Dear Parents and Carers,

It was so lovely to see all our students and staff dressed up for our Book Week parade on Monday. The theme, 'Book An Adventure,' truly came to life with the incredible costumes and enthusiasm on display. The creativity and effort put in by everyone was truly amazing and made the day a huge success.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Mrs Staff, Miss Vardanega, and Mr Wallace, Mrs Wilson and Miss Ceccato for their time in preparing for the day. Their efforts helped make the parade a memorable and joyful experience for our entire school community.

Thank you to all visitors who joined us and especially our parents for your continued support in helping your children celebrate this event and for building a school community where reading is valued and enjoyable. 

In the coming weeks we are fortunuate to have our Catholic Care School Counsellors delivering some helpful parent education sessions. Please see the flyers below and we hope you can join us on these dates. Don't forget to RSVP.

Each week our school has a team of staff who are part of the Positive Behaviours for Learning Team. In our meeting this week we discussed our school data and there has been approximately two hundred and fifty reports by staff of students displaying disrespectful or non-compliant behaviour this year.

This type of behaviour has a significant and direct impact on the learning environment. When staff are required to manage frequent disruptions, it takes valuable time away from instruction and negatively affects the engagement and progress of all students. A school can only thrive when there is mutual respect and cooperation between students and staff.

At St Paul's, we believe in upholding our core school rules respect for others. We are committed to teaching our students the importance of listening to adults and treating everyone in our community with kindness and consideration.

We kindly ask for your partnership in this effort. Please take some time to talk with your child about the importance of being respectful with all staff members, including teachers, support staff, and our office staff. By reinforcing these values at home, you can help us create a safe, positive, and focused learning environment for everyone.

Thank you for your support.

Angela Pecnik

Principal

Parent Education Sessions - Catholic Care

Keeping our School Environmentally Friendly - Return & Earn

 Exciting news! Return & Earn is now up and running at St Paul’s! Every 10c bottle or can returned will help fund our school’s environmental projects – like growing our veggie gardens . Let’s recycle for a greener future together! 

Canteen Price Reductions

SCIENCE WEEK

The students had a wonderful time last Friday afternoon participating in a variety of Science activities to engage in Science Week.

This year, our school celebrated National Science Week with a fantastic array of activities all centred around the theme "Decoding the Universe - Exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language." 

This theme highlighted how science helps us unravel the mysteries of the natural world, from the tiniest particles to the vastness of space. Our students became budding scientists and took part in hands-on experiments that showed them how we can all learn to "read" the secret language of the universe.

It was a brilliant week filled with curiosity and discovery, proving that when it comes to science, learning is always an adventure! A huge thank you to all the teachers and students who made this a memorable and inspiring event. ✨

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION

The theme of this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, chosen by our beloved Pope Francis, is “Seeds of Peace and Hope”. On the tenth anniversary of the establishment of this Day of Prayer, which coincided with the publication of the Encyclical Laudato Si’, we are also celebrating the present Jubilee as “Pilgrims of Hope”.

Kindergarten will be leading our Liturgy for this day. Due to the Book Fair in the Hall, the liturgy will be held in the Church at 2.30pm on Monday 1st September. Parents and Carers are welcome to attend.

SEASON OF CREATION

Each year, during the month of September, Christians from around the world and across many denominations unite in worship, reflection, and action to celebrate God’s beautiful Earth—and to renew our shared calling to care for creation.

Throughout the month of September students will engage in activities focusing on the importance of God’s creation in our world today.

CHRISTMAS ART

Students in Years 5 and 6 have been working on their artworks in class.

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Positive Behaviours for Learning

PB4L Focus Term 3 Week 6 - I can be respectful when using the bathrooms

Keeping Our Bathrooms Safe and Clean

We’re asking for your help in reinforcing some important expectations about bathroom use at school. Recently, we’ve had a few issues with misuse, including toilets being blocked, taps being broken, and water being thrown on the floor.

To address this, our staff will be supervising the walkways outside the bathrooms more closely. Our teachers will also be actively reminding students about the importance of being safe and responsible, and will be rewarding students who demonstrate desired behavior.

You can support us by talking with your child at home about a few key points:

• Using the toilets and facilities appropriately.

• Washing their hands thoroughly after every use.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us maintain a safe and respectful environment for everyone.

PB4L Focus Term 3 Week 7 - I can leave toys at home

Leaving Toys at home 

We have noticed an increase in students bringing toys to school. We are asking for your help to reinforce that toys need to stay home and not be brought into school. Often toys get lost, and this causes distress with the students. 

To reinforce this, staff will give reminders out to students when they see toys from home and ask them to place them back into bags. 

Road Safety 

Seatbelt safety 

Is your child big enough to be safely restrained by a seatbelt? Take the five step test before you move your child to an adult seatbelt they must pass this five step test.

Professional Learning - Staff Development Day 

Last Wednesday 20th August, we held a Staff Development Day at St Paul's that supported and explored our school AIP "Through evidence-informed, contemporary pedagogical practices, students will be engaged and demonstrate growth in their learning of Mathematics".

Our teachers were supported by Kate Thomas from Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong to explore Quality teaching, learning and assessment in Mathematics. 

Throughout the day, our teachers engaged in targeted sessions designed to:

• Deepen understanding of syllabus content, its connections, and the continuum of learning
• Build a collective understanding of how effective learning intentions and success criteria drive teaching and learning
• High Impact Strategies that can be used to effectively support teaching and learning in Mathematics. 
• Practise, reflect on, and refine learning intentions and success criteria for greater impact on student outcomes
• Plan for teaching and learning for the students in their class. 

Staff development days are an important part of teachers Professional Development and build knowledge of the NSW syllabus and effective pedagogies.

 ACE Awards:
Amarli 2B
Rosie 2R
Chloe 2R
Oliver 3R
Hannah 3R
Nika 3B
Oscar 3R
Harper 3R
Riley 3R
Emily 4B
Everly 5R
Kai 5B

Principal's Awards:
Amarli 2B
Rosie 2R
Chloe 2R
Emily 4B
Kai 5B

Mary MacKillop Awards:
Emily 4B

Good afternoon everyone, here are your senior leader reporters Sienna and Harrison.

On Monday, we had our book week parade where many of our students dressed up as their favourite book characters. We saw Disney characters and inflatable costumes. Congratulations to the winners of the costume parade and a special thank you to Mrs Staff and Mr Wallace for organising the music.

On Friday 29 August, we have the soccer gala day where years 3-6 come together to play and have fun with non competitive games. Thank you Mrs Lyons for your organisation for the day.

On Friday, we also have a Year 1 Mass with Father Leo. Thank you Father Leo for your work as our Parish Priest and leading our Masses this year.

Throughout this term each year will be participating in the Learning in Action sessions where parents get to see how students learn in class. The focus this term is English. Parents have enjoyed participating in a writing or reading lesson.

On 1 September we will celebrate World Day for Prayer of Creation. This day is about Christians worldwide praying for and respecting all of God's creation.

On 3 September our school will have school photos. Every year the school participates in photos and purchases special gifts like mugs or magnets. Some students will have sibling photos.

On Thursday, 4 September, we have our Father’s Day celebrations. We will begin with the Father's Day Stall, then our Fathers will enjoy a BBQ. Our dads will then join in some fun games with their children to celebrate all the amazing things our dads do for us. This event will be from 2:15 to 3:00pm

On 6 September Year 3 will celebrate The First Holy Communion retreat day. A special day for children in Year 3 and their parents and family. This day is designed to prepare the candidates for the Sacrament of receiving Holy Communion for the first time.

These are your senior leaders signing out for the week! Harrison and Sienna.

Have you completed our volunteer onboarding process?

Before volunteering at any St Paul's events or gala days Parents will need to complete the volunteer induction process. Please see the below link.

Premier's Reading Challenge Closes - Friday, 19 September 2025 (Week 9, Term 3) 

Congratulations to all students in Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2 who are completing the Premier's Reading Challenge as classes. Congratulations also to those students in Years 3 - 6 who have completed the challenge individually so far. Students have been given an additional four weeks to complete the reading challenge this year. For those students still completing the challenge all reading records needed to be logged on the PRC Website by 19 September 2025. If you require any assistance, please contact Mrs Schulz or Mrs Harb.

$3.50 Hot Dogs Every Friday

$5.50 Mexican Beef Nachos

View full menu and order online at: https://myschoolconnect.com.au

A number of top selling items on the canteen menu will be available at reduced prices. This means families can enjoy more affordable options while we continue to provide healthy, fresh, and tasty food for the students and staff. I am committed to keeping the canteen affordable for everyone!

 

I hope these changes will help support families, especially during these times of rising costs.

 

A copy of the updated price list will be provided to the school and made available to students and families shortly.

Prices have been updated online and are effective immediately https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

St Paul's Parents and Friends Association will be holding a Father's Day stall on Thursday 4th September. 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.