Dear Parents and Carers

This Friday 12 September is our Colour Fun Run. A huge thank you to the families and friends who have supported this School Fundraiser.

This will take place from 2.10pm on the Large Sport Oval. Families are invited to come and cheer as the students participate. 

To take part safely in the colour run, all students must wear:

• A plain white t-shirt (for the best colour effect)

• Old shorts/leggings or bottoms

• Runners/joggers (colour washes out easily from shoes and cotton clothing)

Please note: Students not dressed appropriately will not be able to participate. We cannot be responsible for damage to school uniforms. We recommend using older clothes or even a cheap set from an op shop.

Students wear these casual clothes for the day so they are ready to participate in the colur run straight after lunch in the afternoon.

Our last day of Term 3 is Thursday 18 September.  Students will be dismissed at normal time of 3.10pm.  This is also our Footy Colours Day, so students are welcome to wear their footy colours on this day.

• Mia Yr 4
• Ajak Yr 4
• Olivia Yr 5
• Maeghan Yr 5
• Siddu Yr 5
• Phoebe Yr 5
• Alexia Yr 6
• Kim Yr 6
• Evie Yr 6

Our 2025 School Concert will occur on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 October at Bunjil Place in Narre Warren.  There is information further in the newsletter regarding costumes.  The finer details for ticketing are currently being finalised with the venue.  We are hopeful to have it all sorted by the end of this term with tickets able to go on sale next Friday 19 September.  More information will be provided as it becomes available.

On Friday 5 September, our Foundation students had a very special visitor—a lamb from the farm! This exciting experience was a part of our preparations for the upcoming Foundation excursion to Chesterfield Farm.

The students were absolutely delighted to meet the lamb up close. They had the opportunity to gently pat it, learning how to use their ‘safe hands’ when interacting with animals. This visit helped to build their confidence and understanding of how to behave around farm animals, making it a perfect introduction to what they can expect during their farm excursion.

We are all so excited for our big day at Chesterfield Farm this week, where the children will see many more animals and enjoy hands-on learning in a real farm environment!

This year there have been some changes made to the Sacramental Program at St Patrick’s Parish.  One of these changes is that the Sacrament of Reconciliation will now be received by students in Year 4 or above.  As this change comes into effect in 2025, our current Year 3 students will not be participating in this Sacrament this year.  It does mean that from 2026, Year 4 students will be able to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. The preparation and celebration for these Sacraments will take place at different times of the year.  These dates will be communicated in early 2026.

Bookings for First Holy Communion Masses

Please find below links for the parents of First Holy Communion children to book in for one of the First Holy Communion Masses.  Bookings will open on Thursday 11 September at 10.00 am and will close on Sunday 21 September at 5.00pm.  

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIXR   11 October 2025 - 6.00pm

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIYB   12 October 2025 - 10.30am

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIXU   18 October 2025 - 6.00pm

https://www.trybooking.com/DFIXY   19 October 2025 - 10.30am

Key Dates for First Holy Communion

A reminder to parents of students who are preparing for their First Holy Communion.  The Blessing Masses will take place at St Patrick’s on September 13 and 14 all weekend Masses. (Saturday- 6pm, Sunday -9:00 and 10:30)  

Costume Information

In preparation for the nights we are asking families to prepare the base costume, to which the school will add elements too. Please see the table below for your child’s Year Level. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via email at concert@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au 

Kind Regards

David Gulavin and Maria-Grazia Ricchetti

    R U OK? - A Conversation that could Change a Life!

In 2009, Gavin Larkin, a bereaved son, and Janina Nearn, a television producer and reporter, collaborated to change the behaviour and stigma surrounding mental health. Together they developed and created R U OK?Day. Born out of the tragedy of his father's suicide in 1995, Gavin focussed the campaign on building the motivation, confidence and skills of the help-giver – the person who can have a meaningful conversation with someone who is struggling with life.

This Year’s R U OK? Day falls on Thursday 11th September.

Is a national suicide prevention charity and registered public health promotion that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times.

It is a Day of Action that reminds us to check in with family, friends and colleagues and ask them the question, “ Are you ok?”

You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener.

Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:

• Ask R U OK?
• Listen
• Encourage action
• Check in

                                  SPECIAL REPORT: R U OK?Day

Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm - are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It's therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health, and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children.

R U OK?Day is an initiative that focuses on preventing suicide by encouraging meaningful personal connections and helping informal support networks to help recognise the signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, "Are you OK?"

Engaging in R U OK?Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK?Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.

This Special Report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions.

Here is the link to your Special Report https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-r-u-ok-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

lhunt@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au

Here is the link to access PAM

Your usernsame is the email address you have registerd with the school.  If you have forgotten your password please use the "forgotten password" feature to set a new one.

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.