“For all things are possible with God.”

Mark 10:27

(From the Gospel of the 28th Sunday in Ordinary time, Year B)

Dear Families,

Welcome back to school for Term 4. While we are still remote learning it won’t be long and the children will return to face to face learning. I hope that you were able to have some down time over the holidays and truly rest and appreciate the simple things in life. While we are working towards opening up as a state there may still be occasions where things will change. It is these ongoing changes that can make life challenging, however with God at the centre of all we do then what can feel like the impossible can be possible. I pray that this term runs smoothly and we are able to finish the year in a safe and happy way. 

Family Care Packs. 

This week when you collect your children’s remote learning packs you will receive a small care pack to say thank you and to acknowledge the challenges that we know remote learning has been for families. Thank you.

I would like to acknowledge the staff who gave up some of their holiday time to come in and have these packs ready for you to collect this week. Teachers train to teach children who are sitting in front of them so remote learning is not ideal and not how teachers like to be teaching. I know the staff of St Paul’s are eagerly waiting for the return to face to face learning.

Return to school Plan

We are still in remote learning for Week 2. Students who attend school for supervision will still be accessing remote learning.

Week 3: 18 Oct - Kindergarten and Year 1 return to school for face to face learning.

Years 2 - 6 will continue to access remote learning and students who are required to attend school for supervision will also access remote learning.

Week 4: 25 Oct - Year 2 and Year 6 will return to school for face to face learning.

Year 3 - 5 will continue with remote learning and students who are required to attend school for supervision will also access remote learning.

Week 5: 1 Nov - Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 will return to school for face to face learning. There will no longer be remote learning as an option for students.

When we return to face to face learning from Week 3 we will be in Level Three Plus restrictions. That will mean parents and visitors may not come into school in the mornings. It is hoped these restrictions will change once all the students return to school. We will keep you updated, so please look out for ongoing notifications through Compass. In the afternoons we will follow our staggered pick up arrangements for Innes Road. Blue house will arrive first followed by Red and then Gold. Parents are asked to observe social distancing measures, wear a mask and not mingle. This is all to ensure everyone's safety.

Staff Vaccination. 

In the holidays the Public Health Order was released regarding staff vaccination requirements. The Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong has put procedures in place to support staff in meeting the requirements around the Public Health Order. Vaccination is a personal and private matter and not open for discussion with staff. If you have any concerns about vaccinations then please make an appointment to speak with me.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we return to school and navigate these restrictions.

I look forward to seeing the children in person and hearing about their remote learning adventures. 

Wellbeing support.

We are still grieving the loss of Mr O’Brien and dealing with the impact of a pandemic. A variety of measures have been put in place to support staff and we are working on a plan to support students as they return to school. We are aware that when the children begin to return they may notice that things are different. Staff will continue to monitor the children and will contact you should they become concerned about your child’s wellbeing.  As parents and carers you too may also be experiencing ongoing grief. If you would like support, Catholic Care can help. Attached to this newsletter is a Flyer advertising their services. If you feel your children would benefit from counselling then please contact your child’s teacher or the office.

Social and Emotional Learning Skills.

Attached are some flyers that provide extensive information for parents and carers on ways you can support your children at home with the impact of the pandemic and returning to school. Please take some time to look through the resources. These resources have all been linked to the Parent Portal so you can refer back to them. Finally raisingchildren.net.au has developed a free app for parents called Raising Healthy Minds. You can tailor the app to your child, family and interests and it will provide practical tips for your day to day family life. See the Parent Portal for more information.

God Bless,

Katie Browne

Acting Principal

Personal Planning Meetings

We will be in touch soon with families who require a Personal Planning meeting. These meetings are designed to discuss the adjustments being put in place to support your child with their diverse learning needs and set goals moving forward. Due to the current restrictions we will not be able to hold these meetings in person so we will send you a zoom link. Instructions on how to access the meetings will come with the link. The meetings are planned for Week 3. Year 6 parents and carers are particularly encouraged to attend a meeting.

Term Overviews

The Parent Portal has been updated and the Term Overviews are now able to be viewed plus a message from your child’s teacher.

Congratulations Mrs Batshon

Mrs Batshon was successful in obtaining a two day a week position at John Therry Catholic College. We congratulate her on her successful job application. Mrs Batshon will continue to work at St Paul’s Monday to Wednesday for the remainder of the term and the newsletter will be published on Wednesday each week. Mrs Batshon has been filling in for Mrs Barton while she is on Maternity leave.  Mrs Barton will return in 2022.

Year 5 and 6 Camp

This year our Year 5 and 6 camps will not go ahead at Tallong. The company has cancelled all bookings for Term 4. I appreciate this will be disappointing for our students as camp is a great opportunity to farewell primary school for Year 6 and prepare Year 5 for their leadership roles. 

We have been able to secure a one day booking late in Term 4 with Cameron from Explore Discover Act who led a leadership day with Year 6 at the start of the year. This will be dependent on restrictions at the time and the day will be organised to ensure both Year 5 and 6 get a lot out of it. Cameron is an engaging presenter who is highly sought after by schools. We will cover the cost of this day including food from your camp fees and refund the remaining fees once we have finalised the costs. 

1:1 iPad program: Attention Year 2 families.

Last term Year 2 Families were sent, via Compass, information about the 1:1 iPad program for 2022. If you did not receive this information then please contact the school. A form will be sent out this week. Please be ready to look at this form to make your selections and secure your order for your child’s iPad for 2022.

Transition to School Playgroup

A letter was sent out to our 2022 Kindergarten families consigned by Mr Noel Henry - Head of School Improvement Primary Services Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong late last term. Due to restrictions the Transition to School Playgroups have been cancelled. We hope to hold an orientation zoom meeting for our families later in Term 4. Last year the diocese developed an eBook that we were able to personalise for our school. Kindergarten students were able to read the book and become familiar with St Paul’s before beginning this year. We will be offering the same again for our new students and families. We will share the link to the eBook when it is ready.

Social Media Policy and Learning Technologies.

One of the advantages of learning technologies has been the ability to provide students with interactive learning during remote learning. The downside of learning technologies is the access that can occur to undesirable information or social interactions. During remote learning parents and carers are encouraged to monitor their children while using devices to ensure they are being safe and not viewing content that is inappropriate. Teachers check all resources that are submitted online however there are times when security measures allow something through. If you have a concern or come across something that is not appropriate then please raise it with us. If you would like to read further about tips for parents or how to keep safe online you can look on the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong website -  iPads in schools. and you can read the Diocesan Social Media Policy.

Dear Families,

Welcome back to school as we know it at the moment. I am looking forward to seeing you all when we begin a staggered return to school this term.

Getting Ready for the Teenage Years.

As part of the newsletter this week, there is a video acknowledging a new resource for parents of pre teen and teenage children titled ‘Getting Ready for the Teenage Years’. It is a video that has been developed with Catholic care and Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong, to support parents and their children to begin discussions about mental health.

Parent Portal

The St Paul’s Parent Portal is a one stop shop for families. It has links to the class overviews, information about school procedures and links to a variety of online sites that provide a wealth of information for families. Take some time to have a look and feel free to provide some feedback via the feedback form. You can access the portal via this link. Please bookmark it and check in as the class pages will be added to during the year.

https://sites.google.com/a/dow.catholic.edu.au/st-paul-s-moss-vale-home-page/home

Dulcie Ryman

Acting Assistant Principal

ATTENDANCE

On a weekly basis you will receive an email regarding your child’s outstanding/unexplained absences. 

• You can go into compass to your child’s records and update the unexplained absence.
• You can print this and fill in the reason for the absence and return it to the office.
• You can ring the office and the office staff will enter the reason for the absence.

If your child has been absent from school and has had to have a covid test, a copy of the negative result needs to be sent to the school prior to your child returning to class. This is a requirement from CEDOW.

MORNING SUPERVISION

School supervision begins at 8:20am each morning. Children are not to be dropped off prior to 8:20am.  If there are circumstances that make this impossible, you must make contact with the school and make an appointment with Mrs Browne to discuss this matter. If you require your child to be cared for before this time you can access care at Moss Vale OOSH. Children who attend OOSH are accompanied onto the bus from OOSH at Moss Vale Public School and arrive at St Paul’s during morning supervision.

MEDICATION

Only medication that is prescribed by a doctor is permitted to be dispensed at School upon completion of a “Consent to Dispense Medication” form which is available from the office.  The form and the medication are to be given to the office staff in the original packaging with the student’s name and dosage.  We are not permitted to administer Panadol unless prescribed by a doctor and the necessary form completed.  Thank you for your cooperation with this.

STUDENT CLEARANCE TO ATTEND SCHOOL

If a student has sustained an injury that involves them having a cast on their arm/leg, is in a sling or is on crutches, we do need a letter from the Doctor stating that the student is permitted to attend school whilst in a cast/sling/on crutches.  The letter needs to be given to the office and based on this letter a risk assessment and care plan is put in place for the student.  It may mean that they need to be off the playground area at recess and lunch, have early access to toilets, need assistance with walking, need a scribe etc.  If you have any concerns, please contact the office.

1:1 iPad for Year 3 Next Year

Last year saw the full implementation of the 1:1 school managed iPad program. This program is designed to ensure children have access to a high-quality learning device that is managed at school to keep the children safe from inappropriate content. iPad’s have enormous capacity for assisting children’s learning but can have their pitfalls if not managed appropriately.

Hence we, along with many other schools in our system have made the 1:1 School Managed iPad program compulsory from Year 3. Families are billed through the school fees over two years. At the end of Year 6 the children are able to take the device with them once we have wiped the contents and restored the original settings.

We will begin to provide further information to our Year 2 families and what this will look like this term. Please keep a look out for this information as you will be required to complete a form to place your child’s order.

THANK YOU - CONTAINERS

Thank you to those parents who provided a meal to the O’Brien Family.  Some bags and containers have been returned and can be collected from the School Office.

SCHOOL PHOTO DAY Tuesday 23 November 2021

The School Photo Day has been moved to Tuesday 23 November.  If you have already returned your form in Term 1, the school office will still have these forms and payments so you don't need to do anything. For those of you that haven't returned your form, please send in your order envelope to your child’s class teacher. There is an individual order form as well as sibling order form.  These have been sent out via the Compass Alert. Unfortunately, photos will not be processed and sent to the school by the end of this year, so they will be distributed in 2022. 

Events Calendar (Covid Permitting) 2021