Dear Parents/Carers,                                                                        

We have finally made it to the end of the term. I would once again like to thank the community for the many ways you have continued to support the teachers in creating a positive story for our school and keeping the learning at the centre of what we do.

As a follow up to the data I shared with you about attendance in the previous newsletter, I thought it would be timely to also provide the following information about arriving late to school. This would be a worthwhile conversation with your children, even if they have very strong attendance at school. 

Every late day can affect your child’s learning and wellbeing. Every minute counts.

Lateness = Lost learning and impacts on wellbeing

Further Information Of Interest

WHY MUST I SEND MY CHILD TO SCHOOL

Education in NSW is compulsory. This means all children from six years of age and under the minimum school leaving age are legally required to attend school.

WHY IS REGULAR ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL IMPORTANT?

Regular school attendance will help your child to succeed in life. Attending school every day makes learning easier for your child to build and maintain friendships with other children. If your child doesn’t learn the basic skills in the early years of school,  they may develop learning problems in later years.

MUST I SEND MY CHILD EVERY DAY? YES.

It is a condition of enrolment that you send your child to school every day. A small number of absences may be justified if your child has to:

• go to a special religious ceremony
• is required to attend a serious and/or urgent family situation (eg funeral);and
• is too sick to go to school or has an infectious illness.

MUST MY CHILD ATTEND ALL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING SPORT? YES.

Children are expected to attend all regular school activities. Do not keep your child at home for the following:

• birthdays;
• minding other children;
• routine check-ups or care such as hair cuts;
• minor family events;
• sleeping in.

Medical and other health appointments for your child should be made either before or after school or during the school holidays.

WHY IS ARRIVING AT SCHOOL ON TIME IMPORTANT?

Arriving at school and class on time:

• ensures that your child doesn’t miss out on the important learning activities scheduled early in the day when they are most alert;
• helps your child learn the importance of punctuality and routine; and
• gives your child time to greet their friends before class and therefore reduces the opportunity for classroom disruption.

Staff Development Day

Monday, 9 October 2023 (Week 1, term 4) is a scheduled staff development day. Students do not attend school on this day.

School development days are used by schools to build on the knowledge and skills of our teachers, school leaders and school administrative support staff through a targeted professional learning program.

The professional learning planned for the day is aligned with the St Paul’s School Improvement Plan and will focus on the Health component of the  P.D.H.P.E (Physical Development, Health and Physical Education) syllabus.

Staff will be analysing the behavioural and wellbeing data of the students to design units of work relevant to each grade cohort. These units of work will then be taught during Term 4.

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal Award. 

Amelia Cork, Emerson Turner, Giovanni Novella, Marco Bradley, Savannah Stanley, Olivia Burns, Thomas Vincent, Johnny Alam, Domenic Mazzocco, Aaliyah Linden, Flynn David, Taline Artin, Alessia Herrera, Eve Rota, Cameron Grech, Elliot Flannery, Victoria Howe, Sebastian Armstrong, Edward Knapp, Kyah Graham.