Principal’s Message

Dear Parents/Carers,

A very warm welcome to all of our families. Today we welcomed back students in Years 1-6, and we look forward to welcoming our Kindergarten students back on Monday.

This year we welcome three new members to our teaching staff: Mrs Lauren Murray (Year 1), Mrs Rachael Miller (Year 6) and Ms Lauren Clarke (Year 4). We also welcome a new assistant Priest, Father Jomer Calma and a Deacon, Deacon Michael Perry, to our Parish. We look forward to working with Father Jomer and Deacon Michael. Father Jomer will celebrate our Opening School Mass on Friday 10th February at 9.30am in our Church. At this Mass our 2023 school leaders will be introduced and receive their leader badges.

Thank you to all of you who ensured that your children attended their MAI interview on Monday and Tuesday. The data gained from these interviews enables us to determine where students are at, track whether they are making appropriate growth and implement teaching strategies to ensure that their learning needs in Maths are being met.

As the new school year commences, I would like to remind you that the supervision of students in the morning begins at 8.15am, and entry to the school grounds at this time is via the Kiewa St entrance. We do ask that students are not dropped off before this time, The Smollett Street entrance opens at 8.20am and is locked at 8.50am. All students are welcome to enter via this gate however, at the end of the day, this is the pick up area for Kinder and Year 1 students, and their older siblings.

Please be reminded that as part of safety compliance,  the Kiewa St gate is now locked at 9am (Please note – if the late bus has not arrived by 9am, a staff member will wait for its arrival.). Given classes commence at 8.50am, we are allowing a 10 minute buffer for late arrivals.  If you arrive after 9am, please enter the school through the Smollett Street staff car park gates. Students can then walk straight into the Office building and be signed into school by Di, Cath or Teneal. Should you need to enter the school grounds during school hours, please do so  via Smollett St, through the staff car park gate.

In terms of safety, we ask that you use the traffic lights when crossing both Kiewa and Smollett Streets with your children. We understand that this may take a few extra minutes but it ensures that everyone is crossing the road safely. These roads are so busy so please consider that a few extra minutes will potentially save a serious accident. Students who are riding bikes and scooters are asked to walk these (both in the morning and afternoon) between the Kiewa St gate and the traffic lights at Smollett St, as this area becomes very congested at drop off and pick up times.

Our School Council AGM  will be held next Wednesday 8th February. This meeting is at 6pm in our staffroom and is open to all members of our parent community. For anyone who wishes to join the Council, please see Di at the front office and she will provide you with the relevant nomination form. This meeting will then be followed by our regular monthly meeting.

Here at St Patrick’s we have clear guidelines around mobile phones and smartwatches at school. Please take the time to read the following policy: Mobile Phones and Smartwatches at school: and should your child need to have either of these at school, please sign the agreement and send it back to your child’s classroom teacher.

School fees will be sent home late this week via post. With the fees is an “annual school fee payment agreement” form  that will need to be returned within 7 days of receipt of your fees. This is to provide information on your preferred payment option and commitment to pay fees. This is the link to the form if you wish to complete it prior to the time.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our school if you require any information and you can view information on our website.

Enjoy your week

Liz