6th December, 2024

From the Principals Desk

Christmas Concert

Thank you to all our families for supporting our Carols and disco evening last week. We were blessed with the weather and the excitement of our students. What a great way to begin this Christmas season. Thank you to the P&F for the disco and the work of Miss Tuersley and Mrs Stefanish-Smith in the coordination between the carols, food trucks and disco.

Christmas Concert

STEP UP SESSION FRIDAY WK 9

Next Friday all students will visit with their new class teacher for 2025 and their mix of peers. This is for an hour before lunchtime. This is a time where they can get to know the teacher, the room and ask questions if they are worried or concerned. Our new students for 2025 will also be joining us for the hour.

P and F Executive members….

Thank you to our ongoing members of the P&F who have already begun their planning for 2025. They have always been relied upon for the discos for our students and Mother’s and Father’s Day. It really builds community for the school.

We are eternally grateful for the contributions made by the P&F every year. This year they have supported us with:

New bubbler on the Basketball court

Softfall for infants

New home readers for infants

Large connect 4

Traffic

Please once again be mindful of where you stop in the bus bays. This holds up the student buses up from getting to designated stops on time. You can also be fined for stopping in these zones when the ranger is about.

Council is putting up new signs to clearly mark where you can and cannot stop.

Support Workers in School

We have a lot of support workers who enter our school at various times of the day. We want to minimise disruptions ot prime learning in literacy and mathematics.  As such we will be continuing the request that all support workers who work with students in school time attend after 12:00pm to allow our children uninterrupted learning time.

We will not have support workers in the first week of student return. Support can begin Monday 10th February to give students time to get to know their classroom teachers and routines. All parents must fill in the appropriate paperwork to request this outside support in school hours.

Uniforms 2025

The uniform shop will be open before school starts next year:

Please make your orders online via QKR for pick up on these days unless you require time for sizing.

Thursday 30th January 9am - 12pm Friday 31st January 1pm - 3pm Monday 3rd February 9am-12pm

SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2025

Our 2025 Swimming Carnival is on Wednesday 5th February at Cessnock pool.   Only competitive swimmers will be attending. The 2025 Regional Swimming Carnival will be held Tuesday 11th February at East Maitland Pool. Keep an eye out for COMPASS notification to register your child this year.

Assistant Principal - Ms Sharna Taranto

PB4L 

This fortnight our PBL focus is Speak and Act with Kindness. This important focus links with our school value of Serve. Being disciples of Jesus, we challenge all of our students to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in service. One very simple way to serve others is by choosing kindness in both our words and in our actions each day. It is our shared responsibility to make St Paul’s a safe and inclusive space for all in our community.  

As we move into the season of Advent, I encourage all parents and carers to take the time to talk with their children about the true meaning of this season, which is awaiting and preparing for the coming of our savior. We commenced last Sunday with the lighting of the first Advent candle ‘Hope’. I firmly believe that the one hope that Jesus has for us, is to choose kindness.  

Reports 

Our teachers are currently finalising Semester Two reports. These reports will follow the same, format as in Semester One. The Key Learning Areas of English, Mathematics and Religious Education will receive a comment on student strengths and an area for development. There will also be a general comment included. Reports will be shared with families via COMPASS on Thursday 12th December (Week 9). If you wish to discuss your child’s learning with their class teacher/s, please contact them directly via their email address or via the SeeSaw app. 

Sport 

This week concludes our Fit4Kids Cricket clinic program that has been funded by Sporting Schools. We hope to receive further grant funding next year to continue providing these opportunities and experiences for our students. 

Step up Sessions 

Each year, the school hosts a step-up session to support all students in their transition to the next year’s class. On Friday 13th December (Week 9). All students will participate in a transition session. During this session, students spend time with their 2025 teacher and peers. Here students will participate in a ‘get to know you’ activity, before returning to their current classroom and teacher. 

Religious News - Mr Robert Temesvary

ADVENT

Advent for 2024 has began last Sunday!  Advent is the first season of the Church year. It is the season of longing and waiting as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, God-with-us. Advent celebrates the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into human history.

The challenge is to remember that God is constantly with us and close to us. The Advent season is one of promise and fulfilment. It is a celebration of past, present and future. The Advent wreath originated in Europe. It was a symbol of life, in a world in the grip of a frozen winter. The evergreen reminded people that signs of life were still to be found. The lighting of extra candles as midwinter and the shortest period of daylight approached was a reminder of God’s light in the darkness. Obviously, that is a bit different for our winter here in Australia, but it is important to know the origins of the tradition. The four candles of the Advent wreath are purple and pink and represent Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Some advent wreaths also have a fifth candle which is white. This candle represents Jesus and is lit on Christmas day.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION MASS

Next week on Tuesday at 11:30am under the Cola we will be celebrating our final Mass of 2024. It is always a special occasion that we encourage all members of our school community to come along to – especially our Year 6 families. We will also be announcing our Captains for 2025 at the end of Mass

MINI VINNIES CHRISTMAS VOUCHER DAY

Next Friday ht e 13^th of December we will be having our annual Mini Vinnies Voucher Day! Please see the flyer below that was created by talented and helpful members of our school community (thank you Lily and Donna Caveny!)

FAMILY SUNDAY MASS

Thank you so much to the staff, students and families that made the effort to come along and celebrate Sunday mass with our Parish! It was an extra special occasion being the first Sunday of Advent. We love seeing our students, staff and families involved with our Parish!

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION FOR 2025

The Parish Sacramental team has begun preparation for our 2025 Sacramental journey. If you missed the meetings last week, please contact the parish Sacramental team at: SOIchisolm@mn.catholic.org.au.

GOSPEL REFLECTION 

Second SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR C 

Luke 3:1-6 

John the Baptist proclaims a baptism of repentance. 

Library News - Mrs Katrina Howard

Borrowing has ended for 2024. We ask that all library books are please returned to the library. Overdue slips have been sent home. Please have a good look at home for these books and return the overdue slip with a signature if these books have been misplaced. There is no cost for missing books, though we require communication to keep our library catalogue system updated.

The summer holidays are a great opportunity to be accessing local community libraries, street libraries and gifting books for Christmas.

We have had another big cleanout of used books. Your child may have come home from school this week with some old stock of books. These books are able to be kept and do not require to be returned to the library. Happy Reading

Author Pen Pal

Last week Year 3 enjoyed a fun zoom call with author pen pal Amy Freund. The students listened to her new book Amigo the Capybara, asked lots of questions and learnt all about the process of writing and publishing a book. Apologies to the students who ordered books through Amy for the late delivery. These books have all been sent home with the capybara keyrings to arrive at a later date. For anyone who may have missed the cut off date Amy has opened up signed copy book orders for an extra week!

BOOK CLUB

All orders for Book Club have been placed for issue 8 and will be sent home with students when they arrive. If any of the items you have ordered are presents for your child and you have not noted it on the order, please email me directly at penny.sneddon@mn.catholic.edu.au.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or Penny in the Library.

katrina.howard@mn.catholic.edu.au

penny.sneddon@mn.catholic.edu.au

Primary Coordinator & Gifted Educator Mentor Amanda King

Virtual Academy Showcase

On Thursday, 28th November, Hunter and Anna participated in the Virtual Academy Showcase at NU Space in Newcastle. This special event brought together students from across the Diocese to celebrate their achievements over the past semester. Anna presented her research on mental health, highlighting the importance of raising awareness and providing support for young people. Hunter explored the topic of inflation and shrinkflation, offering an insightful perspective on how these economic factors affect everyday life.Both students represented St Paul’s with pride and professionalism, showcasing their hard work and creativity. We are incredibly proud of their efforts!

Virtual Academy Showcase

Sports News

In Week 5, St Paul’s had a girls and boys team represent our school at the Basketball NSW schools tournament. Thank you to Mrs Howard for organising and training the team at school and to Mrs Mullin, who attended the tournament with the team. Our boys team won their division and were invited to play in a two day State Schools Championships in Sydney.

The team showed remarkable effort and spirit throughout the tournament. Their determination and teamwork were evident in every game, which is commendable. The team’s ability to force turnovers and maintain pressure was a highlight. All members of the team stood out with implementing feedback into their performances. The players demonstrated good chemistry on the court, supporting each other and building their effective communication.

Overall, the team’s performance was impressive, and with continued hard work, they have the potential to achieve even greater success in future tournaments.

Thank you to our parents who drove their children to Sydney to participate. Special thanks goes to Alex Threadgate for coaching the team and Alex Malam for scoring.

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Volunteering in our Community

Our Year 3 student Thea and her mum volunteered their time this week to help put together toy & gift hampers for disadvantaged children throughout the Hunter. Well done Thea, we are very proud of you!

My New Gallery

School Fees

School fees were due in full by 30th November 2024. Thank you to the families that have fulfilled their commitments for 2024. If you have remaining fees outstanding, please make full payment immediately, unless you already have a pre-approved extension.

Payments are able to continue over the break if you would like to be ahead for 2025.

Calendar Dates Week 9 & 10

Week 9
Tue 10th Dec    Breakfast Club
                          Yr6 Graduation Mass - 11:30am
                          Yr6 Graduation Dinner - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
 Thu 12th Dec   Breakfast Club – last day 2024 Breakfast Club
                          Presentation Day Kinder to Yr2 - 9:30am 

                         Presentation Day Yr3 to Yr4 10:00am

                         Presentation Day Yr5 to Yr6 10:30am

                         Reports Home - Compass

Fri 13^th Dec      Step Up Session for students 11:40am – 12:40pm

                         Rainbeau Book Launch 1:30pm – 2pm

                         KW Assembly 2pm

Week 10

Mon 16^th Dec    Year 3 Excursion - Murrock Cultural Centre

Tue 17^th Dec     BREAKFAST CLUB CANCELLED

Wed 18^th Dec    Last Day of Students

                        Yr6 Clap out – Parents are welcome 2pm – 2:45pm

Thu 19^th Dec     PUPIL FREE DAY

Fri 20^th Dec       PUPIL FREE DAY