Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to school for Term 4. I hope you all had a lovely and refreshing break. It was wonderful to see our students returning happy and eager to reconnect with their teachers and friends. We look forward to a term filled with engaging learning and fun activities.

We have many events planned for Term 4. This Friday we have our Crazy Sock Day. I am looking forward to seeing the creativity of our students and staff as we use this day to fundraise to support Catholic Mission Month. 

On Monday, we welcomed our 2026 Kindergarten students for their playgroups. We have our Kindergarten Orientation on Thursday 20 November. This is a great opportunity for us to meet with parents and share important information for starting school in 2026.

In the coming weeks teachers will begin writing the end of semester reports where they will share the learning gains for Terms 3 and 4.

We have our end of year events including our Christmas Concert and Awards. Our Creative Arts teacher will be preparing our students throughout this term. We have our Talent Show and Year 6 Graduation and excursion to Jamberoo.

All dates are on our Parent Calendar which is located on our webpage. Below our the start and terms dates for 2026.

As we look ahead to the end of the year and plan for 2026, we require your urgent assistance with two key administrative items:

1. Leaving Families: If your family will be leaving the school at the end of 2025, please ensure you complete the Google Form below by Friday 24 October.

2. 2026 Class Placements: We are currently gathering information for class placements for the 2026 school year. Please complete the Google Form below by Friday 31 October.

Kind regards,

Angela Pecnik

Principal

Year 4 2026 iPad orders

St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School has been successfully running the one-to-one school managed iPad program for a number of years with Year Four, Year Five and Year Six students. Each year the school has recommended that students have an iPad for use in Year Four, Year Five and Year Six. 

The School-Managed iPad Program will be in place for all students from Year 4- Year 6 in the 2026 school year. This means that the school organises the purchase of the latest device available at the time for students entering Year 4. They then place the School Manager Program on the device to assist with settings, security and the purchasing of apps. Parents and carers then pay for the device in instalments as part of school fees over a two-year period and when your child leaves St Paul’s the iPad is set to manufacturer settings.

Further details have been sent home to parents and carers today.

All current Year 3 families (students in Year 4 2026) are asked to complete the iPad order form using the following link: 2026 Year 4 School-Managed iPad Program Order Form by Wednesday 19th November 2025.

Digital Safety Alert: The Importance of Parental Controls 

In today's connected world, our primary school students are often spending time on devices for learning and fun. To ensure their online experiences are positive and safe, we want to remind all parents and carers about the importance of parental controls.

Parental controls are essential tools that help you:

• Block inappropriate content

• Manage screen time

• Control in-app purchases

• Monitor who your child can communicate with

These controls, combined with open conversations and active supervision, create a safer online environment for your child.

Where to Find Help

The eSafety Commissioner's website (esafety.gov.au) is the best Australian resource for practical, up-to-date advice.

We strongly encourage you to visit their Parental Controls section for easy-to-follow guides on setting controls for:

• Phones and tablets (Apple, Android)

• Gaming consoles and platforms

• Apps and social media

Setting up these controls is a crucial step in teaching your child to be a responsible digital citizen.

OCTOBER - MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY

October is known as the Month of the Holy Rosary, a time for Catholics to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary through prayer, particularly the Rosary. The month is dedicated to Mary in gratitude for her protection of the Church. 

During her appearances at Fatima in 1917, Our Lady asked the three children Lucy, Francesco and Jacinta to pray the Rosary reverently every day especially for world peace then extended this request to all faithful.

The Hail Mary will be prayed each week in class. 

CRAZY SOCK DAY - SOCKTOBER

On Friday 24th October we will celebrate Crazy Sock Day to raise funds for Catholic Mission.

Here in Australia, October marks World Mission Month, a celebration of the global work of the Church and the dedication of missionaries, both religious and lay, as they reach out and support children and communities in need around the world. In 2025, Socktober is raising funds for communities in Zambia, to help ensure children have access to food and education, giving them the chance to build a brighter future.

The Mini Vinnies team are promoting this event and ask for a gold coin donation from students wearing crazy socks.

ASSEMBLIES 2025

Each grade will have the opportunity to present an assembly fortnightly on Wednesday afternoons in the hall at 2:30pm. ACE, Principal and Mary MacKillop Awards will be presented at these assemblies. Parents are welcome to attend. Please see below the dates for Semester Two.

Term 4

CHRISTMAS ART

Unfortunately, no student artworks from St Paul’s were successful in being chosen to be displayed at the Wollongong Art Gallery. A selection of artworks from across the diocese will be on display at the Gallery until the end of October if you wish to view the talent on display.

Mrs Jodi Marsh

Religious Education Coordinator

PB4L Focus Term 4 Week 2 - Appropriate reactions in games

The PB4L team has reviewed student behaviour during playtimes and sporting activities. Through our observations and data, we identified that some students are experiencing challenges in demonstrating appropriate emotional responses and displaying positive sportsmanship. 

Staff will:

• Reward and praise when students are demonstrating desired behaviour
• Encourage and explicitly teach positive reactions and positive sportsmanship
• Model and explicitly teach appropriate reactions during games and sport

Good afternoon everyone, these are your senior leaders signing in for the term, Sienna and Harrison. We’re in term 4 already and there are only 56 days till the school year is finished. WOW already, time flies! Our focus for this term is the value of inclusion it is important to be inclusive in our words and actions. 

On Wednesday the 15th many year 6 students participated in reconciliation. At reconciliation we confessed our sins and father Leo forgave them.

On Friday the 17th, 2 days after reconciliation, year 6 and year 10 from St Josephs  participated in a mass at the church. Where our priest father Leo shared with us the scriptures. In father leos homilie he reminded us that God has given us all free will to make our own choices. It is important that we remember this especially when we are at school.

Tomorrow on the 23 of October Charlotte W from year five and Abbey M from year six, will go to Nazzarath to compete in the speech competition. Charlotte’s topic was mirror’s: true reflections, and guess how her speech started, mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all, what a coincidence am I right? Abbey's topic was social media: is it social, and Abbey's speech was about social media can be positive as it connects us with family and friends, but sometimes it can be harmful if not used correctly.

Crazy sock day is coming near it is on the 24th of october yes friday this week. This is where students and teachers get the chance to wear crazy socks for a gold coin donation which is raising money for catholic mission month. Our school this year  is raising funds to help the people of Zimbabwe.

On the 29th we have world teachers day at St Pauls, so be sure to thank your teachers for doing everything they do, and for helping you. Top tip: be extra kind to make sure your teachers have a great day.

On the 31th of October we have the camp quality Puppet show. The puppet show teaches us about cancer, and answers any question that we have, in a fun and friendly way. This will be the first year that camp quality comes to St Pauls. We are very excited for the puppet show and we hope you are too!

On Monday the 20th of October our kindergarten playgroups for 2026 started. It was great to see all our students and families connecting. 

These are you senior leaders signing out for the week, Sienna and Harrison, have an amazing term!

ACE Awards:
Ella 1B
Skye 2B
Oliver S 2B
Amelia P 2B
Halle 2B
Evie 3B
Hayden 3B
Vai 3R
Stefan 3R
Alana 4R
Alastair 5R
Hazel 5R
Ava A 5R
Diontae 6R

Principal's Awards:
Skye 2B
Oliver S 2B
Amelia P 2B
Halle 2B
Alana 4R

Mary MacKillop Awards:
Alana 4R

CSNSW K-12 Curriculum Reform Conference

During the school holidays the Leadership Team at St Paul's were privledged to attend the CSNSW K-12 Curriculum Reform Conference at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

This two-day professional learning event brought together educators from across NSW to explore how the new curriculum reforms will benefit our students.

The conference focused on implementing the NSW curriculum reform in Catholic schools, with a special emphasis on "enlivening hearts and minds." Over 40 educational leaders and experts shared insights on curriculum design, teaching methods, assessment practices, and maintaining our Catholic educational mission while meeting new state requirements.

Guest speaker Libby Denny facilitated important conversations about continuing our "journey together" in curriculum reform, helping educators reflect on how these changes support student learning and wellbeing.

The NSW curriculum reform aims to ensure students are well-prepared to contribute meaningfully to society and the world. At this conference, our teachers gained practical strategies and resources to:

• Bring the curriculum to life in engaging ways
• Develop the whole child: intellectually, spiritually, ethically, physically, and creatively
• Implement assessment practices that truly measure student growth
• Maintain our distinctly Catholic approach to education within the new framework

Here are a few snapshots from the conference...

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are looking forward to our Term 4 disco on Friday 7 November. The theme for the disco is SPOOKY Friday. Below is a link to My School Connect where you can pay for the disco online. The cost is $5 and your child will receive two glow sticks.

Infants disco 4.45pm - 5.45pm

Primary disco 6pm - 7pm

https://myschoolevent.com.au/event/st-pauls-catholic-parish-primary-school-spooky-disco-term-4/

On the night please provide your child with a drink bottle, so they can keep hydrated throughout the event.

Warm regards,

P & F Committee

Have you completed our volunteer onboarding process?

Before volunteering at any St Paul's events or gala days Parents will need to complete the volunteer induction process. Please see the below link.

As the 2025 school year draws to a close the school would like to remind parents of the current medication procedure.

All long term medication must be provided to the school by a parent or carer in a WEBSTER PACK containing one month's 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 than 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 and dosage pre-drawn to be provided for dispensing the medicine. 

A ‘Request to Administer 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 at the school office.

The school will be making contact with parents in the coming weeks in regards to the collection of medication on the last day of school for those students leaving. If your child is returning to St Paul's in 2026 and your medication will still be in date for Term 1 you will not be contacted.  Should you want to collect this medication on the last day of school please email the school via info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au so your medication is ready for parent collection.

Kristie Bicknell

Senior School Support Officer

1.              New $8.00 combo deals – saving 15% (Available everyday Tuesday to Friday)

2.              Bakery Friday – Enjoy fresh delivered pies and sausage rolls every Friday from Tahlia’s Bakery in Shellharbour Village

3.              WIN a $50 canteen credit on your my school connect, competition drawn Friday 31^st October – see Take A Break Tuckshop Facebook Page!