Last Sunday was the 6th Sunday of Easter and the Gospel written by John explores the importance of love and the joy we receive and give to others. The joy we give and receive comes from God and stays with us. Love is a commitment to consistently put another person’s wellbeing and happiness before your own.  It’s the love that overlooks another’s faults and focuses on their endearing qualities.  It is the love parents have for their children when they play with a child even though they are too tired to move.  It is the willingness to lay down one’s life for another to protect that person from pain. To be able to withstand difficulties and disruptions, we must love one another–and remember what love looks like. The gospel today is a vision and mission statement of Jesus. It highlights the love of Jesus for us, his call, and his hope that we will love others and bring joy to the life of others. When Jesus said, “It is not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.”   The call of Jesus is to  make the world a better place to live in for everyone. 

Last Sunday we also had the opportunity to give thanks for the gift of mothers and mother figures in our community. The Gospel message was so appropriate for Mother’s Day. A day where we show appreciation to our mothers for all the love they gave us and still do even though they may not be with us. For us as Christians this is also a most special day to remember Mary, the mother we all share as brothers and sisters in Christ. Indeed, the whole month of May is traditionally the month when we Catholics give special honour to Mary, as our perfect heavenly mother given to us by Jesus, and to deepen our relationship with her.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Week 4 Term 2. Last Friday was an opportunity for the school community to come together in over 14 months to celebrate a wonderful community event, Mother’s Day. I had the pleasure of meeting many parents and grandparents and together we witnessed the joy of our St Paul’s students as they proudly showed their family members their classroom, their learning artefacts and performed on stage. I would like to thank the St Paul’s Parents and Friends Committee under the leadership of Mrs Sara-Jay O’Shea, the wonderful parent helpers who co-ordinated the Mother’s Day stall, organised over 400 meal deals, facilitated the Second Hand Uniform stall, and helped clean up at the end of the day. I would also like to thank the staff and students for their creative performances and for welcoming parents and grandparents into our learning spaces. 

Today we farewell Mrs Vennessa McGeehan who will be taking leave to recuperate from surgery next week. We wish Vennessa a speedy and healthy recovery and will keep Vennessa in our prayers. Miss Shari Allison and Mrs Di Allison will be supporting Mrs Kristie Bicknell in in the school office whilst Vennessa is on leave.

Tomorrow I have the privilege to begin to meet with families who would like to enrol their child at St Paul’s in Kindergarten 2022. It is such an honour to meet with parents and their child to discuss their vision of schooling and how the St Paul’s community can support this vision. The interviews will continue over the next few weeks.

This week the students in Years 3 and 5 throughout Australia have been sitting the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). I would like to thank Mrs Rebecca Nunes and Ms Olivia Djodan for their coordinating role in preparing both staff and students for these Assessments. We continue to keep our Year 3 and 5 students in our prayers.

The change over to Winter Uniform is Monday 17 May, although the transition period began at the beginning of term. I would like to thank all parents and carers for the care you take to present your child so well for school in their school uniform.

Wishing you every blessing,

Michelle Rodwell

Principal

Parents of students in Year One to Year Six will be provided with a Semester One report via the Compass Portal on:

Friday 11 June

At this time of year, Kindergarten parents have the opportunity to meet their child's teacher to discuss their progress so far this year. They do not receive a written report. 

Teachers will be available to discuss student academic progress at Learning Conversations (for all student Kinder- Year Six). These conversations will be held from 15 June- 24 June. Information on how to book a phone or face to face meeting with your child's teacher will be released in the coming weeks.

Students at St Paul's catch a variety of buses that also have students from surrounding schools. Premier Illawarra operates these buses under the guidelines of NSW Transport.

They ask that all students behave on buses under the specifics of the code of conduct:

Students from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are invited to join the St Paul’s Mini Vinnies team. Those who are interested are invited to meet outside the demountable after eating time at Recess on Thursday 13 May.

What is Mini Vinnies?

Mini Vinnies empowers students to become advocates within their school and local community by putting their values into action. Students will meet regularly to learn about social justice issues, develop leadership skills and engage with the wider St Vincent de Paul Society.

What do they do? 

Mini Vinnies members, with the guidance of staff, meet to discuss and raise awareness of social justice issues and organise ways to help others in need within their own school community and beyond. Mini Vinnies is also a great opportunity for students to reflect on the needs of those they want to help in their community, help shape compassion and understanding with their fellow students, and share their passion to raise awareness about social justice issues.

Each Friday, a grade will attend Mass with the Parish members at 9:30 am (weather permitting). Parents are welcome to join us but will need to register with the Parish Office. Please phone Mrs Mary Jennings in the St Paul’s Parish Office on 02 4256 2038. 

This coming Sunday we recognise the Feast of the Ascension at weekend Masses. At the Ascension, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God, after encouraging his disciples to preach the Good News to others. Students will recognise this significant event in the Church Year on Friday with prayer.

On Friday 21 May, there will be a liturgy in the Hall at 2:30 pm to celebrate Pentecost. Pentecost celebrates the day the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples to allow them to spread the Good News of Jesus.

National Sorry Day 2021 falls this year on Wednesday 26 May and is a day when we pause to remember the Stolen Generations of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

It leads us into the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation and National Reconciliation Week which is held each year between 27 May and 3 June.   

The St Paul’s Community will gather together at a Liturgy on Wednesday 26 May at 2:30 pm.

Parents are invited to attend.

On Thursday 29 and Friday 30 April, 49 Year 6 students from the St Paul’s Parish were confirmed by Bishop Brian Mascord. It was a wonderful occasion and we thank all who were involved.

On Friday 30 April, Bishop Brian Mascord visited the staff, students and school community. The day began with Mass with Years 4, 5 and 6. This was followed by morning tea with the staff. After lunch Bishop Brian, sat and shared some information about the role of the Bishop and his life. He gave time to the students to answer many of their questions ranging from “How old are you?”, “What inspired you to be Bishop?” and “How long have you been a teacher?”. Bishop Brian then joined us at the afternoon assembly. It was wonderful to have the Bishop present at our school and be so willing to engage with the children.

A massive thank you to all who contributed to Project Compassion this year through our St Patrick’s Day fundraiser or by returning full Project Compassion box donations. The money has been banked this week and totalled $1619.00. An outstanding effort to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

The St Paul’s community embraced the Caritas Lenten theme:

This year Catholic Education celebrates 200 years. A mass will be held in the Diocese to celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education at St John Vianney’s on Monday 24 May. Monday 24 May is chosen as this is the Feast Day of Our Lady Mary Help of Christians - the Patron Saint of Australia.

A bit of history of why this Feast Day was chosen can be found in “The Catholic Weekly” (May 23rd 2012)

The feast day to Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844 but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800’s. The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive.

Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness. When Australia became the first country to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title.

Mary Help of Christians patroness of Australia and of the Military Ordinariate

Almighty God, deepen in our hearts

our love of Mary Help of Christians.

Through her prayers and under her protection,

may the light of Christ shine over our land.

May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.

Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.

Bless especially the men and women

of the Australian Defence Force and their families.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.

Please take time to view the promotional video of 200 Years of Catholic Education, to see what we at St Paul’s Catholic Primary School are part of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aMba6txfoU

FIRST RECONCILIATION

First Lesson for students and one parent will begin this Saturday in the Hall. Attendance is required at all sessions.

Lesson 1: Saturday 15 May at 4:30 pm or Monday 17 May 4:30 pm. 

Lesson 2: Saturday 22 May at 4:30 pm or Monday 24 May 4:30 pm. 

Lesson 3: Saturday 29 May at 4:30 pm or Monday 31 May 4:30 pm. 

Lesson 4: Saturday 5 June at 4:30 pm or Monday 7 June 4:30 pm. 

Students are asked to bring along a pencil case with coloured pencils, a lead pencil, scissors and glue stick. Please ensure you arrive for a 4:30pm start, allowing time to check in.

Friday 21 May – Saturday 22 May We walk to raise PRAYERS for Australia. We walk in a spirit of joy, knowing that prayer united with sacrifice makes prayer more effective. You are warmly welcome to join us on either day or both days. Support vehicle provided all the way. Shuttle cars return to start on both days. Prayer books provided. Donations gratefully accepted. For more information, see the flyer on the notice board, or contact Sue Hill: 0435 336 195 or Gabriella De Battista, (02) 4261 2500.

Jodi Marsh

Religious Education Coordinator

Have you ever imagined St Joseph as a migrant worker? Would he have taken with him as many tools of trade as he could carry when he fled with Mary and the child Jesus into Egypt? What would it have been like for him trying to find work in a foreign land to support his family? Would anyone help them, or would these ‘outsiders’ be exploited or left to fend for themselves?

During the COVID-19 pandemic temporary seasonal workers have had a very difficult time. Many came to Australia for jobs that disappeared because of the pandemic. None the less, these workers found themselves ineligible for the Jobseeker allowance. Many could not go home. They became stranded in Australia because of closed borders. Without work or access to government support, they were forced to rely on charities. Those who did find work were often exposed to risk of infection with the virus – for example in the coronavirus outbreak that centred on the meatworks in Colac in mid-2020, or in food delivery or cleaning. Sadly, the exploitation of migrant workers is not something that only happens in other countries.

St Joseph the Migrant Worker 2 Before the pandemic, over a million overseas workers on temporary visas came to Australia each year. Even in the best of times, temporary seasonal workers are more vulnerable to exploitative working conditions than workers who have Australian citizenship. FairWork Australia says that “employees under the [Pacific Labour] Scheme have the same workplace rights as other employees in Australia”. But temporary seasonal workers might not know that. They are less likely to know what their rights are, and to be able to effectively assert them. It is not uncommon to hear stories of unreasonable accommodation charges and other levies being imposed. There have even been reports of passports being held by employers. Migrant workers often lack friends and allies who can help them. Can we see in the faces of temporary seasonal workers the face of St Joseph, seeking work in a foreign land, trying to support his family? Can we see migrant workers as our sisters and brothers in need of our care? Can we welcome them into our homes, communities and churches and defend their dignity and rights? Let us entrust temporary seasonal workers in Australia to the protection of St Joseph the Worker.

Reflection by Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv is Bishop of Parramatta and chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service

We have had a very busy start to the Term, from Science experiments to Guest Speakers.

We have had the opportunity to explore through experimentation how properties of materials can be useful for a specific purpose. For example the sole of a shoe is waterproof, bendable and strong.

Last week we had a special guest speaker come and talk to the grade about the significant Indigenous People of the Local Area.

Miss Jo spoke to us about King Micky and Queen Rosie and what it was like for the Indigenous People in the late 1800’s, in the Albion Park Area.

Here are some of the things we learnt: They camped on the beach in summer and found food in the ocean, they moved up the mountain and lived in caves, during the winter. They made tools, like spears and hunted for kangaroos, they used every part of the kangaroo. The skin was used for clothes, they ate the meat and they used the bones as tools. The men hunted and the women made bags and baskets for collecting seeds, nuts, berries and found lots of plants to be used for bush medicine. The women also did the cooking. King Micky was only a King for 10 years because he got sick with pneumonia and the bush medicine couldn’t cure him. Miss Jo is related to King Micky and Queen Rosie, so she could be called a Princess.

In week 5 we will also have another guest speaker. Mrs Wendy Carter, has been invited to share her knowledge about Albion Park, when it was Known as Terry’s Meadow in the 1820’s.

In English we are looking at old photographs of the local area around the 1900’s so we can make connections and identify clues and information from a visual text, to explain how things have changed over the years.

We have also looked at texts which tell a story through pictures. ‘Window’ by Jeannie Baker was a fabulous story of a boy whose life changes. The view through the window changes every two years. 

We really enjoyed our visualization task of drawing the view, the boy Sam saw through his window.

We have been working on number patterns in Maths and have had a great time making number patterns with hundreds charts. We then wrote the numbers, skip counted and worked out the rule for each pattern. 

In week 1, we planted seeds in pots for Mother’s Day and were thrilled and excited to see them sprout and grow towards the light. We couldn’t wait to see how proud our Mum’s were of our efforts. We also practiced and performed a beautiful song called ‘A Song For Mums’ by John Burland, at our Mother’s Day Celebrations.

Congratulations to the following students who have received or will be receiving an ACE Award, Principal Award and/or a Mary MacKillop Award:

ACE Awards

Mila Quinones - 2 Blue

Addison Stroemenr - 2 Blue

Kiri Sherry - 2 Red

Jack Barea - 3 Blue

Ruby Hobbin - 3 Blue

Ava Dawson - 3 Red

Elleah Estalilla - 3 Blue

Mia Rossi - 3 Blue

Matthew Kadzielski - 3 Blue

Anabelle Maounis - 4 Blue

Ameirah Stonham - 4 Red

Dakodah Hicks - 5 Red

Madison Smith - 5 Red

Jae Narciso - 6 Blue

Ava Daly - 6 Blue

Dean Rossi - 6 Blue

Principal Awards

Mila Quinones - 2 Blue

Billy Glover - 2 Red

Kiri Sherry - 2 Red

Hamish Abnett - 2 Red

Jack Barea - 3 Blue

Matthew McCabe - 4 Blue

Ameirah Stonham - 4 Red

Shelby Veigel - 5 Red

Mary MacKillop Awards

Sofia Di Martino - 3 Red

Matthew McCabe - 4 Blue

Poppy Faulks - 4 Red

The PB4L Team

Our focus for this week is packing away equipment carefully and responding to bells appropriately and in a timely manner.

Our student representative team have been working on an initiative in which students will notice and report on random acts of kindness amongst their peers. They have decided that will take the form of kindness shout-outs. Students will be given opportunities in class to record kind actions and words and deposit these in a kindness bucket. The PB4L representatives will go through these each week and select a few to share with the whole school community in morning Assembly and school newsletters.  

The staff continue to look for positive interactions and happy playground play by handing out raffle tickets during the lunch and recess breaks. Congratulations to the following students who were able to select prizes for their outstanding playground choices these past few weeks;

Week 3:

Charlotte Harrison - K Red

Mia Hamilton - 3 Red

Kate Bancroft - 3 Blue

Charlotte Duarte - 1 Red

Emily Hooper - 3 Blue

Week 4:

Zali Barrett - 3 Red

Angelo Philip - 3 Red

Addison Dunn - 4 Blue

Olivia Feeney - 5 Blue

Toby Shaw - K Red

The PB4L Team

After 14 long months of no live assemblies, Year 6 were thrilled to present St Paul’s first Assembly Item for 2021!  We had the privilege of being joined by Bishop Brian, Fr Leo, our Year 6 parents and the school community in celebrating all the wonderful learning Year 6 has achieved so far this year.  We were able to share our learnings about Saints in preparation for our Confirmation, some biographies we wrote about people we look up to and our awesome coding skills using the Makey Makey.  We are so excited to continue sharing live Assembly Items each fortnight for the rest of this year and feature a Virtual Assembly in Week 10 of each term.

Bree-Anna Fogliada

Year 6 Blue Teacher

On Thursday 6 May, 15 students from Years 4, 5 and 6 who participate in SPLICED were invited to engage in a workshop to continue their investigation and develop the presentation of their works for the 2021 SPLICED Project.  Students worked with various tutors under the guidance of Mr John Charadia and were supported by Mrs Bree-Anna Fogliada.  This workshop was highly successful as all students involved developed a clear understanding of their Project and the ways they would like to present their understanding.  Some examples of what students are exploring include the development process of gaming, concepts of mathematics, inventions that have changed lives, the impact of books on the imagination, dance throughout time and the ways the imagination changes throughout a person’s life.  These learnings and discoveries are being presented as paintings, drawings, animations, TED Talks, slideshows poetry and scrapbooks.

An additional workshop has been offered to some students with a focus on developing skills in Visual Arts, which is a key component of some students projects.  This workshop will take place with professional Visual Artist, Amanda McPaul-Browne next Tuesday, 18 May at St Paul’s.  We are excited to be joined at this workshop by selected students from Stella Maris.

Both Mr Charadia and Mrs Fogliada continue to be incredibly impressed by the outstanding knowledge, creativity and critical thinking skills our St Paul’s students have and are incredibly excited to see these projects unfold.

Bree-Anna Fogliada

Diverse Learning Support Teacher

The change over to Winter Uniform is Monday 17 May, although the transition period began at the beginning of term. Thank you to all parents and carers for the care you take to present your child so well for school in their school uniform.

ICAS Assessment registrations close Friday 23 July.

Please see Compass for information on the ICAS Assessments and how to register your child online. 

Olivia Djodan

Acting Middle Leader

Card Games

Card games are another engaging way to get the whole family involved in mathematical thinking. They are able to cover a range of mathematical concepts and are easily adapted for a wide range of abilities and ages.

Card Piles- Addition 

Split one deck of cards into 2 piles. Children take a card from each pile and place down on the table at the same time. They add both numbers and call out the answer as soon as they know. Children get a point for each correct answer. 

Addition Wars 

Children turn 2 cards and place one card up and one on his/her forehead. Partner tells the sum of the cards and the child needs to work out the card on his/her forehead.

Largest/Smallest

Children are provided with 2 cards. Using only those two cards they have to make either the largest or smallest number. Challenge your children by giving them 3 cards to make hundreds or 4 to make thousands.

Olivia Djodan

Acting Middle Leader

This term 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. 

If your child is being assessed above or below stage outcomes their assessment proforma will not reflect a grade as assessments are addressing specific stage outcomes.

Olivia Djodan

Acting Middle Leader

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.

On Friday 3 May, Miss De Sousa and Mrs Evans met with Beth Riolo from CEDoW to plan and update the School Environment Management Plan (SEMP) for 2021 - 2024. A number of actions were proposed including, Laudato Si’ Environmental Award, revamping waste-free lunches, recycling soft plastics and continuing our responsibility to care for our common home.

Laudato Si' Week is a Vatican-sponsored event that unites Catholics across the globe in celebrating the encyclical that has spurred prayer and action for our common home since its release in 2015.

This year’s Laudato Si’ Week 2021, is held from 16 - 25 May, and is the crowning event of the Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year begun in 2020, and a celebration of the great progress the whole Church has made on its journey to ecological conversion. 

The theme for the weeklong celebration is, “For we know that things can change” (Laudato Si’ 13).

As Pope Francis said on Earth Day, “When this destruction of nature is triggered, it is very difficult to stop it. But we are still in time. And we will be more resilient if we work together instead of doing it alone.”

At St Paul’s, we pride ourselves in minimising waste through our waste-free lunches. This means only packing items that can be composted or recycled and that won’t end up in the garbage bin. That means, no plastic wrap, no foil, no zip lock bags and no packaged foods. Please help us do our bit for the environment by remembering to pack a waste-free lunch.

Following these rules can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. First, you’ll need some containers – a lunch box with a variety of compartments works well or purchase a few smaller containers to hold different snacks. Here is a great recess snack, that is waste free consisting of hummus dip with veggie sticks.

All students K-3 now have access to the PMeCollection. The class teacher will send home your child’s username and password. This means your child will have access to more books for reading. The PMeCollection is a collection of digital texts both fiction and non-fiction that our students can access on iPads and computers at home and in the classroom. Many of these book titles are familiar to the students and have been used by our teachers during guided reading groups within the classroom. Our teachers have individually assigned books to your child at their appropriate reading level. This is a great resource to access for your child’s reading. Home readers will be sent home too.

The students are learning how to:

Record their voice reading a sentence

Week 5

• Effective Literacy Teaching Day 2 - All K-2 teachers
• Teaching Reading Strategies Day 2 - All 3-6 teachers

Week 6

• Instructional Coach Collaborative Meeting - Mrs Evans 
• Extending Mathematical Understanding - Miss Djodan and Mrs Mansbridge

Olivia Djodan

Acting Middle Leader

We have a number of significant Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander dates and events coming up which we will be acknowledging at St Paul's. 

National Sorry Day on Wednesday 26 May (Week 6) leading into Reconciliation Week, 27 May - 3 June and NAIDOC week (4 July - 11 July).

National Sorry Day is recognised every year on 26 May. National Sorry Day acknowledges and recognises members of the Stolen Generation. This year's theme is  ‘More than a word. Reconciliation takes action’, which is urging the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.

The journey towards Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians, for individuals, families, communities, organisations and Australia as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Every Year National Sorry Day leads into Reconciliation Week. Reconciliation Week is celebrated every year from 27 May to 3 June. Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NAIDOC Week is held every year from 4 July to 11 July. NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. This year’s NAIDOC week theme is  ‘Heal Country, Heal our Nation’. This term and next term we are very privileged to have Uncle Kevin Butler working every Wednesday at St Paul’s to create Welcome Poles for our school. Over the course of the two terms all students will have the opportunity to interact with Uncle Kevin Butler and share the journey of the creation of the Welcome Poles.

More information on how we will further acknowledge these significant dates and events will be outlined in the next Newsletter.

Monica McCann

Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Education Contact

Well it’s that time of year again when our school seriously starts talking about walking! 

Friday 14 May is Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD).

WSTSD  is an annual event when all primary school children are encouraged to walk and commute safely to school.

The objectives of WSTSD are:

• To encourage parents and carers to walk to school with primary school age children and reinforce safe pedestrian behaviour.
• To promote the health benefits of walking and help create regular walking habits at an early age.
• To ensure that children up to 10 years old hold an adult's hand when crossing the road.
• To help children develop the vital road-crossing skills they will need as they become mature pedestrians.
• To reduce the car dependency habits that are being created at an early age and which will be difficult to change as children become adults.
• To promote the use of Public Transport.
• To reduce the level of air pollution created by motor vehicles.
• To reduce the level of traffic congestion.

If any students and parents would like to participate in this event we will be meeting between 8:15 am - 8:25 am on Friday 14 May outside the entrance to Albion Park Swimming Pool.

Please meet St Paul’s staff between these times. We will start walking to school by 8:25 am. 

All welcome to join us.

Remember, Active Kids are Healthy Kids

Olivia Djodan

Acting Middle Leader

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 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 on children's interests and ideas! Please give Becky and Matt a call at 0460 666 010 or email them at albionparkoosh@catholiccare.dow.org.au if you have any further questions.

The next Parents and Friends meeting will be held on Monday 17 May at 6:30 pm via zoom.  A link to the zoom meeting will be sent prior to the date.  All welcome to attend and if you have any items please email the school office info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au

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.

Information has been provided to all Kindergarten parents.

To celebrate National Families Week CatholicCare is running a five-part webinar series to celebrate family and make the most out of family life.  Each webinar will have a different focus.

Family Resilience
Understand what a resilient person and family looks like, and how you can build resilience within yourself and your family.

Family Values
Understand what values are and why they are important. By identifying our family values we can better understand and connect.

Family Connection
With our lives so busy we can struggle to keep connections within our family, learn why connection is important and how to sustain or build family connections

Family Self-Care
Learn why self-care is so important and how looking after ourselves, has a flow-on effect on the whole family.

Family Mindfulness
Learn what mindfulness is and the benefits it provides, not just for ourselves, but also the benefit it has on our family.

See the link here to register: https://dowcatholic.zoom.us/webinar/register/6016202622065/WN_GZrZMh1VQJaNNlkTsRaBOA