St Paul's Newsletter: Thursday, 20 October 2022
2022 St Paul's Newsletter - Term 4, Week 3
From the Principal
Dear Families,
Year 6 Camp
Our Year 6 students departed last Tuesday morning for their camp at Coonawarra Farm Resort.
The setting of the camp is in a beautiful valley, not far from the Mitchell River National Park in East Gippsland. During the course of the week the children are engaging in a variety of team-building activities including, but not limited to, a high and low ropes course, raft building, canoeing, horse riding, plunging on a giant swing and sailing effortlessly across a lake on a 350m
flying fox.
We acknowledge the care and dedication Carolynne Boyd, Jo McIntosh and Greg McCourt have shown towards the children while putting their personal lives on hold for the week. The children are scheduled to return tomorrow between 2.00 – 2.30pm.
Summer Uniform
From this Monday, 24 October, all students should be wearing their summer uniform.
We understand the weather still fluctuates. It is preferred that if the temperature is cool students have a school jumper over their summer uniform if they feel cold.
Please ensure your child is comfortable in their neat, tidy St Paul's uniform.
For most students, the uniform doesn't change very much from winter to summer. For students that wear a winter tunic and then change to a summer dress, the shift is more obvious. In very cold conditions parents are welcome to use their discretion in this case.
2023 Class Structures
Throughout the second half of this year, the St Paul’s Consultative Committee met to provide recommendations on class structures. Following extensive analysis and discussion, the Committee agreed that the following class structures will prove to be of greatest benefit to our children, parents, teachers and learning support officers in 2023.
Next year we will have 6 classes:
- Prep
- Year 1/2
- Year 1/2
- Year 3
- Year 4/5
- Year 5/6
With Maree Ranahan retiring, and an extra class, I can announce that we have made two appointments for 2023. Daniel Salan (currently at St Joachim's, Carrum Downs) and Emma Dinkgreve (2023 Graduate Teacher) will be joining the St Paul's staff next year. Staff placements are still being finalised therefore we are not able to release the names of teachers in each class at this time. The names and roles of our 2023 staff will be out very soon.
Tea Towel Fundraiser
Our Year 4-6 students and staff have designed and produced a 2022 whole-school tea towel. The tea towels can be purchased for $15 each, or 3 for $40, just in time for Christmas!
Funds raised will contribute to our Year 4/5/6 student project to build a library in a remote farming community in Tramri, Pakistan.
These marvellous tea towels can be ordered online from www.expressions.com.au
To order:
- Go to www.expressions.com.au
- Select "online orders"
- Select "place order"
- Select the down arrow and find St Paul's Primary School
Please get behind this fundraiser, if you can. A fantastic momento of this school year.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge the terrible floods in the north of our state and country, with flood danger still very much apparent at this time. There are many people affected and I know that many of us will be thinking of those people at this time. You may know someone affected, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all Victorians, and Australians, dealing with these devastating floods.
Warm regards,
Michael Watt
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.
Day For Daniel- Friday 28th October
Australia’s largest child safety education and awareness day
Held annually on the last Friday of October, Day for Daniel honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe. We ask all Australians on this very special day to Wear Red and Educate.
Our theme for 2022 is brave conversations.
Parents, carers, and educators are encouraged to start a conversation with children and young people about personal safety.
Students will be involved with safety activities on Friday 28th October
Students and staff are encouraged to recognise the day by wearing a RED T-SHIRT or RIBBON.
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
