Dear Parents/Carers,                                                                        

Last week we celebrated our Truth, Love, Faith Awards. This is at the pinnacle of our awards presented to students from our PB4L procedures. For many of the children it is such a genuine surprise and to see the “shock” on their faces when their names are read out is a joy to experience. As the awards are not based on the number of As a student receives on their report, makes the awards even more important because the award can be achieved by any child.

I am very much aware that the critical element in the development of young people at school is the relationship they experience with their teacher.  If mutual respect isn’t there, the child will struggle to become the best version of themselves, which is ultimately the true meaning and purpose behind the Truth, Love, Faith Awards. When the child and the teacher have created that trust relationship they begin to feel a strong sense of belonging, I see this in our Truth, Love, Faith award recipients. I suppose I am really talking about school spirit. School spirit and identity is a multifaceted phenomenon and seems to rise from such awards when they are done well. It doesn’t have to be only on this occasion, it's how we orient new families to our school, how we welcome students and parents into the many St Paul’s events, our school rituals, loyalty of teachers for the school and the development of teacher and student loyalties.

Connectedness occurs when our students feel an affinity for the school where they feel recognised and linked with others. Last week our award winners learnt that their presence in our school is significant to the group and they are making a real contribution to the spirit of love and acceptance called by us all to share; child, parent and most importantly, teacher/staff member. It is all about relationships, respect and trust.

For many of our young people, this award will be a life forming experience remembered many years after they received it.

Go Gently,

Michael Reardon
Principal

Student Attendance

1. Rationale
Schools have a responsibility to provide a safe and supportive environment for the students in their care. An accurate record of student attendance is fundamental to this responsibility. The pastoral responsibilities of a school require monitoring of student attendance and intervention strategies when appropriate.
Regular attendance at school is essential if students are to maximise their potential. Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students. While parents are legally responsible for the regular attendance of their children, school staff, as a part of their duty of care, monitor part or whole day absences.

If your child arrives late for school:

• They miss out on important literacy learning, which could affect their achievement
• They do not get the important social peer connections required to build friendships and social time to settle into class
• It can be embarrassing for them to arrive late
• They may disrupt the learning of the rest of the class as they arrive late

Semester 1 Academic Reporting Period 

The 2024 student semester reports have been updated to reflect the outcomes of the new K-10 English and Mathematics Syllabuses. This change applies to all schools in the Wollongong diocese. 

All Kindergarten students will receive a written report twice a year, in Semester 1 and Semester 2, with a three-point grade scale to report student achievement using the following performance descriptors:

Students in Year 1 - Year 6 will continue to receive semester reports, twice a year, using  the five-point grade scale to report student achievement with the following performance descriptors: 

Important change: K-6 Semester 1 reports will not contain a general comment. 

Reports will be available to parents and carers via Compass on Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at 3:30pm. 

K-6 Parent-Teacher Interviews will occur on the following dates; 

• Thursday, 27 June 2024
• Friday, 28 June 2024
• Monday, 1 July 2024
• Tuesday, 2 July 2024
• Wednesday, 3 July 2024 

Parents/carers can now book a parent-teacher interview via COMPASS. Bookings will remain open until Friday, 21 June 2024 at 3:30pm. 

Important notice for KL, 1T and 3F parents and carers only: 

Please note that KL, 1T and 3F have alternate parent-teacher interview dates due to the classroom teachers being on leave. 

KL parent-teacher interviews will be held on the following dates:

• Monday, 24 June 2024
• Tuesday, 25 June 2024
• Wednesday, 26 June 2024
• Thursday, 27 June 2024
• Friday, 28 June 2024 

KL reports will be available via COMPASS on Friday 21st  June at 3:30pm.  

1T parent-teacher interviews will be held on the following dates:

• Monday, 24 June 2024
• Tuesday 25 June 2024
• Wednesday, 26 June 2024
• Thursday, 27 June 2024

1T reports will be available via COMPASS on Friday, 21 June 2024 at 3:30pm.  

3F parent-teacher interviews will be held on the following dates:

• Wednesday, 26 June 2024 
• Thursday, 27 June 2024
• Monday, 1 July 2024
• Tuesday, 2 July 2024
• Wednesday, 3 July 2024

3F reports will be available via COMPASS on Tuesday, 25 June 2024 at 3:30pm.  

Any parent who is unable to make the scheduled meeting times please contact the school office via info@spcdow.catholic.edu.au to arrange a mutual time for a phone conversation with the class teacher.  

Principal Awards

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

Delilah L, Isaac B, Ryan G, Cohen B, Jed B, Maya G, Matthew B, Braxton R, Hudson W, Camila H, Mila F, Phoenix L, Parker K, Alessio S, Marcus G, Mary-Lourdes A, Daniel V, Sofia S, Florence S, Annabelle S, Kiarney S, Brooklyn R.

St Paul’s Feast Day Celebrations

Schools draw inspiration and direction from the stories of how their founding religious congregation, patron saint or significant people in the school's history exemplified particular gifts of the Spirit in living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. We at St Paul's Primary School, draw from the model and examples of St Paul and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop as highlighted in our school’s vision statement:

On Thursday, 27 June 2024, we will especially focus on the charism that St Paul offers our school as on Thursday, 29 June, the church worldwide celebrates the Feast day of Sts Peter and Paul's.

St Paul taught the Gospel of Christ to the first century world. St Paul is the patron saint of missionaries, evangelists, writers, journalists and authors. He was a teacher of people and through his teaching helped to establish the Christian Church. The school seeks to do the same as it provides opportunities for all stakeholders to be truly present in faith and life. The students are constantly reminded that Christ is with them as they learn in a community embedded in ritual, prayer, sacred music, signs, symbols and our Catholic tradition. This creates a distinctly Catholic pedagogy, the way of St Paul.

The students will learn some facts about St Paul during their Religion lesson. We will gather together as a whole school community to celebrate Mass at 10:00am. During the day, each grade will also have an opportunity to attend a Mini Fair prepared by the Year 6 students and their teachers. Some of the activities on offer include sporting activities, carnival games, face painting, disco, nail polish station, football clinic, ball in the bucket, hit the target.

Students are to wear the uniform that they normally wear on a Thursday.

The proposed timetable for the day is outlined below:

At some point during the day, each child will also receive a packet of Smith's chips to
add to the celebration of the day. If for some reason you choose for your child not to have the chips, please send an email directly to our school office via info@spcdow.catholic.edu.au

A big thank you to our Year 1 teachers for preparing the liturgy and to our Year 6 teachers and students for planning and organising the mini fair.

Maria Debrincat
Religious Education Coordinator

Grandparent's & Great People Day

Cross Country Championships - Congratulations!

On Tuesday, 28 May 2024, twenty-four students participated in the Diocesan Cross Country Championships. We are proud of all our students who represented our school and achieved outstanding results on the challenging 'Willandra' track throughout the day.

Congratulations to Oliver, Jack, Isla & Ruby, who progressed to the NSWCPS Cross-Country. At this event, these students also achieved amazing results:

• Jack (15th)
• Oliver (28)
• Isla (40)
• Ruby (49).

Jack’s Wollongong team also won a gold medal for the U10 age group.

Mackillop Representative Honours

Congratulations to Jaimee, who represented Mackillop at the NSW PSSA championships in Newcastle. Jaimee’s Mackillop team finished 5th overall out of 12 teams, narrowly missing the semi-finals by one point.

Well done to Joshua and Dominic, who recently attended the Mackillop Football Trials in Goulburn. Both boys played well against the other southern Catholic Dioceses. Congratulations to Dominic, who was selected for the Mackillop team to play at the NSW PSSA championships in August at Tamworth.

Athletics Carnival 

On Friday, May 31 2024, the school Athletics Carnival was held at the Narellan Sports Hub. The weather played a little havoc with our schedule, but the school community came together to make it a fantastic day. Students proudly wore their sporting house colours, competing in a friendly and competitive spirit.

We would like to thank the students, staff, volunteers, and parent community for their support in making the event a success.

July P&F Meeting