Newsletter #13 May 12
Principal's News
Dear St Paul's families,
Welcome to this week's news.
I hope all our mums had a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday. Thank you to everyone involved with the Liturgy and the shared lunch. Unfortunately, I was in Melbourne for a meeting and missed all the excitement. However, by all accounts, everyone enjoyed themselves. While we celebrate Mother's Day once a year, in recognition of everything they do for us, we should celebrate it far more often as our mums do an amazing job!
ENROLMENT 2022 INTERVIEWS: This week we began our enrolment interviews for our 2022 Foundation children. If you have not yet made an appointment, please contact the office to do so as soon as possible. Interviews are being held next week as well and then I will be meeting with Mr Gibson and Fr Matthew to discuss our enrolments moving forward. Don't leave it too late.
CROSS COUNTRY: Last Wednesday a number of our students competed in the interschool cross-country championships and we have a few of them who will be representing us at regionals in St Arnaud. A special congratulations to Jett Johnson who finished first in his age group category. A wonderful achievement!
NAPLAN: This week the Year 3 and 5 children will be participating in NAPLAN. This is a standardised assessment implemented by the government for all children. Whilst the teachers have been preparing the children to understand the format of the assessment tasks, it is important to note that it is only one piece of assessment that is used by the school and not the only one. We have a number of assessment tools and strategies implemented on a regular basis to inform us of the progress made by your children. I understand that for some children they may become anxious, especially with the media attention surrounding NAPLAN. We just encourage them to try their best and more importantly ask you to reassure them as well.
WELCOME: Today I welcome Ms Stephanie Ben from the Independent Education Union, who is visiting the area to share updates with our staff regarding the new enterprise bargaining agreement for all employees. Welcome this week to Ashley Derrick as she continues her Learning Support Officer Placement program.
BALLARAT DIOCESE: This week I will be in Ballarat attending the Diocesan Leadership Gathering for all Principals in the Ballarat Diocese. Once a term the Principals gather with Catholic Education Ballarat staff to share insights, initiatives and future developments for Catholic Education in our diocese. It will also culminate in a dinner Friday evening to acknowledge the wonderful contributions made by staff in schools across the diocese, especially those who have reached the 30 year milestone. It's an amazing achievement to have contributed 30 years to Catholic Education and it is important that these wonderful people are recognised for their commitment, dedication and endeavour.
Congratulations to this week's milestone winners.
BEE MILESTONE:Ariani Arden, Natasha Cavallo, Chaunte Clark, Pippa Doecke, Ella Garland, Denim Humphrey, Felix Moyle, Anakin Nilnak, Konna Peters, Addison Welsh
HIVE MILESTONE: Sam-Soni Ahotaeiloa, Willow Droffelaar, Abbie Freeth, Joseph Lloyd, Layla Powell,
As always
Keep the Faith!
Vince Muscatello
Principal
Foundation Unit News
On Monday the Foundation and Junior Unit were fortunate to have Simon from Responsible Pet Ownership visit our school with his very well behaved dog "Rory". He taught the children how to approach an unknown dog. We learnt that before you approach a dog you must firstly ask permission to pat the dog from the owner. If the owner says "yes" you then walk towards the dog in an arc (it is important not to walk straight towards the dog as it can scare them) before you pat the dog you must make a fist with your hand and put your thumb inside your fist, then it is safe to pat the dog on its body. We also learnt what to look for to be aware of how a dog is feeling. If they have a stiff tail, they are usually unhappy, if their tail is wagging they are happy. We learnt not to pat a dog if it is eating.
The session was fun and very informative and the children were excited to go up to Rory and have a pat. Below are some photos of the children who had the opportunity to pat Rory and put their learning into practise.
Junior Unit News
Hello Junior families. Welcome to Week 4!
On Monday we were fortunate enough to have been visited by Simon who spoke to us about how to be responsible pet owners. We got to meet his pet dog Rory. We learnt how important it is to register our pets, feed them healthy food, play with them and how we can and should understand our pet's feelings. We also learnt how important it is to always ask a pet owner if we can pat their dog before getting too close.
Last week the students had a wonderful time coming together to enjoy a teddy bear's picnic. This week in our Religion lessons, students will continue to discuss and explore how it feels to belong and gather with friends and family thinking about how we can ensure we include others through our actions and words.
SENIOR NEWS
Welcome to Week 4!
This week Grade 5 students are participating in NAPLAN. Grade 6 students were given alternative learning tasks to complete during this time.
On Friday, the senior students will celebrate Mass with Father Matthew. All parents and caregivers are welcome to attend in the Chapel at 9.15am.
We are excited, as next week is MAPPEN week. Students will be learning about Australian Democracy. We will have an incursion with the Victorian Electoral Commission and a visit from Ali Cupper.
A group of students have been working on extending their literacy skills with Mrs Courtney. Below is a Parody written by Oliver Welsh!
Ollie’s AFL Parody
By Oliver Welsh
The Pies have fallen into a heap,
North has fallen asleep.
The Dogs are a surprise.
The Dees are on the rise.
The Tigers are coming,
And the Suns are still crumbling.
The Cats don’t know where they’re going.
Now Port have started glowing.
Nathan Buckley is on the ropes,
And the Crows have high hopes.
Hawks are trying to find their spark,
As Essendon can’t take a mark.
Carlton are choking,
And the Swannies are smoking.
Tigers can’t play without Dusty.
The Saints are gettin rusty.
The Dogs bandwagon is getting bigger,
As the AFL is about to pull the trigger.
Petracca will vs Martin one day,
And Jack Viney is the Dees’ gun stowaway.
The Lions are always on and off,
As the Fremantle side are having a cough.
Now GWS are havin it rough.
This is what I think about this game
There is no one to ‘blame’.
No Nonsense Phonics
MIDDLE UNIT NEWS
The students have settled into the week well. On Tuesday, the students had their first NAPLAN tests (Language Conventions and Writing). They all completed the tests with an open and positive mindset and worked to the best of their ability. We are proud of their efforts.
In Religion, we have been learning about Growth, and all of the different ways that can be interpreted. You can check out some of the students working on their painting of what Growth means to them.
Next week is Mappen week. Students will create an informative poster and (if they finish their posters), dioramas to represent the topic. If you have any shoe boxes, small boxes or other recyclable items can you please send them to school with your child for this project.
This has been our last week learning about subtraction. You can out Carl and Mr Freeman’s Maths groups learning about using the algorithm strategy to subtract in these photos!
Subtraction with Mr Freeman (and Carl)
In Writing this week students are going to be exposed to an exciting experience. Keep an eye out in next week’s newsletter for some photos of this. Students will then write a recount of this experience. This is a new genre and we are sure the students will enjoy tapping into their writing skills to create something new and exciting. They will also have a lesson on writing emails. Students will discuss the importance of using emails to communicate and the types of emails that are appropriate to write. This would be a great time to discuss and revisit with students the ICT agreement they signed that outlines appropriate computer use within our school.
Here are some photos from last week's visit from Phil Kettle.
Author Visit - Phil Kettle
MAPPEN EXPOS - Foundations, Juniors & Middles
MAPPEN EXPO - FRIDAY 21st MAY, 1-2pm
Students in the Foundations, Juniors & Middles will open their classrooms again on Friday 21st May from 1pm-2pm.
SENIOR students WILL NOT be having an expo this time, however they will be developing a website that can be shared with their families.
Religious Education News
Thank you to those who were able to come and celebrate our Mother's Day Mass with us last Friday. The weather was glorious and it was just wonderful to see the children sharing lunch out in the sunshine with mums, grandmas and other special people before mass.
Mother's Day
Next Friday, 21st of May, the children in grades 5 and 6 who are preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation will be taking part in a retreat day. It will be held at St Paul's within the school day and other children from around the district will be joining us in preparation.
Children will need to bring their own lunch on the day, or order lunch from the canteen.
Arts News
In the last week, how many of your kids have come home singing about the 7 continents?! Thanks to our fantastic Foundation students learning this song for the Mildura Eisteddfod, all of the kids at St Paul's have been enjoying it each time the music plays on the bell.
The children are doing a fabulous job learning the song and having fun finding out so much about our world too!
Foundation
Technology News
Last week Foundation students continued exploring how plants and animals are grown for food. We began by reading 'Grace's Mystery Seed' written by Juliet Sampson.
In the story, Grace and Mrs Marino planted a mystery seed and after reading we recalled the steps they followed to plant it and put them in order.
Then, we followed those steps to plant our own mystery seeds.
Step 1 - Add the soil
Step 2 - Make a hole in the soil
Step 3 - Add the seed
Step 4 - Water the seed
Step 5 - Wait for the seed to grow
We are all very excited to see what kind of plant our seed will grow and if it will have food we can eat.
Do It For Dolly Day
Friday, 14th of May is 'Do It For Dolly Day.' This day is about bring the community together to celebrate kindness and uniting in taking a stand against bullying. This year in particular, 'Dolly's Dream' and 'The Alannah and Madeline Foundation' are bringing awareness to online bullying and the effects it has on our children by providing support for parents and asking:
Do you know the seven signs your child is being bullied online?
- They become upset or anxious when using their devices
- They suddenly stop using their devices.
- They become upset after using the internet or their phones.
- Unexpected changes in friendship groups.
- A decline in school work.
- Avoidance of school or clubs.
- Avoiding other teens or seeming lonely, depressed, sad or anxious.
For more information click the link below:
Until next week, remember - technology is just a tool, what matters is how we use it.
Mrs Simms
Physical Education News
Division Cross Country:
Last week, 9 middle unit students and 9 senior unit students competed locally at the next stage of the Cross Country. The competition was certainly a step up from our own school event, with the best runners from other schools providing tough competition. All 18 children fought their butterflies and enjoyed running their races. Well done to everyone who attended for trying their best. A special congratulation to Lyla, Jett & Jacob who did particularly well to progress to the regional stage at St Arnaud later this term. They all finished in the top 12 for their races, with Jett finishing 1st in his. Good luck at the next stage!
Interschool Soccer & Netball:
Our senior soccer and netball teams will be competing against other schools on Wednesday 26th May. Further details will be available later this week.
Division Cross Country
Hands Up Mallee
Due to the sun’s UV rays hovering around 3, as of tomorrow, hats will be optional for students to wear at school until further notice later in the year.
Brainfood is an important part of our school day, just like lunch and recess eating. It is therefore just as important to make sure that your children have brainfood packed in their lunch box for the day. This may be a piece of fruit, vegetable, yoghurt etc. All students eat brainfood in their classroom at 10:00 to help keep fuel in their bodies.
We do keep a bowl of fruit at the front office for students who forget/don’t have any but this is preferred to be an emergency use. We are currently going through a box of apples every 1-2 weeks. If you have any fruit trees or spare fruit it would be appreciated if you were able to drop some off to help us support our students that do not have access to fruit for whatever reason it may be.
Sunraysia Catholic Communities Bulletin
Parent Noticeboard
Mildura Junior Motorcycle Club are holding a come and try day at the end of May for children 7-16 years of age.
