“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

John 15: 12

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

Dear Parents and Carers

This weekend we celebrate Mothers’ Day. The relationship between mother and child is the first and foundational relationship to our lives. Mother’s Day is a celebration of that love and recognition of the essential role mothers play in shaping our lives. The lessons learned from our mothers we carry with us always. This is demonstrated nowhere more clearly than in the relationship of Jesus with his mother Mary. Mary, who despite all the challenges for a young, unmarried woman in first century Palestine agreeing to be the mother of Jesus, was the constant in Jesus’ life right up to and including being present at his death. The loving regard for Mary by Jesus is noted and repeated throughout the New Testament. In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus speaks directly to the love we share between us. No better example of human love can be found than the unconditional love, steadfastness, selfless and care filled attention that is the love of our mothers. On Sunday, we celebrate our mothers and all the mother figures in our lives. We thank God for each and every one of them. Happy Mothers’ Day!

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. This year is no exception. Applications can be picked up from the school office or downloaded from the school website. The first round of interviews have commenced and will continue throughout Term 2. It has been delightful meeting the children and families for Kinder 2022! The first round offers of enrolment will be made in writing at the end of Term 2.

FAREWELL MASSES FOR MRS VAUGHAN AND FR RICHARD

We are farewelling two important members of our community in the coming weeks. Next Friday 14 May we will conduct a whole school Mass to celebrate Mrs Vaughan. Mass will be held at 9:30am in the school hall. Everyone is welcome to attend. There will be a morning tea afterwards to give families the opportunity to spend some time with Mrs Vaughan and thank her for her twenty nine years of faith filled service to our community.

On Thursday 27 May, we will be celebrating a whole school Mass to farewell Fr Richard. This will be our school’s farewell to Fr Richard. The Mass will be held in the school hall. Everyone is welcome to attend. Again, we will have morning tea afterwards.

On Friday 28 May, the parish farewell to Fr Richard will be held with a dinner at Moss Vale RSL at 6pm. The cost of the dinner is $35 for adults and $18 for children. We will require an indication of numbers by the end of next week. If you and your family are planning to attend Fr Richard’s farewell dinner, please call the school office to let us know.

The school has been asked to sing two songs at Fr Richard’s dinner. We will be the first item for the evening (at about 6:30pm). We will be asking for children to come along to sing. They do not have to stay for the dinner and can leave after we sing. Parents can stay to watch the children and then leave with the children. This will of course be at no cost. If you could give some consideration for your child’s availability to this, I would be very grateful. We will begin rehearsing next week. . We will call for a commitment to sing at Fr Richard’s dinner early next week.

PARENTS and FRIENDS NEWS

Mothers’ Day Stall Friday 7 May

Our annual Mothers’ Day stall will be held tomorrow (Friday 7 May). Children will have the opportunity to purchase a small gift for their mothers and carers. Thank you for your support of this initiative and for pre-paying. This will make the operation of the stall much simpler. We will coordinate the purchases of siblings to avoid doubling up on gifts. 

Whilst we would prefer not to be handling money on the day of the stall, if you have not yet paid, please feel free to send $5 with your child tomorrow. We would hate for any child or mum to miss out! Thank you to our P&F for coordinating the mother’s day stall on behalf of our whole community.

P&F meeting Tuesday 11 May at 7pm in the school hall

We will be conducting our next P&F meeting on Tuesday 11 May. We will hold the meeting in the school hall. Everyone is welcome to attend. It is a great opportunity to get involved in the life of the school and learn what is happening in our community. The parents of all children enrolled at S Paul’s are automatically members of the P&F. You do not need to join. Simply arrive at 7pm for the meeting. You will be made most welcome.  

At this meeting we will finalise plans for Fr Richard and Mrs Vaughan’s farewells. We also have a need to discuss replacing the school’s portable PA system.

CANTEEN ONLINE SERVICE ON THURSDAYS 

Our school canteen service operates on Thursdays each week. The service will be an online ordering service only. Please note that there is 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 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.

COVID-19 safe reminders

The management of our response to the pandemic is ongoing. The recent COVID-19 case in Sydney has triggered a list of  current case locations, as identified by NSW Health. The case locations have all been classified 'close contact venues'.  If you have been at any of the listed locations during the specified times, the current NSW Health direction is to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days.

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

WINTER UNIFORM

The children look lovely in their winter school uniforms. We will wear the winter uniform throughout Term 2 and Term 3. With the weather now 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

Parent/carer support for NAPLAN

As children progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

Federal, state and territory education ministers agreed to gradually transition NAPLAN online by 2022. NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, providing better assessment and more precise results. Your child’s teacher will be able to tell you in what mode your child will do NAPLAN. 

While it is important that the children do their best, we do not want the children to be stressed or worried about the assessment. It is no different to any other school day where teachers may ask students to complete an assessment. It is a snap shot that provides us with valuable information about your child’s progress.

If you would like further information you can access it via the Naplan site:

https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support/

Katie Browne

Assistant Principal

Sacramental Program

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

Parish Farewell Dinner

As you may or may not be aware, Fr Richard is sadly leaving our parish at the end of the month. I’m sure many of you would like the opportunity to bid him farewell. The Parish will be holding a special farewell dinner for Fr Richard on Friday 28 May at the Moss Vale Services Club. The cost is $35 per adult and $18 per child. Guests are asked to arrive around 6pm for a 6:30 start. RSVPs and payments can be made directly to the parish office by the 20th May.

Thank you

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

The_Hermitage Mittagong - Restaurant Specials

The Hermitage Mittagong - Employment Opportunities

Receptionist:

Part time/casual position for Wednesdays 8.30 — 2.30pm. Extra shifts may be available from time to time.

Kitchen Hand:

Casual positions available. Shifts are normally 7.30 — 2pm and 5 — 8pm. An ability to work days, nights and some weekends would be essential.

Cleaners:

Casual position available. An ability to work mornings and afternoons is essential. There could be the occasional weekend shift from time to time.

Please forward your resume to The Director, Br Bill Sullivan at bill.sullivan@marists.org.au . Applications close Friday 14 May 2021.