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Dear Parents and Carers
Another busy week and we thank all parents, particulary the mums, whose support and organisation help to ensure everything happens.
Our selected students were very fortuante to complete their District Cross Country races this morning before the rain arrived. Results have not been provided as yet but we are proud of them all for the endeavour and how they represented St Clare's.
Our year 2 students have one swimming lesson remaining on this Friday. These lessons are part of the Victorian Curriculum and provide vital life skills for our students. The Foundation, Year 1 and Year 3 levels will participate in their own swimming program later in the year.
This Sunday 11 May is Mother's Day and to celebrate we are having Mums and Muffins mornings on Thursday and Friday this week.We invite our Mum's or special persons to join our "Mums and Muffins" mornings, where together with their child(ren) are invited to collect a muffin from 8.30am outside the Welcome Room and join them in their classroom until 9.30am. There will also be tea and coffee available in the Welcome Room - we encourage you to bring your own travel/keep up to utilise.
UPCOMING DATES:
This week a PAM communication went out to families with children in Year 6 who are able to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this year. If your child is ready to be Confirmed and is in Year 6 but you did not receive the information, please contact Alisha Johnston via email - ajohnston@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au
Next term those students that have received their First Eucharist will be invited to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Preparations for this will begin this term. If you would like your child to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this year, please take note of the following dates.
For the first time, this year parents will need to enrol their child for the Sacrament of Confirmation at the St Patrick’s Parish office. This can be done next week at the following times:
Tuesday 13th May 2025 – 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Friday 16th May 2025 – 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Tuesday 20th May 2025 – 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Upon enrolment, parents will receive paperwork to complete along with further information and instructions regarding Confirmation. Parents are asked to pay a sacramental enrolment fee of $20 when they enrol their child. Forms, certificates and prayer cards received at this time will then be returned at one of the commitment masses.
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14th & 15th June all weekend Masses |
Saturday 6pm Sunday 9:00am,10:30am and 5pm
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Commitment mass |
Confirmation will be celebrated on Saturday 30th August with Bishop Greg Bennet. Masses will take place at 3pm and 6pm at St Patrick’s Church. More information about Confirmation, including registering for masses, will be shared at a later date.
A Special Report: Celebrating Mother's Day
Mother's Day originated from humble beginnings in 1908 as a simple tradition to honour all mothers, living and deceased. However, it did not take long for florists, confectioners and card companies to jump onboard and commercialise the day, much to the disappointment of its founder, Ann Jarvis.
Today, Mother's Day is an annual reminder to say thanks to our mum, or other motherly figure, who plays an important role in our lives. It is a day to express our gratitude and love towards the women who have dedicated their time, energy, and love to raise and support us. Whether it's a simple gesture like a card, a bunch of flowers, or a heartfelt message, Mother's Day is an opportunity to show our mothers how much we cherish and admire them. It's a time to reflect on the love, sacrifices, and unwavering support that our mothers provide unconditionally.
Mothers will often put the needs of others above their own, so it is paramount to remind them to take care of themselves, especially when it comes to their mental health. Research has shown that women experience some mental health conditions more so than men and at much higher rates. There are many factors that can impact a woman's wellbeing physically and emotionally. Seeking effective treatment can enable her to engage more readily in everyday activities and fulfil the needs of her children and family.
This Special Report highlights that Mother's Day is not only a celebration, but also a reminder of the vital role mothers play in the developmental growth of her children and the impact this has on shaping our society.
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 contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report:
https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/celebrating-mothers-day
Immediate Crisis Support in Australia:
1800RESPECT - https://www.1800respect.org.au/
Kids Helpline - https://kidshelpline.com.au/get-help/webchat-counselling
Liz Hunt
Mental Health in Primary School Leader
SCHOOL FEES
School fee payment options 2025
Here is the link for the St Clare's Parent Access Module (PAM)
St Clare's PAM
You username is the email address that you have registered with the school. The first time you log in we ask that you use the forgotten password feature to set your own password.
ALL parents must access PAM to receive up to date information and grant necessary permissions. Students will miss out on events if permission is not granted.
MEDICAL PROFILE
How to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
Adapted from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog Office of the eSafety Commissioner
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
