Dear Parents,

A very warm welcome to our students, families and staff to the school year. I hope you have enjoyed the summer break and that the year ahead brings many blessings on you and your families.

For many families throughout Victoria and NSW, the summer holidays have brought devastation and loss of properties and lives. My own family who live in Bateman’s Bay sought shelter for many nights on the beach while the fires wrought havoc on their own properties and those of their neighbours. We continue to keep these communities in our prayers and especially for the brave firefighters who risked so much to help others in need.  

A special welcome to all our new families for 2020. Last week we welcomed 50 new Prep students, who, despite the heat, arrived with happy faces in eager anticipation of finally starting school. 

Thank you to all parents for the trust you place in us, knowing that your children will be safe and happy and be given every opportunity to thrive in their learning. 

We have had a great start to the year with students gathering in the Church on Thursday for a school blessing Liturgy. Over the first two weeks staff and students will spend time developing classroom protocols, engage in ‘getting to know you’ activities and will discuss opportunities that will enable a safe and happy learning environment for the year ahead. Already the classrooms are looking amazing!

The Calendar for Term 1 is looking busy and begins this week with our opening school Mass on Tuesday morning at 10am - which all families are welcome to attend, and the Welcome Picnic on Thursday evening. The weather is set to be perfect for a picnic at the Park. This year we have engaged a bush band, so bring out the check shirts and dust off your dancing shoes.

The Welcome Picnic is a wonderful opportunity to continue to build a strong culture of parent-school engagement.  Parental engagement recognises that both parents and schools play an important role in children’s learning, development and wellbeing, and that children generally do better when there are positive connections between home and school.

We are looking forward to a great night and hope you will join us. Buddies are also looking forward to catching up and we hope families will be there to welcome new members of the school community.  Please see details in this edition of the newsletter. The evening begins at 5.30 with a sausage sizzle, icy poles and great entertainment. In the light of Child Safety, all events where children are present are alcohol free. 

Just reminder to all parents that the care, safety and welfare of all our students is paramount to what we do. All Child Safety Policies and procedures can be found on the Policies page of the Parent Platform along with the Positive Behaviour Policy and other relevant policies.

Getting to Know you Meetings

The teaching staff are looking forward to meeting all of their families at our parent teacher chats next week. This is an opportunity for parents and teachers to meet and  talk about the unique qualities of each child and begin the process of effective communication between home and school. An email will be sent out today with the information required to make your bookings.

This week you will receive a sheet with ‘5 Great Things about My child’ to be filled in and brought along to the interview. This provides a great starting point for conversations with a focus on the parent telling the teacher about their child. Interviews will be on Tuesday and Wednesday between 2.30 and 6pm. While the interviews are in progress, Prep to -2 students can be collected from the Library up until 3.30pm, while Year 3-6 students will be in the Hall. After 3.45 students will need to be supervised by parents.

New Students

This year, as well as 50 new students in Prep, we have welcomed 4 new students across the school. We welcome:

Pia Damasco 1BK

Sam Gray 1BK

Ming Li 1M

Ellie Cox 3AW

The Preps have had a wonderful start and will continue to have a 1pm finish time this week. Many of our new families joined us for ‘Tea and Tissues after drop off on Thursday with our very own barista,  Ed Dooley on hand to make coffee. Thanks to the generosity of our Year 1 parents, a gourmet morning tea and plenty of chat was enjoyed by our Prep families. 

We are very blessed at St Paul’s to have strong enrolments across the school in all Year levels for 2020.

New Staff

New staff members have been made very welcome by the staff, parents and students. 

We welcome:

Margaret Mitchell - Prep

Natalie Birthisel -  Year 2

Liz Heath - Year 6

Katherine Zachest -  Performing Arts

Angela Lagas - Learning Support Officer (Photo & Bio in next newsletter)

Connie Antonucci - Art (replacing Bernie Fitz while she is on leave for Term 1)

Hi everyone, my name is Natalie Birthisel and I have the pleasure of being the teacher of 2B this year. As a new member of St Paul’s community, I am very excited for the year ahead and would like to thank you all for being so welcoming. I completed my studies in Education at Australian Catholic University and this will be my first year as a Graduate teacher. Alongside my studies, I have worked as a swimming instructor and on deck supervisor for six years. I have also tutored children of varying ages and have worked within the field of hospitality. An amazing experience which has supported my passion for teaching was my volunteer work as a group leader at an after-school care program within Collingwood housing estate. I am so grateful to be given this amazing opportunity at St Paul’s.

Dear Parents and the St Paul’s community,

Thank you so much for the warm welcome I have received from everyone I have encountered at the school over the last few days. I am grateful for the opportunity to join the teaching staff of St Paul’s and I look forward to playing a meaningful part in the lives of the children at the school.  I thought I would tell you a little bit about myself. I am married and have three sons, the youngest being the only one at school. I have been a teacher for over 25 years in Catholic Education and have taught primarily grades 5/ 6, Physical Education and Years 7-10. I look forward to getting to know many of you over the coming months and forging a strong partnership with staff and parents at this wonderful school. 

Mrs. Liz Heath

Grade 6 Class Teacher

Dear families of St. Paul’s,

I am the new performing arts teacher, on Monday’s and Wednesdays. Arts learning allows children to explore and express their ideas, they learn to think creatively and problem solve, and they have opportunities to develop confidence and communication skills in a safe and fun learning environment. Each week your child will be engaging in a range of drama activities including creating characters, exploring puppetry, building script into performance, engaging in creative movement and developing mime and improvisation skills. I have a strong background in drama education, teaching from K-12 in a range of educational settings. I am currently teaching at Deakin University in early childhood and primary education and I am passionate about the learning potential of arts education. I am thrilled to be bringing my experience and love of drama education into the performing arts program. I am looking forward to meeting your child as we create and imagine new possibilities. Thank you for welcoming me into your school, Katherine Zachest

Hi, my name is Marg Mitchell and I have the great pleasure to be a Prep teacher at St Paul’s. My previous school was St Aloysius in Caulfield which sadly closed last year.  In 2019 I taught Grade Prep -2 for 4 days and had leadership positions for a day. 

I have been in education for a very long time, I have worked as a consultant, school leader (various leadership positions) and classroom teacher. My greatest joy is working in the classroom and every day I am grateful for the opportunity to nurture, support, encourage and educate the children in my care. It is always wonderful to watch the children become the best confident, resilient, persistent learners they can be. 

I live with my husband John and my three children; I have a son Matthew and identical twins Bridget and Emily. 

Class Newsletters

This Friday Class Newsletters will be available for all families on the school app SZapp. Newsletters provide an outline of the curriculum across all learning areas for the term as well as providing specific information from your child’s teachers.

Specialist teachers begin lessons this week and information about when students are to wear sports uniform is provided. 

Preps -  TBA

Year 1 - Monday, Friday

Year 2 - Thursday, Friday

Year 3 - Tuesday, Friday

Year 4 - Wednesday, Thursday

Year 5 - Tuesday, Thursday

Year 6 - Monday, Thursday

Thankyou!

We have had a very good response to our Caremonkey requests - although there are still a number of families to respond. These requests are important information that is required at the beginning of the school year. Please respond as soon as possible.

We are very pleased to see such a great response to our HeadHunters Program - those few parents who have declined are asked to contact me via email.

SZapp - please download the app if you are yet to do so and also update your groups with your child's new year level - see  Anna if any issues.

Inquiry Term 1

As the new school term begins we will have a whole school focus on positive relationships, developing social skills and promoting health, safety and wellbeing. 

In Science this term the students will be exploring living and non living things.

These units of work will provide opportunities for students to explore, investigate and create new pathways for thinking and learning. 

Birthday Treats

Healthy eating is essential for your child's good health, growth and development. Healthy eating in childhood means they will have less chance of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers. It will also mean children feel better, look better and enjoy life more.

Celebrating birthdays is a special time, especially when it is shared with friends at school. There have been days when I have seen students bouncing out of classrooms with two sugary bags of lollies and wondered what else can we do that supports celebrations and convenience for families. In order to continue to promote healthy eating at school, I would like to explore options for healthy treats for birthdays.  I would love to hear your ideas! Please email me or come and have a chat.

Supervision after School

Just a reminder that playground supervision begins at 8.30am and finishes at 3.45. If you are running late in the afternoon, please call the Office and we will keep your child with us in the Office area until you arrive. If your child has an after school activitiy eg tennis or music, they must be supervised prior to their lesson. Thank you for supporting child safety at St Paul’s.

Medication

A reminder that medication cannot be administered at school without a letter from the doctor. 

Fees

School Fees

Today School fees will be emailed home. If you do not receive your account or would like a hard copy sent home via your eldest child please contact Mary (Business Manager) as soon as possible. Mary’s email is mmaguire@spbentleigh.catholic.edu.au 

Total charges are billed in Term 1 and are payable over 3 terms, unless using a payment plan. Payment plans are available from the office or can be emailed upon request.  A new payment plan is required each year.

Please note that full payment for Years 5 & 6 camps must be made prior to the camps in Term 1.

Payment Options

Payments can be made using the following methods:

Cash/Eftpos

Cheque

Credit Card - Please complete a Payment Authorization (available at the office)

Direct Debit - Please complete a Payment Authorization (available at the office)

Internet Banking – Bank details are listed at the bottom of your statement

Payment Plans

Payment plans are available should you wish to spread the payment over 10 (monthly) or 20 (fortnightly) instalments.  Payments can be deducted from either a credit card or bank account.    

Concessions

Health Care Card holders may be eligible for a concession under the State Government’s Camps, Sport and Excursions Fund.  An application form is available from the office. 

Financial Hardship

As always, parents experiencing difficulties in meeting their commitments to the school are urged to contact us as soon as possible so that we can discuss the situation with you.

Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

 If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef 

If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2019, you do not need to complete an application form in 2020 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.  You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred: 1) new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools in 2020 or you did not apply in 2019.  2) changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2020. 

Thank you for your co-operation in the timely payment of fees this year. 

Have a great week

Catherine