St Paul's Newsletter: Thursday, 10 November 2022
2022 St Paul's Newsletter - Term 4, Week 6
From the Principal
Dear Families,
Reflecting on the importance of Remembrance Day each year is very important to our school.
Remembrance Day has been observed since the end of the First World War to remember armed forces members who died in the line of duty. We want to help students develop an understanding of the sacrifices our brave men and women made to ensure the freedom we all have each day. Additionally, our school’s values of Respect, Courage, Justice, Wisdom and Responsibility tie in with the sacrifices each soldier made and continues to make.
We commenced our observation of Remembrance Day this week with a service at our Prayer Gathering Assembly lead by our SRC. At 11am each Remembrance Day, our school observes a one minute silence.
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day.
Lest we Forget.
Student Safety - Walking to/from School
We have had beautiful, fine weather these past few days, which has been fantastic. This has meant an increase in students walking to and from school.
Recently, parents have reported concerns to me about how students walk to and from school. There have been 'near misses' so I thought it timely to place a gentle reminder into the newsletter...
Walking to school
While walking to school is encouraged for school children, here are some hints for parents to follow to ensure their children enjoy a safe trip to and from school every day:
- Where possible, walk to school with your children, especially if children are under the age of 10.
- Arrange for another adult or a group of older friends to walk with your children.
- Walk your children along the safest route to school and identify hazards and appropriate crossing locations.
Crossing at a marked pedestrian crossing
Road markings designate pedestrian crossings (either painted white lines or concrete centre islands) that warn motorists that a crossing is ahead, to take care and give way to pedestrians.
To use a crossing safely you must;
- Walk up to the crossing
- Stop
- Look
- Listen
- Think
- Keep looking and listening whilst crossing
- Do not run, ride or skate across
Most of us know that children will play anywhere at any time. However, there are places where children should be actively discouraged from playing. For families where children walk to/from school, please discuss with your child that playing in driveways, car parks or running onto the road is inappropriate and dangerous. Thanks for your understanding and support on this matter.
As teachers we are passionate to live the values we strive to teach, and this has led me to join Teacher Presence, a not-for-profit charity. The Teacher Presence mission is to empower teachers and families to make a difference in the world by re-deploying the money that could be spent on the traditional end-of-year teacher gift to a charity supported by Teacher Presence.
As we approach the end of the school year, some of you may be considering purchasing the optional end-of-year teacher gift. As Principal, I am extremely grateful when families purchase a gift, I often get overwhelmed at how thoughtful and generous people are at the end of the year.
Please know that as educators we do not have any expectation that your household purchase a gift, however if your family is considering a Principal gift, maybe together we can help people less fortunate than ourselves. I have signed up for Teacher Presence. Teacher Presence allows families to donate to a charity, in place of a gift, making a big difference at Christmas time.
I wish to emphasise that there is NO expectation that families give gifts to school staff, but if you do decide to purchase a Principal gift, Teacher Presence might be something you would prefer.
Long Service Leave
I thank you in advance for your understanding that I will be on Long Service Leave from Thursday 17 November until Friday 25 November. I am attending a wedding for a very good friend in Perth. During that time Mrs Stephenie Peels will be Acting Principal and I know Stephenie will be very well supported.
Do you have our school app installed on your phone?
SZ App
Our school uses SZ App as a way of communicating information to our families. We follow a fairly basic formula when communicating with you.
Our formula is:
- EMAIL: If we need to give you specific information, that it is not necessarily urgent, then we will email you.
- OPEROO: If we require a reply from parents for an excursion, school event, feedback or we are gathering information, then you will receive an Operoo eForm.
- SZ App: If we need to get information to you immediately, then you will receive an SZ App notification.
- NEWSLETTER: We use Schoolzine to produce our weekly newsletter. This is normally sent out on a Thursday. Our newsletter is the most important form of communication as it summarises all important information into one digital document.
We send information out on our SZ App assuming our parents have it on their devices/phones. However recently, with updates on excursions, camps and other school activities sent via the App, we have noticed that not all families have the SZ App.
It is a respectful expectation that all families have the SZ App. If you don't have SZ App installed, please follow the instructions below to install SZ App as this will ensure you receive all the relevant required information that we send out to you.
Reminder: School Closure Day - Monday 5 December
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 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 4, 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
