Filter Content
Dear Parents
Loving God,
We come together at the beginning of this year as a faith-filled community, ready and willing to celebrate all the blessings that we have been given. We pray that we may look to you as our model and guide so that we may bring the Kingdom of God to this community.
We offer this prayer through Jesus Christ your Son, O Lord.
Amen
Welcome back to a new school year, it is so exciting that we are able to start the year face-to-face in a COVID smart manner. I look forward to the day when not only the staff and students are face-to-face, but also our whole school community - parents, grandparents and extended family members!
I am very humbled and grateful to lead this wonderful school as Principal. Mrs Anne Duggan left a huge ‘heart print’ on the school community and I will strive to honour and build upon the legacy she created. I want to thank Fr Mark, the staff at St Patrick’s, you, the parents and our wonderful students for the very warm welcome I have received. I was also able to connect with a number of parishioners during the holiday period, who were also very welcoming and I look forward to strengthening the connections between the school and parish.
COVID Safety Measures
As we enter the next chapter of COVID-19 I want to assure you the safety of your children is paramount. We continue to minimise risk in the following ways:
- Regular hand sanitising
- Separation of cohorts through staggered break times
- Surgical masks worn by all staff as per the current Public Health Order
- Support students who wish to wear a mask (as recommended, but not mandatory)
- All staff in compliance with the current Public Health Order in relation to vaccination status
- Well ventilated classrooms
- Increased cleaning of high touch areas and sports equipment
- Provision of RAT kits (to be conducted by parents at home only, not school staff)
- Regular and ongoing communication in relation to directives and reporting any positive cases.
Please remember that if a member of your household tests positive, the whole family must isolate for 7 days. If at any time you have any questions or concerns I ask that you please contact the school so that we can provide clarification and comfort if needed.
Student Attendance Due to COVID related Isolation
Please know that if your child is required to isolate due to COVID this term, there is no expectation for them to do any school work at home during this time. Rather we ask that you simply focus on their recovery. Currently teachers are only providing one mode of learning face-to-face as we no longer use Seesaw and Google Classroom for Remote Learning. Missing a week of school, while perhaps not ideal, should not cause you any concern. This pandemic has taught us that our children are very resilient. We also know our teachers are edpt at ensuring continuity of learning upon your child’s return to school. We certainly hope your child does not need to isolate from school, but if they do please be assured that they will catch up quickly upon their return.
Uniforms
I want to send a huge thank you to all the parents that have gone out and bought new uniforms to start the school year. Our uniform symbolises identity and unties all students. It instils a sense of pride and belonging to the St Patrick’s community. It was wonderful to see so many of our students wearing their uniform correctly from day one. There were however, a small number of students wearing coloured joggers with their sports uniform. Can I please remind you that our policy states that joggers must be predominantly or completely white. If your child is currently not complying with this can I ask that you make arrangements to purchase the correct joggers as soon as practicable.
Parent Information Sessions
Our wonderfully dedicated teachers will be hosting a short Zoom meeting next week to introduce themselves before running through some practical information specific to your child’s class. Links to each class meeting will be sent out via Compass. While we would prefer to connect with you all in person, we are fortunate that we can still connect through technology. There will be some time provided for questions, however, if you need to speak to your child’s teacher about a more personal matter please feel free to make contact at any time through the office.
Date and Times:
Kindergarten - Wednesday 9 February 6pm
Year 1 - Tuesday 8 February 6pm
Year 2 - Thursday 10 February 6.30pm
Year 3 - Thursday 10 February 5.30pm
Year 4 - Monday 7 February 6pm
Year 5 - Monday 7 February 5.30pm
Year 6 - Wednesday 16 February 5.30pm
Contacting Teachers
Unfortunately under the current restrictions, parents are not permitted to be on the playground. We know this can make it a little more difficult to talk to your child’s teacher, however, this should not deter you from making contact if needed. Simply call the school office and they will pass on a message to your child’s teacher, who will get back to you. Please be mindful that it can be very difficult for teachers to return phone calls during the school day. We ask for your patience and understanding, knowing they will get back to you as soon as they can.
Ms Gabi Tobin - Principal
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION UPDATE - Week 2 - Term 1
Dear Parents and Carers,
Updates regarding sacramental programs and other important events and celebrations will be shared in the coming days and weeks, however in the meantime please see a spiritual reflection that was shared with all CEO staff last week titled ‘Ponder and Respond’:
Throughout the year we will be impacted by people and situations beyond our control. Throughout all this, with an openness and receptive heart, we respond to these and ponder what are the invitations into life for each one of us.
One way of pondering and responding is to ask yourself two questions and then in a time of stillness listen to what is stirring within:
What am I feeling?
What am I desiring?
As co-creators with God, we are invited to listen and make a response in love to those around us and our world. In so doing, we are as Teresa of Avila so aptly expressed Christ in the world today.
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
Pray at the beginning of each day that you will be open to seeing the needs around you and respond compassionately.
How do I ready my heart, so that I will respond compassionately as I encounter others and all of creation?
Before School Supervision of Students
Supervision of students before school is from 8:00 am – 8:45 am. Although not obligated to do so supervision from 8:00 am - 8:15 am is a service the school generously offers to parents. Students are not permitted to play during this time. The supervised play period before school is from 8:15 am - 8:45 am
Please note that students will not be permitted on to the school site before 8:00 am. Please remain with your child/children should you arrive at school prior to 8:00am.
KEMBLA ST - DEPARTURE PROCEDURES
Kembla St Parent Pick-up
If you pick-up your child/ren from Kembla St in the afternoon you will know that the numbers of families doing so is at an all-time high. As such this already busy time is even busier. We sincerely appreciate the cooperation of the majority of parents and carers who respect the road rules governing the No Parking Pick Up and Drop off Only’ Zone.
Could I ask for your assistance please with our after-school dismissal via Kembla St.
Please remain in your vehicle.
Your child(ren) will be called from the playground when your vehicle is first in the queue.
PLEASE BE PATIENT. This routine will quite likely slow the dismissal process.
PLEASE DO NOT SIT DOUBLE PARKED while you are waiting for your child(ren). Please keep circling the block until there is space in ‘no parking (pick-up/drop-off)’ zone for your vehicle.
REMEMBER THAT THE ‘NO PARKING (PICK-UP/DROP-OFF)’ ZONE HAS A TWO MINUTE LIMIT
TO HELP MAKE THIS TIME MORE MANAGEABLE FOR THE STAFF AND STUDENTS PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE PICK-UP/DROP OFF ZONE BEFORE 2:55PM
Please note that the students are well supervised during the afternoon dismissal. Teachers are on duty at the Kembla St entry/exit until at least 3:15 and I advise parents to delay their pick-up for 10 or 15 minutes so that the congestion is lessened.
If you are collecting your child/ren in person, please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst you are waiting outside the school gate.
DEPARTURE VIA O'DONNELL ST
BUSES - Children travelling on the buses will be escorted by staff members as they embark the bus. Please remind your child/ren to remain seated on the bus until they reach their desination.
PICK UP - Parents/Carers are asked to assemble safely outside the gate and the children will be escorted by staff members to the dismissal point.
Please be mindful of keeping physical distance as per NSW Health Guidelines.
Your assistance in this will ensure the safety of our school community.
2022 SCHOOL FEE INFORMATION
School fees for 2022 have now been invoiced and statements will be issued by the end of Week Two with annual or first instalment payment due on 28 February 2022. You may view school fees in the Compass Parent Portal.
We would also like to advise you of the following important information in relation to school fees and the rollout of new administrative systems. All primary, secondary and K-12 schools have now been transferred to the package which includes Compass and Technology One. This has provided the Catholic Education Office with the ability to perform centralised functions relating to school fee accounts on behalf of our schools.
WHAT CENTRALISATION OF FUNCTIONS MEANS FOR FAMILIES
The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month, is now a function carried out by the Catholic Education Office. Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement.
Please note that if an adjustment is made to your school fee account eg your child changes subjects in a secondary school, etc., we will email a new school fee statement. If you are paying by instalments, they may need to be regenerated and a change may occur in your payments. If this is the case, a new schedule of payments and due dates will appear on the last page of your statement.
REMINDERS FOR LATE PAYMENTS
In 2021, the issue of reminders for late payment via email was introduced and in 2022 the ability to send SMS messages will be added to the system. These reminders are automatically generated by the software based on the number of days a payment is overdue and are distributed by the Catholic Education Office. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these reminders may cause some distress. This is not our intention. Our intention is to manage the collection of school fee accounts with new technology and in so doing, alleviate some of the administrative work of our schools.
SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES
Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, your school/s will always be your point of contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact your school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of schools.
IF YOU WISH TO PAY BY INSTALMENTS
Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on your school’s website or at your school’s office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at your school’s office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment, unless you wish to amend your payment frequency.
DIFFICULTY WITH PAYMENT
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the school in which your child/children are enrolled to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the administration office of each school. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect for your circumstances.
For those families that received a Fee Concession in 2021, you will receive an email prior to your annual review date attaching a further Application for Fee Concession. If you wish to submit the application, please do so at your child’s school. Please note, if you have children in more than one school, it will only be necessary to submit one application.
For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on your school’s website.
Having just emptied the Lost Property Baskets it has highlighted the importance of labelling uniform items and containers. Unfortunately there were many items that were not labelled which makes it very difficult to return to the owner.
We have cardigans, jackets and jumpers that cannot be returned because they have no names. These items are expensive to replace so a laundry marker is a good option to avoid the loss of these items.
We also ask that throughout the year you check the labelling because of washing it can fade and make it difficult to read.
It is also important to label containers and drink bottles because we have many unclaimed items. They have been displayed and the children have been directed to check if any belong to them. Being a Nude Food School we are aware that the children are bringing multiple containers everyday so labelling is most important.
Your assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
