Week 4

“Be merciful as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:38

From the Gospel of the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C

Dear Families,

This Sunday’s Gospel is reminding us to be kind. Kindness is as simple as smiling at someone and asking how they are, holding the door open for them, sitting with someone when they are feeling down even if it means not saying anything, understanding another's perspective and recognising that what they are going though is real for them. Kindness doesn’t cost anything and it doesn’t take much to offer it up. By carrying out a simple act of kindness you gain a wonderful feeling within yourself and it gives you a sense of purpose. The pandemic has created a lot of anxiety for people. It has caused inconvenience and impacted on our plans. Let us reflect on the Gospel and remember to be kind and notice when others are offering kindness to you.

Diocesian Basketball Trials

Congratulations to Eleanar Ragan and Emiko Curcuruto for being selected to play in the Wollongong Diocesian Basketball Team at the NSW Mackillop selection trials. Both girls will have the opportunity to be selected for the team on the 25 February. We wish them all the best on the day.

1:1 iPad program on boarding night

The much anticipated iPads have arrived. We are currently in the processing of adding them to our management system. The onboarding meeting will be Thursday 24 February 6pm in the hall. A parent or carer and the student must attend in order to collect your iPad once the paperwork has been completed. We will also go through setting up a passcode and other tips and tricks. Please watch out for compass notifications closer to this date for further information.

Swimming Carnival

Today we held the annual swimming carnival with children from Year 2 - 6. Congratulations to all the children who participated today at the pool. Regardless of whether they swam in a race or participated in the novelties it was great to see the children enjoying being together and cheering for each other. Our children’s behaviour at the pool today was exceptional and I am incredibly proud of the way in which they waited patiently for their turn, looked out for each other and listened to their teachers. I would sincerely like to thank the staff for their organisation in ensuring that today ran smoothly meeting all requirements of our Diocesian expectations and the Aquatic centre.  Events like these take a great deal of organisation before hand to ensure all requirements have been met. 

The Kindergarten and Year 1 children had a delightful day at school. Thank you to the staff who remained behind to ensure the children were able to have a fun water play day and manage the office. We will share photos on facebook in the coming days.

Swimming Carnival Assembly

We will hold the swimming carnival presentation assembly in Week 6 Thursday from 2:15pm. We are waiting in hope that the covid safe measures will change and parents and carers will be able to attend. We will let you know as soon as we know.

Kindergarten Enrolments are open for 2023

If you have a child who is ready for school in 2023 or you know someone who has, our enrolment period is now open. We have had strong demand for places in recent years for the limited spaces we have available. Applications can be picked up from the school office or downloaded from the school website. The first round of interviews will be conducted during Term 2 and the first round offers of enrolment will be made at the end of Term 2.

NCCD Parent and Carer Information

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data of school students with a disability is an annual process that is undertaken at school. Please read the attached letter regarding the process and what is involved. For further information you can access the NCCD website.

Safer Internet Day

On 8 February it was Safer internet day. Technology is a wonderful thing but it can also have some terrible consequences if not being used safely. The eSafety commissioner is a great site for families to learn about safe use of technology. This link takes you to a site that provides a downloadable template for families to be able to create a Family Tech Agreement. This particular template is aimed at children under 5 however it could easily be adapted and used for the whole family.

Parents and Friends

Last week we held the P&F AGM. I would sincerely like to thank the outgoing executive team, Amanda and Tim Eccleston and Natasha Hucker for their support in 2021. It was not an easy year and there were limited meetings but with their creativity they were still able to hold some events and make funds for our school. Natasha is standing down after three years as treasurer and Amanda and Tim have been part of the executive for consecutive years. Meredith has stayed on as Secretary which is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Congratulations to the new executive: 

President: Tina Malady

Vice President: Kristy Vella 

Secretary: Meredith Cassar 

Treasurer: Brooke Pertout.

Thank you for nominating / staying on, and volunteering to lead our parents and friends in building our community. All parents and carers of St Paul’s Moss Vale are members of the P&F. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Please come along. The Committee has developed a planner of events for this year and the more that can support these the easier it is for everyone and it means we can share the load. Keep an eye out in the newsletter and check your compass alerts for upcoming events and the call for volunteers to help run the event. You will notice that some events will be allocated to different grades in order to share the load amongst the community. The staff are currently considering a project that we would like to fundraise for and we'll share our goals once we have settled on an idea and the P&F have agreed to it at a meeting.

Planned events for Term 1

Easter Raffle

Donations are called for our Year 3 and Year 4 families to supply easter eggs for an easter raffle.

Donations can be sent into the main office where the P&F will collect them and create some hampers to be raffled. Tickets will go on sale soon. Tickets will be drawn at the last assembly for term in Week 11.

Save the date: P&F working bee Friday 25 March 3:15 - 5:15pm

With the large amount of rain and sunny days in between the gardens are certainly growing as are the weeds. We have a lawn mowing service that will assist with maintaining the gardens and weeds however the priority at this time of year is the grass. In winter when the grass does not grow as much, the gardener will be able to attend to the gardens. In the meantime, we require volunteers to support us with maintaining the gardens and getting on top of the growth.

Below is a list  of the areas that require attention urgently. Please bring your gardening gloves, hedging shears, clippers, wear closed in shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Children are welcome to assist as long as they are under your own supervision. If any parent  or carer is willing to bring a trailer to collect the green waste that would be greatly appreciated.

Weeding, hedging, cutting back, general tidying up.

(veggie garden, front gardens, driveway, top gardens near weather shed)

Brigadoon - Save the date Saturday 2 April

Saturday 2 April. This has been one the major fundraisers for our school for many years. We require volunteers on the day for as little as an hour up to the whole day. The more hours we supply volunteers the more we are paid. In the coming weeks we will inform you of who to contact and the details of what the volunteer role will look like. Please consider if you will be able to assist on the day. The funds raised from this event will go towards much needed resources for our school. The more volunteers we have the more the load is shared. Brigadoon is a great family event so consider asking extended family members to join you in volunteering.

God bless,

Katie Browne

Principal

PB4L Focus (Positive Behaviours for Learning)

The staff at St Paul’s utilise a positive approach to teaching desired behaviours in and out of the classroom. We focus on the explicit teaching of these behaviours and routines with a weekly focus aligned to our “Code 5”. 

This week we are looking at Corridors & Stairs and Lining up.

Corridors and Stairs

Respect Myself - Stay in line and follow the leader. Use the hand rails and walk on the stairs carefully. Be organised and take what you need when going out to break. Stay outside during outside play breaks.

Respect Others - One person, one step. Only walk in the corridors and on the stairs. Stand aside when an adult meets you in the corridor. Keep  to the left side in the corridors. Follow the teacher’s directions. Open doors carefully.

Respect Learning - When you have packed and tidied your bag go promptly to the classroom or playground.

Respect Our Environment - Keep our corridors and stairs tidy and unobstructed. Place your bags neatly in your designated spot each morning. Keep your bag neat and tidy on its spot throughout the day. 

LINING UP

Respect Myself - Be on time to your class line after the first bell rings. Line up using one arm's length in your class line.

Respect Others - Walk to your lining up spot in a calm and orderly manner. Wait in your line for your teacher and get ready to go to class.

Respect Learning - Stop games and pack up promptly when the first bell rings. Use the toilets and wash your hands before the second bell.

Respect Our Environment - Put rubbish in bins provided. Use equipment for its intended use only. Handballs only in the Big Weather shed during playtimes. Put away equipment promptly after the first warning bell.

PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests) 

ACER’s Progressive Achievement approach is used in thousands of schools in Australia and around the world. The approach focuses on assessing and monitoring student growth over time and is underpinned by an understanding that students of the same age and in the same year of school can be at very different points in their learning and development.

Why do schools use PAT tests?

•       They provide a measure of student achievement in each learning area
•       There is a common achievement scale for all tests within a learning area (PAT scale scores allow teachers to compare achievement on the tests within each learning area regardless of year level and the specific test completed and to monitor progress over time)
•       They are mapped to the Australian Curriculum
•       They provide overall descriptions of the types of skills mastered and those still to be developed based on test performance
•       Individual and group reports have automatically calculated scores and sorting functions that allow comparison of scores across students, strands, etc.
•       They can be used to inform teaching and learning and to assist in planning effective and targeted learning programs.

Students in Years 2-6 will be engaged in PAT Reading and PAT Mathematics tests during Week 5 (February 21st – February 25th). Students will be supported in their classrooms by their teachers to complete these online tests.

Sacramental Programme

Last Thursday (10^th February) we had an information night regarding the Sacramental Programme for 2022. It was for families with children who wish to complete a sacrament this year, particularly students in Year 3 and Year 6. These sacraments include First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. 

First Reconciliation (3 weeks): Friday 1st April.

Enrolments: 14th February - 4th March

Classes held on Sunday 13th, 20th & 27th March

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

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 you are recording your child's absence on compass, please put in the reason for the absence eg Illness due to cold, tummy upset etc.

PERMISSION NOTES

Thank you to those families that have returned the Consent for for use of student's image and/or work and the CEDoW Technology Agreement.  All students are required to complete these forms.  Hard copies are available via the office.

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.

If your child is Asthmatic or Anaphylactic please ensure the necessary plan has been forwarded to the office along with any medication so that it can be processed.  We also need a "Consent to Dispense Medication" form to be completed.

MORNING SUPERVISION

Staff supervision of students begins at 8:20am. No student should be arriving at school before this time without prior approval from the principal.

AFTERNOON PROCEDURES

If there is a change to afternoon arrangements, please notify the office by 2:30pm. It is very difficult for messages to be delivered after this time and can result in confusion. Children are not to go home with another family unless the school has been notified of the change. Please contact the school if there is a change to your child’s pick up arrangements. For younger children it can be helpful for parents to make a small card the same size as a bus pass that says what the arrangements are each day if they are not the same everyday.

We appreciate and thank you for your support with these arrangements as it ensures everyone is safe when going home.

SPORT  

Sport uniforms are to be worn on the following days for each class:

Kindergarten - Wednesday & Friday

Year 1 - Thursday & Friday

Year 2 - Tuesday & Friday

Year 3 - Wednesday & Friday

Year 4 - Monday & Friday

Year 5 - Tuesday & Friday

Year 6 - Wednesday & Friday

All children will need to wear their sport uniform on Fridays for Term 1 as they will be taking part in the gymnastics program.

SCHOOL FEES INFORMATION

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded the Principal's Award in Week 3

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Merit Award in Week 3

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Mission Star Award in Week 3

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Friday 1st April 6PM

Enrolment for  First Reconciliation opens from Monday 14 February and closes Sunday 6th of March. 

Forms for enrolment  can be collected from the parish office Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 1.30pm.  The enrolment forms are to be

returned after any of the weekend Masses. Forms and payment can be made with cash or by direct deposit to the account details on the enrolment form.