Dear Families,

As we creep closer to Christmas and the end of the school year I have my annual dilemma of mixed emotions.  On one hand I am dreading farewelling to our wonderful Year 6 cohort but balancing that out I am so excited about all the opportunities that 2024 present - especially welcoming in a new crew of Foundation students.  In our next newsletter we will be in a position to announce our staffing for 2024 as a lead into our St.Vincent's Transition Day.  This year we will be offering an earlier opportunity for everyone to know about 2024 which will help reduce anxieties around changes that a new school year brings.  

Last week we came together as school to commemorate Remembrance Day.  Our School Leaders along with Mrs.Watson led the service with reverence and confidence.  Our student leadership opportunities are an important feature of our school and to see these young people conduct themselves so capably  was just fantastic.  The attentive and prayerful participation of our student body was outstanding and we look forward to having the Flanders Field Poppies we planted in full bloom when we return after the summer break.

Since our last newsletter we have had the Foundation students visit the Melbourne Zoo with some other year levels also about to have a few days out.  Across the day we received strong, positive feedback about our students and their engagement and behaviour.  I was so proud to be their principal and our families should also have pride in their efforts.  These busy days of learning outside of the classroom are great learning opportunities and a chance to be stretch our capacity to be resilient.  Can I also commend the time and energy of the administration and teaching staff who spent many hours behind the scenes planning out the delivery of these activities.

Also this week we have concluded the final element of our swimming programs and hope that the skills and confidence that has been developed over the past month ensures all our precious children are a little safer around water this summer.  We thank Mrs.Stevenson for coordinating the program as well as all the staff for their flexibility across the swimming weeks.  Thanks must also go to the parents who were busy doing laundry each night to get the swimming kits ready for the next day.

Planning for 2024 is moving along at speed behind the scenes.  Beyond organising obvious things like classes and staffing, constructing the teaching and learning programs while adding to the 2024 school calendar is certainly keeping us busy.  The teachers have began to collaboratively develop strong plans for the academic aspect of the school but also spend considerable amounts of time considering the well being of our students.  We will be in a position to further strengthen our efforts in this area and we look forward to announcing some exciting news in this space.  At the start of the year I announced we had signed  partnership with INFORM & EMPOWER, with their sign attached to the fence near the front steps.  This partnership provides our students with workshops and resoruces in the cyber-safety space as well as information for teachers and parents.  I've included some sample posters that have been displayed in the Year 3-6 rooms that you might like to discuss as a family and even print out to put on your fridge at home.

Last week ended on a real high for me with the School Disco being the ultimate way to finish off yet another busy week.  At the Disco I was so happy to see so many parents get involved in the preparation and on the night.  I strongly urge everyone to reach out and offer assistance so we can confidently continue to offer our children such experiences.  In particular can I acknowledge the drive and efforts of Destiny who not only worked so hard to deliver a great event for the kids but also was outstanding in her efforts to make sure the organisational and compliance matters were handled - Much appreciated Destiny.  The night was just wonderful and was a fair substitute for those people who missed out on Taylor Swift tickets!

OUR PATCH: Great News!!!!! Please find attached some documentation from OUR PATCH.  As this is also very new for us at St.Vincent's we would love feedback about successes and challenges you are finding with their systems.

Wishing you a positive finish to the week and we pray for a beautiful week of weather next week for when I head off on the Year 3/4 Camp to Allambee (near Trafalgar).

Dave

Lord Jesus Christ,

The Holy Land is once again struck by violence, hatred, and death.
Lord, look with mercy upon the land that was your earthly home.

Receive the deceased into your presence.
Comfort those who mourn, are wounded, or forced to flee.
Be close to all who are full of fear and despair.

You are our peace and the light of the nations,
put an end to the spiral of terror and suffering
in the Holy Land and in the whole Middle East!

Let peace and justice flourish at the holy sites.
You are our refuge. Let the people be safe in your Love. 

Have mercy on us and on our time.

Amen.

TERM 4

WEEK 8

Wednesday 22nd November: Swimming Trials for 2024 Yr.3-6

Thursday 23rd November: Italian Day

Friday 24th November: Year 5&6 Excursion to Inverloch

WEEK 9

Monday 27th November: Year 1 & 2 Trip to Healesville

Wednesday to Friday: Year 3&4 Camp at Allambee

WEEK 10

Wednesday 6th December: St.Vincent's Transition Day

WEEK 11

Monday 11th December: Year 6 Melbourne Trip

Tuesday 12th December: Statewide Transition day

Wednesday 13th December: End of Year Mass 9.15am ALL WELCOME

Wednesday 13th December: Graduation

Friday 15th December: Students finish 12.30pm

WEEK 12

Tuesday 19th December: School Office closes 1pm

20^th November 2023

Dear Families and Guardians,

Re: Our Patch OSHC Program at St Vincent de Paul PS Morwell

We are thrilled to be introducing Our Patch to St Vincent de Paul PS Morwell. Our Patch is a fresh provider in the Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) space, sprouting from a dream to create entirely unique spaces that gives children voice and offers them a safe place of wonder in which to GROW.

We will be operating Before and After School Care and Pupil Free Days.

Our first day of operation will be Thursday 1^st February 2024. 

Our Before School Care program will include fun activities and a nutritious breakfast to set the children up for the day. After School Care will include a healthy afternoon snack, engaging indoor and outdoor activities and exciting new Specialist Offerings!

Enrolments are open NOW!

Children must be enrolled to attend, so we strongly recommend enrolling as soon as possible. For enrolments or more information, please visit our website via the link:  https://www.owna.com.au/enrol.aspx?c=ourpatchmorwell

We have attached a short guide about our OWNA booking system.  Casual bookings can be made via the OWNA App and for all permanent bookings please email our Customer Care Team at info@ourpatch.education.

All our sessions are covered by the Childcare Subsidy (CCS) which can reduce your childcare costs. To find out more about CCS entitlements, please visit https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-campaign.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our team om 1300 018 310 or at info@ourpatch.education with any questions or if you require any assistance.

We are looking forward to connecting with you all and together creating a patch for every child to GROW!

Warm regards,

Our Patch Team

Each year our school supports our local Vinnies Conference by collecting items for Christmas Hampers which we handover as part of our End of Year Mass.

We invite school families to collect items such has Christmas themed items and food, as well as regular non-perishable food.

Each classroom will have collection boxes and we encourage families to start bringing in items.  Maybe consider inviting your broader network of family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to also contribute to this very important social justice initiative. 

Schools are required to maintain accurate attendance information for every child.  Parents are obligated to ensure that schools are informed about their child's absences.  To assist parents communicate with school we have the online PAM system, while some parents choose or email the school directly.

We remind parents that if your child is absent, you must notify the school on the morning of the absence.  The school will meet our child-safety obligations by following up with parents, then emergency contacts for any unexplained absences.

We thank you for your continued support in this critical area of our student management.

St.Vincent's encourages good practices around exposure to UV.

Our key strategies involve wearing hats, encouraging the application of sunscreen and providing shaded play areas. We encourage families to apply and supply their chosen sunscreen to their children, as the school does not supply sunscreen.

School hats must be worn during Term 1 and Term 4, although we actively encourage students to wear them in times of increasing UV ratings.  Having your hat at school from Father's Day to Mother's Day is a great guide.

Today parents face a multitude of modern day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people. Whilst there is a great deal of information available, this can often be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance.

SchoolTV addresses this as a new online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies.

St.Vincent's is proud to partner with SchoolTV to offer our school families a range of resources.  We urge you to check out these wonderful resources.

SchoolTV is available via our school website under the Wellbeing menu.

https://stvmorwell.catholic.schooltv.me/