21 June 2024

From the Principals Desk

Cold and Flu Season

The news has highlighted the stretch on hospitals with many already suffering cold and flu symptoms and complications. Again, covid has made a return to many families.  While there are no public health orders regarding covid, please keep your children home if they are sick.

Staffing News

We welcome Mrs Ruth Davis to the additional role of pastoral care worker. She will work in conjunction with Sister Jo, Kristy, and Beatrix in the area of supporting the wellbeing of our students and families needing assistance.

I would like to also announce that Miss Hayley McNamee will be taking leave for the remainder of the year, beginning in term 3. We currently have an advertisement for a new teacher for the KW class. Hayley has worked hard to prepare her students for school life, and we thank her for her wonderful contribution to the community of St Paul’s.

Mr Benjamin Power is also leaving us in term 3 to pursue work placement on the Central Coast to be closer to family and friends. Ben has had an amazing impact on both our music program and the incorporation of technology across the curriculum.

Both staff members will be hard to replace, but we wish them success for the rest of 2024.

Confirmation Celebrations

This week many of our students made their confirmation at different liturgies in our regional mass centers.

Congratulations to: Gemma Connell, Kade Dalton, Ruben Day, Harlan Enright, Tilly Enright, Lucy Ford, Oliver Forty, Ryan Forty, Hattie Fyfe, Lexi Haynes, Matikas Mallen, Jagger McDougall, April Mcletchie, Lara Schultz, Arlee-Rose Sorensen, Declan Stark and Emerson Willems.

Thank you to Mr Temesvary who supported these students at Rutherford parish both with the music and reading.

REPORTS

Next week you will have access to the end of Semester 1 reports. These are a snapshot in time on how your child is progressing according to the outcomes teachers have taught during semester 1. Teachers are providing feedback on two areas of strength and an area for development in English, Maths and Religious Education. Students will also bring home a reflection sheet on the goals they have achieved from your term 1 meeting with the teacher. I encourage you to discuss the report and student goals at home – Talk about what made them successful and where to next. In the beginning of Semester 2, we will be again hosting parent, student, teacher meetings for you to discuss learning and goals for your child for the remainder of 2024.

Playground updates

We have had many visitors onsite over the last two weeks to look at various options for the upgrade of the infant’s playground areas and the equipment for primary.

The CSO engaged a company to plan the primary equipment to incorporate monkey bars, climbing apparatus and slides for our older students. We will share their first draft of plans hopefully by the end of the term.

Safeguarding of students and vulnerable people

Our Diocesan office is committed to the protection and safety of all students and people in our care. There are many resources for parents through the Office of Safeguarding online.

Assistant Principal  

Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L)

This fortnight’s focus is to Care for all property and the environment. By following this focus, our students are demonstrating that they are making responsible decisions. Our students are to be commended on their environmental citizenship this week in keeping our school clean by putting their rubbish in the garbage bin or the correct recycling bin.

In particular, I would like to acknowledge our Year 5 Waste Worriers who have been diligent in ensuring that the playground garbage and recycling bins are out each morning and have been assisting in the collection of cans and bottles for the return and earn recycling scheme.

Last fortnight, I shared with families a clip that provided an introduction and overview to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). This fortnight I would like to share with you a short clip that provides insights from a parent perspective as to how families can support their children’s social and emotional learning in the home.

Tell Them From Me (TTFM)

A big thank you to all families who have taken the time to provide feedback on their experience of our school using the tell Them from Me Partners in Learning survey. This process is an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process. We very much value the role of parents and carers within our school community.

Our next steps are to analyses and reflect upon the information that you have provided to us. This feedback will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Paul’s Rutherford.

Religious Education Update 

MINI VINNIES HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS EVENING

On Friday the 14^th of June students from Year 6 participated in an awareness evening for the homeless and disadvantaged in our community. The students did a range of activities from singing to creating posters as they looked at some of the problems and solutions surrounding those less fortunate than us.

A huge thank you to the Mini Vinnies Team for all their preparation and work, and thank you to Mrs Howard, Miss Tuersley, Mrs Purdon, Miss Taranto, Miss Beletich and Sister Joseph who stayed behind to facilitate the evening. We had a wonderful time and look forward to the event again next year.

CONFIRMATION

Last week on Wednesday the 12^th of June and this week on Friday the 21^st of June, the Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated and made by students from our school. We wish you all the best and pray for you as you are filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit!

 We pray for: Gemma Connell, Kade Dalton, Ruben Day, Harlan Enright, Tilly Enright, Lucy Ford, Oliver Forty, Ryan Forty, Hattie Fyfe, Lexi Haynes, Matikas Mallen, Jagger McDougall, April Mcletchie, Lara Schultz, Arlee-Rose Sorensen, Declan Stark and Emerson Willems

YEAR 4 FORMATION / RETREAT DAY

On Thursday of Week 10, students in Year 4 will participate in a first for our school – a grade retreat/formation day. As you may have read in my many newsletters inserts, our current 3-year goal is to increase awareness of and participation in formation across all school levels. We are just finalising the details of the day and Year 4 students will receive a note soon.

SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION 2024

Below are the events to mark on the calendar for those completing their Sacraments of Initiation this year. For any information, please contact me through the school office.

We are currently in the middle celebrating Confirmation across all our Mass Centres.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

Mark 4:35-41
Jesus stills the sea.

Gifted Education Mentor/Primary Coordinator

Spelling and Math’s Bee

On Thursday, June 13th, several students represented St Paul’s at the Regional Mathematics and Spelling Bee held at Our Lady of Lourdes, Tarro. All participants did their best and should be proud of their efforts. Congratulations to all those who competed, and we appreciate the families who came to support their children.

Special recognition goes to Joshua Toms and Esai Goonawardena, who will go on to represent St Paul’s at the Diocesan Spelling Bee and Mathematics Bee.

Bakers Delight

The annual Bakers Delight competition was well represented with numinous outstanding entries in the creative arts.  Congratulations to all students who participated.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 47

Next

Library News

Library

Borrowing Days
Infants borrow every week.
W classes borrow even weeks
M classes borrow odd weeks

Monday
Year 2

Tuesday
Kinder, Year 4, Year 5

Wednesday
Year 1, Year 3, Year 6 

Congratulations to 4W again for winning the Library Cup and having the highest percentage of borrowers for the fortnight! This amazing class has manage to retain the cup all term!

PRC

Congratulations to the students who have recently completed the PRC.
Dominique 1M, Eli 1W, Blair 2W, Christian 4W, Hunter 5W and Lara 6W.

BOOK CLUB

Issue 4 of Book Club has been sent home earlier this term. All orders were due in by the 19^th June. Orders will be distributed to students once they arrive later in the term.

Author In Residence

In Term 3 Week 7 we will be creating a book with the company of local author/illustrator Leila Rudge. All students will participate in the process of researching, draft writing, editing, story boarding and illustrating. This is such an exciting opportunity where a real book will be produced by the students of St Paul’s.

So far during library lessons we have been researching different birds to feature as the characters in our story. Final characters will be decided next term. We have also been researching the story setting – Maitland Hunter River Levee bank. A diorama is being constructed in the library and students encouraged to collect some things to add if visiting the Levee bank in the coming weeks. We are excited and look forward to watching the book unfold.

 School Holiday Writing Workshops

Waste Warriors & Garden Club

Give us a school among the native trees with lots of growing seeds!

St Paul's applied for a Maitland City Council Environmental resource application. We are very excited to have received a few items that we applied for. This will help our Waste Warriors and Gardening Club students with adding to our wonderful school garden and keeping our school looking beautiful.

Thank you, Maitland Council!

Sport 2024

The swimming and athletics carnivals give our students at St Paul’s an opportunity to showcase their sporting talents. Our 2024 carnivals were a huge success with many students qualifying for regional and Diocesan levels. We congratulate all students on their participation at the carnivals and our staff for supporting the day. Congratulations to our swimming and athletics champions and runner up.

4M Assembly

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 27

Next

Term Dates for 2024

Term 1 Tuesday, 30 January - Friday, 12 April
Term 2 Monday, 29 April - Friday, 05 July
Term 3 Monday, 22 July - Friday, 27 September
Term 4 Monday, 14 October - Friday, 20 December

Term 2

School Student Travel Passes 2024

Uniform Shop Hours 2023

TUESDAY AFTERNOON                      2.30PM – 3PM
WEDNESDAY MORING                       8.30AM – 9AM
THURSDAY AFTERNOON                    2.30PM – 3PM

When ordering Uniforms via QKR, don’t change the order date.

Orders will be sent the classrooms the days the uniform shop is opened.

If for some reason you need to exchange sizes, please ensure that the tags are still on the garment and the garment is in the original packing.

Christa Moylan
Uniform Shop Coordinator

Canteen

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CHILDS CLASS ON QKR

Canteen Opening days.

Order via the QKR App, by 8.55am ON THE DAY.

Lunch orders will be sent to the classrooms in the class lunch tubs.

(IMPORTANT WHEN ORDERING LUNCHES – CHECK THE DATE OF ORDER)
In the past students haven’t received lunch due to the wrong order date entered.
Please discuss with your child if this happens, ask them to come to the office to see Mrs West or Mrs Mac, we will organise lunch for them through the canteen.  Only sandwiches will be on offer.

RECESS TIME:  10:30AM – 11:10AM
LUNCH TIME:  12:40PM – 1:20PM

St Nicholas OOSH

Guitar Lessons