St Paul's Catholic Primary School Newsletter 2022 Term 4, Week 10
Principal's Message
Dear St Paul’s Families,
As I write this, my final, newsletter for St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, I am filled with mixed emotions. Of course, I am saddened that my time here at St Paul’s has come to an end but I am also excited for the future of the school community.
It was fitting today that we farewelled our graduating Year 6 class of 2022. Thank you to the Year 6 Team of teachers and ISAs for all of their hard work in preparing our students for this big day. We thank the Year 6s for their contributions to St Paul’s and also thank their families for their contributions and the trust they have placed in us.
As I reflect on the last four years, I am incredibly proud of our achievements and I leave the school community knowing that my contributions have helped to make St Paul’s the welcoming, encouraging and supportive community it is today.
Once again, we were pleased with our academic results of 2022, being recognised as one of the top performing schools in the Northern Territory and we saw outstanding growth in the national ACER PAT (Progressive Achievement). This is testament to the hard work of our teachers and the commitment from families to assist children in their learning. A special mention must also go to our Inclusion Support team for the work they do to make our curriculum accessible to all students.
This year, we narrowed our annual improvement goals to allow us to focus on five particular goals – our ‘Five Point AIP’ (Annual Improvement Plan). This gave life to our pedagogical framework, data plan and intervention model and allowed us to have a greater focus on data analysis and professional development to improve outcomes for students.
The development of our Master Plan continues with future planning for our Junior Classrooms and the expansion of our Early Learning Centre. Thank you to Brendan Knox, parent and former board member for his support and advice in this area. Our capital works this year included the installation of an upgraded Fire Alert System and Senior School Toilet refurbishment. These works were supported by partial funding through the Block Grant Authority (BGA). We also installed new playground equipment and we thank our Parents and Friends Association for driving the fundraising for this project over the last couple of years. We were pleased that our Early Learning Centre also received an upgrade to their entrance and we thank the Northern Territory Government for their partial contribution to this through the Long Day Care Upgrade Grant. We also thank Hawkins and Clements (current St Paul’s family) for their work on this project. We are thrilled that work will commence in the new year on our Accessibility Project – a lift and access ramp that will allow equitable access for all students and their families.
We thank our outgoing staff members – Sr Hilde, Mr Derrick, Mrs Oliver, Mr Bodie, Miss April, Miss Katie and Miss Peta. Their contributions in their time at St Paul’s are greatly appreciated. Every staff member leaves a mark on a school and we are so grateful for their time with us.
I am incredibly grateful for the support of our staff, students and families, not just this year but over the last four years. I thank the leadership team members who I have worked with over the last four years and wish them well in bringing the future vision of the school to life. I thank the members of the St Paul’s Catholic Primary School board (past and present) for their wisdom and advice and members of the Parents and Friends Association for their hard work and commitment to the school. I am so thankful to the students of our school who continue embrace the spirit of Jesus in their lives and share this with those around them. We are so proud of the way our children use today’s lessons, academic and social, to improve their future. I am indebted to our staff and volunteers for their immense commitment to our school and the children and families we work with. Working in education can be tricky as we are often on the receiving end of highly emotive interactions – after all, we are working with the most precious assets our future has to offer. Our staff are hard-working, nurturing and calm; their work does not go unnoticed and I am so thankful for their support.
I wish you all the best for the years to come. I look forward to hearing about the success of our student’s in their future and I hope that each and every one of you is blessed with God’s grace. It has been an hounour and a privilege to have been part of the St Paul’s story and I look forward to seeing what the future brings.
May the spirit of Jesus fill your lives this Christmas, wherever you may be.
Ms Megan Evans
Events
Important Notices
PLEASE CHECK PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS IN NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE ON SZAPP FOR ST PAUL'S GENERAL INFORMATION
School Counsellor Sarah Hogg leaving St Paul's
We are sad to be losing Sarah to another school but wish her the very best. We appreciate having had her here at St Paul's and will miss her dearly.
Message from Sarah:
"I will sadly not be returning in this School Counsellor role at St Pauls School next year. Thank you for all your kind support over the years. It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of this school. I have loved working alongside all the students, families and staff at this amazing school. Goodbye and all the very best for 2023!"
OSHC IMPORTANT UPDATE
Dear St Paul's Outside Hours School Care families (After School Care and Vacation Care families),
With the easing of Covid restrictions & isolation rules, we have reviewed our OSHC booking policies, with subsequent changes to commence 1st January 2023. Please see changes outlined below.
Currently, for both After School Care and Vacation Care: If families cancel their booking in writing by 8:30am on the day of attendance (or day prior for Vacation Care), there is no charge for that day’s attendance. If the child goes home sick or we do not receive notice in writing then the family is still charged.
Change as of 1st Jan 2023: Two weeks written notice must be given for any changes to both After School Care and Vacation Care bookings or charges remain. If a child is absent (regardless of the reason) the charge for that day remains, regardless of bookings being casual or not. This is accommodated by the government entitlement of 42 allowable absences before Child Care Subsidy is affected. No changes will be allowed to usual scheduled days on public holidays (unless part of a holiday block or permanent change to booking).
Currently, a $25 After School Care booked care rate is charged per day if the same day/s are booked every week or fortnight for one term or more. Families are charged a $30 casual rate for bookings that do not meet the booked care requirements.
Change as of 1st Jan 2023: This booked care rate of $25 will be charged for all bookings with at least 2 weeks' written notice, regardless of what day/s are booked each week. $30 casual rate will be charged for any bookings with less than 2 weeks written notice. This is to assist families with irregular work rosters.
UNIFORM SHOP APPOINTMENTS 2023
We will receive our uniform order for 2023 in late December.
Please book here to prior to your visit to purchase uniforms during our busy time in our uniform shop at St Paul's reception.
School Fee Increase 2023
Please also be advised that there will be an increase in school fees next year. This is due to the tuition fee increase as decided by Catholic Education NT (see circular from CENT below) and also the introduction of the ICT levy of $250 per child with a limit of $500 per family.
We thank you for your understanding.
Birthday Treats
This is a friendly notice that if it is a child's birthday, we ask that you do not bring any food or treats. This is to respect the dietary needs of all children & families and also to maintain equity for all. On the day of the child’s birthday, the teacher will organise for the class to acknowledge the child’s birthday.
Parents organising a party outside of school should refrain from giving out invitations during school time, particularly if not all children are invited. It can lead to some children feeling excluded and cause unnecessary upsets. Parents should discuss options with their child’s teacher about appropriate distribution of invitations, give them directly to parents before or after school or contact them privately.
The decision was made by the school board in 2021.
Community Flyers
