Catherine's News Term 4 Week 2
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the most fast and furious of all terms - Term 4!
The students and staff have returned well rested and excited about the many events and learning opportunities that make up our final term for the year. The students have begun to imagine the year ahead and the excitement of the school Concert and the St Paul’s Fete have created a wonderful buzz around the school.
Today you will receive your child’s class Newsletter via the school app SZapp, which provides an overview of the key curriculum learning areas for Term 4 and an outline of the curriculum that will be covered by specialist teachers. Key dates and activities are also listed. If you are yet to download the app onto your phone please do so as soon as possible. If you need assistance with this please contact Anna.
Today Danny Maher is returning to school today after taking time to be with his younger brother Patrick, who has been battling a terminal illness and passed away during the school holidays. Our prayers and thoughts have been with Danny and his family over the past weeks and we are all looking forward to his return.
This is the final week for winter uniforms as the days become increasingly warmer. From next week we ask that all students are in full summer uniforms including hats which are to be worn at snack, lunch and during PE lessons.
A reminder that coloured scrunchies and ribbons are not to be worn - (red, white or blue ribbons are fine or the school tartan scrunchies).
Concert
Tickets are selling fast for our School Concert which is next week. I hope you have your tickets! The excitement is certainly mounting as students and staff work hard this week to put on the finishing touches.
The Wonder of Learning and Success
Last week a group of 20 girls in Yrs 1, 3 and 4 attended a workshop in the city called ‘Robogals’ sponsored by the Institute of Engineers and Monash University. Robogals workshops, are designed to increase female participation in engineering career paths and STEM based disciplines. Congratulations to all those who attended this great day. Thank you also to the parents who were there to hold hands and ensure all students travelled safely on the train into the city.
Michael, Henry, Marcus and Kyan from Year 5 were all chosen as the four fastest boys over 100 metre sprint at school level this year.
They then went onto inter school athletics in August and placed second in an extremely close race against seven other schools.
At Duncan McKinnon their relay was incredibly fast and first and second place ran over the line almost in time. It was very exciting for them. This meant they qualified for the big athletics carnival at Lakeside in September.
At the Lakeside athletics in Albert Park these four boys placed second again in a very close race.
Not only did they place second but they ran the race in 58 seconds. A time they have never done before as a foursome!
These four boys trained for several weeks in the lead up to both athletics competitions and should be congratulated for the way they conducted themselves.
I’m delighted to say that Isabella Schneider from Year 5 recently entered the ‘My Brother Jack’ writing competition and was one of the four winning entrants in the Primary School age group in the Poetry category, with her poem Friendship. She received her award from the Mayor of Glen Eira, Councillor Jamie Hyams.
Friendship: By Isabella Schneider
After you F ind your very best friend,
Adventures and laughte R will never end.
You realise the possibilit I es life can hold,
And fe E l bonded until you grow old.
Fights a N d rows you'll have to go through,
Nobo D y and nothing will separate you.
Even on the S addest days your friend will be there,
Lifting you H igh up in the air.
Friendship is a g I ft, like a four leaf clover,
It's the beginning, the P resent, it'll never be over.
Ex Student
Congratulations to Ben Wright-Smith who was recently named as School Captain of Xavier College for 2020 and is an ex student of St Paul’s!
Resilience and Social Media
Being a parent is the most rewarding and sometimes most challenging aspect of our lives. I do not share this information to be critical, but because I believe it is a huge challenge that we need to stay on top of. The impact of social media on children’s resilience and wellbeing and the role of parents in controlling children’s access to social media is an issue that we need to keep addressing. In fact, the majority of social media platforms are not designed for children under thirteen. This covers all students at St Paul’s. Prominent ones include:
- Instagram is 13+
- SnapChat is 18+
- Tik Tok (which was formally Musical.ly) is 16+
- Discord 13+
- Youtube account (not viewing) 13+
If a student at St Paul’s has a social media account then one of two things has happened.
- The child has opened such an account without their parents knowledge, this is a concern but can be addressed by parents asking their children, checking all devices and removing access to these apps and staying on top of it. If children continue to use these platforms then remove the devices from their use. Your child may be upset and that is okay.
- Another more concerning possibility is that the student has these accounts with their parents blessing. They approve of their child lying about their age and misrepresenting themselves on an official document. Why would parents do this?
More than 90% of inappropriate photos taken and posted by students are taken in the bedroom or bathroom. For this reason, if no other, internet capable devices should never be with children in bathrooms or bedrooms.
This link provides more information.
Parent and Child Evening
On 20 November, we invite parents and students from Years 3-6 to attend an information evening on Sexuality Education. This is a family program and the sessions are attended by children and their adults of an evening and are an opportunity for families to discuss the topics listed. These sessions are fun and informal. Family Programs run for one hour. Session 1 (Families, Bodies and Babies) is usually attended by Years 3/4 families, whilst Session 2 (Puberty: Growing and Changing) is usually attended by Years 5/6 families. However, attendance at either or both sessions is left to each family’s discretion. Please refer to the link for bookings and further information below. I hope many families take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
St Paul’s Fete
We all have our fingers crossed for a perfect day. Thank you for the amazing efforts of our dedicated parent community. If you have not put your name down to work on a stall and can spare a few hours it’s not too late! Sign up on
See you all at the Concert next week!
Catherine