Principal's Message
Dear Parent/Carer
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
John 14: 1-12
Welcome to Term 2, 2023, it is hoped that the holidays were well enjoyed and that the Term has started well. I acknowledge the energy and focus from our students on their return. Staff have commented that students are quite settled and are well engaged in lessons and the completion of assessments leading up to the reporting period for Semester 1.
The Term has started well with significant involvement in ANZAC commemorative services across the Macleay and Nambucca Valleys. It was evident that our students value the significance of this day as attendance at the mass at All Saints Catholic Church, Kempsey and the various dawn services and marches increased from previous years.
Our new Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching, Ms Kate Fullbrook has joined us and is an excellent addition to our strong Executive team. Her knowledge of Curriculum together with her understanding of context (being a local to the area) has placed her well to continue our excellent work within the Learning and Teaching space.
I thank all families who continue to support the College in maintaining high standards regarding uniform, jewellery and mobile phone usage. It is obvious that high expectations around these areas has created a very settled, focussed student community.
As many in the community would be aware, we have been required to support over the last few years, from a distance, the Debutante Ball involving a number of our Year 11 students. COVID and more recently the College renovations have certainly impacted on the part St Paul's plays in the running of this event. Unfortunately, this year is no exception. Due to the ongoing delay with the completion of our new hall we will again be relying on a strong parent body, and the P & F to facilitate the organisational matters associated with this long standing event. I thank the students who have approached the College and the P & F for support. I note that a committee has been formed to move this forward and I thank them for their interest and commitment. The Debutante Ball has been scheduled for Saturday 2 September at the South West Rocks Country Club and I am sure it will be a terrific experience for all involved. As it stands, the Debutante Ball for 2023, while involving a significant number of St Paul's students, will not have any College affiliation with the event and will be administered and coordinated through the recently formed Debutante committee.
This week we launched our official survey called ‘Tell Them from Me’. Our students engaged in this survey, during PC time, under the directions of their PC teacher. School community voice is critical and we are structuring the completion of this survey in a way that supports a high completion rate – so the information we gather is authentic and reflective of ALL within our community. I would also invite as many parents/carers as possible to also take time to complete this survey. We will be looking at this information to provide direction as we consider our School Annual Improvement Plan and 3-Year Strategic plan.
I would remind our school community that we will be engaging in a School Review in the first week of Term 3. Reviewers trained in the use of the National School Improvement Tool (NSIT) will be coming to the College to meet with teachers, students and parents/carers to gauge how we are travelling as a school providing considered and informed direction for next steps and how to best resource. We are very excited about this opportunity and I strongly encourage parents/carers to communicate to the College if interested in taking part. School community support in this process is warmly encouraged.
Our Agricultural team, supported by Mr Graham Bramley, Ms Lisa Frewen and parents/carers, again performed extremely well across our regional shows. It continues to be evident that we have an exceptional Agricultural teaching team that has an enthusiasm that motivates students to continually give of their best. The students presented themselves incredibly well, demonstrated exceptional skills across all areas and showed a dedication to learn more and appeared as proud ambassadors for our College. They are indeed an impressive group of students!
We had a number of successful events across the first week of Term. Our Year 12 Science students travelled down to Sydney for a three-day excursion, which was an excellent opportunity for all involved. I thank Ms Rayleigh Keith (Acting Leader of Science) and her team in organising such a wonderful experience. Staff attending overnight events, being away from family, is a significant sacrifice and I thank them all. We also had our Cross Country Carnival which was held under beautiful skies. The route took students through Francis Farm (thanks to Mr Graham Bramley) and some great results were achieved. Participation and enthusiasm from students across the day was exceptional and I thank Mr Heath Needs and his team for all their work in bringing this event together.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Kind regards
Mr David JOHNS B.Ed., Cert. Gifted Ed., Grad. Cert. Adol. Health and Welfare, M.Ed. (Ed Lead), M.Ed. (Theol)
Principal