In Parishes throughout the Diocese of Wollongong we celebrated the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. In last Sunday's Gospel we hear how Jesus warns that his followers will face persecution for their beliefs and that perseverance in the face of persecution will lead to their salvation.

Jesus in the Gospel is assuring his followers that God is present to all believers, even in times of trouble. Ultimately, Jesus will witness to this with his own death. As disciples of Jesus, we try to follow his example, trusting in God's mercy and protection, even when we are facing difficulties.

Dear Parents and Carers,

On the 11th November our country recognises Remembrance Day. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is a moment not only to pause and remember all those who have served and sacrificed in wars and conflicts across the world, but also to reflect on the historical events that led to this day of significance. Originally announced to mark the anniversary of the Armistice that ended fighting with Germany in World War I, Remembrance Day today gives us all the opportunity to acknowledge the service personnel who died while serving in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.  I had the privilege to accompany our Senior Leaders who represented the St Paul’s School and Parish Community at the Albion Park Memorial RSL Sub Branch Service. This was a very moving and solemn service with our Albion Park community. I was very proud of our Senior Leaders who displayed the utmost respect throughout the service. Thank you to Mrs Marsh who led a very reverent and prayerful Liturgy of the Word for our school community.

CEDoW Catholic Development Fund Public Speaking Grand final

On Monday 7 November Anabelle Mounis and Isabella De Santis represented the St Paul’s School community at the CEDoW Catholic Development Fund Public Speaking competition at St Thomas Aquinas Bowral. Competitors came from systemic schools across the Diocese and also Congregational schools. Both Anabelle and Isabella delivered their speeches with excellence and pride and the adjudicators spoke to both students about their excellent performance. I would like to congratulate both Anabelle and Isabella on their amazing efforts.

CEDoW Catholic Development Fund Sports Awards 

The CEDoW Annual Catholic Development Fund Sports Awards were held on Friday evening. It was a wonderful event in which we as a Diocese paused and recognised and congratulated the many wonderful athletes we have in our schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. 

The night began with Acknowledgement of Country and a Prayer which drew on the wonderful words of Pope Francis regarding Sport “Sports are a powerful instrument for the integral growth of the human person. Engaging in sports rouses us to go beyond ourselves and our interests in a healthy way; it trains the spirit in sacrifice and, if it is organised well, it fosters loyalty in interpersonal relations, friendship and respect for rules.” 

Congratulations to Madelynne Dowel who received a Primary Sports Council Medallion. It was a fabulous evening and congratulations to Mr John Sparks and Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong for organising a wonderful evening.

Annual School Report Parent and Carer Survey

Each academic year every school in NSW is required to complete an Annual School Report. I am seeking the voice of parents and carers to complete the St Paul's 2022 Annual School Report. The St Paul’s Annual School Report Parent and Carer Survey is now available for completion. This survey is designed to capture a range of experiences and attitudes of the school community towards school practices and procedures. The survey aims to capture opinions about the culture of the school, including how welcoming and supportive the school is.  The data captured in the survey will be used to plan for continuous school improvement and to measure and monitor the effective practices and procedures of the school over a period of time. The Annual School Report Parent and Carer survey will be triangulated with the data from the student and staff surveys that will also be completed over the coming weeks. Please see the link below to access the survey and  I thank you very much for taking the time to complete the survey which will close on Friday 18 November.

I look forward to celebrating the upcoming whole school events and our 140 Year Celebration.

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

The CEDoW Assessment and Reporting Policy states that schools must:

• provide written reports to parents/carers at the end of Kindergarten
• provide written reports to parents/carers for students in Years 1-10 twice annually
• ensure that the Common Grade Scale (see description below) is included as part of written reports for Years 1-10
• ensure that information about student attendance indicating total whole and partial absences for the reporting period is included as part of written reports 
• include on written reports advice about how students are developing in non-academic learning 
• provide opportunities for parents/carers to discuss reports after each reporting period

Semester Two reports will be released on Compass on Friday 9 December 2022.

If you would like to take up the opportunity to meet with a teacher please email the office info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au

Your request will be forwarded to the class teacher for a phone or face-to-face meeting between 12-16 December. Requests for meeting close Friday 9 December.

Common Grade Scale: Student Reports (Years 1 – 6) are standards-referenced, which in NSW means reporting based on the Common Grade Scale. Standards-referenced reporting requires teachers to consider the performance of each student according to the standard detailed at each level (A–E) of the Common Grade Scale for each Key Learning Area (KLA). Students are then awarded a grade based on the evidence teachers have of their learning in that particular KLA and the standard it reflects. According to the Common Grade Scale, a ‘C’ grade is considered sound. That is, if awarded a C in a particular KLA the student has demonstrated that they have gained the knowledge, skills, and understanding expected of them at that point in time.

CEDoW has a framework for respectful relationships entitled "Life to the Full". The director, Peter Hill states, "In the Diocese of Wollongong, we are called to be bearers of Christ’s love. CEDoW, inclusive of our school communities, is committed to the universal cultivation of respectful, hopeful, just, authentic, compassionate, and loving relationships that are free from harm and enable flourishing."

At St Paul's one of the school rules is to be respectful. The teaching staff help the students to understand what respect means in different settings, to adults, and to their peers. Our school believes in a culture of respect that keeps others safe and helps develop positive well-being for all.

St Paul's is focused on having a respectful community, as we know that respectful relationships help us feel safe, valued, comfortable, accepted, understood, trusted, listened to, and encouraged and that we matter!

Over the last few weeks, students from St Joseph's High Skills have been supporting Stage Three by teaching a variety of sports skills in a coaching program. They have facilitated small group activities to teach skills such as catching, throwing, and striking. We thank the students and teachers of St Joseph's for giving us the opportunity.

PB4L is an evidence-based framework that emphasises school-wide systems of support for all students and staff. These include proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviours. Positive behaviour supports are implemented for all students, across all school settings, by all staff, at all times. This continuum of support ensures students’ academic and social outcomes.

Based on the PB4L data, the focus for weeks 6 - 8 will continue to  be Respectful behaviour at dismissal. The students have been revising how to line up and wait patiently for parents and carers to collect them. Students in bus lines have also revised how to wait respectfully and patiently for buses to arrive. 

Well done to all our award recipients!!!

Students from Year 3 to 6 continue to have the opportunity to be involved in the Pivot Survey each week on a Wednesday.  

Following a review of the data, an area of need identified in PIVOT Survey is promoting a positive response to the question: 

“I ask for help when I need it.”

Over the next few weeks we ask that you promote a Self Advocacy:

“Students demonstrate self-advocacy when they self-identify that they need support and then directly ask for help. Asking for help requires students to have an awareness of their skills and knowledge.”

One way to promote self advocacy is to:

Get the whole school reflecting 

- All members of the school community can spend five minutes reflecting on how their week is going and what they may need some help with.

Mrs Jodi Marsh

Diverse Learning Needs Support Teacher Monday - Thursday

Mrs Alexandra Hingston

Diverse Learning Needs Support Teacher Friday

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 Education 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)

Week 6

Week 7

This semester the teachers have been gathering student assessment data across all Key Learning Areas to help identify where students are at in their learning based on syllabus outcomes. 

Each semester the teachers plan, program and teach different outcomes across the Key Learning Areas. The students are currently completing assessments in class and our teachers regularly meet to moderate and mark student work according to set criteria, based on syllabus outcomes. This helps teachers to be consistent when determining marks and grades across both classes. 

The teachers are currently collecting multiple sources of evidence of students learning and are busy writing the semester 2  reports. Teachers do not focus on a single piece of work. They weigh up the assessment information collected up to that point in time. Student work will come from both formal assessment activities and teacher observations.  In a standards-referenced framework, teachers make professional judgements about student achievement and key points in the learning cycle. 

A–E grading scale or equivalent provides a common language for reporting and is used across grades 1- 6.  Teachers will use the grading scale to report student levels of achievement. 

Last Friday, Year 6 participated in their Extreme Green Zone reward. The behaviour focus for weeks 4 and 5 was ‘Doing our best work at all times and being our best self. 

In Year 6 this looked like:

• Completing all of our learning to a Year 6 standard
• Staying on task
• Recognising when we are challenged and seeking support with this. 

Year 6 worked hard to earn the points and were rewarded with a party-themed Greenzone reward. Students bought lollies and snacks and took part in a range of party activities including tug-a-war, target practice, balloon games and pass the parcel. The students had so much fun. For weeks 6 and 7, the focus for Year 6 is ‘Showing respect for all staff and students’.

St Paul’s has been asked to host the CEDoW VEX Robotics Scrimmage day this Thursday 17th November. Visiting Stage 3 VEX Robotics students from various diocesan primary schools and a team from St Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School will join with our Year 6 VEX Robotics team to participate in a day of fun, engaging and hands-on opportunities to explore building and programming robots and furthering their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). 

VEX Robotics exposes students to endless possibilities, encourages creativity and problem-solving skills. The Scrimmage Day provides students with the opportunity to experience STEM learning and engage in VEX skills development in a fun, competitive context. Beyond robotics, students also further develop formative skills in teamwork, leadership, communication and troubleshooting.

We look forward to welcoming the other school teams and engaging in some friendly competition.

Bianca Koczka

Middle Leader ICT and Special Projects

During weeks 5 and 6 our year 6 students have continued on their transition to high school journey focusing on knowing ourselves and our values and thinking about communication, confidence and self esteem.

In week 5 students explored what values are and identified their top ten values. Students reflected on how they feel when ours or other people's actions are in sync with our values, and how we feel when ours or other people's actions are not in sync with our values. Students identified being at ease with feelings of content, satisfaction, joy, positivity and calm when ours and others actions align with our values, Students identified there is discomfort and feelings of being uneasy with anxiety and stress when the actions of ourselves or people around us do not align with our values. 

During week 5 students identified body language, words, eye contact and tone of voice as various ways we communicate. Assertive, passive and aggressive communication styles were explored and we identified what positive self talk is. Students reflected on what they are proud of within themselves and things they are good at. Students created three positive affirmations they can use on a daily basis.

Mrs Monica McCann

Catholic Care School Pastoral Care Worker

On Tuesday 15 November, the Year 5 classes went on an excursion to Audley-Bola Creek Rainforest, Royal National Park. Students enjoyed an interactive introductory presentation on Fire Safety. We explored the impact bushfires have on Australian people, places and environments and investigated ways people can reduce the impact of bushfires in the future. Students had the opportunity to dress up in genuine Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Service and NSW Fire and Rescue Service PPE, and discussed the different roles of the women and men who protect our country from fire, and how they managed backburning, hazard reductions and natural fire disasters.

The students were then split into their classes and we were involved in two different activities.

Students used dip-nets on long-handled poles to catch water-dwelling critters and examined the different species which live in this once fire affected freshwater rainforest creek. Students then collected macroinvertebrate samples from this creek, and tried to determine whether this creek is healthy or unhealthy due to the recent bushfires.

The students were taken on a bush walk through the incredible rainforest trail deep into the rainforest, exploring the unique features of this scenic area. We explored this temperate rainforest, and were able to get up close and personal with the flora and fauna that can be found in this incredible site, learning how this area has been affected by fires back in 2004 and again in 2018. We were amazed to discover how resilient our flora is to bushfires.

The final activity we did on our way back to the bus. Students were given small clear jars with lids to catch anything creepy crawly they could find (spiders and snakes not allowed of course). This activity showed students biological diversity of environments and what can live in habitats. 

Overall it was a fun excursion and the Year 5 students and staff all had a great time.

Mr McCann and Mrs Hayes

Olivia Roberts

Middle Leader

On Wednesday 9th November, Kindergarten enjoyed the child studies class from St. Joseph’s visiting our classrooms for a storybook reading activity and a movement video. It was wonderful to watch the high school students read a story that they created for their Kinder Buddies! It was so special to see the excitement in their eyes when they discovered they could take the books home with them!

After that the high school students led the class in introducing and leading a movement break. We are not sure who had the best moves, kinder or Year 9? This is a great initiative between St. Paul’s and St. Joseph’s.

Mrs April Grove and Mrs Alexandra Hingston

If your child has an injury could you please book in to have a return to school meeting prior to your child's return. This will allow the school to ensure that appropriate plans are put in place for our students' safety and wellbeing.  Please contact the school office to make this booking prior to their return.  

Any parent requesting leave for their child for 10 or more consecutive days is required to complete an Application for Extended Leave Form. These are available from the school office. To ensure approval before the Leave takes place, we require the completed form lodged at school office a minimum of 2 weeks before the Leave commences. Please complete one application per student.

Just a reminder that if your child is unwell please keep them at home until they have recovered and no symptoms, especially with flu-like symptoms.

If students are unwell throughout the day at school they will present to sick bay for the office staff to call home to be collected as soon as possible.

Returning_to_school_after_attending_the_hospital.pdf

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Updating Your Details

Please ensure when your contact details change to email the info account, so we have a record of the new details. info@spapdow.catholic.edu.au

Kristie Bicknell

Senior School Support Officer

NEW FAMILIES TO OUR SCHOOL

School Fees are invoiced as an annual account. However, many families elect to pay their school fees by regular instalments and as a new family to our school, we would like to offer you this option. If wish to take up this offer, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request, either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2023 school fees. Your school fee statements are emailed to you and they will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date.

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.

Have you ever wondered what good mental health should look like in children?  The following information, adapted from the Australian parenting website provides a lot of great information. Find the full article here: raisingchildren.net.au

Children with good mental health:

• feel happy and positive about themselves most of the time
• are kind to themselves during tough times or when things don’t go the way they expect
• enjoy life
• learn well
• get along well with family and friends
• can manage sad, worrying, or angry feelings
• can bounce back from tough times
• are prepared to try new or challenging things.

Relationships and good mental health for children:

• Tell your child that you love them, no matter what….make eye contact, give hugs and smile at your child.
• Use a positive approach to guide your child’s behaviour. Give praise and attention when they behave well, rather than negative consequences when they behave in challenging ways.
• Make time every day to talk and listen to your child....and give them your full attention.
• Enjoy time with your child doing activities they like. 
• Work on positive ways to solve problems and manage conflict   with your child and among other family members.
• Encourage your child to connect with others in the community, which provides a stronger sense of their place in the world and helps them learn how to relate to different people.

Emotions and good mental health for children:

• Talk about emotions with your child and encourage them to recognise and label their emotions.
• Role-model a positive outlook for your child – for example, ‘Running all the way around the oval looks hard, but I think I can do it if I take it slow and steady’, or ‘I’m disappointed that my cake didn’t cook properly, but that’s OK – I’ll try it again another time’.
• Support your child when something is bothering them. For example, if your child is having trouble with friends at school, you could reassure them that you’re there for them.
• Help your child learn to manage small worries so they don’t become big problems. Encourage your child to do things they are anxious about rather than avoiding them.

Behaviour, goals, skills and good mental health for children:

• Have family rules about behaviour and involve your child in developing rules and consequences. Adjust the rules and consequences as your child grows. Rules and boundaries help children of all ages feel safe and secure.
• Help your child to set realistic goals for their age and abilities and work towards achieving them – for example, riding a bike without training wheels or trying to solve a difficult maths problem for school. And praise your child’s efforts to achieve the goal, rather than the goal itself.
• Help your child learn how to solve problems so that they develop the skills to do this for themselves when they’re older. For example, you can help work out what the problem is, brainstorm possible solutions, and choose a solution to put into action.
• Encourage your child to try new things, take age-appropriate risks, and learn from their mistakes. This could be things like entering a competition, speaking in front of the class, climbing new equipment at the playground and so on.

Good physical health and mental health for children: 

• Encourage healthy food and eating habits in your family.
• Encourage your child to try plenty of different physical activities and and sports. Make sure your child gets the sleep they need. Quality sleep will help your child to manage stress and a busy life.

If you’re concerned that our child is showing signs of poor mental health, it’s best to seek professional help as soon as possible. Your GP can guide you to the most appropriate service for your family.

Doreen Waddington

Catholic Care School Counsellor

Congratulations to Kyden D 5B who won a $10 Break Snacks from the Term 4 Canteen Giveaway. Please come to the Canteen to collect.

Canteen Kat

Indianna (a former St Paul's student, now year 7 at St Josephs ) and her gymnastic crew from oak flats Albion park gymnastic club qualified for the 'Australia's got talent' grand final which is in on next Sunday. Every vote counts.