Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the final weeks of the school year, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve shared and to express my heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support and partnership.

Kindergarten 2025 Orientation

On 21 November, we had the pleasure of welcoming our 2025 Kindergarten students and their families for Orientation Day. The children had a fantastic time meeting their future teachers, exploring their new learning spaces, and getting a taste of the exciting adventures that await them in their first year of school.

While the children were engaged in their activities, parents attended an informative session about starting school, featuring helpful tips and insights. A special thank you to our P&F President, Amy De Santis, for sharing her experiences, and to the our school Admin team, representatives from Athlete’s Foot, Hazelton’s Uniforms, OOSH, Compass Support, and CEDoW for supporting our families in preparing for the year ahead.

We’re thrilled by the enthusiasm of our new Kindergarten families and look forward to officially welcoming the Class of 2025 in the new year!

Year 6 Milestones

• Final Assembly
  On Friday, 22 November, our Year 6 students led their final assembly as St Paul’s students. This special event was filled with heartfelt moments, laughter, and reflection, making it a truly memorable occasion for students, staff, and families. Thank you to Year 6 and their teachers for such a meaningful assembly.

• High School Orientation
  Many of our Year 6 students attended orientation days at St Joseph’s and Corpus Christi High Schools on Thursday, 28 November. These visits provided an invaluable opportunity for students to familiarise themselves with their new school environments as they prepare for an exciting new chapter in 2025.

Year 6 Leadership Roles for 2025

On Monday, 25 November, our Year 5 students presented their speeches for 2025 leadership roles. I was deeply impressed by their confidence, preparation, and vision for the future. The voting process is now complete, and we eagerly anticipate announcing the 2025 Captains at our end of year Mass.

Your child’s Semester Two report will be available via Compass on Friday 13 December. 

If you would like to take up the opportunity to meet with a teacher please email the office info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au

Your request will be forwarded to the class teacher for a phone or face-to-face meeting between 16-18 December. Requests for meeting close Monday 9 December.

All students will have an opportunity to spend a morning with their new class and teacher (where possible).  The 'Meet and Greet' morning will occur on Monday 16 December. All teachers are thrilled to get to know their new class members. 

Staff will be involved in a student handover process in the final weeks of school. The purpose of this handover is to give the class teacher from this year the opportunity to discuss your child's learning style, specific interests and needs with next year's teacher.

Students are invited to share their talents with their classmates on Tuesday 17 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. Students can sign up with their classroom teacher.

ACER Webinar on PAT – Empowering Teachers Through Data

Recently, ouur staff participated in an insightful webinar with Caithlin Power from ACER's Progressive Achievement (PAT) team. As an expert in educational assessments, Caithlin’s role focuses on supporting schools to effectively implement PAT tools and use the data to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.

The session unpacked the PAT Reading and PAT Maths tools, equipping teachers with the skills to analyse data more effectively. This analysis allows us to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in student learning, enabling us to align our instructional strategies with individual and cohort needs.

The webinar emphasised how PAT data can guide us in making informed decisions to support targeted instruction, close learning gaps, and improve overall student achievement. We look forward to embedding these strategies into our teaching practice to ensure continued growth in both literacy and numeracy.

Mrs Belinda Evans - Instructional Coach 

Curriculum Implementation - English Scope & Sequencing K-6

Miss Tonini and Mrs Staff attended a Professional Development Day at St Therese Catholic Primary School on Friday 29th November. The day was run by Education Officers from the Catholic Education Office. The purpose of the day was to review the schools current Scope & Sequence for learning, and look at how we can ensure that our Scope and Sequence gives the school direction for meeting the outcomes and requirements of the new English Syllabus.

Some of the key pointes from the day were:

• developing understanding around how students learn and the key features of a knowledge rich approach to curriculum design
• understanding the principles of curriculum design and NESA requirements around scope and sequencing
• analysing the whole - school scope and sequence in relation to the four key features of a knowledge-rich curriculum
• ensuring coherence from K-6 in the Understanding and Responding to Literature focus area
• understanding the importance of the text requirements for the English syllabus

Following the Professional Development, as a staff in 2025 we will review our current Scope & Sequence and refine our programs looking at a knowledge rich approach to curriculum design.

Mrs Patricia Staff

PB4L Focus Week 7 & 8 - Being Respectful to staff and peers

Students gathered as a Stage with their peers and teachers to explore the importance of showing respect to one another and all staff. Each class celebrated students who consistently demonstrated respectful behaviour, rewarding them with a class-voted activity.

PB4L Focus Week 9 & 10 - Dealing with change

As the school year draws to a close, students will develop skills to manage emotions associated with change, such as moving to a new grade and meeting a new teacher. These lessons will help build resilience and confidence as they prepare for the year 2025.

ROAD SAFETY

Teaching safety, including Road Safety, is an important part of the PDHPE curriculum. This term, many classes are exploring safety topics as part of their learning program with a particular focus on Road Safety. For families, it’s a great time to reinforce these lessons at home by discussing safe practices when walking, riding, or travelling by car.

To support this focus, our school has access to Safety Town, an excellent road safety education resource provided by CEDoW. Safety Town offers interactive activities for students from Kindergarten to Year 6, with resources that connect learning in PDHPE, English, and Mathematics. Families can also explore these resources to extend the learning experience at home. https://www.safetytown.com.au/families/ 

This is a friendly reminder that supervision at school begins at 8:30 am. For the safety and wellbeing of all students, we kindly ask that children are not dropped off or arrive at school before this time without a parent or carer present, as there will be no staff available to supervise them while students wait near the road by our Front Gate. 

Additionally, as our school is located on the busy Tongarra Road, we encourage all families to talk with their children about practising safe road behaviours. Please remind your child to:

• Use designated pedestrian crossings.

• Stop, look, listen, and think before crossing the road.

• Always hold an adult’s hand when walking near traffic.

Please see the following information shared by Transport for NSW.  Further information can be found on the Transport for NSW website https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/parents

School safety

School-age children might seem independent, but they still need a hand. Young children learn how to safely use the road from you. The habits they learn stay with them when they’re old enough to travel alone.

Walking to and from school

• Plan your trip to school so you're using pedestrian crossings where possible. 
• Always hold your child's hand up until they're at least 8 years old. Young children need your help to recognise danger such as vehicles coming out of driveways. They can also be easily distracted and wander into traffic.
• Up until at least 10 years old, supervise your child very closely, holding their hand when crossing the road. If you cannot be with your child, organise for another trusted adult to accompany them. 
• Drop off and pick up your child near the school gate and never call them from across the road. Explain to your child the Stop, Look, Listen, Think method and practise it together every time they cross the road: 
  • Stop one step back from the kerb 
  • Look both ways continuously 
  • Listen for the sounds of approaching traffic 
  • Think whether it's safe to cross and keep checking until you're safely across. 

Find out the difference between pedestrian crossings and children's crossings via our pedestrian safety page.

Driving to and from school​

• Make sure your children are in the correct child car seats for their height and age. To be effective, child car seats need to be fitted and used correctly. 
• Drive under the 40km/h speed limit in school zones as these are the busiest times and places. 
• Give way to buses pulling out – watch for bus flashing lights. 
• Always park and turn legally around schools. Avoid dangerous manoeuvres like U-turns and three-point turns. 
• Always give way to pedestrians, especially when entering and leaving driveways. 
• Drop off and pick kids up on the school side of the road in your school's designated drop-off and pick-up area. Never call out to children to cross the road. 
• Make sure kids get out of the car on the kerb side of the road to be away from passing traffic. 

Getting the bus

• Always meet your child at school or the bus stop. Never wait on the opposite side of the road and call them across.
• Always hold your child's hand up until they're at least 8 years old when walking to and from the bus stop or interchange and when crossing the road. Up until at least 10 years old, supervise your child very closely, holding their hand when crossing the road. If you cannot be with your child, organise for another trusted adult to accompany them.
• Wait until the bus has gone then use a safe place to cross the road
• Encourage your child to take a seat quickly when they get on the bus and to buckle up if the bus has seatbelts.

Keeping children safe in the road environment

Our range of fact sheets have safety information that includes walking together safely, driving and parking safely near schools, 40km/h school zones and helping children around buses.

Thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our students safe.

As we approach the festive season, we are excited to share with you the various activities and events planned at St Paul’s Albion Park to celebrate the season of Advent. This special time provides us with the opportunity to come together as a school community, reflect on the meaning of the season, and engage in meaningful activities that embody the spirit of hope, joy, peace, and love.

Join us on Friday 6 December for our Advent Liturgy that will be led by Year 1. During Advent we await the birth of Jesus Christ. Each week, students will have the honour of lighting a candle, representing the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love in their classrooms. We invite you to join us in this reflective and joyous occasion that will take place in the School Hall from 2:30pm.

In the spirit of giving, St Paul’sl has organised a community outreach initiative with St Vincent de Paul throughout the Advent season. We encourage students and families to participate as we seek to make a positive impact in our local community. Students are asked to bring in an item to be placed in a hamper for families in need by Friday 6 December.

Kindergarten - Christmas cookies, shortbread, Christmas cake

Year 1 - Chips, popcorn, savoury biscuits

Year 2 - Desert items - Tin fruit, long life custard, Christmas pudding, fruit mince pies

Year 3 - Chips, noodles, pretzels

Year 4 - Christmas lollies, snack food items - chips, biscuits

Year 5 - Cereal, teabags, coffee, long life milk

Year 6  - Drinks - soft drinks, cordial, non perishable juice, poppers

During the season of Advent children may like to participate in daily activities, reflections and small acts of kindness during the countdown to Christmas. We encourage families to engage in these activities together, fostering a sense of unity and shared joy. Please refer to the image below.

We look forward to embracing the spirit of Advent together as a school community. Your involvement and participation make these celebrations even more special. If you have any questions or would like more information about specific Advent activities, please feel free to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.

Wishing you and your families a blessed Advent season filled with hope, peace, joy, and love.

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.

On Wednesday 11 December students will have their Student Christmas Concert involving costumes. This will be an opportunity for students to watch the performances of their peers in other grades.

On Thursday 12 December we will have our End of Year Mass and Christmas Concert. The Mass will be held in the Church at 9:30 followed by our Christmas Concert from 11:30am in the School Hall. The End of Year Awards will be presented at this concert. We warmly welcome parents and grandparents to join us in this special celebration. This festive event will showcase the talents of our students as they come together to celebrate the joy of the season through music, drama, and performances. 

Kind Regards,

Miss Alana Stroligo

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Dear Parents and Carers of Catholic children in Year 6 in 2025,

If you wish for your child to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2025, there will be a Parent Discernment Meeting on Tuesday, 26 February 2025 at 7:00pm in the church.

This meeting is for parents and carers only. If you are unable to attend this meeting, you will need to arrange a private meeting with Father Leo. No application forms will be issued to anyone who has not attended either the Discernment Meeting or a meeting with Father Leo.

Please check St Paul’s Parish website (https://stpaulsparish.org.au/parish-sacramental-programs/) for information on dates and Parish expectations for next year’s Sacramental Program.

Many thanks

Therese McQuade

Co-ordinator, Sacramental Programmme             
St Paul’s Parish, Albion Park

ACE Awards:
Stephanie 3R
Daniella 3R
Isaac 3R
April 3R
James C 3B
Charlotte 3B
Elijah 3B
James H 3R
Khye 4R
Abbey M 5B
Abby G 5B
Nate 5R
Hugh 6R
Alexis 6R
Hunta 6B
Orlando 6B
Elleah 6R
Aidan S 6B
Annabelle 6R
Emily 6R

Principal's Awards:
Isaac 3R
Stephanie 3R
James C 3B
Elijah 3B
Khye 4R
Abby G 5B
Alexis 6R
Emily 6R

Mary MacKillop Awards:
Elijah 3B
Khye 4R
Abby G 5B

This Fridays Assembly will be our last Ace, Principal and Mary Mackillop Award Presentation for the year. If you have any outstanding awards please keep these until the new year.

As the 2024 school year draws to a close the school would like to remind parents of the current medication procedure.

All long term medication must be provided to the school by a parent or carer in a WEBSTER PACK containing one month's supply per pack, clearly labelled with your child’s prescription, name, quantity and time medication is to be taken. The school advises that you consult with your GP or pharmacist to discuss the different styles of packs that will work best with your child’s medication. 

Should your child require short term medication, no longer than one to two weeks, the webster pack is not required. Parents are to provide the medication in the bottle or packet that it is provided by the pharmacist with the prescription clearly labelled. All liquid medication requires a syringe or medicine cup and dosage pre-drawn to be provided for dispensing the medicine. 

A ‘Request to Administer Medication’ form must be provided to the school for all prescribed and over the counter medications before any medication can be dispensed to your child. Parents can access this form at the school office.

The school will be making contact with parents in the coming weeks in regards to the collection of medication on the last day of school for those students leaving. If your child is returning to St Paul's in 2025 and your medication will still be in date for Term 1 you will not be contacted.  Should you want to collect this medication on the last day of school please email the school via info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au so your medication is ready for parent collection.

Kristie Bicknell

Senior School Support Officer

NEW FAMILIES TO OUR SCHOOL

School Fees are invoiced as an annual account. However, many families elect to pay their school fees by regular instalments and as a new family to our school, we would like to offer you this option. If wish to take up this offer, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request, either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2025 school fees. Your school fee statements are emailed to you and they will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date.

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.

Thank you!

With Sport wrapping up for 2024 school year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our parent volunteers who have assisted with the many sporting opporunities we have had throughout the year. I am genuinely very grateful to all those who have given up their time to support Sport this year. Our Sports events can not go ahead without the support of our community and we hope to see you volunteering again in 2025!

We’re excited to announce that our Annual P&F Christmas Stall will be held on Thursday, 5 December! This much loved event is a wonderful opportunity for our students to embrace the joy of giving and choose thoughtful gifts for their loved ones.

Here’s what you need to know:

• When: Thursday, 5th December
• Where: School Hall
• Cost: All gifts are priced at $5 each

With a wide variety of gifts to choose from, students can find something meaningful for their family members.

Thank you for your ongoing support to ensure everyone receives a special gift on Christmas Day.

Please see the attached school holiday flyer.

Dear Parents and Carers of Catholic children in Year 6 in 2025,

If you wish for your child to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2025, there will be a Parent Discernment Meeting on Tuesday, 26 February 2025 at 7:00pm in the church.

This meeting is for parents and carers only. If you are unable to attend this meeting, you will need to arrange a private meeting with Father Leo. No application forms will be issued to anyone who has not attended either the Discernment Meeting or a meeting with Father Leo.

Please check St Paul’s Parish website (https://stpaulsparish.org.au/parish-sacramental-programs/) for information on dates and Parish expectations for next year’s Sacramental Program.

Many thanks,

Therese McQuade
Co-ordinator, Sacramental Programmme             
St Paul’s Parish, Albion Park