St Paul's Newsletter: Thursday 1 April 2021
2021 St Paul's Newsletter - Term 1, Week 10
From the Principal
Dear Families,
Holy Week is the week preceding Easter and the final week of Lent. Holy Week
begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
Holy Week includes Holy Thursday and Good Friday, which, together with Holy
Saturday, are known as the Triduum.
As we move through Holy Week this year, we are exposed to the nature of God’s forgiveness
in the manner in which Jesus accepts his crucifixion and death. Jesus is a victim of great injustice but instead of nursing feelings of hurt, anger, disgust and contempt, he exhibits a strong sense of
compassion toward those responsible for his execution when he says, “Father forgive them for
they do not know what they are doing”. Holy Week is truly an amazing story.
Stations of the Cross
This term, in class, students have investigated an aspect of the Holy Week story so as to develop further understanding of, and give meaning to, this significant time in the Church’s calendar. Classes have studied the scripture that tells the story of a specific time in Holy Week, made connections to their own life, as well as explored their personal journey. Last Monday we concluded the unit of work in a meaningful interpretation of the events of Holy Week. We thank all of the teachers for organising their students for the reflection and we thank Mrs Haritos for preparing and leading the service.
Holy Week - The Stations of the Cross
Ready, Set, Prep! Transition Program
Last week we had our "Ready, Set, Prep" Experience Italy session. It was a huge success! We thank Signora Lepore for leading the session. Grazie!
Athletics Day - Thank You!
Today we held our Athletics day. It was a huge success! On behalf of our school community we thank Mrs Kelly Geoghegan for the mountain of work that went into organising the day. It was fantastic to see every child given the opportunity to participate fully, they all gave a massive effort in everything they did. A huge thanks to the staff and parent helpers because without this assistance the day could not have happened.
We will have a write up and photos in the first newsletter next term... Congratulations to all!
BEBRAS Challenge 1, 2021
On Thursday 18 March, 8 students represented St Paul’s in the first CSIRO BEBRAS challenge for the year.
The challenge involved a team of 4 students answering a series of questions that covered six different computational thinking skills, including patterning, algorithms and abstract reasoning. These questions were rated as easy, medium and hard questions.
Our 5/6 team were awarded a Distinction, achieving a score of 111 out of a possible 135. They missed 2 questions from the “HARD” section which were worth 12 points each.
Our 3/4 team were awarded a High Distinction, achieving a score of 126 out of a possible 135. They missed 1 question from the “MEDIUM” section which was worth 9 points.
As a school we are so extremely proud of Mahaliah, Evie, Mitchell and Oliver (our senior school team) and Grace, Beth, Yue and Morgan (our middle school team). They should be extremely proud of themselves too as this is a huge achievement. Their knowledge, teamwork and enthusiasm was outstanding.
The above teams will compete in the second challenge at the end of Term 3.
Cathie Vermeer - Maths Leading Teacher
School Advisory Council (SAC)
Last night we held our Annual School Advisory Council Meeting. At the Annual SAC Meeting, current members that represent a group deliver an annual report. The Annual SAC Meeting provides the opportunity for some current members to stand down while enabling new members to join. Last night we welcomed Kristen Dias and Megan Bourke onto the SAC. We are very grateful to Kristen and Megan for committing to the SAC.
Mariske de Wit, who has served effectively and with great dedication as a Member on our previous Board, will be stepping off as she has concluded her time having served consecutive terms of office. Mariske has served with great commitment for a number of years, overseeing the in-school uniform shop for a great deal of that time. Mariske was a fantastic support for the school when we made the necessary transition to RHSports. On behalf of everyone at St Paul's we say a huge thank you.
A further change to our Council is that Troy Czaja has accepted the position of Chairperson. Sally Zylinski will remain as P&F representative. For the past 2 years Sally has been a dedicated Chairperson. Sally has been very organised, approachable and hard working in her role. Sally has assisted immensely with advice and input throughout the last couple of years, and has served us well, always putting others first. Thank you Sally and welcome to the role Troy.
Our 2021 School Advisory Council Members are:
- Fr Anthony Cruz (Parish Administrator)
- Michael Watt (Principal)
- Stephenie Peels (Deputy Principal and Staff Representative)
- Troy Czaja (Chairperson)
- Cara Kirby (Secretary)
- Sally Zylinski (P&F Representative)
- Mary Larkin (General Member)
- Megan Bourke (General Member)
- Kristen Dias (General Member)
Emerald Barbecue Update
For many years Emerald Meats, managed by Alan and Joy Mills, have kindly donated the sausages and barbecue facilities for each Emerald barbecue. We are in a very enviable position at St Paul’s to have a location on offer where we can promote our school’s name and conduct a sausage sizzle to raise funds in a position immediately outside our supplier – Emerald Meats.
Emerald barbecues have been scheduled as further 3 times for this year, and we have realised from our first barbecue this year, that we do need a contact person.
At last night's Annual SAC meeting we discussed that we are looking for someone to fill the role of Emerald BBQ Co-ordinator, and Megan Bourke accepted the role. We are very grateful to Megan, who has agreed to be the contact person and will liaise with our families for each Emerald BBQ. Thank you!
Welcome to St Paul's!
Next term we welcome Harrison to Year 3 with Mrs Vermeer and Mrs Curwood. We also welcome Harrison's brother, Charlie to Year 4 with Mrs McIntosh and Mrs Peels. We are thrilled that Charlie and Harrison have joined us here at St Paul's and we warmly welcome their family to our
community.
Covid-19 Update
The Victorian Government relaxed its COVIDSafe settings on Friday 26 March 2021.
Changes to the COVIDSafe settings include allowing more visitors in the home, changes to mask wearing in some settings and updates to density limits in some settings. There are limited changes for schools.
Visitors continue to be welcome at our school, however face masks must be carried by individuals 12 years and over at all times and worn when physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.
Individuals aged 12 years and over must continue to wear a face mask when on public transport, school buses and when in taxis or ride share vehicles – unless they have a lawful exemption.
Thank you for your understanding and support throughout the last term as we continue to implement COVIDSafe practices at our school.
I look forward to welcoming our students and families back to more school events in Term 2.
Slippers
St Paul’s has a long standing practice whereby students wear slippers during the day. The
rationale for this is to avoid having wet, red mud stuck on nice school shoes, as well as
walking it throughout the school after playtimes, keeping the carpets and facilities clean.
Students can bring hard soled slippers to school from Monday, 19 April onwards.
These will be worn in classrooms throughout the day. On occasion, slippers are walked
into wet areas and therefore we respectfully request that students wear hard soled
slippers. This will also protect their own feet. Slippers with soft soles actually collect more
mess than hard soled slippers or shoes, therefore we ask that students do not wear
slippers with soft soles.
End of Term 1, Beginning of Term 2
It is amazing how quickly this term has gone by! We finish for the end of Term 1 this
afternoon. Thank you to all families for a wonderful Term 1. Term 2 begins on Monday 19 April.
On behalf of the staff we wish all students and families a safe and happy Easter holidays.
Kind regards,
Michael Watt
From the School Office
Transition Information
To assist your decision making in relation to your child's education for 2022 and beyond, please find below a link to the 136 page March 2021 edition of the Catholic Education Guide.
CLICK HERE: https://victoriaschoolguides.starcommunity.com.au/catholic-education/
School Photos - 27 April
For sibling orders, the cut off date and time is 8:00am Tuesday 27 April. Orders must be placed online.
Thank you from the library
Thank you for your book orders through the Scholastic Book Club. This has resulted in our library acquiring these books, free of charge. The children will be so excited to be able borrow these fabulous books!
Parents and Friends News
Student Wellbeing
Easter Bonnets Buddy Activity
2021 School Closure Days
Please note the following days in your diary. There is NO SCHOOL for students on the following dates:
- TERM 2 - Friday 28 May 2021 (Education in Faith Professional Learning)
- TERM 3 - Monday 26 July (Literacy Professional Learning)
- TERM 4 - TBC
OSHClub
Out of School Hours Care: OSH Club
Enrolments, Bookings and Enquiries
Parents will need to enrol with OSHClub. Please visit https://www.oshclub.com.au/ and click on "REGISTER". You will need to enrol with the Monbulk Primary School service.
Community Notices
Transition Information
To assist your decision making in relation to your child's education for 2022 and beyond, please find below a link to the 136 page March 2021 edition of the Catholic Education Guide.
CLICK HERE: https://victoriaschoolguides.starcommunity.com.au/catholic-education/
Mater Christi College – Belgrave
Mater Christi College is a vibrant, inclusive and warm community where girls feel safe and build supportive lifelong friendships. After another year of leading academic and vocational outcomes, we are experiencing a surge in demand for places.
Parents of Grade 5 students are strongly encouraged to secure a place for Year 7 2023. Visit the College website to apply or arrange a tour.
Families seeking enrolment for 2022 should contact the College Registrar 9754 6611 asap.
