“Even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe”

Matt 21:32

(from the Gospel for the twenty sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A)

Dear parents and carers

Tomorrow we bring Term 3 to a close. It has been our Kindergarten children’s first full term at school. They are certainly looking tired as are all the children. It has been wonderful to see the resilience and positive “can do” attitude of our children and indeed our entire community as we have navigated these difficult times together. There have certainly been highlights and positives in approaching our work together in a different way. These are lessons we should learn and maintain into the post-COVID-19 future. The slower more intentional pace that has been forced upon us by the COVID-19 restrictions has given us pause to consider what we need to keep and what we need to let go. In spite of the many, real challenges presented throughout the pandemic, this is a time to reconsider what our priorities are and what is important. This is the challenge as presented to us by Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel.

I hope the holiday period gives you an opportunity to spend time with your children, families and those you love. It is important to rest, relax and recharge. We look forward to seeing all the children return to school on Monday 12 October. Happy holidays!

“PIRATE DAY” 

Our pirate day yesterday was a great success. The children enjoyed themselves thoroughly and showed their delight in their joy filled participation. The point of the day was simple fun and celebrating community. Thank you for the wonderful costumes and the obvious effort put into getting the children ready for the day. It was wonderful and it was worth it! You can see pictures of the day on our facebook page.

NEW ST PAUL’S WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!

Our school website has been updated with new images and content. Please take a moment to review the revised site. This newsletter will continue to be published on the website as well as via COMPASS. We think the website looks great. You can check it out here.

CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS

Last week we announced the results of the cross country at our virtual whole school assembly. You can view the assembly on the facebook page along with the Cross Country video. The full set of results for the Cross Country 2020 are as follows.

Age Champions

Girls   

12 yrs - Ayessa Cecilio 

11 yrs - Gracie Ross

10 yrs - Emiko Curcuruto

9yrs - Phoebe Abbott

8yrs - Tahlia Harris

7yrs - Emily Pizzata

Year One - Bridie Culpeper

Kindergarten - Lexi Cutroni

Boys  

12 yrs - Jack Dowler

11 yrs - Anthony Pizzata

10 yrs - Lucas Holmes

9yrs - Liam Bailey

8yrs - Matthew Holmes

7yrs - Oliver Gawthorne

Year One - Riley Meuleman

Kindergarten - Ryan Lewis

The house points were as follows:

Red 107

Gold 100

Blue 93

BASKETBALL SKILLS CLINICS will conclude tomorrow Friday 25 September. The children really enjoyed the opportunity and have been a pleasure to work with. Thank you to Mr Boyd for coordinating this on behalf of the school. 

ATHLETICS EVENTS IN TERM 4

We will be conducting some of the athletics carnival events on a class basis beginning in Week 2 of Term 4. We will use a similar approach to delivering the cross country. Observing COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing to ensure safety will be central to our planning. We will hold one event per week with a different class each day participating. We will communicate the details including the day your child’s class will participate in an event when we return to school. At this stage, parents will not be able to spectate. If this changes we will let you know. 

WE NEED WOOL!

We are making pom poms for display in Leighton Gardens as part of the community Christmas celebrations. If you have any knitting wool (or acrylic) at home that you could spare, we would be grateful if you could send it to school. The children have been enjoying making the pom poms as part of structured play. 

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING “To live life to the full: mental health in Australia”

The Australian Bishops Conference have released a video and statement regarding the challenges of maintaining positive mental health and supporting those who are experiencing mental illness. This is especially true during the  COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is impacting the mental health of many members of our schools, parishes and communities. In fact, most of us will experience a mental health problem at some point over the course of our lives. Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who need our support. Our parishes, organisations and communities can be places of acceptance, care and healing, not places of rejection, judgment or stigma. You can access a video from Bishop Vincent Long (Parramatta Diocese) and the text of the statement at the link below. Please take a moment to listen to this important message.

https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/2020/07/03/social-justice-statement-2020-21/

Check the CEDoW COVID-19 website for updates

Stay up to date with the latest information regarding COVID-19 and its implications for our school by visiting Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) COVID-19 Information centre available here. This site has been created and regularly updated with COVID-19 specific advice for all our school diocesan communities. 

Thank you everyone for your ongoing understanding, patience and support as we move through this together. As difficult and often inconvenient as it is, this is how we do our bit in keeping everyone safe and continuing to drive the transmission rates down. 

SUMMER UNIFORMS IN TERM 4

All children will wear the summer uniform from the beginning of Term 4. Our uniform suppliers are Whytes Tailoring and Clothing in Argyle Street Moss Vale (02 4868 1911 or visit https://www.whytesclothing.com.au/ ) and NSW Uniforms (0400 805 596 or email ethne@drewdesigns.com.au). Both suppliers have our summer uniforms in stock.

Sport Uniform Days by Class

Your child will need to wear the sport uniform on the following days each week.

Kindergarten- Friday

Year 1- Wednesday & Friday

Year 2- Thursday & Friday (to be confirmed)

Year 3- Thursday & Friday

Year 4- Wednesday & Friday

Year 5- Wednesday & Friday

Year 6-Wednesday & Friday

LOLS: Lessons and Liturgy and Scripture

The final LOLS episode for this term has been uploaded to Google Classrooms. The theme for this episode is ‘Shine Your Light’ and provides an opportunity for us to celebrate the achievements and highlights of this term. Thank you to everyone, particularly the students who have enthusiastically participated in many of the LOLS episodes throughout the term. LOLS will continue into Term 4 as well.

Reconciliation Program

Just a friendly reminder that all students who are participating in the online Reconciliation program need to complete all of their lessons before the end of term. Congratulations to the students who have made their First Reconciliation! Please continue to pray for these students and their families.

Thank you

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

It has been a very busy term. Please ensure you have some down time together and enjoy each other's company. There are links on the Parent Portal, Wellbeing page to various sites that provide great suggestions for families on things you can do together. Just going to the park and kicking a ball around is all it takes to burn off some energy and have fun together. Our local National Parks have great walking tracks. Check out their website.

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/ 

https://sites.google.com/a/dow.catholic.edu.au/st-paul-s-moss-vale-home-page/home

Have a peaceful break.