Newsletter Week 5 Term 1 2021

 (from the Gospel for the second Sunday of Lent, Year B)

 Dear parents and carers,

Next week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week throughout Australia. This year we mark two hundred years of Catholic education in Australia. Fr John Therry established the first Catholic chapel on the site of St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney in 1820 and the first Catholic School in Parramatta in 1821. From those humble beginnings Catholic education now serves around 1 in 5 (or 20%) of all students enrolled in Australian schools. The Catholic church is one of Australia’s largest employers, providing education, health and social wellbeing services to the broader Australian community. These activities of the Catholic church are in service of our missional commitment to the principles and values of Catholic Social Teaching. It is a proud heritage and one that we deserve to celebrate in this bicentennial year for Catholic education.

We will be marking Catholic Schools week at St Paul’s with lessons in our church heritage in Australia for the children. We will produce a “Lessons of Liturgy and Scriptures” (LOLS) video with Fr Richard focusing on Catholic Schools Week which we will share with you. Our special assembly next week will also be a celebration of our Catholic educational heritage. Our children need and deserve to know about this rich history and the great story to which they now belong.

SWIMMING CARNIVAL and AWARDS ASSEMBLY

Our annual swimming carnival went very smoothly and efficiently last Friday. The children’s participation and positive support of one another was wonderful to behold. I’m sure you can get a sense of the day via the photographs and videos on our school Facebook page. We missed having our parents and community with us. Nevertheless, the children had a great day.

Today we held our Awards Assembly. Children received their ribbons, age champions and the winning house were announced. Again, the spirit of celebration and acknowledgement of the achievements of the competition results at carnival was palpable amongst the children. It’s great to seek children being happy for each other and being able to celebrate the achievements of their friends as if they were their own achievements. We adults can certainly learn a lot from the open heartedness of children. We are all very proud of the children. Well done everyone!

WESTERN REGION SWIMMING CARNIVAL- Wednesday 3 March

We have fourteen children who have qualified to compete at the Western Region Swimming Carnival at Bradbury next week. A note regarding the details of this event was sent home to participants yesterday. Children who successfully qualify at this event will go onto the diocesan swimming carnival to be held at Corrimal Pool on 8 March.

EXPLORE DISCOVER ACT Year 6 leadership day - Thursday 4 March

Next Thursday our Year 6 class will be participating in a leadership day at school. We have engaged an external provider to facilitate the day for our Year 6. Whilst five children in Year 6 hold elected positions, all Year 6 are expected to be positive role models for the younger children in the school. They are, in this sense, all leaders. The Explore Discover Act program aims to build on the work the children did last year at the Year 5 leadership camp and the world they have undertaken with Miss du Bois and Ms Sullivan this year in taking up their leadership roles.

WORKING BEE- Friday 5 March from 3:15pm till 5pm

Our first P&F activity for the year will be a working bee after school on the 5 March. COVID restrictions state,” After hours outdoor activities that involve parent/community gatherings, such as working bees can proceed, with up to 100 people outdoors for schools in the Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven.” 

The main job for the working bee is to spread soft fall on the Adventure and Infants playgrounds. The school has a limited number of hand tools available for use.  If you can bring shovels, wheelbarrows or even those large, soft plastic tubs (such as from Aldi) that would be very helpful. 

We also have some pruning and weeding to be done in the gardens around the school. Notably the St Paul statue garden and hedge needs a trim. The Dadirri Garden (near the small weather shed) also needs a tidy up. The school’s veggie gardens that have had a fallow year with the building project now need to be weeded and have compost added. Again, if you are a gardener, bringing some pruning tools, hedge shears or digging forks would be helpful. 

Children are welcome to attend and help out. Please be aware that children are in your care at the working bee. 

It is important that everyone wear enclosed footwear, a hat and work gloves are encouraged. Please make a note of this date. Whatever time you and your family are able to give will be both helpful and appreciated. We aim to be finished by 5pm. Many hands make light work!

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY- Monday 8 March

We will be conducting a staff development day on Monday 8 March. This means that there will be no classes or supervision at school on that day. The staff are undertaking mandatory first aid training including anaphylaxis and asthma training. These skills are important in keeping your children safe at school. All schools are required to stay up to date with first aid annually.

COVID-19 Advice

There have been no further adjustments to COVID-19 restrictions this week. Regrettably, the restrictions on parents and community members being on the school grounds or attending school events off site remains in place. If these restrictions change we will certainly let you know. Click here for the  current COVID- 19 guidelines for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. 

RESPONSIBLE USER AGREEMENTS- now due back to school

All children at St Paul’s are required to sign a “Responsible User Agreement” (RUA). A gentle reminder to sign and return the agreement at your earliest convenience. If you need another copy of the RUA, please contact the school office. We would like to finalise this process.

All classes in the school will undertake a digital citizenship program during Term 1 at an age and stage appropriate level. We want all our children to be skilled, critical and safe users of technology as opposed to being passive consumers of digital content.

Sport Uniforms

Sport uniforms are to be worn on the following days for each class:

Kindergarten – Wednesday & Friday

Year 1 – Friday

Year 2 – Friday

Year 3 – Wednesday & Friday

Year 4 - Wednesday & Friday

Year 5 - Wednesday & Friday

Year 6 - Wednesday & Friday

School Terms for 2021

Sacramental Program

Please continue to pray for the students who are preparing for the sacrament of First Reconciliation.

Catholic Schools Week

This year, Catholic Schools Week (CSW) will be held from 28 February - 6 March. The theme for 2021 is ‘Faith in the Future’. This theme is shared with dioceses across the country as together we celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in Australia.

As we pause this week to reflect on the precious gift of Catholic education, we remember the intergenerational contributions that preceded us and that we continue to build upon. Since the very first Catholic school was established, countless children and young people have benefitted from the dedication and commitment of parents and staff in our Catholic schools.

The week is designed to be a celebration and shared with members of our parish and the wider Catholic community—all in a COVIDsafe way. Fr Richard and I will be working on a LOLS episode about Catholic Schools Week and this will be shared during our assembly in Week 6. This episode will also feature on our school Facebook page. Classes will also complete some special activities during their RE lessons to learn about the importance of Catholic Schools.

Thank you

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

Week 5

Attendance. What do I do if my child is sick and cannot come to school? Can I take my child out of school for the day? What if we are going on a holiday during school time? These are common questions that parents and carers ask and there are rules and requirements that refer to each of these questions and more. Attached to the new letter is the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong requirements regarding attendance and what to do in these circumstances.

You will also find this flyer on the Parent Portal under the Parent Support and Resource tab. The Parent Portal has lots of information about St Paul’s and links to websites that are useful for families in raising children. Take some time to have a look at it. It is updated regularly with the latest information.

On Thursday of last week St. Paul's had a visit from the NRL team, Wests Tigers.

Their captain, Moses Mbye spoke to the students about wellbeing; eating well, exercising and working together as a team. 

Chris Boyd

(Sports coordinator)