Dear Families,

Monday 1 September was not only the first day of Spring but also World Day of Prayer Care for Creation. Pope Fracis wrote Laudato Si’ On Care for our Common Home 10 years ago and it continues to inform our work in caring for creation. These are the words of Pope Leo XIV:

The theme of this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, chosen by our beloved Pope Francis, is “Seeds of Peace and Hope”. On the tenth anniversary of the establishment of this Day of Prayer, which coincided with the publication of the Encyclical Laudato Si’, we find ourselves celebrating the present Jubilee as “Pilgrims of Hope.” This year’s theme thus appears most timely. 

In proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Jesus often used the image of the seed. As the time of his Passion drew near, he applied that image to himself, comparing himself to the grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit (cf. Jn 12:24). Seeds are buried in the earth, and there, to our wonder, life springs up, even in the most unexpected places, pointing to the promise of new beginnings. We can think, for example, of flowers springing up on our roadsides from seeds that landed up there almost by chance. As those flowers grow, they brighten the gray tarmac and even manage to break through its hard surface.

In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed, “seeds of peace and hope.”

As a community let us be seeds of hope living our vision of being a faithful and compassionate community that aspires to life long learning.

Wishing all Fathers a Happy Father's day this coming weekend.

God Bless,

Katie Browne

Principal

Bullying. No Way! National Week of Action.

The recent “Bullying. No Way! National Week of Action” (August 11-15) offers a timely reminder of the importance of speaking up. This year's theme was a powerful one: Be Bold, Be Kind, Speak Up.

Often, we find that issues have been occurring for some time before they are brought to our attention. This makes it much harder for us to intervene and find a resolution. That’s why it's so important that we empower our young people to tell a trusted adult when a comment or action is not okay.

If your child comes home and mentions a situation happening at school, on the bus, or online, please encourage them to speak up and let a staff member know. Remember, hurtful behaviour is often a form of communication. Sometimes, the students involved are also struggling and need our support. By working together, we can help our students make kinder and more respectful choices. If you are concerned about a young person then please have a conversation with us. Sometimes it is in the conversation that we can find a solution together that might assist a situation from getting worse.

Bus Incident

Following an unfortunate bus incident last week, we would like to remind all families about our expectations for student behaviour on school transport. A bus driver was verbally and racially harassed, and we are grateful for his professionalism in handling a very difficult situation. This was a deeply upsetting experience for him and our students who witnessed it, and as a school community, we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to support our bus drivers.

Bus drivers are an essential part of our school community and work hard to ensure the safety of our children. They undergo rigorous checks and are held to a high standard. It is vital that we all support them by ensuring our children understand the importance of respectful and sensible behaviour on the bus.

Please talk to your child about the rules:

• Remain seated with your seatbelt on.
• Keep devices put away.
• Be considerate of others by keeping noise to a minimum.

If your child reports inappropriate behaviour on the bus to you, please contact the bus company directly as they are the first point of contact and can address the matter quickly. If the behaviour involves a St Paul's student, please also let the school know so we can follow up.

Announcements

After a recruitment process Mrs Tania Calla-Hunstone is appointed as the Acting REC during Mrs Wynn’s Leave. Tania will be Acting in the role from Week 9 Term 3 until Week 1 of Term 3 2026. Tania is to be congratulated on the appointment. She is dedicated to her faith and looking forward to taking on the role within our school and parish community.

Mrs Jacinta McAndrew will be teaching Year 4 from Week 9 until the end of the year.

Mrs Jocelyn Ponticello will be taking Year 6 on a Friday for the remainder of the year.

Mrs Liesl Burnett will be  teaching on Wednesday to support the Teacher Planning and Professional Learning Teams timetable in Mrs Mc Andrew’s place. Congratulations and thank you to all staff members for stepping into these roles.

After a successful disco last year, we will be holding one again this year 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

Theme: 80's Disco

There will be a chance to win great prizes in the night.

Children are encouraged to bring their water bottle along.