Dear Parents and Carers

We are certain everyone is looking forward to the upcoming long weekend as an opportunity to recharge into the last 3 weeks of term 2.  A reminder that this Friday 7 June there is no school for students.  All staff will be involved in professional development on this day while Camp Australia will provide care for those families who require it.  

Semester 1 Student Reports will be available to parents via PAM in the last week of this Term.  If you need assistance with accessing PAM please contact the school office.  Parent Teacher Meetings will be held early in Term 3 so parents can disucss these reports with teachers.  Further information with dates and how to book will be providced closer to the time.

Upcoming Dates

Friday 7 June

• Staff PD Day - NO SCHOOL for students
• SSV Soccer Tournament for selected students

Monday 10 June

• King's Birthday Public Holiday NO SCHOOL

Wednesday 12 June

• SSV Regional Cross COuntry 

Monday 24 June

• Year 4 Incursion

Tuesday 25 June

• Year 1 Excursion to Legoland

Thursday 27 June

• Year 3 Incursion

Friday 28 June

• Last Day of Term 3, students finish at 3.10pm
• Pizza and PJ Day

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Friday 7 June

This Friday Catholics remember the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The feast reminds us of Christ’s love for his people. The feast also celebrates and calls for people to honour the sacredness of each other and to live a life centred on the heart of God.

Sacraments

First Holy Communion 2024

It’s the time of year for all Catholic families with students (who are already baptised Catholics) in Year 4 to commit to First Holy Communion preparation for your child/children. Your first commitment begins with completing a survey to say you wish for your child/children to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion in 2024. The link for this survey is https://forms.gle/ya5uVS8vAspZpdF86. This must be completed by Tuesday 11 June 2024.

Your second commitment is to attend all of the following:

Parent Formation Evening 7pm Thursday 22 August at St Patrick’s Parish Pakenham. Students do not attend this evening. It is just for adults.

First Holy Communion Commitment 6pm Mass Saturday 31 August 2024 at St Patrick’s Parish Pakenham. Students and their families attend this together.

Your third commitment is to register your child/children for a Mass to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion via a link which will be provided to you soon.

You choose one of the following Masses at St Patrick’s Parish Pakenham:

Saturday 7 September 6pm

Sunday 8 September 10.30am

Saturday 14 September 6pm

Sunday 15 September 10.30am

Confirmation 2024

All families who have students in Year 6 who are baptised Catholics and have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of First Holy Communion are able to register to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this year.

Your first commitment begins with completing a survey to say you wish for your child/children to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2024. The link for this survey is https://forms.gle/Fzxqsh3eMTVAa7fF6. This must be completed by Tuesday 11 June 2024.

Your second commitment is to attend all of the following:

Thursday 10 October Parent Formation Evening 7pm at St Patrick’s Parish - parents are expected to attend. Students DO NOT attend.

Saturday 12 October Commitment Mass 6pm at St Patrick’s Parish. All families are expected to attend.

Your third commitment is to register your child/children for a Mass to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation via a link which will be provided to you soon.

You choose one of the following Masses at St Patrick’s Parish Pakenham:

Saturday 19 October 3pm

OR

Saturday 19 October 6pm

Last Wednesday we had 14 students attend the division cross country event at Toomuc Reserve in Pakenham. It was fantastic to see so many of our students qualify for this event and all of them put in a superb effort.

Final results on the day were:

9/10 Boys – Lucas.M – 13^th

9/10 Girls – Olivia.B – 3^rd, Niharika.N – 7^th, Lacey.R – 14^th

11 Boys – Koby.F – 14^th, Brodie.M – 18^th, James.D – 24^th

11 Girls – Charlise.C – 12^th, Margret.A – 25^th, Eden.T – 26^th

12/13 Boys – Rylie.M – 17^th, Nixon.R – 26^th

12/13 Girls – Maddison.M – 16^th, Ebony.M – 23^rd

A big congratulations to Olivia.B for winning a bronze medal. Both Olivia and Niharika will now progress to the Regional Championships at Hastings on June 12^th which is a fantastic achievement. Good luck girls!

In Mathematics this term, Year 4 students have been focusing on 2D and 3D shapes.

They have engaged in rich discussions around the properties of 2D and 3D objects.  The topic has incorporated many hands-on activities such as identifying 2D and 3D shapes around the school grounds.  Student learning extended to exploring symmetrical shapes.

Discussions were shared around what objects were symmetrical. Students explored symmetrical objects further by identifying examples within learning spaces and in the school grounds.

Students were provided with opportunities to have a demonstrate their understandings by using paint to create their own symmetrical design.

We are now taking enrolments for Foundation 2025.  As a rapidly growing school we find ourselves currently at capacity at Years 1, 3 and 4 for 2024.  

For those looking to enrol for Foundation or any other level in 2025 we suggest you submit your enrolment forms as soon as possible.

A SPECIAL REPORT: Respectful Language

In today’s world, it is common to hear socially offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music. While swearing is becoming more common and less taboo, the use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is a form of verbal violence. It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity.

It is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language they hear. Proliferating the use of swear words can sometimes normalise, glamorise and desensitise their impact for kids who may misunderstand the true meaning of some derogatory terms. Whilst some students may use swearing or derogatory terms as a misguided attempt at belonging, others may use it simply because they are still learning how to moderate their language and are not accustomed to making adjustments to suit different situations.

Although many schools enforce a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to swearing and derogatory language, parents need to also play an important part in enforcing this approach. Parents and carers can be proactive in monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to. Discussing the use of words or the origin of some derogatory terms and gaining insight into the reason behind their child’s use of such language can help prevent inappropriate or disrespectful language filtering into the classroom or the school yard, which is turn helps to build more tolerant, safe and connected communities.

This Special Report offers a number of guidelines to help manage a suitable approach when discussing the importance of respectful language.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:

https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-respectful-language

CDFpay is a secure, safe and efficient method for ordering and paying for items through school.

Below you will find instructions for setting up your CDFpay account both if you are an existing parent "already have a CDF pay account" or a new parent.

Here is the link to head to our school CDFpay shop St Clare's CDFpay Shop

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.