Napoleon Bonaparte had jailed Pope Pius VI who died in jail. When Pope Pius VII was elected Bonaparte, who kept him prisoner at Fontainbleau, France, too jailed him.

The Holy Father vowed to God that if he were restored to the Roman See, he would institute a special feast in honour of Mary.

The military eventually forced Bonaparte to release the Pope and on May 24, 1814,Pope Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome.

Twelve months later the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary Help of Christians be kept on 24 May.

The infant Church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. In those early days there were no priests, it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive. Catholics in Australia remained faithful to Mary, and was the first nation to choose her, under the title of Help of Christians, as Patron of Australia.

In recent years we have adopted a second Patroness – St Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Although many Catholics and non-Catholics already considered St Mary of the Cross MacKillop a patron of Australia, the formal process in naming her was initiated by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) as further official recognition of the nation’s first saint.

May I thank staff for all that they continue to do outside the hours of teaching by attending professional learning, preparing for liturgies organising events, meeting with parents, and planning for assemblies. They give very generously of their time and I am ever so grateful for their commitment to their ministry. Thank you staff.

 I wish all parents, carers, staff and students a happy and safe week and thank those who affirm us for what we do. Thank you.

I ask God’s blessings on each of you and your families.

Kind Regards 

Colleen Easton, Principal

The following grades will attend the Parish Mass on Friday mornings at 9:30 am in Term 2:

• Friday 24 May 2019 - Week 4 - Kindergarten
• Friday 31 May 2019 - Week 5 - Year 3
• Friday 7 June 2019 - Week 6 - Year 5
• Friday 14 June 2019 - Week 7 - Year 4
• Friday 21 June 2019 - Week 8 - Year 2
• Friday 5 July 2019 - Week 10 - Year 6

These dates and classes are subject to change.

Principal's Awards

Congratulations to the following students who will receive a Principal’s Award at our next Assembly on Friday 24 May 2019:

Lachlan Edwards

Mary MacKillop Awards

Congratulations to the following students who will receive a Mary MacKillop Award at our next Assembly on Friday 24 May 2019:

Lachlan Daly and Dean Rossi

Our next Assembly will be held this Friday 24 May 2019 commencing at 2:20 pm in the hall.  Year 2 students will be presenting this Assembly. Parents and Carers are asked to use the Parish side entrance to the hall.

Other Assembly Dates for the remainder of Term 2 are:

• Friday 7 June - Year 1
• Friday 21 June - Kindergarten

Please note that these dates and grades are subject to change.

International School Support Staff Day: We thank our hard working School Support Officers for all that they do for our students and staff each day. Sometimes they offer to do the tasks that are not within their job description. We celebrated their special day last Thursday with a scrumptious Morning Tea to show our appreciation for all that they do. On behalf of the parents and students, I sincerely thank you for your work at the school.

The Independent Education Union sent each one of them the following letter in appreciation:

Dear Member 

Celebrate Worldwide Support Staff Day on 16 May.

Worldwide Support Staff Day is an initiative of Education International, a global organisation of education unions of which IEU is a member.
Support staff – you can certainly be proud of what you do. Teachers and principals - recognise and acknowledge the vital work of support staff in your school or college. 

This Thursday it is important to stop and take time to appreciate the work you and your colleagues do every day.
John Quessy
Secretary

Last Friday we had approximately sixty students who were escorted with parents, grandparents, ex-students and staff as we enjoyed a comfortably paced walk. Our students listened to the road safety instructions that were explicitly taught by staff and parents.

As they walked along the footpath and watched and listened to road rules the school captain Emily Di Pietro said, “We should do this every Friday.” There was an immediate response by the students in the affirmative.

On our arrival at school, the students were then offered pieces of fruit and a bottle of water that was very generously donated by Woolworths at Albion Park. We sincerely thank store manager at Woolworths Thomas Hayes for once again supporting Walk Safely to School Day. Special thanks to Mrs. Spaccavento and Mrs Evans for organising the event.

Thank you to all those who walked and supervised the students, I value your support.

Jessica Sparks, Communications Officer, Office of the Director, Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong has shared a link to the CEDoW's Facebook Page which has an article about our Walk Safely to School Day on it:

http://bit.ly/30xWzVF

It has come to my attention that the carpark is becoming dangerous for children in the mornings. Parents are reminded that the Parish Carpark is for dropping off your children in the mornings from 8:30 am – 8:55 am and collecting your children in the afternoons between 3:15 pm and 3:30 pm. Please have consideration for others who have to get to work in the mornings. Please do not hold up the flow of traffic. Thanks for your consideration in this safety matter.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2019 is Grounded in Truth: Walk Together With Courage. 

Beth Riolo Education Officer (Special Projects) Strategic Planning & Policy - Office of the Director writes:

The Gospel calls us to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.     

It is our Christian responsibility to stand for and contribute to a vision of a reconciled, just and equitable Australia.  

At the heart of reconciliation is the relationship between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

To foster positive race relations, our relationship must be grounded in a foundation of truth.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have long called for a comprehensive process of truth telling about Australia’s colonial history. Our nation’s past is reflected in the present, and will continue to play out in future unless we heal historical wounds.

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

• Flag Walk – Our students will participate in the Shellharbour City Council Reconciliation Flag Walk on Monday 27 May from 8:30 am. I invite you to join us at this annual event as we stand together for reconciliation.
• Sorry Day Liturgy: On Wednesday 29 May, I invite the school community to join us in a liturgy in the hall at 2:30 pm. Our students will lead us in prayer through dance and music.

Prayer for Reconciliation:

Let us pray this week for our Indigenous brothers and sisters, asking God to bless them with healing, forgiving hearts and hope.

Father of all, you gave our Indigenous People the Dreaming. You also revealed your love in the person of Jesus. In the spirit of the land, be their hope. Help us all to face the pain of their past, to hear and respect their culture. May your love grow strong in all Australians hearts so that you can be at home in each one of us.

We ask our prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Presently, I am conducting Kindergarten 2020 Interviews for parents and students who are seeking enrolment at our school. It is always encouraging to hear the positive comments about their selection for our Catholic School of St Paul’s. Thanks to all the parents who are spreading the good work that is taking place in our school.

Our Week 3 Term 2 Waste Free Warrior Winners are:

• Olivia Gorrie - Kinder Blue
• Mila Quinones - Kinder Blue
• Koby Green - Kinder Blue
• Hayley Frendo - Year 3 Red
• Miss Potts - Year 6 Blue

There are several lunch boxes, small containers and drink bottles in our lost property not to mention several items of uniform without any names on them so we are unable to return them to the owners.

Please ensure that your child's items are clearly labelled this enables lost property to be returned to students.

Please remind your child to make sure they collect their lunch boxes, containers and drink bottles after eating in the playground and put these in their bags to bring home.

There are several companies that offer reasonable labels for purchase online. 

Lisa Payne, Senior School Support Officer

At our last Assembly on Friday 10 May the following students were presented with an School-wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SPB4L) Badge as they have been nominated as their Class Representative on the SPB4L Team:

• Year 1 Blue - Sophia Di Martino 
• Year 1 Red - Harrison McDonald 
• Year 2 Blue - Scarlett Carrett
• Year 2 Red - Gabriella O'Shea
• Year 3 Blue - Madison Smith
• Year 3 Red - Scarlet Richardson
• Year 4 Blue - Ebony McCloy
• Year 4 Red - Sienna Allitt
• Year 5 Blue - Hayley Jedrzejczak
• Year 5 Red - Elias Maounis
• Year 6 Blue - Max Sutton
• Year 6 Red - April Gray

Our School Photo Day will be held on Wednesday 19 June 2019.

The School Photographer is the company conducting our school photos this year.  

Students will receive an individualised photo envelope this afternoon.  Please return this to the school prior to school photo day. If you require a sibling photo to be taken please ring the school office and ask for a photo to be sent home with your eldest child.

The School Photographer preferred method of payment is online.  If however, you wish to pay by cash you must have the correct monies in the envelope - no change can be given by the school office staff.

All students will be photographed on the day regardless if they have returned an envelope or not.  If your child has not returned an envelope with payment prior to photo day you can still purchase their photo directly through The School Photographer.

Dear Year 3 to Year 6 Parents and Carers,

A reminder that entries for the ICAS are now due - we have extended the deadline for payment up to Friday 24 May 2019:

St Paul's will participate in the 2019 International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS). For over 29 years ICAS has taken place each year in schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, USA, the Pacific region and South Africa.  Your child is invited to participate in 2019.  ICAS is an initiative of Educational Assessment Australia (EAA).  EAA is a not for profit organisation owned by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).  ICAS provides an opportunity for all students to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external assessment situation.

 All students receive a certificate and an individual student report indicating which questions they answered correctly, their total score as well as their average compared with the rest of the students in the state/region.  The student report is also useful for highlighting student strengths and weaknesses in the skills and processes in the ICAS they participate in.

 High quality UNSW certificates are awarded for each year level in each state/region as follows:

• High Distinction to the top 1% of entrants
• Distinction to the next 10% of entrants
• Credit to the next 25% of entrants
• Merit to next 10% of entrants
• Participation to all other participating students.

All assessments are completed online. 

The entry fee per student is $14.50 (GST exclusive) per student per assessment.

The dates for the online assessments in 2019 are:

• Digital Technologies – Tuesday 3 September 2019 (Week 7 Term 3)
• Science – Thursday 5 September 2019 (Week 7 Term 3)
• Writing – Tuesday 10 September 2019 (Week 8 Term 3)
• Spelling Bee – Thursday 12 September 2019 (Week 8 Term 3)
• English – Tuesday 17 September 2019 (Week 9 Term 3)
• Mathematics – Thursday 19 September 2019 (Week 9 Term 3)

This is an optional competition, if you would like your child to participate please return the permission slip and entry fee (in a labelled envelope) to the office by Friday 24 May 2019.

Below is the link for the permission note for students to participate.

For more information please visit the EAA website at www.eaa.unsw.edu.au

Laura Miller, ICAS Coordinator 

Many families have not yet returned a completed Diocesan School Fee Agreement form for 2019 even though several copies have been sent home.

It is a requirement of Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong that this form is completed annually by each family.

All families need to complete this form even if you have a regular Direct Debit or BPayment set up.

A copy will be sent home to families who have yet to return a form for 2019 this afternoon, please complete this form and return it to the school office as soon as possible.

Lisa Payne, Senior School Support Officer and Lisa Cooper, School Support Officer 

Diocesan Cross Country Championships

On Tuesday 7 May, the Diocese held its annual Cross Country Championships down in Nowra. St Paul’s sent a team of 24 students to participate and they all put in a tremendous effort and achieved some great results.  Our school came 6^th overall out of all primary schools in the diocese which was a fantastic achievement. Three of our students (Declan McCann, Zane Stroemer and Janae Robertson) gained selection into the Diocesan Cross Country Team and will compete at the Mackillop Trials being held at Eastern Creek in June. We were so close to having another 3 or 4 students also make that team. Mrs Frendo and myself were very proud of the way all students supported and cheered each other on, as well as the amazing parent support that was there.

Please find attached a flyer for League Stars at Croome Road Sporting Complex, Albion Park commencing on Wednesday 22 May 2019 at 4 pm

Shaun Dutaillis, Sports Coordinator

The University of Wollongong would like to invite your students to LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS, an academic enrichment holiday program. We are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 during 2019, who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

Dates:                       Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 8 – 10 July, 2019

                                Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 16 – 18 July, 2019

Venue:                     University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus)

Applications close: Wednesday 29May 2019

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Parents/Guardians visit our website and read the full list of workshops available by selecting the blue button relevant to their child’s age group.
• Parents/Guardians (or school if parent/guardian is unable to) fill out the online application form.

For further information about workshops and the application process please visit our website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au or phone on (02) 4221 5557.

We thank you for your continued support of Learning Labs and we hope to share our passion for providing further opportunities to your students in July!

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Smith and Janelle Cuzen