2024 Newsletter #22 November 27
Principal News
Dear St Paul's families,
Welcome to this week’s news update. What a soaking we had on Sunday and Monday. We had double our November average in two days. Then last night Mother Nature put on quite a show when the storm came rolling through. It was quite ferocious with the lightning, driving rain and strong winds. On the plus side, the gardens are certainly flourishing.
As we continue through week 8, it’s a quick reality check that there are only three weeks of the school year left before the Christmas holidays begin. It is usually around this time each term that we notice the children are beginning to show signs of fatigue. When they are tired, their ability to stay focussed, concentrate and regulate their emotions decreases significantly. There is still lots of learning and teaching happening at school right up until the last week. There are many different events happening outside of school such as dance and music performances, summer sports and of course Christmas parties. It is important that every child has the time they need to rest and ‘recharge their batteries”. Please be kind to yourselves and each other as the school year draws to a close.
Unfortunately, we have seen a spike in illnesses again. I strongly encourage you to please keep your children home if they are unwell to avoid the spread of germs throughout the school. Sick children often lead to sick staff and the availability of casual staff to replace them is very low at the moment. This has often led to splitting classes across the units, something we are trying to avoid as much as possible.
SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL: This coming Tuesday evening will be our last meeting for the year. It will also be an opportunity to farewell Martine Silcox and also welcome our new members onto the council. Thank you to Catherine De Mario, Liz Mangan and Alana Barlow who will be joining the School Advisory Council in 2025.
NORTHERN ZONE PRINCIPALS’ MEETING: This afternoon, I will be travelling to Swan Hill to attend our final Principal network meeting for the year. This will be my final opportunity to work with my principal colleagues within my network. These meetings have always played an important part in my role as a principal as so many wonderful ideas and initiatives that we have implemented at St Paul’s over the years were started from conversations with this group. I will certainly miss their expertise, professionalism and collegiality.
CONGRATULATIONS: There is always something worth celebrating and this week is no exception. Firstly, on behalf of the St Paul’s School community I would like to wish Miss Aimee Oxlade and her fiancé, Dylan, who will be married this weekend. May they be blessed with happiness and joy as they begin their new journey as a married couple.
Secondly, another big congratulations to former student Alexis Pantazopoulos (2021) who recently was selected in the Under 17 Matilda’s squad representing Australia in soccer. It is an amazing achievement, and I know many sacrifices have been made by Alexis and her parents in getting her to where she is now. It is wonderful to hear how our former students are going once they leave St Paul’s and to celebrate their successes along the way.
MISSION MONTH FUNDRAISING: Thank you to the students and Mrs Blagus who have been organising different fundraising activities on a Friday during November. Their efforts have proven worthwhile as we continue to support those children less fortunate than us.
FIRST RECONCILIATION: Congratulations to those children who will be receiving the Sacrament of First Reconciliation this evening at Sacred Heart Church.
TEACHER PLACEMENTS: After careful consideration and consultation, the teaching staff have been allocated to the following positions and roles for the 2025 school year.
FOUNDATION UNIT | JUNIOR UNIT | MIDDLE UNIT | SENIOR UNIT |
Maryanne Heeps & Jess Powell | Year 1 | Karen Brouwers | Chloe Henderson |
SPECIALIST & SUPPORT TEACHER ROLES | |||
LANGUAGES | ICT | THE ARTS | PHYS ED |
Mary-Anne Ghidinelli | Narelle Simms | Jess Freeman | Alisha Parker |
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHER (EAL) | |||
Ronica Vergara | |||
Congratulations to this week’s recipients of our Gotcha awards for following our school norms and reaching the important milestones.
BEE MILESTONE: Aria Yates, Maggie Slimmon, Shani Singh, Matthew Read, Erica Ram, Neve Morton, Oliver Moroni, Lizbeth Mathew, Mackenzie Mangan, Sione Latukefu, Alirah Jones, Mike Hogan, Levi Hickey, Michael Davies, Sophia Crabtree, Dartanyon Coffield, Reuben Allford
HIVE MILESTONE: Tolini Vave, Charlie Van Roy, Konna Peters, Abbiegail Peters, Tyler O’Rielly, Max Mangan, Yindi Lopez Bertalli, Jaxon Higgins, Kenolee Hettiarachchi, Lenin Guevarra, Kimberly Dong, Archer Barlow, Samuella Allieu,
CALENDAR EVENTS:
NOVEMBER:
Thursday 14th – 2025 Foundation Transition session #5 at 12.15pm
Wednesday 27th - First Reconciliation Sacred Heart Church
Friday 29th - Middle Unit Liturgy 9.15am
- SRC Mission Month fundraising activities at 11.00am
- Assembly 2.45pm in the hall
DECEMBER:
Tuesday 3rd – Grade 6 Orientation Day- St Joseph’s College
- St Joseph’s College Year 7 2025 Information evening
Friday 6th – Foundation Activities Day
Friday 13th – Whole school Transition to new classes 9.00am-11.00am
- End of Year Whole School mass 12.15pm
Sunday 15th – Year 6 Graduation Sacred Heart church
Monday 16th- Whole School Concert Rehearsal
Tuesday 17th End of Year Christmas Concert- 7.00pm
Wednesday 18th- Last day of school for students 3.25pm finish
I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoyable weekend.
As always
Keep the Faith!
Vince Muscatello
St Paul's 2024 Christmas Concert
Christmas Concert Arrangements
- Students will sit with their teacher and LSO throughout the concert.
- Please ensure students arrive dressed in their designated outfits.
- Parents please bring a picnic rug or chairs for seating.
- Please arrive at 6.45pm, Concert will commence at 7pm.
- Enjoy the evening!
Religious Education News
Mission Fundraising
Over the past two weeks, our SRC students, along with their peers, have been busily fundraising for the Shared Table in Peru. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the SRC Committee, along with all students and their families for their very generous donations so far. Together, we have raised over $1200 to date. This Friday will be our last day of fundraising. Our SRC's will be selling Zooper Doopers, Beaded Bracelets, Balloon Animals and will be running a sponge throwing contest. Prices will range from $1-$2. Thank you once again for reaching out to those most in need.
Sacrament of First Reconciliation
Congratulations to all students across our school who have been preparing for their Sacrament of First Reconciliation. Tonight, they will come together at the Sacred Heart Church to celebrate their First Reconciliation at a time chosen by their families (5.30pm, 6pm or 6.30pm). If parents / carers have any questions regarding tonight's sacrament, please contact the Parish Office. Thank-you.
Foundation Unit News
What a busy year we are having! This time of year comes around very quickly and when we think back to the start of the year we realise how much growth has occurred within the Foundation unit. It is such a rewarding time to reflect on and appreciate all of the incredible progress the children have made. We are very proud of every child in the unit.
The transition program for the 2025 Foundation students has concluded. The program ran for six weeks and the sessions times have been extended throughout the weeks. It was a great opportunity for the new students to become familiar with school life and learn about what they may expect next year. The current Foundation students were required to move from their familiar space into the middle unit for the last six weeks, so they will be glad to stay in their space for the remainder of the term.
CAMP DAY: On Friday 6th December the Foundation students will be having their camp/fun day. They will begin the day with some fun activities with their buddy. Lunch will be provided from Domino's Pizza. Then the children will be going to the Water Play Park at Hugh King Drive in Mildura. The children will return in time for recess and then they will take part in some craft activities. After school they will be watching a movie with donuts and ice-creams. PICK UP TIME: 5:00pm.
Junior Unit News
Religion: So far this term we have been thinking about God and learning more about the way Catholic Christians understand God. We have learnt about Jesus’ baptism and have thought about what this teaches us about God’s love.
One of the things Jesus taught his followers was the importance of prayer. Jesus would often get up early and go out by himself to pray. He also taught his followers the ‘Our Father’ and modelled how to pray. This meant his relationship with God was strong and helped him live a life of love for others.
There are lots of different ways to pray and people from many faiths pray. We have been learning about the ways that Catholic Christians pray. There are some prayers which many Catholic Christians know. These are called formal or traditional prayers. There are also prayers that people make up in our hearts. These are called informal prayers. Some prayers don’t need any words said aloud at all. These are prayers that happen through thinking.
Inquisitive: This term, we have been learning all about materials and their purpose. Last week, we learnt a new technique called weaving. We learnt that weaving is a way of creating things by crossing threads over and under each other to form patterns. We had a go at weaving and had lots of fun! There are instructions included below if you would like to weave your own paper basket at home!
Basket Weaving
Senior Unit News
Grade 6 Graduation
The Grade 6 students will celebrate their Graduation on Sunday December 15th. We encourage parents/carers to drop their children off at the Sacred Heart Church, Eleventh Street at 4:45pm to be ready for a 5pm start. Students will participate in a Graduation Mass, followed by a ceremony and then dinner at Pizza Café. Please ensure your child has been given consent to attend the dinner on SIMON as this will assist with ensuring dietary requirements are met.
Following the Graduation ceremony, parents are asked to take their child to the Pizza Café where staff and Year 6 students will enjoy a meal together. Students to be collected promptly at 7.45pm.
Students are advised to wear neat casual/semi-formal clothes for the Graduation.
Please contact Tom Pike at tpike@spmildura.catholic.edu.au if you require clarification.
Grade 5's St Joseph's Visit
Grade 6 Pool Day
Tech News
The Tech space has been buzzing with excitement lately as students dive into new learning experiences and revisit concepts explored earlier this year.
Foundation students have been expanding their coding skills using directional arrows. Last week, they were introduced to Jack, the robotic Code 'n' Go Mouse! This week, they practiced guiding Jack to the cheese by programming arrow sequences. The students demonstrated great success, not only in coding but also in collaborating respectfully with their partners.
Yesterday, Year 1 and 2 students reviewed their understanding of hardware and software by identifying their differences and providing examples of each. They then explored a new program, Blooket, to test their knowledge and enjoy some friendly competition with their peers. The concentration was fierce.
Stay tuned for the next newsletter to discover what the middle and senior classes have been exploring in Tech!
Administration News
Thank you to those families who have completed their 2025 School Fee Commitment forms so promptly. This is very much appreciated. Admin will follow up once fees have been calculated. The Payment Option Form will be sent home over the next week for you to sign and return . A SMS will be sent when this form is being sent home with your child.
Parent Notice Board
OPENING THE DOORS FOUNDATION
The Foundation is a First Nations run grass-roots organisation which supports First Nations students across Victoria to attend the school of their choice with all necessary supplies.
More information is available in the racks outside the sick bay door or on the website www.openingthedoors.org.au