TERM 2
WEEK 5
WEEK 5
As the school year is nearing an end, I have been reflecting a lot on the year we have had, the successes, the challenges.
Last week, Hollie and I shared with our school board, the growth in our school throughout 2023. It was a fun time showcasing areas in teaching and learning, school grounds, student well-being and operational improvements. St Paul’s is in a very healthy space and our future is looking strong!
A Good Time to Reflect on 2023
Yours in Christian service
Brad Moss
Principal
Below are several positive areas that stand out as key foundations of our strength here at our school.
Investing in a positive culture
We have a very positive and encouraging school environment. This is crucial for fostering a healthy and effective learning atmosphere. I believe this comes from our Christian values and the standard that we place on respect, kindness, empathy, and valuing each other. We encourage a culture of inclusivity, where everyone feels valued and accepted.
We have a generous parent community
I am continually blown away with the support our school receives from our parent body. Our Chapels and school events are always well-attended and the generosity of our parent’s time with helping at school events is a key contributor to our success. On behalf of our staff team, I would like to thank all of our families for your support and commitment towards our staff and our school. We are all very grateful to be part of the St Paul’s team and we are looking forward to working together and having another successful year in 2024.
Supportive staff that focuses on student-centred learning
Staff invest constantly in professional development, focusing on positive teaching strategies that engage student learning. Teachers invest enormous amounts of time creating learning experiences that inspire our students. They develop learning experiences that is not only academically rigorous but also engaging and relevant to real-world experiences. Our PBL showcases are a perfect example.
We believe in creating an environment that develops positive well-being
One of our biggest strengths is we know every child and invest time in building relationships with our students. Staff promote mental and physical well-being through tailored support programs that focus on emotional regulation, developing understanding of other people’s perspectives and viewing challenging social situations through an empathetic lens. Staff are continually discussing how we can support our students and guide them to become resilient and compassionate people.
End of Year
A reminder to all parents that our end of year Graduation and Awards Service is on Tuesday 12th December at 6:30pm. We ask that ALL students are in attendance in their full school uniform. For school that day, students can come to school in casual clothes, so their uniform is all ready for the evening. Although this is a celebration for our Year 6 students, it is also an opportunity for many students to be recognised for their achievements and for our school community to finish the year in worship together. All students (including Yr 6) are then expected to be at school, wearing CHRISTMAS COLOURS, on Wednesday 13th December for a FUN celebration in classrooms and finishing the day at the pool.
Final Chapel
Next Tuesday (Week 9), will be our final chapel for the year. This service will be run by our Year 6 students, and we will also announce the final Spirit Awards for the year. These awards recognise a student from each class who have displayed many/all of the Learner Profile skills throughout the year.
2024 Class Transitions
Last week you would have received an email from Brad about staffing and class structure for 2024. Today we split off into those class groups as a transition for what next year will look and feel like. All classes had activities happening to ensure a fun and enjoyable experience was had for all students.
Transitions are times when students move between and adapt to different spaces or places with different people, experiences, expectations and routines. The start of a new year can be a time of worry as classes change. The aim of our transitions is to familiarise students with their new teacher/s, peers and classroom to avoid any feelings of anxiety, as much as possible.
What a great morning we had in K/1 on a teddy bear picnic, icing biscuits in 2/3 and completing a STEM challenge in 4/5/6!
Blessings,
Hollie
mainly music
Mon 4 Dec
COMBINED SCHOOL'S SERVICE
Fri 1 Dec
SWIMMING @ 1.30pm
Wed 13 Dec
SWIMMING HENTY POOL
Tues 5 Dec
CLASS TRANSITION
Thurs 7 Dec
LAST DAY SCHOOL 2023
Wed 13 Dec
FIRST DAY SCHOOL 2024 - YR 1 - 6Tues 30 Jan
FIRST DAY SCHOOL 2024 - KINDERThurs 1 Feb
GRADUATION & AWARDS SERVICE
Tues 12 Dec
A couple of reminders from Alison's Desk:
* There are quite a few items in lost property. Please come in and check when you are next passing by. I'm very happy to write names in permanent marker for any of the students who come and ask me.
* Summer is around the corner and there are new after school activities: please let me know if there are any changes for the after-school routines for your child. If it's a once off, don't forget to call, text or email before 3:00pm. If it's for the rest of the term, please write an email.
Thanks!!
What a wonderful afternoon we had on Monday as we celebrated our PBL Showcase. Thank you to all the parents who came along and shared with the students. They all worked so hard to research their animals and then make a jigsaw and a 3D model. Well done!
On Wednesday we celebrated our final Kinder transition day with a Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Our teddies and Year 5 buddies helped us complete a treasure hunt with all sorts of amazing treasures. We sang, danced and created all things teddy bear related.
Although the weather wasn’t that kind to us, we still had a picnic in the hall and the teddies had a great time on the parachute!
Thank you to the Year 5 students for being big buddies. The next time we see the preschoolers at school they will be Kinder students!
Despite the cooler weather, everyone enjoyed heading down to the pool on Tuesday for the first of our water safety lessons.
*** Just a reminder to all parents that we would appreciate all readers, reading folders and library books being returned to school as soon as possible.
Christine Biar
On Monday, the 5/6 class presented their PBL showcase to the school and families. The driving question for their projects was:
‘How can I, as an engineer, solve the problem of space junk to create a more sustainable solution to explore space?’
Students presented inventions from giant magnets to machines with claws to collect space junk.
Well done 5/6!
On Wednesday, I spent time with my 2024 class. I had a wonderful time getting to know the Year 1 and 2 students. We had fun learning about the Birth of Jesus and decorating Christmas themed biscuits.
Blessings,
Miss Katie Ridley
This term in Creative Arts students have been participating in Dance activities.
K-1 students have been exploring the theme ‘Dinosaurs’. They have created their own set of dinosaur movements and turned these movements into short motifs which will be linked together to create a class dance, performed to a piece of music.
2-3-4 have explored the theme of 'Carnival of the Animals', taking inspiration from 'Carnival of the Animals' by Camille Saint-Saëns. Students have experimented with and used a variety of dance techniques and styles to represent the different animals featured in the piece of music. They have learnt to dance in unison and in canon and discovered how to use dynamics in their dancing in order to fit the mood and the tempo of a piece of music.
Felicity Habermann
5-6 have used the theme of ‘Electricity’ as their focus for dance. They have used a range of different techniques required in the art of dance including the skill of improvisation; how to react appropriately to different stimuli; how to move with precision, control and fluency; how to use movement to demonstrate an idea and how to evaluate and improve their performance. The students have developed their skills of cooperation, working both in pairs and small groups to create movement phrases while creating a dance phrase to represent their own take on ‘The Journey of a Spark’.
Chapel - Tuesday @ 9:20am
12 December - Graduation & Awards Evening Service
6:30pm St Paul's Lutheran Church
This term's Learner Profile focus is... 'I am collaborative'
Week 7
Week 8
Thanks to the hard work of our students and families selling tickets for the P&F Major Raffle, we were able to raise an amazing $1,380!
A huge Thank You must also go to our donors, without your support we'd have no raffle. There was a slight change in the location for the accommodation and meal voucher due to unforeseen circumstances but we are very confident our winners will still enjoy a night out!
Congratulations to our prize winners!
1st Prize Trailer Load of Wood donated by Monty & Em Willis of Willis Works - Jasmine Willis
2nd Prize 4.1L Tupperware Casserole Dish donated by Debbie Zweck - Kerri Klemke
3rd Prize $270 Voucher for use at Siesta Resort, Albury donated by Lester Farming - Anthony & Lyn Lieschke
4th Prize Gift Hamper donated by school families and friends - Andrew Cunningham
What a beautiful blue-sky day for a parade celebrating books.
Thank you for all the effort from parents and students to get in the mood for reading and fun!
On Friday 1st of September, Years 3 to 6 went to Yerong Creek for the Bernie O’Connor Carnival. We played with St Joseph’s, Culcairn and St Patrick’s, Holbrook. It was a great day! The sun was shining, and everyone had lot’s of fun.
The 5/6 boys played footy and came 1st for the whole day. We played against The Rock and the score was 12 to 32. The 3-4 boys came 3rd in the whole day. Well done to the 5/6 and 3/4 girls playing netball who got runners up.
Well done to Ivan and Neve for playing with students they didn’t know.
Congratulations to Blake for winning the furthest kicking competition.
Thank you for the coaches and families who helped on the day.
By Micah Klemke,
Mud House Captain
TERM 4 Sessions
16th October
6th November
20th November
4th December