Newsletter 6 - 2nd May 2024
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Principal Report
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Term Dates
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Calendar of Events
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Staff News
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Mother's Day Liturgy & Afternoon Tea
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Cross Country Carnival - Friday 24th May
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Student of the Week & House Raffle Winners
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School Wide Positive Behaviour Award
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Student Achievements
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2024 Soccer Season - Saturday 4th May
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Book Club
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Gran's Van - Volunteers Needed
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St Patrick’s Catholic Church
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Allergy Aware School
Welcome back to Term 2
We have another busy term ahead, with a number of programs happening throughout the term including First Aid in Schools program; Mother’s Day Liturgy and Afternoon Tea followed by activities; the AFL in Schools program; the Cross Country Carnival; Reconciliation Week activities, and Speak Up and Stay Chatty (Year 6). We look forward to a great term.
St Brendan Shaw College Year 7 Enrolments 2025
The first round of enrolments for 2025 for St Brendan Shaw College have already closed. If you are thinking of enrolling your child in St Brendan Shaw College for 2025, please make this a priority as there are significantly higher enrolments for 2025 and you may risk your child missing out. St Brendan Shaw College are also offering scholarship for leaders, young sportsmen and women, artistic students, and advanced learners. Applications for scholarships close on Friday 10th May.
![SBSC.png](https://prod005-au.sz-cdn.net/spcslatrobe/media/4883/240502020147459/135x135/sbsc.png)
Anaphylaxis Awareness
We are seeking your help to support the students in our school with severe allergies.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are allergies to food and insects (bees). To help manage allergies, our school is following the National Allergy Council’s Best Practice Guidelines for Anaphylaxis Prevention and Management in Schools.
The Best Practice Guidelines recommend an Allergy Aware approach, which means we are supporting students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:
- training staff
- educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis
- teaching students that we all have different needs and to be respectful of others
- teaching students the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with an allergy looks sick.
For food allergies, we are also:
- encouraging students with food allergies to wash their hands before and after eating
- encouraging students to wash their hands after eating something their classmate or friend is allergic to
- teaching students not to share food with friends who have food allergies.
In accordance with our policy, the following foods will be excluded from St Patrick’s Catholic School, please ensure these are not brought to school:
- shellfish
- cashew
- peanuts
- pine nuts
- pistachio
- pecan
- hazelnut products
- Familiar products include any hazelnut spreads e.g., Nutella, Kinder Chocolate / Kinder Beuno, Hazelnut OreosThis does not include foods labelled “may contain traces of nuts''.
Food allergies are common in school aged children and avoiding the food is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction. Therefore, we have put a range of different things in place to help keep these students safe.
We ask you to support the school’s Allergy Aware approach so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.
Thank you for helping our school be “Allergy Aware” https://allergyfacts.org.au/
Outside School Hours Care
St Patrick’s Catholic School and St Patrick’s Child Care work in partnership to provide a service that meets the needs of working families in our community. St Patrick’s Child Care provides a service to families in our school and community for long day care, as well as Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) in the mornings and afternoons on school days. The school hall and playgrounds are utilised daily for OSHC and are licensed for regulatory compliance with the Education and Care Unit with the Tasmanian Government. For the centre to operate according to regulations, all children in the centre's care must be supervised with only the children registered with the service.
I fully encourage parents to connect with others in our school and it is a delight to see this happening around the grounds at St Patrick’s. There are approximately 45 children attending OSHC each day, and the Educators can only keep the OSHC children inside the hall for a very short time after school. Unfortunately for St Patrick’s Child Care, it makes it difficult for the Educators of St Patrick’s Child Care to provide the children in their care the required regulated supervision if other non attending children and parents of OSHC are mixed amongst them. For this reason, we kindly ask that play on the equipment is limited to 5 - 10 minutes and families leave the school grounds by 3:05 p.m. The gates on Noone Street are locked in the afternoons to provide safety for children in the OSHC at 3:05 p.m. This also allows St Patrick’s Child Care to comply with the regulations of the Education and Care Unit.
We appreciate your understanding in supporting the safety of our children in the school and St Patrick’s Child Care. If you would like to seek further clarification regarding this matter please do not hesitate to speak with me on 6426 1626.
Apraxia Awareness
This month is Apraxia Awareness Month. Learn more about Childhood Apraxia by watching the youtube video with 83 beautiful Australians living with Apraxia. May 14th 2024, an internationally recognised day to celebrate those with Apraxia and spread awareness about this lifelong and rare speech disorder.
Apraxia Awareness Month - May 1st 2024 - 83 Australians with Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Have a great week
Carmen Aylott
Principal
2024
Term 1 - Wednesday 7th February - Thursday 11th April
Term 2 - Monday 29th April - Friday 5th July
Term 3 - Tuesday 23rd July - Friday 27th September
Term 4 - Tuesday 15th October - Wednesday 18th December
*Student Free Days Friday 12th April, Monday 22nd July, Monday 14th October.
(Easter Break - Good Friday 29th March, Easter Monday 1st April, Easter Tuesday 2nd April. Return to school Wednesday 3rd April.)
Wednesday 1st | School Assembly - All Welcome 2.15pm |
Tuesday 7th | First Aid in School Program (K-6) |
Wednesday 8th |
First Aid in School Program (K-6) Mothers Day Liturgy & Activity Afternoon 1.40pm No School Assembly |
Wednesday 15th |
School Assembly - All Welcome 2.15pm |
Wednesday 22nd |
School Assembly - All Welcome 2.15pm |
Friday 24th | Cross Country Carnival |
Wednesday 29th | School Assembly - All Welcome 2.15pm |
2024 Board Meetings
Term 1 |
Tuesday 27th February - Annual General Meeting 6.00pm Tuesday 9th April - 6.00pm |
Term 2 |
Tuesday 21st May 6.00pm |
Term 3 |
Tuesday 13th August - 6.00pm |
Term 4 |
Tuesday 5th November - 6.00pm Tuesday 3rd December - 6.00pm |
This term we welcome Ms Heather McBain who will be teaching Drama for the remainder of the year along with 3 new Teacher Aides to our school. Miss Chloe Sturges who has joined the Year 1 class, Ms Caitlin Harrison in the Year 2 class, and Ms Jennifer Quarry will be working in our Prep class.
Mrs Lennice Leonard, our Business Manager, has successfully gained a new position with the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office. Mrs Leonard's job has been advertised until a new applicant has successfully fulfilled this position (big shoes to fill!) she will continue working at St Patrick's.
The 2024 St. Patrick’s Cross Country will take place on Friday 24th May for all students in Prep to Year 6. We would love for all parents to come along and spectate!
The course will be conducted at St.Patrick’s, with students commencing next to the basketball court and finishing on the school oval. Each year level will complete a specially designed course of varied lengths for their year level group.
Please be mindful when walking near or through the course that you are not walking in front of a competitor.
Please ensure that on the day your child wears their P.E uniform. A plain house-coloured shirt can be worn in place of the School P.E. Shirt. Students should bring the following: Full Water Bottle, Healthy Lunch, and Soft Shell Jacket.
Parents are welcome to take their child/children when their race is completed, but we ask that you advise their class teacher.
Congratulations to the following students who have received Student of the Week.
Prep
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Blair for trying his best to stay engaged with his learning.
Keep up the great work.
Year 4
Zander for his positive engagement and his willingness to share strategies and answers during Maths lessons.
Year 6
Sophia for the hardworking and conscientious approach she has applied to her school work in Term 1
Congratulations to our House Raffle winners this week:
Dooley - Harry
Martyn - Bruce
Byrne - Matilda
A reminder to families that soccer will recommence this Saturday 4th May - please check the Devonport Junior Soccer Website for game times and ground numbers.
Families who have registered their child/ren through the Google form and have not completed their registration through the playfootball website https://rego.prd.letsplayfootball.au/participant/product-details/1152 must complete this by next Friday 10th May - after this DJSA will have the right to refuse players on the field to play.
Please refer to the Devonport Junior Soccer website for all rosters, ground numbers and to keep updated with the latest news and what's happening at the Devonport Junior Soccer Club throughout the season.
Registrations must be completed via PlayFootball website by Friday 10th May.
Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Mersey Leven Catholic Parish is a Catholic community made up of many people who seek together to live and share the joy of the Gospel.
Parish Office: 90 Stewart St Devonport
Wednesday - Friday 9am - 2pm
Phone: 036424 2783
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
See the Parish website for more information