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- From the Principal - Mrs Katie Browne
- From the Assistant Principal - Mr Simon Farrugia
- From the REC - Ms Catherine du Bois
- From the School Office
- Drop off Zone
- Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day
- The Roger O'Sullivan Award
- Calendar Overview
- Road Safety - School Zones
- Awards
- P&F News
- Student Wellbeing Officer
- 2025 Term Dates and Pupil Free Days
- Road Safety 2025
- Catholic School Parents - Term 1 Free Webinars
- Kindergarten Enrolments open for 2026
- SEL Focus - Week 4 and 5
- Canteen for Term 1 - Thursdays only
- Swap it!
- Community News
Dear Families,
Last week we had the CEDoW Spiritual Formation Team come to record conversations with some staff, students and film some students participating in Christian Meditation. As a school we have been practising Christian Meditation for the majority of 2024. We began with staff learning how to practise this prayer form and then the teachers started teaching the students. Christian Meditation is an opportunity for students to be with God. John Main, who spent many years developing his ability to meditate and learn about the prayer form wrote these words to express his experience, “The true silence of our meditation is creative and fertile. As it deepens and grows, so does the presence and power of the risen Christ expand the kingdom of love in our heart. Our task is to be silent and still, and to allow God’s transforming presence to emerge within us, out of the living, creative centre of our being.”
During the Christian meditation process the children are encouraged to say the phrase “Maranatha” slowly, which means “Come Lord Jesus”. It is now a part of our weekly program. We have found the children value this prayer opportunity and have reported a greater sense of the presence of God and a feeling of calm. Teachers have noticed the children will request to participate in the prayer form when they have had a particularly difficult break time. I encourage you to ask your children about Christian Meditation and get them to teach you how to participate in it. You just need a quiet space and a timer.
The Spiritual Formation team were impressed with how well the staff and students have adopted the prayer practice and as a school we can see the benefits impacting the children in a positive way. We have seen a drop in the children's stress and anxiety levels, and they seem happier and calmer at school. There are less incidents between students and they are settling into learning when they come back off the playground more efficiently. Scientific research shows that practising meditation offers many potential benefits to children such as improving attention, mindfulness and cognitive function while decreasing the risk of depression, stress and anxiety. When the CEDoW team has compiled the recordings we will be able to share it with the whole community. All sessions end with this prayer and I offer it up for you today:
In this silence we feel your Presence.
In the silence we feel your Peace.
In the silence we feel your Wisdom.
As we begin our day (or as we come to the end of our day), may we draw on this silence so that we may share this loving Presence, peace and deep wisdom with all whom we meet. Amen.
God Bless,
Staff Spirituality Day Monday 3 March
This year our target for Evangalising through authentic Catholic Encounter is to develop the prayer and liturgical life of the school. As a Catholic Community it is necessary for staff to have the opportunity to deepen their spiritual formation. The Staff Spirituality Day is designed to give staff a chance to participate in prayer and formation experiences together. This year we will be participating in this day at the MSC site St Marys’ Towers Douglas Park. School is closed on this day and no one will be on site.
Monday 3rd March is a Pupil Free Day - Students do not come to school.
CCSP Award Presentation
Last year we started our Cultural Story Sharing morning teas inviting different groups to share their food and stories about their culture. We have purchased bi lingual books for the library so children can be read to in their parents’ first language. We entered this initiative into the Roger O'Sullivan Award sponsored by The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) and placed third. This is a wonderful achievement and we have won a monetary prize towards continuing our Cultural Story Sharing morning teas. This week the CCSP came to present the award. We are very grateful for their support of our initiative. Our first morning tea for 2025 is taking place this term on Tuesday March 11 at 9am. We would love to see you there.
Prayer / Sensory Garden Blessing
Fr Marek will bless the garden following the Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 1pm.
Attendance
The new Attendance Policy came into effect at the beginning of this year. It is important that parents be aware of their responsibilities under the law. Below are a few reminders:
Parents have the responsibility to inform the school within seven days of an absence.
After 7 days the attendance will remain as “unjustified” even if you do ring and give us an explanation.
Parents may apply for an extended absence however these will only be approved under exceptional circumstances. Family holidays will not be approved and the absence will be recorded as unjustified on the roll.
Catholic Care Services
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do you feel like you need some more support with parenting?
CatholicCare Wollongong offers professional counselling services to support you through life's challenges. Their counsellors provide a listening and independent ear and will equip you with strategies and tools for coping with stress and major life changes.
Counselling is available in-person in Nowra, Wollongong and Campbelltown or via phone or online.
Visit our website to learn more: https://catholiccare.dow.org.au/services-and-programs/family/family-care/counselling/
St Brigid’s Church 130th Anniversary
2025 sees the 130th anniversary of the opening of St Brigid’s Church in Bundanoon. A celebration will be held later in the year, but first we need to raise some funds to enable the celebration. Our first event will be at The Bundanoon Club on Friday 7th March at 6pm, where the St Brigid’s community will be having dinner and running the raffles. We’d love to see you there to support the community as it prepares to celebrate a very special anniversary. Please let Steve Press know if you’d like to attend by emailing him at spre3149@gmail.com.
NAPLAN
Supporting your child
As we approach the testing window for NAPLAN, there will inevitably be more discussion of this in the media. It is important for us to remember that this discussion can be driven by personal opinions, including those from outside of the education system. Some discussions can also be politically motivated. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress.
The best approach for preparing your child for NAPLAN is to encourage your child to do the best they can on the day and to reinforce the message that NAPLAN is a “snapshot” of their learning at a point in time and provides great data to their classroom teacher and you at home for goal setting. Excessive preparation or the use of coaching providers is not recommended.
Public demonstration site
The public demonstration site is available for students, teachers and parents to familiarise themselves with the types of questions, tools and functions available for the NAPLAN tests. It includes demonstration tests for each NAPLAN year level, test domain and alternative tests for students with disability.
Sport News
Congratulations to the following students who attended Wollongong Diocese representative trials and MacKillop trials recently. They all proudly represented themselves and the school against very hard competition.
Eden Noyes - Touch Trials
Scout Eccleston - Hockey Trials. Scout has been selected in the Wollongong Diocese team to attend the MacKillop Trials.
Bridie Culpepper and Tilly Flanigan who represented the Wollongong Diocese at the MacKillop Basketball Trials. Unfortunately neither of the girls were selected, however, we know they gave their all and the school community is proud of their significant achievement.
We wish the best of luck to those students attending the Western Region Swimming Trials on 27 Feb.
Sacramental Program: Reconciliation
Enrolment for First Reconciliation is between 22nd February and close 9th March.
Classes held on Sundays only: 16th , 23th,30th March & 6th April.
Enrolment forms can be collected from the parish office 9am to 1.30pm or from Father Marek but must be returned at weekend Mass.
Beginning of Year Whole School Mass
We are having a whole school Mass in the hall on Thursday 27th February at 12:00 midday to celebrate the beginning of the new school year as a community of faith.
Ash Wednesday Liturgy
We will also be holding a whole school liturgy in the hall on Wednesday 5th March at 12:00 midday.
All are warming invited to attend both events.
Thank you
Catherine du Bois
Religious Education Coordinator
Enrolments
Enrolments are now open for 2026. We do have vacancies in each Year group K-6. Applications are now online via our school website.
Contact details
As we begin the new school year it is important that your contact details are up to date. It would be appreciated if you could log onto the Compass Parent Portal and check that your mobile/telephone number and email address are correct.
If you find that they are incorrect, you may update them in the portal.
Please also check that your email address is reachable, we sometimes find that we receive ‘bounce backs’ due full inboxes.
School Fees
School fee statements were issued last week. Payment of fees is by BPay, Compass Portal or at the office. Fees can be paid by instalments – weekly, fortnightly, termly or via a lump sum. The necessary form would need to be completed ASAP and returned to the school office.
From the commencement of the 2025 school year, the management of certain aspects relating to school fee accounts in Primary Schools has been transferred to the School Fees Liaison Office at the Catholic Education in Wollongong.
What does this mean for families:
- Your school’s administration office is your first place for enquiry regarding school fees. School staff will provide information regarding instalments, methods of payment, giving access to an Application for Fee Concession and attend to other general enquiries.
- If you are experiencing financial difficulty or need to make an arrangement for payment of your school fee account, please email sflo@dow.catholic.edu.au with your name and the school in which your children are enrolled. The School Fees Liaison Office will then contact you directly to offer assistance.
- Please note that each school has a dedicated School Fees Liaison Officer to provide a personalised service to individual families. This Officer will also have a close relationship with your school.
If you require further information about this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Injuries
If you child sustains an injury outside of school eg broken arm / leg and they have a cast/sling etc the office must be informed and a letter from the Doctor / ED report must be given to the office so that a risk assessment and care plan can be done for the student.
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.
Just a reminder that if you drop your children off at the drop off zone outside the school, you must not park and leave your vehicle.
If you wish to walk your child in, please park in an area on the street that isn't zoned.
Year 5 Students will be holding their annual Shrove Tuesday pancake fundraiser on Tuesday 4 March. The money raised will go to CARITAS Australia to support those in need.
If your child wishes to order pancakes please fill in this form for EACH one of your children. Please complete the form by Friday 28th February.
Please send $3 per pancake on Tuesday 4th March only. The money is not required before the day.
Last year we started our Cultural Story Sharing morning teas inviting different groups to share their food and stories about their culture. We have purchased bi lingual books for the library so children can be read to in their parents' first language.
We entered this initiative into the Roger O'Sullivan Award sponsored by The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) and placed third.
This is a wonderful achievement and we have won a monetary prize towards continuing our Cultural Story Sharing morning teas. This week the CCSP came to present the award. We are very grateful for their support of our initiative.
The Council of Catholic School Parents Website
Please see below the calendar overview for Term 1 2025:
| Week 5 |
Thursday 27 February - Western Region Swimming at Campbelltown Thursday 27 February - Opening Whole School Mass - In the School Hall Friday 28 February - Gymnastics K to 6 |
| Week 6 |
Monday 3 March - Pupil Free Day Wednesday 5 March - Ash Wednesday Thursday 6 March - Assembly at 2:15pm Friday 7 March - Gymnastics K to 6 |
| Week 7 |
Tuesday 11 March - Cultural Story Sharing Morning Tea 9am to 10am Friday 14 March - Gymnastics K to 6 |
| Week 8 |
Thursday 20 March - Assembly at 2:15pm Thursday 20 March - Harmony Day Celebration (day early) Friday 21 March - Gymnastics K to 6 Saturday 22 March - P&F Trivia Night |
| Week 9 |
Friday 28 March - Gymnastics K to 6 |
| Week 10 |
Thursday 3 April - Assembly at 2:15pm Saturday 5 April - Brigadoon |
| Week 11 |
Tuesday 8 April - Cross Country Carnival K to 6 Friday 11 April - Gymnastics K to 6 Friday 11 April - Last Day of Term 1 |
As the Road Safety campaign continues, here is an important reminder about school zones:
https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/community/schools/school-zones
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded the Principal's Award in Week 4
| Kindergarten | Lola | Murko |
| Year 1 | William | Desborough |
| Year 2 | Machu | Jornsamer |
| Year 3 | Declan | Webb |
| Year 4 | Nathan | Vella |
| Year 5 | Archie | Anderson |
| Year 6 | Henry | Holmes |
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Merit Award in Week 4
| Kindergarten | Isla | Moss |
| Year 1 | Archie | Hill |
| Year 2 | Amelie | Goldsmith |
| Year 3 | Matilda | Day |
| Year 4 | Grace | Desborough |
| Year 5 | Thomas | Malady |
| Year 6 | James | Elder |
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Mission Star Award in Week 4
| Kindergarten | Dustin | Meulmann |
| Year 1 | Keiko | Ilinoire |
| Year 2 | Jack | Edwards |
| Year 3 | Teagan | Connolly |
| Year 4 | Poppy | Wilson-Christian |
| Year 5 | Scarlett | McKelvey |
| Year 6 | James | Grosvenor |
Trivia Night - Saturday 22nd March
LAST CHANCE TO GET TICKETS
Tesselaar Bulb Fundraiser
This year we will again be doing the successful Tesselaar Bulb Fundraiser! Catalogues have been sent home. We are trying to raise money for shade to be installed above the prayer garden in the playground.
Orders can be placed by clicking on this link:
Please place orders by 11/4/25
Brigadoon
As many of you may or may not know, St. Paul’s has been involved in this local festival Brigadoon for many years; this opportunity gives us an easy way to raise funds that do not come from our own pockets! This year the event will be held on Saturday the 5th April 2025.
Our job on the day is to provide volunteers to collect entry money and check pre-purchased tickets on 3 of the main entry gates. The Brigadoon committee specifies the number per gate required and we receive a percentage of funds raised based on the number of volunteers provided on the day. All volunteers will be issued with a non-transferable pass, which must be presented for entry, as a thank you for volunteering on the day. The day is on rain, hail or shine! If you can volunteer an hour or more it will greatly help the St Paul's community reach some of our goals for the year.
Would you mind taking the time to fill out the form below. We ask that each family respond and indicate when they are able to help. It is not a hard job and the time goes very quickly. Please try and help out as there is a very real possibility that this opportunity could be given to another local school or community group if we are unable to provide the numbers required. All information provided will only be used for Brigadoon purposes.
If you have any questions or queries about your role on the day please do not hesitate to email the P&F direct: spmvpandf@dow.catholic.edu.au
Please feel free to contact Bernadette Taylor (Seasons Companion) if you have any questions.
Please return permission to the school office NLT Friday the 21st March.
Bernadette Taylor
Student Wellbeing Officer
| Term 1 | 3 March - Pupil Free Day |
| Term 2 | 28 April - July 4 |
| 28 April - Pupil Free Day | |
| 29 April - Students Return | |
| 10 June - Pupil Free Day | |
| Term 3 | 21 July - 26 September |
| 21 July - Pupil Free Day | |
| 22 July - Students Return | |
| Term 4 | 13 October - 19 December |
| 13 October - Pupil Free Day | |
| 14 October - Students Return | |
| 18 December - Last Day for Students | |
| 19 December - Pupil Free Day |
*These are provisional dates and are subject to change
Bus Safety Week
Bus Safety Week ran last week from Monday 17 - Sunday 23 February 2025
|
Pedestrians – Pedestrian safety |
|
|
Key Messages for Pedestrians |
• Plan ahead and don’t rush for the bus. • Stand back from the kerb and hail the bus with plenty of notice. • Stay alert, obey signs and signals and cross the road with care. • Wait until the bus has gone and find a safe place to cross the road. • Wait until the bus has gone and find a safe place to cross the road, ideally a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights. If these aren’t available, use a pedestrian refuge, or other place where you have good visibility. At a pedestrian refuge, wait for cars to pass and look left and right continuously as you cross. • Buses are heavy vehicles and can’t stop quickly. Don’t step out in front of buses. • Buses have blind spots in front, at the back and at the sides. If you can’t see a bus’s mirrors, the driver can’t see you. • Zero Emission Buses can be quieter than traditional buses, so remember to always stay alert when walking around buses and traffic. |
|
Drivers – Slow down to 40 when bus lights flash |
Let’s get some wheels turning by testing your knowledge! Lights flash on the back of buses to: A) Warn drivers the bus is picking up or setting down children B) Warn drivers the speed limit is 40km/h when passing the bus (unless a lower speed limit applies) C) Both Answer: The correct answer is C) Both. |
CCSP invites all parents and carers to join us for our Term 1 free webinars.
Please register using the links. We look forward to seeing you online!
SCHOOLSPEAK 101
Presented by Mary Ryan, Head of Professional Learning, CSNSW
Tuesday 25 February, 12.30pm – 1pm
OR
Wednesday 26 February, 7.30pm – 8pm
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
DREAM BIG
Help your child find their passion by encouraging curiosity and creativity.
For parents and carers of primary school students.
Presented by Beyond
Wednesday 5 March 2025, 12:30pm – 1pm
REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/
ALGORITHMS AND ADOLESCENTS
For parents and carers of upper primary and secondary school students
Find out about the rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people
Presented by eSafety Commissioner Team
Wednesday 19 March 2025, 7pm – 7.30pm
Enrolments are now open for 2026. Applications are to be done online via the school website or CEDoW website. Interviews will take place in the beginning of Term 2.
Applications can be made via the school website:
Staying on Task
Self Management
1. Look at your assignment
2. Think about the steps and equipment needed to complete the task
3. Focus all of your attention on the tasks.
4. Stop working only when instructed.
5. Ignore distractions and interruptions from others.
6. Put your hand up if you need help
We we have a company called Lunch Bunch Canteens who will be fulfilling our lunch orders each Thursday only.
Please find the menu below and how to order details.
ASSIST ALL HOOPS - COME 'N' TRY (ALL AGES) Join us at Basketball NSW's brand new program for participants of all ages with an intellectual impairment!
Jump into the world of basketball, where you'll enjoy fun games while developing fundamental and basketball movements. Boost your confidence, make new friends, and enjoy being active in a safe and inclusive environment. Don't miss out!
Sign up now.
: Moss Vale Basketball Stadium - 15 Parkes Rd, Moss Vale NSW 2577
: Thursday 17th April 2025
: 10:00am - 11:00amCost: Free
Register here: https://bnsw.info/AAH-
For more events, visit: https://bnsw.info/
The ASSIST ALL HOOPS Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
