What's Coming Up
- Thurs 13 Feb: Netball trial for interested Yr 5/6 students. 8am
- Fri 14 Feb: Opening School Mass and induction of student leaders @ 9.30am - All Welcome.
- Mon 17 Feb: Lakes Regional Swimming Carnival.
- Fri 21 Feb: Afternoon Assembly in the Hall - All Welcome
- Wed 26 Feb: Ash Wednesday Mass @ 9.30am. P&F meeting at 6.30pm.
- Thu 27 Feb: Diocesan Swimming Carnival.
- Mon 2 March: Catholic Schools Week begins. Enrolment period for 2021 begins.
From the Principal
As we prepare to launch our school’s Vision and Mission Statement at our St Patrick’s Day celebrations, I would like to highlight our first Mission Statement: “Challenge and support one another to succeed through innovative, adaptive and holistic learning.”
At St Patrick’s, we are concerned with the development of each child’s intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, physical, artistic and creative potentials. We aim to create “whole” individuals who are well balanced in their outlook on life and their personal understanding of themselves in relation to the world.
In pursuit of this goal, we:
- Emphasise learning by doing and by providing hands-on projects and opportunities.
- Teach problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
- Provide regular opportunities for group work and the development of social skills.
- Facilitate understanding and action as the goals of learning, as opposed to rote knowledge.
- Emphasise collaboration and cooperation rather than competition.
- Educate for social responsibility.
- Integrate community service into the daily curriculum.
- De-emphasize the use of textbooks in favour of a variety of learning resources.
Have a good week.
Peter Green.
Welcome to Tyler
This week we have welcomed a new student to St Patrick’s . . . Tyler will join the Year 1 White class. We are very excited to have Tyler join us.
Hockey Trials
The students in Years 5 and 6 have the opportunity to progress to various representative levels in hockey. We have been invited to send any talented girls and boys to the Diocesan hockey trials. The details of the trials are as follows:
- Date: Friday 13th March 2020.
- Time: 9.00am to 2.00pm.
- Venue: Smith Park, Boreas Road, Hamilton North.
- Transport: The parents will be responsible for organising transport to and from the Diocesan trial.
If you would like to consider entering your child in this trial, please contact me for the paperwork.
Peter Green.
Year 5/6 Netball Trials
A reminder that, on Friday this week, Mrs Dent will run the school trial for selection to attend the regional netball trial.
- Date: Thursday 13th February.
- Time: 8.00am.
- Venue: School netball court.
Diocesan AFL Selection Trials
The students in Years 5 and 6 have the opportunity to progress to various representative levels in AFL. We have been invited to send any talented boys to the Diocesan AFL trials, which will take place at Tulkaba Oval, Teralba, on Thursday 19th March. These trials are for male Years 5 and 6 experienced, highly talented players currently playing AFL. You must register for this trial if you want your child to attend, and your registration must be approved by the school principal.
This year the registration process for boys’ diocesan AFL is online at the csnsw.sport website. To register for this trial, you will need to set up an account as follows:
1. If you had an account on the previous website (www.csss.nsw.edu.au), go to the csnsw.sport website and click on “log in”. Select “forgotten password”. This will send a link to your email to reset your password.
2. If you have not previously had an account:
a. Go to www.csnsw.sport
b. Click on ‘Register’ which is located in the blue box on the top right hand side of the page
c. Click on ‘Set up parent account’.
d. Complete all the fields and click on ‘Create account’. You will receive a confirmation email.
e. Click on ‘Add child’.
f. Complete all fields.
g. Click ‘Next’.
h. Complete all fields on the next page and click on ‘Add child’.
i. Scroll to your child’s profile.
j. Click on ‘Register for a sport’.
k. Select the sport from “Available sport registration”. Please note that you will have to select “the sport” (Diocese Selection).
l. Click ‘Next’.
m. Review your child’s details and, if they are correct, tick the ‘Acknowledgement’ box.
n. Click ‘Next.
o. ‘Sport Specific Details’: This is the information about the Maitland Newcastle Diocesan trial that your child is attending. Then click ‘Next’.
p. ‘Consent to Participate’: Complete all the fields and click ‘Finish’.
This will generate an email to your child’s principal for them to approve. Once the principal has approved this your child can attend the event.
Entries close on 5th March 2020. Your $10 fee for attending these trials will be paid by the school.
This year there is a separate event for girls. As there will not be a Diocesan trial, girls will apply online for Polding. Details will be sent later in the term.
Canteen News
The canteen is off to a great start for the year with all its regular volunteers putting up their hands for a few shifts. It would be wonderful to see some new faces as well.
From April onwards, Shermaine, (our current volunteer canteen coordinator), will be working five days per week. When she returns to full-time work, Shermaine will be available to assist with rostering. However, without somebody to take over some of her other roles, we will be forced to close the canteen.
These roles include:
- Check stock each week to determine what needs to be ordered.
- Place orders.
- Check that the deliveries are correct and place them into the fridge or the freezer.
- Organise the fridges and freezers to ensure that there is an easy flow on Fridays for the canteen volunteers.
- Check each week that the canteen has been left clean and tidy by the volunteers.
Whilst all these jobs have been done by Shermaine until now, they can be divided up among different people to lighten the load.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Shermaine on 0407807974.
Please remember: All volunteers must be registered with the school as volunteer workers. If you are not already registered and you would like to obtain clearance, you are required to:
1. Obtain a Volunteer Working With Children Check number (WWCC). You may do this by either visiting a Service NSW branch or by completing an online application at https://bit.ly/2kaDAvC. There is no fee for a Volunteer WWCC.
2. Read the Volunteer Induction Handbook, which you may request from the school office or download from the school website.
3. Complete the following forms which you will find in the Volunteer Induction Handbook:
- Registration form – Appendix 1 (page 15)
- Volunteer policy declaration – Appendix 2 (page 19)
- Code of Conduct Declaration – Appendix 3 (page 24)
- Criminal history check - Form 1 (pages 27-31)
- Working with Children Check declaration – Form 2 (page 32). You will be required to provide your WWCC number on this form.
Canteen Roster
Cooking in the Kitchen
We Need Your Help
Road Safety on Northcote Avenue
Last week there were there near-misses outside the school during the afternoon pick-up:
- On Monday afternoon, a teacher was doing the crossing duty. On two occasions she was forced to jump forward onto the footpath to avoid being hit by vehicles. The teacher was wearing a hi-vis vest, so she should have been visible to motorists who are paying attention.
- On Wednesday afternoon, there were cars parked in the “No Stopping” zone and across the children’s crossing. These cars were obscuring the view of a parent driving across the crossing. Just as the parent drove across the crossing, a pedestrian appeared from behind a parked car and was almost hit by the parent.
I understand that the situation is not ideal on Northcote Avenue in the afternoons. I have attempted to address the matter in the following ways:
- I have submitted to NSW Roads and Maritime Services a request for a crossing supervisor. The last time I submitted such a request (in December 2018), my request was denied. I have been advised that the criteria for a crossing supervisor have changed since that time, and that we may have a better chance of being successful with this application. A crossing supervisor, trained in escorting children safely across the road, would hopefully make it safer for pedestrians during the afternoon peak period.
- I have applied to Lake Macquarie City Council to extend the “Kiss and Drop” zone a further 20 metres eastwards. This would allow more cars to use the zone simultaneously. It would mean a longer walk for some students into the school and a longer walk to meet their parents’ vehicles in the afternoons . . . but I consider that to be a small price to pay for the safety of our students.
- I have asked the Lake Macquarie City Council rangers to monitor the situation. Please see information below which outlines fines and loss of demerit points for various infringements in school zones.
Thank you in anticipation of your assistance in keeping pedestrians safe outside our school.
Peter Green.
Year 5/6 Excursion to Canberra
On Wednesday 4, Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November this year, the students of Years 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to travel to Canberra. The purpose of this excursion will be to supplement their learning in the areas of democracy and government. The cost of the excursion will be $384.00. This fee will be billed in three installments on the school fees accounts in Terms 1, 2 and 3, at $128 per installment. Permission forms and medical forms will be issued later in the year. At this stage, we will assume that all students are attending the excursion unless we are notified otherwise.
Please be aware of the following condition of attendance at the Year 5/6 excursion, as cited in our school’s excursion policy: “It is a condition of attendance at the Year 5/6 overnight excursion (Term 4) and the Year 6 “Big Day Out” (Term 4) that school fees have been either paid in full or, for those parents with a payment plan, that those parents have honoured their commitment to pay regular instalments of school fees". You may read the policy in full on our website.
Please contact me if you have any questions in regard to the Year 5/6 excursion.
Peter Green
School Uniform
Healthy Lunchboxes
Cancer Council NSW is here to help you kick start the year easily, packing healthy lunch boxes your kids will enjoy. Developed by dietitians healthylunchbox.com.au is a one-stop shop for everything families need to know about packing a healthy lunch box.
Here’s what you will find:
- an interactive lunch box builder that helps parents and kids plan and pack a healthy lunch with foods they like.
- The ability to filter recipes based on diets, easy to freeze and prep time
- Lots of quick and easy recipes and snack ideas
- Regular healthy eating blogs
You can sign up to the Healthy Lunch Box e-newsletter for ideas, updates and recipes delivered to your inbox throughout the year.
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Unless otherwise stated, the advertisements placed in this Newsletter are placed by independent third parties who have no legal relationship with the Diocese. The activities or services of the advertisers are not supervised or controlled in any way by the Diocese. The Diocese is not in a position to endorse the advertisers or the services provided and make no representation about those matters. Accordingly, the diocese cannot accept any responsibility for the advertisers or the activities or services that are the subject of these advertisements