St Paul's Catholic Primary School Newsletter Term 3, Week 4 2021
Principal's Message
Good afternoon St Paul’s Families,
Last week I attended a two-day professional development session that focused on the National School Improvement Tool created by the Australian Council for Educational Research. This prompted me to reflect on the way we do things here at St Paul’s and find evidence of what we are doing really well and where we have room for improvement. From the nineteen-page document, there a couple of key lines that really stood out for me as being fundamental to continuous school improvement. This was one of them:
‘Parents and families are recognised as integral members of the school community and partners in their children’s education.’
Each and every day, I am reminded of how important our families are to our school community. This week as we celebrate Family Week, we have had an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of family and I thank you for the work you do as parents to support your child’s growth – emotionally, spiritually and academically.
This year we have had a particular focus on our approach to reading and writing and we know that one of the most important things for children and parents to do together is to read. This term we will celebrate Book Week (Week 8) with the theme, ‘Old World, New World, Other World.’ This will be a wonderful opportunity to families to focus on books and reading and the ‘worlds’ that books can take us to. In preparation for this, families may want to visit one of our wonderful local libraries https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries/kids-and-teens
Please note that in Week 9 (W/C 13/08/2021), we will have our three-way interviews as another opportunity for parents to share in their child’s educational journey. More information about booking interviews will be sent to families in the coming weeks.
Thank you once again for everything you do to help us with your child’s learning. We are so blessed to be part of this supportive and caring school community.
May the Spirit of Jesus with you and your family.
Ms Megan Evans
2021 SCHOOL TERM DATES
SEMESTER 2
TERM 3 (10 Weeks)
24/09/2021 Friday Last day of Term 3
27/09/2021 Monday to 08/10/2021 Friday Term Break
TERM 4 (10 Weeks)
11/10/2021 Monday Students return
16/12/2021 Thursday Last day for students
17/12/2021 Friday Last day for teaching staff
UNIFORM ORDERS
There has been another delay in our uniform orders due to an order error. We are currently working to rectify this issue with a new uniform company and hope to receive our remaining orders early Term 3.
If required, orders can be exchanged for larger sizes. Students in Year 6 awaiting orders are welcome to request a refund, please email Tahlia at: admin.stpauls@nt.catholic.edu.au
Families will be advised when their orders are ready for collection. We send sincerest apologies to all families that are still waiting and thank you for your patience yet again!
Upcoming Events
St Paul’s School Concert will be held on Thursday 26th of August at 7pm at the Darwin Entertainment Centre
Tickets are available for purchase now via the link below.
Students from Transition to Year 6 will be sitting upstairs in the Dress Circle and will NOT need to purchase a ticket.
ELC students will return to sit with their parents after their performance. ELC families are asked to call the Darwin Entertainment Centre Box Office on 89803333 and NOT via the website link.
ELC families please note when booking your tickets via phone, you will need to advise the Box Office that you have a child in the ELC so that a ticket will be allocated for your child. There will be no cost for ELC student’s tickets, only family members who are accompanying them.
Religious Education News
Thank you to everyone who sent a family photo to be displayed on our Family Week board. They are beautiful and reflect the love, joy and caring that is the essence of family. Family Week reminds us that through our students, we are connected and share a concern for the well-being, academic growth, spiritual guidance and social development of each child.
A special prayer, adapted from Pope Francis’ Prayer to the Holy Family, was shared with families.
- The MJR focus has been Friendship and the skills we need to maintain healthy friendships and form new ones. Please continue these discussions at home.
- Room 12 will be hosting Children’s Mass on 29th August and everyone is welcome to join the celebration.
- Confirmation – 2nd meeting will be on 24th August at 6:00pm.
Weekly Awards: Week 3 & Week 4
Week 3
Classroom News
General Information/News
OFFICE HOURS: The school office is open 7:50am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday during term time.
UNIFORM ORDERS: There has been another delay in our uniform orders due to an order error. We are currently working to rectify this issue with a new uniform company and hope to receive our remaining orders early Term 3. Families will be advised when their orders are ready for collection and sizes can be exchanged as needed. We send sincerest apologies to all families that are still waiting and thank you for your patience yet again!
LOST PROPERTY: Please check the names on your children's hats and other property as we have discovered that children are accidentally taking other children's belongings home.
SCHOOL FEES: School fee invoices have now been sent out to all families via email, please contact us if you have not received your email. When paying fees please ensure you include a reference for what the payment is for, either 'School Fees', 'OSHC Fees' or 'ELC fees' in the name.
SIBLING DISCOUNT: If you have more than 1 child studying at a Catholic School in the NT, you will be eligible for a sibling discount. Please contact finance.stpauls@nt.catholic.edu.au to inform our finance team of which schools your other children attend.
Rm 4 Transition - Miss Jo & Sr Hilde - SPORT DAY: Tuesday LIBRARY DAY: Friday
Rm 1 Yr 1-2 - Miss Mona - SPORT DAY: Tuesday LIBRARY DAY: Thursday
Rm 2 Yr 1-2 - Mr C - SPORT DAY: Wednesday LIBRARY DAY: Friday
Rm 8 Yr 3-4 - Miss Mandy & Sr Hilde - SPORT DAY: Wednesday LIBRARY DAY: Monday
Rm 9 Yr 3-4 - Miss Alex - SPORT DAY: Tuesday LIBRARY DAY: Thursday
Rm 12 Yr 5-6 - Mrs Del & Miss Margy - SPORT DAY: Tuesday LIBRARY DAY: Tuesday
Rm 13 Yr 5-6 - Miss Lauren & Miss Jess - SPORT DAY: Wednesday LIBRARY DAY: Wednesday
Rm 14 Yr 5-6 - Mrs Pond - SPORT DAY: Wednesday LIBRARY DAY: TBA
BOOK CLUB ORDERS: Book Club orders are sent out from Scholastic through the school twice per term. We use the “LOOP” system which means online ordering only. For more information on how to do this please see the link below www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP
Please remember to use your child’s classroom number when ordering.
PARENT CONTACT DETAILS: Please advise the office of any changes to your contact details. This includes phone numbers, address details and emails. It is vitally important that we have the correct contact number in view of any emergency. Thank you for your assistance in this area.
INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS: Instrumental lessons will take place again this year with Andrew Arthur, Violin lessons with Kirsty McCullum and Woodwind lessons with Eliza Tobin. Instrumental lessons will take place each Friday and Violin lessons each Wednesday during school hours. Contact details for Andrew are – dapa@live.com.au 0428153355 and Kirsty McCullum- kirstymac@bigpond.com and Eliza Tobin for Woodwind lessons - elizatobin@hotmail.com.
SCHOOL START TIMES: We request that families drop their children off at school as close to 8am as possible. Should you arrive prior to this time please wait on the steps outside the staffroom before going to the classroom. At 8:10am the first bell will sound which means the children and parents can then proceed to the classroom. The classrooms and office will be closed during that time however, recess/lunch trays will be accessible outside the classrooms.
SCHOOL DENTIST: St Paul’s does not have on onsite dental clinic, however you can use the Dental Clinic at Nightcliff Primary school. Parents are asked to contact the clinic on 89226466 to arrange an appointment. Parents are to accompany their child to the appointment. There is no charge for this service and it is highly recommended that children’s teeth should be regularly checked. This also includes pre-school children.
PICKING UP CHILDREN at the end of the school day. We ask that all parents/carers who will be picking up their child from school please wait in the area outside the office and staffroom.
CARPARK PICK-UP: In an effort to move the traffic along more quickly and freely we ask that parents safely follow the appropriate procedures. Should you need to get out and buckle your child in—we ask that you use the car spaces available to do so and not the pick up area.
CANTEEN NEWS:
New products available to order at the canteen: Please note the flavoured milks have 30% less sugar then alternatives
The Canteen is now open 5 days a week as of the 15th of March
Tuesdays and Thursdays will have a limited menu, please refer to Quickcliq for available items.
The Canteen will provide recess and lunch through quickcliq.com.au (account set up required). It seems that some children are choosing not to eat food brought from home and are instead requesting snacks and food from the canteen. Please note that families will be invoiced for this so please ensure your child is aware of what food is packed for them each day and that all food is labelled clearly (including packets of snack foods as it is confusing when children have the same snacks.
LUNCHES: Lunch boxes are taken to the coolroom each morning between 8.15 and 8.30am. It is important to be at school on time for the smooth running of this program and it is important that all recess and lunch boxes are labelled with your child’s name and Room No.
OSHC NEWS: If you have changed your child’s days from last year or would like more could you please let Anna-Lea or Ihrene know. If you wish to enrol in the program—Enrolment Forms can be collected from the office or OSHC. Thank you.
FULL TIME, PART TIME AND CASUAL BOOKED CARE: Please understand that fees will be charged for booked days regardless whether the child attends or not. As we need to consider rosters and menu food that are prepared and organised. There is a subsidy for your fees for this available from Centrelink. Please ring them for more information.
CANCELLATION OF CARE: Two weeks written notice will be required for cancellation of care for both full time and part time children. Change of care days should be supported by email and change to enrolment form. As above, there is a subsidy for your fees for this available from Centrelink. Please ring them for more information.
St Paul's Parents and Friends
Community Flyers
To be eligible for first round offers, and to ensure that an interview has been conducted, completed applications must be received by O’Loughlin Catholic College by Thursday 26th of August.
Our proposed interview dates for Term 3 are; 28 July, 11 August and 1st September.
First round offers will be announced via post Term 3 Week 8.
