Dear Families,

Thank you

It has been a wonderful beginning to the year with many new people joining us here at St Paul’s. We have, of course, welcomed our new Preps to the school, as well as many families across the year levels, and new staff to the teaching community. 

I wanted to spend some time to thank our staff for the jam-packed Term 1. 

Thank you to:

Prep teachers for instilling in our new students a love of learning and the beginning of their school journey;

Year 1 teachers for continuing a supportive and nurturing classroom environment with lots of fun learning; 

Year 2 teachers for setting up inclusive and caring classrooms that focus on independence and resilience;

Year 3 teachers for all their work preparing students for NAPLAN and their Sacrament of Reconciliation;

Year 4 teachers for building a positive classroom culture and learning outcomes for all their students;

Year 5 teachers for fostering a positive growth mindset and a strong classroom environment, not to mention preparing the students for NAPLAN;

Year 6 teachers for setting the scene for a model of superb student leadership and for their work on Year 6 camp;

Our fabulous specialist teachers who have instilled in our students a love of sport, arts, languages, and technology;

And to our school leaders, support staff and admin staff for coordinating many curriculum initiatives, student support, school events, parent meetings, and the seamless running of the school.

Farewell

This term we say farewell to two staff members from St Paul’s: Sheridan McAuliffe and Emily Thorowgood.

Sheridan McAuliffe is sadly saying goodbye to St Paul's at the end of this term. Sheridan has taken a position at St Joan of Arc in Brighton which begins in Term 2. Replacing Sheridan is Tricia Geraghty. Tricia is originally from Ireland and has lived and worked in Melbourne for about 7 years. She has extensive experience in Junior school literacy and is VERY excited to start at St Paul's. She has a warm and caring nature and a smile that goes on forever! 

And sadly, Emily Thorowgood is also ending her time at St Paul's at the end of the term. Emily has to fly back to the UK for family reasons. Her father has Parkinson's and Emily is flying home to care for him. 

We will begin looking for a replacement Art teacher over the Easter break. In the meantime, Ms Amanda Moore will teach Art upon our return from the holidays.

We thank both Sheridan and Emily for their dedication and enthusiasm towards teaching at St Paul’s. We wish them both all the very best for the future.

To our students leaving St Paul’s this week - we wish you well at your new schools and hope you come back and say hello to us soon!

Uniform Change

Term 2 sees the return of the winter uniform. We allow a two-week cross-over period where parents can choose to send their child/ren in summer or winter uniform, weather-dependent and common sense needs to apply. School hats are still required whether in Summer or Winter Uniform until the end of April. It is the expectation that all students are in Winter Uniform the week beginning the 29th of April.

Having said that, school photos are being taken on Wednesday 17 April and we require all students in full summer uniform.  If this is your child's sports day please send runners in school bags.

Don't forget to order your photos and sibling packs on the Elite School Photography website.

ST_PAUL_S_PS_Ordering_Flyer_2024.pdf

ST_PAUL_S_PS_Ordering_Flyer_2024 _pdf 1.65 MB

Year 6 Camp

Last week, our Year 6’s students had a brilliant experience at the CYC Phillip Island camp. Along with their teachers Gabrielle Berends, Kat Gardiner, and Kassy Wira; Sport teacher Danny Maher, and yours truly. The three days were packed to the brim with activities: giant swing, flying fox, a long walk to the beach, rock climbing, archery, and many more! We all became experts in putting on a harness and scaling great heights. Parents were thrilled with lots of photos on Seesaw of their children enjoying time away from home. A very big thank you to Danny and the class teachers for organising a wonderful school experience and taking care of our Year 6s at Phillip Island.

New Resources

New home readers for our Junior school. With the inclusion of both decodable readers and stories with predictive text, the school is looking to update our home readers throughout the year.

Interactive smartboards for the Year 3 classrooms. These smart boards (similar to the Junior school resources) will provide greater interactivity for students in their learning. These will hopefully be installed over the holidays. Eventually we will see these included in all our classes. 

New STEM based resources are being included into our Science curriculum. Makey-makey kits which turn everyday objects (like bananas!) into musical instruments and scientific experiments. These kits teach the basic elements of chemistry and physics.

Easter Egg Raffle 

The annual Easter Egg raffle is coming to an end. Thank you to our families for donating Easter Eggs throughout the last two weeks. The raffle will be drawn on Thursday afternoon at around 2pm where the school will gather in the Amphitheatre to draw the raffle and end the term together. Funds raised from the raffle will be donated to Caritas Australia in conjunction with the money raised from the Caritas donation boxes. This year we have continued our new school tradition of donating 3 hampers to 3 families in the Bentleigh Community during this holiday season. Thank you to our Sustainability Leader, Stephanie Allen, for coordinating the raffle. 

Anzac Day

ANZAC Day is a day to remember the service and sacrifice of the ANZAC soldiers landing on Gallipoli in Turkey on 25 April 1915 during World War I. It is a time where we also recognise the sacrifices of servicemen and servicewomen who have participated and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

Students will be learning about the importance of commemorating ANZAC Day and the significance of this for us in today’s world. 

It is not always easy to explain war to children, but teachers do so with care and sensitivity so that students can understand the sacrifice of soldiers as we approach ANZAC Day.

Lest we forget. 

Merchandise is being sold in the office - pins, pens, wristbands and bag tags ranging from $1 - $5.  Please bring small change.

Lost Property

There is a lot of lost property in the tub outside the uniform shop.  Please take the time to come and have a look for any lost items before we donate them to the second-hand shop or dispose of containers over the holidays.  Please also remember to check that all your children's belongings are clearly labeled as we enter into Term 2.

2024 School Closure Days

Thursday 25 April - Anzac Day Public Holiday

Friday 26 April - School Closure Day

Friday 7 June - School Closure Day

Monday 10 June - King's Birthday Public Holiday

Monday 4 November - School Closure Day

Tuesday 5 November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Friday 29 November - School Closure Day

The Term 2 parent calendar will be distributed on the last day of term.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter and a restful break.

Kind regards,

Freda Tahtouh

Naplan

The NAPLAN assessment proceeded seamlessly, with children showing remarkable readiness and composure. Thanks to the diligent efforts of dedicated teachers, students were thoroughly prepared for the challenges ahead. Every child exhibited their best efforts, reflecting their hard work and preparation. It's crucial to remember that NAPLAN is just one measure of a student's abilities, and their teachers, who understand them best, have equipped them well beyond a single test.

RE News

As Holy Week approaches, it's a special time for our school community and families. This week, we remember the story of Jesus, from his joyful entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the Last Supper with his disciples on Maundy Thursday, and finally, his sacrifice on the cross on Good Friday. It's a time when we reflect on the love and compassion Jesus showed to all people. We can think about ways we can be kind and caring, just like him, to those around us. And as we journey through Holy Week together, we look forward to the joy of Easter Sunday, celebrating the hope and new life that Jesus's resurrection brings. Let's take this time to pray, spend time with loved ones, and share in the spirit of love and forgiveness that fills our hearts during this special week.

The Year 6 Social Justice Leaders participated in a Freeze Frame presentation of the Stations of the Cross for the whole school today at our liturgy. This was a most reverend and solemnly presented prayer. 

Final day Of Term 1

Please note the adjusted times for lunch on Thursday this week. We will have lunch at an earlier time so that we can allow time for the drawing of the Easter raffle which will take place in the amphitheatre at 2pm. Children will be dismissed after the Raffle. 

Last Thursday, the St. Paul’s school community embraced Harmony Day with open arms. As students entered, they were greeted by vibrant orange balloons and the dedicated Year 6 Wellbeing team distributed orange streamers to ensure all students were wearing a touch of orange. Harmony Day serves as a symbol of cultural diversity and inclusivity within our school community.

We thank the SRC team for their creativity in commemorating this special day. Their initiatives, from orchestrating a lunchtime dance floor to a collaborative art station under the talented guidance of Ms. Thorowgood, to working closely with the school canteen to ensure there were orange foods available, truly enriched the experience. Additionally, every student was asked to personalise a handprint, which will contribute to a larger, school-wide display—watch this space! Moreover, the Year 6 Wellbeing team crafted a diverse range of activities, including colouring in pages and quizzes, promoting Harmony Day.

A heartfelt thank you extends to our SRC students, Wellbeing Leaders and the Wellbeing Team for their unwavering dedication in ensuring the success of this memorable day.

Kassy Wira

Student Wellbeing Leader