2024 Newsletter #14 Aug 7
Principal News
Dear St Paul's families,
Welcome to this week's news update. As I write today’s newsletter, I am up bright and early as I am joining the Grade 3 children on their camp to Swan Hill. It’s a great camp for the children to experience and introduce them to our camps experience with their first overnight stay. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for photos of the children. The Grade 4 children left yesterday morning and have ventured to Adelaide for the very first time. I know they will be having a great time.
MIDDLE UNIT CAMP: Friday 9th August- Middle Unit No New Learning Day
Under our updated Enterprise Agreement, employees participating in the camp will receive compensatory time off. To accommodate this, a no new learning day for Grade 3 and 4 students is scheduled on Friday, 9th August. Parents are kindly requested to consider keeping their children at home on this day if possible. For those unable to do so, care will be supervised by a casual relief teacher, and no middle unit staff will be present on-site.
STAFF UPDATE: You may have noticed that we have begun advertising for staff for the 2025 school year. Our current deputy principal positions are a 3-year position and are being renewed. We have advertised for another teacher to join St Paul’s for the 2025 school year. Please check the local paper and online for further details.
SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL: Last night the Council met to discuss the continued development of St Paul’s. Updates were provided on the current Staffroom extension and Administration refurbishment due to the flooding in January. It has been a long process; however, we are well on the way to having the works completed by the end of term. We also spoke about staffing for the 2025 school year and the plans for the 50th Anniversary celebrations and the invitations and notices will go out next week. Discussion around the new master plan for St Paul’s has begun and there will be a consultation process put in place for the SAC, staff and school community as the year progresses.
100 DAYS OF PREP: It was wonderful to see the Foundation children dressed up to celebrate their first 100 days of schooling. They looked amazing in their outfits last week. Lots of great photos on our Facebook page.
AUSKICK: A great turnout last Thursday night for the first Auskick session. Thank you to Dave Kennedy from AFL Victoria for coordinating the program with support from Ben McGlynn’s Footy Stars Academy.
WHOLE SCHOOL MINI OLYMPICS: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Don’t forget Friday 16th August we will be hosting our Athletics day at the Aero ovals. We need help with the following duties:
-Set up at 7:30am (tents, marking out cones, distributing equipment)
-Running junior field events i.e. Bunny hop blitz relays, t-ball hit, hurdles, soccer kick etc.
If you are available, can you please email - tpike@spmildura.catholic.edu.au or phone the office and leave your details.
COLLECTING CHILDREN AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY
The school has received phone calls from residents in Dennis Avenue, advising us they are not able to enter or exit their street due to parents blocking the road whilst waiting to enter the school grounds.
Please make sure that you obey the road rules and do not block entry to side streets.
MILDURA LANDS TRUST
Following is a letter from The Mildura Lands Trust. Every year we are extremely fortunate to receive additional funding from this trust, established by the Chaffey Brothers, to support schools in Mildura. This letter explains how we use the funding to benefit our school community.
CALENDAR EVENTS: AUGUST
Tuesday 6th-Thursday 8th – Grade 4 Camp Adelaide
Wednesday 7th-Thursday 8th- Grade 3 Camp Swan Hill
Thursday 8th- 3.30pm Auskick- John Hill Oval
Friday 9th - No New Learning Day- Middle Unit
- Assembly 2.45pm in the hall.
Thursday 15th - 3.30pm Auskick- John Hill Oval
Friday 16th - Whole School Mini Olympics- Aero Ovals
Wednesday 21st – Book Week Celebration Day
Thursday 22nd- 3.30pm Auskick- John Hill Oval
Friday 23rd- 2.45pm Jump Rope for Heart Launch at Assembly
Wednesday 28th – First Holy Communion Parent Information meeting for children Grade 4 and above at Sacred Heart Church at 7.00pm
Thursday 29th - 3.30pm Auskick- John Hill Oval
Friday 30th – Fathers’ Day breakfast in the hall
- Whole School Mass 9.15am in the hall
Finally, congratulations to this week’s gotcha recipients for being their best, being respectful and being safe -
Bee Milestones - Lorenzo Pettinau, Samuella Allieu, Elsa Allieu, Ava Fidura, Emma Williams, Holliee Tickle, Abbie Peters, Ella Garland, Niro Arden, Walter Divola, Jemma Trinh, Dustin Scott, Lola Droffelaar & Ruby Divola.
Hive Milestones - Kenolee Hettiarachchi, Jacob Echanes, Phillip Abucha, Oliver Moroni, Vincent Cricelli, Spohia Crabtree, Dustin Simmons, Aiden Varghese Moolayil, Annalise Goncalves-Wood, Laura Cifra, Dhyan Sreeraj Nair, Fletcher Carmichael, Elih Groenan, Max Mangan, Kalasia Fonua, Reuben Allford, Aeliyah Tabinas, Lilly Hector, Parvaan Maan, Halle Mammone, Indy Baker, Dartanyon Coffield, Jasper Trinh, Spencer Kimpton, Veronica Lotong, Noah Demario, Nicholas Cross, Nhyla Tickle, Hunter Rayson, Riley O’Callaghan, Mehar Atwal, Natasha Cavallo, Niro Arden, Ariah Tickle, Brayan Moolayil, Angela Nguyen, Malia Fonua & Carlos Catain.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoyable weekend. As always
Keep the Faith!
Vince Muscatello
Junior Unit News
It is that time of year where we celebrate the milestone of successfully completing 100 days of learning. We are so super proud of our Junior Unit students, we have seen so much growth from each and every one of them!
We celebrated the occasion with some fun activities and a photo booth!
100 Days of School for 2024!
Friday 9th August: J4 and J5 are presenting together at this week's assembly. Assembly commences at 2:45pm in the school hall.
Middle Unit News
Welcome to camp week! Yesterday we waved the Grade 4 students and teachers off on their camp to Adelaide. While away the students will visit the Adelaide Zoo, AFL Max House, St Kilda Adventure Playground and West Beach. We can't wait to hear all about their camp when they return.
With the Grade 4 students away, it was a great opportunity for the Grade 3 students to have a fun day at school as a lead-up to their camp. The day was full of fun activities that promoted teamwork, problem-solving skills, and working together in teams.
The Grade 3 students and teachers departed for Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement this morning. They have arrived safely. While on camp they may get to experience blacksmith activities, butter churning, discovery trails, PS Pyap Cruise and The Heartbeat of the Murray Laser Light Spectacular.
Both the Grade 3 and 4 campers are due back late Thursday afternoon. We will keep you informed via SMS of their ETA. In the meantime, watch for updates on the school's Facebook page.
Fun Day
Senior Unit News
It has been a busy start to Term 3 in the Senior Unit! Students have been very engaged in our Inquisitive unit "Earth and Space Sciences" - when exploring how natural disasters impact landscapes, looking particularly at tsunamis, volcanoes and earthquakes.
In Literacy, students have shown great enthusiasm when completing their Multiple Paragraph Outlines (MPOs). These outlines are helpful tools for students to organise their thoughts and present information they have learnt in an organised manner.
During our class sport, students have taken inspiration from the Paris Olympics as they have worked hard to improve their skills in various athletics disciplines.
Interschool Sport
This term we have several sports that students will be competing in at Interschool level. Some of our students will be participating in Basketball (Monday 19th August @ Mildura Sporting Precinct), Volleyball and Hot Shots Tennis (both Tuesday 27th August @ Trinity Lutheran College and St Paul's respectively). More information will become available on SIMON.
Maths Competition
Well done to those students who participated in the Maths Competition yesterday - we will inform students of the results as they come to hand.
Chromebooks - A reminder that students Chromebooks must be charged each night ready to be used at school each day. This is an important tool that students require for them to be successful in their learning.
Religious Education News
Message Stick ~ Celebrating 150 Years of the Diocese of Ballarat
This year, the Diocese of Ballarat are celebrating their 150th year anniversary. It is a time to acknowledge those who have contributed to the journey. It is also a time to remember the parish community and all members of the education community, including families, students, teachers and staff and the many gifts they have shared.
In recognition and celebration of 150 years, five Message Sticks have been travelling across the Diocese. The Message Sticks have been carried from school to school, from the Murray to the Sea, to remind us of the interconnectedness of all of our school communities within the Diocese. St Paul's Primary School were very fortunate to have received one of the message sticks at the commencement of Week 2 and we were able to incorporate its significance into our NAIDOC Week celebrations. In Aboriginal culture, Message Sticks were passed between different clans and language groups to establish information and transmit messages. Please enjoy viewing some of our photographs below.
The Message Stick at St Paul's Mildura
Father's Day Mass - Friday 30th August 2024
On Friday 30th August, we invite all of our special fathers and those who are like fathers to us, to join us for our Father's Day Whole School Mass at 9.15am in our School Hall. In preparation for our celebration, we kindly ask families to share one photograph of their child / children with their father, or someone who is like a father to them. Can photographs please be emailed through to mblagus@spmildura.catholic.edu.au. We look forward to celebrating and giving thanks to you all.
Library News
Book Week is coming!
It is only two weeks until we have our Book Week Celebration Day on Wednesday 21st, August.
The theme for Book Week this year is 'Reading is Magic'. On Wednesday 21st August we will celebrate Children's Book Week with a dress up parade and great activities.
Students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character or as something to do with the theme.
On this day, parents and special friends are invited to come along and watch our parade at 9:15 am in the hall. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.
In the lead up to our book week celebration, Foundation students have been learning about the this year's theme and reading some of the books that have been shortlisted by Children's Book Council of Australia for recognition and awards.
In week one, they talked about the theme, Reading is Magic, discovering what that can mean. One student said, "it means books can take you to places you can't actually go when you read them." Another said, "it is because all books tell a story and some even have a magical message."
Together, the students enjoyed a reading of "Backyard Magic" by Harriet Hobday and Wenda Shurety. Although not one of this year's shortlisted books, the story perfectly captures the spirit of Book Week. In the tale, Tilly wonders what to do when the TV is turned off. Venturing into the backyard, she discovers a singing bird, climbable trees, and a magic wand that transforms into many things. Inspired by the story, students then crafted their own magic wands from sticks, paper, ribbon, beads, pipe cleaners and use tape used them to uncover the magic in other books they borrowed and read from our library.
In week two, students enjoyed a read-aloud of the shortlisted book "Bear and Duck are Friends" by Sue deGennaro, featured in the Early Childhood book category. This charming tale of friendship explores the bond between Bear and Duck, who are polar opposites. As they venture through the forest together, Bear's shy, uneasy, and risk-averse nature contrasts with Duck's energetic, playful, and adventurous spirit. The story beautifully illustrates how friendships develop through shared experiences and an appreciation of different personalities.
After experiencing the story, students wrapped a bear using wool to symbolize Bear's feelings. This activity demonstrated that by showing warmth and kindness towards one another, we can form unlikely but special friendships.
Last week, students enjoyed another shortlisted book in the Early Childhood category, "Can You Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree?" by Jane Godwin. The story poses many humorous and absurd questions, much like the title, about animals trying to do things beyond their natural abilities. These questions brought about lots of giggles and even some big belly laughs from both students and staff. The story emphasizes the importance of recognising and embracing one's true individual strengths, encouraging readers to appreciate their own talents and skills rather than trying to conform to unrealistic expectations.
After the laughter subsided, we agreed that while you can't actually teach a fish to climb a tree, you can create your own tree of fish! Using their knowledge of complementary and contrasting colours from art lessons earlier in the day, students painted a fish or two and hung them in a tree in our library
If you would like to see the wonderful displays of learning created by our Foundation students during Library lessons, please visit our library anytime. It's a great place to escape the cold during school drop-off times, and you can enjoy reading a book with your children while you're there.
Father's Day Celebration
Father's Day is fast approaching, and at St Paul's, we're excited to honour all the special Dads, Stepdads, Granddads, and other special men in our lives. On Friday 30th August, we invite you to join us for our annual Father's Day Breakfast and Mass. A breakfast fit for a king will be served from 7:30am, followed by Mass at 9:15 am.
Mini Olympics
Our Mini Olympics is fast approaching!
The details of the event are below:
Date: Friday August 16th, 2024
Location: Mildura Athletics Track, Aero Ovals (enter via Eleventh Street entrance closest to Flora Ave roundabout)
Time: Students are to be dropped at the Athletics Track between 8:30am and 9am. The event will conclude at 3:15pm
Pick up procedure: Students are to be picked up by their parent/guardian from their House tent (these will be coloured). Classroom teachers must be informed before students leave the venue.
Uniform: Students are encouraged to wear their house colours on the day. Chaffey = Green, Hill = Red, McKenzie = Yellow and Mercy = Blue.
Attached below is a copy of the event map and schedule.
9, 10, 11, 12+ Year Age Group Event Timetable
Foundation, Grade 1, Grade 2 Event Timetable
Get involved!
We look forward to seeing many family and friends at this year's event!
We would love to have people involved in running different events - if you are willing and able, please contact Tom Pike via tpike@spmildura.catholic.edu.au or contact the school on 50234567.
Cyber Safety Information
Cyber safety is the safe and responsible use of information and communication technology. It is about keeping information safe and secure, but also about being responsible with that information, being respectful to other people online, and using good Internet etiquette.
As part of our ongoing cyber safety education program, St. Paul’s students engage in interactive incursions covering various critical cyber safety topics. These sessions are led by Martin McGauran and his team at Inform and Empower, an organization dedicated to equipping children with the knowledge and tools they need for safe online experiences.
This week, students in grades 1/2 and 5/6 took part in these informative incursions, with students in grades 3/4 scheduled to participate later this term. Below, you will find more information about the topics covered in these sessions, along with some useful tips for parents from the Inform and Empower team.
Technology News
It's time to catch up with what students in the Middle Unit have been learning in Technology so far this term.
In recent lessons, Year 3 and 4 students have been learning about encoding and decoding codes. We began by discussing the concepts of coding, being to express information or an instruction in an indirect way. This then led to a discussion about encoding, and decoding. From this, it quickly became clear that to accomplish either task, we needed to understand the key!
Then, we started by looking at simple methods of encoding messages using numbers. Students enjoyed decoding messages coded this way. Even if the jokes were pretty cringy.
We then moved on to explore codes using other symbols to represent alphanumeric characters. We even created our own key which was used to encode a message for someone else to decode.
Can you use the key to decode the message below created by three master cryptographers? Just in case you didn't know, that is the technical term for a person who encodes and decodes messages!
Last week, we explored the origins of coded messages and discovered they date back to ancient times. In fact, the first known recorded coded messages were created by the Spartans around 400 BC. We also delved into different coding methods, including Morse Code and the Pigpen Cipher, to practice encoding and decoding messages.
Hands Up Mallee
Our wicking garden is growing nicely. Some of our peas that the Junior Unit grew from seeds in the classroom have yielded a few peas! They were very excited to see the end result of their hard work and nurturing! We have some strawberries that are trying very hard to progress from flower to fruit at the moment.
Some Junior students have shown an interest in developing a garden on the Junior side of the Oval so I am currently meeting with them to discuss their ideas to see if we can make it a reality for them! So great to see such an interest in wanting to grow and nurture a garden - watch this space!
Sts Anne and Joachim Catholic Parish Bulletin
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