Dear Families,

Wakakirri: A Truly Special Performance

“It played like a movie with dramatic visual scenes and a moving music score.” This was the beautiful feedback from the Wakakirri patron last Friday night, and it truly says it all. The St Paul's community shone so brightly, and everyone involved should feel incredibly proud of this wonderful achievement.

The performance was the perfect finale to the dance and drama part of our Stage 3 Creative Arts curriculum. The entire project was built on a strengths-based approach, encouraging students to participate in the way that felt best for them while also inspiring them to challenge themselves. This was all made possible by the dedication and vision of Mrs Ponticello, Miss Jade and Mrs McAndrew. They truly know their students and were able to bring our curriculum to life in a way that was both spectacular and deeply moving.

A huge congratulations to every student who took part. Your willingness to step out of your comfort zone and represent our school so positively was wonderful to see. Thank you to the students for your passion and commitment, to our parents for supporting this vision, and to our P&F for their generous contribution to the costumes. Finally, a huge thank you to Mrs Ponticello, Miss Jade, Mr Farrugia, Mrs McAndrew, and Mrs Illiani for supporting our children every step of the way.

God Bless,

Katie Browne

Principal

A Gentle Reminder About Attendance

Every day at school is important, and we want to ensure every student has the best possible start to their day. Here are a few reminders about our attendance policies that help keep our children safe and ready to learn.

Please Stick to the Schedule - A friendly reminder that supervision begins at 8:20am, and students should be picked up by 3:15 pm. We know that life can be unpredictable, and if you ever have an issue with drop-off or pick-up times, please contact the school office so we can support you.

Every Minute Matters - We are implementing the new Attendance Policy this year and are regularly monitoring attendance and punctuality. We know that being on time for school is crucial for a child's success. It allows them to settle in, connect with their peers, and be fully prepared for the day's learning. You might be surprised to learn that being just five minutes late each day can have a significant impact over the course of the year!

If getting your child to school on time is a concern for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. We encourage you to make an appointment to speak with the teacher or Assistant Principal so we can work together.

Road Rules and Our School Community

During Road Rules Awareness Week, we want to take a moment to highlight a few important safety reminders. The road rules and procedures we have in place are designed to protect our most precious assets—our children.

We kindly ask you to be aware of the following issues, which are regularly reported to us:

• Leaving cars unattended in the 2-minute parking zone. This small action can quickly cause traffic to back up and create a dangerous situation for children crossing the road. You can be fined for this.
• Making U-turns in front of the school. This is a major safety risk in a busy area, especially during peak pick-up and drop-off times. Police will pull you over for this and fine you.
• Standing on the road to talk to other drivers. This practice not only blocks traffic but also puts you at risk. This has been reported to occur along Innes Road.
• Picking up children from the bus lines area or walking between buses without permission. Bus lines are a high-risk area, and these actions are extremely dangerous.

By following these simple rules, you are helping to create a safer environment for every child, parent, and staff member. Thank you for your continued support.

Year 5 and 6 Camp 2025

We are committed to the overnight camp structure for 2025. However, we recognise that some students may not be comfortable with an overnight stay. If you feel your child would benefit from attending the day-only portion each day, please make an appointment with teaching staff  as soon as possible to discuss how we can best support your child. Please be aware that you are locked in financially with the overnight cost and will not be able to recoup this cost if your child does the day portion only.

Upcoming changes to the Year 5 and 6 Camp from 2026

Please see the letter regarding changes to camp from 2026.

Leadership Retreats

Over the next four weeks the Assistant Principal, Religious Education Coordinator and the Principal retreats will be taking place. These retreats are an important part of the senior leaders faith formation. The first retreat is next week for Assitant Principals. Mr Farrugia will be on retreat Wednesday and Thurdsay.

Book Week

Get ready for an adventure! Our annual Children's Book Week parade is just around the corner, and we'd love for all our families to join us. The parade will take place this week - Thursday, August 21, kicking off at 9:30 am. Due to the wet weather it will be held in the school hall.

This year's theme is "Book and Adventure," and we can't wait to see the creative costumes! Your child is welcome to come dressed as their favourite book character or in a costume that reflects the theme. Just a friendly reminder that Book Week celebrates the world of literature, so we ask that costumes are based on books, not TV shows. Costumes from M or R rated shows are not appropriate for our young students—for example, a character from "Squid Games" would not be suitable.

Did you know that our school's library borrowing rates are higher than some schools twice our size? It's a testament to our students' incredible love for reading, and we believe it's a huge factor in the great reading results we're seeing. Book Week is the perfect way to celebrate this passion!

If your child prefers not to participate, they can simply wear their sports uniform or casual clothes on the day. All children should wear appropriate clothing for break times and closed-in shoes, like sneakers, for their safety.

Wait Mate - Hitting pause on social media for primary school age children

This site encourages parents to sign up and hit pause on letting their children access smart phones until high school. If you would like to learn more click on the link. We recently had a surprise visit from Maggie Dent who is an advocate for letting children be children. This site is encouraging the same thing with tips on how to navigate this with your children. Research into early smart phone use is showing disturbing trends on the impacts they have on young minds. Wait Mate

We are holding our annual school disco on Friday 5th September.

The disco is split in to two groups:

Session 1 - Kindergarten, Year 1 & Year 2 runs from 5:15pm to 6pm

Session 2 - Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 & year 6 runs from 6:30pm to 7:15pm

Ticket Cost: $5.00 per child. The ticket price includes entry, a lolly bag, glow sticks and the chance to win some great prizes!

Theme: 80's Disco

Children are encouraged to bring their water bottle along.

The tickets are now available on the 'Spriggy Schools' app. If you have more than one child at the school, please purchase a ticket for each child, especially if they are in a different session time.

This can be done by ordering for one child and adding to cart, then go to the top of the app where your child's name is and switch to your other child, order for them and add to cart. You can then check out all at once.

The cut off date to purchase tickets is - Thursday 28th August at 11pm.