21st February 2025

From the Principals Desk - Mrs Stacey Mullin

A Big Thank You to Our Families

We want to extend our thanks to all the families who have joined us for the goal-setting meetings this week. Your involvement is greatly appreciated as we work together to support your child's growth and success. If you were unable to attend your scheduled time, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher to arrange a convenient time to meet.

Exciting Update on the Infants Playground

We are thrilled to share that the completion of the new playground is on track to be finished by the end of this term! The children have been incredibly adaptable and are adjusting well to the changes in their daily routines as the construction continues. We are proud of how well they are handling this exciting transition and can’t wait for them to enjoy the new space once it's ready!

Assistant Principal - Ms Sharna Taranto

Social and Emotional Learning 

This week during our Goal Setting Meetings students, parents and teachers have worked together to set an academic and a social and emotional learning (SEL) goal for Semester 1.  SEL skills help students to understand and manage themselves and their emotions as well as the emotions of others in their daily life.  

There are 5 key competencies (skills) with the SEL framework:

If you are interested in learning more about SEL I have included short clip below:

SEL Information for Parents

Homework

St Paul’s beliefs and agreements about Homework:

• Homework is practice of concepts already learned that need repetition e.g., multiplication facts, reading, spelling, research skills.
• Homework can be the completion of tasks not finished during class time
• Homework can be a research task or response to learning e.g., artistic, written etc.
• Homework tasks are marked regularly
• The most important homework is nightly reading

St Paul’s Homework expectations:

Communication

If at any time, you wish to speak with your child’s class teacher/s, please arrange a suitable time either by sending a note, email or by phoning the office for an appointment. Please be aware that teachers are not available to talk with parents or carers during class time or when on playground duty.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. Each year students in years 3,5,7 and 9 take part in NAPLAN.

St Paul's NAPLAN is scheduled for Week 7 (Wednesday 12th- Friday 14th March 2025).
If a student is absent for one of the assessments, a make up session the following week will be scheduled.

Although it is we want our students to try their best in all they do (including assessments such as NAPLAN), it is also important to remember that NAPLAN is simply one test on one day, providing a snapshot of where they currently are in their leaning journey. We want our students to be as settled and as calm as possible during the testing period and so, it is important that families keep routine as ‘normal’ as possible and do not place unnecessary emphasis on the assessments. The students should view these dates as ‘just another day at school.
If you have any further questions please contact your child's class teacher.

Pupil Free Day

This Friday 28^th February (Week 5) will be a Pupil Free Day. The school will be closed to students on this day whilst our staff undertake key professional learning around Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L). Purposeful, professional learning for teachers is one of the most effective ways to improve teaching practices and student outcomes.

What is PB4L?

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) is an evidence-based framework that brings together the whole-school community to contribute to developing a positive, safe and supportive learning culture. The framework assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for children and young people.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/school-community/attendance-behaviour-and-engagement/positive-behaviour-for-learning

Sport

We wish Archie Hawkins all the best in representing our school and region at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival next week.

Archie will be competing in the following events: 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 50m Breaststroke & 200m Individual Medley. Good luck!  

On the topic of sport, thank you to Mrs Stefanish-Smith and Mrs Walls, our school sports coordinators, for their work thus far in all things sport!

Religious Coordinator - Mr Robert Temesvary

Opening School Mass/Ash Wednesday

Our Opening School Mass has been scheduled for Thursday the 27th of February at 11:30am under the COLA (Week 5). Father Anil who is new to our region will be coming along to celebrate this occasion with us. It will be during this Mass that we formally welcome the year along with the new Kindergarten and Year 6 Leaders. As per usual, all families are invited to come along and celebrate with us!

This year Ash Wednesday is the 5th of March at 9:00am – Week 6. We will be inviting our parishioners to come along and join us in this significant celebration as we begin Lent for 2025.

Last week I popped a little secret phrase in the Newsletter, and I had ONLY 1 student approach me – Miss Lexie in Year 4! Well done Lexie! To everyone else, keep an eye out for more of these in the future…

Family/Commissioning Mass

On Sunday the 9th of March we are scheduled in to have our annual commissioning mass with Staff and the Mini Vinnies team. This will be at regular Sunday mass at 8am and we warmly welcome anyone from our school community that would like to come along and attend with us. This year, we are continuing the ‘Family Mass’ once a term where students and staff of St Paul’s will do all the ‘Ministry’ jobs of the Mass. We hope to see you there!

Diocesan launch of the Jubilee year

Dear everyone!

You’re invited to a Sunday morning of family, fun, free food trucks and ice cream, amusements, entertainment, and an obstacle course taking over the Cathedral Precinct (Newcastle) on March 2nd. It all begins with a walk from Foreshore Park all the way to Sacred Heart Cathedral (4km) at 8am with Bishop Michael – our chance to be Pilgrims of Hope! Walk side by side with families and staff from our parishes, schools, agencies and ministries and then join us for Mass at 10am before the Festival of Hope kicks off at 11am.

I encourage you to watch and share this video that unpacks exactly what the Jubilee year means for us as a Catholic community in more depth - https://youtu.be/oruV5XWUI2M

Sacraments of Initiation 2025

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.

Next up: Reconciliation Prep on the 25^th, 26^th and 27^th. See below.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

Luke 6:27-38

Love your enemy.

Primary Coordinator & Gifted Educator Mentor - Mrs Amanda King

Becoming a volunteer 

We would love to have more volunteers at St Paul's! 

To be able to volunteer within a diocesan school you are required to register online https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/ and complete all necessary checks, inductions and safeguarding training relevant to your volunteer role. This may mean you will be required to obtain a Working with Children Check and/or National Police Check. All paperwork and checks are to be completed and verified before you can commence in your role.

Please contact the school for further information

Library News - Mrs Katrina Howard

Borrowing Days 2025 

Tuesday Odd Weeks - Kinder, Year 1 

Tuesday Even Weeks – Kinder, Year 2  

Wednesday Odd Weeks - Year 3M, Year 5 

Wednesday Even Weeks – Year 3W, Year 6 

                                               Thursday Even Weeks – Year 4 

Borrowing has begun and all classes have now visited the library for 2025. A reminder that all students require a library bag for borrowing days to help protect the books in transition from school and home. Hopefully everyone has received a copy of the term calendar for the fridge as a reminder to return books on borrowing days. Infant students can become quite upset when previous borrowed books haven’t been returned and are unable to borrow again.  

2025 Library and Computer Monitors 

Congratulations to the following Year 5 students who will be the Library Monitors for 2025. 

Sophie P, Malia, Phoebe, Lillie-May, Ava, Charlotte, Abigail and Sophie F. 

Congratulations also to the following Year 5 students who will be Computer Monitors for 2025 helping Mr Adams in the Makerspace. 

Asha H, James and Ashlynn.  

Library Lessons  

Term One in the Library will focus around being respectful, responsible library users. All grades will refresh the expectations on book care and library equipment. Students will engage with the Oliver Library Portal, learning about events happening throughout the year, access to websites and subscriptions and how to search for and locate books within the school library space.   

Infant classes will engage in some drama activities, practise using logins and responding to the books read with a focus on friendship and library use.   

Primary Classes will engage in Digital Citizenship activities. Learning about how to be safe online users, recognising misinformation, choosing kind online and warning signs to look out while using digital devise both at school and at home.   

Year 5 will be using the new green screen and using their BYOD to create movies!  

Book Club 

All orders for Issue 1 have been placed and will be sent home with students once they are delivered to the school. Thank you to those families who have ordered Book Club as these orders earn reward points for St Paul’s and can be used to purchase resource for the library. So a big THANK YOU! 

Calendar - Upcoming Events

Dates for your diary........

Thursday 27th February - 11:30am Opening School Mass under the COLA

Friday 28th February - Pupil Free Day - Students do not attend on this day

Wednesday 5th March - 9:00am Ash Wednesday

Wednesday 12th March - NAPLAN begins

Term Dates 2025

Term 1 Friday 31st January - Friday 11th April

Term 2 Monday 28th April - Friday 4th July

Term 3 Monday 21st July - Friday 26th September

Term 4 Monday 13th October - Friday 19th December

AWARDS Term 1 Week 2 & 3

2025 SCHOOL FEES

School fees for 2025 will begin to be added to your account next week and your first statement to be emailed to you in the first week of March. We will be processing any adjustments over the coming weeks.
 
If your family has any changes to the names on the account or changes to the split proportion please contact the office by close of business next Monday. This is unable to be done once fees have been added.
 
If your payment frequency of weekly, fortnightly, monthly or annually has changed from 2024, please advise the office so we can update our system. First payment for 2025 will be due to commence no later than 31 March 2025, with the intention of full payment by 30th November 2025. For annual payers the entire balance is due by 30 June 2025. If you wish to commence payment earlier you can continue to use the BPAY details on your prior statements.
 
If you are a holder of a Health Care Card, please click on the following link to provide your details;
 
https://cefmsmn.t1cloud.com/T1Default/CiAnywhere/Web/CEFMSMN/Forms/FillOut?formDef=542f8b0a36f27c118b055b26d933c4fe&suite=CES
 

If you require assistance to calculate your weekly/fortnightly/monthly repayments please contact the office. If you have any other questions or concerns please reach out to Mel or Sharon on admin@rutherford.catholic.edu.au or call on 49328605

P & F News

Introducing your 2025 P&F Committee Members

President                     Amanda Suffell

Vice President             Keri Leatham

                                                      Secretary                     Jess Stafanish Smith

                                                      Treasurer                     Maria Jedensjo

 This year the committee is planning some amazing events for the school community, to help make these events successful we need you the St Paul’s Community to assist in volunteering – at the discos, the colour run, the easter raffle, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day stalls and packing gifts and orders. If you can spare 30mins your help is greatly appreciated. For each event we will post a call out on Compass asking for volunteers, please reach out to the committee if you can assist.

Our fundraising efforts in 2024 saw the P&F committee provide the school with much needed resources and additions to the playground, these included

• Soft fall for the infants cola
• Refurb of OT Gym area
• Giant connect 4 for the playground
• Cold water bubbler for the Basketball court
• New Stage 1 Readers
• Supply year 6 with their graduation teddies
• Christmas gifts for each student

We are planning 2025 events and what we as a community can contribute to the school some ideas are below, however if you would like to contribute, we would love the St Paul’s Community be involved in what our fundraising efforts purchase.

First fund raising for 2025 is Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie Dough – information will be sent home next week

If you have questions or would like something raised at our next meeting, please email the committee to have the item added to the agenda – stpaulspandfrutherford@gmail.com

Please come along to our next meeting – in person at the school library or online via zoom. Attending the meeting means you get a say in what events the P&F hosts and how the funds are used for upgrades.

Next Meeting – Tuesday 18 March

Time – 6pm

Location – School Library

Uniform Shop 2025

Openning Times

Tuesday Afternoons                                  2:30pm – 3:00pm

Wednesday Afternoons                             8:30am – 9:00am

Thursday Afternoons                                 2:30am – 3:00pm

When ordering Uniforms via QKR, don’t change the order date.
Orders will be sent to 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 Molan
Uniform Shop Coordinator

Canteen

Have you updated your child's class on QKR????

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:           10:30am – 11:10am

LUNCH:            12:40pm – 1:20pm