St Paul's Newsletter: Thursday, 6 October 2022
2022 St Paul's Newsletter - Term 4, Week 1
From the Principal
Dear Families,
Welcome back for Term 4. I hope you all enjoyed the school holiday break and found some quality time together as a family.
We have hit the ground running and we are quickly back into the school routine. Term 4 is the longest term for 2022, and our students in Years Prep-5 will finish the school year at the end of Week 11 on Friday 16 December. Our Year 6 students can choose to finish earlier, following their Graduation Mass on Monday 12 December.
For 2023, all students (Prep-6) will begin classes on Monday 30 January, 2023.
In the past we have had 2 extra days on the January holidays - "Transition Days" - where students come to school for individual appointments, but there is no longer a need for these appointments. In the past we would carry out a series of assessments with individual children on those days, but our programs have evolved over time, therefore we no longer require students for these individual sessions. We have also had these days with wellbeing/transition in mind however, all classes begin the year with "Wellbeing Week" and therefore we feel it best to have all the students together for these activities in the first week of the year. We prefer to get the students back into the classroom sooner, especially after missing a great deal of on-site learning these past couple of years.
As always, please refer to the dates on our school calendar or the newsletter's 'upcoming events' section for all school calendar events.
Working Bee - Thank You!
Spring is the ideal time for school maintenance, particularly outdoors. I am always staggered at this community's generosity when it comes to supporting and lending a hand at our school. On the last night of Term 3, we had a fantastic turnout for our Working Bee. We topped up playground mulch, cleared the kitchen garden, cut back overgrown shrubs and bushes, removed debris, blew out the paths, cleaned the drinking troughs and the list goes on! We are extremely grateful to those families that were able to come along: Gilchrist-Klages, Magnay, Melia, Wiering, Watson, White and Kirby. The school looks terrific for the beginning of Term 4 - amazing!
School Closure Day - Term 4 - Monday 5 December
Our staff will be involved in a professional learning day on Monday 5 December. This learning day will be facilitated by Stephenie Peels, our Deputy Principal, with a focus on curriculum planning for 2023.
Term 4: No Hat, No Play - Ready to be Sun Smart!
As the sun re-appears for Spring, we are mindful of our responsibilities in line with our SunSmart policy. In Terms 1 and 4 of the school year, we understand that the UV Index Level regularly rises above 3, in which case we need to implement sun protection measures. These measures include sun protection clothing, including our school hat, maximising the use of shaded areas and application of sunscreen. Hats will be required to be worn by all staff and students in Term 4 - clearly named please! Students have until Monday at the latest to be wearing their hat on the yard.
In regards to sunscreen, the school does not provide sunscreen for students as some students may have a sensitivity or allergic reaction to some brands. We suggest that students apply sunscreen before school at home, and a good idea is to bring a little roll-on applicator of their own sunscreen to school so as to re-apply.
Students of Summer
SUMMER UNIFORM: The weather tends to fluctuate at this time of the year, with a mixture of warm and cool school days. Therefore, until the weather warms up, the children can wear either summer or winter uniform (but not a combination of the two). From the week commencing 24 October (Week 4 of Term 4) we will aim to be in our summer uniform (weather dependent!).
SHOES: On non-sport days, the children are required to wear black leather shoes and navy socks to school.
Maree Ranahan: Congratulations!
Following 25 years of dedicated service to the St Paul’s School community, our wonderful Maree Ranahan has decided to embrace the prospect of retirement. Maree, who has been a most dedicated, passionate, hard-working, fun and creative teacher, will officially retire at the end of this term. Maree will be sorely missed by many associated with our school, but we know she will make the most of the years ahead, which will be devoted mainly to her family, friends and beautiful garden! There will be further opportunities to acknowledge Maree later this term. Still, please feel free to take the opportunity to congratulate Maree on a superb career if you see her around.
The process of working out the staffing for 2023 is underway and will be announced in due course.
Warm regards,
Michael Watt
ITALIAN DAY - FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER
Semester 2 Report Changes - Seesaw
At St Paul's we are always looking to add value to the practices we have in place. Over the past couple of years, we have strengthened our use of Seesaw to engage our families in learning. We use Seesaw to provide feedback to our students and inform/engage parents. Seesaw was a brilliant tool during remote learning and we know that our families are familiar with it, so we have made the decision to use Seesaw as a basis for our Semester 2 reports.
Semester 2 reports will look slightly different to what parents have seen in the past. In fact, you are already receiving the reports via Seesaw right now! We have shifted to a ‘continuous reporting model’. Let me explain …
What is continuous reporting?
Continuous (or ongoing) reporting is the process of reporting regularly throughout the term/semester, rather than just at specified points. As teachers, we assess our students throughout the semester. In the past parents did not get a report on how their child was going until the end of a semester, which was often a long time after the assessment had taken place. The system of continuous reporting will allow parents to get an up-to-date, timely snapshot of what their child is learning and how they are progressing. It will support parents to participate in discussions with their children about their learning and enable parents to follow up with teachers in a timely manner if they have any concerns. Continuous reporting is a report or learning journal that builds throughout the year and provides students and parents with regular assessments of student learning. Ongoing reporting will utilise Seesaw.
At the end of Semester 2, the written report will include:
- A personal comment about your child’s achievements
- Overviews that describe the learning content
- Work habits and effort
- The Victorian Curriculum Achievement page (dots).
- There will be no checklists included, these are now on Seesaw in the form of rubrics.
What is the Victorian Curriculum Achievement Page?
This page will still be included... See below for an example...
What is a rubric?
Rubrics displayed on Seesaw have replaced the checklists you have seen in the past.
A rubric for assessment is a table or a grid that lists success criteria for a task or subject, and then a scale for the teachers to indicate your child's achievement. If you open your child’s Seesaw you will see that teachers have set tasks and the teacher has included a rubric with the task, which lists success criteria in a table with an indication of the level of achievement for your child.
These checklists are no longer in the school report:
The checklists are now in the form of rubrics, uploaded to Seesaw, throughout the term/semester:
It is vital now that all parents have access to their child’s Seesaw learning journal.
It is imperative that every parent is on Seesaw and is logging in to view their child's learning progress. The staff also ask that on occasion parents leave a positive comment for their child on their work. We see the children ‘light up’ when they open Seesaw and mum or dad have left them a message of encouragement around their learning.
School Closure Days 2022
We ask that parents take note of these dates and put them in their calendars:
SCHOOL CLOSED - Monday 31 October (Cup Eve)
SCHOOL CLOSED - Monday 5 December
*Please Note: Friday 16 December is the conclusion of the school year for St Paul's students.
From the School Office
Rapid Antigen Test Kits (RATs)
As per government guidelines, schools are still being provided with RAT kits for staff and students during Term 3, however schools are no longer required to routinely send them home with students. We are instead providing them to St Paul's families on request.
If you would like to collect RAT kits from school or would like them to be sent home with your child/children, please either phone or email the school office.
Call for Support from our Year 4, 5 & 6 Students
If you have a business and would like to support our Year 4, 5 & 6 students in reaching their goal of $10,000 to build a library for a school in Tramri, Pakistan, please consider the advertising opportunity below and contact the school office.
Lunch Clubs
Our lunchtime clubs are up and running. They are held in the library/open learning space 1:30-2pm, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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 Secondary - Key enrolment dates for Year 5 students in 2023 starting Year 7 in 2025
The key enrolment dates for students in Year 5 in 2023, who will be starting Year 7 in 2025, have been agreed after consultation with the Executive of the Principals Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools (PAVCSS).
Critical Dates:
27 January 2023 – Applications will open for Year 5 students commencing Year 7 in 2024.
18 August 2023 – Applications will close.
20 October 2023 – Offers to be posted to prospective Year 7 applicants.
10 November 2023 – Final date for parents/carers to accept an offer made by a school.
COMMUNITY DIRECTORY
