“Receive the Holy Spirit.”

John 20: 22

(from the Gospel for the solemnity of Pentecost Sunday, Year B)

Dear Parents and Carers

FIRST COMMUNION Sunday 23 May and CONFIRMATION Tuesday 25 May

This weekend we have candidates for First Communion receiving the sacrament of Eucharist for the first time at the 11am Mass on Sunday. On Tuesday evening, Bishop Brian will be conferring the sacrament of Confirmation on the candidates who have been preparing over the past weeks.  Please pray for the children and their families as they take the next step in their faith journey.

MRS VAUGHAN’S FAREWELL(and CRAZY SOCK DAY!)

Our school farewell Mass for Mrs Vaughan held last Friday was a beautiful and fitting tribute. The children sang so beautifully. Mrs Vaughan and her family have asked that I thank everyone for their kind wishes and love. 

Mrs Vaughan requested that we have a crazy sock day last Friday. I am happy to announce that we raised $136.40 which has been donated to St Vincent De Paul. Thank you for your support and generosity.

FAREWELL MASS AND DINNER FOR FR RICHARD

School farewell Mass: 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 at 9:30am. Everyone is welcome to attend. We will have morning tea afterwards.

Parish farewell dinner: 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 $19 for children. We required a finalisation of numbers with the parish office by today (Thursday 20 May). Our children will be singing at Fr Richard’s dinner. Thank you to the families who have agreed to have their children come to sing. We ask that those children wear their winter uniforms and be at the Moss Vale RSL foyer at 6:15pm. We are the first item on the program for the evening. We will be singing at or about 6:30pm. Children who are not staying for dinner are free to leave after we have sung. Children who are staying for dinner will be returned to the care and supervision of their families.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL APPRAISAL AND CONTRACT RENEWAL PROCESS

Mrs Browne, our wonderful, hardworking Assistant Principal is participating in our system’s appraisal and contract renewal process later this term. All school leaders in our system engage in this process every four years. The objective of this process is to affirm the great work Mrs Browne does in our community and to help her set goals for her professional growth into the future. You will be invited to provide feedback via COMPASS shortly. Please take some time to complete the brief survey. Katie will certainly appreciate your input.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY FRIDAY 4 JUNE- EDUCATING WITH A MISSION LENS

We will be conducting a staff development day on Friday 4 June. This means that there will be NO classes or supervision at school on that day.

P & F WORKING BEE- Saturday 5 June between 1pm and 3pm- save the date

We need to do some tidying up and getting ready for spring with our school veggie gardens. We need to weed, top up garden beds with mulch and get the chicken coop ready for the return of the chickens. The children will plant and manage the gardens in spring. 

We need to do some weeding in the garden bed adjacent to the school driveway.

We also have a need to do some repairs on the sandpit. Specifically, some of the logs on the retaining wall need replacing. We also need to install a shade sail. The materials and shade sail will be on hand. We need some skilled people to install them. We will organise to have a fresh sand delivery after the repairs have been completed.

We have chosen a Saturday afternoon for the working bee which ought to be after Saturday morning sport for most people. If you are able to help, your time and energy would be greatly appreciated.

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 offers of enrolment will be made in writing at the end of Term 2.

CANTEEN ONLINE SERVICE ON THURSDAYS 

Our school canteen service operates on Thursdays each week. The service will be an online ordering service only.  Orders for the canteen will need to be submitted each Wednesday before Thursday service. Please note that there is no canteen counter service at school. 

If there is a problem with your child’s order please let our canteen supplier Fresh Start Canteens know. They will be only too happy to assist. If a child misses a lunch order, the school will make sure that your child has something to eat! We don’t want any child being hungry or unhappy!

COVID-19 safe reminders

The management of our response to the pandemic is ongoing. We thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation in helping to keep everyone safe.

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

Play

Play has an impact on the foundations of human development, which influences a child’s ability to adapt to, thrive and shape their social and physical environments as they grow. Formal education teaches children to respond to adult-direction, whereas play supports independent self-learning. By playing outdoors children can practise skills and challenge themselves in a more open-ended, supportive setting.

What You Can Do 

• Support children’s learning through play – don’t dismiss it – it’s more than just letting off steam! 
• Try and balance children’s screen time and outdoor play time
• Spend time in different environments for play to expose children to a variety of opportunities and challenges for learning
• Provide children with loose and moveable materials that can be explored, changed and manipulated by them in play.

Taken from the Play Australia Website. The link is here: https://dev.playaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/Play%20supports%20children%E2%80%99s%20learning.pdf

With the beautiful Autumn leaves around at the moment this is the perfect opportunity for children to be engaging in outdoor play. We have found the children here at school playing in the coloured autumn leaves, across grades, developing their social skills in how to interact with each other in a happy and fun manner. It is joyful to watch. If you would like more information on the importance of play please take a look at this website. It can also be found on the Parent portal.

https://sites.google.com/dow.catholic.edu.au/st-pauls-moss-vale/wellbeing

Regards,

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 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 head and $18 for children. Guests are asked to arrive around 6pm for a 6:30 start. RSVPs and payments can be made directly to the parish office by today 20th May.

We are also seeking students who would be willing to sing a couple of songs at the beginning of the night. After the songs, these children have the option of returning home afterwards.

Thank you

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator