2023 Newsletter #09 May 31
PRINCIPAL NEWS
Welcome to Week 6. We hope that all families are doing well as we move into the second half of the term. We have had an exciting two weeks with Catholic Education Week, Confirmation Masses for some of our students and Senior camp.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is an important rite in the Catholic Church. Confirmation is a moment when individuals publicly affirm their faith and receive the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Congratulations to the follow students who made their Sacrament of Confirmation on the weekend:
Jennifer Ly, Lam Nguyen, Holliee Tickle, Aiden Varghese-Moolayil, Cienna Pascale, Amber Echanes, Andrea Norton, Max Mangan, Milan Caristo, Rafael Mammone, Annalise Goncalves-Wood & Hayley Rowe.
Senior Camp
We have kept in close contact with the senior campers. Students have had a great time experiencing the beautiful Rose's Gap. The students return today at 5pm. We cannot wait to hear all about it. An SMS will be sent to parents after school with updated arival time today.
Drop Off and Pick Up Zone - Main School Driveway
A reminder that parking in the Drop off Zone is prohibited before 9am or after 2.30pm. It is only for driving through to drop off or collect your child/ren. Drivers not to leave their vehicles.
You will be asked to move your car immediately as it causes traffic to build up on 14th Street and is very unsafe for all. Please park outside of the school grounds before 9am or after 2.30pm if you wish to walk into the building to collect your child, go to reception, Uniform Shop etc.
Catholic Education Week
Last week we celebrated Catholic Education week. The students were treated to donuts after the mass to celebrate the week. To acknowledge the week, students were also invited to participate in a colouring competition to share why they are ‘thankful’ for their Catholic school Community. We had some amazing entries, but the winners were as follows
Foundation - Rosie Midgley
Juniors - Jemma Trinh
Middles - Monica Leslie
Seniors - Jenny Tran
These students have won a $10 canteen voucher.
Thank you to Mrs Blagus for helping to organise the Catholic Education Week Mass and Ms Jess for organsing the choir.
Student Led Conferences - Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st June - 3.45pm-6pm
Student led conferences offer a wonderful opportunity for students to take charge of their learning journey and showcase their progress to their parents. Unlike traditional meetings, where teachers do most of the talking, these conferences empower students to lead the discussions. Students gather evidence of their work, reflect on their accomplishments, and set goals. During the conference, they confidently present their work and discuss their strengths and areas for growth. This collaborative approach strengthens the bond between students, parents, and teachers, fostering a supportive and nurturing environment. By embracing student-led conferences, schools encourage students to develop important skills like communication, critical thinking, and self-reflection.
To book a Student Led Conference, please go to your SIMON Everywhere APP and select Parent Teacher Interviews from the front page.
Enrolment in Government Secondary Schools
Students attending a Government Secondary School in 2024 must contact the School directly and request an application for enrolment. This needs to be completed ASAP with most schools closing their enrolments in early June. All students are guaranteed a place at the Designated Neighbourhood School. Families can find out which is their Designated Neighbourhood School by visiting: www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au
Students wanting to attend St Joseph's College must contact the College immediately as enrolments have closed.
Covid Recommendations
With the weather cooling down we have again had some students with COVID. Students who report positive results are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who have symptoms of illness will be sent home as they present a risk to the health and wellbeing of our school community. RAT tests can be collected from Reception should you need them.
This week's Gotcha's
Finally, congratulations to this week’s gotcha recipients for being their best, being respectful and being safe -
Bee Milestones - Gabb Yandan, Baine Hateley, William Buffon, Liam Aranas, Dolly Moore, Nhu Nguyen, Luke Hunt, Eseta Toutai, Kalasia-Rose Fonua, Mele Toto, Roman Caristo, Joshua Catipay, Skylar Humphrey, Levi Hickey, Cooper Chapple, Elijah Hunt, Baran Rona, Penelope Doecke, Joseph Lloyd, Alia Lijo, Mike Hogan, Kaan Demirel, Blair Traeger, Ariah Tickle and Louis Nguyen.
Hive Milestones - Elsie Freeman, Dae Dae Moore, Lola Droffelaar, Dustin Scott, Andrea Norton, Cienna Pascale, Ruby Slimmon, Hannah Davies, Sione Latukefu, Kooper Carmichael, John Thang and Oliver Harradine.
Foundation Unit News
Welcome to week 6!
Last Friday the whole school attended the 'Catholic Education Week Mass' at St Joseph's stadium. The children were very excited for the bus ride and I would like to congratulate them all for their exceptional behaviour during the Mass.
In Maths, over the last two weeks we have been learning about ordinal number and location and position. They have been having a lot of fun learning all about these concepts.
In Literacy, the children are still amazing us with their ability to write interesting and complete sentences. They are so confident and willing to have a go.
Just a reminder about what the children are bringing to school for lunches. We have noticed that some children are having a lot of sweet foods for lunch and are preferring to eat this rather than their main lunch item eg sandwich. There are many online resources with suggestions for healthy lunch box ideas -
https://healthylunchbox.com.au
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/healthyliving/healthy-eating
Junior Unit News
This week, the Junior Unit students participated in our final ‘AFL Primary Play Program’ run by AFL Victoria. The students absolutely loved participating in the AFL program. Each week, the students practised different skills and drills, exposing them to the fundamentals of AFL.
On Friday 9th June (week 7), the Junior Unit will host our Liturgy in the School Chapel at 9:15am. Parents and caregivers are all welcome to join us during this time.
As the cooler weather is approaching, we ask that you double check your child’s jumper is clearly labelled with their name. We already have quite a pile of jumpers in lost property without names so we thank you for your support with this.
Middle Unit News
We can’t believe how quickly this term has flown by, with only 3 and a bit weeks left! Teachers are busy writing school reports and we look forward to celebrating lots of great learning with you and your child.
In numeracy this week both Grade 3 and 4 students have been looking at different types of measurement. Grade 4’s have been working with kilograms and grams, while Grade 3’s have been exploring kilograms and litres. We encourage all students to be continuously practicing their skip counting and timetables at home regularly.
In Religion, we have been looking at who Mary the Mother of Jesus is. After learning some interesting facts about Mary, students had a go at writing a modern version of the Hail Mary prayer.
Dear mother Mary, help us to not be disgraceful
you were never mean but you had to watch your son get crucified
that just shows your so strong
help us be kind like you and Jesus
Amen.
By Emma C M9
Loving Mary,
full of kindness,
God still loves you,
we admire you,
you're with us all the time,
help us be the best we can be.
Amen.
By Natasha M10
Greetings to mother Mary,
who is kind and caring.
May the lord be with you and us too.
Blessed are you among all women.
Mary, mother of Jesus
Guide us to make good choices and seek forgiveness from your son when we don’t .
Amen
By Kooper M1
Greetings to Mother Mary,
Who is kind and caring
hello be my name
thy kingdom come
can you forgive the trespasses.
Amen
By Willow M2
Hail Mary so kind and true let us be like Jesus and you.You gave us that much faith it was out of space.Pray for us sinners now pray for us and this is how.Mother Mary so kind and true this is how to be like you.Amen
By Levi M9
On Friday, the Middle Unit will celebrate our first unit liturgy for the year. Parents and friends are invited to celebrate with us.
Our liturgy will take place in the Chapel at 9:15 am.
Next Wednesday the Middle Unit choir will be participating in the Mildura Eisteddfod. Students will travel to the Arts Centre via bus and need to bring a packed lunch and their brain food. Students to wear their FULL WINTER UNIFORM ie NO sports clothes. Please ensure you have given consent for this activity on SIMON Everywhere App. Good luck singers!
Arts News
Middle and Senoir choirs will compete next Wednesday, June 7th, at the Mildura Eisteddfod. This event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased by clicking on the link below. The Middle unit section is due to begin at 10am and the senior unit approx an hour later, however exact times cannot be provided.
Good luck to our amazing little songbirds who have been rehearsing hard since term 1!
Sport News
Wow how fast this term is passing us by. During the first half of the term students have been learning skills associated with Netball. They have been working on chest passes, shoulder passes, dodging, team work and invading a teams zone. For the remainder of the term students will be learning foot skills and how to control an object. These skills are highly involved in sports such as Soccer and football. The Foundation students had a lot of fun during their sport lesson, particularly trying to kick the soccer ball as far as they could.
Interschool Sport
Last Tuesday many of the students in Grades 5 & 6 participated in interschool AFL. Games were held at Number 3 oval and were played against Sacred Heart and Trinity Lutheran College. The Boys team found success in their game against Trinity Lutheran College however were over run by the skills of Sacred Heart. The Girls team played two games against Sacred Heart. Throughout the day all students skills and team work improved with many students playing AFL for the first time. There were lots of surprised reports from students about how much they enjoyed playing. Well done to all the students involved on the day. They all demonstrated great sportsmanship, enthusiasm and pride.
This Friday, 2nd June the St Paul's Senior Unit Netball and Soccer teams will be participating in the S.S.V. Division Finals Interschool Sports competition. Netball will be held at Sarah Oval Twelfth Street - No 3 court. Soccer is being held at Aerodrome Oval Soccer fields. If their are any parents that are able to help with Umpiring or Coaching on the day please make yourself known to either Mr Pike (Soccer) or Ms Parker (Netball) on the day. Please see below for draws.
