Filter Content
- Principal's Message
- Assistant Principal Message
- Religious Education Coordinator Report
- Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
- Ace Awards, Principal Awards, Mary Mackillop Awards
- Celebration of Learning
- 2024 Staff Development Days and other Key Dates
- Sports Update
- Professional Learning Update
- Year 3 Excursion
- Kindergarten Excursion
- Year 6 Mass with the Bishop
- Book Week
- National Science Week 2024
- Premier's Reading Challenge
- Handball Competition
- Environmental Update
- OOSH News
- Parents and Friends News
- Parish News
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Sunday 26 July, we celebrated the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne (grandparents of Jesus). Our school community acknowledged our Grandparents on the 2 August. It was a beautiful event where our students entertained our visitors with a performance including songs, poems, and a potion to create the ‘Perfect Grandparent’. It was wonderful to see our grandparents smiling and applauding their very talented grandchildren. Following the performances our grandparents were able to visit classrooms. As I walked around the school there was a buzzing of excitement as our students proudly presented their books and artworks. I enjoyed watching our students walking out of the school smiling while holding their grandparents' hands. I am grateful that our school can provide occasions such as these fort our families which they will cherish forever.
Book Week!
The theme for the 2024 Children's Book Week this year is "Reading is Magic”. On Monday 19 August we will have our annual Book Week Parade. On this day, students are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. The parade will commence at 9am on the front playground. Parents, carers, and grandparents are warmly invited to join us for the celebration!
Father’s Day Celebrations!
On Thursday 29 August, we invite all father’s and father figures for a sausage sizzle, games on the playground and an assembly. See Compass for details.
Our 80s themed P & F Disco was a great social event for our students. Thank you to our P & F for the decorations which brought us back to the 80s. Mrs Hooper our DJ filled the room with music keeping our students dancing all night long. Thank you to our staff and parent volunteers without your support evenings like these are not possible.
Attendance
Attendance Notes
For any whole day of absence, parents will need to access their Compass parent portal and log the absence before 11am on the day their child is not at school. If you fail to do this you will receive a Compass alert requesting that you explain your child’s absence on the day your child is away. The school must receive notification of the reason for the absence within 7 days of the return to school. In the event that an explanation is not supplied the absence will be recorded as Unjustified/Unexplained.
Leave During the School Term
When taking your child/children out of school, during term time for a holiday or extended leave (3 school days or over) you are required to submit a request for leave. This can be done by emailing info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au
Changes to Afternoon Dismissal
If you are collecting your child early or changing afternoon dismissal arrangements please call or email the school office by 1.30pm.
This enables our office staff to communicate to the class teacher via the office tubs and eliminates constant interruptions to the classrooms.
Warm regards,
Angela Pecnik
Principal
Homework and Reading
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.
Managing a child's iPad
Set up Screen Time on iPad
In Screen Time, you can schedule time away from the screen, set time limits for app use, and more.
Schedule time away from the screen
You can block apps and notifications for periods when you want time away from your devices. For example, you might want to schedule downtime during meals or at bedtime.
During downtime, only calls, messages, and apps you choose to allow are available. You can receive calls from contacts you’ve selected to allow communication with during downtime, and you can use apps you’ve chosen to allow at all times.
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Go to Settings
> Screen Time. -
Tap App & Website Activity, then turn on App & Website Activity if you haven’t already.
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Tap Downtime, then do one of the following:
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Tap Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow.
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Tap Scheduled to schedule downtime in advance.
When you schedule downtime, a 5-minute reminder is sent before downtime begins. You can ignore the reminder, or turn on downtime until the beginning of the scheduled downtime.
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Select Every Day or Customize Days, then set the start and end times.
You can turn off the Downtime schedule at any time by turning off Scheduled.
Set limits for app use
You can set a time limit for a category of apps (for example, Games or Social Networking) and for individual apps.
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Go to Settings
> Screen Time. -
Tap App Limits, then tap Add Limit.
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Select one or more app categories.
To set limits for individual apps, tap the category name to see all the apps in that category, then select the apps you want to limit. If you select multiple categories or apps, the time limit you set applies to all of them.
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Tap Next, then set the amount of time allowed.
To set an amount of time for each day, tap Customize Days, then set limits for specific days.
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When you finish setting limits, tap Add.
Choose apps and contacts to allow at all times
You can specify apps that can be used and contacts you can communicate with at all times—for example, in the event of an emergency—even during downtime.
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Go to Settings
> Screen Time > Always Allowed. -
Below Allowed Apps, tap
or 
next to an app to add or remove it from the Allowed Apps list. -
To specify contacts you want to allow communication with, tap Contacts.
The option you selected in Communication Limits appears here. You can change this setting to Specific Contacts, then choose one of the following:
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Choose From My Contacts: To select specific people to allow communication with.
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Add New Contact: To add a new contact and allow communication with that person.
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Tap
at the top left.
Turn built-in apps and features on or off
You can restrict the use of built-in apps or features. If you turn off an app, it isn’t deleted; it’s temporarily hidden from your Home Screen until you turn it back on.
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Go to Settings
> Screen Time. -
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
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Tap Allowed Apps & Features, then turn off the apps or features you want to restrict.
Social and Emotional Learning- Sensory Space
The school has had an ongoing focus on supporting the student's wellbeing and engagement in learning.
The school teaches social and emotional learning through whole-class teaching, small groups and one-to-one support.
Research would support that in order to be the best they can be children need various needs met first (Maslow).
The following social/interaction skills are vital for successful learners in a classroom.
They address the following social-emotional competencies enhancing a positive classroom climate, a sense of belonging and connectedness:
- Self-awareness: identifying own emotions and strengths
- Self-management: managing emotions through self-reflection
- Social Awareness: identifying and understanding feelings in others - “sense of other”
- Relationship skills: communicating and relationship building
- Responsible decision making: problem solving, personal responsibility, respecting others
The school has engaged in Professional Learning around supporting students to learn and use these competencies. Staff have attended Professional Learning entitled "Berry Street Educational Model". This course supports the teaching of social-emotional competencies and supports students to engage respectfully with each other and be 'ready to learn'. This year additional staff will engage in the training to assist students throughout all grades.
The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) provides strategies that enable teachers to increase the engagement of students with complex, unmet learning needs and to successfully improve all students’ self-regulation, relationships, wellbeing, growth and academic achievement.
The staff will continue to explore the framework together to support students wellbeing at St Paul's.
Staff met to collaborate and plan ways to teach students interpersonal skills. The collaborative planning sessions involved grade teachers, leaders and school support officers 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.
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Feast Day
St Paul’s Catholic Primary School follows the charism of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. On Thursday 8 August we celebrated the Feast Day of Australia’s First Saint with a classroom liturgy.
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.
Feast of the Assumption
On the 15 August we will celebrate the Feast of the Assumption at Mass from 9:30am. 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 Thursday 15 August, Kindergarten to Year 6 will attend Mass in the Parish at 9:30am. Parents are welcome to join us.
Mini Vinnies
I am excited to inform you that this term, the Mini Vinnies student team has begun participating in a winter woollies initiative as part of our Mini Vinnies program. The students have started knitting squares during our Mini Vinnies sessions.
Each student is encouraged to knit a square with dimensions of 14cm. The knitted squares will be assembled into scarves or blankets for people experiencing homelessness, which will be distributed by St. Vincent de Paul to those in need.
Unfortunately, I do not have the expertise to turn the students' wonderful squares into finished blankets or scarves. If you or someone you know is skilled in knitting and would be willing to help complete this project, please contact the school office.
Students are encouraged to continue practising the skill of knitting at home. Please scan the QR code for a short video that we will be using throughout the term to support students with their knitting.
Mass for Term 3
Students from the older grades will be attending Mass on the Friday’s below. Parents and carers are invited to attend Mass, followed by an opportunity to visit the grade classroom and have morning tea in the hall. Mass begins at 9:30am in St Paul’s Catholic Church.
Semester Two Assemblies 2024
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.
PB4L Focus Week 4 & 5 - Compassion
Our School Value focus for Term 3 is Compassion, inspired by the life of St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop. St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop exemplified compassion and dedication by co-founding the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, an order focused on educating and uplifting poor children.
During Weeks 4 & 5, students are learning how they can show compassion in their words and actions by following our school rules of Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe.
Teachers will be looking out for students who are demonstrating compassion throughout the school day to receive raffle tickets, stickers, merit awards and other various classroom-based rewards.
ACE Awards:
Jade 2R
Jeorgia 2R
Carter 3B
Levi 3R
Evie 3R
Isaac N 4B
Jorge 5B
Savanna M 6R
Oliver 6B
Thomas 6B
Principal's Awards:
Jade 2R
Jeorgia 2R
Isaac N 4B
Mia Ros 6R
Thomas 6B
Oliver 6B
Savanna M 6R
Mary MacKillop Awards:
Isaac N 4B
Savanna M 6R
Year 5 Celebration of Learning
Staff Development Days and other Key Dates coming up for Term 3
| Thursday 15 August | Feast of the Assumption Whole School Mass 9.30 am |
| Friday 16 August | Assembly led by Year 3 |
| Monday 19 August | Book Week Parade |
| Monday 19 August | P&F Meeting |
| Wednesday 21 August | Book Week Author Visit |
| Friday 23 August | Year 2 Mass, Open Classroom and Parent Morning Tea |
| Friday 23 August | Soccer Gala Day |
| Thursday 29 August | Father's Day Celebrations |
| Friday 30 August | Year 4 Mass, Open Classroom and Parent Morning Tea |
| Friday 6 September | Year 3 Mass, Open Classroom and Parent Morning Tea |
| Friday 6 September | World Day of Prayer |
| Wednesday 11-Friday 13 September | Year 6 Camp |
| Friday 13 September | Year 1 Mass, Open Classroom and Parent Morning Tea |
| Friday 13 September | Assembly led by Year 4 |
| Friday 20 September | Kindergarten Mass, Open Classroom and Parent Morning Tea |
| Thursday 26 September | Last Day for Students for Term 3 |
| Friday 27 September | Staff Development Day Term 3 |
| Thursday 19 December | Staff Development Day Term 4 |
| Friday 20 December | Staff Development Day Term 4 |
South Coast Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to our St Paul's students who represented our school at the South Coast Diocesan Athletics Carnival at Beaton Park on Tuesday 13th August. It was a tough day weather wise, with rain and wet conditions. However our students approached all events with such a positive attitude and are to be commended on their efforts on the day. Thank you to Mrs Amy Lyons and Mrs Lauren Wilson who supported the team on the day.
There were some outstanding achievments for our students:
Madelynne 1st Senior Discus, 3rd Senior Long Jump
Cooper 3rd Senior Long Jump
Jacob 4th 11 years Discus
Congratulations to these students on their achievements!
Upcoming Gala Days
Soccer Friday 23rd August, all teams are at Terry Reserve Albion Park. Please ensure you have responded to the compass event if your child submitted an expression of interest. These teams are now full.
Basketball Gala Days - Thursday 19th September (Juniors) and Friday 20th September (Seniors) 2024, venue to be confirmed and then a compass event will be posted to all students who submitted their expression of interest, in the coming weeks. These teams are now full.
The below information is from the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong Office and outline the purpose of a gala day.
Gala days are:
• Strictly non-competitive,
• No scores are kept,
• No finals are played and
• No awards are given out
The gala days are designed for students to enjoy the sport, try the sport
out, have fun and exercise without the pressure of competition and
winning.
Students, teachers, parents and supporters are to be reminded of this
philosophy and treat all games and interactions with others with this in
mind. Referees or umpires should be treated with courtesy and respect as
most of these are sourced from local catholic secondary schools and we
are very lucky to have this support.
Students, teachers and parents should maintain a safe and respectful
environment for all. They should maintain positive relationships with team
officials regarding their child’s wellbeing and behaviour and encourage
participation by all children.
Parents should provide a model of good sportsmanship for their child to
copy and be courteous and respectful in communication with players, team
officials, game officials, other parents and event organisers
For students, teachers or parents looking to play in higherlevel competitive
days, the Diocesan gala days may not be for you.
Congratulations
Congratualtions to Charley Mowbray, Cooper Shepherd and Oliver Rabay. They all travelled to Ulladulla on Saturday to play in Under 12's Grand final group 7 junior football comp. Their team the Albion Park Eagles played against Shellharbour Gold and won 12 to 10. Charley scored the first try of the game scoring 4 points and Cooper Shepherd kicked the conversion gaining another 2 points towards the teams final score. It was a huge achievement and the boys were absolutely thrilled and proud of their efforts.
Staff Professional Learning
During weeks 1-4 our staff actively participated in various professional development sessions focused on enhancing our understanding of quality assessment practices in line with our school’s Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) goal. We delved into the new Mathematics syllabus outcomes, which aligned with our AIP goal on assessment.
Goal: Students demonstrated continuous improvement in Mathematics through targeted, explicit instruction tailored to their individual needs, informed by ongoing high-quality assessments.
Our committed staff members deeply engaged with the Mathematics syllabus, analysing the progression of learning outcomes from Kindergarten through Year 6. Working collaboratively, our teachers developed assessments that informed subsequent teaching steps and supported students in acquiring essential mathematical skills.STa
Maths in the Classrooms
In Year 3, the students have been learning about renaming 3-digit numbers by finding “how many tens are altogether?” They are exploring the meaning of “altogether” and discovering where the tens are hidden in the hundreds. We are learning to communicate our mathematical understanding using precise mathematical language, just like mathematicians.
Example with 143:
Teacher: How many tens are in the tens column?
Student: 4 tens
Teacher: How many tens are altogether in 143?
Student: 14 tens
Teacher: Prove it.
Student: I know there are 10 tens in one hundred and 4 tens in the tens column so 10 and 4 make 14, so there are 14 tens altogether in 143.
Teacher: How could you rename this number?
Student: 143 is the same as 14 tens and 3 ones
Teacher: Can you use your understanding to find how many tens are altogether in 252? Explain your thinking like a mathematician
In Year 1, we are learning to solve multiplication problems using objects, and communicate our thinking and reasoning coherently and clearly.
We are learning to distinguish between the number of groups and the number in each group and to connect our learning to odd and even numbers.
Word problem:
13 teddy bears went out for dinner.
They sat on 2 tables.
Each table had an even number of teddy bears on each table.
How many teddy bears were on each table?
How many teddy bears were left out?
Kindergarten Excursion to Symbio
Year 6 Mass with the Bishop
Book Week will be occurring during Week 5 this term. We have an exciting week ahead with Book Week celebrations:
- Costume Parade: Join us on Monday 19th August at 8:55 am on the Front Playground for our Costume Parade. Students will showcase their costumes, with a lucky door raffle at the end of each grade parade. Parents are welcome to attend our Book Week Parade.
- Zoom Live Stream Incursion: Throughout the week, students will enjoy the inspirational "Maybe a Miracle" live stream in their classrooms. MAYBE A MIRACLE! is a new educational musical adventure from Perform Education and touring schools in partnership with The Children’s Book Council of Australia, to celebrate Children’s Book Week® 2024 and the theme Reading is Magic. This is a students-only event.
- Author Visit: Local author Karen Hendriks will visit on Wednesday 21st August to share her insights with students in the School Hall. This is a students-only event.
- Colouring Competition: Students will participate in a colouring competition throughout Week 5, with winners announced at the Week 6 assembly.
- Library Display: Our library SSOs have been hard at work creating an amazing display to celebrate Book Week in our library. Students will explore the shortlisted books displayed in the library throughout Book Week.
We look forward to a week full of creativity and learning!
Bree-Anna Fogliada
Middle Leader 2
Science Week will be held during Week 4 of Term 3. The 2024 theme is "Species Survival: More Than Just Sustainability," which focuses on understanding the intricate balance of ecosystems and the importance of conserving biodiversity for future generations. This theme encourages students to explore the complex relationships between species, the impact of human activities on natural habitats, and the innovative solutions that can help preserve the Earth's rich diversity of life. Throughout the week, students from all grades will engage in various science activities.
On Friday, August 16th, our school will host an Experiments Day, where students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on science experiments. These experiments aim to foster curiosity, critical thinking and a love of Science.
Mrs Belinda Evans
Premier's Reading Challenge
Handball Competition
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 26 September.
We look forward to sharing any further information through the SPAP Facebook page and through our school newsletter.
Regards,
Miss Alana Stroligo, Mrs Katie Colquhoun and Mrs Jodi Marsh
Year 6 Classroom Teachers
Laudato Si’ Award and Pollution Paul
This Term, in line with our PB4L focus, we are making a conscious effort to respect our school environment. Our playgrounds are currently being monitored by our Year 5 Waste-Free Warriors. Each grade has been allocated a playground that is their responsibility to keep free from rubbish and equipment. Winners of the Laudato’ Si’ award are announced each Wednesday morning assembly. Students who win get the honour of looking after Pollution Paul for a whole week.
Congratulations to ASPECT, who are our first winners of the Laudato Si’ Award and Pollution Paul for Term 3. Their area was the top oval and the area surrounding their classroom. The Waste-Free Warriors reported that their area was impeccably free from rubbish when it was audited.
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation - 1 September 2024
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. “To Hope and Act with Creation” In the letter of Paul the apostle to the Romans, the biblical image pictures the Earth as a Mother, groaning as in childbirth (Rom 8:22). Francis of Assisi understood this when he referred to the Earth as our sister and our mother in his Canticle of Creatures. The times we live in show that we are not relating to the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather as a resource to be used. And yet, there is hope and the expectation for a better future. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles. Just as in childbirth, we go through a period of intense pain, but new life springs forth.
St Paul’s will be recognising this day by participating in activities centred around caring for and appreciating creation. There will also be class liturgies dedicated to this special day. More information will be provided in the next newsletter.
News from OOSH
Hi St Pauls Families!
We are now gathering feedback for our next school holiday period. If you have a moment to complete the survey below that would be great. For families who don’t currently access the service you can complete just the first and last question if you would like to voice your interest in dates for next school holidays (including the next Pupil Free Day).
https://forms.office.com/r/tcbYDet7t7
During the school holidays new enrolments can take up to 5 business days to process so we do recommend enrolling during the term and being ready on our casual list just in case.
If you are interested in enrolling please email the service at albionparkoosh@CatholicCare.dow.org.au to receive an information pack.
Regards
Becky
P&F Meeting for Term 3
The P&F Meeting for Term 3 will be held on Monday 19th August, via zoom from 6.30 pm. A zoom link will be shared on the day.
Father's Day Stall
St Paul's Parents and Friends Association will be holding a Father's Day stall on Thursday 29th August. The cost of the Father's Day gifts is $5.00 per gift. Please provide a bag so that your child can carry the gift home.