St Paul's Newsletter: Thursday, 2 June 2022
2022 St Paul's Newsletter - Term 2, Week 6
From the Principal
Dear Families,
Last Saturday saw us celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with Very Rev Anthony Kerin, JCL EV, Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Region of the Archdiocese and Fr Anthony Cruz leading a beautiful ceremony.
It was a very special day for our school, our Parish and our students. Fr Kerin celebrated his first Confirmation at St Paul's and was just so warm and welcoming. His manner was very inclusive and his homily made wonderful connections to the theme of Confirmation - the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. His main message was simple: we all have special powers, so we must use them to the full! He used the analogy of superheroes and it was most relatable for our students.
Fr Kerin made all of the children feel very at ease. It was a lovely celebration and a joyous occasion. Many, many thanks to Carolynne Boyd who did a fantastic job preparing the students, Irene Haritos for organising the Sacrament, Megan for assisting with her beautiful singing, and Mim Van Haaster who we can always rely on to assist with the coordination of the Mass. Many thanks also to the staff and families who were all present as a show of support for the children.
A huge congratulations to:
- Sophia
- Henry
- Kristian (this coming Sunday 5 June)
- Caleb
- Evie
- Kiera
- Eddie
- Alyssa
Welcome ...
This week we welcomed another new student to our school. We extend a warm St Paul's welcome to William (Prep) and his family. Please take the opportunity to introduce yourself if you see them around the school.
In Sympathy
Our condolences to Julie Dietrich and family on the loss of her father-in-law recently. The prayers and thoughts of the staff and families are with you during this sad time.
District Cross Country - Congratulations!
Congratulations to our District Cross Country Team who represented our school at the District Cross Country event last Friday. We are very proud to announce that St Paul's came third overall, with a number of students progressing through to the Division event this Tuesday. Thank you also to the parents who volunteered and came along to support the team.
A message from Mrs Curwood below:
Student Illness
As we enter the winter season, we already have a number of people in the community showing signs and symptoms of colds and flu. If your child has a pre-exisiting medical condition and can manage their personal hygiene, then they may attend school.
We are extremely grateful that parents are prepared to keep their children at home when symptomatic as this reduces the potential outbreak of Covid and other illnesses. Even if your child returns a negative Covid result using a RAT, they need to remain at home if they are symptomatic. Most of the positive Covid cases that have been reported have occurred during isolation, with children therefore not attending school while infectious. Once again, this is a result of parent diligence and a shared community approach to providing a Covid safe environment.
A reminder to please report your child's absence to the class teacher or the office if your child is going to be away due to illness or for any other reason. We do need to receive an electronic absence notification from the parent. Absences may be reported in the following ways:
- email the class teacher
- email the school office: office@spmonbulk.catholic.edu.au
- open the SZApp and select the "Absentee" tile
School Advisory Council (SAC)
Last week we held our second SAC meeting for 2022. I delivered a Principal's Report, Stephenie Peels provided a Staff Report and Sally Zylinski updated us on the progress of our P&F Association. We then discussed our Homework Policy and gathered some effective feedback. I would like to once again thank our SAC members for 2022 for their commitment to supporting the work of school leadership and the broader school community.
Parent Volunteers: Triple Vaccinations Required
As is the case in this COVID world, there are new alterations to policies from the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools in relation to what the requirements are for people in schools. We now require all volunteers to be triple vaccinated. This includes parent helpers and parents assisting on excursions.
SAVE THE DATE: “WONDER IN ALICELAND” - FULL SCHOOL MUSICAL!
THURSDAY 1 SEPTEMBER - Burrinja Cultural Centre
The students of St Paul's have begun preparing "Wonder in Aliceland", our full school musical for 2022. All students will be involved, and therefore we expect all students to attend.
We’re getting in early so you can save the date for "Wonder in Aliceland" - you definitely won’t want to miss this show!
Yours sincerely,
Michael Watt
School Closure Days 2022
We ask that parents take note of these dates and put them in their calendars:
SCHOOL CLOSED - Thursday 15 September:
SCHOOL CLOSED - Friday 16 September:
SCHOOL CLOSED - Monday 31 October (Cup Eve)
*Please Note: Friday 16 December is the conclusion of the school year for St Paul's students.
School Car Park Procedure
With regard to safety within the school car park, please note the following:
- Children, regardless of age, must always be accompanied by an adult when walking through the car park to the school or vice versa (In other words, hold the hands of young children. Older children should never be more than 1m away from an adult.)
- Children and adults should always use the designated pathways - please do not stand and talk on the asphalt basketball court before or after school when it is used for parking
- Please stay with your car if you stop in the drop off zone (under the basketball rings - quick drop off only)
- At the conclusion of the school day, when children have been collected from their classroom, they should never be allowed to go to their vehicle unaccompanied by an adult, regardless of their age.
These regulations exist to ensure the safety of all children and adults within the car park area.
In summary, the following changes have been made to our asphalt area:
- Car park bays at the centre and edges of the court are painted in blue
- Crossing/walking paths have been painted to indicate safe walking areas (note: some of these paths are being finished off in the coming days/weeks, weather dependent)
- There is now NO REVERSE PARKING at the bottom of our asphalt area - this has been removed in the best interest of safety.
Lunch Clubs are BACK!
Our lunchtime clubs are back up and running. They are held in the library/open learning space 1:30-2pm, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
From the School Office
Request from the Art Room
If you have any yarn, wool or thread floating around at home that you could donate, we would love to have it in the art room - Thank you!
Emma-lee Curwood
Uniform Shop
Ross Haywood Sports - Update:
St Paul's Online Uniform Shop
https://www.rhsports.com.au/product/school_wear/st_pauls_monbulk_ps
For in-store purchases RH Sports are located at 12/100 New St, Ringwood (subject to any COVID restrictions in force at the time).
The store is now a CASHLESS STORE, EFTPOS transactions will be the only acceptable method of purchase. Recent changes to improve the health and safety of staff and customers include perspex screens at the registers and the supply of hand sanitiser. We ask that customers please apply this on entry to the store.
Online ordering continues as normal with all delivery options available including contactless pick up. Please phone the store on 9870 1377 if you have any further queries.
Secondhand Uniform Shop
Our secondhand uniform shop is managed by Carla Rademaker with items being purchased by gold coin donation. Payments can be made via CDF Pay. If you are looking for items of secondhand uniform please feel free to text Carla on 0409 866 901 with your wish list. Items will usually be sent home via class tubs or collected from the school office by arrangement.
The secondhand uniform shop welcomes donations of St Paul's current school uniform items which are still in good condition. We do not accept the old St Paul's round neck jumpers, yellow shirts or non-St Paul's items. If you have any current uniform items you no longer need please feel free to leave your donations at the school office.
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
Catholic Education Guide 2022
To assist your decision making in relation to your child's education for 2023 and beyond, please find below a link to the 136 page 2022 edition of the Catholic Education Guide.
CLICK HERE: https://victoriaschoolguides.starcommunity.com.au/catholic-education/
