Dear Parents,

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

Acts 2:1-3

This Sunday we celebrated Pentecost.  Students from Year 6 attended the weekend Masses to be commissioned as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation next Friday night, 4 June, at 7pm.

Our whole school community will be praying for the students and their families at this special time. On Friday we held a Reflection Day, where the students identified the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given them and engaged in activities to deepen their understanding of the Sacrament.

Congratulations also to the students in Year 3 and Year 4 who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation this weekend. We pray for Catherine Clements,Christian and Francis Coppola, Isabella Cure, Romeo Fucile, Isaac George, Leo and Emile Johnson, Lucas Rainford, Cassie Robb, Charlie Skinner, Jasper Tonkin, Stefanie Georgiou, Oliver Jones, Mia Benvenuto, Jay Jay Masaquel, Emily D’Souza, Caitlin Moore, Mandy Lee, Ella Harrison, Ella Porcino, Alexandra Powell and Ruby Robertson.

Grandparents and Special Visitors day was celebrated last Thursday with two Masses, three sittings of morning tea and classroom visits. We welcomed over three hundred visitors to our school which was buzzing with excitement as the students shared their  learning with their special friends. Many thanks to the Year 3 parents who coordinated the event and all the parents who provided and served morning tea. The Year 6 students were also on hand to serve our visitors and did a wonderful job playing host.

On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday we have a number of Special Visitors who could not attend last week's celebration coming into classrooms between 2.30-3.30 to visit their grandchildren.

Reports

This week teachers have a ‘no meeting week’ as they begin writing your child’s report for Semester 1. Parent /Teacher interviews will be held onsite in the last week of this term. Students in Year 3-6 are asked to attend with their parents to discuss their learning, progress and goals for Semester 2.

Homework

We are currently looking at our Homework Policy and ask that parents please complete the survey attached. At our recent School Advisory Council meeting we discussed the pros and cons of weekly homework and the impact it has on family life. This term, we will ask students about the pressures of completing homework and how it supports their learning in class. 

We aim to develop a policy that reflects best practice, promotes a link between home and school and is differentiated to cater for the diversity that exists in family life.

I appreciate and value your opinion and encourage families to complete the survey.

Parent Survey 

Homework Survey

Building Program - Refurbishment of Junior Classrooms

The architect’s drawings for the refurbishment of the P-3 classrooms were shared with the School’s Advisory Committee at a recent meeting. The final structural drawings went out to tender last week and we are hoping to start construction work early Term 3 with a completion date of late January 2022.

The building works will be completed in two stages. Prep and Year 1 will be relocated as part of the first stage as indicated on the drawings, with Year 2 and Year 3  part of the second stage. Although renovations always cause a certain amount of disruption, we will do our best to minimise the impact on student learning during this time. Features of the new classrooms include flexible learning spaces created with glass sliding doors and furniture, flexible seating options in the open learning area, classrooms will be approx 20% larger with new carpets, windows, pinboards, ceilings and furnishings. All very exciting!

Fundraising for 2021

The St Paul’s Fete will unfortunately not be held again this year due to the building works which will be well under way in October, when the Fete is usually held. The Fete has traditionally been the major fundraiser and supported the purchase of educational resources, bringing the community together to support the school. This year we are fundraising for furnishing of the new classrooms, landscaping, additional outdoor seating and educational resources.

A vital part of building a strong school community is through belonging and contributing to the Parents and Friends Committee. The P and F work together to organise social events and fundraising. The role of President has not been filled for 2021. The past presidents, Libby Dewar and Claire Stanely have done an amazing job over many years and have stepped down this year with their children in senior grades. If you are interested in the role, Libby and Claire are available to hand on their wisdom. The role of President can be shared and is a great way to meet new people and have lots of fun through building these relationships. Duties of the President include liaising with the Principal to set the meeting agenda and supporting the class reps in organising fundraising events. Please contact me if you are interested or would like more information.  

The Parents and Friends met last week and discussed the fundraising and social activities for 2021. Many thanks to the parents who attended this meeting and to the Parent Reps for your support. It was agreed that the two main fundraising events will be a trivia night in August and a decorative brick fundraiser. 

The brick fundraiser provides families an opportunity to purchase a personalised paver that is laid into a pathway/wall within the school grounds, providing an enduring and unique way to be a part of St Paul's history. More details will follow as the plans for the project are finalised. Many thanks to Suzanne Commerford who is leading the project.

It was agreed that Year levels will be assigned to school events so that we maximise parent participation across the school. The class Reps are asked to ensure that we have enough volunteers to help with each activity. I will meet with Reps beforehand to discuss the details of each event.  Thank you to the Parent Reps, for putting the call out for helpers on the following events:

Pyjama Day Friday

This Friday, 28 May, we will have a pj’s dress up day for students. Children are asked to bring gold coin/s which will go towards prizes for the Trivia night. Students need to wear casual shoes, no slippers. 

Late to School

If your child arrives after the morning bell, please come to the Office to sign in before going to classrooms.

School Fees

School fee statements were sent out in the second week of this term. If you have not received your invoice or need assistance, please contact the office.

COVID - QR Codes

From 28 May, schools must use the Victorian Government QR Code Service through the Service Victoria app to keep records of visitors and external guests to school premises. This will mean some changes to how visitors sign in.

Visitors will need to sign in if at school for more than 15 minutes. There are two options: via QR code (registered with the Department of Health) or pen and paper sign in.

Sign in sheet will only be located in the office. QR codes will be posted outside each classroom door and throughout the school. 

Parents/visitors will not need to sign in if:

• Picking up/dropping off your child if they are sick
• Waiting with your child on the playground before school or after school
• Joining your child’s class for prayer and mediation.

St Paul’s will have QR codes that have been registered with the Department of Health. More information from MACS and the Department of Health will be forthcoming.  

Cubby House

The cubby is now in full swing and very popular with the P-2 students who are having first use of the space.

Have a great week.

Best Wishes,

Catherine

On Tuesday, 18th May, Thalia Kurzel, who is one of our Year 5 teachers, and I had the pleasure of attending the ‘Resilience Project Teacher Seminar’ at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

The day consisted of 4 speakers, including Hugh Van Cuylenburg, the founder of The Resilience Project. Hugh shared the confronting statistics of how the issue of mental health is affecting children and adolescents  in Australia and told his story as to why he began the Resilience Project. The second guest speaker, Leah, spoke about the importance of teachers looking after their mental health. The third speaker, Antony, shared ways in which teachers can improve Emotional Literacy in schools, including many useful activities and strategies. Emotional Literacy is the ability to label what you are feeling - happy, lonely, anxious, frustration, joy and so on.

The final speaker, Marty, shared his own fascinating story and how he came to be part of the Resilience Project Team. Marty is larger than life and, even though he had the hard gig of presenting after the lunch break, had the room captivated and in fits of laughter too! Marty shared the importance of connection and how we can help build the sense of ‘Belonging’ amongst our students, friends, parent community and colleagues.

With suicide being named the leading cause of death by 2030 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is important that we, as parents and educators, help our children develop resilience and a sense of belonging - as this is one of the greatest preventatives of suicide. We all want to ‘fit-in’ to a group, however we shouldn’t need to change who we are to ‘fit-in’ and that is the difference between fitting in and belonging….belonging is where we can have people around us who accept us for who we are.

Here are some GEM (Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness) questions to ask yourself and your children on a daily basis to continue to strengthen mental health.

Thalia and I came away with many great strategies to implement into our teaching practice and we look forward to sharing these with the staff and students along with ways in which we can personally improve our own mental health by practising Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness daily in our own lives. Our Year 3-6s are lucky to already use the ‘Resilience Project school diaries’ where they complete daily GEM reflections.

Why The Resilience Project Exists

The mental health statistics in this country are confronting. Our mission is to teach positive mental health strategies to help people become happier and more resilient. 

We share emotionally engaging stories that help to make the topic of mental health more accessible. The research is clear; the more positive emotion you experience, the more resilient you will be. For that reason we focus on three key pillars that have been proven to cultivate positive emotion; Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM). Our programs also have a strong focus on Connection, Purpose, Kindness, Emotional Literacy and Physical Health. 

To find out more go to https://theresilienceproject.com.au/ - If you’re interested in hearing Hugh and his team speak they do public talks throughout the year which come highly recommended!

Katrina Gardiner

Wellbeing Leader

Dear Parents,

One of the most important things we can do for  children is to ensure they  get the help they need when they need it. Fair isn’t about equal, it is about giving children what they need and when they need it to be the best learners they can be. At St Paul’s we monitor the students ’growth over time’ It is our responsibility to make sure that all children are learning. All teachers make adjustments to support the children’s learning. The NCCD program enables us to identify the needs of children, make adjustments and monitor progress.

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school. Each year our school provides de-identified data regarding the students in our school who have a disability and the level of adjustment each student requires in order to access their education on the same basis as other students.

Below I have provided a link to a fact sheet for those parents who may be interested in understanding how the NCCD works, who it provides for and how the data is used.  

fact sheet for parents guardians and carers.pdf

If you have any questions regarding the NCCD or the needs of your child at school, please don't hesitate to get in touch me mmitchell@spbentleigh.cotholic.edu.au

Kind Regards

Marg Mitchell

Learning Diversity Leader