Term 3 Week 8 - 8 September 2023

Mr David JOHNS   B.Ed., Cert. Gifted Ed., Grad. Cert. Adol. Health and Welfare, M.Ed. (Ed Lead), M.Ed. (Theol) 

Principal

kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

As summer is approaching the College has commenced preparations for the upcoming bushfire season. We are developing a plan should a fire emergency occur in our area during school hours. Our bushfire plan takes into consideration the safety of students and staff while at school as well as families needing to collect their children from school and make their way home safely.

In general terms, should the Rural Fire Service or relevant Authority escalate a Fire Alert Level to ‘Watch and Act’, our College leadership team, in consultation with the Catholic Schools Office, will determine if it remains safe and viable for the College to remain open. Please be assured that our Bushfire Management Plan will always err on the side of caution.

Should we need to change the opening status of the College, you will be advised via Compass and/or text message. We ask that all parents or adults in a household download Compass and have their phone on and available throughout the summer bushfire season. This message will clearly state that if the College will be open or remain closed for the next day, or if the College is closing and the request and instructions to collect your child/ren.

Should the opening status of the College change, this will also be posted on the College's website and Facebook page. I take this opportunity to remind you during this time to avoid calling the College to ask if it is open or closed as we must remain easily contactable to fire authorities. Please rely on the information distributed via Compass/text message, College website and College Facebook page.

It is strongly recommended that you and your family consider developing your own plan of what you will do in a bushfire event. Please talk to your children about what to expect if there is a bushfire near your home or the school. The Rural Fire Service has resources available to help you with your family bushfire plan.

We are confident in our planning and also hopeful we will not need to action it this coming season.

David Johns
Principal

Many students are in the middle of assessments this week. We wish them all the best in completing the work to the best of their abilities!

Year 12 - HSC Exam preparation
As of the day this newsletter is released… the HSC exams will begin in 33 days! This is the time that students can be reflecting on the comments from their trial exams in order to know what to study. Please also encourage the students to use Atomi to support their study at this stage.

Year 11 Final Preliminary Exams
Year 11 final exams will take place next week. The students are only required to be at school for each exam they need to sit. If they would like to come in to study they can, however regular Year 11 classes will not be taking place. Please encourage the students to be using Atomi as well as their individual class notes to prepare for the exams.

Feedback: Year 7-12 Parent Teacher Interviews
I sent out an email via Compass to review our Parent Teacher evening processes. Please follow this link to reply with feedback whether you were able to attend or not. I thank those parents who have already filled in the survey. This is valuable data that will help us to improve our processes for next year.

Attendance
Please ensure your children are attending school right up until the end of Term. Each day of learning is valuable, as are our celebration days. It all forms part of the wonderful opportunity we have to be a part of the St Paul’s community.

If your child has a medical appointment, please try to schedule it outside of College hours. I understand that this isn’t always possible and please inform the office via email to kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au or call 6562 7200 if they need to attend an appointment. Students should not be leaving school for any other reason.

I am linking a document for your perusal that talks about the relation between attendance and achievement in Australian schools. Attendance Matters

“The effects of non-attendance on achievement are cumulative and can impact both academic achievement and attendance in future years of schooling” – Hancock et al., 2013; Zubrick, 2014

Please reach out if you have any questions about the learning for your students.

Ms Kate Fullbrook - Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

kate.fullbrook@lism.catholic.edu.au

The importance of RU OK?Day - Thursday 14 September
One of the important Pastoral Care days at St Paul’s is RU OK? Day which is being celebrated on Thursday 14 September. RU OK? Day is an annual event in Australia focusing on promoting mental health awareness, encouraging open conversations about mental wellbeing and providing support to individuals who may be struggling with their mental health. It originated in Australia but has gained recognition and participation worldwide. The primary goal of RU OK? Day is to create a culture where people feel comfortable discussing their mental health and seeking help when needed.

There are 4 important aspects that should be focused on next Thursday:
1. Ask RU OK?
2. Listen
3. Encourage action
4. Check in

St Paul’s has wonderful staff who encourage positive supportive conversations. Our Pastoral team is brilliantly led by Ms Fiona Stuart and her outstanding Pastoral Coordinators: Mr Mitch Robbins, Mr Matt Wilson, Mr Adam Mascord, Ms Megan Dunbar, Mr Aidhan Fahey and Ms Emma Tamblyn. This group meets regularly to discuss the range of programs offered at St Paul’s promoting better mental health support and important Pastoral programs. We are also incredibly fortunate to engage the advice and support of our College Counsellor, Ms Carmel Muddle, who is a friendly colleague whose impressive experience supports further opportunities and conversations with students and their families.

To support RU OK? Day on Thursday 14 September, students and staff are encouraged to wear yellow clothing items to help create awareness. St Paul’s is a community fostering a culture of openness, empathy, and support surrounding mental health. RU OK? day reminds us to check in on one another, offer help when needed, and to work together to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues. By doing so, we can create a more compassionate and understanding society where everyone feels valued and supported on their mental health journey.



Mr Geoffrey Melville - Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing

geoffrey.melville@lism.catholic.edu.au

Year 11 Final Examinations
Year 11 students will sit their Final Examinations from 11 September to 18 September. Students do not need to attend school if they do not have an exam, however, they are more than welcome to use the designated study rooms if they would like to stay at school to study.

The timetable can be found HERE.

Mrs Amy Tovey - Leader of Curriculum

amy.tovey@lism.catholic.edu.au

Retro Games Tuesday
Retro Tuesday was again well attended with some students venturing beyond the realms of cards to develop their own colony on the island of ‘Catan’. This has been so successful that the board game now occupies its only little corner of the library for this group of enthusiasts to continue building their colony: constructing roads, villages and towns and producing resources, but alas, relying on the roll of the dice to determine their fortune.

We welcome other students to come and try their hand at one of our many board games, including the recently purchased Sequence, if they are ‘game’ enough!

YEAR 12 PARENTS
A quick reminder that library loans for non-ATAR students are due back at the end of this Term. For those Year 12 students undertaking exams, could library resources please be returned on the day of their final exams. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Kind regards

Mrs Patrice Martin, Mrs Cathy Whalen & Ms Karen Irvine- Library Assistants

Learning Walks and Talks
Our College is part of a Learning Collaborative; a growth, development and research partnership with Catholic Schools Lismore and Dr Lyn Sharratt, a highly accomplished practitioner, researcher, author, and presenter. The focus of this partnership is to improve literacy across the College and to ensure that what we do in the classroom improves student learning.

Assessment literacy is essential to improve student learning and involves students having a clear understanding of the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria of a particular unit of work. This enables them to know what they are learning and why, and to determine how they are going in their learning.

As part of our goal to address student literacy shortcomings and improve learning in the classroom, we will continue to conduct Learning Walks and Talks (LWT). These enable us to gather data about what we are doing well and what we can do better to improve the learning outcomes of all students in our College.

The LWTs involve one or two teachers entering a classroom for 5-7 minutes to ask the students the following questions:

• What are you learning and why are you learning this? This question enables us to establish if the students understand the purpose of the lesson. In other words, do they know the learning intention and why they are learning the content presented to them?
• How are you going in that learning? This question enables us to know if the students understand what is being taught, and if they know and use the success criteria that enable their success in a lesson.
• How do you know how you are doing in that learning? The question enables us to establish if the students are seeking, giving and receiving feedback about their progress in relation to the success criteria.
• How do you improve? This question enables us to establish if the students are setting goals for themselves so that they can improve in their learning.
• Where do you go for help if you’re stuck? This questions enables us to determine if the students go beyond the teacher for help, such as comparing their work to exemplars, conducting research, referring to anchor charts, etc.

This information can then be used to determine the effectiveness of the professional development presented to our teachers and provides a focus for future professional learning opportunities.

Ultimately, we want all of our students to own their learning, to be critical thinkers and to be aspirational. Literacy encompasses all areas of learning and life. It allows for a more confident and literate employee with a greater chance of success within the world of work.


Ms Maria Littlejohn - Leader of Pedagogy

maria.littlejohn@lism.catholic.edu.au

R U OK? Day 2023
R U OK? Day is on Thursday 14 September and is our national day of action when we remind Australians that every day is the day to ask, 'are you OK?' and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about might be struggling with life.

The College community is encouraged to wear a Yellow accessory or Yellow mufti (out of uniform) and to bring some morning tea to share in PC time to show their support for this day. By sharing their morning tea we are hoping to encourage conversations with each other. 

The College policy regarding out of uniform can be found here.

Ms Fiona Stuart - Leader of Pastoral Care

fiona.stuart@lism.catholic.edu.au

All parents/carers and friends of the College are warmly invited to attend the next P & F meeting on Monday 11 September in the staff lunchroom at 5.30pm.

Staff, students and their families are cordially invited to attend the weekly Mass celebrated by Fr James Foster, Parish Priest in the College Chapel. Mass is held every Tuesday at 8.30 am. Please note that the last Mass to be held at St Paul's this Term is Tuesday 12 December.

Parking is available for parishioners and families in the staff car park on Sea Street (please do not use the North Street car park at this time due to use by school buses). 

For emergency evacuation purposes all attendees are requested to record their details using the sign in sheet provided outside the Chapel. This information will not be kept after visitors have left the College site.

On Monday St Paul's celebrated Australian Teacher Aide Appreciation Week. This was a significant opportunity for our community to recognise and acknowledge the work that our Co Educators do everyday in our College. We are lucky to have a strong and compassionate group of Co Educators working with our students, supporting their social, emotional and learning needs. For many of our students, our Co Educators make safe and trusting adults and forge positive and dependable relationships that our students can rely on. From all the staff and students at St Paul's College - thank you Co Educators (some of whom are pictured below) - we appreciate you!

St Paul's Creative and Performing Arts faculty (CAPA) presented the 2023 HSC Showcase at the College last week. The exhibition showcased the artworks of the Year 11 and HSC Visual Arts students and featured music and drama performances. Thanks to all students and staff involved for making the evening a huge success and to the Year 12 Hospitality students for catering the event.

St Paul's Year 12 English Studies students enjoyed an excursion last week to the Kempsey movie theatre and the local bowling alley after completing their modules. To end the day, students had a friendly game of netball against the teachers and Co-educators. A great day of fun was had by all. Thanks to Mrs Haaring for organising the excursion and to our Co Educators who also accompanied the students.

Over the past few weeks, St Paul's Vet Hospitality, Construction, Early Childhood, Human Services Aged Care and Primary Industries students have been undertaking work placement in the Macleay Valley and further afield. Work placement is a compulsory part of these VET subjects and students must complete a minimum of 35 hours per year in order to receive their full qualification.

We are extremely fortunate to have the support of so many local businesses in our community who are willing to take our students and provide these valuable experiences for them. Work placement gives students the opportunity to hone skills that they are learning in their chosen subject. Many students obtain part-time or full-time work as a result of their work placement.

Thank you to our local businesses who provided work placement for our students:

• Bowralea Farm Pty Ltd - Kara Ussher
• John Cummins Cattle Buyer- Wauchope
• Micheal and Rebecca Jeffrey - Dairy Farm - Austral Eden
• Greens Farm - Macksville - Mick and Debbie Green 
• Oakland Park Angus - Micheal and Kylie O'Donnell
• Springfield Farm - Gum Flat via Inverell- Chad Makim
• Waterloo Station - Walcha - Henry King
• Benbowra Dairy Missabotti - Robert and Melanie MacDonald

Our work placements are organised by Mid Coast Connect, who does all the preliminary organisation. We are fortunate to have the service of Mid Coast Connect who provide an exceptional service.

As our VET course offerings continue to grow at the College, we are always looking for more cooperative businesses willing to take a student for a block placement. If you think your business may be able to help in this regard, please contact Mr Graham Bramley, our Leader of VET, graham.bramley@lism.catholic.edu.au

For more information on the VET courses offered at St Paul's, please visit HERE

Congratulations to St Paul's Year 11 student, Phoebe L., who has won an Optus Inspiration Grant. The Inspiration Grant program was offered by Optus to help young people from all over Australia to kick start their dreams and to realise their full potential. Phoebe plans to use this grant to attend a tour to India with the Northern Districts Cricket Club.

As part of an English assessment task, St Paul’s Year 7 students have created picture books for students from Kindergarten to Year 2.

The students' picture books will be on display at the Kempsey Library until Saturday 7 October. Parents/carers, families and friends are invited to view the incredible books that the Year 7 students have produced.

Wednesday 15 November 2023
We are very much looking forward to welcoming all our Year 7, 2024 students to their Orientation Day at St Paul’s College on Wednesday 15 November 2023. Please note that this is a day for enrolled students only.

PROGRAM COMMENCES - 8.55am
PROGRAM CONCLUDES - 3.25pm

Important Information:

Absence - This is a COMPLUSORY day for all enrolled students to attend. Please inform your child’s primary school that they will be absent on this day. If your child is unable to attend the Orientation Day please contact us as soon as possible to advise us of their absence (before 8.55am Wednesday 15 November 2023).

Transport - It is the responsibility of families to arrange transport for their child to and from the College for this day. Please note, your child's primary school will NOT be arranging transport.

Bus - Families will need to communicate with the relevant bus company regarding bus transportation to and from the College. Students travelling to and from the College by bus will use the College bus bay area. Staff/students will be there to welcome students and will assist students in the afternoon to ensure that they catch the correct bus.

Car - If transporting your child yourself please drop them off and pick them up outside the main Sea Street entrance. Staff/students will be there to welcome students and assist in the afternoon. Please DO NOT use the North Street entrance/car park.

Arrival - Students are required to be at the College by 8.55am. On arrival at the College students will be escorted to meet with staff who will be delivering the day's activities.

Uniform - Your child should wear their primary school sport uniform including hat.

Lunch - We will provide a sausage sizzle for lunch. If your child has special dietary requirements or requires additional food to satisfy their appetite at lunchtime please send alternative/additional food with them.

Your child should bring the following with them:

• school bag
• pen
• their own recess
• water for the day
• additional/alternative food if required

Medication - If your child would normally carry medication such as an asthma puffer or Epipen please ensure that they have these with them on the day. If they require other medication through the day please contact the College via email kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au to discuss arrangements.

If there is any information that you feel the College requires to ensure the health and wellbeing of you child during Orientation Day please email kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

This is a very important day for all our Year 7, 2024 students. The program that has been prepared will be engaging and will provide activities allowing students to get to know their year group, their teachers and an orientation of College classrooms and related facilities.

We look forward to seeing your children at Orientation Day and getting to know them across the day.

Each year, St Paul's College provides the venue for NSW Health to conduct the NSW Schools Vaccination Program. PLEASE NOTE: NSW Health has a new process for collecting consent for your child to receive their vaccination at school. Please read the information below provided by NSW Health.

Vaccination Program Date remaining in 2023:

Term 4 – 17 October 2023

· Year 7 catch up (HPV & Boostrix)

· Year 10 & 11 Nimenrix (meningococcal ACWY) catch up

Online consent for school vaccinations
If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, or is in Year 11 and missed their Year 10 vaccinations in 2022, you can now provide online consent for their routine school vaccinations.

• Year 7 students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV).
• Year 10 students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.

Vaccinations will only be provided at school if consent has been received.

How to provide consent:

1. To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school
2. Click the login with ‘Service NSW Account’ button and log in using your Service NSW details. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a Service NSW account, refer to Service NSW to create one.
3. Update or confirm your personal details in Service NSW as required.
4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
   ⦁ Enter your child’s personal details
   ⦁ Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
   ⦁ Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
   ⦁ Provide consent

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form (please contact the College office on 6562 7200 to ask for a hard copy form).

Read a step-by-step guide on how to provide consent online. Translated guides are available in Arabic, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese.

For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination or contact the Port Macquarie Public Health Unit on 02 6589 2120.

The Tamworth Interschools Horse Extravaganza (ISHE) will be taking place from 13-16 October at the AELEC in Tamworth. Entries open on 14 August. If your son or daughter would like to represent St Paul's College at this event, please contact the parent team manager, Shelley Ball - 0411 169 303.

• ISHE Website
• ISHE Facebook Page