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Dear Parents,
Congratulations to the Year 5 students who made their first Eucharist over two Masses on Saturday night and Sunday morning this weekend. Fr Jacob celebrated both Masses, as families, staff and parishioners came together to pray for the students and ask for God’s blessings on their lives. All the students stood around the altar during a very personal moment.
Year 6 Learning Space
The Year 6 students continue to make great use of the newly refurbed flexible learning space. Thank you to the generosity of the Parents and Friends for supporting a facelift to this fabulous outdoor space. On Friday many of the Yr 6 students presented their speeches in application for a leadership role for 2021. I felt extremely proud of every student who stood up and presented to their peers and teachers with such confidence and generosity of spirit. To me, they were all winners!
Meditation
As we all seek to reconnect and return to familiar practices within a Covid safe environment, I would like to invite parents back into classrooms for Meditation. Students in Yr P-6 practice meditation each morning at 8:55am. If you are attending meditation, just a few reminders:
- Masks are to worn where possible
- Mobile phones to be turned to silent
- Please allow your child to fully participate without having them sit on your lap
Visitors to Meditation are capped at 6 per day. We are looking forward to welcoming you back.
Parents are also welcome to come onsite before and after school for drop off and pick up each day. Masks or social distancing are required as we continue to promote Covid safe behaviours.
Year 5 Camp
This morning our Yr 5 students and teachers headed off on their first 2 night , 3 day school camp at Sovereign Hill. We wish them lots of fun and learning with early nights and sleep-ins. I will drive up on Monday and spend the day panning for gold, in the hope of securing a wonderful holiday in Europe! Staff attending camp include Danny Maher, Thalia Kurzel, Stephanie Ovakymian, Katherine Zachest and Anna Williams. Year 5 parents are welcome to come onsite and join in the pre camp trip excitement.
Leadership Team
In this week's Newsletter you will be able to read about each of the members of the Leadership team who work closely with classroom teachers to support the learning and wellbeing of all students. If you have any inquiries please contact the classroom teacher first. If necessary you may then be contacted by a member of the Leadership team.
Class Representatives
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to be representatives for their child’s class this year. We look forward to welcoming you to a meeting on Thursday evening at 7.30 in the Library to discuss opportunities for social events and community connections.
2021 Student Residential Address and Other Information
The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment collects information from schools that is used to inform school funding calculations. It is combined with data held by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to calculate a non-government school community’s anticipated capacity to contribute to the costs of schooling.
I write to inform you that the school is to provide residential addresses and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (Cth).
The school is required to provide the department with the following information about each student at the school:
- Names and residential addresses of students’ parent(s) and/or guardian(s)
- Student residential address (excluding student names)
- Whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)
- Whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status).
St Peter’s, St Paul’s St Catherine's generates a unique and unidentifiable record number for each student record. The number is only used by the school for this collection. It is not allowed to be used for any other purpose. The number indicates to the department that each record provided is for one student.
Catholic Education Week
Next week we celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education. Our Open Day for school tours and enrollments for 2022 will commence on 10 March. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend the Open Day address and school tour at 9.30am in the school Hall on Wednesday 10 March. Current families are very welcome to attend and collect an enrolment form and an Information Booklet. If you have friends or family who are interested in attending please encourage them to come along.
Reconciliation
Bookings will open next week for parents with a child in Yr 3 and Yr 4 for their child to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. All bookings are capped at 10 students per group. A link for the booking will be sent out this week.
Assemblies
Parents are now able to attend assembly. Please adhere to COVID practices - masks and social distancing. Year 2H are presenting at this Tuesday's assembly. Assembly's are held in the school hall and begin at 2:45pm.
Best wishes for a great week. A reminder that the Labour Day public holiday is on Monday 8 March.
Take care,
Catherine
LEADERSHIP
This year I have moved out of the classroom into the role of Deputy Principal and Leader of Teaching and Learning. What do my peers say about me? That I love data, graphs, spreadsheets and organisational structures that support teachers being able to explore and consider deep questions and big ideas in learning. I am also famous for my loud voice and love of learning. My work focuses on working with teachers in the area of Inquiry Learning and I am a member of the Student Intervention Team. Currently I am completing my Masters at Melbourne University in Educational Leadership. A passionate Geelong supporter!
During the past 6 years I have been working across the Federated Schools of St Catherine’s, St Peter’s and St Paul’s supporting Principals. My work includes policies, finance, governance and leading the Arrowsmith Program, allowing Principals to focus on the important work of driving school improvement. I sit on the Advisory Boards of the three schools, the Leadership Teams as well as supporting Principal wellbeing. This year I will be involved in working with Catherine Tammesild, Architect Sam Harding and builders on the refurbishment of the Junior school at St Paul’s. I look forward to a great year ahead working with the Federated Schools.
My role as Religious Education Leader is to ensure and maintain the Catholic Identity of St Paul’s. I support teaching staff to plan and implement the RE Curriculum and co-ordinate the Sacramental Program. My other passion is being in the classroom with my beautiful Prep students three days a week. Despite the business of school life the Preps always fill my heart with joy and remind me of what is important.
My role as Literacy Leader continues this year with more exciting opportunities to support students and staff in their learning. I work 4 days a week and provide intervention to students in Year 1 through a program called ‘Reading Discovery’. I am passionate about the work I do which includes leading the Levelled Literacy Intervention Program( LLI) and supporting Literacy Extension in Yr 5 and 6. My focus this year will be to continue to plan and model Literacy sessions with teachers. It is a busy life but I love the work I do! I really love finding time to read a good book between agonizingly following The Saints during the footy season.
*** Please stay tuned to an invitation to a Literacy Workshop evening for parents who have children in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2.
This year I am again heading up Digital Technology- my passion! I am self taught and enjoy exploring new ways of engaging students and staff where problem solving, innovation, critical thinking and creativity support engagement in the world of digital technologies.
I work with all year levels in the elearning Centre to support classroom teachers in delivering an engaging and innovative curriculum.
This year I will be working with a group of students from Yr 3-6 on a STEM project with a focus on engineering, design and technology. I look forward to sharing our journey.
I continue to encourage all families to work with the school in maintaining a safe online presence. Our focus this term is on Digital Citizenship.
I am teaching Grade 1 full time and I am very excited to be the Junior School Leader. Anyone who knows me knows I love dogs, including my dog Bailey! I am very passionate about learning, teaching and love having some music going to keep me motivated! In my role of Junior School Leader, one of my projects will be developing a new school Homework Policy alongside Katie Lachal (Senior School Leader). I am looking forward to the upcoming Junior School renovations and can not wait to see the fantastic learning spaces we will be working in, in the future.
The school is beginning to look even more fabulous with students from each year level coming up with ways to make ‘St Paul’s a great place to be!’. This has been part of our Wellbeing Inquiry for Term 1 where students are exploring the concepts of Inclusion and Diversity. I’ve included some images from things that have been created and put up around the school so far. Year 5s have created ‘Leadership butterflies’ which are hanging up along the fence separating the basketball court and the amphitheatre. The Year 4s have made a start on making ‘Veggie Village’ more vibrant and Year 2s have made unbeelieveable buzy bee displays at the entrance to the Junior school and at the top of the ramp leading to the Computer Lab. Mrs Fitz has been busy with all the children creating a wonderful image of Australia using self portraits drawn by each child.
National Day against Bullying and Violence is coming up In Week 8 on Friday 19th March. On this day students will participate in activities in class time looking at understanding what bullying is and what it isn’t, where bullying can happen, the different forms of bullying there are and how and who to report bullying incidents to. With the Christian value of ‘Acceptance’ that the school has been focusing on during the month of February, this gives the students another example of the importance of understanding that ‘we are all different and we all belong’.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is when one person (or a group of people) with more power than someone else tries to upset or hurt them. This power can come from being more popular, stronger or part of the group. They might repeatedly try to hurt the person physically, socially isolate them, or say and do mean or humiliating things to them.
Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious or hidden.
If someone behaves in a mean or aggressive way on one occasion it isn’t bullying, even though it is not respectful or acceptable. A fight or disagreement between two people of equal power or status isn’t bullying.
Bullying is not OK. It feels awful. You feel like you can’t stop it. You have the right to feel safe. https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/
Harmony Week - ‘Everyone Belongs’
Week 9 of Term 1 is also ‘Harmony Week’. We will be celebrating Harmony week with many fun and exciting activities in the classroom as well as in our specialist lessons.
On the Friday of Week 9, we ask that students come dressed in casual clothes with a ‘touch of orange’ as this is the colour that represents Harmony Week.
Katrina Gardiner
Wellbeing Leader
Exciting LITERACY NEWS!!!!
We were all somewhat apprehensive when we heard the Premier announce a short sharp “lockdown” for Victorians earlier this term; and true to form, lots of things continued behind the scenes and went according to plan on site at our wonderful school.
As we get to know our students and schedule the Parent/Teacher google Meets, assessment on our students’ progress is continuous and ongoing. It is integral to the teaching and learning cycle and may consist of teacher observations, self and peer assessments, checklists, standardised formal assessments or school based class assessments.
This year, our focus will be on developing a consistent approach to assessing and monitoring Reading right across our school.
We have recently purchased a new Reading Benchmark System that is comprehensive and researched based. It is used to determine students' independent and instructional reading levels from our Prep students right up to Year 6 (and beyond).
I am currently unpacking this new resource with the help of our Learning Support Officers, in readiness to roll out throughout the term.
Each assessment enables teachers to:
- Determine students’ instructional and independent reading levels
- Recommend a placement level for instruction
- Form initial groups for reading instruction
- Plan for efficient and effective instruction
- Identify students who need intervention and extension
- Monitor and report student progress across a school year.
Looking forward to working with our teachers, students and parents throughout the year!
Mrs Danni Molino
Literacy Leader
If you are yet to download the school app SZApp it is highly recommended that you do as you then have quick access to a variety of school information.
The Friendship Lists are only available through the app and are password protected. See further information in this newsletter.
Please see instructions below to download the app. If you have any issues please see Anna.
The Friendship Lists are available through the school app and are password protected. Password information was given to you on the Operoo request you completed with your preferences for information included on these lists. Please refer to this to obtain the password.
Please check your information on the Friendship List and if there are any amendments needed please let Anna know.
