newsletter term 4 week 9 2022

The end of the 2022 school year is here and it is hard to believe how quickly it has arrived.

At this time of year, our calendars are full with end of year functions, social gatherings, kid’s sporting events and your child’s school events. Through all of this busyness, it is easy to let a hectic schedule cloud the importance of this season. Acknowledging that it is exciting to bless others with gifts, to catch up with family and friends around a BBQ and to hopefully have some time to rest. What doesn't change is the reason why we celebrate Christmas.

Thank you to the whole school community for making my first year as Principal and as a member of the St Paul’s community such a positive one. Honesty and open communication are always the best option in relationships, so I thank all of the parents for the conversations we have had, both addressing concerns and successes. My door will always remain open as we all work together to make our school the best it can be.

Thank you our families for your support, contributions and trust you place in the staff at St Paul’s! 2022 has been an outstanding year and we look forward to welcoming you back to an exciting 2023.

To our wonderful staff. Thank you for your professionalism, commitment and guidance you show our students each day. We are a strong team and I am grateful to be working with you all. Sadly, we are saying farewell to three staff who will be missed in 2023 but will always be part of the St Paul’s community.

Kerri, you are and always will be an enormous asset to St Paul’s. Your integrity, compassion and commitment to the school is evident in all you do. Having you for the year is better than not at all. We pray blessings for you, Matt and the family.

Lucy, you have been a positive energy that every school needs and we thank you for imparting your skills with us and our students this year. Whoever gets you next is going to be a lucky school.

Will, to have a Pastor that connects genuinely and positively with a school community is an absolute blessing! Your ability to inspire our students and also support our staff is gratefully appreciated. We’ve all enjoyed having you as part of our school this year. We pray for you in the next season of your ministry.

Christmas Message

All staff at St Paul’s would like to spread the Christmas message that God loves every one of you. You are precious to our Heavenly Father and to His Beloved Son, whose birth on that first Christmas long ago was the greatest of all gifts.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

From all the staff at St Paul’s, have a wonderful festive season!

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Yours in Christian Service

Brad Moss

HAPPENINGS WITH HOLLIE

We’ve almost made it! What a year 2022 has been!

We have enjoyed two transition sessions with our new classes for 2023 over the past two weeks. Although some students take change in their stride, for some students, the notion of a new year and new class can be a worrying and anxious time. These transition visits are an opportunity for students to get a taste of what next year might be like and a feel for class and classroom. Teachers have organised a variety of games and activities for students to participate in across the two sessions.

Next Monday, school reports will be emailed home. Please take the time to read these and share with your children. Although report writing time is often a busy one for teachers, it really is a time to reflect on the progress that students have made throughout the year. We hope you find them informative, however like always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send your child’s teacher an email to ask for clarification.

We are looking forward to the official end of the year with our Graduation and Awards night next Tuesday 13th December. This will be held at St Paul’s Lutheran Church. We ask students to meet in our school hall at 6:15pm in full school uniform (white socks & black shoes please). The evening will begin at 6:30pm and we ask all students to be in attendance.

What a great time the Christmas break is to spend together with loved ones, resting and rejoicing in Jesus! Jesus the hope of the world, who was sent to this earth for us, not as a King in royal robes, but as a baby, to walk among us.

Wishing you all a safe and blessed Christmas.

We look forward to welcoming Year 1-6 back to school on Wednesday 1st February and our new Kinder students on Thursday 2nd February, 2023.

GRADUATION SERVICE
Tuesday 13 December - 6:30pm

CHRSITMAS COLOURS, SAUSAGE SIZZLE, SWIMMING & FINAL DAY K-6 2022!!
Wednesday 14 December

FIRST DAY YRS 1-6 2023Wednesday 1 February 2023

FIRST DAY KINDERGARTEN 2023Thursday 2 February 2023

SWIMMING LESSONS6 - 10 February

CAPTAINS INSTALLATION SERVICETuesday 7 February (TBC)

PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTTuesday 14 February

SWIMMING CARNIVALFriday 17 February

STAFF INSTALLATION SERVICESunday 19 February (TBC)

NAPLAN WEEK20 - 22 March

CROSS COUNTRY

& LAST DAY TERM ONEThursday 6 April

GOOD FRIDAYFriday 7 April

What a great year of learning we have had!

Last week we all enjoyed a visit from the very cheeky Healthy Harold & Steph. Students learnt about the importance of keeping fit and healthy. We laughed a lot throughout the session and enjoyed encouraging each other as we stepped out of our comfort zones when answering questions.

Reminder to please check through your shelves for any library books that might be hiding. We need all books returned so that we can stocktake our shelves. We will send home a list of outstanding books currently on loan to your child on Friday.

Yesterday, we enjoyed another visit to the Henty Library for a Christmas themed Story Time and craft. See the flyer below for Christmas biscuit decorating happening at libraries in Greater Hume Shire the week before Christmas.

Blessings,

Hollie

Last week, we held a Graduation Dinner for our Year 6 students, Aaron, Milly and Phoenix. It was an enjoyable evening to reflect on their primary school years, to celebrate all they have accomplished and look forward to the next chapter of their lives.

We pray for Aaron, Milly and Phoenix as they transition to High School, and hope they will all come back and visit us in the future.

Tomorrow we will be having hot chips for lunch! Please still bring snacks and fruit break.

Many blessings,

Katie Ridley

This term in Creative Arts students will be focusing on Music.

K-2 will be experiencing music from different times (symphony), music from different lands (Africa and Denmark), music for different purposes (spiritual and clapping rhymes), music for dancing (old time dance and folk dance), and how music and dance can tell a story (mime and sound story).Through these areas they will be exploring the musical elements of beat, rhythm, melody, dynamics, tempo, form, and tone colour.

3-6 will be experiencing songs with actions, songs and dance from different lands (East Timor), song and dance from different times (Colonial Australia), and song and dance for special occasions (festivals).Through these areas they will be exploring the musical elements of beat, rhythm, melody, harmony, tempo, form, and style.

Harriet Schuller

Micah Klemke

Simeon Lubke

KINDER 2023 TRANSITIONS

Since September we have had the joy of welcoming our Kindergarten class of 2023 into our classrooms and playground. Each fortnight we have seen how comfortable these budding students have become being in a classroom setting, and how seemlessly they have joined in with our existing student population.

We've had time with our buddies, and K/1 2023 Classroom Teacher Mrs Christine Biar also attended the last session. We look forward to seeing these eager faces again for their first day on Thursday 2 February 2023.

GRADUATION & AWARD NIGHT

Next Tuesday will be St Paul's Graduation & Awards Night.

We ask all students to meet at the School Hall at 6:15pm.

Families please bring a plate of supper to share at the conclusion of the evening.

Students are able to wear casual clothes to school on Tuesday to help ensure all uniforms are clean. Please wear white socks and black shoes.

Wednesday 14 December

CHRISTMAS COLOURS DAY

Rather than holding individual class parties this year, students are invited to dress up in Christmas colours to celebrate the Festive Season and the end of our school year for 2022.

A big thank you to the P&F who have offered to cook us up a sausage sizzle lunch, which we will enjoy at first lunch.

In the afternoon we will be off to the Henty Pool for a swim. Please make sure students bring their swimmers to get changed into, plus a hat, towel and water bottle.