Dismissal Reminders
It has come to our attention that a small number of students have been meeting parents and grandparents outside the school on O’Donnell Street. Can we please remind you that for the safety of all students we ask that you come into the school grounds to meet your child rather than have them come out to you.
There have also been a rise in complaints recently about the number of cars double-parked on Kembla Street, waiting to pull into the pick up zone in the afternoon. This is resulting in blocking traffic, not only on Kembla Street, but on Church Street as well. Cars are only permitted to wait in a pick up zone for 2 mins, therefore cars should not be parked in this zone prior to 2.53pm. Can I ask you to please be considerate of others, and not arrive prior to this time. Waiting until 3 or 3.05pm will reduce the traffic and allow a much smoother flow of traffic.
Year 6 2024 School and House Captains
Following a consultation process with staff, students and parents, we have made the decision to have 2 School Captains and 8 House Captains (2 per house), next year. The 8 House Captains will encompass the roles previously held by the Vice Captains, Faith Leaders, Community Leaders, Environment Leaders and House (Sports) Captains. Year 5 students will submit nominations for these roles this week and present a 1-2 minute speech next Wednesday 22 November at 11.30am. All parents are welcome to attend the speeches if they wish. Following the speeches students from Years 4-6, along with the staff will vote, however, greater weighting will be placed on the Year 5 students and the staff.
Carols on the Green
POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS FOR LEARNING (PB4L), SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)
Our PB4L/SEL focus for Week 7 will be: Working with Others (Being part of a Team). In the explicit teaching lessons, the expected behaviours taught will be:
1. Identify the task to be completed.
2. Assign tasks to each person.
3. Discuss ideas in a calm, quiet voice and let everyone share his or her ideas.
4. Take responsibility for your part of the task.
5. Work on tasks until completed or when instructed to stop.
Examples of behaviours that negatively impact on Respectful, Responsible and Safe behaviour when Working with Others (Being part of a Team) to be taught include:
1. Being bossy
2. Not allowing others to be heard
3. Disrespecting another person’s point of view
4. Not completing my part of the task
Our PB4L/SEL focus for Week 8 will be: Asking Permission
In the explicit teaching lessons, the expected behaviours taught will be:
1. Look at the person.
2. Use a calm and pleasant voice.
3. Say “May I….?”
4. Accept the answer calmly.
We would very much appreciate your discussing these weekly focuses with your children and reviewing the expected and non-acceptable behaviours in our endeavour to see that St Patrick’s is a more respectful, responsible, and safe learning community for all.
PB4L Data
It is with pride that I inform you that over the last two weeks 42 students were given Citizenship, Merit, Library or Uniform Awards or Playground Affirmation Awards whilst there were 6 incidents of Inappropriate behaviour recorded.
Mr Gavan Hoctor - Assistant Principal
First Holy Communion
Congratulations to a Luka Batur, Sean and Jacob Timbs, Tori Fogarty, Jakob Guiditta and Ebony Rogers who received the sacrament of First Holy Communion over the past couple of weekends.
The ceremonies were all beautiful and the children should feel so proud of the way they
conducted themselves during this most holy and significant moment in their lives as young Catholics. Well done children, we will continue to keep you in our prayers.
Meila Kusa continues her preparation for First Holy Communion, and her ceremony will be held at St Patrick’s Parish Port Kembla on Sunday November 26 th at 9am. Good luck Meila! We look forward to celebrating with you. All community members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal
We have begun to accept donations for the 2023 Vinnies Christmas Appeal. If you can please donate anything that may be considered a treat - lollies, biscuits, pancake mix, long life custard, panettone/pandoro etc - that would be greatly appreciated. We're accepting donations until December 7th.
Thank you for your generosity!
Kind regards,
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Coordinator
A friendly reminder to please finalise your school fees by 8 December 2023.
Please see following information from School Fees Liaison Team
PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY INSTALMENT – NEW FAMILIES TO OUR SCHOOL
School Fees are invoiced as an annual account, due for payment in full 30 days after invoicing. However, many families elect to pay their school fees by regular instalments and as a new family to our school, we would like to offer you this option. If you wish to take up this offer, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request, either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.
IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.
PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY INSTALMENT
EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITH INSTALMENTS
If you are currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments eg Weekly to Fortnightly
EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITHOUT INSTALMENTS
If you would like to pay school fees by instalments in 2024 and have previously not taken up this option for payment, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.
IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.
School Fees Liaison Team
