Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 3!

In Week 3 we will be celebrating the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop on Thursday 8 August. The Josephite order of nuns started Catholic Schooling in Moss Vale before the Dominican nuns took over. Mary MacKillop was an inspirational woman who had a great deal of determination. She faced many challenges including excommunication from the Church for a time. Her dedication to her fellow sisters and the communities she had served did not deter her. Applying our school value of determination to Mary MacKillop means we have a great example to follow. Mary took her name Mary of the cross when she made her final profession and vowed to work to never disgrace it. On this feast day we will celebrate with a school mass and showcase our STEM work and mathematics. Quite often when solving problems we need to be determined to not give up and keep trying until we find the answer. It is approapte with our current school focus on Mathematics we pray that we will grow in our skills and knowledge and be inspired by Mary Mackillop to be determined to keep working at it until we are pleased with our growth in this important area. We hope you can come for some or all of the day. 

Yesterday staff engaged in professional learning on embedded assessment in mathematics. The day was inspired by a French theme of going on a holiday. With the Paris Olympics upon us we compared the preparation of a unit or work in Maths like you would if you were preparing for a holiday. The first task is to decide where you are going, (outcomes and content) and why (why do the children need to know this concept?). Step two is to work out how you will get to where you are going and where you are leaving from (what do the students already know in relation to the outcome?). Then you work out what you are going to see when you get there (important understandings, knowledge and skills). In what order are you going to see the attraction (The learning sequence)? How will we capture the memories of the trip (will we take photos along the way, collect evidence of activities, make observations - Assessment)? 

By thinking about our work this way it ensures we are being more purposeful about the activities we are doing than choosing activities that may not achieve what we set out to achieve. For example, is going to Disneyland in Paris going to be the best option if you want a truly French experience? As teachers continue to develop their craft in planning learning sequences and embedding assessments they will become explicit in their learning intentions and students will be able to clearly articulate what they are learning and why. This will support growth in Mathematics in particular which is what we want to see.

This week NAPLAN reports will be sent home with the children. As a school we have performed very well in reading, writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation. Over 80% of our students are proficient in reading. 77% of students are proficient in writing and 70% of students are proficient in Spelling and Grammar & Punctuation. Year 5 have performed particularly well, ranking above the Diocese and Statistically Similar Schools Group (SSSG) in Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar & Punctuation. Year 3 was above the Diocese and SSSG in Reading. These results indicate that the work we have done over the past three to five years in the area of Reading, Spelling and general literacy has had an impact. We expect this to continue now that we have the full implementation of InitiLit as a consistent program and practice within our school. It highlights for us why we are focusing on the area of Mathematics and the importance of going deep into this work. If you would like to unpack your child’s NAPLAN report with the class teacher please make an appointment with them through the office.

Winter is definitely upon us. Therefore it is vital that students have a range of layers to keep warm when they go outside and can remove them when they come inside to the warm. Please ensure all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name. Full winter uniform is expected to be worn.

We have a great deal taking place this term. Please look through the term dates so you can make a note of things that are relevant to your children.

Wishing everyone a term full of positive challenges that inspire our determination for improvement in faith, learning and wellbeing.

God Bless,

Stage 2 Learning arrangements

This year we split our Year 3 and 4 classes into two stage based classes. This was mainly due to having one very small class and one large class. It is time to review this change before we make a decision going forward for 2025. Parents from Kindergarten to Year 4 are asked to complete this survey. The survey has been designed to take into consideration if you are a current year 3/4 parent or a future parent of this stage. Students in Year 4 this year will be returning to a straight Year 5 class in 2025 however both Year 5 and 6 work very closely together so there will be opportunities for the grades to mix. Once our building upgrade happens stages will be able to open up and work together more often.

Catholic Diocese of Wollongong

Bishop Brian is working very hard to bring our community together. He has developed a video called It’s who we are. Please take some time to view it. On Friday Year 6 will attend mass with other schools in our diocese and Bishop Brian at Camden. This is a great day and chance for our students to get to know other students, see another school and spend time learning about Bishop Brian and his dedication to his vocation. Mrs Browne and Mrs McAndrew will be attending along with Year 6. Mr Farrugia will be onsite at school.

Updated Standard Collection Notice

Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong’s (CEDoW) Standard Collection Notice for parents and students has been updated. This notice explains how CEDoW handles the personal information of students and parents, and replaces the notice previously provided to you in our enrolment package. You can access the updated notice by visiting our website St Paul’s Moss Vale.

Advice from NSW Health

Protect yourself and your loved ones this winter.

The 2024 flu vaccine is available now. Influenza (flu) is serious, but your yearly flu vaccine offers the best protection against getting really sick - so you can keep doing the things you love.

Getting a flu vaccine is quick, easy and recommended for everyone aged 6 months, and is free for:

• Children aged 6 months to under 5 years
• Pregnant women, at any stage of pregnancy
• Aboriginal people aged 6 months and over
• Anyone aged 65+
• People with serious health conditions, including heart disease, chronic lung conditions (including severe asthma), kidney, liver disease and diabetes.

Book your flu vaccine today with your doctor, local pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) through healthdirect.gov.au/nswfluvaccine.

Everyone aged 5 years and older can get vaccinated at their local pharmacy.

For more information, visit health.nsw.gov.au/respiratory.

As per the  Diocesan Fee School Policy, all fees are due and payable by the end of the school year i.e. fees are expected to be finalised in full in the year of issue.

For those families who are on an agreement, plan or instalments, please ensure that you are meeting the terms of the agreement.

If any family is having issues, please contact the school to discuss the matter confidentially.

Student Injuries

If a student has sustained an injury please inform the school office as we have to do a care plan and risk assessment.  Please also forward any ED report or doctor letter as well.

Withdrawal

If you intend to withdraw your child from the school, the withdrawal form is available from the office.  We currently have a waitlist, so advance notification would be appreciated.

Students on Visas and Residency

Just a reminder if your child is on a visa, you must keep the school office informed of any changes to the visa, as this may have an impact on your child's enrolment.

You also need to inform the school office if your child has gone from a Temporary to Permanent Resident of Australia or if they have become a Citizen (we do require a copy of the Citizenship Certificate).

Dear Families,

Please find below the details regarding the STEAM Fair on 8th August.  Families are invited to come along, the time will be confirmed next week but will be in the morning.