Dear Parents/Carers,

As I begin to draft the second newsletter for the year I am mindful and reflective about the first month of school.  Kindergarten has settled in remarkably well.  Routines for all grades are established and hopefully the same is happening at home.  I am constantly reminded how busy a teacher's life is when they return to school.  On average they attend at least two meetings every week outside of the regular school hours.  In addition, they begin to assess the students, reflect on learning needs, adjust their teaching program accordingly and take on additional responsibilities (Mini Vinnies, Garden Club, preparation for sporting events etc).  I look at their commitment to their work and your children with the greatest admiration.  In addition, we have had our first whole school liturgy where the school captains and student leaders were presented with their badges. The captains were also presented with their blazers, needed when attending formal functions, representing the school.  They are so excited about their sense of service to the students and school community.  I need to congratulate them on their start to a leadership journey that I am expecting to continue well beyond St Paul’s.  They will bring a strong sense of belonging to the other students at St Paul’s, which through their influence will offer the children some community which is welcoming and stable in a very complex world beyond the school gate.  Bonding of students occurs when they experience an affinity for the school as a place where they are recognised as people and feel linked with others.  A significant part of the student leaders' work is to offer support and affirmation for each little person at St Paul’s.  The student leaders will come to learn that their presence in the school community is significant to the group and they have a real contribution to make to its growth.

A sense of belonging for our students is naturally nurtured most by the staff and you, the parents.  I am very much aware of how my speech patterns with children should reflect respect for the child and allow the child psychological space for response.  I try to model this to staff and the students and this is critical in building nurturing relationships.  My tongue may be healing or hurting and this is a huge responsibility.  Maybe there is something here for all of us to reflect on, especially as we begin a new year.  The questions below you may find helpful, they have been to me personally.

Do I speak to the situation or the child’s character?

How do I express disappointment or anger with the children?

How conscious am I of the power of  the non-verbals I’m using?

Do I acknowledge what the child has said?

Do I invite co - operation in my speech?

Do I use sarcasm?

Do I just be dismissive with the child and not take them seriously?

Go gently,

Michael Reardon
Principal

Principal Awards

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

Cameron Grech, Massimo Costa, Alyssa Marra, Phoenix Leetch, Jai Reuben, Florence Sartor, Scarlett Daly, Jett Wisby, Pasquale Oliva, Parker King, Oliver Lawrence, Kiera Cassone, Olivia Puckrin.

Curriculum

Homework

Homework is distributed to students via Google Classroom. Please follow the instructions below to support your child in logging into Google Classroom.

Logging into Google Classroom

Please follow these steps below to log into your Google Classroom.

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4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click - Student Google Login

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7. Click nine dots - top right hand corner not classroom folder

8. Click Google Classroom icon not folder

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10. Following your initial login you can also use - classroom.google.com using student email address.

Teacher professional learning

Teaching is a dynamic profession and, as new knowledge about teaching and learning emerges, new types of expertise are required by educators. 

Teacher professional learning (TPL) helps teachers gain insight into and knowledge of their craft. It encourages the development of new ways of thinking about content and new approaches to teaching. This will substantially affect student achievement over a sustained period of time. Changes in teaching practice and improved student achievement need to be observed and/or measured.

In the past 4 weeks many of the St Paul’s teaching staff have already engaged in professional learning to deepen knowledge and strengthen their pedagogy in research and evidence based practice. 

St Paul’s has delivered professional learning in the following areas:

• Word Study
• Using the Learning Progressions to plan for differentiated teaching
• Letters and Sounds
• New Staff Induction
• Coaching & Mentoring

Sheereen Brunetta 
Assistant Principal

Ash Wednesday - Lent - Project Compassion

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday, is so called because ash, made by burning palm crosses, was mixed with oil and used to make the sign of the cross on a person’s forehead. Talk to your children about the meaning of Ash Wednesday. In the Old Testament, the ashes represented repentance. Ashes are a public sign that we desire to live in Christ and to follow Christ. The ashes also symbolise grief for our sins.

Lent is intended to be a time to renew and prepare ourselves to receive the fullness of the resurrection. Yet before there can be the joy and exuberance of new life, first there must be death - death to selfishness, death to mean-spiritedness, death to anything that serves ourselves rather than others. To prepare our minds and hearts for the joyous celebration of new life and energy of Easter, we can experience Lent as a kind-of spiritual makeover time. Personal pledges to forgo favourite foods, to fast, to give to charity and to extend our prayer time are simple and effective ways to re orientate our hearts towards life and love.

At St Paul’s school, we will be celebrating Lent through various activities. We begin with Mass on Ash Wednesday for classes Years 3 to 6. Our Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2 classes will attend a liturgy where they will receive the Ashes. On Tuesday, 7 March 2023, we will celebrate another liturgy to help us further focus on Lent. All classes will focus on a Lenten unit in their RE lessons. We will also be encouraging our students to support Project Compassion. Today, two of our student leaders  accompanied Mr Reardon and myself to attend the annual Caritas launch for Project Compassion. On St Patrick’s feast day, as it falls during Lent, we will ask students to wear something green with their uniform and bring an extra donation for Caritas.  

Each class will receive a Project Compassion box to keep in their prayer spaces for the duration of Lent. This box serves as a reminder to us all to keep our brothers and sisters from around the world in our prayers and to think about what money we can go without in order to support them. Should you like to keep a Project Compassion box in your homes during Lent, these are available from the church from this weekend. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. In support of Project Compassion, we are asking all students and staff to help us raise money and offer hope to the millions of families who fight for justice, peace and survival every single day.

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today, extends to impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of Project Compassion.

This appeal is an extraordinary, ongoing demonstration of the faith, love and generosity of the Catholic congregation and caring supporters throughout Australia, all in the name of justice and peace.

Embrace Project Compassion 2023.

A Lenten Prayer

Lord Jesus, desert dweller,
help us now, at this time of Lent, to accompany you.
As we walk, God, be our way.
As we learn, God, be our truth.

As we grow God, be our life.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Maria Debrincat
Religious Education and Pastoral Care Coordinator

Since the students have returned to school, they have been focussing on re-establishing strong routines within the classrooms and across the playground. They have been working hard at learning the new expectations of the grade. This helps to maintain environments that are conducive to learning.

Each fortnight students will continue to have a school wide target that will be linked to the data collected from the classroom and playground. Children will be explicitly taught the target and provided opportunities to practise it. 

This year students will have an opportunity to practise mindfulness through a variety of activities including:

A decade of the Rosary	Students pray 1 Lord’s Prayer, followed by 10 Hail Mary’s and 1 Glory Be.They reflect on one of the Sacred Mysteries.
Journaling	Students are given a focus on which they have some time to reflect and respond with writing and drawing.
Finger Labyrinth	A labyrinth is a pattern of pathways that weave in a circle around a central point. Children are encouraged to follow through the pathways to get to the centre.This is an ancient spiritual tool designed to foster contemplation and spiritual transformation.
Mindfulness breathing/colouring in	The idea is simply to focus your attention on your breathing—to its natural rhythm and flow and the way it feels on each inhale and exhale.

St Paul’s has worked extremely hard at establishing strong behaviour expectations. On occasion redirections may need to occur. These will be dealt with on a school based level. On occasion, parents may be informed of behaviour related incidents which would require your support. We look forward to working in partnership with you in supporting our policy and practice.

February P&F Meeting Minutes

March P&F Meeting and AGM - Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Executive Positions. These four positions are declared vacant and filled at each Annual General Meeting (AGM). If you wish to nominate for a position, please complete the attached form and return to the school office before Monday, 6 March 2023.