Dear Parents and Carers

It is wonderful to be back at St Pat's and to be reliving the Holy Land Pilgrimage through sharing with the children at school. I highly recommend this experience to everyone, we walked in the footsteps of Jesus from the place of his birth, the place of the crucifixion and resurrection. We prayed, we paused, we reflected, we journeyed, we learned (and we un-learned too!). We also had some delightful fun, like the swim in the Dead Sea and in the Sea of Gallilee and the fast drive in the back of the 4WDs in the desert of Wadi Rum.  

This photo, where we begin to see The Treasury at Petra, is symbolic of the pilgrimage, so many wonderful places, spaces and experiences that unfolded each day. If you have been to Petra you will know just how utterly breathless coming across The Treasury is after walking a long way through the siq (the pathway through the cliffs).

I thank Mrs Grant, in her absence, for her leadership in the first two weeks of term, and Mrs Ferris for her role as AP (acting). Please be informed that Mrs Sheahan is on leave, and remains on personal leave until the end of Term 2. Mrs Ferris remains acting in the Assistant Principal role, we thank her for her leadership and for continuing to ensure consistency of the teaching and learning program for her senior class.

At St Pat's we focus on the attributes of learners and community contribution through the lens of our three school pillars; Look into Thinking; Look Ahead to the Future, and Look After Each Other. 

Look After Each Other is the Yellow Pillar, which shapes our view to our relationship with God and one another. Each child is unique and is learning how to live and learn in a class and school community at their rate and we are hope filled and optimistic that every child can be a Yellow Pillar Kid. Under the  Yellow Pillar we work to grow the attributes 

* friendliness eg 'friendy first' behaviours

* welcome

* respect 

* empathy

* thinking of others before self

* inclusivity, eg invitation of all to play, or be in a learning group

* self-confidence

It was such a happy occasion this morning in the hall for the Mother's Day Breakfast, followed by the beautiful liturgy led by K-2 students in the Church. Thank you to all who came! A special thank you to the St Patrick's Mens Group for once again manning the kitchen.

Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to all the mums and mother figures in our school community for this Sunday (and every day).

Blessings

Jo

It was wonderful to be able to spend time with our lunch clubs this week. Students engaged in a range of different activities, including Mother’s Day art, Loom band creations, beading, playing the piano, construction and board games. It was fantastic to see so many students displaying the yellow pillar behaviour’s of ‘Looking after each other’, demonstrated through their sharing, kindness and willingness to accept challenges. Our lunchtime clubs in the library offer an opportunity for students to spend time in a quiet environment, making new friends and trying new things. Lunch clubs are open every day at lunch time for all students, with different activities offered throughout the term.

Today I have been visiting classes during their math’s sessions and was very impressed to see students working in cooperative groups, each demonstrating confidence, leadership and a positive attitude. 3/4 classes were learning about capacity, through hands on activities like measuring water. 5/6 were enjoying games to help them understand the concepts of chance and probability. 

Welcome to Week 3.

Congratulations to the Senior Primary students who participated in the Confirmation Retreat on Wednesday. I would like to acknowledge them all on the way they participated with reverence and enthusiasm.  Below you will see photos of the students taking part in a variety of activities which form part of their learning.   

Acting REC

Julie Lott

Raising Children - How children see TV, social media videos, games and movies

In general, school-age children can follow simple plots and understand how events in a story are related to each other. But they tend to take things at face value, rather than questioning what they see on TV, in social media videos or video games or on video game entertainment sites like Twitch.

Media images and role models can influence school-age children’s behaviour and attitudes. This is because school-age children look at the environment around them for people to copy, and this might include TV characters, social media celebrities and other media figures.

Scary visual images
School-age children depend less on visual images for meaning than younger children do. But scary images and frightening scenarios can still upset them.

TV or online news can be especially frightening for school-age children. This is not only because of the images but also because school-age children know the events they see on the news are real. News reports about crime can upset them, and they might be especially worried about death.

Violent images 
TV violence can have stronger negative effects on school-age children than on younger children.

Many TV programs, movies and video games made for school-age children send the message that it’s OK for heroes to use violence, as long as it’s for a good cause. School-age children can misinterpret this message and think that violence is a good way to sort out conflict and get what you want.

We don’t know for sure how violence on screens influences children at this age. Some experts suggest that exposure to TV and video game violence can make children less sensitive to violence and might cause aggressive behaviour. But others suggest that older children can tell the difference between a game and reality, and this stops video game violence leading to real-life violence.

Good-quality apps, games, TV, movies and YouTube for school-age children can support learning and encourage positive behaviour. For example, a good-quality app for primary school-age children might get children creating animations. A quality TV show or YouTube channel might inspire new off-screen play ideas.

Screen time and digital technology use for children 6-11 years: tips for balance

Screen time and digital technology use can be part of a healthy lifestyle when they’re balanced with other activities that are good for your child’s development. These activities include physical play, outdoor play, creative play, reading and socialising. Getting the right balance also includes making sure screen time doesn’t interfere with sleep.

Our tips can help you encourage your child to use digital technology in balanced and healthy ways.

1. Make rules about screen time and digital technology use

You can help your child balance screen time and digital technology use with other activities. One of the best ways to do this is by working together on family rules or a family media plan.

Your family’s rules might cover:

• where your child can use digital technology – for example, only in family rooms or not in the car
• when your child can use digital technology – for example, mealtimes are free of TV, computers and phones, or no screens before school or until chores are finished
• how your child can use digital technology – for example, for making animations or checking a netball shooting technique, but not for playing Candy Crush
• how you handle digital technology use for children of different ages – for example, there might be some games that your older child can play only when their younger sibling is out or has gone to bed
• how your child can stay safe online – for example, by letting you know if they come across upsetting and inappropriate content, or by checking privacy and location settings and personal data safety.

It’s OK if your rules include time limits to help your child balance screen time with other things like physical activity. For example, it might help to know that Australian physical activity guidelines say school-age children should have at least one hour a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity like running or jumping.

Your family media or technology plan can include guidelines about where and when you use technology and what you use it for. Your plan will depend on your family situation, and it will probably change as your children get older and your family needs change.

BOOK FAIR

The Book Fair is coming to St Pats! 

It will be arriving on the 25th of May and will be here until the 7th of June. 

Students will get the opportunity to browse the fair and create a wish list, before the main day, Tuesday the 6th of June. 

Items can be paid for on the day or alternatively and preferably pre-purchased following links and instructions provided on the flyers and wish lists.

Further details and reminders will follow in the coming weeks.