19th June 2025

From The Principals Desk - Mrs Stacey Mullin

Welcome Prac Students.

We have a number of prac students from the University of Newcastle currently being mentored by our wonderful staff at St Paul’s. These experiences are where the “rubber hits the road” - all the learning from Uni now begins to formulate around actions for the classroom situation. Thank you to the experienced teachers who have put in the time and extra workload for these students. It is such a valuable experience for both the uni students and the teachers as we all strive to grow in our profession.

Biggest Morning Tea.

A huge thank you for the generosity of Mrs CArmel Boland has given her time to plan and organise the biggest morning tea today. Such a great success and shining reflection of the community we have around us.

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Kindergarten 2026

Frist round offers have been sent out to families to accept over the next week. Once we have confirmation of acceptance, we will look at round 2 for any children who may have missed out.

Choir Showcase

Congratulations to the students who participated in the choir showcase hosted by Aspire last week. You were fantastic representatives of St Paul’s. Thank you to Mr Temesvary and Mrs Clarke for rehearsing and taking them.

Math's and Spelling Bees

Goodluck to the students representing themselves and St Paul’s this Friday at the Regional Maths and Spelling Bees being held at Rosary Park Branxton.

Reports

Next week you will have access to the end o.f Semester 1 reports. These are a snapshot in time on how your child is progressing according to the outcomes teachers have taught during the first half of the year. Teachers are providing feedback with 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 set and achieved both in class and those from your term 1 goal setting 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, and teacher meetings for you to discuss learning and goals for your child for the remainder of 2025.

Calendar Dates Week 9 & 10

Student Awards Week 6 & 7

Assistant Principal - Mrs Sharna Taranto

PB4L (Positive Behaviours for Learning)

This fortnight our PB4L we have continued our focus: Safe hands and feet. This focus aligns with our school value of Love and links with the SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) skill of Self-Management.

What does Self-Management look like for children?

As children are focusing on using safe and caring hands and feet, we are really asking our students to demonstrate their skills of self-management. This includes the use of strategies that help us to manage our reactions when our emotions are high.

Below is a list of behavioral goals that our students are working towards when they are practicing self-management:

ü I can express my emotions appropriately.

ü I can develop self-discipline and set goals

ü I can work independently and show initiative

ü I can become confident resilient and adaptable

The clip below can support discussions with your children at home around Self-Management

https://youtu.be/fHS_oAAFLGQ?si=CV5YxokWQHK3DEBr

How can families support this learning?

Supporting Literacy Development at home

There are lots of simple ways that parents and carers can support their child/ren’s reading and literacy development at home. Below is a snapshot of 10 ways you can support this skill development for your children!

https://www.improvingliteracy.org/resource/supporting-your-child-s-literacy-at-home

Tips for helping children stay safe online

Supporting our students to stay safe online, both at school and at home means teaching them how to recognise risks, protect their personal information, and make responsible choices. Each year students learn:

ü How to be a responsible digital citizen

ü How to keep themselves and others safe when online

By fostering digital literacy, encouraging open conversations, and setting clear guidelines, we can all work together to create a safe and respectful online environment where all of our students can thrive. Below is a link to the eSafety commissioner webpage. This link provides practical information and support for families. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/online-safety-basics

Religious Coordinator - Mr Robert Temesvary

THE FEAST OF SAINT PAUL – Tuesday the 28th JUNE 

 You're warmly invited to join us in celebrating the feast day of our patron saint, St Paul, on Tuesday the 24th of June. The celebration will begin with a special liturgy at 12:00pm, followed by a shared sausage sizzle lunch. We look forward to coming together as a school community to honour St Paul and enjoy some food and fellowship. The liturgy will be led by Year 1 

Saint Paul, also known as Paul the Apostle, played a crucial role in the spread of Christianity and the shaping of the early Church. Originally named Saul, he was a devout Jew who fiercely persecuted Christians—until a dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus transformed his life. From that moment on, Paul dedicated himself to preaching the message of Christ. He travelled extensively, wrote many of the letters (or epistles) found in the New Testament, and helped establish Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire.

Saint Paul’s life is a powerful example of transformation, courage, and unwavering faith. His teachings continue to guide us today, reminding us of the importance of forgiveness, perseverance, and spreading the Good News with love and conviction. As a school community, we draw inspiration from St Paul’s mission to serve others, to stand firm in our beliefs, and to live lives that reflect the hope and grace of Christ. This is clearly where we drew inspiration for our Vision: “With faith in Jesus Christ, we Learn, Love and Serve.”

His feast is recognised with Saint Peter on the 29^th of June each year.

PYJAMA DAY DONATIONS

Last week I dropped off our donations to the St Vincent De Paul shop in Maitland. My car was absolutely chock-a-block when we put it in, luckily, I had some assistance from Mini Vinnies members. The ladies at the shop were blown away by your generosity for this cause, so thank you again St Paul’s, you have made someone’s winter a little bit warmer.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

Week 6 recognised Catholic Schools Week across the diocese. We also celebrated in the form of a liturgy and open classes with the diocesan theme: Pilgrims of Hope. Thank you to the families that came along to celebrate here at St Paul’s, and thank you to our student leaders from Year 6 that helped to run the Liturgy with me.

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: First Holy Communion Preparation – See the schedule below for dates

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Year C

Luke 9:11-17

Jesus feeds the five thousand.

Library News - Katrina Howard

Library Borrowing Cup  

Congratulations to 4M and KW on winning the Library Cup the past couple of weeks. The cup is presented to the class who has the highest percentage of borrowers for the week. Remember to check the term planner as a reminder of each class's borrowing days.  

Borrowing Days in Term 2 for each class will stay the same. Refer to Term 2 Planner. 

Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC)  

3M continues to be in the lead to win the class party!  

Congratulations to Logan (2W) who completed the challenge this fortnight.  

Overdue Notices  

The third and final overdue notices were sent home for books unreturned in February and March. If received, please log onto the Qkr! app and pay the $15 fee. Thank you to the families that have already paid!   

New Overdue notices were handed out last fortnight for books unreturned for the months of April and May. Overdue books do not need to wait to be returned on borrowing days. Please return these ASAP to avoid payment notification.   

Book Club   

All orders for Book Club issue 4 have been placed and will arrive in the next week. Once received at school they will be handed out to students to take home.  

Thank you to those families who buy Book Club through St Paul's. Each order awards our school points which we can use to purchasing books or resources for our school. So, a big thank you! 

Please don’t hesitate to contact the library staff for any issues or enquiries via email at Katrina.howard@mn.catholic.edu.au   

Primary Coordinator & Gifted Educator Mentor - Mrs Amanda King

 Tournament of Minds 2025 

We are delighted to share that St Paul’s will be entering three teams in this year’s Tournament of Minds (TOM) a fun and challenging competition that encourages students to think creatively, work as a team, and solve real-world problems. This year, our school will be represented in three exciting categories:

• Social Sciences
• The Arts
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)
  

In Week 9, students who are interested in joining a team will be invited to speak with the teachers involved. We will then hold try outs to select team members for each category.

If your child is keen to take part, please have a chat with them about what’s involved. Being part of a TOM team is a wonderful opportunity, but it does require ongoing commitment. Students will be meeting 2–3 times a week during lunch breaks to prepare and practice with their team.

The actual Tournament of Minds competition will be held on Saturday, 30th August or Sunday, 31st August. All team members will need to be available on one of these days to take part.

Sport - Melinda Walls & Jess Stefanish-Smith

2025 Regional Athletics Team - Wednesday 2 July 2025 Maitland Regional Athletics Centre

Congratulations to the 2025 St. Paul’s Regional Athletics team. All students have received their letters with information, and the event is available on Compass for families to provide consent and payment. Both consent and payment MUST be completed for the students to attend.

Attached to the letter are the events the students will be attending. Please check these. If your student is attending the 1500m, please note the earlier arrival time of 8:15am for an 8:30am start.

Additional information for the day:

Food: Children are advised to bring food and drinks for the day. There will be a canteen selling drinks and food (cash only) and coffee cart (cash and EFTPOS).

Equipment: Students wear full sports uniforms including a school hat. Students are allowed to wear spikes when running in sprint events and will need to put them on at the starting line. Bring a book or game for times between events.

Medication: Any child who requires medication for asthma is encouraged to have their puffer with them.

Netball Gala Days Stage 2 and Stage 3

Information has now been shared with the Stage 2 students and families for the Netball Gala Day.

Stage 3 students and families, information is coming before the end of this term as the event is Week 2 Term 3.

NSW Touch Gala Days

Stage 2 – Years 3 and 4

NSW Touch will be holding a Gala Day (non-competitive) at Maitland Touch Fields, Maitland Park on Tuesday, 9 September.

We are calling for student nominations before we enter teams in the event. The event is open to all students in Years 3 and 4. The configuration of teams is pending the numbers.

If your student would like to attend, please complete the nomination form by Friday, 20 June.

Further information will be shared closer to the date.

https://forms.office.com/r/667qmLDBFx

Stage 3 – Years 5 and 6

NSW Touch will be holding a Gala Day (non-competitive)

at Maitland Touch Fields, Maitland Park on Tuesday, 16 September.

We are calling for student nominations before we enter teams

in the event. The event is open to all students in Years 5 and 6. The

configuration of teams is pending the numbers.

If your student would like to attend, please complete the

nomination form by Friday, 20 June.

Further information will be shared closer to the date.

https://forms.office.com/r/6Wp0JaAxFB

Sporting School – AFL Clinics

This term we have received 6 weeks of AFL skill development for the whole school. Students have received a range of skill development from handballing, to marking and kicking.

Students have thoroughly enjoyed the new experience, and we would like to thank Hunter/Central Coast AFL for their time and flexibility with the inclement and unpredictable weather this term in rescheduling our clinic time.

Thank you to our local club Maitland Saints for providing some club stickers and flyers. We look forward to our students considering AFL as a sporting option in the future.

Soccer Gala Days

Stage 2 – Thursday 28 August Speers Point

Stage 3 – Thursday 4 September Speers Point

Nominations will be open for both days at the beginning of Term 3. Further information to be shared soon.

Basketball teams

Basketball team nominations will be open shortly. This will be announced at school once we have the information available.

2026 Swimming Carnival – Early Notice

We will be holding our 2026 Swimming Carnival on Thursday 4 December. SAVE THE DATE! All students will be attending activities for our infants and Year 6 students included in the day. We will be seeking parental/guardian assistance for the day with timing and other roles with the infant's activities for smooth running. If this is something you will be able to assist with, please make sure you have registered your Working with Children Check details with the school through the office.

There is a lot of sport happening at St. Paul’s with more to come

School Fees

School Fees 

Thank you to the families who consistently meet their school fee obligations throughout the year. Your ongoing support of Catholic Education is sincerely appreciated. We have started reaching out to families with outstanding fees who have made no or irregular payments. If this applies to you, please ensure your payments are sufficient to clear the balance by the due date.

• Annual Payments: for families who have opted to pay annually, the total outstanding amount is due by 30^th June 2025.
• Payment Plans: If you are on a payment plan (weekly, fortnightly, monthly), please continue or increase your regular payments to ensure all fees are cleared by 30^th November 2025.

Health Care Cards

 If you haven’t already submitted your Health Care Card, please do so using the link below.

https://cefmsmn.t1cloud.com/T1Default/CiAnywhere/Web/CEFMSMN/Forms/FillOut?formDef=542f8b0a36f27c118b055b26d933c4fe&suite=CES

Financial Support

If you family is experiencing financial difficulties, we encourage you to contact the school to arrange a private and confidential meeting