From the Principal - Mrs Katie Browne
“Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 13:15
From the Gospel of the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C.
Dear families,
This Sunday’s Gospel is challenging us to use our gifts and spread the word of God. In our modern world of social media the desire to have more and want more is great but does it really make us happy and content people? When we use our gifts for others the satisfaction we gain from that far outweighs having lots of things.
Respectful Relationships, Child Safety, Growth, Development & Human Sexuality Education
On Thursday Evening from 6:30pm - 7:30pm we'll be discussing the PDHPE syllabus and the content that is required to be taught from this syllabus. The focus on the new syllabus is about developing students' knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes which is important in students being able to take positive action to protect and enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing. In response to the syllabus the Diocese developed the Life to the Full Framework to ensure we are able to teach the content within a catholic context. I encourage at least one adult family member from each family to attend this information session so you are fully aware of the content that is being taught and to hear ways you can continue and support the conversation at home. This evening is an opportunity for us to engage you in your child’s learning and provide you with access to resources. For those who cannot attend there will be information sent home in the following weeks to support you and your child. If you have further questions please feel free to contact the class teacher.
Social and Emotional Learning
On Friday we sent out the first compass post letting you know about our SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) focus for the week. The idea behind this is to provide you with the information so you can continue to have positive conversations at home. With the increase in social media attention we are also seeing a rise in mental health concerns. It appears that when on social media anything goes and the ease of being able to bring another person down is far greater than it has been in the past. One of the challenges we face as parents and carers is to be able to teach our children how to manage their emotions and make positive choices that ensure their own dignity and the dignity of others. It is easy to blame others for their behaviour but it is far greater to stop and look inward at how we may respond to something.
Inappropriate behaviour towards another or ourselves is not ok and responding to behaviour with inappropriate behaviour towards another is also not ok. Behaviour is a child’s way of communicating to us. The reasons behind the behaviour may not always be clear and we should not assume we know what those reasons are. As parents and carers it is vital that we model respectful relationships and that we always speak appropriately about others in front of our children. Labelling another child because they have acted inappropriately towards your child does not assist in developing a respectful relationship and does not respect the dignity of that child. If ever your child brings home a story that raises concern for you then please contact the class teacher. We may not know what has happened and when we do know we can look into the incident and provide support in repairing the relationship.
The story of the woman who committed adultery comes to mind at this time, John 8:3-11. When the Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus and said that according to the law she should be stoned Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” No one did. This passage is a great reminder for each of us and fits so well with what social and emotional learning is about. Being able to look inward and acknowledge our part in something even if it is tiny is much harder than throwing around blame. If you would like to read more about Social and Emotional Learning you can access it via the CASEL website
We appreciate attending an in person meeting is challenging for many. We will be providing supervision in the school library. Can you please indicate if you would like supervision by contacting the school office so we can ensure we have adequate numbers of adults available.
Term 3 News
It was lovely to welcome everyone back last week. Staff and students appeared to be happy and content and well rested. Basketball sessions for Year 3 - 6 got underway and Kindergarten celebrated 100 days at school on Friday.
On Friday evening the P&F ran the meat raffle and wheel and fortune at the Bundanoon Club. This was a great evening and resulted in raising approximately $800.
This week Year 6 will be attending mass with the Bishop in Camden.
On Friday all grades will be attending a performance by Opera Australia called Cinderella in the school hall. This performance supports our Creative and Performing Arts key learning area.
Don O’Brien’s Anniversary
Friday 5 August is the anniversary of Don’s passing. Don was well loved and it is hard to believe that it has been one whole year since he left us to be with God. Often the children will bring up memories of Don and it is beautiful that they feel comfortable to be able to do that. On Friday 5 August Fr Marek will offer 8am mass for Don. Staff and families are invited to attend. During the day there will be additional staff onsite to support the staff and students if required. Anniversaries can trigger memories for people and everyone responds differently. In the main hallway we will set up a prayer space with Don’s photo and some candles and flowers. If any children or families would like to come and spend some time at this space you are most welcome. Sometimes writing about the person we are missing can be helpful. Messages or letters reflecting on one's memories of Don can be left in this place. After some time has passed we will collect these memories and give them to the family.
On this day each family will receive a special book mark in memory of Don. The book mark contains native seeds and can be planted in the garden so it will grow into lovely native plants.
Later in September the diocese will hold a mass at St Thomas Aquinas Church Bowral in memory of Don. More details will be provided later.
Don’s Rose Garden
During the school holidays Trent Hunstone and Tania Calla-Hunstone created a garden around the tree at the front of the school. They used funds that were donated by Don’s University colleagues from when he went to teachers college in Armidale. A number of local businesses provided discounts on the items required to support the development of the garden and we are greatly appreciative. I would like to acknowledge Trent who gave of his time to complete the garden and Tania for making the phone calls to gain the discounts. We look forward to Spring and Summer when the roses will be in full bloom.
A big thank you to:
Alderwood Nursery - Gus Munro
For roses
GMF Engineering Pty Ltd - Hannah Dozzi
Metal Edging
GPG - Nick Gubbins
Planting soil
Hunstone Garden Artistry - Trent Hunstone
For bringing it all together!
Book Parade and Science Fair - Save the Date
In Week 5 we will celebrate Book Week and Science Week. Science week is Week 5 and the theme is “More than meets the eye.” Book Week is Week 6 and the theme is “Dreaming with eyes open.” On Tuesday 16 August children will be invited to dress up for book week according to the theme. We will hold the parade in the morning from 9:30am. In the middle session we will have some science fun and then in the afternoon session parents and carers will be invited to come and see some of the things we have been doing in Science at St Paul’s. More details will be provided closer to the event.
Athletics
Unfortunately the weather conditions have not been in our favour and as a result we have been unable to hold our athletics carnival. The school oval continues to be too wet for us to use and Chevalier cancelled as a result of their oval conditions. I would like to thank our families for your response to our snap decision to hold the age races on the edge of the oval by making sure your children were in their sports uniforms. We have been able to put together a reduced capacity team for the Western Region Carnival. This is unfortunate and we explored all possible options in attempting to get some events filled. We still hope to have a sports funday in Term 4 for the students and families however this day will be dependent on the oval drying out so we can use it to its full capacity. I would also like to acknowledge the staff at school who met regularly to plan the athletics at each stage attempting to keep up with the changes with the hope we would be able to go ahead. Their time in trying to ensure all children would have an opportunity to participate is greatly appreciated.
Master Planning
It is with great excitement that I can announce that we have begun the process of master planning for the St Paul’s School site and have an application in with the Block Grant Authority for funding to develop the school site to enhance our facilities. Over the course of this year and next school leadership and diocesian facilities staff will meet with architects to develop the master plan. This has been a long awaited project and will bring our school up to date providing quality facilities that cater for current pedagogical practices, diversity and a link between inside and outside spaces. Tomorrow the Block Grant Authority will review the current school site as part of the application process. The Block Grant Authority has to take into consideration applications from across the state and prioritise these in order of need. St Paul’s is certainly in need and we hope that the outcome or tomorrow's meeting will mean we are considered a high priority.
Congratulations Emiko Curcuruto
Emiko ran in the NSW All School Cross Country Championships. She came 63rd in the state for her age group. Emiko is to be congratulated on her effort and result.
God Bless,
