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Dear Parents/Caregivers,

HARMONY WEEK

Harmony Week was once again an important focus for our St Patrick’s community and celebrated on Friday 22nd March 2024. We began the day with morning tea for our parent community. Then our vibrant and colourful parade began with students, parents and staff dressed in their National Dress or the colour orange. At 10am, our community went into the Church to celebrate a Liturgy of the Word to thank God for our diverse and special community which is a true gift in our school. Andrew Chinn led the music at our liturgy. The students then had workshops with Andrew Chinn and the day culminated with a whole school concert. It was wonderful to see many of our parents come back again at the end of the day and be part of the concert.

Special thanks to Jaquie Terrys child and Maria Crawford for providing all our students with a chocolate cupcake with orange frosting.

PARENT/STUDENT/TEACHER CONVERSATIONS

Last week, all parents were asked to make a time to meet with their child’s teacher(s) for Parent/Student/Teacher Conversations. Strong parent teacher partnerships are developed and sustained through effective communication. There is much evidence stating that supportive discussions between parents, student and teachers concerning school-related matters have a strong positive relationship to academic achievement. Parental expectations also impact students' aspirations, resulting in higher academic achievement. I thank all the parents who made time to attend these conversations. If you were unable to attend, please contact your child’s teacher and make alternative arrangements. Parents can make an appointment at any time throughout the year to discuss their child’s progress.

HOLY WEEK

Last week we also celebrated Holy Week, where Christians remember with sorrow all the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. The students were provided with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the events of Holy Week in class lessons. Easter Sunday is the most important day in the Christian calendar. On Easter Sunday morning the sadness is turned to joy as Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We continue the Easter Season for another 50 days. We ask any families who have Project Compassion boxes at home to return them to school before the end of the term. We thank all families for their generosity and support of the vulnerable.

END OF TERM

Please note that:

• School finishes on Friday 12th April at 12:30pm. OSHC is available for working parents. Term 2 begins on Monday 29th April.
• Reception to Year 4 students will have swimming lessons from Tuesday 30th April - Friday 3rd May. Notices will go home this week and will need to be returned before the end of the term. We will be looking for volunteers to help.

In all things love,
Barbara Ahern and Gennaro Mannella
The Leadership Team

It’s on again, your child has been given a Premier’s Reading Challenge record sheet!
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is a great way to encourage children of all ages to keep reading. This year at St Patrick’s School we are aiming for ALL students to complete the challenge again, so they receive their special certificate or medallion. On the Library window there is a racetrack display for each class. As the students complete their Reading Challenge Sheets, their teacher or the office will collect them, and add  their name to the class racetrack. The first class to have 100% reading completed, will receive a prize this year! (There may even be 2nd and 3rd places too!)
Please encourage your child to read at home as all classes attend the school library regularly for borrowing. Any reading done at home can be added to the recordsheet so keep reading!

Linda Bain
H.A.T.
Leader of Learning

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

We have tried to keep our canteen prices as low as possible but, due to increases from our suppliers, unfortunately we will have to apply a small increase on several items from Term 2  moving forward.

Thank you.

The School Holiday Sports (SHS) program operates during the April and October School Holidays only each year. The program enables kids aged 3-17 years try different sports, increase their level of of physical activity and make new friends.

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A friendly reminder to those families, who do not have a direct debit set up, that Term 1 school fees are due by the last day of Term 1 the 12/4/24.

We offer direct debit, BPay, EFTPOS and also direct deductions from Centrelink payments to cater to the changing financial needs of our families at St Patrick’s School. When the direct debit payment option is selected your school fee payment is calculated over the full school year right up until the 31st of December 2024. This means smaller payments are required, making this method the most affordable way to budget for your commitment. Please come into the office or ring me on 83034500 if one of these options would better suit your financial requirements.

School Card 2024 must be applied for online each year and the instructions are in this newsletter. If you have any problems please come and see me if you are having any issues.

If at any time you are having trouble meeting your school fee commitment, or have any queries, please contact me on 8303 4500 to discuss this matter.

Christine Lavender
Finance Officer

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AT ST PATRICK’S 2024

Wednesday

Playgroup, family fun for families with children under 5 years from 9.30 - 11.30 am throughout the terms.

Thursday  

Parent, Conversion, Craft and Support School Group will be held at school each Thursday from 9am to 11am. These programs are free, lots of fun, friendly and open to all.  Come and meet new people and get involved in the school community.

Friday

This program is for children aged 3-5 years old from 9.30 - 11.30 (including Library visit) and their parents, to support transitions from Kindy to School.

Note:

Playgroup SA has partnered with the Office for the Early Years (Department of Education) to provide free development checks for children aged 12 months to 4 years. The checks provide an opportunity to monitor your child’s development, identify any concerns and celebrate milestones. A development check helps to monitor whether a child is meeting the milestones for their age (such as dressing or talking). Please note this is not a health check.

Please contact Chau Tran 8303 4500 if you would like further information or would like to book in child development check.