Dear Parents, 

This morning we farewelled the Year 6's on their camp to Phillip Island for two nights.  We wish them all a wonderful experience.  Hopefully they will all be raring to go for Interschool Sport on Thursday against Coatesville!

Parents and Friends’ Association (P&F) 

The P&F is a vitally important group within the school community and the activities undertaken by the P&F bring about significant improvement for the school.

St Paul’s has a vibrant and active parent community who have, for many years, organised amazing events for our students and families. 

For some of our dedicated P&F members, it’s time for them to step down. And so this year, we have a number of positions vacant that we would love to see filled by some energetic and enthusiastic parents. 

The P&F is looking for the following positions:

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary
4. Fete Co-ordinator

For any parent interested in taking on one of these important roles for the school, please email Freda directly at ftahtouh@spbentleigh.catholic.edu.au

The objectives of the P&F are: 

• Promoting interest in working for the school to enhance the educational environment
• Fostering a spirit of goodwill and community support, and 
• Raising funds for the improvement of school facilities. 

P & F roles include:

• Fundraising & social events
• Spending raised funds on much-needed items & equipment for the school, and
• Building an inclusive and strong parent community.

As well as fundraising, the P & F aims at bringing the community together. There are many reasons to get involved, namely to enjoy regular social events and meet other like-minded parents. 

SRC News

We are very excited to announce the following students who have been selected as this semester's SRC representatives.

SRC stands for Student Representative Council. The purpose of having SRC representatives within our school is to allow students to voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas. Here at St Paul’s, student voice is important to us, as it develops students’ leadership skills, teamwork, and a sense of responsibility towards their school community. 

Students will participate in regular SRC meetings with the Student Wellbeing Leader and be a part of the planning and organisation of whole school events that will take place this semester. SRC representatives will also play a crucial role in the rollout of the Friendology program.

Our SRC students have been presented with a certificate and badge last week, and will be busy helping out with our Harmony Day events this coming Friday.

 Congratulations to our SRC Leaders for Semester One!

Congratulations also to Stella Densley and Ingrid Foster who received the Principal's Award!!

Kassy Dowling

Student Wellbeing Leader

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week was celebrated last week from Sunday 12 March to Sunday 19 March.

Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne to celebrate their Catholic identity, the pivotal role they play within their local community and the strength of the sector. The theme was 'Forming lives of faith, hope and love in the light of Christ'.

It was a good opportunity for our school community to think about the apostle our school was named after, Saint Paul.

Saint Paul was one of the first people to spread the word of Jesus. His writings focus on the sacrifice Christ made for the salvation of all people. Today St Paul is celebrated as the patron saint of the missions, writers and publishers. He is often considered to be the most important person after Jesus in the history of Christianity. His letters have had an enormous influence on Christian theology. Paul would write in one of his letters, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Paul worked hard, served well, and spoke passionately to his community about the teachings of Jesus.

Harmony Day

On Friday 24 March we will be celebrating Harmony Day here at St Paul’s. Harmony Day is a celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

To recognise this important day, we are asking everyone to wear a touch of orange on Friday 24 March. This could be a hair tie, ribbon, socks, or shoe laces. If you do not have anything, the classroom teacher will have something for the students to wear. Please note, it is not a casual clothes day.

The Year 6 Arts Team will be running a collaborative art display where students can colour together, there will be a chalk wall where they get to write or draw a message for Harmony Day and all students will be contributing to a beautiful piece of art which will be displayed in the office.

School Photos 

The School photos will be taken on Monday 27 March. All Students must be in the correct Summer Uniform for the Photos. If your child has sports on Monday they should bring their runners to change into. Orders for photos are done online via the Elite School Photography Website prior to the day the photos are taken www.eliteschoolphotography.com.au 

St Paul’s Open Day

On Thursday 23 March, parents and friends are invited to an Open Day presentation and small group tours for 2024 enrolments.  Current families are very welcome to attend. If you have friends or family who are interested in attending please encourage them to come along. Please call into the office for an enrolment form or email Louise at office@spbentleigh.catholic.edu.au.

Student Awards

Protective Behaviours - School incursion and Parent Information Session

Early in Term 2, the students at St Paul’s will be part of an incursion on Protective Behaviours.  The Feeling Safe is a program focused on Protective Behaviours and is made relevant to all year levels through age-appropriate videos, games, stories and discussions. The program teaches students a range of skills to help prevent abuse and to keep themselves safe. Protective Behaviours Victoria guidelines and resources are used to ensure students receive accurate and current information. Feeling Safe encourages student participation and is designed to give strategies that promote a child’s empowerment. The sessions are in line with the current Child Safe Standards for Schools.

Important topics are explored in class using a variety of materials, games, videos,

stories and discussions. Some topics include:

* “We all have the right to feel safe at all times” One of the 54 ‘Rights of the

Child’ listed by the United Nations.

* ‘Consent’ what does it mean and how do we empower ourselves and others to use it?

* Body Awareness/Ownership and discerning the differences between private and public.

* Personal space (social distance), and safe and unsafe touch.

* Assertiveness with the use of body language and voice.

Online family sessions are also offered on Thursday 4 May. 

Please read the attached information on the family sessions for details on the topics covered and how to book. 

Dad's cricket match

Congratulations to the St Peter's Dads on winning the annual cricket match yesterday.

Colour Blast

Upcoming Events

20 to 24 March - Harmony Week

Friday 24 March - Wear a touch of orange

3 to 7 April - Holy Week

Thursday 6 April - Colour Blast