In the Catholic tradition, November is traditionally a month of remembrance of the dead. The month begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on 1 November and the Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed-All Souls Day on 2 November. 

Although many of the known saints have their own feast day during the year, on November 1 the Catholic Church remembers them all through the Solemnity of All Saints.

For the saints that we do not have as much information about, or for those whose feats are still relatively unsung, the day offers an opportunity to commemorate their accomplishments and to pray to them, asking for their intercession.

According to Catholic doctrine, all the world’s saints are forever spiritually connected with the world and can intercede on people’s behalf because of a shared communion with Jesus Christ.

The Catholic Catechism also believes us all to be connected with each other through this shared communion with Christ. 

On November 2nd, as a Catholic Church, we observe All Souls’ Day, a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died.

A Special Prayer Prayer for All Souls Day Offered By Pope Francis

We entrust to you, oh Lord,

The souls of our beloved dead.

May none of them be afraid to meet you,

after their earthly pilgrimage but may they always hope to be welcomed 

in the embrace of your infinite mercy.

Lord, may no earthly thing 

ever separate us from You,

 but may everyone and everything 

support us with a burning desire

to rest peacefully and eternally in You.

Amen

Dear Parents and Carers,

Teachers all over the world celebrated World Teacher's Day last Friday. Teacher’s work is complex and never ending. I am in awe of our teachers as they go about the many complexities of their work, then go home at the end of the day to prepare their work for the next day.

I would like to thank the St Paul's Parents and Friends Association for providing our staff with morning tea last Friday. The platters was fabulous and the acknowledgement for our wonderful teachers fantastic!

Palestine and Israel Conflict

As always, the wellbeing of students in our Catholic school community is paramount. Recent events in Israel and Palestine are widely publicised across all media platforms, including Tik Tok and Instagram, and may cause distress and concern for our young people. 

It is normal to have feelings of distress in response to these events and awareness of the impact of this information and images on our young people is important. If at any time, you are concerned about the explicit nature of any information your child, or the young people in your care are exposed to on social media platforms, please contact the  e-safety commissioner website to report this. (Information regarding what constitutes inappropriate content, and ways to report this are available on the e-safety commissioner’s website.) 

If you feel your child may require additional support at school, please contact the school office to speak to Mrs Mourinho or myself. 

Parents and Carers Workshop for Mathematics

Thank you very much to the parents and carers who joined staff and students at the workshop on mathematics that was facilitated by our students on Wednesday 18th October. At St Paul's we acknowledge that collaboration between parents and carers is essential for the well-being and development of our students. Parent and carer workshops are a valuable platform to facilitate this collaboration, allowing parents and carers to share insights, learn from our students, staff and each other, and gain valuable knowledge and understanding about curriculum and student learning. The workshop focused on Mathematics and was an opportunity to support our parents and carers to further understand how to support their child's mathematical learning. I would like to acknowledge the great work of our teachers who prepared the workshops and to the students who taught our parents and carers and demonstrated their meta cognition. Thank you to Mrs Belinda Evans and Mrs Alexandra Hingston for their leadership with the workshops.  

Welcome to our Kindergarten 2024 Students

Last week we welcomed our Kindergarten 2024 students and their parents and carers to their playgroup sessions. We have had very excited Kindergarten 2024 students and their parents and carers, who have thoroughly enjoyed meeting new classmates and other parents and carers. We particularly welcome our newest parents and carers to St Paul’s and know you will enjoy the community and opportunity for your child to grow and learn in our rich and vibrant Catholic community. I would like to thank Mrs Belinda Evans, Mrs Alexandra Hingston, Miss Samantha Ryan and Miss Julianne Tonini for their organisation of the playgroup sessions.

2024 Class Placements

As we begin to move towards the end of the year, planning for 2024 is under way and as a teaching staff we continue to focus on our students and their learning. The process for student class placement will commence this Term. At St Paul’s we take into account the spiritual, academic and emotional well-being of each child, as well as considering their social interactions, so that we work towards our main goal of having balanced classes in all grades. I also recognise that as your child’s primary carer, parents and carers may have specific information that you wish to share with me, as the Principal of the school, that may assist in the organisation of class placements for next year.  If there are any special considerations or concerns that parents and carers feel the school should take into consideration, please contact your child's class teacher the requests in writing no later than Friday 10 November 2023 to discuss your request. 

In light of the above, the following factors be taken into consideration when making a request for class placements in 2023: 

• All requests must be discussed with your child's classroom teacher no later than Friday 10 November 2023
• As there will be changes with teaching staff for 2024 please do not request a particular teacher as there is a possibility that the current classroom teachers on a grade for 2023 will not be the same in 2024.
• Please note that no changes to class placements will be made after classes are announced at our Meet the Teacher Transition morning on Wednesday 13th December.

Staffing Update

I would like to congratulate Miss Eliza Treble who was the successful applicant for the Middle Leader Position at Stella Maris Catholic Primary School at Shellharbour. Miss Treble will be leaving St Paul's Catholic Parish Primary School at the end of the 2023 school year. On behalf of Fr. Leo, the staff, students, parents and carers I would like to wish Miss Treble all the very best for the 2024 school year. As a school community we will farewell Miss Treble at the end of the school year and acknowledge the many contributions Miss Treble has made to our school community.

At the end of the school year our funding for the CatholicCare Pastoral Care Program will conclude. Unfortunately we have not received funding for this service that CatholicCare provides in 2024. I would like to acknowledge the great work of Mrs  Bernadette Taylor and we will farewell Mrs Taylor at the end of the school year.

Annual School Report Parent and Carer Survey

Each academic year every school in NSW is required to complete an Annual School Report. I am seeking the voice of parents and carers to complete the St Paul's 2023 Annual School Report. The St Paul’s Annual School Report Parent and Carer Survey is now available for completion.This survey is designed to capture a range of experiences and attitudes of the school community towards school practices and procedures. The survey aims to capture opinions about the culture of the school, including how welcoming and supportive the school is.  The data captured in the survey will be used to plan for continuous school improvement and to measure and monitor the effective practices and procedures of the school over a period of time. The Annual School Report Parent and Carer survey will be triangulated with the data from the student and staff surveys that will also be completed over the coming weeks.Please see the link below to access the survey and  I thank you very much for taking the time to complete the survey which will close on Friday 17 November.

Thank you to all parents and carers for your continued support.

Yours in faith and learning,

Michelle Rodwell

Principal

Last week students in grades 1 - 6 completed online assessments to assist teachers with identifying starting points for learning, to target teaching and to monitor growth. These assessments are administered in all school’s across the Wollongong Diocese. 

The students in grades 1 - 6 completed a Reading and a Mathematics assessment. These assessments are adaptive, meaning that it creates personalised test pathways determined by student responses (in a similar way to NAPLAN), giving a more precise picture of student achievement. The teachers will be analysing this data in the coming weeks and using it, along with a range of other classroom-based assessments, when writing your child’s report for semester 2. 

Your child’s semester 2 report will be available to you via Compass on Friday 8th December. 

Teachers award students overall grades based on the common grade scale. Below is information taken directly from NSW Education Standards Authority’s website. If your child receives a ‘C’ grade, this means that they have achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills at their stage level. It is important to remember that if your child receives the same overall grade for two consecutive reports, they have made progress. Between the two reporting periods, your child will have learned new knowledge and skills of a more advanced nature. 

The Common Grading Scale

Your child/ren will be bringing home their English book this week. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to have a look through their work and discuss the learning with your child. They may have a specific piece of work that they are particularly proud of and would like to share with you. Please ensure that all English books are returned to school on Monday 6th November. 

Thank you for your ongoing support! 

Mrs Angela Mourihno

Acting Assistant Principal

Compassion

With our school values now nominated, they now will be unpacked with the students and linked to scripture. In Week 5-6 students will look at the value of Compassion.

There are many examples of compassion within the Bible. The core scripture story that we will use at school to explain compassion is the Feeding of the Five Thousand. A version of this scripture story is in all four gospels. We are reminded of Jesus’ compassion from the beginning of this story when Jesus was travelling and healing the sick at the same time. At the end of the day, it was the disciples that wanted the crowd to go away. But Jesus said “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The character of Jesus is shown in this part of the passage. His compassion has no bounds, He had travelled far, healed the sick, spoke to people, yet his priority was still the crowd that followed.

At St Paul’s we need to share our compassion for others, through showing love, kindness and respect for others. Compassion is more than hugs and kisses, it is showing that we care for others. Even if we feel tired or don’t agree, we should always aim to respect and care for the wellbeing of others.

This year, Mrs Marsh led the school community through our Religious Education Annual Improvement Plan goal: 

Students will have opportunities to demonstrate understanding of the school Catholic values through explicit teaching in Religious Education

Earlier in the year a survey was shared to staff, parents and students which allowed everyone to nominate values they felt were important for the St Paul’s school community. As you know students have had the opportunity over the last few weeks in participating in learning experiences around each value through scripture and storytelling

The chosen school values were:

• Perseverance
• Integrity
• Inclusion
• Compassion

Our next goal is to display these values around our school community. Keep a look out in the coming weeks for further information.

On the 26th of October we had the Socktober fundraiser. The event involved all years participating in a kickoff competition hosted by the Mini Vinnies Team. All grades brought old clothes, newspapers and plastic bags to create sock balls. The activities that we held were a penalty shootout, dribbling, and juggling. 

What did we do this Mission Month?

• We learnt about the mission of the Church
• We learnt about spreading the good news of Jesus through responding to the call to love God and to love each other
• We learnt about Saints and people who live out the mission of the Church in our daily lives
• We wore our favourite crazy socks to school
• We brought some old socks and clothes to school to make a sock ball.
• We made a gold coin donation 

This year we kicked goals for good and supported children in Timor-Leste to have a brighter future. Altogether SPAP raised $346.60 for the people of Timor-Leste . 

We are all very grateful for the donations given to us and want to thank all the people who donated towards Catholic Mission.

The Mini Vinnies Team will next be looking at the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Please keep a look out in the coming weeks for further information from the Mini Vinnies Team. 

October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary and the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. This month each day students have been given the opportunity to pray the Rosary. Check out this lovely photo of Year 1 students praying the rosary in our lovely outdoor prayer space!

All Saints Day is a holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. 

All Souls' Day, is observed on November 2, and is dedicated to those who have died and not yet reached heaven.

Students will participate in a liturgy in their classroom to acknowledge both important days in the church’s calendar. It is important to have a conversation with your child about these significant days in the Catholic Church. 

Mass and Liturgies

This term the following grades will be attending Mass on Friday from 9:30am. Parents are welcome to join students at Mass, following Mass parents are invited to join their child for an open classroom and a morning tea in the School Library.

This term students will be engaging in prayer and learning experiences focused on:

WEEK DATE	LITURGY
Week 4 Wednesday 1st November	All Saints Day In Classrooms (students only)
Week 4  Thursday 2nd November	All Souls’ Day In Classrooms (students only)
Week 5 Friday 10th November	Remembrance Day Liturgy Parents are invited to join students in the School Hall from 10:30am
Week 9 Monday 4th December	Advent Liturgy Parents are invited to join students in the School Hall from 2:15pm

Miss Alana Stroligo

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

In Term 4 Week 5-6 students will have the opportunity to look at a new school value COMPASSION. You can help your children develop empathy by encouraging them to consider how their words and actions may impact others. Teach them to think about how they would feel in someone else’s shoes before reacting. This cultivates a sense of kindness and compassion towards others.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking about how your child can show compassion at home:

• Opening the door for someone at the shops
• Calling loved ones to say hello or check in
• Giving small gifts or showing random acts of kindness that will make someone feel loved

Students from Years 3- 6 participated in weekly surveys during Term 3 about their well-being. These surveys provide valuable data to the school on ways to help and support individual students and drive teaching and focus for the classroom and the whole school.

Recently teachers had the opportunity to collaborate and identify ways to support their student's well-being. One of the common themes was sleep. A large number of students reported that their sleep was not going well. 

The Pivot Organisation highlights the importance of sleep for young children. 

"A good night’s sleep can have a positive impact on a student’s mood and their learning outcomes. When students sleep well, they are better able to concentrate in their classes and retain new information. When students are tired, they will be less likely to focus and learn new information quickly and efficiently. Equally, when students do not sleep well, they are less likely to be able to consolidate and easily recall new information.

The recommended daily amount of sleep for adults is around 8 hours a night, but children and young people may need more. Experts suggest that 9-11 hours of sleep is best for 6-13 year olds, whilst for 14-17 year olds the optimum length of sleep is between 8-10 hours. Sleep allows our bodies and minds to rest and recharge. When students experience healthy sleeping patterns and good quality sleep, they are more likely to have healthy bodies, experience full cognitive function and have stable moods.

Without enough restful sleep, students may struggle to function properly. In these cases, concentration may be impaired, and it may be harder for students to retain memories and have clear thought processes. Quality is just as important as quantity when it comes to sleep for students. Evidence shows that good sleep routines can help sleep come more easily and can improve how well someone sleeps. Good sleep routines include:

• Keeping bedtime around the same time every night
• Sleeping in quiet, dark, cool room
• Reducing the use of mobile phones and other blue-light emitting devices in the last hour before bedtime

When we experience heightened emotions or high levels of stress during the day, this can have an impact on our ability to fall asleep and can also impact the quality of sleep that we experience. If we don’t sleep well, research shows that we are more likely to experience heightened emotions and become increasingly sensitive to stressful situations. Sleep can impact our ability to regulate our behaviour.

Poor sleep can impact how students perceive and judge the different situations that they find themselves in throughout the school day. If they find themselves in new or challenging situations, students who aren’t sleeping well may be less likely to assess these situations accurately. This can result in students struggling to react with appropriate behaviours. For students, poor quality sleep or reduced sleep can result in a higher risk of anxiety, depression and aggressive behaviour in their learning environments."

Last week I had the pleasure of leading SEL Collaborative Planning sessions with various grades across the school. 

Teachers had the time to analyse data from PIVOT, PB4L behaviour data and SEL Assessment data. Using their knowledge from professional learning attained from Berry Street Education Model and data teachers created programs for whole class instruction and small group intervention. It was great to hear about the success stories that have been taking place in classroom learning environments. Teachers commented on how students have thoroughly enjoyed Welcome Circle in the morning and are able to articulate where they are on the Ready to Learn Scale. Additionally, students have even been able to articulate strategies that will support them to move from one end of the scale to ready to learn. We look forward to continuing on this Annual Improvement Plan goal in the final weeks of 2023.  

We aim to keep people in our communities safe in and around traffic environments. The beginning and end of the school day are busy times for pedestrians and vehicles outside the school. That’s why you need to take extra care in 40km/h school zones. 

Park safely and legally, even if it means walking further to the school gate. Parking signs are planned with children’s safety in mind. Slow down to 40km/h in the school zone and stay aware of crossings. 

• Always park and turn legally around the school. 
• Never double park as it puts children at risk. 
• Manoeuvres such as U-turns and three-point turns are dangerous. 
• Never park in a bus zone or in the school bus bay. 
• Make sure your children use the Safety Door (rear footpath side door) to get in and out of the car. 
• At a supervised crossing, observe the directions of the school crossing supervisor. 
• Model safe and considerate behaviour for your child – they will learn from you. 

Remember to always give way to pedestrians particularly when entering and leaving driveways. Don’t park across the school driveway or the entrance to the school car park. It’s always a good idea to use the drop off and pick up area suggested by your school. This will help keep all children as safe as possible during the busiest times of the school day.

Walking to school and back home again is a great way to spend time with your children and encourage safe and healthy behaviours. Here are a few things you can do to help keep your children safer as a pedestrian:

• Talk with your children about being alert in the road environment. 
• Plan and practise your trip to school so you use pedestrian crossings where possible.
• Always hold your child’s hand. Children need your help to spot dangers such as vehicles coming out of driveways. They can also be easily distracted and wander into traffic. 
• Meet your child inside the school grounds and don’t call them from across the road. 
• Explain why the place you have chosen is the safest place to cross. 
• Remind your child to STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! THINK! every time they cross the road and keep checking until safely across. 
• Talk to them about why they should stop, look, listen, think before crossing a driveway, road or carpark. 

Young children can learn and practise these safe pedestrian behaviours with you. This will help them to be safer pedestrians when they are old enough to travel alone.

When dropping off at the back gate in the morning please ensure your children are getting out of the car on the safe side (passenger side) to stay safe.

The Tongarra Road pick up is closely monitored by police and rangers. Please do not double park when getting your children.

Last week Year 3 students received information regarding their School Managed iPad Program for 2024. Just a reminder that parents must complete the Compass Insight informing the school of your preferred iPad package and must be complete for all students in Year 3. All orders must be placed with CEDoW by no later than 10th November 2023.

Please contact the school office if you have any further questions. 

Miss Alana Stroligo

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Year 1 would love to share the learning they have done so far in Term 4. Enjoy a snapshot of their term.

Mrs Gemma Bolton, Mrs Elizabeth Rippon and Mrs Tracy Whalan

During weeks 2 and 3, our dedicated teachers will be delving even deeper into the important concept of place value. They will collaborate closely to create engaging mathematics lessons to deepen students' understanding of number.  

Furthermore, our teachers have been diligently conducting targeted small-group math lessons that focus on the six key aspects of place value. Students from kindergarten through sixth grade have been actively working with a variety of numbers and decimals to enhance their skills in reading, writing, and representing numbers. This focused effort is aimed at strengthening their fundamental math abilities and fostering a deeper understanding of numerical concepts.

On Thursday 19th October, Kindergarten went on their first excursion to Symbio! We were so lucky to have such a beautiful day to go on our big adventure at the zoo. The bus ride to Symbio was very exciting! We got to sit with our bus buddies to ensure that we stayed safe. We all made sure we put on our seatbelts. Some of the children had only been on a bus a few times before so the excitement was next level!

When we arrived we were met by our 2 Rangers - Ranger Lauren and Ranger Jemima. They took us to an area to sit down and we had our crunch and sip and morning tea. We then met up with our friends from ASPECT.

After that we got to see an animal show. We met an alligator, a blue tongue lizard, 2 snakes and a grumpy Tawny Frogmouth. We were able to touch these animals so we had to be really brave! We had to use two fingers to touch the animals and only touch the animals on the back.

After the show we explored the zoo with Ranger Lauren and Ranger Jemima. We saw Koalas, Reptiles, Meerkats, Red Pandas, Cheetahs, Eagles, Kangaroos, Farm Animals, Alpacas and so many more amazing animals! The Marmoset was so tiny and so cute!

We were all pretty hungry by this stage so we had a lunch break before we explored the zoo a little more.

After that it was time to go back to school. We said goodbye and thank you to our amazing Rangers and found our bus buddy before we got back on the bus. The bus ride was really fun and we talked to our friends. Some of us had a little nap as we were so exhausted after such a busy day.

We had the best time with Ranger Lauren and Ranger Jemima, our teachers, School Support Officers and friends from ASPECT.

Miss Rogan received a letter from Ranger Lauren and Ranger Jemima a few days ago complimenting Kindergarten Purple on their exceptional behaviour and manners. Well done Kinder Purple!

Miss Samantha Ryan and Miss Julianne Tonini

In Week 6, Tuesday the 14th of November, St Paul’s recognises World Diabetes Day. Diabetes has touched the lives of many staff, students and members of our community. This year we ask that students bring in a gold coin donation to wear a blue accessory to raise money for Diabetes research. We Thank you for your support with this!

On Tuesday the 24th of October, Year 1 and their teachers went on an excursion to the Wollongong Botanic Gardens. Enjoy a recount and some photos from the day.

Mrs Gemma Bolton, Mrs Elizabeth Rippon and Mrs Tracy Whalan

Last Wednesday, on the 18th of October, we hosted a Parents' Mathematics Workshop right after school. It was wonderful to see both parents and students in attendance, eager to get hands-on with the games our students play at school. These games were thoughtfully chosen by our teachers to reinforce key place value concepts from our mathematics syllabus.

The workshop also provided an invaluable opportunity for parents to ask questions directly to our teachers and gain insights into the learning that takes place from Kindergarten to Year 6. It allowed everyone to witness the vital mathematics concepts. It was a truly enriching experience.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful teachers who have been working hard to provide engaging and enriching experiences for our students in mathematics.

Mrs Belinda Evans and Mrs Alexandra Hingston 

The St Paul's Parents and Friends Association have approved an update to the girls summer uniform starting in Term 1 2024. An optional tie has been added to the girls school summer uniform, this is not compulsory. The cost of the tie is $3.50 and this is available through Hazelton's Uniforms in Albion Park. 

The school uniform policy will be updated to reflect these changes. Please see the images below illustrating the new optional addition to the girls summer uniform.

Kristie Bicknell

on behalf of the St Paul's Parents and Friends Association

On the 20th of October, Stage 2 and Stage 3 went to the hall to watch the Edmund Rice Band perform. It went on for about an hour. In the band there were a lot of students from Edmund Rice and some of their teachers. They were playing drums, electric guitars, saxophones, pianos, trumpets, violin and there were 3 singers. They played songs and asked us listen very carefully and guess what the song was called. They played the Bluey theme song, Peppa Pig theme song and the theme songs to other tv shows. They also asked us to stand up and dance to songs such as the Chicken Dance, the Nut Bush and the Macarena. One of the teachers had a ten second sleep so he had the energy to play 1 more song. It was so funny!

We had a great time and look forward to the Edmund Rice Band visiting St Paul’s again.

Eva B and Lily H 5R. 

As part of the initiatives in Stage Three, to develop the Leadership Qualities of our Year Five and Six students, our Year 5 students have begun their preparation for nominations for the role of School Captain 2024, Senior Leadership Team 2024 or one of the Leadership Teams.

Each of the students who nominate themselves for School Captain will present their speech to the current Year 5 cohort.  The students’ speeches will be videoed and shared with the current Year 3 and Year 4 students as well as all the Staff. The students who have been nominated to be a School Captain will then be placed on a ballot sheet. 

All teachers, as well as students in the grades previously mentioned will then vote preferentially for a girl School Captain and a boy School Captain. The students will be taught how preferential voting works, and how to organise their vote to represent their wishes. The Parish Priest will be consulted and his recommendations will be taken on board. The results of this process will determine who is installed as the 2024 School Captains.

As well as the Senior Leaders, St Paul’s also offers an opportunity to be in a Leadership Team. This allows for a more distributive model of leadership where more students are able to further develop their own leadership skills. The teams include ICT (Information, Communication and Technology), Sport, Hospitality, and Pastoral Care. Along with the support of teachers, each Leadership Team will work with successful students on specific responsibilities across the school.  During Year 6, students will have the opportunity to be involved in two leadership teams - one in Semester 1 and another in Semester 2. 

The following timeline of events is due to occur throughout Term 4:

• Thursday 23rd November 2023 or Friday 24th November 2023 (TBC) - Student School Captain and Senior Leader Speeches to be presented to Year 5 students.  Year 5 students vote on this date.  Speeches are videoed and shared with current Year 3 and Year 4 students and all staff.
• Monday 27th November - Friday 1st December 2023 - Students in Year 3 and Year 4 and all staff view the videos of the School Captain speeches. Year 3 and Year 4 students and all staff vote during the week. Votes are due to the Year 5 teachers and Leadership staff by Friday 1st December. 
• Monday 4th December 2023 - Thursday 7th December 2023 - Year 5 staff count votes in consultation with the School Leadership Team and Fr Leo.  Michelle Rodwell (Principal) to contact the parents of the 2024 School Captains once voting is finalised. 
• Friday 8th December 2023 - 2024 School Captains announced to the St Paul's school community at the Farewell Assembly in the hall. Details will be communicated closer to the date.
• February 2024 - all students in Year 6 will be presented with their leadership badges during the St Paul’s Albion Park Welcome Liturgy.

We look forward to our Year 5 students demonstrating their excellent leadership skills as they engage in the Students Leadership Process over the coming weeks.

This year we had a large number of students participate in a number of ICAS assessments. A big thank you to Mrs Hingston for all her hard work making sure all the students had access to each of the assessments and supervising students. 

We would like to congratulate the following students who achieved a Merit, Credit or a Distinction. This is a great achievement.

Olivia G 4R, Merit in English, Credit in Spelling 

Kharis M 4B, Credit in English 

Kriston M 3B, Credit in English, Credit in Science 

Beau Z 5R, Credit in Spelling, Credit in Mathematics, Distinction in Science, Credit in Digital Technologies 

Levi P 6B, Credit in Spelling 

Koby G 4R, Merit in Mathematics 

Ivy R 4R, Credit in Mathematics, Credit in Science 

Daniel C 2B, Credit In mathematics 

James C 2R, Merit in Science 

Phoebe B 4R, Credit in Writing 

Next Thursday the 9th of November a large number of our students will be attending the Dragon Tag Gala day to be held at Reed Park, Dapto. The students are required to be at the field at 8:30. We wish all our students the best of luck for a fabulous day.

If you child is attending please see the Compass event for more information.

Miss Eliza Treble

Middle Leader

Congratulations to 3 Blue for winning the Laudato Si’ Weekly class award for week 3. During our random audit, they were the class who had their lights, fans, air conditioning, TV and the powerpoints all switched off. Well done! Thank you for doing your bit to help our environment. Students in 3 Blue will be enjoying a Zooper Dooper to celebrate their success.

{insert image of 3 Blue - to be taken tomorrow after announced at morning assembly}

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. 

So many students are doing this every day, which is amazing to see!

See the flyer below, endorsed by the NSW Government with tips, tricks and ideas for packing a healthy, nutritious waste free lunch. 

Mrs Katie Culquhoun

SPAP X Factor is back again!

Students are invited to share their talents with their classmates on Monday 11 December in Week 10. 

This is an opportunity for students to perform to their friends in a relaxed, non-competitive environment. Students can perform alone, with a partner or in a small group. Please encourage your child to think about whether they would like to share any singing, dancing, comedy, acting or musical skills. 

Students are only allowed to enter 1 act, and the act must be no longer than 1 minute long. 

Belinda Evans, Samantha Ryan and Julianne Tonini

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. 

Parents are reminded that in accordance with updated regulations, any student who comes to school with an injury must have clearance from a doctor that clearly states the nature of the injury and what the student can and can not do at school, this includes them being on the playground at recess and lunch times. We understand that this can be difficult to obtain at some times, we have found that if you are able to ask for this information at the time of consultation it will save you the challenge of following up. We anticipate this will be helpful if you unfortunately find yourself in this situation. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call the school office.

Athlete's Foot Shellharbour thanks St Paul's for being involved in the School Rewards Program and wish every student a successful year and future. 

Staff, students, parents and thr wider community can mention the school upon purchasing ANY item of footwear in the store so that thr school may receive the $5 per pair (in vouchers and donations) as a school reward. 

Please see this weeks special for the canteen.

CANTEEN SPECIAL
Sausage Roll and Groove Drink $6.00

Order for lunch or recess at www.myschoolconnect.com.au
Please see our facebook page for all weekly specials http://www.facebook.com/takeabreaktuckshop
 

Kylie

Take a Break Tuckshop

Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters. He is the parenting expert and co-host of Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families Podcast. He has written 9 books about families and parenting. In the article below Dr Justin Coulson outlines the importance of raising our children to be kind, compassionate, and thoughtful. 

It’s that time of year again, our Gingerbread house fundraiser! Click the link below to receive a discount when you place an order. 

The P&F are asking the school community for bubble wrap donations for the Christmas Stall They would like to pre wrap some breakable items. If you have any spare bubble wrap please drop it into the school office between 8.30 am-3.30 pm.

The P&F will be holding their annual christmas stall on Thursday 7th December from 11.30 am-1.30 pm. The cost of the Christmas Stall items will be $5 per item.  Students are invited to bring along money to purchase their Christmas item on 7th December. If Students could please bring a bag with them to school to carry their gifts safely home in the afternoon.

If you can help out on the day please contact the P&F President, Amy De Santis, via email amydesantis@live.com.au

The St Paul's Parents and Friends Association would like to invite all parents and carers to the Term 4 P&F meeting Monday 13th November beginning at 6.30pm. The meeting will be held via zoom and the details will be sent on the morning of the meeting.

To boost education opportunities and narrow the digital divide, the Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, is working with NBN Co to provide up to 30,000 families with no internet at home free NBN for 12 months. 

The process for families to apply for the initiative is as follows:

• Contact the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (10 am - 6 pm AEDT Monday to Friday)
• The National Referral will determine the family's eligibility
• Once eligibility has been determined they will issue the family with a voucher for 12 months of free NBN Internet to be used with a carrier of choice
• More information can be found at https://www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet/

To be eligible, a family must:

• Have a child living at home enrolled in an Australian school
• Have no active broadband service over the NBN network
• Live in a premise where they can access a standard NBN service
• Not have had an active NBN service during the previous 14 days.

Kristie Bicknell

Senior School Support Officer

Please see the below link for the latest Parish Life Newsletter.