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Dear Parents/Carers,
I am so excited to write this newsletter, I know the whole school community is thrilled about the fete week finally arriving. The children are unbelievably energised with anticipation. Many I am sure can’t wait to have a go on the dodgems, new to our school fete this year. Yes I will be having a number of goes, as many of our St Paul’s family will get great joy out of trying to “destroy” the poor vehicle that I am in! I have a vision of the Colour Run in my mind from last year, except this year the coloured powder will be replaced with dodgem cars! I have told the students that Mrs Debrincat has been training me in dangerous driving strategies.
I will do my best to be “banged up” without being a roadkill!
On a more serious note, I would like to acknowledge the huge commitment made by the fete committee, stall holders, P&F and staff to bring our special day to reality. The work of many hands makes the fete story such a successful experience. I suppose this really is the high point of our community map that we aspire to create in the many different initiatives that make up our story, and we co-create it every day. We have a good story to share at the moment. We are very good at affirming the elements that are healthy as well as naming and focusing on those areas that need improvement.
I see a school that calls itself a true Catholic school where we no longer have a neutral stance about what it means to be Catholic. Having the symbol of the cross on our walls and our name, St Paul’s, publicly acknowledges our school as one founded on Christian values naturally modelled by all who contribute in some way to the sense of great joy, experienced on fete day.
The image of God portrayed by us all leading up to the fete is the memory that will be firmly etched on the innocent minds of the children who are there on Saturday.
Important Reminder
Due to Friday being set up day for the stall holders and Camden Hire bringing in the many items needed for fete day, the Larkin Place gates into the school will not be open to the students entering the grounds in the morning, or leaving the school in the afternoon. All families, on Friday, will need to use the Heritage Hall gate entrance onto Larkin Place to enter and leave. The process will be exactly the same as when the Larkin Place gates were closed when the play equipment was being constructed.
In addition, the children will not be out on the playground at lunch times either. Drop off and pick up will be wet weather dismissal this Friday.
Go gently and try and contain the excitement everyone,
Michael Reardon
Principal
Principal Awards
Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal Award.
Zara P, Finley G, Mae R, Giuseppe S, Noah M, Patrick W, Ivy R, Alexander C, William K, Sebastian B.
Attendance Notes
For any whole day absence, parents will need to access their Compass parent portal and log the absence before 11am on the day their child is not at school. If you fail to do this you will receive a Compass alert requesting that you explain your child’s absence on the day your child is away. The school must receive notification of the reason for the absence within 7 days of the return to school. In the event that an explanation is not supplied the absence will be recorded as Unjustified/Unexplained.
Partial Absences
Please do not enter an attendance note if your child has a partial absence (eg; arriving late or leaving early). These will be entered by office staff when you are in the foyer to drop off or collect your children.
Leave During the School Term
When taking your child/children out of school, during term for a holiday or extended leave (3 school days or over) you are required to submit a request for leave. This can be done by emailing info@spcdow.catholic.edu.au
At St Paul's I have self control - 'Stop, Think, then Choose what to do.’
In weeks 3 & 4 the students of St Paul’s have been learning, I have self control.
When we have self-control, it means we’re in charge of our thoughts, words and actions. We don’t just react however we want. We remain calm and choose the right way to respond. Self-control is hard. It actually takes more strength to hold back than it does to just react in a moment.
When we have self-control, we keep ourselves safe from out of control behaviours that can hurt ourselves or others. For example, self control will protect us from hitting our sibling for breaking our favourite game. Or, from saying something mean to a friend that really hurts their feelings.
We encourage parents and caregivers to work alongside us with teaching your children strategies they can use to help them build their self control. This may be done by discussing various scenarios where they may get upset, such as a friend saying they don’t want to play with them or being told no, then discussing how they can respond to this in a respectful and responsible way.
Remind them of the Stop, Think, Choose strategy in our school. When something happens, stop and think about how they can handle this situation and choose the best strategy, whether that is apologising or taking a deep breath and counting to ten.
St Paul's School Fete - The Countdown is on!
Gift Boxes
If you have yet to return your fete gift box, we ask that you return them as soon as possible to allow time for them to be priced and ready for the day.
Thank you to all the families that have already returned them.
Fete Raffle - Tickets Now On Sale
The Fete Raffle Tickets are now available to purchase via the link below.
The current Leader Board is;
Volunteers Needed
The fete committee are still in need of volunteers to help on the following stalls on the day. With your help, we can make the fete run smoothly so our children can have a great day. Below are the times and gaps that still require volunteers.
Please email Emma-Jane Garbutt at your earliest convenience with your offer of assistance.
| Saturday, 25 May 2024 | St Paul's School Fete | |
| Friday, 31 May 2024 | Athletics Carnival | |
| Friday, 7 June 2024 | Year 1 Excursion - Belgenny Farm | |
| Monday, 10 June 2024 | King's Birthday Public Holiday | |
| Thursday, 20 June 2024 | Netball NSW Cup | |
| Thursday, 27 June 2024 | 10:00am | Sts Peter & Paul Mass (K-6) |
| Friday, 28 June 2024 | Netball Western Region Gala Day | |
| Friday, 5 July 2024 | Grandparent's Day - Liturgy 10:30am | |
| Friday, 5 July 2024 | Last Day of Term 2 |