Dear Parents & Guardians,

As everyone is well aware things have tightened again on the COVID-19 front in schools right across the state.  This has been largely because of these outbreaks that have begun to appear in school settings for the first time. The recommendations from NSW Health and the State Government then filter down to us at the coalface.

There was some very hard news to share with the children again, especially Year 6, because of these new directives shared last week. This has brought my thinking back to each child and their well-being. I see our school as a community where we seek to develop the whole child, religious, moral, social, intellectual and psychomotor (relating to movement or muscular activity associated with mental processes, eg; slowing associated with depression). Our Pastoral Care is our expression of concern for the development of all children.  It is holistic education centred on the human person of the child made in the image of God.  Although the home is the first and prime educator of the child, the school, (St Paul’s school community) accepts responsibility for the significant role it can play in the child’s development. With increasing stress in family life, especially during this time of a pandemic, St Paul’s social and integrating religious role has assumed even greater importance in the lives of many of our children. COVID-19 and the widespread impact it is having on unemployment, recession, housing concerns and family tensions are some of the examples of the shadow side of human living which may be deeply influencing your child’s feelings and self perceptions. That is why, at the moment our school has to do everything we can to be a positive force in imparting a sense of self worth to your child. Pastoral care in our school cannot be named as a programme, but rather a total expression of our service to your child.

So how does it look in tangible terms at our school at the moment? First and foremost, Mrs Debrincat’s work as our wellbeing coordinator ensures that those students who are suffering with anxiety or challenged by friendship issues have someone who can walk with them as they come to terms with their challenges.  Secondly, for the children, we have Jo Rogan, our school counsellor here Monday to Wednesday to also support the emotional needs of the students.  In addition, the following happens day in and day out at our school:

• Mr Reardon/Mrs Brunetta/Mrs Debrinat spend one hour each day at the school gate greeting and saying goodbye to the students as they enter and leave the school.
• Mr Reardon/Mrs Brunetta/Mrs Debrinat on the playground at lunch breaks to support duty supervision and to be available to children whilst they are playing.
• All Middle Leaders (Mrs Hatter, Mrs Martin, Mrs King, Mrs Smith, Mrs Mourinho) working with teachers and students in targeted classes to support student learning and wellbeing.
• Quiet Play in the hall Monday/Wednesday/Friday for students who need a break from the playground.
• Gardening group for those students who are interested in the environment and like a break from the busy playground.
• Library is now open Monday - Thursday for students who enjoy reading or need some quiet time during student breaks .

I’m sure there are aspects that I have forgotten, however, this is where some of our best work is done to support the pastoral care of students beyond their relationship with their class teacher.  No programme, however sophisticated, can replace a school climate of care and concern for students as people.

Finally, we are introducing a new initiative to our St Paul’s school community and that is  ‘Sabbath Week’.  Sabbath, refers to the seventh day, the Biblical day set aside for rest and worship. The Old Testament refers to God’s “day of rest” most famously in Genesis, but Sabbath referring to an entire year of rest is mentioned in Leviticus (25:3-5). We will declare Week 7 of each term, which is next week, as ‘Sabbath Week’. During this week  there will be no meetings and no homework.  Naturally those meetings that are high priority will go ahead, but none of our regular school meetings will occur.  This will give the teachers, students and parents a break to reset their focus, provide time to reconnect with God and each other.  Can I suggest that you also have Sabbath Week at home as well next week.  Declutter as many distractions to daily life as possible from your family.  I’ll be asking the students next week about the things their family “paused” or added in the way of a sacred activity during  Sabbath Week. Here are some suggestions; 

• Find the time to sit and share a family meal together.
• Talk about something you are grateful for as a family.
• Take the time to reflect on God’s love for us.
• Think about ways you could assist another family member.

Go gently,     

Michael Reardon
Principal

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

Samuel Zammit, Quinten Barnsley, Sienna Nissan, Oscar Murray, Tyson Ragusi, Aaliyah Linden, Emily Bright, Anabelle Knapp, Jonathan Sparkes-Howarth, Katelyn Roberts, Luke Murray, Celine Burgess, Alannah Rossetto, Jasmine Parker, Charlie Holder, Isabella Pelle, Luke Vella, Jake Murray, Charlotte Rota, Lucinda Grima, Jackson Woolford, Sebastian Vella, Alanna Dominelli, Christopher Attard, Harper Limbrey, Audrey Zammit, Johnny Iofrida, Gisele Gandola, Tayla Fail, Chantelle Debono, Lilia Caridi, Logan Phillips

A reminder the school bubblers continue to not be in use.   

We ask that you please ensure your child has sufficient water for the school day.

I recently came across two valuable and informative guidance reports  from ‘Evidence for Learning’. The team at Evidence for Learning operate nationally across all sectors of the Australian education system, enabling and supporting evidence-informed education practice in Australian schools. Evidence for Learning is an independent Fund, which chooses education programs that are rigorously researched and evaluated by a panel of education experts.

The guidance reports outline several key principles or ‘lever points’ where there is useful evidence about literacy teaching that schools can use to make a significant difference to students’ learning. 

Click to view the Summary of Recommendations posters titled ‘Improving Literacy in Lower Primary (5-7 yrs)’ and ‘Improving Literacy in Upper Primary (7-11yrs)’.

It is important to point out that, at St Paul’s, our current teaching practices and pedagogy are congruent with the principles described in these reports. Through the implementation of the Letters and Sounds Synthetic Phonics Program (K-3), Teaching Reading Strategies (grades 2-6) and Words Their Way Spelling Program (grades 4-6) we are using the most recent, evidence-based research for positive impact on student achievement. 

We have quality, structured interventions for children who are struggling with literacy such as MSL (Multisensory Structured Language), Pre-Lit, Mini-Lit and Multi-Lit. 

At St Paul’s we also have a school-wide Assessment and Intervention Plan which outlines the diagnostic assessment tools administered and analysed by classroom teachers to identify student’s abilities in decoding, reading comprehension, reading fluency and spelling. This enables teachers to ‘collect high quality, up to date information about students’ current capabilities, and adapt teaching accordingly to focus on exactly what the student needs to progress’.

The ongoing modelling, explicit teaching and use of oral language (vocabulary) is embedded as a key ingredient throughout all literacy teaching and learning experiences.  

As part of our School Review and Improvement plan for 2020, one of our goals is ‘To create and begin to implement an effective approach to teaching the writing process, based on research and evidence, so that students' achievement outcomes will improve’. This will assist us in targeting recommendations 5 and 6 from the Lower Primary report and recommendations 4 and 5 from the Upper Primary report. As is expected, due to the interruptions of COVID-19, we will continue to gather data and evidence in order to work towards developing a whole-school approach to the teaching of writing at St Paul’s. 

Thank you for working with us to support your children to be the best that they can be.

Mrs Angela Mourinho
Literacy Coach 

For Parish news and information, or to book Mass during COVID-19 please visit the Parish website.

https://www.stpaulscamden.org.au/

Sacramental Program

Please see attached letter from Fr Michael regarding Confirmation.

 September P&F Meeting - Cancelled

Due to the tightened COVID-19 restrictions and directives from the Catholic Education Office, P&F Meetings have been cancelled until further notice.