Dear Parents/Carers,                                                                        

As I begin  to write this letter, NAPLAN has begun its journey at St Paul’s, we have had school camp for Year 6 and the experience of the corresponding sleep deprivation from the students and teachers for the rest of the week that it brings, as well as the PAT data meetings that teachers are currently having with you to share their knowledge and learnings about your child’s literacy and numeracy levels. In addition to this, Chess Club, Mini Vinnies and Garden Club will be commencing in the coming weeks. In fact it is only week 7 and we have also had our school cross country event.

Last week 78 children also had the opportunity to attend the Wests NRL Gala Day and Sporting Schools Clinics (AFL and Ultimate Frisbee) are also timetabled this term, with more to come next term. Most of this work comes outside the normal work flow of teachers and constitutes a huge demand on teacher and parent time, but we see this work as very important and therefore find the time to make it happen. Quite often, it comes with the added workload to a teachers day that can run into their lunch breaks.

Our teachers, whilst they struggle with such demands every day, go the extra mile and still see the value in such extracurricular activities for the students. The graph below clearly outlines NESA timetable requirements for school. The many matters outlined above don’t necessarily fit within these requirements, yet our children still have the opportunity. A clear example is the required 120 minutes for PDHPE. Our children receive 75 minutes weekly for sport alone as a minimum which does not constitute the many gala day experiences they receive and leaves only 45 minutes for Health and Personal Development, both necessary parts of the curriculum. The only way we can provide such additional experiences is because of the desire of the staff at St Paul’s to nurture the interests of the students beyond those minimum requirements.

As the education sector continues to evolve, please bring an open heart to the work of our staff at St Paul’s, knowing they do their best  to go beyond the advice above to provide a well rounded education for your children, even with the adversity the times are currently challenging us to respond to.

I thank our teachers and staff as well as you, the parents, for working together  to get the balance right, which will always be a challenge.

Go Gently,         

Michael Reardon
Principal