Dear Parents and Carers,

What an amazing day we had on Monday with our annual Book Week parade. There were many creative costumes showcasing the vast array of book characters that have been enjoyed by so many people over the years. A huge thanks to Mrs Latto, our Literacy Leader, for organising the many events for book week including: the parade, the Premiers reading challenge, classroom activities and the Lamont Book Fair which has been huge hit with all families. My sincere thanks also to all staff for their support of this important whole school event.

Check out our social media pages for great photos and videos of our parade! Thanks to Miss Stephanie Murnane - our Social Media Leader - for her awesome work in this space.

Staffing Updates

It is my duty to inform the St. Patrick's School Community that Mrs Ann Earle will be retiring from teaching after our school production in Week 2 of next term. Mrs Earle's last day will be Friday 18th October. Mrs Earle has taught at St. Patrick's for 26 years and I would like to personally thank her for her many years of dedicated service to our community. Miss Sarah Parkinson will be filling in for Mrs Earle for the remainder of this year. I am currently advertising for a new performing arts teacher to begin next year.

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing candidates for our Learning and Teaching / Deputy Principal Position. I will let the community know who the successful candidate is early next term once contracts have been signed and approved.

As St. Patrick's School continues to grow - we are increasing by another class next year from 20 classes to 21 classes (3 classes in each year level, Prep - Year 6) and as such, we have need of a new teacher. We are currently in the process of shortlisting and interviewing potential candidates to join our amazing staff. I will keep everyone appraised of new appointments next term. Please note that 21 classes is our maximum at St. Patrick's School, and we have capped each class at 24 students.

MACSSIS Community Surveys 2024

Dear students, families and staff,

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS): Monday 2 September – Friday 20 September 2024

Throughout each year, we pause to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our learning community is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as effective school communities and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices.

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys.

MACSSIS is a set of surveys that have been built specifically for Catholic schools in Melbourne by the Learning Services team at MACS, in partnership with researchers at Learning First and in wide consultation with principals in our schools.

In 2024, students, families and staff are invited to participate in MACSSIS via our secure and purpose-built online platform. The online platform is where our school leaders will access the summary reports that visualise the results of the student, family and staff surveys.

The MACSSIS survey platform is operated by an independent supplier, ORIMA Research Pty Ltd. The platform meets with the high security and privacy standards for handling student and school data. Participating schools are in the process of updating their privacy policy to ensure school communities are fully informed and protected.

Students at our school will be provided with supervised sessions, where teachers are on hand to help and answer any questions. Families and staff can complete the survey anytime over the three-week window via an emailed link and password. Feedback has indicated that previous surveys were completed across a range of mobile devices and different web browsers.

Our community’s opinions are critical to understanding how our school is performing – MACSSIS is a key data source for guiding the ongoing work to improve our school.

All participation is invited, welcomed and 100 per cent voluntary. The surveys are not a test; they are an inclusive way to support the work we are already doing to improve our school. Everyone has the right to refuse to participate, or withdraw from the survey at any point before, during or after completion of the survey. Please notify the school if your child does not wish to participate.

P & F Colour Run

Don't forget that we will be holding our first ever colour run on Friday 1st November. Please use the following link to register your child/children for this exciting event https://colourblast.com.au/registration/?stpatsmentone

The fundraising for this event will go directly to our P & F project of replacing the senior students adventure playground. We have selected our playground company and the design, and are in the process of finalising the colour scheme.

The following link can be used to organise/track how our school is going with reaching our target!

**Check on the organisation page to see what the special reward for the best fundraiser is!

Footy Colours Day

Next Thursday is our annual Footy Colours Day. Children can wear their favourite team jumpers and accessories on this day. It is not restricted to AFL only, it can also be Soccer, Netball, Rugby and Basketball. The canteen is also running a special footy themed menu on this day

End of Term 3

Please note that we will be finishing at 12pm next Friday 20th September for the end of Term 3. I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday and look forward to seeing you all on Monday 7th October for the start of Term 4.

School Calendar

Please use the following Google link to add the school calendar to your own calendar for ease of information exchange. School Google Calendar HERE.

God Bless,

Pat Berlingeri

Principal

Second Hand Uniform