Dear Parents and Carers

We remind you all that tomorrow, Thursday 18 September is our last day of Term 3.  Students will be dismissed at the regular time of 3.10pm.

It is also our Footy Colours and Hot Dog Day. Students are welcome to wear their footy colours on this day and for those who have ordered a Hot Dog for lunch, these will be provided from 1pm.  Please ensure your chlid still have their normal snacks and drink bottle for the day.

As part of our Footy Day there will be a parade & kick off in the morning at 9am on the Sport Oval. Parents are welcome to join us.

Our first day of Term 4 is Monday 6 October.  Students will be required to wear their hats for Term 4, those without hats will be directed to the shaded areas to play.  There will be a 2 week change over from winter to summer uniform. All students will be expected to be in summer uniform from Monday 20 October.

The first few weeks of Term will be very busy as we lead up to our 2025 School Concert.  Please ensure you read the all the details for the concert, including ticket sales, further in the newsletter.

A link be placed on PAM to a Concert Newsletter which will be constantly updated with all information for the Concert.  Below are the details so far for the concert.  Please note tickets go on sale on Friday 19 September at 12pm.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of St Clare’s Primary School we are proud to present our 2025 school concert entitled “Portal to the Past”. Congratulations to 4LP for winning our naming competition for the concert.

Join us as we take a journey through the decades beginning in the 1920s, all the way through to the present day, exploring the music of the times.

Who…..

Each year level will perform two song and dance routines from their decade as well as a performance from our Year 5 and Year 6 school choir. A number of our year 5 and year 6 students have created an entertaining time travel narrative linking each performance. The concert concludes  with the Year 5 and Year 6 finale.

What….

The “Portal to the Past” concert is the culmination of many months of learning from the students in their Music and Performing Arts sessions. The students have been developing knowledge and skills related to singing, dancing and stagecraft. 

The finished product is a reflection of the time and effort the students have put into preparing for the performance and we look forward to sharing it with you.

When…

Wednesday 22 October and Thursday 23 October 23 at 7:00pm. The concert will finish at 9:00pm with a 20 minute intermission between 8:00pm-8:20pm.

It is expected that students attend both nights of the concert. 

Where…

Bunjil Place

2 PATRICK NE DR, NARRE WARREN VIC 3805

Orientation Session…..

On Tuesday 14 October students will be attending a Theatre orientation session at Bunjil Place. This is an opportunity for students to become familiar with the stage and surroundings. Students will be bused down throughout the day. A Permission form will be provided through PAM for your completion

Full Dress Rehearsal……

On Wednesday 22 October we will be holding a whole school dress rehearsal. On this day students are asked to attend school in their ‘Family Provided - Base’ Costume. The rehearsal will take place at Bunjil Place. A Permission form will be provided through PAM for your completion

Program Art...

Students will be completing cover designs for our program in the coming weeks. We look forward to the students displaying their artistic flair and creativity. 

Costumes….

In preparation for the nights we are asking families to prepare the base costume, to which the school will add elements too. Please see the table below for your child’s Year Level. 

Tickets…

Ticktets will be avaiable for purchase from 12pm on Friday 19 September 

Students will NOT be required to purchase a ticket.  ALL ticket sales are online through the Bunjil Place Website and can be purchased by clicking on the following link. TICKET SALES

There will be a ticket limit of 4 tickets per family. If all tickets are not sold remaining tickets will become avaiable to purchase closer to the performance dates. 
Tickets are a flat rate of $25 per seat. 

On both Concert Nights…

Students will wear their ‘Base’ costume to and from the theatre. They will need to bring a named refillable drink bottle. 

Questions...

Email any queries to concert@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au

Further information regarding Drop off and Pick up of students, on both nights of the Concert at Bunjil, will be sent out early Term 4.

Looking forward to celebrating our children’s learning with you.

David Gulavin and Maria-Grazia Ricchetti

Performing Arts and Music Teachers

This year there have been some changes made to the Sacramental Program at St Patrick’s Parish.  One of these changes is that the Sacrament of Reconciliation will now be received by students in Year 4 or above.  As this change comes into effect in 2025, our current Year 3 students will not be participating in this Sacrament this year.  It does mean that from 2026, Year 4 students will be able to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. The preparation and celebration for these Sacraments will take place at different times of the year.  These dates will be communicated in early 2026.

Bookings for First Holy Communion Masses

Please find below links for the parents of First Holy Communion children to book in for one of the First Holy Communion Masses.  Bookings will open on Thursday 11 September at 10.00 am and will close on Sunday 21 September at 5.00pm.  

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIXR   11 October 2025 - 6.00pm

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIYB   12 October 2025 - 10.30am

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIXU   18 October 2025 - 6.00pm

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIXY   19 October 2025 - 10.30am

Key Dates for First Holy Communion

On Wednesday 10th September, our Foundation students set off on their first excursion to Chesterfield Farm. 

Students had the opportunity to pat, feed and learn about different animals. The highlights of the day included watching the sheep dog show, having a go at milking a cow, exploring the animal nursery and feeding the animals on the farm walk. 

It was wonderful to see and hear students making connections between their learning and the Chesterfield Farm excursion. 

In the morning we went to the mini modular to learn about robots.
Firstly we learnt how to use the Edison robots.
Next we got the code. The robots are very cool because they can read lines and read the directions.
As time passed, we got to have flashlights and I don't know how but the robot was following the light! I was very surprised. By Hazel 2LB

In the morning 2LB went in the mini mod for an incursion to learn about robots. 
Firstly Eliot taught us about robots. Eliot is a boy that is in university.
Next, we got to try the robots. We scanned the code and then we got a board that the robot went on. My robots name was Edible. 
Lastly, we could do what ever we wanted to. I was moving my robot all over the place. 
I really enjoyed my time with Eliot. Harsimran 2LB

Today we(2WS) had a robotics incursion with Mr Elliot.
First of all, this morning we went to the music room (Mr Elliot’s Lab) to have the incursion with Mr Elliot a Neuroscientist! 
Mr Elliot first taught us about his expectations and about the robots.
After that, we played with robots (tried programming the robots) by bouncing off borders and tracking all the lines.
Following that we raced the Edison robots and listened to Mr Elliot teach us about the other codes for the robots. Kefa 2WS

Today, on Monday, we learnt about robotics at school.  We were learning this because it was our learning intention, and the teacher's name was Mr Elliot.
To start our session, we listened to the teacher and one of the instructions was to press the triangle button to get your robot to move (Go). 
After that, we got a robot, a code and a mat.  I did line tracking first, which is when the robot follows the line with its sensors. It was kind of funny when the robots bumped into each other.
To finish the session, we packed up our mat, code and the robots and lined up in one line.  Then we went back to class. Teghvir 2WS

On Monday, the year twos went to the tiny mod to learn about robotics. To start our day, we looked at a Bee Bot and an Edison Robot.  The Edison robot was smarter than the Bee Bot. After that, we started to see why the Edison robot was smarter than the Bee Bot and watched the scientist, Mr Elliot, programming the Edison robot. Following that, we used the Edison robots.  Robots must have a sensor and a brain.  We scanned the code.  The square button meant stop, the triangle button means go, and the circle button means read. Finally, we played with the robots and went back to class. 
I felt really happy, and my hands were tired from pushing the buttons. Mahanya 2WS

DEAR PARENTS
At our service, we value creating a warm, safe and welcoming space for children. To support this, we kindly ask that parents and carers avoid using mobile phones
while on premises. It also ensures privacy and safety for all children and families.
We understand that sometimes urgent calls can’t wait. If you do need to take a call, we ask that you please step outside before continuing.
Thank you for helping us make the service a connected, caring place for every child.

Thanks from the Camp Australia Team

Here is the link to access PAM

Your usernsame is the email address you have registerd with the school.  If you have forgotten your password please use the "forgotten password" feature to set a new one.

How to Help Kids Stay Safe Online

Adapted from:  https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog    Office of the eSafety Commissioner

1. Start the chat

It’s not possible to be at your child’s side every second of the day, so it’s important to talk with them about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help if they have any concerns. You may feel they know more about the latest technology than you do, but you have more life experience to guide them.

• With primary school aged children use online devices in the open living spaces at home to make parent supervision part of the expectation for your child.
• Take the opportunity to set some boundaries around when and where they can use devices  like tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to help limit potential tech tantrums — you could even fill in an Early Years Family Tech Agreement 
• Screen free time before bed is important for good sleep. Consider charging devices in a central location at a regular time each night to allow an hour screen free before bed.
• While you are all at home more, it’s a great time to co-view and co-play with your kids, so you can understand what they are doing and experiencing online.
• Learn about the games, apps, social media and platforms they are using at The eSafety Guide, including how to protect their information and report inappropriate content or conduct.

2. Use parental controls and safe search options

Parental controls can help block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions. They can also monitor your child’s use of connected devices and set time limits. But beware! You cannot always rely on them — they should be used in combination with other online safety strategies.

• Parental controls are available on most tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and gaming consoles.
• You can also download family safety controls or buy robust filters out of the box. 
• You can set up child-friendly search engines, or select safe search settings on digital devices, to help prevent your child from stumbling across inappropriate sites and content.

3. Check smart toy settings

It’s surprising how many toys or devices can connect online these days, from drones and smart teddies to tablets and wearables. While they can be both entertaining and educational, they can reveal your child’s personal details and location — and allow other people to contact them without you knowing. You can help keep them stay safe by:

• setting strong passwords
• turning off location settings 
• limiting the amount of personal information shared.

The eSafety Gift Guide has advice on what to check for and how to stay safe.

4. Look out for unwanted contact and grooming

Unwanted contact is any communication that makes your child feel uncomfortable or unsafe, even if they initially welcomed the contact. It can come from a stranger, an online ‘friend’ or even someone they actually know. At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ — building a relationship with the child in order to sexually abuse them.

You can help by:

• making sure their accounts are private — including chat functions on games
• encouraging them to delete requests from strangers and any contacts they don’t know in person
• checking in with your child as they use online devices in the open living spaces at home
• reporting and blocking anyone suspicious on a website or service 
• remembering that if suspicious online contacts become aggressive or threatening you should contact your local police.

5. Know the signs of cyberbullying

Kids who are bored by long periods at home can pick at each other, and that happens online too. So it’s important to keep an eye out for cyberbullying. It can include mean posts, comments and messages, as well as being left out of online group activities like gaming. 

• Remember, when they are away from school, kids have less access to their usual support systems, including friends, teachers and counsellors. 
• eSafety research shows that girls are more likely to be affected than boys and the person doing the bullying is generally someone they know from school.
• Watch out for signs such as your child appearing upset after using their mobile, tablet or computer, being unusually secretive about their online activities or becoming withdrawn.
• Cyberbullying can make social isolation worse and the longer it continues, the more stressed kids can become, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing.

What to do if your child is being cyberbullied

As parents, our first instinct may be to ban our children from social media, disable the wi-fi or turn off the data access. But this can actually compound the problem, making your child feel as if they’re being punished and heightening their sense of social exclusion.

There are four simple steps that can help minimise the harm:

• report the cyberbullying to the social media service where it is occurring
• collect evidence of the cyberbullying material
• if the material is still public 48 hours later, make a report to eSafety — we work with social media platforms to have the harmful content removed.
• block the offending user.