“They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak different languages.”

Acts 2:4

Pentecost Sunday Year C

Dear families,

At Pentecost we see the impact that the presence of the Holy Spirit had on the disciples. It gave them the courage to go out and speak to all from all backgrounds. This year's theme for Reconciliation week is ‘Be Brave, Make Change’. Such a fitting theme echoed in this week's Gospel. The theme of reconciliation week is “...asking everyone to make change beginning with brave actions in their daily lives – where they live, work, play and socialise.”

At Assembly last week I spoke to the children about standing up to disrespect and when standing up to disrespect we must do it in a respectful way. If we see our friends being unkind, or not doing the right thing then be brave and speak up and let them know what they are doing is not ok. As a society we have an obligation to stand up for each other. On the flip side of this, being respectful is being kind. It does not take much to be kind. I encourage you to talk with your child/ren about the things they can do to be kind and what they can do when they see disrespect and how to stand up to it in a respectful manner.

Farewell Mr Chris Boyd

Mr Chris Boyd has been on long service leave since the beginning of this year. During this time Chris has enjoyed spending more time with his family and travelling so hence he has made a decision to resign from full time teaching so he can continue to enjoy these things. I  would like to thank Chris for his 10 years of service at our school. Over this time at St Paul’s Chris has been involved in sport, Mini Vinnies, taking classes to the local CWA luncheons and organising students to participate in Wakakirri and local eisteddfods. We wish him and his family all the best. The school community will farwell Chris at the Week 9 School Assembly. 

Mrs Lisa Evans will remain in Year 3 for the rest of the year. I would like to thank her for staying on in this role.

Camping Theme Fun day delight

In Week 4 we had the Camping theme fun day. It was delightful and brought a great deal of joy to the school community. I would like to thank our staff and students for engaging in the day with such enthusiasm. I would also like to thank Tim Hart for coming and leading the singing in the afternoon which was such a wonderful way to finish the day and to our parent helpers that turned up to help cook the sausages that came from Maugers Meats at a reduced price. This day demonstrated how simple things can create such a wonderful level of joy for so many. Mr O’Brien would have been in his element and the day brought up happy memories of a great man that was well loved by the school community. Finally I was so proud of our Year 6 children who organised and ran games for the students at break time and helped to serve the sausages. They demonstrated wonderful leadership skills on the day and continue to do so each day.

Oval Repaired

I would like to thank Tim McAndrew and his neighbour Scott who were able to move the sand into the long jump pit and fix the damage to the oval. They did this work the weekend before last and we are truly grateful for them volunteering to complete the work.

Working Bee This Sunday from 1pm

We will be holding a working bee this Sunday to spread mulch around the Adventure playground and the infants playground. Both playgrounds require a thick layer of mulch to be considered safe to play in. Many hands make light work so if you can spare some time please bring gloves, a shovel, a wheelbarrow or just a bucket to assist in spreading the mulch.

Athletics Carnival Changes

While we have been able to move the sand and fix the damage, the oval still remains too wet for us to be able to use on a daily basis and run our field events carnival and athletics carnival. We will see what happens over the holidays and what condition the oval is in when we return from the school holidays before we decide if we can hold the carnivals. We appreciate that it is frustrating and disappointing that we are not able to hold these events as we would normally and we will try very hard to make them up later in the year when it is safe to do so. 

We will begin to practise our marching and hold the marching final on our feast day celebration. We are able to carry it out on the court area and it will be a great addition to the day.

Cross Country Changes

The constant weather conditions have impacted many sporting events at diocesian level which means as a school we are being inundated with ongoing changes to event details and requirements while still trying to keep on top of our own workloads and daily tasks. This was true for the recent diocesian cross country and unfortunately we were only able to send one runner per age group for the boys and girls events. We appreciate this is disappointing for the runners who were originally selected to go and then were not able to. I would like to acknowledge the office staff and sports coordinators who are trying to keep abreast of the constant changes, find time to meet to discuss what this means for us at a school level and then make the changes necessary to ensure some students can still go. As a school we will try to keep the community abreast of these changes as best we can and once we have been able to interpret what they mean for our school.

Cross Country Achievements

The small group that was able to go to the Western Region Cross country carnival in Narellan had a positive day. I would like to congratulate all the students who went and ran. In particular I would like to make special mention of Matthew Holmes who came 4th place and Emkio Curcuruto who came 3rd in their respective races. Both students will go to the next level.

School Feast Day celebrations

Our school feast day is on the 29 June. We will begin the day with a liturgy in the Hall. Families are most welcome to join us. We will then go to lunch where families are invited to picnic with their child/ren. This will of course depend on the weather. Following lunch we will hold our marching finals and then we will have open classrooms. Families are invited to watch the marching and visit the classrooms to see what the children have been doing this term. After afternoon tea we will play tabloid games organised by our Year 6 leaders. Children will be organised into vertical groupings.

As this Day is an important day for our school children will be required to wear their full winter school uniform. 

On Friday 1 July (Last day of term) will be our pyjama, pizza lunch and pie pick up day. 

Late Arrivals and Attendance Matters

It is vital that students are on time in the mornings. School begins at 8:50am and students are generally in class by 8:55am beginning their day.  Students who are late every morning can miss important information that sets them up for the day.  A child that is 5 mins late a day misses 25 mins a week which equates to 3.3 days over the course of a year. Over the course of the school life from Kindergarten to Year 10 this would equal 7.3 weeks of school missed. These statistics are based on 5 mins late a day so when we begin increasing the time, the time missed grows exponentially over the course of a child’s schooling. If you are having trouble getting your child to school on time I encourage you to speak with the classroom teacher who can reinforce with your child the importance of being on time. The Raising Children’s network website also has great parenting tips on how to support children who are slow to get moving in the mornings.

The same applies for students that are leaving school early. Starting this week if you take your child out of school early you will receive a pass out card. This card is to be kept on you during school hours as you may be asked to produce it by local police as evidence that your child has permission to be out of school. Parents and carers may take their child out of school early to attend appointments that cannot be made outside of school hours however it is essential that, where possible, appointments be made out of school hours so your child doesn't miss essential learning time.

Please note that school supervision does not begin until 8:20am in the morning. Parents and carers are reminded that you must not drop your child at school before this time. The same applies at the end of the day. Back gate supervision ends at 3:10pm. Please arrive before this to collect your child. Children who are not collected by this time will be taken up to the office. If you require supervision before and after these times you can access before and after school care at Moss Vale Public School. All the details are on our school website.

Enrolments

If you or someone you know is looking to enrol a student for 2023 please get your applications in. We currently have places in Years 2 - 5. If you know of any families that are looking for a Catholic Education they are most welcome to arrange an interview.

Changes to Library Days from Week 6

The library days and teacher will be as follows from Week 6.

Monday Even Weeks - Year 4 Mrs Jacinta McAndrew

Monday Odd Weeks - Year 3 Mrs Jacinta McAndrew

Wednesday Even Weeks - Year 6 Miss Jess Molloy

Wednesday Odd Weeks - Year 5 Miss Jess Molly

Thursday Even Weeks - Kindergarten Mrs Kate  Armstrong / Mrs Genevieve Norrie

Friday Even Weeks - Year 2 Mrs Jacinta McAndrew

Friday Odd Weeks - Year 1 Mrs Jacinta McAndrew.

Winter Weather

Winter has certainly arrived. We have a range of options in our uniform for the very cold days. Please ensure your child has access to layers for these cold days such as the school beanie, winter coat and gloves. I do not want any child to be cold and will allow alternate coats and beanies in the short term, however I ask that parents look at the uniform options when possible and make the appropriate purchases moving forward. Thank you for supporting us in keeping the uniform looking smart and tidy and teaching the children the importance of respecting themselves by wearing the correct uniform.

Student Attendance 

Mrs Katie Browne has already outlined, in this newsletter, the logistics and significant impact of regular days absent from school. The past few years have already been quite disruptive for our students and families. It is imperative that, unless impacted by illness or other family matters, students attend school. 

Research has shown that school participation is important as it maximises life opportunities for children and young people by providing them with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community. Conversely, limited school participation is associated with less social and disruptive behaviours. These negative academic and social implications are not what we want for our students.

PB4L

CAR LINES

Respect Myself: - Walk in an orderly manner with your teacher to the dismissal area. Stand in your colour house line, in 2 lines with your siblings. Walk to the car line area promptly. Tidy your school uniform and wear your hat. Kinder to stand at the front of the line.

Respect Others: - Listen to and follow the teacher’s directions. Car lines is a games free zone. Keep in your own personal space with one arm's length. Ask the carline duty teacher for permission to go to the toilet. Leave your bag and go quickly.

Respect Learning: - Know your colour house and know where to line up. Know how you are going home each day.

Respect the Environment: - Keep all your possessions in your zipped up school bag. Put your school bag on your back and leave it there until you get to the car.

BUS LINES / WALKERS / RIDERS

Respect Myself: - Walk in an orderly manner with your teacher to the dismissal area. Stand in your bus line. Walk to the bus line area promptly. Tidy your school uniform and wear your hat. Have your bus pass ready.

Respect Others: - Listen to and follow the teacher’s directions. Bus lines are a games free zone. Keep in your own personal space with one arm's length. Ask the busline duty teacher for permission to go to the toilet. Leave your bag and go quickly. Find your sibling/s stand and walk with them. Walk with the teacher to the bus staying with your siblings or buddy.

Respect Learning: -Know your bus line and know where to line up. Collect your bike or scooter from the bike rack and walk it to the front entrance.

Respect the Environment: - Keep all your possessions in your school bag. Put your school bag on your back and leave it there until you get to the bus.

First Holy Communion

Classes for First Holy Communion have been completed. Thank you to all of the students and their families for their engagement and participation in the program.

The Sacrament of First Holy Communion will be held on Sunday 19th June at St Paul’s Church. This will take place at 12:00 midday. Students will be allowed to invite up to seven guests. Please arrive at 11:45, particularly students who are reading or doing the offertory procession. There will be refreshments and a short presentation in the school hall, following the Mass.

Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost Sunday falls on the 5th May, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. Any Christians recognise the descent of the Holy Spirit as the birth of the Church.

Thank you

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

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.

STAFF PD = PUPIL FREE DAYS

All staff will be undertaking Professional Development on the dates listed below which means that they are Pupil Free Days (the school will not be operating on these days):

Friday 19 August and Monday 10 October

CHANGE OF CONTACT DETAILS

If you change your address, phone number or email, please inform the school office so that we can update our records.

LOST PROPERTY

There is a significant amount of lost property, please encourage your child to look through the lost property as many of the items are unlabelled (any labelled items have been returned).

SCHOOL BAGS

Summary of planned events for Term 2 (with more to come!)

If you can Volunteer to assist with any planned events please fill in this google form:

 google link

Some Year 6 students have been busy working on a School Newspaper Article about Camp funday last week.  Look at their amazing work (see pdf attached)!  Well done Year 6!

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded the Principal's Award in Week 4

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Merit Award in Week 4

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Mission Star Award in Week 4

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded the Principal's Award in Week 5

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Merit Award in Week 5

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Mission Star Award in Week 5

Please see below the calendar overview for Term 2 2022: