Dear Families,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.   Fingers crossed the weather continues to improve with a few warm rays of sunshine for our outside playtime.

Last week we had the wonderful Disco Bingo event organised by the Parents and Friends.  I popped my head in and saw some spectacular dressups by the parents - it's great to see it's not just kids who enjoy dressing up!  Thank you to the amazing P&F team for the countless hours spent planning, setting up and all those goes with organising an event of this magnitude.  Our St Paul's community is very lucky to have you.

School Closure Day

Last Monday 14th August, on the School Closure Day, the staff participated in a Faith Formation Day. The focus of this day was to strengthen our shared understanding of our school Vision and Charism, how it is communicated through words and deeds, and how it illuminates the Catholic identity of our school. The staff had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of who St Paul, our patron saint, was and how today, we live out the values taught to us through the Gospel of St Paul. We aligned our school vision and mission to the teachings of St Paul, recognising that through his passionate belief in Christ and his firm conviction that all were welcomed and included in the name of the Lord, regardless of who they were and where they came from, just as we here at St Paul’s school believe and uphold today. 

School Expectations

Each class has been working diligently this term to begin exploring and understanding the school expectations that were formulated as a result of a School Closure Day earlier in the year, where the staff worked very closely with Patrice Wiseman. It has been important for the students to spend some time understanding the Behaviour Purpose Statement which underpins the five expectations that we have here at St Paul’s. From here, they then go on to talk about each expectation in more detail, understanding what it means for their own behaviour and that of others. The expectations of ‘We listen and follow directions’, ‘We speak appropriately’, ‘We take responsibility for our learning and the choices we make’ are the first of the expectations that most classes have explored to date. 

Fowler girls

Congratulations to Audrey and Liesel Fowler who competed against 9 other state teams in the Junior State Championships for Hockey a couple of weeks ago. Their team, The Flames, finished 5th out of 10 teams; a fabulous effort. It is a wonderful achievement to make it to such an incredible level. We are always very proud of our students and their achievements and wish the girls all the best with their future hockey endeavours.   

Sandpit Toys

‘St Paul’s Builders, can we fix it…’ well with these fabulous new trucks, we most certainly can! These trucks for the junior students to play with in the sandpit are bringing so much joy, fun and smiles on the faces of so many children. Thank you to our wonderful P&F who purchased these new toys and who work tirelessly to help our school in so many ways. 

Once again, another reminder about unwell students - with so many colds going around at this time of year, please keep any unwell children at home to rest and recover properly.

Have a great week everyone.

Kind regards,

Freda

BOOK TICKETS FOR FATHER'S DAY BREAKFAST HERE: bit.ly/stpaulsfathersday

Dear Parents,

Book Week is the highlight of the Childrens’ Book Council of Australia. Each year a series of awards are announced celebrating the rich literature and artistic quality of an array of childrens’ books.

The 2023 CBCA Book Week theme: Read, Grow Inspire will see teachers and students around the country celebrate the magic of books. 

At St Paul’s, this will be explored in literacy sessions when students delve deeper into some wonderful literature and respond to the story in a variety of ways. During ART lessons with Ms Saunders, the students will also be creating an art piece related to the theme.

The whole school Book Week events will commence Monday 22nd August and run until Wednesday 31st August. Our dress-up day will be Friday 25th August with the parade soon after they arrive at school. We invite you to enjoy sending your child along to school dressed up as a favourite book character. 

Our fabulous Library Manager, Despina has also organised the book fair. This is a highlight amongst classroom activities during the week. The library will be open for sales before and after school on Monday 21 Aug, Tuesday 22 Aug, Wednesday 23 Aug,  Thursday 24 Aug and then Tuesday  29th and finally on Wednesday 30 August.

Perhaps at home, you may take the opportunity to discuss and look at books that have been nominated. Books can motivate, inspire and help the reader grow. When we read, we grow in many ways. Reading helps us grow by increasing our knowledge, teaching us new skills, and helping us understand our feelings and those of others. I encourage you to think about how each book you read helps you grow and the different ways you are inspired by them.

Looking forward to celebrating this annual event as a whole school. 

Happy reading everyone!

Mrs Danni Molino, P-6 Literacy Leader

Religious Education

Whole School Mass - thank you

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the students and teachers for their reverent and wholehearted participation in the Mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The occasion held great significance for our school community, as we gathered to commemorate this sacred feast day.

We would like to acknowledge and appreciate the generosity of Sister Delia and Donrita for their contribution of the 2022 Paschal Candle, which added to the solemnity and symbolism of the Mass.

Furthermore, we are proud to announce and congratulate our dedicated altar servers, whose commitment and service have been invaluable during our liturgical celebrations - Matilda Commerford, Pia Damasco, Christian D’Cruz, Samuel Falaco, Amelia Jackman and Loretta Wise.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the significance 

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a significant feast day that recalls the spiritual and physical departure of the mother of Jesus Christ from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God. 

God has done marvels to her and she leads others to recognise God’s holiness. She is the lowly handmaid who deeply reverenced her God and has been raised to the heights. From her position of strength she will help the lowly and the poor find justice on earth, and she will challenge the rich and powerful to distrust wealth and power as a source of happiness.

On the Solemnity of the Assumption, let us remember our Mother who is in Heaven and who loves us very much.  The Assumption is the fourth Glorious Mystery in the Rosary.  So, every time we pray the Rosary we can remember that she is always with us and that she loves us more than anyone else on earth could!

Upcoming Whole School Masses

We will be celebrating our end of Term 3 Mass on Thursday 14 September at 10am. 

Rebecca Nolan

RE Leader