Filter Content
- Principal's Message
- Assistant Principal's Message
- Religious Education Coordinator's Report
- Senior Leaders Report
- Positive Behaviour for Learning
- Professional Learning
- Important Information about Uniforms
- Sports Update
- Ace Awards, Principal Awards and Mary Mackillop Awards
- Celebration of Learning
- School Photos - New Date
- Working with Children Requirements
- Key Dates
- Grandparent's Day
- Premier's Reading Challenge
- Book Week - Save the Date
- Canteen News
- Community News
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a joy it was to celebrate Grandparents’ Day at St Paul’s on the 1 August. The smiles were endless as our grandparents enjoyed afternoon tea and visited classrooms with their grandchildren. These are memories that our children will treasure forever.
Last Friday, our whole school came together for Mass to honour the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Our students sang with such joy and reverence. I was deeply moved to receive a phone call from a new parishioner who wanted to share how impressed they were with our students. This was followed by a heartfelt acknowledgement from Fr Leo at Sunday Mass, a testament to the spirit and respect our students bring to every Mass.
On Monday, we hosted the System Leaders day for all of the Principals in the Diocese of Wollongong. Three students from Year 6, Chase, Mila and Ivy led the Principals in prayer. I want to acknowledge the students confidence, poise and excellent reading in front of such a large audience. A special thank you to Mrs Marsh for preparing the students for this event.
The System Leaders Day, is an important opportunity for all leaders within our diocese to come together and deepen our knowledge of current educational research. This collaborative learning supports Principals and their leadership teams in developing meaningful and evidence-informed annual school improvement goals for 2026, ensuring we continue to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our students.
Parent Feedback - School Vision, Mission and Charism
SCIENCE WEEK
The theme for National Science Week 2025 is "Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language." This theme focuses on mathematics, quantum science, and how we can use these tools to understand the world around us.
On Friday afternoon each grade will be participating in a number of science activities to explore this years theme.
BULLYING NO WAY WEEK
Bullying No Way Week is held 11–15 August 2025.
Bullying No Way Week is Australia's key bullying prevention initiative for schools.
It provides an opportunity for schools to create a shared understanding about bullying behaviours and share their bullying prevention policies and strategies.
The national week of action unites government, Catholic and independent schools and their communities across the country. Together, we can foster practical approaches to prevent bullying in Australian schools.
2025 theme
The theme for 2025 is 'Be bold. Be kind. Speak up.'
It takes courage to spark change.
Bullying is everyone's responsibility. It takes a community to be brave and address bullying behaviours, within and beyond the school gate.
Students can be bold, kind and take a stand to support others being bullied. While parents and teachers are there to support children and young people learn how to behave in a positive way.
In our community and in our school, we want a place where everyone can belong, a place that celebrates everyone, and where bullying is never accepted.
This Bullying No Way Week, we're asking students and families to be bold and say something, be kind and support someone, and be proud to take a stand against bullying.
NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL WORLD
ST MARY MACKILLOP FEAST DAY
On Friday 8th August, we celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop with Mass and activities. All students attended Mass and are to be commended on their participation and reverence. Thank you to those who donated boxed items for St Vincent de Paul.
FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
On Friday 15th August, Year 4, 5 and Year 6 will attend Mass in the Parish at 9:30am. Parents are welcome to join us.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SEASON OF CREATION
On the 1st September we will be celebrating the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation with a liturgy led by Kindergarten.
YEAR 6 MASS WITH THE BISHOP
Last Wednesday, Year 6 travelled to West Wollongong to celebrate Mass with the Bishop. It was a wonderful celebration with Year 6 showing reverence in Mass and engaging in Karaoke on the playground afterwards with Year 6 students from other schools.
CHRISTMAS ART
Catholic schools from the Diocese of Wollongong are invited to take part in The Christmas Story 2025 – a visual arts exhibition and competition for children in Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6).
Students in Year 5 and 6 will work on their artworks in class. It is essential that all artwork creation takes place on-site at school and no work is completed at home to ensure the authenticity of students' work.
Minimum size for artwork is 30cm x 40cm; Maximum size is 80cm x 120cm.
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 One.
Term 3
|
Week 4 |
Wednesday 13th August |
Year 4 |
|
Week 6 |
Wednesday 27th August |
Year 3 |
|
Week 8 |
Wednesday 10th September |
Year 1 |
|
Week 10 |
Wednesday 24th September |
Year 2 |
Mrs Jodi Marsh
Religious Education Coordinator
Senior Leaders Report
Good afternoon everyone, here are your senior leader reporter’s Logan and Magdalena.
On Monday, Science week started. This week we celebrate Australia's annual celebration of science and technology.
Congratulations to the students who represented our school at the South Coast Selection Trials yesterday. It was a fantastic day of competition, showcasing skill, determination, and great sportsmanship. We are proud of the effort and commitment you put into your events.
On Friday, grades 4,5,6 will have a Parish Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption.
On Wednesday last week, year six attended the Mass with the Bishop at St Therese West Wollongong with other schools in the diocese. It was great to interact with other students.
Last Friday, we celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. We followed this up with activities K-6.
This term we will will be inviting parents in for our Learning in Actions where parents can see us working on our learning in English, reading and writing.
These are the senior leaders signing out for the week! Magdalena and Logan.
PB4L
In Week 4, the PB4L focus is being respectful to adults and peers
The PB4L team has noticed an increase in behaviour recordings in students demonstrating disrespectful behaviour to staff and students.
The staff will spend time explicitly teaching students what disrespectful behaviour may look like in classrooms and playgrounds.
The teachers will
- Remind students of the expectations
- Reward and praise when students are demonstrating desired behaviour
Why are helmets important?
Helmets are designed to cushion and protect your head from the impact of a crash. Wearing a helmet reduces the chance of suffering a preventable brain injury. Research shows bicycle helmets can reduce head injuries by about 70% and reduce fatal head injuries by 65%.
Little riders must wear an approved helmet that is securely fitted and fastened. Be a STAR and check out the safety ratings before your next purchase.
A note for families - Adults are always responsible for the safety of the young children in their lives. Keep children safe by ensuring:
- they always wear an Australian standards-approved helmet
- their helmet is fitted correctly
- they always play and ride in a safe place, off the road and away from vehicles and driveways • they have an adult there to supervise.
Early Career Teachers at St Paul’s
We are so fortunate to have dedicated and enthusiastic Early Career Teachers as part of our team at St Paul’s.
Our Early Career Teachers participate in a mentoring program supported by the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Wollongong, and by us here at St Paul’s. This week, the Early Career Teachers, together with Mrs Staff, our Instructional Coach, attended professional learning focused on their teaching goals.
The sessions explored Student Engagement and Student Agency, led by experienced teachers from across the Diocese. Our teachers also had the opportunity to share the strategies they have successfully implemented in their classrooms to promote engagement and empower students in their learning.
An important part of this program is networking with other Early Career Teachers in the Diocese, allowing our teachers to learn from each other and grow in their professional practice. This collaborative learning is a valuable part of their ongoing development and helps ensure our students receive high-quality teaching.
Uniform Requirements
I would like to kindly remind everyone about the importance of our school uniform policy. Wearing the uniform with pride helps foster a strong sense of belonging and unity among our students.
Parents, we ask for your ongoing support in encouraging your child to come to school each day dressed according to our uniform guidelines, including general appearance and haircut expectations.
Our uniform policy applies to all school events and activities, including (but not limited to) sporting competitions, academic events, excursions, and community engagements. Students are expected to meet the uniform and appearance requirements in full on these occasions.
Failure to comply with the uniform policy on such occasions will result in students being withdrawn from the event. It's essential for all students to understand and respect these guidelines, as they reflect our school's values and commitment to maintaining a positive and cohesive environment.
Parents, we understand that students rely on you to provide the correct and clean uniform each day. If you require support with second-hand uniforms, please reach out to our school office as we are here to help.
Teachers as per our policy will remind students and parents about any aspects of the uniform that needs correcting. Teachers will communicate these reminders through Compass notifications.
If your child has lost a uniform item, please check our lost property, as we currently have a large number of items unclaimed. To help us return belongings to their owners, please remember to label your child’s clothing and belongings clearly.
Thank you for partnering with us in supporting your child to take pride in their appearance and represent St Paul’s positively. If you have any questions or concerns about the uniform requirements, please feel free to contact your child's teacher or the grade/stage leaders.
ACE Awards:
Ella 1B
Lexie 2R
Nikiiah 2R
Ethan 3B
Zachary 3R
Max 3B
Eva M 4B
Jaxxon 4R
Sophia O 4B
Ivy 4B
Zoe 5R
Principal's Awards:
Ella 1B
Nikiiah 2R
Lexie 2R
Sophia O 4B
Ivy 4B
Mary MacKillop Awards:
Ivy 4B
Sophia O 4B
Kindergarten Celebration of Learning
Parent Volunteers
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.
Upcoming Key Dates for St Paul's
| Monday 18 August | Year 4 Learning in Action |
| Wednesday 20 August | Staff Development Day |
| Thursday 21 August | Year 4 Learning in Action |
| Friday 22 August | Year 2 Grade Mass |
| Wednesday 27 August | Year 5 Learning in Action |
| Monday 25 August | Book Week Parade |
| Friday 29 August | South Coast Soccer Gala Day Year 3-6 |
| Friday 29 August | Year 1 Grade Mass |
| Wednesday 3 September | School Photos |
| Thursday 4 September | Father's Day BBQ |
| Tuesday 16 September | Kindergarten Learning in Action |
| Wednesday 17 September | Year 2 Learning in Action |
| Friday 26 September | Colour Fun Run |
Premier's Reading Challenge Closes - Friday, 19 September 2025 (Week 9, Term 3)
Congratulations to all students in Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2 who are completing the Premier's Reading Challenge as classes. Congratulations also to those students in Years 3 - 6 who have completed the challenge individually so far. Students have been given an additional four weeks to complete the reading challenge this year. For those students still completing the challenge all reading records needed to be logged on the PRC Website by 19 September 2025. If you require any assistance, please contact Mrs Schulz or Mrs Harb.
Book Week
Get your costumes ready!
Bookweek Parade Monday 25th August 9-10am Front Playground.
Parents are warmly invited to attend our parade!
Create a Book Cover Competition
Students are encouraged to participate in a Create a Book Cover Competition.
Details: Students create a new and original book cover (including front and back) for a favourite book.
They need to include Title and Author.
Years 3-6 Need to include a Blurb on the back (this can be an original blurb).
They may submit this as a digital book cover or as an A4 Page.
Prizes will be awarded for each class.
Entries are due to class teachers by Thursday 21st August.
Book Fair - This year we are having a Book Fair!
- The Book Fair will be set up at the back of the hall.
- Classes will visit and create a wish list to take home and share with families on Friday 29th August. Students will not be purchasing books.
- Our fair will be open before and after school. Parents will be invited to our book fair to purchase from Monday 1st September to Thursday 4th September, times to be advised.
Canteen - August Specials!
Cheese or Pepperoni Pizzas (home made) $5.00+
Oak Milks now available $2.95. Hot lunch available from just $3.00.
New range is 6” sub $7.00
New Good Food Hero home made meals available $6.00 Butter Chicken or Pasta Bolognaise
Ice blocks and snacks available over the counter, bring a $2.00 coin!
See the full menu and order online at: https://myschoolconnect.com.au/
Take A Break Tuckshop is open from Tuesday to Friday. Online order cut off is 8:30am
Cash orders also accepted over the counter before 9:30am.
Eftpos available for staff and parents.
DINO NUGGIES CANTEEN MEAL DEAL –FRIDAYS ONLY!
5 x Dino Nuggets + Fruit Juice Popper $6.00
Orders can be placed online: https://myschoolconnect.com.au
NEW: Pizzas available everyday!
