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Dear Parents/Carers,
It is a timely opportunity to share with you some of the research about school attendance. In recent days I have spoken to a number of parents either about unexplained absences or attendance situations where their child had already been away from school for more than ten days, without there being a significant health event, personal family matter or an approved leave for a holiday.
Naturally, all parents want a good education for their child to ensure that they have the best opportunities in adult life. Children get only one chance at a good education and a child’s future may be affected by not attending school. Over the years I have witnessed the outcome when children do not attend school regularly. They struggle to keep up with work and on a busy school day it is difficult to find the extra time to help a child catch up. They also miss out on the social side of school life. Learning is a social activity and poor attendance can also affect your child’s ability to make and keep friendships which is a vital part of the learning process.
Being on time is also vital. Arriving late to school can be disruptive for your child, their teacher and the other children in their class.
Sometimes when we are in the mess of daily life, we forget the importance of getting our kids to school regularly and on time. In primary school, less than 65% of children achieve good results in English and Mathematics with an average of fifteen days absence a year compared to almost 90% where the average is less than eight days. Absence issues can creep up on you and you will be surprised at how quickly your child can accumulate fifteen days of absence within a year.
The teachers have been asked to follow up student absence with a parent when it goes beyond ten days, firstly to establish if there are any emotional, health or personal matters regarding your child that may be affecting their learning. Secondly, to ensure our responsibilities concerning the legal requirements of school attendance are followed through. Should you get a phone call from your child’s teacher please approach this conversation with the belief that it comes from a genuine care and concern for the child under their care at school.
Frequently parents will tell us that they phoned the school or sent through an email. Whilst this is always appreciated, unless the email has your signature on it, it cannot be used as an official explanation for your child’s absence. This is why it is important that if you don’t send in a letter explaining the absence in writing, you will need to go into the Compass portal to do this electronically.
Go gently,
Michael Reardon
Principal
Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal's Award.
Isla Wade, Tijana Vukovic, Nicholas Macri, Annabella Starr, Sienna Delvillar, Jaimee Rasmussen, Isla Crnek, Oliver Mackie, Ruby Humphries, Charlotte Costa, Owen Van Der Linden, William Khan, Samuel Beauchamp, Hamish Bell, Brayden Sharpe, Samuel Clancy, Lourdes Fuentes, Ashlynn Phillips, Heath Kemp, Addison Leetch, Leonardo Fuentes, Alexcia Vukovic, Aidan Varghese, Ava Drakakis
Attendance Notes
It is a requirement that all children's absences are explained by the parent. To assist you with this, we have attached the following tip sheet on how to log an attendance note in Compass. Should you require assistance, please bring your device with you to the school and a member of staff will guide you through it.
Commencing next week, reminder letters will be sent home with children for any outstanding unexplained absences. If you receive this letter please ensure you enter an attendance note on the compass parent portal for any dates listed as unexplained.
Parent Volunteers Orientation to Assist in Classes and on Excursions
Last year most parents attended the parent volunteer orientation. This has to be repeated every two years. Unfortunately, due to the impact of COVID19 very little opportunity for such situations was possible. This term we will run two workshops for parents wanting to volunteer within the school.
Thursday, 24 June 2021
- Session 1 1:30pm - 2:30pm
- Session 2 6:00pm - 7:00pm
There will be limited places available in each session and if you are wanting to attend you MUST RSVP via the link below.
RSVP - Parent Volunteer Information Session
This session provides parents with information about child protection protocols, privacy matters and expectations of parents seeking to assist in classes and on school excursions.
Thank you
On Friday, 7 May 2021, students were invited to bring a gold coin
donation for the Mater Dei fundraiser. Sincere thanks to the entire St Paul's community for your generosity as we were able to raise $650.Winter School Uniform
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Uniform |
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GIRLS Winter |
Navy check tunic, aquinas blue deluxe long sleeve shirt, navy sloppy joe with school crest and/or navy zip jacket with school crest, tab tie (available from St Paul’s Clothing Pool), navy (opaques) tights or navy long socks, sport jacket (optional extra). Navy slacks with SPC logo (optional) available from Lowes. |
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BOYS Winter
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Aquinas blue deluxe long sleeve shirt, grey ½ elastic back classic trousers, navy sloppy joe with school crest and/or navy zip jacket with school crest, tie (available from St Paul’s Clothing Pool), grey-royal/gold/royal striped ankle socks, Sports jacket (optional). |
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SPORTS UNIFORM GIRLS & BOYS Summer/Winter |
Panel style polo shirt (sport fabric); navy shorts with gold piping, white ankle style socks, navy/gold piping jacket with school crest, navy microfiber track pants with gold piping and predominately white sport shoes. |
Every year, National Reconciliation Week is celebrated from the 27 May to the 3 June. These dates were chosen to celebrate and remember two significant events in the reconciliation journey of our nation, the successful 1967 referendum on 27 May and the High Court Mabo decision, on 3 June.
National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to discover more about the shared histories, cultures, and achievements of our wonderful country. It is a chance for us to find out how we can contribute towards the goal of achieving reconciliation in Australia as we build connections and learn to truly value the histories, cultures and futures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Every year there is a theme attributed to National Reconciliation week, which reinforces the idea that we all have a part to play. The theme for 2021 ‘more than a word’ is a tribute to that. Reconciliation takes action, so this year’s theme is all about taking action.
At St Paul’s we will celebrate Reconciliation Week with a Prayer Assembly on Friday, 28 May 2021. Each class will also plan an activity focusing on how we can contribute towards the goal of achieving reconciliation in Australia, or how we can build on positive and respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Let us ask God for forgiveness, and for healing and hope for the future ...
Compassionate God, In the rich cultures of our Indigenous Peoples, You speak your loving word.
Forgive our well-intentioned decisions which, in the past, have led to pain and loss. Give gladness to our Indigenous Peoples and ease their sorrow.
Bring us closer in reconciliation and peace through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in the Spirit of Love.
Amen.
Sabbath Week - Week 7
Next week, St, Pauls will be introducing Sabbath Week. This will give everyone an opportunity to STOP…Both students and teachers will be practising this.
We will remove meetings, homework for staff and students. We want to focus on the well being of ALL…. This is an opportunity to STOP…. and just BE...
This will give the teachers and students the opportunity to spend more time with God.
Ideas for parents -
- Find the time once this week to sit down as a family to have dinner
- Talk about one thing you are grateful for as a family.
- Share a prayer before meal time
- Take time to reflect - RIPPLES….
Waste Free Wednesday
In Environment Group, we have been learning Laudato Si’. Laudato Si’ is a letter from the Pope that tells us about the ways we should treat the environment. In response to our learning, we would like to introduce Waste Free Wednesdays at St Paul’s. We will start by holding a special Waste Free Day on Wednesday, 2 June 2021 (Week 7).
We are asking that all students pack a waste free lunch on this day. This means packing food into containers or reusable wrappings, rather than glad wrap, plastic bags or bringing lots of pre-packaged foods.
Class teachers will check lunches on the day and count how many students had a waste free lunch. The winning class will receive a special reward.
So remember Waste Free Wednesday will be held on Wednesday of Week 7.
By Erin, Samson, Hamish and Amelia (Eco Ambassadors)
Place all your school orders online with Flexischools
We are excited to confirm the introduction of a new online ordering system called Flexischools, which will commence late Term 2.
Flexischools is a well-established organisation allowing you to easily place all your canteen orders online at any time.
Download the Flexischools app from the App store or Google Play https://wwww.flexischools.com.au/mobile-app) for details on how to set up your account.
Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately. If you have any questions, please contact the Flexischools Customer Service Team on 1300 361 769, or you can contact them via their website.
We hope this step forward will support families with a more convenient and efficient process of placing canteen orders.
| Wednesday, 26 May 2021 | Year 3 Shot Put, Long Jump & Discus Trials | |
| Thursday, 27 May 2021 | SPLICED Workshop Day - St Clare's Narellan Vale | |
| Thursday, 27 & Friday, 28 May 2021 | Lunches Unwrapped Incursion (Years 3 & 4) | |
| Friday, 28 May 2021 | Year 5 Shot Put, Long Jump & Discus Trials | |
| Thursday, 3 June 2021 | Netball Schools Cup - Narellan Sports Hub | |
| Thursday, 3 June 2021 | Group 6 Primary All Schools Cup - Kirkham Park | |
| Wednesday, 2 June 2021 | Waste Free Wednesday | |
| Monday, 14 June 2021 | Queen's Birthday Public Holiday | |
| Thursday, 17 June 2021 | Western Region Gala Day - Minto Netball Courts | |
| Monday, 21 June 2021 | Athletics Carnival (Years 2-6) | |
| Thursday, 24 June 2021 |
1:30pm-2:30pm |
Session 1 - Parent Volunteer Information Session - RSVP Required |
| Thursday, 24 June 2021 |
6:00pm-7:00pm |
Session 2 - Parent Volunteer Information Session - RSVP Required |
| Friday, 25 June 2021 | Last Day of Term 2 | |
| Monday, 12 July 2021 | Term 3 Commences |