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Dear Parents/Carers,
Last week we celebrated “Colours For Missions Day”. It was a wonderful experience where each grade came with a shirt or outfit that focused on one specific colour of the rainbow. This day was the end product of the students doing jobs at home to earn money that they could bring along to be donated to various charities supported by the school throughout the year. I watched with great joy as the children came out onto the playground in their specific areas with a mass of the one colour, however, it was really about the work they had done before this special day. The work of the students to achieve such a wonderful result really highlights our christian vision for work. Work too often is only viewed as valuable if it comes with long hard days of toil and late nights. Our religious view of work celebrates humans being in harmony with the evolution of God’s creation. Work is good if it is friendly to creation. The work of the children to raise money for those in need is a perfect example of good work. Good work supports the earth, builds community and provides food and shelter for everyone. This is the message experienced by the children when they participated in Colours For Mission Day.
Have you ever considered your work as a parent as an act of co-creation? For example, in my work as a teacher I hope that my teaching endeavours extend the circle of wisdom, help people to develop a sense of purpose and enable students to realise their potential. Whatever work we do such as home care, bus driving, banking, farming, nursing etc; our work is sacred if it is done with a sense of contributing to the community and to the dignity of others. Sadly, some individuals judge the value of work only in terms of its monetary value or its status on the social ladder. I would like to think that this special occasion has given a different value to the meaning of work for the students.
Unless we promote a sacred and communal view of work which is accountable to the wellbeing of the earth community, we are doomed to experience work only as an economic function.
It would be my wish that the children see work as co-creation and that perhaps you have an opportunity to consider the message you give to your family about how you see your work.
Something to consider as the events of last week made me stop and view my own work through a different lens.
Go gently,
Michael Reardon
Principal
Students NOT returning to St Paul's in 2022
Mackillop Awards
Students who are eligible to receive a MacKillop award are asked to submit the required number of Principal awards to the school office no later than Friday, 3 December 2021.
Unfortunately awards submitted after this date cannot be accepted as sufficient time is required for the printing of award certificates.
Year 6 Mackillop awards will be presented at the farewell Mass.
All other grades Mackillop awards will be presented during Week 10. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions assemblies and award ceremonies cannot take place and parents are unable to be onsite.
New Look Blue Merit Award
Due to a cost increase for printing the current blue merit award the size will change. The new look blue award will be smaller but the currency will remain the same.
5 Blue awards = 1 Gold award
New Medication Procedure
Following a review of the school sick bay and the dispensing of long term daily medications the school has been advised to update our medication procedure.
Commencing term 1, 2022 all long term medication must be provided to the school in a WEBSTER PACK containing one months supply per pack, clearly labelled with your child’s prescription, name, quantity and time medication is to be taken. The school advises that you consult with your GP or pharmacist to discuss the different styles of packs that will work best with your child’s medication.
Should your child require short term medication, no longer then one to two weeks, the webster pack is not required. Parents are to provide the medication in the bottle or packet that it is provided by the pharmacist with the prescription clearly labelled. All liquid medication requires a syringe or medicine cup to be provided for dispensing the medicine.
An ‘Authority to Dispense Medication’ form must be provided to the school for all prescribed and over the counter medications before any medication can be dispensed to your child. Parents can access this form via the school website and the school office.
Should you need to discuss this change in procedure in more detail please contact the school office (46548900) before the end of 2021 school year to ensure that your child’s medication is compliant for the commencement of the 2022 school year.
School photos will be held Friday, 3 December 2021. All orders will be taken via advanced life photography's website. Group, portrait and sibling photographs can be purchased by following the link below.
http://www.advancedlife.com.au/ and enter the school order code below:
| EPN 197 PN1 |
Sacramental Programs
Last weekend in our parish, we celebrated two Confirmation liturgies followed by six First Communion Masses. These are big moments for our children and an opportunity to connect to church, parish and family. Thank you to the twenty-two St Paul’s staff in combination with staff from St Clare’s Primary School for their attendance and support. By giving up their personal time on the weekend, they went beyond the call of duty. Thank you also to the families of the candidates. We continue to pray for these students and their families.
Confirmation
Congratulations to the candidates who were sealed with the fruits and gifts of the Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation some earlier this year and some on the weekend. Drawing upon the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our daily life, helps us to stay ‘on track’ and to ultimately find peace and contentment, as well as the strength and courage we need to more confidently make the difficult choices along the way. We encourage those confirmed to lean on their faith often and to go into the world ready to be the hands and feet of Jesus!
First Holy Communion
On First Communion Day we see our children take a new step in faith, as they share Communion with us for the first time. We are their first teachers in the ways of faith. The faith we hand on will be their strength through life.
Like Baptism, the Eucharist brings us into a closer association with our God. Each time we receive the Eucharist we become continually formed to the likeness of Christ. Nourished with Christ we become Christ for others. Through this sacred ritual, a distinct message is conveyed about, who we are and why we gather. When we gather in Jesus’ name, we proclaim that Jesus is present to us in an intensified manner. The proclamation that, “We are the Body of Christ” reminds us that we are the ones who are to take Christ to the world in which we live our life.
Congratulations to all of our students that received the Sacrament of the Eucharist on the weekend and to you, their families, who continue to nurture and guide them on their faith and life journey!
Thank You
Thank you to all of our families who generously donated to the Missions this year. Due to your generosity the St Paul's school community raised a total of $4729.36, with $3890.60 raised on the colours for mission fun day. These funds will be distributed throughout our charities as follows;
|
Catholic Missions |
$2000 |
|
Caritas |
$1500 |
|
St Vincent De Paul - Camden Branch |
$1500 |
St Vincent de Paul – Camden Branch - 2021 Food Appeal
This year St Vincent de Paul – Camden branch asked the school to assist them with providing needy families in our community with a Christmas hamper. We have provided a substantial donation to go towards this however if you wish to assist further you are invited to contribute. Please forward any items to your child’s class before Friday, 10 December 2021 to allow enough time for collection and disputation of the hampers by St Vincent de Paul.
Suggested Food Items –
| Christmas pudding or cake tin of ham candy canes fruit mince pies biscuits pastas sauce spaghetti/noodles jams or honey |
long life custard or cream |
cordial |
Suggested Personal Care Items –
|
Soap |
Toothpaste |
Soap |
On behalf of the families that will be helped by our school community, the St Vincent de Paul – Camden Branch would like to thank you for any support you can offer this year.
Maria Debrincat
Religious Education & Pastoral Care Coordinator
Families with children who have been baptised and who are in Year 2 at school or higher are welcome to collect a timeline next week after any of the Masses. Enrolment into the programme requires motivation, commitment, and belief in the teachings of the Catholic Church. A humility of heart and an openness to personal conversion are highly desirable.
Parents and carers are very much required to bring their children to Mass for the duration of the programme, acknowledging that this is an essential element in the process of preparation. This commitment might require sacrifice but it won’t cause any suffering.
Over the years it has been observable that the value of the penance programme to the candidates is somewhat diminished whenever parents and carers have been self-righteous and self-absorbed. Please only enrol children if open to learning, willing to make personal sacrifice and keen to embrace a positive attitude. Spiritual laziness and negativity are seriously harmful. Highly accomplished clinical psychologist, Scott Peck, contends that the very antithesis of love is not hate but laziness.
The penance programme will offer to families a wonderful opportunity for adults and children to share the faith. Besides the books, ‘Help Pages’ are provided to the parents and carers to empower them for this special time. The experience of personal confession and possible conversion should, therefore, be overwhelmingly positive.
The programme begins next week ~ the First Sunday of Advent ~ 27/28 November at weekend Masses. All are welcome but not on their own terms. The programme contains serious requirements. Parents and carers should be trusting of the clergy who, as in the case of Father Michael, has had over three decades of practical experience.
For the Penance programme in 2022, we will be taking registrations from 27/28 November Advent 2021. To enroll, simply register to attend Mass via the link on our homepage, then present the candidate to the volunteers after Mass, provide the candidate's name and collect a timetable.
Resilience
At school, a focus on emotional wellbeing and relationships has been critical to students’ ability to re-engage and learn, and important for their longer-term outcomes. Resilience is one skill that children need to help them adjust.
Resilience: what is it?
Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’ after challenges and tough times.
Resilience: why it’s good for children
Children who are resilient can recover from setbacks and get back to living their lives more quickly. And when children overcome setbacks and problems, it builds their confidence and helps them feel more capable the next time a problem comes up.
Building resilience in children
Children learn resilience through experience. Each time your child overcomes a problem, it builds their confidence in their ability to handle the next challenge.
Here are some ways you can build your child’s resilience:
- Support your child but try not to solve every minor problem or disappointment. For example, if your child doesn’t get invited to a birthday party or didn’t get what they want for their birthday, you could talk about how they feel instead of trying to fix the problem.
- Avoid predicting and preventing problems for your child. This might mean letting your child hand in homework that’s wrong or not replacing a broken toy. Overcoming small challenges builds your child’s resilience for bigger setbacks.
- Help your child to identify and manage strong emotions. For example, your child might be worried about a family member who’s sick. You could say, ‘I can see you’re really worried about Grandpa. It’s OK to be worried. But remember we’re doing everything we can to help him get better’.
- Encourage your child to have another go when things don’t work out the first time they try something. Praise your child for trying, no matter the result. You could say ‘I’m proud of you for finishing the race’ or ‘Well done for giving it another go’.
- Make it a habit to recognise and acknowledge when things are going well. For example, during family meals you could each share one positive thing from your day.
- Help your child to develop problem-solving skills in an age-appropriate way. For example, if a child at school says or does something unkind to your child, brainstorm how your child might respond next time.
Children develop resilience over time, so try to be patient and supportive while your child works out how to respond to challenges. You might want to make everything all right for your child, but sometimes your child has to go through uncomfortable feelings so they can work things out for themselves.
| Friday, 26 November 2021 | Swimming Carnival (Competitive nominated swimmers) | |
| Wednesday, 1 December 2021 | Canteen Caper Day | |
| Friday, 3 December 2021 | School Photos | |
| Wednesday, 8 December 2021 | 10:30am | Year 6 Farewell Mass - 10:30am |
| Wednesday, 8 December 2021 | 6:30pm | Year 6 Farewell Dinner |
| Monday, 13 & Tuesday, 14 December 2021 | Day Camp - Wedderburn Christian Campsite | |
| Wednesday, 15 December 2021 | Last Day of Term 4 for Students | |
| Friday, 17 December 2021 | Last Day of Term 4 for Staff | |
| Friday, 28 January 2022 | Term 1 Commences for Staff | |
| Tuesday, 1 February 2022 | Term 1 Commences for students (Years 1-6) |