Last Sunday 28 March the church celebrated Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the commencement of Holy Week. Pope Francis in his homily stated "Every year this liturgy leaves us amazed: we pass from the joy of welcoming Jesus as he enters Jerusalem to the sorrow of watching him condemned to death and then crucified. That sense of interior amazement will remain with us throughout Holy Week." 

Pope Francis explained that "from the start, Jesus leaves us amazed. His people give him a solemn welcome, yet he enters Jerusalem on a lowly colt. His people expect a powerful liberator at Passover, yet he comes to bring the Passover to fulfillment by sacrificing himself."

As we enter into Holy Week let us continue to fill our minds and hearts with amazement. Let us be filled with that amazement as we gaze upon the crucified Lord. May we too say: “You are truly the Son of God. You are my God”.

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of Term 1 I would like to acknowledge the effort of our students at St Paul's and thank them for the commitment they have all shown to their learning and the care they show their peers and staff. I would like to thank the staff for their ongoing professionalism and dedication to planning high quality learning experiences for our students. Thank you to all parents and carers for the ongoing support you provide to our staff, we are very grateful for your partnership at St Paul's. Thank you to Fr. Leo for his guidance and support and for the time he provides the students and staff of St Paul's. 

At the end of this term we farewell Mrs Gemma Bolton who has replaced Mrs Julie Ferguson who was on long service leave for Term 1. I would like to thank Gemma for her contributions to the St Paul's Community, especially as the Year 4B classroom teacher over the past term and wish her well. We welcome Julie back from long service leave and look forward to hearing about her adventures whilst she has been on leave. 

Mrs Lisa Cooper has resigned from her school support officer role at St Paul's, Lisa has been on leave for the past 12 months. Lisa has been a valued staff member of St Paul's and has made many contributions to the St Paul's school community. On behalf of the students, staff and parents and carers we wish Lisa all the very best for the future and thank her for her service at St Paul's. 

We wish Mrs Robyn Warton the very best as Robyn accesses long service leave for the remainder of the school year. Following a recruitment process I would like to congratulate Mrs Carol Harb who will replace Robyn as a classroom school support officer. Carol has worked in a number of Diocesan Catholic Schools as a classroom support officer and is looking forward to working with the students and staff at St Paul's. 

Following a recruitment process I would like to welcome Mrs Karen Shaw who will be working as a classroom support officer in Kindergarten for Term 2. We also welcome Miss Holly Brown who will be working as a classroom support officer for Term 2 on a Wednesday and Thursday. 

I would also like to welcome two university students Sarah Shembri and Samuel Franklin who are Catholic Education Diocesan of Wollonong scholarship recipients who will be working as classroom support officers one day per week at St Paul's. This is part of an initiative led by CEDoW and St Paul's has been chosen for two of the recipients to join as part of their teacher training. Samuel will be supporting Year 2R and Sarah will be supporting Year 1B on a Thursday starting in Week 2 Term 2. 

Please note that students will return to school in Term 2 wearing their summer uniform. The official change over to the winter uniform is Monday, 17 May (Wk 5 Term 2). However, the winter uniform may be worn from the commencement of Term 2 if parents and carers feel that the weather necessitates the need to.  

I wish you all a faith-filled Easter and safe and happy holiday, spending time with your children, family and friends. 

Take care and on behalf of the staff at St Paul's we look forward to seeing our students at school on Monday 19 April.

Wishing you every blessing,

Michelle Rodwell

Principal

On 25 March students from Year 3 & 5 engaged in practice tests for NAPLAN. Year 3 engaged in an Omnibus test that allowed them to see what some questions from the Numeracy, Reading and Language Conventions tests would look like. Year 5 completed the Omnibus and a Writing Test.

The purpose of these tests was to give the students an experience of a testing situation, to test the technology at school and to test the portal used for the testing. There are no results for these tests. 

We thank the classroom teachers for administering the tests and Miss Djodan for coordinating the NAPLAN practice.

NAPLAN testing will occur across the testing window of 11–21 May. The exact date St Paul's will be administering these tests will be advertised next term. The testing window allows for students to 'makeup' a test if they are absent due to sickness.

This week students will bring their English books home for you to view. Please return these before the end of term.

Pasted inside will be a confirmation slip that you will be required to sign.

Teachers use many different approaches to marking books. Some items will not be marked as they were consolidation tasks. This does not mean the teacher has not seen this work. Other items will be marked only for a set focus eg: using capital letters when writing. Some work samples will have notes directed to the child to remind them of what to do and some items will be marked for the teacher’s reference to remind them of teaching focuses for a particular child. Occasionally, there will be marking rubrics that give feedback to the student, teacher or parent about a child’s progress against the standard for that grade. Teacher’s give feedback to children through verbal means as well as what is seen in the workbook.

Your child would love you to look through their book and use this as a starting point to discuss what they have been learning. If you would like to give your child some feedback you might like to try the following format. 

Please note that Stage 3 also complete work electronically. You are encouraged to ask your child about their Google Classroom work.

Holy Week will be celebrated in Week 10 of Term 4. On Thursday 1 April, we will have a Whole School Liturgy at 12pm outside. At this liturgy we will recount the events of Holy Week in prayer, beginning with Palm Sunday followed by Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet, The Last Supper, In the Garden, Jesus Meets Pilate, ending with Jesus is Crucified.

With the easing of Covid Restrictions parents are invited to attend. For the purpose of contact tracing, all parents will need to sign in using the QR code at the front gate. Chairs will be spaced to ensure adults are sitting 1.5 metres apart.

Despite the weather, students came dressed as an essential worker on Thursday 18 March to celebrate St Joseph’s Day. There were many nurses, teachers, police officers, firefighters, shop assistants and doctors.

A big thank you to all families and students who participated in the St Patrick’s Day activities, dressing with a touch of green and raising money for Project Compassion. As money is still coming in, a final total will be included in the newsletter in Term 2.

PROJECT COMPASSION

Project Compassion boxes were sent home with each child a few weeks ago. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice.

We encourage you to return any donations in boxes by the end of Term or in Week 1, Term 2.

• Easter Liturgy Monday 19 April 
• Confirmation Preparation Day Friday 23 April for Year Six students only
• ANZAC Day Celebration Monday 26 April 
• Bishop Brian Mascord will be visiting the school on Friday 30 April

HOLY WEEK LITURGIES

Registrations are now being taken for the Holy Week liturgies (Holy Thursday 7pm Mass, Good Friday 10am Stations, Good Friday 3pm Passion and 7pm Easter Vigil Mass). Please contact the Parish Office. If you are already registered to attend the Saturday 6pm Vigil Mass, please confirm that you are still attending for the Easter Vigil.

PASCHAL PRECEPT

Each of the faithful is obliged to receive Holy Communion at least once a year. This is to be done between Ash Wednesday (17 February) and Trinity Sunday (30 May) unless for a good reason it is done at another time during the year. All the faithful are obliged to confess their grave sins at least once a year. Just a reminder - Good Friday is a day of abstinence from meat for everyone, as well as a day of fast for those bound to fast.

ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Due to popular demand, St Joseph’s Catholic High school are running a third Information Evening on 27 April at 7pm and school tours commencing at 4pm. Registration is required to attend. Please contact the school on 4230 8500.

CONFIRMATION 

This week Confirmation candidates were notified of the the day that they will be confirmed, whether it be Thursday 29 April or Friday 30 April.

Father Leo Duck has given dates for the celebration of the Sacraments for 2021.

Further information about preparation and registration will be forwarded to you as it comes to hand.

FIRST RECONCILIATION (for students in Year Three or above)

21 June to 25 June

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION (for students in Year Three or above)

11 September or 12 September

CONFIRMATION (for students in Year Six)

29 April or 30 April

Jodi Marsh

Religious Education Coordinator

St Joseph reminds us that rest is essential if we are to hear God’s voice and understand what is being asked of us. He shows us what happens when we wait patiently even in fearful circumstances, trusting and remaining open to how Love might work in our lives. Just as Paul reminded the Romans to be transformed by the renewing of the mind so as to discern the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom 12:2), Joseph reminds us to allow our minds to be renewed through our dreams.

Pope Francis has a special devotion to St Joseph. “I have great love for Saint Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength. On my table I have a statue of Saint Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath Saint Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: pray for this problem!"

Learning is fun in Year One! 

In Year One we are always very busy learning. We spend our days reading, writing, discovering, problem solving, moving, learning and playing! We have learnt lots of new things this term and we are excited to come back in Term 2!

We love going to the library and reading books!

We like to do art!

As part of our School Review and Improvement priority we are engaging parents in our students’ numeracy learning. Starting Term 2, students will be bringing home their Assessment of Learning in Mathematics following the completion of a unit. This will occur twice per term.

Parents are encouraged to look through the assessment and speak to their child about their results. We are hoping this provides parents and carers with a clearer understanding of their child’s attainment of numeracy concepts.

Each grade will bring home their two assessments at different points throughout the term depending on their grade’s scope and sequence of learning. The content that each grade is assessed on may also differ depending on which strand the unit was based.

The assessment task is only one component of the assessment process. There may be more than one task needed to complete assessment for that outcome. The other components of assessment include class participation, bookwork, observation, verbal tasks and problem solving tasks.

Olivia Djodan
Acting Middle Leader

All staff will be attending  Professional Learning on the 16 April, the last day of the school holidays, in lieu of the final day of the year.  As this is still within the school holidays there is no supervision for students.

K-2 teachers - Effective Literacy Teaching in the Early Years
3-6 teachers - Teaching Reading Strategies
School Support Staff - Professional Learning with Monika Trauth

Week 1

• Extending Mathematical Understanding Training - Mrs Rodwell, Miss Djodan and Ms Mansbridge attending

Week 2

• Collaborative Planning Monday - Year 3-6 teachers
• Collaborative Planning Friday- K- 2 teachers 
• Learning for Leadership - Mrs Evans and Mr McCann 

Olivia Djodan
Acting Middle Leader

On Friday 26 of March, our school hosted 27 schools from the Wollongong Diocese for the annual Wollongong Environmental Network (WEN) Day.  Four Students from Year 5 represented our school, Isabella, Jack, Jonathan and Lilliana. 

We had such a great day! There were fun activities, like turning a t-shirt into a shopping bag with just a pair of scissors, chatting to students from all different parts of the Illawarra and hearing from a young activist, Jack Berne. We learnt that you’re never too small to make a difference.

Some of us were even interviewed by a range of media platforms, including the ABC, WIN news, and the Illawarra Mercury.

Towards the end of the day, we worked with Miss De Sousa to create a school prayer for the environment and we brainstormed actions for our school in 2021 and contributed our ideas on how we can care for our “common home” here at St Paul’s.

We have so many wonderful ideas for ecological action here at our school so watch this space!

The WEN Eco Ambassadors

Isabella, Jonathan, Lilliana and Jack

The ICAS assessments will be held between 9 August and 3 September.  Further information will be communicated via Compass.

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2022 are now open. Enrolments packs are available for collection at our school office. Please let your friends and the wider community know that enrolments are now open.

Applications close 3:00pm, Thursday, 1 April 2021

Between May and July this year, our school will be taking part in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). This is a nationwide census/survey of early childhood development held once every three years. The AEDC is an Australian Government initiative run by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and includes all children in their first year of full-time school.

The AEDC provides vital information to communities about how children are developing in the crucial early years. AEDC data is relied upon by schools, early childhood organisations, researchers and government to inform planning and improve services and supports for children and families.

The AEDC Instrument is completed by teachers about children in their first year of full-time school. The AEDC is voluntary and is not a school test. The information collected gives a picture of how children are developing before they start school in five key areas or domains. It shows what is being done well, and what can be improved. This is why it is important for all children in their first year of full-time school to be included in the AEDC.

More information will be provided to all Kindergarten parents in Term 2.

The following dates have been planned as Staff Professional Development Days for St Paul’s this year. Being Staff Development Days they are pupil free days, so children do not attend school. The dates are as follows:

Please note that CatholicCare OSHC Care will put a survey in the newsletter closer to the Staff Development dates to seek parent/carer feedback regarding the provision of Vacation Care style service for the Staff Development dates.

CatholicCare OSHC Care would like to thank parents and carers who completed their recent survey regarding vacation care. They did not have enough response to run during the April Holidays however the feedback is looking promising for June/July!

CatholicCare OSHC Care process will be similar for Staff Development Dates. When these are coming up please keep an eye out in the newsletter for a survey to register your interest with them. If they gain enough feedback to warrant running the day they will provide a Vacation Care style day, from 7am to 6pm, based off of children's interests and ideas! Please give them a call at 0460 666 010 or email them at albionparkoosh@catholiccare.dow.org.au if you have any further questions.

The flyer below outlines procedures that have been agreed to between the Health Department and schools in the Illawarra/Shoalhaven Region, relating to students who have been discharged from hospital. 

The School Property Office of the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong has engaged an arborist to assess the health of all trees on school sites within the Diocese of Wollongong. Each school is required to have this tree risk assessment each year and a report is produced which details the current risk and remediating actions required. 

Over the pupil vacation one of our trees adjacent to the school office will be removed due to the health of the tree. The St Paul's environmental team will use the mulch from the tree on other plants throughout the school.

Due to your generous donations, the P&F Association were able to raise $349.55 which will go towards the purchase of more playground equipment.  Great work!  Our classrooms and playgrounds were looking very colourful with all our Crazy Hair!

The 2nd hand uniform store is particularly in need of the following items in good condition:

• Boys grey summer shorts in small sizes 4-8
• Boys summer shirts
• Girls summer dresses in larger sizes child's 12 and larger
• Sports polos and shorts all sizes
• Sports tracksuits sizes 4-8
• School jumpers size 8

All items $5

Please Note:

The Office can only accept EFTPOS payments when purchasing uniforms.

DONATIONS of uniforms which you no longer require are always needed to replenish our stock. It is important that all uniforms have been WASHED and are in relatively GOOD condition (no rips, big stains or broken zippers please).

Parents and Carers are welcome to drop off the uniform donations at the front office.