In Parishes throughout the Diocese of Wollongong we celebrated the 3rd Sunday of Easter Year C. The reflection by Loyola Press explains that last Sunday's Gospel reading is a rich and textured story that speaks of Jesus' presence in the Eucharist and our commission to serve others as Jesus did. In today's Gospel, the disciples are no longer in Jerusalem; they are in Galilee, returning to their work of fishing. Simon Peter is still presented in the role of leader: when he announces that he is going fishing, the other disciples follow. They spend the night fishing but are unsuccessful.

Jesus calls to them from the shore, but just as when Jesus first appeared to Mary of Magdala, the disciples do not recognise him immediately. Still, they follow the stranger's instructions and bring in a large haul of fish. It is at this point that one of the disciples (the “disciple whom Jesus loved”) realises that Jesus is appearing to them. Upon hearing this news, Simon Peter leads the way again, jumping from the boat and swimming to shore. The other disciples follow in the boat, dragging the fish.

The disciples have brought to shore a tremendous catch of fish that Jesus has directed them to find. But once on the shore, they see that Jesus has already prepared fish and bread on a charcoal fire. Jesus directs the disciples to bring their catch of fish as well. Jesus is host at the meal that follows, feeding the disciples the bread and fish. In this detail we see allusions to the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes.

There are also allusions in the Gospel to our gathering for the celebration of the Mass. In the Eucharist, we too are fed by Jesus in the bread and wine that have become his very Body and Blood. We also find in this story insight about the Presentation of the Gifts at Mass. The gifts we bring to the altar, bread and wine, are made from gifts that God gave first to us: grain and grapes, the fruit of the earth. God has no need of anything further. Yet God accepts the offering we bring—bread and wine, “the work of human hands”—and transforms our offering into the gift of his very presence.

After the meal, Jesus directs himself to Simon Peter. The community of John's Gospel probably looked down on Peter because of his denial of Jesus. This dialogue with Simon Peter is a reversal of Peter's three denials. Peter is forgiven. Having been restored to friendship with Jesus, Simon Peter is sent on a mission. “Feed my lambs . . . Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep.” 

These commands indicate that Peter is to be as Jesus, even unto sacrificing for the flock. As Jesus has fed Peter in this meal and as Jesus feeds us in the Eucharist, so he also sends us to follow him, asking that we offer our lives in service and sacrifice.

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome back to school and welcome to Term Two, and a very happy Easter to you and your families as we progress through the Easter season. It was such a pleasure to see students return to school looking relaxed and rejuvenated for what will be a busy Term 2. At St Paul’s we are all looking forward to celebrating a number of community events this term and also having our parents and carers onsite to celebrate together. We also welcomed 3 new families to St Paul’s, the Lewis Family, the Herbert Family and the Richardson Family. On behalf of the St Paul’s school community welcome. 

We have had a wonderful start to the term celebrating with a special assembly last Wednesday with the whole school community coming together as we celebrated Anzac Day. This was an opportunity to remember the fallen men and women who served our country and to show our respect respect for all Australian and New Zealander men and women who served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.  We carried the notion of remembrance with our Easter Liturgy last Thursday. This was led by Year 5 and Mrs Marsh and was an opportunity to celebrate the joy and hope of the Easter season. I would like to thank Mrs Marsh, Year 5 and Year 6 students who led these whole school celebrations.   

This week I begin Kindergarten 2023 enrolment meetings with existing and new families. I am looking forward to meeting parents and carers and our 2023 Kindergarten students. This is a time of great privilege as we begin forming our relationship with families for the first time and also welcoming siblings into the school. Enrolment interviews will continue throughout May with offers of placement being sent towards the end of the term.

Students and staff are looking forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with our mothers and grandmother’s next Friday 6th May. It is very fitting that we celebrate Mother’s Day in the month of May which is the month in the Catholic Church that we devote to Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary is a role model of love, strength, courage and faith. According to Pope Francis, a world without mothers, has no future.

“Profits and profit alone do not give a future, on the contrary, they sometimes increase inequalities and injustices. Mothers, instead, make every child feel at home and give hope.”

As a mother, Mary teaches the art of meeting and walking together and at St Paul’s we recognise that our mothers and grandmothers are an integral part of our St Paul’s community and I would like to express my gratitude to all mothers and grandmothers and the love and support you express daily to our students and the support you provide our school community. It is exciting that we can publicly recognise our mothers and grandmothers this Friday 6th May and I look forward to seeing you all at our Mother’s Day school celebrations. 

Thank you to all parents and carers for your ongoing support.

Yours in Faith and Learning,

Michelle Rodwell

Principal

Acknowledgement to Country

St Paul's Albion Park acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people past and present, the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built.

St Paul's uses the sharing app Seesaw to allow you to see various learning tasks students complete during their school week. It is a great chance to see items of work and be able to see photos or videos of certain aspects of school life. 

We always want to keep our students safe so remember that all information on Seesaw is private between teachers, parents and students. The program will not sell information or images. Teachers, parents and students can always access and delete their information at any time. For more information on privacy visit the following websites: Seesaw: https://web.seesaw.me/privacy-policy/

Seesaw has the ability for parents to see items in their child’s learning journal through a family Seesaw App. Seesaw allows some communication through messages that go to the teacher. It, therefore, falls under the CEDoW Social Media Policy. This policy has expectations for staff, students, parent, and community use.

The app has a parent portal called "Seesaw Family". You can join Seesaw at any time. If you were not connected at the start of the year an email was sent directly to you requesting that you join. For instructions on starting an account see the link.

If you would like to request access to Seesaw Family please complete the attached survey.

Our School Captains welcome you back to Term 2.

NAPLAN testing will be conducted next week for students in Year 3 and Year 5. Students will sit the tests in the following schedule at St Paul’s:

Catch up test sessions will be administered for any absent student from Monday 16 May to Wednesday 18 May.

Please ensure all Year 3 and 5 students:

• Arrive on time to school
• Have working headphones or earphones
• Have a fully charged device for Year 5 ONLY

Should you have any questions about NAPLAN please contact the coordinators:

Year 3- Mrs Belinda Evans

Year 5- Mrs Rebecca Nunes

PB4L Focus for weeks 1 to 3

The PB4L focus for weeks 1 to 3  is I am an active learner and I can do the right thing. 

Teachers have been revising the focus with the students, the teachers are demonstrating how to be an active learner by listening, looking and being ready to engage in learning and transitions through the school day. Teachers are reviewing the school rules and routines after the pupil vacation period.

PB4L Student Representatives and purpose of the PB4L Student Representatives 

The PB4L student leaders have been selected,  parents will be notified and the students will be acknowledged at assembly in the coming weeks. Mrs Hayes will meet with the student representatives and they will begin fulfilling their roles in the next few weeks. The students will support the Staff PB4L team by collecting tickets and drawing playground raffles, chairing class meetings and reporting back to the Staff PB4L Team, communicating with their peers about classroom and playground issues, and modelling positive behaviours that contribute to a safe, respectful school climate.

Mrs Gemma Bolton

Penelope Cook

Mia Rossi

Matthew Kadzielski

Andrew Kadzielski

Aidan Strawbridge

Rory Smith

Evie Dron

Isaac Yuen

Kristian Kochoski

Mick Kuhn

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Mia Rossi

Lucas Glover

Benjamin Joy

Chelsea Allitt

James Schubert

Kristian Kochoski

Oliver Macdonald

Flynn Rutgers

Rocco Hart

Abbey McDonald

Marian Joy

MARY MACKILLOP

Eli Coopes

Staff professional learning is a key component for professional growth for the staff at St Paul's and a key component for teacher accreditation and maintenance as established by the NSW Educations Standards Authority. At St Paul’s, we value the critical role ongoing professional development plays in enhancing quality learning and teaching. Therefore, throughout the year all staff are encouraged to engage in professional learning opportunities. The New South Wales Education Standards Authority requires Staff to ‘participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities’ and regularly ‘undertake professional learning programs designed to address identified student learning needs’. (NESA Standard 6)

The following staff will be participating in professional learning over the next two weeks.

Week 2

Week 3

During 2021 St Paul’s, along with a select number of other Diocesan schools, participated in extensive training and an action research project for Numeracy teaching and intervention called Extending Mathematical Understanding. This was led by EMU developer Ann Gervasoni, Associate Professor at Monash University. Due to the interruptions with remote learning, the project has been extended into 2022. 

EMU aims to bridge the gap between research and practice and ensure success for all students in the Numeracy classroom. It encompasses both whole class teaching and small group intervention. 

At the start of Term 1 all year 1 students were assessed using the Mathematical Assessment Interview. This information allowed teachers to plan specific and relevant teaching and learning programs to ensure student success. 

The staff at St Paul’s are looking forward to continuing the EMU journey to develop confident numeracy learners.

On Wednesday 4th May, the Enrichment Mathematics students will participate in their second Maths Olympiad Contest!  Contests are held at various times throughout the year.  They involve students answering 5 challenging questions within a 30 minute time frame in an exam setting.  The questions are marked by the facilitating teacher and submitted to the Maths Olympiad platform to be compared to the scores of other schools.

After the contest, the Mathematics Enrichment Group will break-open each question with Mrs Fogliada to continue to develop our problem-solving and working mathematical skills. 

Bree-Anna Fogliada

Diverse Learning Support Instructional Leader

Watch the Promo Video here https://youtu.be/kgTddA_GLEM 

​​What does STEM MAD stand for?

The MAD in STEM MAD is for  Making a Difference

Making a Difference could be :

how it impacts a students understanding of  the world ............ or to creating a solution that makes a difference

The task is simple

1. Identify a real world problem/issue/need 
2. Brainstorm solutions
3. Choose a solution to focus on
4. Design and develop that idea
5. Prototype and Pitch (create a video - no more than 5 minutes)

Finally - submit your top entries to St Paul’s PRimary school for your chance to be a STEM MAD 2022 National Finalist. Entries due Term 2, 2022.

What does STEM MAD participation look like?

Here are some past winner’s entries to help stimulate your ideas. 2021 Winners here 

If you are interested, please complete an expression of interest form here

St Paul’s offers a variety of literacy and numeracy interventions aimed at supporting small groups of students with their literacy and numeracy acquisition. Reading Recovery, MiniLit, Macqlit, and Multisensory Structured Literacy (MSL) are the Tier 2 interventions we facilitate. The students selected for participation in such programs are based on thorough data collection and assessment processes.

We are pleased that all Tier 2 interventions were able to continue immediately in Term 2 with over 40 students across Year 1 - Year 5 accessing these highly valuable interventions.  The teachers and School Support Officers facilitating these interventions are so proud of the progress all students have made and are excited to see this academic growth and continued confidence in Literacy continue during Term 2. 

Bree-Anna Fogliada

Diverse Learning Support Instructional Leader

Pivot Student Wellbeing Survey

The Pivot Student Wellbeing Survey is a practical and targeted Wellbeing for Learning tool that allows teachers to measure, track and support student wellbeing so students are better placed to learn.

In 2022, St Paul’s has been invited by the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong to trial this resource in Years 3-6.  Students completed a baseline survey during Week 11 of Term 1.  For the first 5 weeks of Term 2, students will complete a 5-minute survey each week measuring, tracking and supporting students in the areas of general wellbeing, resilience, safety belonging and protective behaviours. 

Using this data, teachers will be able to facilitate lessons and provide support for students in identified areas of need.

Bree-Anna Fogliada

Diverse Learning Support Instructional Leader

This Friday Kindergarten will be hosting a special assembly for Mother’s Day. For this significant assembly only Kindergarten and Year 6 students will be in attendance due to limited space in the hall with many mums, stepmums, grandmothers and aunts also attending. Kindergarten students have been busily preparing for this special occasion with the support of their teachers Mrs Groves and Mrs Hingston. The Mother’s Day Assembly will commence at 10am and a link was sent through Compass if you're unable to attend due to other commitments.

From Week 4 assemblies will continue to be held at 2:30pm in the hall with K-6 students in attendance.

For your reference please add the following assembly dates to your calendar for the remainder of this term:

• Week 4 - Friday 20th May - led by Year 4
• Week 6 - Friday 3rd June - led by Year 1
• Week 8 - Friday 17th June - led by Year 3
• Week 10 - Friday 1st July - led by Year 6

The students and staff of St Paul’s look forward to celebrating these community events with you.

Bianca Koczka

Middle Leader - ICT and Special Projects

Home Reading with your Child

Your child will experience the most success in reading when school and homework together. Children learn about the importance of reading as they watch family members use reading and writing for everyday purposes. Reading for pleasure, sharing a story with your child, using a recipe or reading street signs teaches them that reading is a valuable skill in today’s world.

Reading with your child at home will help your child in all areas of the school. For example, research shows the importance of reading daily in developing their use and understanding of vocabulary.

Tips for reading with younger children:

1. Establish a home reading routine
2. The reader holds the book! 
3. During home reading time, turn off electronic devices and give each child ten minutes of your undivided attention
4. Share some of the reading with your child
5. Share your enthusiasm!

Did you know that kids aged 6-11 years old said that their parents no longer read aloud to them but wished their parents still did?

Tips for reading to older children:

1. Let them have some say in the books you read
2. They like to read funny books
3. Use the books as conversation starters
4. Allow the books to lead to other learning
5. Ensure that the reading time is a positive one
6. Create a relaxing environment
7. Use audiobooks some of the time
8. Let them see your enthusiasm!

Many of us stop reading to older children once they've learned to read independently. However, there are good reasons for continuing to read aloud, even into your child's teen years. It enables your child to hear richer, more complex stories they would usually read to themselves. Reading builds background knowledge (general knowledge) which supports learning at school. It also extends your child’s vocabulary because there are opportunities to hear more complex language and to ask about any words they don’t understand. 

Some great read-aloud books for older children:

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret
2. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (6-8-year-olds)
3. The Prince and Pauper
4. The Silver Sword
5. A Wolf Called Wander  (10-12-year-olds)
6. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
7. Orphan Island (8-12year olds)
8. ​​The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Dear Parents and Carers,
On behalf of the St Paul’s staff we are looking forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with our school community on Friday 6 May. Please find details for our celebrations.
 
Mother’s Day Breakfast 8:15am: This event is for adults only and will be held in the School Hall. There will be QR sign in codes on all tables for easy access. We have over 200 people joining the St Paul’s staff to celebrate with breakfast which is fantastic. Supervision will be available for all St Paul's students from 8.15am on Friday morning on the front playground.
 
Please note that entry to the school hall will be via the Parish Carpark. There will be a Parish Meeting and Mass in the morning and therefore Fr. Leo has asked that the Parish carpark be left vacant for parishioners. Please allow time for parking on Tongarra Road and surrounding streets and a short walk to the school hall via the Parish carpark.
 
Mother’s Day Open Classrooms: From 9:10am classrooms will be open for mothers and grandmothers to visit and participate in a learning task with their child/children.
 
Mother’s Day Assembly: At 10:00am Kindergarten students will be leading a Mother’s Day Assembly and Blessing. The Mother’s Day Assembly will be for adults only and will be also available via Zoom for those parents unable to attend and our students in other grades will be joining our Assembly via Zoom. All grades will be featured in our Mother’s Day Assembly and Blessing with pre-recorded grade songs. Please see the Zoom link below
 
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://dowcatholic.zoom.us/j/66673655127?pwd=YTZEUVJlMDMvMmZpK1R4L0tQN1FNdz09
Password: 819809
 
Mother’s Day Stall: The SPAP Parents and Friends Association will be holding a Mother’s Day Stall for students to purchase gifts from 11:30am till 1:30pm. The cost of the gifts is $5.00 and students are asked to bring a plastic bag to put their gift in once purchased.
 
If you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school administration office on 42 562772.

St Paul's will recognise National Sorry Day 26th May with a Liturgy 2.30pm Wednesday 25th May. On this day we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, the Stolen Generations.

National Reconciliation Week 2022 is celebrated from Friday 27 May to Friday 3 June.

The theme this year is Be Brave. Make Change.

This year we are asking everyone to make change beginning with brave actions in their daily lives - where they live, work, play and socialise. National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learning about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. (Reconciliation Australia, https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/) 

Shellharbour City Council proudly hosts the Reconciliation School Flag Walk, which involves all schools across the City and the local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. Some Students and Staff from the St Paul's community will be participating in this walk on Monday 30 May at 10am at Pelican View Reserve, Lake Illawarra.

Engaging classroom learning experiences will be designed for each class to explore the themes of Reconciliation Week. The St Paul's community is looking forward to spending time with Uncle Kev, who has been working at St Paul's this year creating and installing our striking welcome poles, to engage in storytelling and sharing. 

Further details will be provided in the Week 4 newsletter. 

Mrs Julianne Tonini

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

Friday the 20th 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 - 8.25am on Friday the 20th May outside the entrance to Albion Park Swimming Pool. In the event of cancellation due to wet weather a Compass Alert will be sent by 8am. 

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

All welcome to join us.

Multiple sclerosis or M.S is a disease that affects the nervous system and your brain. At St. Paul’s we are going to raise money for M.S research to help find a cure. We are going to raise money by having an orange mufti day with a gold coin donation on Friday, May 13th.

Everyone (teachers and students) are invited to wear orange clothing, and bring a gold coin donation. Every grade will learn about M.S and the side effects of M.S. 

For more information or to make your own donation go to https://www.msaustralia.org.au/donate/

Organised by Gabby, Zara and Kobi (Year 5)

Congratulations to the following students from Year 5 who are our 2022 Environmental Leaders for 2022:

Ruby Whitehead

Zara Pabis

Connor Alaban

Bailey Duff

These students will be representing our school at an upcoming World Environmental Network day (date TBC) and they will also be leading the school in various environmental initiatives throughout the year. They will be supported by Miss De Sousa, Mrs Evans, the former 2021 Environmental leaders, Jack, Isabella, Lilliana and Jonathan, and the Year 5 Waste-Free Warriors. Watch this space for updates from our Environmental leaders.

Congratulations to the students who have committed to making our school a greener place. Here are our Waste-Free Warriors for 2022:

Ava

Amellia

Aden N

Vanessa

Kirsti

Aiden F 

Jaden

Zaviiah

Isabel

Ruby

Hunter

William

Connor

Sienna

Jessminda

Elise

Anabelle

Zara

Bailey D

Kobi 

Dante

Sophie

Gabrielle

Chelsea

Poppy

Our school was successful in receiving a Government Grant from Sporting Schools Australia. This means our students from Years 3-6 will be participating in a hockey program for 4 weeks starting in week 5. The students will learn many fundamental skills from qualified  hockey coaches. Some of the skills they will be developing are: pushing, receiving, dribbling and stealing. 

None of the skills require the hockey stick to be raised above knee height. This means players are safe throughout the program. Skill demonstrations will assist students in copying the movement of each skill. This helps develop skills and enjoyment of the game. Hockey is a dynamic game. All the skills are introduced, practised and developed while moving, so there is no standing around! 

Mrs Belinda Evans

Parents and carers play an important role in helping children to develop digital intelligence — the social, emotional and practical skills needed to successfully navigate the digital world.

Even for preschool children, it is never too early to instil good habits, and as your child gets older it is useful to keep reminding them of these basic digital intelligence principles: respect, empathy, critical thinking, responsible behaviour and resilience. These are also principles you can emphasise with your child when things go wrong. 

How to build digital intelligence

Promote respectful communication 

• Encourage your child to use the same positive manners and behaviour they would use offline, understanding that others may have different cultures, backgrounds or points of view. If it is not OK to say or do something face to face, it is not OK online. 
• Remind them to avoid responding to negative messages and to tell you or another trusted adult if they receive them. Tell them it is OK to report others who are not being nice.  
• Emphasise the positives. For example, ‘I know what a kind and respectful person you are, and it makes me so proud to see you acting the same way when you're online. You are such a great friend — I can see how much everyone looks up to you at school.’ 

Encourage empathy 

• Help your child to imagine being in someone else’s shoes, so they can relate to diverse opinions and understand what might make people behave in different ways. 
• For example, you might say something like: ‘I noticed that Sam seemed a bit sad when she came over yesterday. Have you noticed anything? What do you think is wrong? Would that make you sad? What can we do to help?’ 

Teach them to question 

• Encourage your child to think critically about what they see online. Teach them to ask questions so they can identify content or messages that may be misleading or exploitative. 
• Talk to them about ‘fake news’, or false information that is designed to look like a trustworthy news report, and how quickly it can spread on social media. Teach them to fact check news sources and do their own independent searches on issues, so they can see the variety of opinions on a particular issue and make up their own mind. 
• Remind them to be careful when making new friends online as people may not be who they say they are. We are increasingly seeing ‘Finstas’ (fake Instagram accounts) and other impersonation accounts. So it is important to question whether what they are seeing online from their friends is real or not. If it seems out of character, it could be from a fake account. 
• Alert your child to the dangers of meeting someone in person that they have been talking to online. Advise them to never arrange to meet an online friend unless a trusted adult is with them and it is during the day in a public space.  
• Refer to our advice on avoiding unwanted contact and grooming. 

Encourage safe and responsible behaviour 

• Work on achieving a healthy balance in your child’s online and offline activities and set boundaries for digital device use in your home. Find out how in time online.  
• Remind your child of the importance of safeguarding personal information that can be used to identify or locate them.  
• Explain why they should be suspicious of unsolicited messages and emails, and avoid clicking on pop-up ads on websites. Some pop-ups that seem safe can lead to inappropriate sites or ask for personal or financial information. Find out more in taming the technology. 
• Help them configure the strongest privacy settings on all the social media apps and sites they use. It is best that only their circle of friends can view their information, tag them in a photo or share posts. And get them to check their settings regularly as updates can sometimes change them back to the default. Read more about privacy settings in The eSafety Guide. 
• Ensure your child uses strong passwords on devices and accounts, and explain the importance of not sharing passwords, even with friends. See protect your personal information for advice on setting strong passwords. 
• Find more advice in privacy and your child. 

Help them build resilience 

• Keep your cool if your child experiences a negative experience online. Remember, the choices they make as they navigate difficult situations can help them learn. Our 2017 ‘State of Play’  research shows around six in ten young people were able to identify some positive impacts from a negative online experience.  
• Remind your child that they can screen who they accept as online ‘friends’. 
• Make sure they know how to block and report users or pages on the sites they use. 
• If they have a negative online experience, find out how they are feeling about it, offer support and encourage them to keep things in perspective at the same time.  
• For example, you might say: ‘What that person has done is not OK. They must be feeling pretty bad about themselves to treat you like this. How are you feeling? Let's block them to stop their messages coming through.’ 
• Build your child’s confidence and encourage positive ways of thinking — looking on the bright side, thinking rationally, understanding that difficult times are a part of life but there is help and support available. 

All information provided by the eSafety Commissioner site 2022

Bianca Koczka

Middle Leader - ICT and Special Projects

Just a reminder that there is still lots of time to sign up for The Premiere’s Reading Challenge which closes on the 19th August. 

Children are encouraged to read books from the book lists, further information can be found on the website. 

This is not a competition but a challenge aimed at encouraging children to read, to read more and to read more widely.

If your child would like to sign up and needs their login details and password please contact Mrs Carol Harb

harbc02@dow.catholic.edu.au

Carol Harb

School Support Officer

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2023 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. Please share this information with your friends and family. 

• Term 3: 18 July 2022
• Term 4: 4 November 2022

Other key dates for 2022 are:

• 1 July - Last day of Term 2
• 18 July - Pupil Free Day
• 19 July - First day of Term 3
• 23 September - Last day of Term 3
• 10 October - First day of Term 4
• 4 November - Pupil Free DAy
• 20 December - Last day of Term 4

The problem with would've, should've and I should not have.

We all judge ourselves for different things at different times. Our lives can get filled up with the should've, would've and could've. The problem is that these words are judgement words and promote negative feelings about us. For example, I should've known better; I could've done better. And then there are the 'I should not haves'; I should not have eaten that brownie; I should not have yelled at my child; I should not have bought that outfit. Can you see how all these ways of thinking promote negative feelings? 

Many children also get caught in the 'would've – should've' and the 'I should not haves'. When they do, they are judging themselves, criticizing themselves and making themselves feel bad. It is fine to recognise that there are consequences for what they did, and they may well wish they had done things differently, but that is okay. That is all about learning from what they did. What is important is that we encourage children to reflect on what they did and how they can do it differently next time, but at the same, teach them that making mistakes is okay, and they do not have to punish themselves for it. 

When you catch your child doing the 'would've – should've' or the 'I should not have', it is important to point it out to them, explain it to them, and try to turn the negative thinking around to a positive statement of what they will do different next time.  Learning that it is okay to make mistakes will help them build resilience as they become able to bounce back from situations without inflicting themselves with negative thinking and shame.

Please also see attached a flyer for an online program in term 2 for parents. The topic is childhood anxiety.

If you have any questions for me, my email is doreenw@catholiccare.dow.org.au

Best regards, Doreen

This term at St Paul’s as part of our PD, Health and PE syllabus we are running a variety of programs to support the social and emotional development and wellbeing of our students. These evidence based, small group programs have been developed by Catholic Care and will be facilitated by Mrs Monica McCann through the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Support Program. 

This term we will be running the Good Sports, Good Mates program with some students in Year 3 and Year 5, the Be the Best I Can Be Program with some of our Year 4 students and the Keepin’ it Cool Program with some of our Year 6 students.

The Good Sports, Good Mates program is a hands-on, active small group program. The program supports students in the development of communication and cooperation skills for effective team work, helps develop an understanding of what good and bad sportsmanship behaviours are and focuses on competing against yourself to achieve your own personal best.

The Be the Best I Can Be small group program teaches valuable skills in problem solving , listening and communication skills, making choices and cooperation with others. It encourages children to be assertive whilst developing skills around empathy.

The Keepin it Cool small group program facilitates the development of skills to help manage anxiety, worry, shyness or perfectionism. It teaches students to recognise clues that their body and mind give when they are starting to get worried. Students learn mindfulness strategies and how thoughts can impact how we feel and how we respond  and react in situations. The program helps students develop a toolbox of strategies to cope with worries and to use compassionate self-talk to help students move out of their comfort zone in little steps.

The MacKillop Institute has developed a short video entitled We can Stand with Ukraine and a We can Stand with Ukraine Fact Sheet to help parents, carers and teachers support children and young people contextualise the war in Ukraine as they try and make meaning from what they have seen and heard on the news, in conversation and in social media and empower them to consider acts of empathy and kindness.

Click on the links to access these free resources.

Video We can Stand with Ukraine 

Fact Sheet We can Stand with Ukraine Fact Sheet 

Monica McCann

Catholic Care Chaplaincy and Pastoral Support 

The St Paul's Parents and Friends Association will be holding the Mother's Day Stall on Friday 6 May in the school hall from 11:30am till 1:30pm.

The cost of the mother's day gifts is $5.00 each and students are asked to bring a bag to carry their gift home.

The St Paul's Parents and Friends Association's Term Two meeting will be held on Monday 6 June at 6:30pm via Zoom. A Zoom link will be shared with the school community via Compass prior to Monday 6 June. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend the Term Two meeting. 

The Parish carpark will not be available to Parents on the 10 May due to repairs. Therefore students will need to be dropped off and picked up via the front gate on Tongarra Road. Apologies for any inconvenience. Please allow extra time for drop off and pick up on the 10 May. 

Kristie Bicknell

Senior School Support Officer

On behalf of the St Paul's Parish Community

The annual Illawarra Disability Options Expo will take place on Thursday, 26 May 2022 from 11 am to 4 pm at the Fraternity Club, 11 Bourke Street, Fairy Meadow.  

The Expo helps link people with a disability and their carers to over 70 product and service providers. In addition to displays and information desks, the Expo will feature an NDIS information session (10.30 am - 11.30 am).  

The event is of particular relevance to families of students with disability who:

• are in the final years of secondary schooling
• have an NDIS plan or who wish to explore NDIS eligibility. Please see the flyer for information

Please find attached flyers for Term 3 Circle of Security Parenting Workshops held at Oak Flats.

One will be held over four Thursdays 9.30am-12.pm starting 26^th May and another held Mondays 5.00pm-8.00pm starting 16^th May . These are FREE evidence based workshops which focus on how parent/child relationships can be strengthened, by providing strategies for helping caregivers become more attuned and responsive to their young children’s emotional needs.

Warm Regards

Kristin Nisbet

Parenting Program

Southern Youth and Family Services