In Parishes throughout the Diocese of Wollongong we celebrated The Transfiguration of the Lord in Ordinary Time Year A. The reflection by Loyola Press explains that last Sunday's Gospel reading Jesus takes three of his disciples—Peter, James, and John—to a high mountain. While they are there, Elijah and Moses appear and converse with Jesus. Elijah and Moses are both significant figures in the history of Israel. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and received from Yahweh the Ten Commandments. Moses represents the Law, which guides the lives of the Jewish people. Elijah is one of the most important prophets of Israel who helped the Israelites stay faithful to Yahweh, and some believed that Elijah’s return would signal the coming of the Messiah for the Jewish people. The appearance of these two figures from Israel’s history indicated Jesus’ continuity with the Law and the prophets. They also reveal that Jesus is the fulfilment of all that was promised to the people of Israel. Upon witnessing Jesus’ Transfiguration and seeing Jesus with Elijah and Moses, an awestruck Peter offered to construct three tents for them when a voice from Heaven affirms that Jesus is "my beloved Son" and commands the disciples to listen to him. 

Jesus instructed the disciples to keep secret what they had seen until after "the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." Until they witnessed Jesus’ Passion and Death, the disciples could not possibly understand what he meant by being "raised from the dead." We, however, have the benefit of hindsight. In our hearing of the Transfiguration Gospel, we see an anticipation of Jesus’ Resurrection, a foreshadowing of Christ’s glory in Heaven, and the promise of our own resurrection.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday  the 8th August St Paul’s celebrated the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillopwith a Liturgy of the Word. The teaching of Jesus, conveyed through the gospel passage, characterised much of the life and work of Mary MacKillop.  Mary was a prolific writer, sending messages to her sisters in the schools and communities across Australia. Two of the quotes attributed to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop that capture the essence of the teaching of Jesus is, “Do all you can with the means at your disposal and calmly leave the rest to God.” and “Never see a need without doing something about it.”

At this special time each year, we give thanks for the life of Mary MacKillop, her influence on our world and her legacy as a woman of inspiration and deep faith. She was canonised a saint of the universal church on 17 October 2010, becoming Australia's first saint. 

Catholic education has a long history in the Albion Park community and St Paul’s. The school was established in 1882 by the Sisters of St Joseph to serve the needs of the Albion Park Catholic community. Initially known as St Joseph’s, the single building school commenced with three Sisters and fifty students. In 1925, the beginnings of the present school were built, Bishop William Hayden of the Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese, a former Parish Priest, officially opened these. Since 1882 the school has grown to accommodate the expanding rural district as well as to serve the many families engaged in the various industries of the area. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Jodi Marsh, Mrs Rebecca Nunes, Mrs Annalise Hastings, Miss Eliza Treble and the students in Year 4 who planned and led our Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word was an opportunity to celebrate the Feast day of Australia’s first saint and the many contributions that the Sisters of St Joseph have made to our school community.  As we continue the work of Catholic education, may we never forget their dedication and commitment, and may we be strengthened by our rich history, as we walk in the footsteps of Saint Mary MacKillop and her Sisters. 

St Paul's school which was named St Joseph's was established in 1882. The photo above was taken in 1925.

Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop visited our school in 1899

A Professional Learning Day with Professor Emeritus Helen Timperley

On Wednesday 2nd August all school leaders in the Diocese of Wollongong came together to learn from Professor Emeritus Helen Timperley. Professor Timperley shared her deep knowledge and experience of school improvement and the conditions required in schools to ensure continuous improvement in faith, learning and well-being for all students.

The Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong’s approach to Continuous Catholic School Improvement is at the heart of our diocesan strategic plan, Lighting The Way 23+ and Professor Timperley’s key message to all leaders was to keep school improvement simple, practical and focused on the main thing improving student outcomes. As part of the professional learning day Professor Timperley interviewed a school regarding their school improvement progress and St Paul’s was chosen.  Mrs Rebecca Nunes, Mrs Belinda Evans and I had the pleasure to be interviewed by Professor Timperley regarding the progress of St Paul’s Annual Improvement Goal in Mathematics- Teachers will have a deep understanding of the aspects of place value and implement evidence-based strategies for teaching Representing Number so that all students demonstrate growth in place value.

A number of key points were discussed focused on students and their learning, teachers and their teaching and the school and its culture including: 

*Big Ideas in Mathematics, *Number Talks, *Student Meta cognition, *Place Value and the NSW Curriculum *Assessment, *Teacher Professional Planning, *Pedagogical Practices Linked to Student Growth and Attainment, *Parent and Carer Connection

I would like to acknowledge the leadership of Mrs Belinda Evans, Mrs Alexandra Hingston and Miss Eliza Treble who support our teachers and students, parents and carers as we collectively work together progressing this goal. 

Diocese of Wollongong Bearers of Christ’s Love Mid Season Report

The Catholic Diocese of Wollongong has completed a Mid Season Report titled Who We Are Bearers of Christ’s Love. Bishop Brian notes that “Together we share a vision to meet the spiritual, educational, welfare, social and pastoral needs of all who choose to call the diocese their home.” The report features statistics on the many services that the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong perform for many communities. The St Paul's school and parish community are certainly proud to call the Diocese of Wollongong home.

Yours in Faith and Learning,

Michelle Rodwell

Principal

Acknowledgement to Country

St Paul's Albion Park acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people past and present, the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built.

At the beginning of this term, teachers met to collaborate and plan ways to teach students interpersonal skills. The collaborative planning sessions involved grade teachers and leaders looking at various sources to determine the skills students have in place and ways they can support a range of skills for students.

Staff altered their programs to teach interpersonal skills. They also create small group instruction and one-to-one support for individual students to meet their needs.

All classes have been working on starting their day in a positive way and instilling the values required for respectful relationships through the Welcome Circle. This is a short opportunity for teachers and students to build connections and create a positive, welcoming environment.

All classes are working on a 'Ready to Learn' Scale. This is a rating system that requires students to identify their emotions and be aware of themselves and if they are ready to learn. Staff can easily identify students who may need support to get ready to learn. 

We thank those parents and carers that attended the Parent Workshop around Social and Emotional Learning. It was a great opportunity to dialogue about supporting your child together through a consistent approach to self-regulation.

St Paul's values homework as a partnership with parents to practise, extend and consolidate skills. It provides an opportunity for students in planning and organising time.

Home reading is an important component of homework for primary school students. Reading at home to and with adults, and/or independently is an essential part of each student’s learning and reading development. 

Engaging in reading or listening to someone read is vital for early literacy development. Research would indicate that regular reading over time exposes students to a range of vocabulary and language features that assist them to perform higher in standardized testing such as NAPLAN.

St Paul's Homework Policy asks students from K-6 to read regularly. If your child is a reluctant reader please reach out to their teacher who can discuss widening their reading through newspapers, magazines, library books, or reference materials.

Do not forget the power of modeling reading for your child. Reading aloud exposes children to language features and helps them in the same ways as them reading a text. It has the added benefit of building a bond between the reader and the child.

St_Paul_s_Catholic_POLICY_Homework.pdf

St_Paul_s_Catholic_POLICY_Homework _pdf 1.77 MB

St Paul’s Catholic Primary School follows the charism of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. On Tuesday we celebrated the Feast Day of Australia’s First Saint with a school liturgy led by Year 4.

The original school of St Paul’s Albion Park, that consisted of one large room and a verandah, was established in 1882 with three religious sisters of St Joseph sent by Mother Mary MacKillop at the request of the parish priest, Rev Fr Augustus William Petre. With an enrolment of approximately 40 students, two Sisters did the teaching duties and the third Sister of St Joseph looked after the convent. For over 40 years the Sisters taught in one large room.

Mother Mary MacKillop visited the Albion Park Parish on the 8th March 1899. She spoke with the Sisters of St Joseph that were present at Albion Park and examined the school.

On the 15th August we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. The Feast of the Assumption celebrates the belief that the body and soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken into heaven after the end of her earthly life. Mary’s assumption into heaven is seen by many as a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to all faithful servants; that they too will be received into the kingdom of God. Mary is seen as the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all disciples; it is fitting that she receives the gift of discipleship first of all. Belief in the Assumption of Mary had become widespread by the end of the seventh century and was eventually defined in an infallible statement by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

On Tuesday 15th August, Year 5 and Year 6 will attend Mass in the Parish at 9:30am. Parents are welcome to join us.

Each grade will have the opportunity to present an assembly fortnightly on Friday 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 the remainder of the year. 

Term 3

Term 4

Mrs Jodi Marsh

Religious Education Coordinator

Our current PB4L focus is afternoon dismissal. Staff have had the opportunity to explicitly teach students expectations around afternoon dismissal. I would like to thank parents for their support with afternoon dismissal. Just a reminder that when collecting your child from the Front Playground or Back Gate, your car must be parked and parents must enter the school grounds to collect their child/ren. If this is a new procedure we encourage you to speak to your children about this change. This is so we can ensure the safety of all students at St Paul’s. Please refer to the below matrix for student, staff and parent expectations. 

I would like to thank the large number of parents who joined Mrs Nunes, Mrs Rodwell and myself at last week’s SEL Parent Workshop. It was great to get the opportunity to upskill our parent community about social and emotional learning. The workshop provided parents with information around self-regulation. Self regulation is the ability to control and manage feelings and emotions. As children grow they should develop in their ability to regulate themselves. When children are feeling frustrated, angry, distressed it is important that we provide them with the opportunity to regulate their emotions. One strategy we talked about at the Parent Workshop was Mindful Breathing. When students are engaging in mindful breathing they are encouraged to pay attention to the sensation of each breath: how it feels when the air enters or leaves the body; the sight of the rise and fall of their chest; and the sound their breathing makes as the air moves in and out of their bodies. They can do this by using one of the below strategies:

In Week 3 and 4 have been focusing on ‘Ready to Learn Scale’. The Ready to Learn Scale is a proactive tool that classroom teachers use to support students to gain clarity and capacity to self-control before things escalate. It is a tool students can use to identify where they are having difficult emotions or feelings that they would like to address.

Our next PB4L focus will be around 'How to get help'. This will be very fitting during Week 5 and Week 6 as we will also be celebrating National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. On Wednesday 16th August we are asking students to come to school wearing their favourite superhero outfit (or symbol). Students will be asked to bring in a gold coin donation and funds will be donated to Bully Zero. 

Miss Alana Stroligo 

On Monday the 7th of August, St Paul's acknowledged Australian Primary Principal's Day. At the Morning Assembly, we celebrated our wonderful Principal, Mrs Rodwell and all the hard work she does for our students, staff and wider community. Our School Captains Poppy and Dante have written and short message acknowledging all that Mrs Rodwell has done and continues to do for St Paul's: 

As a student at St Paul’s I know first hand how Mrs Rodwell has made our school a safer and more inclusive place to learn. Mrs Rodwell has done so much for our school. Mrs Rodwell has done so much for the children in year 6 like, accompanying us to Mass with Bishop Brian and giving us the opportunity to go to Year 6 Camp. But she doesn’t stop at Year 6 Mrs Rodwell has done so much for the whole school like supporting us during the athletics carnival, cross country and swimming carnival. If I had to summarise Mrs Rodwell in just a few words I would say she is a compassionate and considerate principal. I know that Mrs Rodwell always and I mean always puts other students first and also pushes them to their hardest no matter what. Mrs Rodwell listens to others ideas and has a solution to any problem that comes her way. She is always approachable and supportive to all students. She displays the faith of Christ in all interactions with the staff, parents and students at St Paul’s. 

Poppy and Dante

ACE AWARDS

Max 1 Blue

Eva 2 Red

Tyson 3 Blue

Alastair 3 Red

Lukas 3 Blue

Sofia 3 Blue

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Ava 2 Red

Emily 2 Red

Lorcan 2 Blue

Ava 6 Blue

MARY MACKILLOP AWARDS

Matthew 5 Red

Andrew 5 Blue

Throughout the year teachers have access to a variety of quality professional development opportunities. Casual teachers are employed to cover classes with the teacher ensuring the teaching program and routines are followed. 

“Those who dare to teach, never cease to learn” John Cotton-Dana

Our teachers have continued to implement targeted teaching small group lessons in Mathematics using the Outcomes of Representing Number around the 6 aspects of Place Value. The students across K-6 have been working with various-sized numbers and decimals to deepen their knowledge in reading, writing and representing numbers.

The six aspects of place value:

1. Count
2. Make and Represent
3. Name and Record
4. Compare and Order
5. Calculate
6. Rename

During this week, our teachers will have the valuable opportunity to closely collaborate with Bridgeen Pritchard, a specialist in mathematics education. Together, they will engage in reflective practices, through collaboration to develop and plan engaging Mathematics lessons for our students.

GOAL: 

Teachers will have a deep understanding of the aspects of place value and implement evidence-based strategies for teaching Representing Number so that all students demonstrate growth in place value.

Here are some pictures of the work that has been happening in classrooms during targeted Mathematics lessons:

Mrs Belinda Evans

Could all parents and carers please contact the school office if there is any change to your child's school dismissal/pick up arrangements. Students will not be able to leave with any other parents or carers if the school office has not been notifiied prior to 3:15pm. We thank all our parents and carers for supporting our school with transparent communication about our students dismissal/ school pick up arrangements.

Please ensure when your contact details change to email the info account, so we have a record of the new details. info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au

If there has been any change of information in relation to your child, please contact the office as soon as possible.  This could include change in emergency contacts, change of address, email or phone number, or updated medical information. 

All personalised plans are now available on Compass. To access your child's personal plans, open ‘Compass’, select 'View Academic Reports' and you will then be able to access both Academic Reports and Personalised Plans for your child. Personalised plans are updated following Collaborative Planning Meetings and will continue to be uploaded to Compass each term. 

Mrs Alexandra Hingston

The Catholic Education of Wollongong has an extremely informative website that has all information regarding sport for our diocese. This includes information about gala days, trails and much more. If you ever have any questions about sport this is the place to look https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/. Of course we are always happy to help here at school and this website is where we go for the answers! 

On Friday the 28th of July a number of our students participated in the Soccer Gala in a range of venues. Everyone had a fantastic day! The students displayed great sportsmanship and represented our school with pride. 

A huge thank you to our parent managers on the day! If it was not for our wonderful parent volunteers these days would be unable to go ahead. 

On Tuesday 8th August, the St Paul’s Athletics Team competed in the South Coast Athletics Carnival at Beaton Park Wollongong with Mrs Lyons and Mrs Frendo. All students showed outstanding sportsmanship, determination and resilience throughout the day. Students who placed top 4 in their events received ribbons and an invitation to compete in the selection trials next week. A huge congratulations to the St Paul’s Athletics Team and a special mention to our ribbon winners:

• Amarli B (8 years)
• 100m - 4th place
• Sienna A (10 years)
• 800m - 3rd place
• Jacinta V (10 years)
• 200m - 3rd place
• Long jump - 2nd place
• Jackson H (10 years)
• Junior shot put - 4th place

• Madelynne D (11 years)
• 800m - 3rd place
• Long jump - 4th place
• High jump - 3rd place
• Shot put - 4th place
• Loren G (12 years)
• 200m - 1st place
• Milla N (12 years)
• 200m - 4th place
• 100m - 4th place

Mrs Amy Lyons and Mrs Louise Frendo

Thank you to all families who returned their basketball expressions of interest. This week I will be submitting teams. I will also be sending out an updated note and compass event to parents in the coming week.  

There has been a change to the venue for both the junior and senior basketball teams and this event will now be at Shellharbour stadium. 

Miss Eliza Treble

Our playgrounds are continuing to be monitored by our Waste-Free Warriors and Pastoral Care Team. Each grade has been allocated a playground that is their responsibility to keep free from rubbish and equipment. Winners of the Laudato’ Si’ award will be announced at morning assembly this Friday.

Waste-Free Wednesday is happening each Wednesday. The Year 5 Waste-Free Warriors and Year 6 Pastoral Care Leadership Team will be monitoring this and rewarding students who bring a waste-free lunch with prizes and raffle tickets.

What is a waste free lunch? A waste-free lunch is when we are conscious and mindful of the amount of plastic we bring to school. We can reduce the plastic by bringing more whole-foods to school or emptying packaged foods and disposing of the plastic thoughtfully at home. Here are some examples:

   

September 1st marks the beginning of the Season of Creation (1 September - 4 October) and it is the annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. “Let Justice and Peace Flow” is the theme of this year’s ecumenical Season of Creation, inspired by the words of the prophet Amos: “Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (5:24). Click here to see the letter from His Holiness Pope Francis that announces this year’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

St Paul’s will be recognising this day by participating in activities centred around caring for and appreciating creation. There will also be prayer during assembly dedicated to this special day. More information will be provided in the next newsletter.

Several students from year two have taken it upon themselves to address the environmental problems we face and do something about it. They have started their own environmental club and have created posters inviting everyone to join. Last week, they joined year 5 to learn all about composting. It was very exciting!

We’re so proud of their initiative and passion for the environment. Keep it up!

Mrs Katie Culquhoun

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will have their Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) updated over the coming weeks. Every school student in Australia who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander has a PLP to guide wellbeing, learning and cultural goals during their schooling in partnership with students and their families, classroom teachers and school leadership. 

A hard copy of the information-gathering sheet for the PLP was sent home during NAIDOC Week. 

Last Tuesday the Catholic Education Office of the Diocese of Wollongong, ran a professional learning day for all Aboriginal Education teacher contacts and Aboriginal Education Assistants who work in the Diocese of Wollongong. This is the second day run during 2023. Julianne Tonini attended as the St Paul’s teacher contact. 

The day focused on the importance of including local perspectives, for example Dharawal Dreaming stories, as well as including the perspectives of students in the class where their place and country may not be Dharawal. The importance of ongoing consultation within the school community so as to ensure local, genuine and appropriate use of learning experiences and educational resources was also emphasised.

The current NSW syllabus states that embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives is one of three Cross-curriculum priorities. The incoming NSW syllabus will see more of an explicit focus on embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and perspectives across Key Learning Areas and schools are continually learning about how to consult and use appropriate and accessible activities and resources. Teachers and Assistants were guided on how to use the AIATSIS guide about educational resource selection. This supports teachers to think critically about who is producing resources, what perspectives are given importance and what purpose they serve (see graphic above - the sections coloured green are where teachers should aim their resource selection). At St Paul’s we take direction and consult with CEDoW officers, Josephine Ball in her role as Aboriginal Education Assistant and of course students and their families and their needs.

Miss Julianne Tonini 

Science Week will be held during Week 5 of Term 3. The 2023 theme is Innovation: Powering Future Industries. The theme incorporates the advancement in technology in all industries, especially using artificial intelligence (AI).

All grades will be participating in various activities throughout the week which have a focus on Science and Technology. Grades K-2 will attend a Ranger Jamie  incursion in the school hall on Monday the 14th August. Grades 3-6 will also participate in a livestream incursion delivered by Perform Education on Monday the 14th August.

Please see below information regarding the Science Week Competition which students are invited to work on at home and bring in to be judged by a panel at school on Wednesday 16th August.

As part of our 2023 Science Week Celebrations, we are inviting students to participate in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) challenge. This process is an extracurricular activity and is not compulsory, however, we encourage students to participate in the challenge and have a go at a design and making task, using the criteria below. Students may like to start designing during the upcoming school holidays. 

There are three optional tasks the students can choose from, relating to the National 2023 theme: ‘Innovation: Powering Future Industries’

The challenge is to take place outside of school hours and will be presented to a panel of judges in Week 5. All designs are due on Wednesday, August 16th, 2023, Week 5. Outlined below are the challenge descriptions for the students. We hope this is an enjoyable and rich learning experience for the students and we look forward to their submissions.

Task Description:

The following tasks are optional for students to participate in. 

Design and make an innovative design from the following 3 options below. You need to bring your creation to the library by Wednesday 16th August. Your design will be judged by a set of judges and prizes will be awarded. Have fun and good luck.

DUE:  Wednesday 16th August, to Mrs Evans and Miss Ryan in the library.

The Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week theme for 2023 is ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’; acknowledging the power of literacy and the magic of a great book! 

Book Week will be celebrated throughout Week 6 of this term and students will engage in a variety of activities including a livestreamed musical related to the CBCA Shortlisted Picture Books of the Year. 

The SPAP Annual Book Week Parade will be held on Friday the 25th August at 9am. Students are encouraged to select their favourite character from a story and come to school dressed in their costumes, ready for the parade. Parents are invited to stay for assembly and enjoy the Book Week Parade. 

Please note that there is no need to rush out and buy up big, some of the greatest costumes are created using pre-loved items from home. 

Please join our school community as we recognise and celebrate the many contributions our fathers and grandfathers make to our St Paul's school community. Our celebrations will be held on Thursday 31st August from 1:30pm till 3:00pm. An invitation was sent home on Monday 7th August with the eldest child in each family and shared on Compass. Please see the invitation below. We look forward to seeing our fathers and grandfathers on Thursday 31st August.

This year National Child Protection Week will continue to champion the message ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’. This message captures the essence of National Child Protection Week which aims to promote a safe and supported life for every child, now and into the future. 

We are thrilled to share the excitement of our STEM Clubs! Students have been exploring a world of creativity and innovation, taking on thrilling challenges. Throughout these engaging sessions, they had the opportunity to create, design, test, and collaborate. From constructing marble runs using playdough, paper plates, and paddle pop sticks to diving into the realm of block coding with mBbots. Additionally, Stage 3 students delved into engineering by building and strategizing with VEXiQ robots on our specially designed game board. The students have displayed natural curiosity enhancing their scientific mindset, and empowering them to become confident, capable and adaptable problem solvers, ready to embrace the challenges of the future. 

Stem_Update.pdf

Stem_Update _pdf 1.64 MB

Mrs Belinda Evans

This term our Year 6 Senior Leaders will be hosting a Handball Competition. Students in Kindergarten to Year 6 have nominated themselves if they wish to participate. Over the coming weeks we will begin our competition, Prizes will be awarded to students who are good sports, most encouraging, students who try their best and the overall winner. The final competition will be held on Thursday 7th September. 

We look forward to sharing any further information through the SPAP Facebook page and through our school newsletter. In the meantime check out the video for further information. 

Please find attached an invitation to a St Paul's Coffee Catch Up on Tuesday the 15th of August: 

You are invited to a special evening event on 28 August 2023 in Campbelltown with Robert Falzon from menALIVE, as he unpacks practical advice and shares stories that are powerfully important, informative, and instructional for fathering in today’s world.

In an age where there is training to do almost everything, there are so many fathers who are in desperate need of tips and tools to do one of the most important and impactful tasks on earth – Fathering! – and this evening will be a source of great formation and encouragement for dads.

Details:

Speaker: Robert Falzon: Fathering from the Front Line
Topic: Fathering from the Front Line
Date: Monday 28 August 2023
Time: 7 - 8.30 pm
Location: Level 1, Micah House Resource Centre, 35A Cordeaux Street, Campbelltown 
Cost: Free 

Please join the SPAP Parents and Friends Executive for the Term 3 SPAP Parents and Friends Meeting on Monday 14 August at 6:30pm via Zoom. A Zoom link will be shared with parents and carers via Compass.

If you have any agenda items you would like to add to the agenda please email Kelly Rayner via fuller.kelly@abc.net.au

Students from St Paul’s Parish have commenced preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist - First Communion. Please keep students from Year 3 and other grades in your prayers as they prepare for this Sacrament.

Students are attending weekend Masses on Saturday at 6pm or Sunday at 9am.