2024 Newsletter #07 April 24

Principal News

Dear St Paul's families,

Welcome to this week's news. Once again, we have a short week as tomorrow is a public holiday as we celebrate ANZAC day. Our School leaders, Ariah and Taylor, will be representing St Paul's at the service and will lay a wreath on behalf of our school community. As mentioned on many occasions over the years, it is important that our children understand our Australian history and the events that have impacted on us and shaped our country as we know it . We talk about the ongoing sacrifices that so many people have made and continue to make so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.

Lest We Forget!

PRINCIPAL ADVERTISEMENT: Yesterday Pixel Pros media company, from Melbourne, visited St Paul's to take footage of our school as a part of the advertising campaign for a new principal for St Paul's for the 2025 school year. The videographers were very grateful and impressed by our children and school.  As usual the children went about their business learning with minimal fuss and distraction.

EDUCATION CONSULTANT: Today, Mr Murray Macdonald from Ballarat visited St Paul's. Murray worked with some of our middle and senior unit students, seeking feedback from them in what they would like to see in a  new principal.  After school their is a workshop for the staff seeking their feedback as well. An online survey will be emailed to all our school families as well. The survey is NOW OPEN (click on link or scan QR Code) St.Paul’s Mildura Community Consultation New Principal and will close on Friday 3rd May. 

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: Next week as a diocese we celebrate Catholic Education. You may have noticed the advertisements on tv promoting Catholic education and asking prospective families to contact their local school for further information. We will be celebrating Catholic Education with a combined primary schools (St Joseph's Red Cliffs, Sacred Heart Mildura and Our Lady's Merbein) mass at Sacred Heart church next Friday 3rd May at 10.00am. The children will be travelling to and from the church by bus. 

2025 FOUNDATION ENROLMENTS/OPEN DAY TOURS: Enrolments are open for St Paul's for 2025. Please visit the school website to start the application process. On Wednesday 1st May we will be conducting Open Day Tours at 9.30am, 12.230om and 5.00pm for new families. If you know of anyone, please direct them to our website.

2025 YR 7 ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS: Please be aware that applications close this Friday for St Joseph's College. For those children attending other secondary schools in the area, I recommend you contact those schools directly to find out when their applications close as they don't always notify our admin.

PERSONAL LEAVE: Mrs McGlashan is still currently on leave. The replacement teachers we currently have in her class are highly experienced and have an excellent understanding and knowledge of our school curriculum and practices. The children are still receiving the same level of care and teaching as the other classes in the unit. We will continue to inform you of any changes as they arise. If you have any questions, please see me.

MOTHER'S DAY: Don't forget Mother's Day celebration at school is fast approaching on Friday 10th May. The day will begin with a breakfast in the hall from 7.30am followed by our Mother's Day mass at 9.15am. Mums, grandmas, aunties and special women in our lives are all welcome to attend.

AEDC CENSUS: The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a national census that builds a picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school.  The data from the AEDC helps the government decide where money needs to be spent around early childhood development and what resources are needed in different communities.   From May 2024, our school will complete the census for children in their first year of full-time school.  AEDC results for individual children are not reported and individual children cannot be identified. If parents/carers consent to the collection of their child’s information they do not need to do anything. Parents/carers only need to contact the school if they do not consent to the collection of their child’s information. To find out more about the AEDC and how schools, communities and governments are using the data to help children and families, visit www.aedc.gov.au

GOTCHA AWARDS: Congratulations to the following students who have reached important milestones over the last two weeks in following our school norms of: Being Safe, Being Respectful and Being Your Best.

BEE MILESTONE: Levi Morton, Dae Dae Moore, Erika Nguyen, Gurshaan Tiwana, Charlie Van Roy, Ashton McDonald, Chase Chau, Jack Stevenson, Jaxon Higgins, Mankirat Bassi, Spencer Kimpton, Ruby Divola, Oliver Angwin, Aubree Carmichael, Nhyla Tickle, Jesse Pitt, Sophia Panagopoulos, Dartanyon Coffield, Phoenix Toutai, Olivia Smith, Oliver Traeger, Darcey Bysouth, Harlow Johnson, Maggie Slimmon, Chase Humphrey, Jemma Trinh, Halle Mammone, Emilia Barlow, Theo Quayle, Kevin Norton, Milaan Roccisano, Shani Singh, Kooper Carmichael & Izzy Nadalo
HIVE MILESTONE: Kalasia Fonua, Max Mangan, Andrea Norton, Jacob Echanes, Jessica Ram, Jack O’Callaghan & Natasha Cavallo

UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS:
Thursday 25th April- ANZAC Day Public Holiday- School Closed
Friday 26th April-  St Joseph's College Year 7 2025  enrolment applications close.
                                    - Assembly 2.45pm in the hall
Monday 29th April- Friday 3rd May- Catholic Education Week
Wednesday 1st May- 2025 Foundation enrolment Tours- 9.30am, 12.30 pm and 5.00pm
Friday 3rd May- Catholic Education Week Mass 10.00am Sacred Heart Church
Tuesday 7th May- School Advisory Council meeting 7.00pm at school
Friday 10th May- 7.30am Mothers' Day Breakfast in the hall
                                 - 9.15am Mothers' Day Mass in the hall

Friday 11th October- St Paul's 50th Anniversary Celebrations

I hope you all have an enjoyable Anzac Day and upcoming weekend.

As always,

Keep the Faith!
Vince Muscatello

Religious Education News

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week 2024 is celebrated from next Monday 29th April to Friday 3rd May. It is an opportunity for Catholic Schools in the Ballarat Diocese to celebrate both with our school and within our wider community. 

We will be celebrating Catholic Education Week with a combined school's Mass at the Sacred Heart Church next Friday 3rd May at 10am. We will celebrate together with Sacred Heart PS, St Joseph's PS Red Cliffs and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart PS Merbein. As this is an offsite celebration, students will be transported to and from the church via bus and parent / guardian consent will be required via SIMON Everywhere.  Unfortunately due to limited space in the Church, parents and friends will be unable to join us.

This year is particularly special as we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, to which we belong! The theme for this year is, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

 Bishop Paul Bird reflects on the theme:

When we celebrate a birthday, we often reflect on the years that have passed, as well as wishing the person happiness in the present and blessings for the time ahead. Celebrating the anniversary of a diocese is something like that. A community anniversary provides an occasion to reflect on the past, affirm people in the present and look hopefully to the future. We can see these elements in the themes for the 150th anniversary of our Diocese of Ballarat. 

The word “Community” highlights the fact that a diocese is essentially a community drawn together by Christ. The word “Remember” refers us to the history of the diocese. In this remembering, we acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of that history, celebrating the achievements and recognising the failures to live our Christian faith to the full. The word “Revitalise” calls us to invest ourselves in bringing new life to the community today. The word “Hope” encourages us to look forward to the future with confidence in God.

The Scripture verse chosen for our 150th anniversary year reflects various aspects of our vocation as a Christian community. The words are drawn from a passage in St Paul’s letter to the Romans in which the apostle lists qualities appropriate for a community inspired by Christ. As the years go by, the community will experience times of trial as well as times of gladness. Through it all, their trust in Christ will make them joyful in hope and patient in affliction. They will recognise that they need God’s help constantly and so they will be faithful in prayer day by day.  

May this anniversary year be a season of renewal for our diocese, a community of communities from the Murray to the sea. I pray that the rich ministry of Catholic Education will continue to play an integral role in this time of renewal.

Mother's Day Mass

On Friday 10th May, we will be celebrating our special mothers, grandmothers and all special women in our lives with a Whole School Mass at 9.15am in our School Hall. 

In preparation for our celebration, it would be lovely if our families would like to share one photograph of their child/children with their mother, grandmother or mother figure in their lives to be included in our photo reflection. If photos could please be emailed through to Mrs Blagus via email - mblagus@spmildura.catholic.edu.au by Wednesday 8th May, that would be so greatly appreciated. We look forward to celebrating just how loved and special you all are! 

Mother's Day Celebrations

Senior Unit News

Welcome back! 

Welcome to Term 2! 

We had a great first week where we got back into our classroom routines and recapped our adventures during the holidays. 

Parents of Grade 6 students will have received a notification (notification bell on the App) to complete a survey.  This survey is to inform us of the preferred secondary school they will be attending in 2025.  Please keep an eye out for this. 

This week, we had our first Senior Unit sports lesson for the term. We are learning more about Aussie Rules and Basketball this term. Some of our students are in action in the photos below. 

Assembly - S14 Presenting

This Friday, S14 will be presenting an item at assembly. Please join us at 2:45pm in the Hall if you are able. 

Chromebooks

A reminder that Chromebooks are to be charged every night ready to be used each day at school. Please ensure Chromebooks are packed in school bags ready to bring to school. 

Interschool Sports - Senior Unit

Interschool Sports are kicking off this term in Weeks 7 and 8. Sports include Aussie Rules, Netball and Soccer. We will keep you updated as to who made each of the teams and the fixtures when it becomes available. 

A reminder that there is an Interschool Sport Player Conduct which must be met by students participating. This will be made available when teams are confirmed. 

Middle Unit News

Welcome back to Term 2.

This week in Literacy we have begun to learn how to write in joined writing. This week our focus has been diagonal joins between 2 letters. The students are concentrating hard and enjoying this new challenge.

Our Inquisitive and Literacy focus has been on the arrival of the First Fleet and students have had some wonderful discussions about the reasons people traveled to Australia and the conditions that they lived in. Ask your child about what they have learned, including who Governor Philip was and his impact on the Eora people. 

Next week is Catholic Education Week, please check your SIMON notifications and make sure you have granted permission as we will be travelling to the Sacred Heart Church to celebrate with the other Catholic schools in our district. 

Reminders:

• Hats are still required every day
• Please ensure your child is reading every night
• Encourage your child to practice their timestables
  Grade 3 - 2, 5, 10s
  Grade 4 - 4, 8s

Unpcoming Middle Unit Dates:

M2 Assembly - Friday 24th May, 2:45pm (week 6)

M9 Assembly - Friday 14th June, 2:45pm (week 9)

Junior Unit News

Welcome back! We hope each and every one of you had a wonderful school holiday break. 

Religion: In Term 1, students were engaged in learning about Relationships. Our theme in Religion this term is Love. Students are invited to extend their thinking through exploring a variety of images of love, before moving to consider a Catholic Christian understanding of God’s call to humanity to care for self, others and creation as a gift of love.

Humanities: This term in Humanities we are learning all about Physical Sciences (Physical World). In this unit, the students explore stationary objects that are subjected to pushes and pulls. They investigate how the different strengths of pushes and pulls affect the movement of objects. The students are introduced to the concept of gravity and consider the effects of objects being pulled towards the Earth. They explore the way objects move on land, through water and in the air.

Foundation Unit News

Welcome to Term 2!

It has been lovely to see the Foundation students return to school with enthusiasm, eagerness to learn and ready for a new term.

We have noticed that some children are a little confused with what day to wear sports clothes. The only day the children are required to wear sport clothes is on a Monday, unless there is a special occasion. If something special is happening parents will be notified and the children will be required to wear their sports uniform on an additional day for that week only. 

STAR OF THE WEEK!

This week we began "star of the week". This is a special opportunity for one child from each class to be the star for the week. They will sit on a special chair, do special jobs, be the line leader and have the opportunity to bring in "Show and Tell" on Friday to share with their peers. We hope this is something special for the children to look forward to. 

This week's stars of the week are: Emilia, Jasi and Mankirat.

Learning Diversity Update

 Term 2 PSG Meeting Appointments

Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings for Term 2 are currently being organised and parents and carers will be notified of their scheduled meeting in the coming days. 

PSG Meetings are held for students receiving additional support and adjustments to their learning program.

Parents/Carers of students requiring a PSG Meeting this term will be notified in a Letter via the SIMON Everywhere App of the details regarding the date and time of the meeting. To view the Letter you need to select the student and under the Profile Menu there will be an option to select 'Letters'.  

St Paul’s highly values parent's and carer's contributions about their child’s learning needs at school and it is important for parents/carers to attend these meetings either in person, via telephone or video conference. Staffing arrangements are made to allow the classroom teachers to attend these meetings so if you are unable to attend we ask that you notify the school as soon as possible to ensure our teacher's time is used  efficiently. 

If you have any questions regarding PSG Meetings or would like further information please contact Lauren Gibson - Learning Diversity Leader. 

AEDC Data Collection - Foundation Students

Consent to Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)

Our school will take part in the AEDC between May and July this year. The AEDC is a national census that is conducted every three years by the Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments. It measures how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school.

The AEDC is voluntary and it does not measure how well children are doing at school, nor how their school compares to other schools. Instead, it shows how children are growing and progressing in five key areas, what is being done well and what can be improved. AEDC data is used by schools, early childhood organisations, researchers and governments to help plan and improve services and supports for children and families. This is why it is important for all children in their first year of school to be included in the AEDC. You can learn more about the ways AEDC data is used at https://www.aedc.gov.au/.

What does this mean for your child?

The AEDC is completed by teachers based on their knowledge of the children. Children do not need to do anything to be included in the census and will attend class as usual while the census is conducted. The census will start on Friday 17th May 2024.

Teachers will answer questions about the five key areas of early childhood development, which are: physical health and wellbeing, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive skills (school-based), and communication skills and general knowledge. You can see all the questions at https://www.aedc.gov.au/avedi.

You can be confident that your child’s privacy will be protected.

We understand how important it is to keep your child’s information private. This is why the AEDC uses a secure website to collect and keep their information.

More information about how AEDC data (including your child’s information) is collected, protected and used is in the Fact Sheet.

What do parents need to do?

For the purposes of the AEDC, the Australian Government Department of Education seeks your consent to collect personal information about your child from our school. This includes known information about your child’s health.

If you consent to the collection of your child's information, you do not need to do anything.

If you do not consent to the collection of your child's information, please contact Melissa Suthrerland before Monday 13th May, and no information about your child will be collected. (msutherland@spmildura.catholic.edu.au)

You can also withdraw your consent after this time. If you do so, then the Australian Government Department of Education will stop using your child’s information and will not provide it to anyone else. However, information that has already been shared, reported or published cannot be removed and may continue to be used (but your child will not be individually identified in that information).

To find out more about the AEDC, please read the frequently asked questions section on the AEDC website at https://www.aedc.gov.au/parents/faqs or phone 1800 092 548.

Your child’s information will only be used for the purposes described in this letter and in the Fact Sheet. The Privacy Statement contained on the AEDC website provides more detail on how their information will be protected and shared, and can be found at www.aedc.gov.au/parents/privacy-statement.

Hands Up Mallee

Our wicking garden is coming alive again with thanks to the Junior Unit who last term, started growing pea and bean seeds in their classroom. Once they started to germinate and grow, they were transferred into our wicking garden. They are now growing beautifully, along with some strawberry plants. The students are really enjoying looking after them and watching them grow. It is so good to see the students checking them and asking questions about the garden. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we will get the other garden bed filled with some more strawberries and other winter vegetables!

St Paul's History-The Early Years Ch.7

1977

As in previous years, 1977 began with an in-service activity organized by the Religious Education Centre. As there were new teachers in the school, this was a good introduction to the year. The practice of holding this activity has, in fact, continued each year.

Once again, the Prep. Children were separated from the rest of the school and began their schooling in the “pit" area. This was the last year this was done.  As the school became more settled, it was not thought to be necessary.

The Principal’s report for the Annual General Meeting, Monday 29^th March, tells us that programs emphasising the skills of reading, listening, phonics and mathematics were being developed and used. In the junior school, interaction between different age groups and learning from each other was encouraged by teaching drama, art/craft, science, and social studies to mixed groups of children from Prep. To Grade 3.

It was felt that by doing this, the open plan of the school was being utilized. The design lends itself to being used in this way, groups and sub-groups can be accommodated easily and quickly.

In the social area, these activities develop an awareness between the children of different age groups and different capabilities. It also enables teachers to get to know the children in different grades. Because of this, children are more relaxed when being taught by other teachers. If a child is having problems either in the academic or social area, that child’s teacher has other people she can discuss him with.

The attitudes of the Principal and staff were reflected in the statement made: “This is really what we want to offer your child. The conviction-

That he is worthwhile, unique
That he is a member of a caring supportive group
That he is developing certain skills in reading, etc.
That he comes to know that he has certain rights and responsibilities.” (Sr. Pam Barlow, Principal’s Report, Annual General Meeting, 29^th March 1977).

The staff and board considered that the playground of the school needed more equipment, and a sub-committee was formed to investigate this. It was decided that, as the area was so flat, a hill or mound should be built. Consequently, trucks containing clean filling material- old tyres, dirt from excavations, building rubble- began arriving. Eventually, this was covered and grassed and became and excellent adjunct to the facilities.

 During 1977, dissatisfaction was felt in some areas that staff, children and equipment were not being used to their maximum. These could be summed up as follows:

1. The school now had $3,500 worth of audio-visual equipment., much of it sitting idle owing to general lack of expertise of teachers.
2. Children who could be learning independently were not being permitted to this this as “problem” children needed a structured situation.
3. There was not much interaction between, or learning from, other children on a school basis.

To remedy this situation, it was proposed to conduct an in-service for mixed groups of children for a four-week period. A submission was made applying for an Innovations Grant of approximately $1,000, with the following objectives:
“For the present. When each of the youngsters comes back to his own class, he should be able to use all audio visual equipment and material competently and capably and initially be able to act as monitor for the rest of the group.
For the future. Through repeating this in-service, many other groups will acquire these skills and benefit from this experience”. (S. Seagrave, Statement About Project In-service in Audio Visual for Students. 1977, page 2)

 Stephen Seagrave, who had a good knowledge of the equipment, and skills and processes, was to conduct the course with help from the librarian, Judy Hall. The children in the groups were taken from Grades 2 – 6.

The grant was approved and the first group of twenty-four children was formed and the program began in August/September. Two more groups subsequently took part in it between September/November.

The evaluation report states positive results as follows:
- children worked in a multiplicity of groupings where age and grade became irrelevant.
- Reactions in the areas of personality, behaviour, attitude to learning and social interaction were often unexpected.
-Many of the children grasped the necessary skills to operate audio visual equipment.
- Parents were encouraged to participate and became very interested in their children’s work.

Some problems were also encountered:
-The equipment was unreliable. It became faulty and was often out of working order.
- It was difficult to plan the project.
- Not all children were sufficiently independent to benefit from the experience.
-Few practical ideas were forthcoming from the staff.

During 1977, two in-service activities were participated in by the staff. The first of these was in June. It was organized by the Religious Education Centre and was concern with Value Clarification Techniques in Religious Education. The second, in October 1977, was “Individualized Teaching and Learning”. It was conducted again by Neville Johnson from Melbourne State College, this time assisted by Brian Davies. “Individualized Learning” was analysed with special refence to planning, curriculum and organization, particularly in open space situations.

These two complementary activities provided input in the areas of personal and professional development and were very valuable assets to the growth of the school community.

In looking at different areas of the curriculum and the way they were being treated, it was realized that art and craft was not receiving the attention it should. This was because the wet areas which had lino on them were not big enough to be used practically and a proposal was put forward to enclose an area near the canteen that was already roofed, to be used for this purpose. This was done and has proved an asset. The improvement in the children’s art work was seen in 1978 could be attributed to the employment of a part-time art teacher and the facilities that were now provided.

1977 also saw the first of three unemployed girls who have spent some time at the school. In each case, the school gained from the services of the girls, who help in various ways, including duplicating, typing, sports coaching. It was felt that the girls also gained in confidence from being at the school. At the end of 1977, Sr Pam decided that she would assume a non-teaching role in 1978.

Sts Anne and Joachim Catholic Parish Bulletin

Parent Noticeboard

Get set for Sunraysia’s ALL Girls NAB AFL Superkick program for 2024! With Sunraysia region receiving a huge boost in girls footy, the introduction of Superkick is a game-changer, offering skill-building sessions followed by thrilling modified gameplay incorporating tackle free fun.

Tuesday evenings from May 7 to June 25, girls aged 8-12 will ignite the field with skill and passion.

Join in on the action for $85, including a great "Footy Pack"! 

Mildura Balloon Bash is Coming!

Imagine the sky filled with 25 majestic balloons, painting vibrant hues above Mildura. It's a sight you won't want to miss!

Event Dates: Saturday 29th June – Sunday 7th July, 2024

Meeting Times: Sunrise flights - approx. 5.45 – 6.15am; Afternoon flights - approx. 2.30pm – 3.00pm

Meeting place: Powerhouse Precinct – 122 Hugh King Dr, Mildura

Duration: Approx. 45-60min flight; total experience 3-3.5hrs