10 July 2024 — Week 1, Term 3
Welcome from the Principal
Dear Families
Welcome back to another term and I hope you managed to find a little downtime to spend with your family over the past two weeks. From a staff perspective, the students returned to school on Tuesday with a real 'bounce' in their step and were focused on their learning from the first minute of the day. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the exemplary due care and attention of our school community with your adherence to our revised school pick-up routine. School pick-up has certainly become significantly calmer which ensures the safety of our students as our prime consideration.
Having reflected on Semester 1, adequate school attendance is still proving to be a challenge. Whilst I acknowledge the major impact of illness on school attendance towards the end of Term 2, it is crucial that attendance at school remains a strong focus for our community. From our perspective, every minute counts and the creation of a positive learning environment with access to an expert teacher is at the forefront of student success. There is no doubt that many parents would have seen this article in previous Newsletters but nevertheless, it is always pertinent to keep student attendance fresh in our minds as we move into another term.
The Forrest Review: creating parity (Andrew Forrest, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet), identified that if a child’s school attendance falls below 90% (ie they frequently miss more than half a day of school a week) their education is considered at risk. If attendance falls below 80% (ie they miss a day of school every week) their education is significantly diminished. In other words...
- less than 80% attendance - no better than no schooling at all
- 90% attendance is required for a child to receive the education needed for job readiness attendance is even more important than the quality of the school.
This research is powerful stuff that really quantifies what teachers and principals have known for years.
A recent State of the Sector Report from the Queensland Catholic Education Commission identified that in 2022, the Semester 1 attendance rate for Queensland Catholic schools was 88%.
So what can we do practically from our perspective - here are some suggestions from the Victorian Education Department.
- Addressing individual student needs
Identifying risks of student disengagement from education needs to happen early so that actions can be taken to reduce or avoid these risks. - Engaging with the family
Managing issues of non-attendance can be difficult, particularly in circumstances where there are apparent stress factors within families. Working with a family in a way that can prevent attendance issues is critical. Successful school-family relationships will be underpinned by open and effective communication. - Attendance student support group
When student attendance issues are identified and it becomes apparent that a student may require ongoing intensive support in order to remain engaged in school, an Attendance Student Support Group should be convened. - Referral to school or community-based wellbeing professional
When exploring attendance concerns, schools may identify behavioural, health or social issues such as anxiety, depression or bullying for an individual student.
There is no doubt that chronic poor student school attendance is a challenge that is increasing for all schools and will require ongoing attention and persistence.
School Day – Drop-off
With the commencement of Term 3, St Patrick’s School would like to reinforce the following drop-off procedures. Please note that teaching staff use the time before school for planning and preparation for the coming day. If you have a major query or concern, please see the front office staff who can arrange an appointment for you.
- School commences at 8:40am.
- Students may arrive from 8:10am. Please note that if students arrive before 8:10am, they need to sit on the chairs outside the school’s main door. As you would appreciate and due to the obvious Child Protection implications, there needs to be two staff members present before the school can be opened.
- Once the doors open at 8:10am, students will then place their bag in the space provided outside their classroom and proceed to the library. Reading material is provided for all students.
- Students will be supervised from 8:20am until 8:40am by a member of staff.
- Please note that students need to be signed in at the school office by a parent if they arrive after 8:40am or signed out at the school office if they need to leave early for an appointment.
As we move towards the end of Week 1, let's keep the 90% minimum of school attendance at the forefront of our conversations. Please enjoy the image gallery below which provides a small snapshot into the final weeks of Term 2 where our NAIDOC celebrations and Interhouse Athletics Carnival took centre stage. I would also like to congratulate the St Patrick's parents who dominated all challenges in the annual student, staff and parent relay. We look forward to 2025 when we can do it all again.
Keith Blaikie—Principal
Keith.Blaikie@twb.catholic.edu.au
General Information
Welcome to Ms Autumn Taylor
As a school community, we would like to welcome Ms Autumn Taylor who is completing her final year of her Bachelor of Primary Education. Starting in the final week of Term 2 and continuing for four weeks into Term 3, Ms Taylor will be completing her final practicum at St Patrick's School. Ms Taylor will be working in Cunningham along side Ms Preston. As an educator, she displays a passion for play based learning, children’s literature and fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom for all children. Whilst Ms Taylor has met many friendly faces at the end of Term 2, she looks forward to meeting many more of our community over the next month.
Teaching and Learning
Read with me – parent/ carer resource
The staff of St Patrick’s School are extremely excited to promote the resource – Read with me. Whilst many of you may have viewed this resource in previous Newsletters, we thought it important to share it once again at the commencement of another term. This video has been produced by TCSO and is designed to support parents as it promotes best practice when reading at home with our students. The following link will direct you to the TCS YouTube channel where the video is stored Read with me – parent/carer resource. The adoption of a consistent approach when reading between the home and school can only improve the educational outcomes for our students.
What can you do at home to support your child's reading?
Religious Life of the School
P. O. P. - ‘People on a Path’ to help others in need
Our Glengallan students who formed the P.O.P. committee in Term 1 as part of their leadership development have been at the forefront of educating the students of St Patrick's School in the area of social justice. Their Term 2 initiative focused on supporting the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. Students were challenged to donate individual food items that would keep people warm as the winter temperatures bite in Allora. This initiative was born out of the plight of many people who live on the fringes of society and often remain homeless or could be struggling with the cost of living expenses which are so common in our modern society.
The P.O.P. committee also need to be congratulated for their input and facilitation of the school's annual NAIDOC Week Mass which was held in the final week of Term 2. Students were tasked to include relevant scripture and write individual prayers, to make the Mass as meaningful as possible for all students. The school also welcomed a representative of St Vincent de Paul, Mr Tony Cowley, who will distribute the food donations to local families in need. As a school community, we would also like to acknowledge our visitors from Assumption College who helped out during the school's NAIDOC Week celebrations. Harry and Abby were wonderful ambassadors for Assumption College and as a school community, we thank them for their willingness to travel to Allora.
Upcoming events - July
- Wednesday 10 July - St Patrick's Parish Fete Committee Meeting from 6:30pm in the Parish Meeting Room
- Wednesday 17 July - Athletics Training for Central Downs from 7:30am - for nominated Glengallan and Dalrymple students only
- Wednesday 17 July - Central Downs Athletics Day # 1 - Glengallan and Dalrymple students only
- Wednesday 17 July - 100 Days of Prep
- Wednesday 17 July - Wear something maroon or blue to support your team
- Thursday 18 July - Whole School Assembly commencing at 2:15pm in the Church
- Friday 19 July - Central Downs Athletics Day # 2 - All selected students from Prep to Year 6
- Monday 22 July to Friday 26 July - Catholic Education Week
- Tuesday 23 July - Catholic Education Week Mass commencing at 9:30am (All are welcome to attend!)
- Wednesday 24 July - Newsletter
- Wednesday 24 July - St Patrick's Playgroup from 9:00am to 10:30am
- Wednesday 24 July - St Patrick's P&F Meeting from 6:00pm
- Friday 26 July - Bishop's Inservice Day (PUPIL FREE - school closed)
See the Sentral calendar for more information.
Reminders
Uniform Days
Sports
Wednesday, Friday
Formal
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Please remember that we are a...
‘Nut Aware’ School.
Times for Mass at St Patrick's Church are as follows:
1st Sunday - 9am 2nd and 3rd Sunday – 5.30pm
4th & 5th Sunday Liturgy of the Word with Communion - 9am
