“I am the good shepherd; 

I know my own and my own know me.”

John 10: 11- 18

(from the Gospel for fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B)

Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to Term 2! I hope you had the opportunity to spend some quality time with your children and families over the Easter break and school holidays.  The children have arrived back at school refreshed, excited and ready to learn!

The children’s happy return to school is tempered with the sad news that Fr Richard will be leaving our parish at the end of May. He will be taking up the role of Parish Priest in Moama in the Diocese of Forbes - Wilcannia. Fr Richard is an excellent parish priest and we have been lucky to have had this time with him as our pastoral leader. Fr Richard is always welcoming, open to all, wise and friendly. He has been the embodiment of all that is wonderful in our church and tradition. He will be sorely missed by all and not least of all by the children of the school. 

There will be a parish farewell for Fr Richard on Friday 28 May at Moss Vale Services club. There will be further details to follow. For now, please note the date.

We have also received the news that Mrs Vaughan, our beloved SSSO in the school office has decided to retire. Mrs Vaughan has been working at St Paul’s since 1992. In her twenty nine years, Eileen has been the friendly, helpful and cheerful face at the front desk for whom nothing is too much trouble. Her contribution to our community spirit over the years is immeasurable. Mrs Vaughan will be missed. We will celebrate her career and express our gratitude in the coming weeks.

WHOLE SCHOOL MASS TO CELEBRATE EASTER- Friday 23 April at 9:30am

Tomorrow, we will celebrate a whole school Mass in the school hall to mark the Easter solemnity, which of course, fell during the recent school holiday. Easter is the most important feast in our liturgical year. It is the highpoint of our church year. Easter announces the radical hope and promise of new life even in the face of the most adverse circumstances. Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday is the fundamental truth of our Christian faith. Parents and community members are welcome to join the children in the school hall commencing at 9:30am.

CROSS COUNTRY  

Our annual school cross country was held yesterday. We had the most glorious weather for the carnival. It was fantastic to see so many families come along to cheer for the children and to share the joy of being able to be together. The children were certainly enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed the day. The addition of the ball games and activities enhanced the day. The children were well occupied all day.

We have selected the school cross country team after the carnival. The diocesan cross country will be held on Tuesday 27 April (Week 2 Term 2) at Willandra Farm, Nowra. Children who are involved in that event have received a letter outlining the day.

At today’s assembly we distributed ribbons, announced age champions and awarded the winning house. The list of age champions, war cries and ball games winning houses as well as the overall winning house is listed in Mr Boyd’s sports report below. 

KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS FOR 2022 ARE NOW OPEN

If you have a child who is ready for school in 2022 or you know someone who has, our enrolment period is now open. We have had strong demand for places in recent years for the limited spaces we have available. Applications can be picked up from the school office or downloaded from the school website. The first round of interviews will be conducted in the coming weeks but will continue during Term 2. The first round offers of enrolment will be made at the end of Term 2.

ANZAC Day observance

Traditionally, our school participates in the annual Moss Vale ANZAC day march. Due to COVID-19 the local branch of the RSL have decided that there will not be a march in Moss Vale this year. Instead, there will be an ANZAC Day observance ceremony to be held in the Moss Vale Services Club auditorium on ANZAC Day. We have been invited to send three representatives to the service. I will be attending along with two Year 6 leaders as representatives of our school. We will lay a wreath on behalf of our school community in respect to all those who have served.

PARENTS and FRIENDS NEWS

Mothers’ Day Stall Friday 7 May

Our annual Mothers’ Day stall will be held on Friday 7 May. Children will have the opportunity to purchase a small gift for their mothers and carers. All gifts will be $5. We will coordinate the purchases of siblings to avoid doubling up on gifts. We will send home a payment slip on Monday. We ask that all payments be received by Wednesday 8 May. We would prefer not to be handling money on the day of the stall. We would rather be giving our attention to helping the children.

CANTEEN ONLINE SERVICE ON THURSDAYS 

Our school canteen service has recommenced today. The canteen will operate on Thursdays each week. The service will be an online ordering service only. Please note that there will be no canteen counter service at school. 

Orders for the canteen will need to be submitted each Wednesday before Thursday service. Our canteen supplier, Fresh Start Canteens, have moved to an online ordering system called QuickCliq. Your child’s ordered lunch will be delivered to the school in time for first break each Thursday. I have attached a copy of the canteen menu to this newsletter for your information.

How this new system works:

1. Set up your QuickCliq account: you will need to set up a free account account for your family with QuickCliq in order to place orders and pay. The instructions for how to set up this account are attached to this newsletter.
2. Order and pay for your child’s lunch on Wednesday through QuickCliq. 
3. Lunch will be delivered to your child in time for the first break on Thursday.

Sentral_QuickCliq_Family_Register_flyer_Canteen_1_.pdf

COVID-19 safe arrangements currently in place

The ongoing relaxing of restrictions has necessitated some adjustments to our routines and management of COVID-19. We are in a good position nationally with the ongoing management of the pandemic. This is in large part due to the cooperative and “can do’ attitude the overwhelming majority of Australian’s have taken in responding to COVID-19.   Nevertheless, we must continue to remain vigilant especially as we move into the cooler months. The current raft of management strategies in place at school are as follows.

Morning Assembly: There will be no morning assembly. Children will continue to line up in their designated spots, wash hands, go into class and pray the school prayer and get down to work. 

Morning Announcements: We will continue to celebrate birthdays, make announcements and award the “secret spotter” uniform awards at 10:50am whilst the children are eating inside. 

Weekly School Assembly: We are pleased to welcome parents and community members to join us at our weekly school assembly at 2:15pm each Thursday. You will notice that all children are seated on chairs. Whilst social distancing requirements are no longer mandatory they are encouraged wherever possible. The seating arrangement has worked well for the children and we will keep it in place. We ask that parents sit at the back of the school hall. We will open the bottom gate so parents can park in Innes Road and access the school in order to attend assembly. Children will return to class after assembly to collect their bags. Normal afternoon dismissal procedures will be followed. Whilst the children are getting organised, parents are invited to walk down to Innes Road where you will meet your children. We will bring the children down to you. In this way, we will be able to keep the children together and know where they are right up until handing them back to your care.

Daily cleaning: Our high touch areas and hard surfaces are cleaned twice daily by our cleaners. This measure will continue in Term 2.

Good hygiene practices: Regular hand washing, use of hand sanitiser and regular reminders about sneezing and coughing remain in place.

Stay at home if your child is unwell: If your child is unwell, please keep your child at home. If your child has ‘flu like symptoms consult your doctor and consider having a COVID- 19 test.

COVID-19 testing: If your child has been sent home from school and has been asked to have a COVID-19 test, we need to sight a negative test result before your child returns to school. An electronic copy of the text advising the negative result is sufficient.

The current government health advice reminds us that, ‘ We must all remain vigilant and maintain our personal hygiene procedures at this point in time, and especially as we approach the winter season.’

Click here for the  current COVID- 19 guidelines for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. 

WINTER UNIFORM

We are now in Term 2 and the children are required to wear their winter uniform. With the weather turning cool, we want the children to be warm and comfortable. Our uniforms are available through Whytes in Argyle Street and NSW Uniforms (online). Our uniform details including contact details for our suppliers are available under the “Parents” tab on the school website. 

Sport Uniform days for Term 2

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

Kindergarten - Wednesday and Friday

Year 1 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 2 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 3 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 4 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 5 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 6 - Wednesday and Friday

School Terms for 2021

One of the most important things you can do in helping your child with their education is to develop a positive relationship with their school. This article from the Raising Children network has some great ideas on how you can achieve this.

This is taken from the website: 

Benefits of a strong parent-school relationship

As a parent, you know your child better than anyone else does. Your child’s teachers will want to get to know him too.

When you have a strong and respectful relationship with your child’s school and teachers, you’re in a good position to give them the information they need to help your child get the most out of his education. You and your child’s teachers can work together to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.

When everybody is working together in the best interests of your child, she’s likely to reap academic and social benefits, like:

• regular school attendance
• positive school results
• a positive attitude towards school
• positive social and relationship skills
• a sense of wellbeing
• school completion
• progression to post-secondary education like TAFE, university or apprenticeships.

This is one of many great articles on the website. I recommend that you take a look.

https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning/working-with-schools-teachers/relationship-with-school

Sacramental Program

 Please continue to pray for the students who are preparing for the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

Easter Mass

 There will be a whole school Easter Mass on Friday 23rd April at 9.30am in the school hall.
Parents and community members are welcome to attend. 

Thank you

 Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

St. Paul's Cross Country

On Wednesday St. Paul's held its annual cross country in the school grounds.

Under beautiful blue, autumnal skies and with a coolish temperature, (perfect for running), the students of St. Paul's once again did themselves proud.

All students tried their very best and enthusiastically encouraged each other on. It was great to see the entire school cheering wildly for the Kindergarten children as they competed in their very first cross country.

It was also wonderful to welcome back our parents after such a long break due to Covid restrictions. A special mention to the Wray family who helped the teachers pack up the tents and other gear at the conclusion of the carnival.

Finally an even bigger thank you to our teachers who worked tirelessly throughout the day, to make sure the carnival ran smoothly.

So, onto the results:

Age Champions

8 years girls - Bridie Culpeper

8 years boys - Henry Holmes

9 years girls - Maggie McKeon

9 years boys - Matthew Holmes

10 years girls - Daisy Luker

10 years boys - Aiden Speerin

11 years girls - Emiko Curcuruto

11 years boys - Jordan Esquilant

12 years girls - Ella Caseley

12 years boys - Callum Edmends

War Cries - Gold House

Ball Games - Red House

Overall Results

Gold - 106

Blue - 91

Red - 90

Congratulations to GOLD House!

Next week, a group of students from our school will compete in the Diocesan Cross Country at Willandra Farm, Cambewarra. We wish them all the very best in this event.

Chris Boyd

(Sports Coordinator)