Term 1 Week 2 - 14 February 2025

Welcome to 2025
A very warm welcome to all members of our College community for 2025. It is with great pleasure that I can report to you that the school year has begun in a tremendous fashion. There is a very positive buzz amongst staff and students that 2025 can provide us all with a year of opportunity and new discoveries if we take on the challenge. As I begin my first year as Principal, it has been a tremendous privilege every day to meet so many positive and happy students always willing to say “Hello sir, how are you going?”

New staff
The College has welcomed six new staff in 2025 as the student body continues to grow. Mrs Krystal Brady has been appointed as our new Leader of Pastoral Care after an outstanding career as Assistant Principal at St Joseph’s; Mr Aiden Tolman begins his teaching career at St Paul’s in HSIE; Mr Tom Easson and Ms Kate Hull join our PDHPE team and Mrs Courtney Farlow joins our HSIE faculty.

Our Outstanding Executive Team
A striking aspect of 2025 is the dynamic efforts our Executive team brings to the leadership of the College. I am pleased to introduce these wonderful colleagues whose actions and compassion for our students, staff and families will be evident to everyone in our community each day. The 2025 College Executive are:

⦁ Mrs Kate Fullbrook - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching
⦁ Mrs Lesa Morrison - Assistant Principal - Mission
⦁ Mrs Amy Tovey - Leader of Curriculum
⦁ Mrs Krystal Brady - Leader of Pastoral Care
⦁ Ms Kate Anderson - Leader of Inclusion and Diversity
⦁ Ms Maria Littlejohn - Leader of Pedagogy
⦁ Mr Adam Clay - Leader of School Evangelisation
⦁ Mr Brendan Goswell - Leader of Catechesis

St Paul's Executive Team (pictured left to right):
Mrs Amy Tovey, Ms Maria Littlejohn, Ms Kate Anderson, Mrs Lesa Morrison, Mr Geoff Melville, Mrs Kate Fullbrook, Mrs Krystal Brady, Mr Adam Clay and Mr Brendan Goswell.

• Catholic values - Catholic values per year group that have meaning and are the basis of everything we do and stand for
• Classrooms based on positive relationships with inspiring teachers without disruptions -Inspiring teachers: 'Teach people, not content', 'they believe in you and your potential', 'maintain high standards', kind, build connectional relationships; disruptors will be called to account
• Data led - creating a data committee that allows valid data to support school improvement
• Fostering leadership within the College - teaching staff, non-teaching staff, students
• Let your light shine - everyone has light, how can we encourage our light to shine at St Paul’s.
  

Opening Mass
On Wednesday this week we celebrated our Opening Mass in the All Saints Catholic Church, Kempsey. The 2025 St Paul’s Opening Mass was a new undertaking where Year 8-11 from Mackillop House celebrated the Mass within the Parish Hall adjacent to the church. The current staff and student enrolment at St Paul’s is the largest in the school’s history, and while we have the resources to host the Mass for over 800 people at St Paul’s, the opportunity for our community to celebrate to begin our year together at All Saints Church with Father James Foster is regarded as a precious experience for us to celebrate our Catholic faith. I love seeing the buses send our school to the heart of Kempsey as we share our faith together, this is such a rich sign of community and unity. Father James spoke about the importance of light as a sign of God’s love during his homily, which signifies our beautiful school motto “Let your light shine” from Matthew’s Gospel. Many thanks to Father James, the Mission and Music teams, our staff and student participants and our parent guests as we celebrated the commissioning of our College leaders at the conclusion of the Mass.

I am pleased to announced that the following College leaders were commissioned for 2025:

• College Captains
  Sophie Brandolini, Harrison Bailey
• College Vice Captains
  Isaac Dunbar, Lionnel Nyurka, Mia Quinn, Stella Thorman.
• Year 12 House Leaders
  Farrelly - Xanthe Cristian and Brianna O'Donnell
  McAuley - Ciara Peters and Alec Gorline-Singleman
  MacKillop - Ava Bennett and Ruby Robbins
  Edmund - Emily Stuart and Courtney Minns
• Year 11 House Leaders
  Farrelly - Alannah Koivu
  McAuley - Zander Browne
  MacKillop - Madelyn Lipscombe
  Edmund - Zara Lee
  
  

College Captains

College Vice Captains

House Leaders

• Wait quietly in two lines outside the classroom with all the necessary equipment.
• Leave bags neatly outside the classroom. 
• Enter the room in a quiet and respectful manner when your teacher requests you to do so.
• Greet the teacher respectfully while standing behind your desk.
• Apply yourself with focus and enthusiasm to classroom activities.  
• Have a go! Then, if you need it, ask for help from the teacher or co-educator.
• When the teacher instructs you to do so, stand quietly behind your desk with your chair pushed in and wait for the teacher to dismiss you. 
• Students must NOT leave class before the bell rings.
  
  

Kind regards

Mr Geoff Melville BRurScEd, MEd, GCertRE 
Principal

kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional 
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools 
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
  
  

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more
about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government's Privacy Policy.

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal.

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the College - kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

Welcome back to 2025! What a fantastic start to learning we have had this year, right across Years 7-12. I am delighted to see that students have returned equipped for lessons and prepared for learning. Long may it continue! Thank you to all parents/carers who have supported their children to ensure they are equipped for learning. We know this is a team effort between home and school and we are thrilled to be on the journey with you.

Year 11 and 12 Study Periods
We are continuing with year group study sessions for Year 11 and 12 each week. This will be a valuable time for the students to meet as a year group and be provided with additional intervention on a range of topics. Ms Meg Ryan and Mrs Tess Meehan have a variety of sessions planned to target study and future planning for Year 12 students. Next week Year 11 will be onboarded for the program Atomi which will support their study skills during Year 11 and 12. These lessons will also provide opportunities for wellbeing support for the students as they face their final years of school; years that can be stressful and challenging.

Atomi
As mentioned above, the whole of Year 11 and 12 have access to Atomi. Not all subjects are on the platform as it is mainly for exam based subjects, however all students have access to the Study Skills lessons. Your children are encouraged to be using this platform to support their learning throughout their HSC period. I will be talking about this often with the students and there will be canteen vouchers for the top users each fortnight!

Year 11 and 12 Assessment Blocks
This Term the Year 12 students will have their Assessment Block in Week 8 and the Year 11 students will have their Assessment Block in Weeks 9 and 10. It is imperative that students are preparing for these assessments as soon as the notifications are released. If they prepare in advance they will be able to give appropriate time to each assessment without cramming at the end. Please support your children by encouraging them to use a study plan and dedicate appropriate amounts of time at home to each subject.

Reading Focus
To continue our literacy focus in the College we will be working on embedding reading pedagogies into teaching practice this year. As a result the teachers will be having a training day specifically on reading in practice in the classroom on Friday 28 February (as previously communicated this is a pupil free day ). We implore you to encourage the students to read for leisure at home. We all know the incredible benefits of reading for the brain. If students are reading printed, published and edited material it benefits all aspects of their learning.

New Maths Syllabus
Stage 5 has a new Maths syllabus which has slightly changed the delivery in our schools. The recommendations from the experts at DLCS ask us to keep students in mixed ability classes in Year 9 and create more defined pathways in Year 10. This creates new and exciting experiences for our students in Maths and allows them all to pursue the study of Maths in the HSC if they wish.

Subject Books Year 7-10
Please ensure that your children have an exercise book for EVERY subject. Teachers will not accept one book with dividers in it for all subjects. Teachers need to be able to collect exercise books to mark students work to give valuable feedback. Thank you for your support.

Attendance
Please remember that a strong start to the year with attendance sets your child up to succeed! At this crucial period in the Term the students are getting to know their new teachers and the expectations for each subject. Any unnecessary absence makes things more difficult on return.

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

Families are asked to ensure that their child/ren are equipped throughout the school year with the listed equipment. 

Required equipment lists for students in 2025 can be found here:

• Year 7 and 8 Compulsory Equipment
• Year 9 and 10 Compulsory Equipment
• Year 11 and 12 Compulsory Equipment

The required equipment lists are also available via Parent Resources in Compass School Documentation.

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL) is rolling out an annual digital user agreement via the Compass portal. This agreement informs parents and students of the rights and responsibilities of using the Diocese’s internet, intranet network and appropriate use of devices. In order for students to continue to use this network, parents/carers should sit down with their child, go through the agreement and agree to all statements listed within.

The Digital User Agreement is found on your child’s dashboard in Compass. Please log into Compass via the browser and not the Compass app. It is located on the right hand side and is inside a green bordered box.

This will need to be completed before 7 March 2025.

If you have any questions regarding this, then please feel free to contact Mr Douglas Gately at the College - douglas.gately@lism.catholic.edu.au

Welcome back to the College for 2025. It has been a wonderful start seeing both excited staff and students looking forward to a productive and fantastic year ahead.

I’m the new Assistant Principal for Mission and Wellbeing and I'm really looking forward to the role and all that it brings. I have taught at St Paul’s for a number of years and held various roles in this time. Also, during this time, I have had short breaks and taught at Mackillop College (was St Paul’s then) in Port Macquarie, Oakhill College at Castle Hill and Trinity Grammar at Summer Hill.

This year in the Church we are celebrating the Jubilee - Year of Hope. Over the next few months, I will provide more information about what this is and what is involved for both the Catholic Church and our College.

Jubilee Year of Hope
A Jubilee is a special year of grace and conversion, involving prayer, pilgrimage and sacramental repentance, held every 25 years, or during other years as called for by the Pope. Through a series of concrete rituals, acts and commitments, the goal of a Jubilee year is to inspire and encourage holiness of life among the faithful and therefore to strengthen the Church’s witness to God’s loving mercy in and for the world.

The word “jubilee” is derived from the Hebrew word jobel, which means “ram’s horn”, since it was precisely that horn which was used as a trumpet, whose sound indicated to everybody the beginning of the jubilee year.  The book of Leviticus, in the code of holiness, is the source which tells us of the significance of the jubilee year, a year of liberation “par excellence,” which is at the end of seven weeks of years, the fiftieth year.


Mrs Lesa Morrison - Assistant Principal - Mission 

lesa.morrison@lism.catholic.edu.au

On Wednesday 12 February the St Paul's College community participated in the Opening Mass at the All Saints Catholic Church, Kempsey. Fr James celebrated the Opening Mass, reminding the students to let their light shine this year.

With more students enrolled for 2025, the church was overflowing with staff, students and family, MacKillop House joined in from the Parish Hall as the Mass was streamed to them via Zoom.

Following the celebration of Mass, a ceremony was held to commission the Student Leaders for the year ahead.

The experience was a wonderful example of Christian unity and a demonstration of what makes our College so special. A massive thank you to all who assisted on the day.

God Bless.

Mr Adam Clay - Leader of School Evangelisation

adam.clay@lism.catholic.edu.au

Faith Q&A for St Paul’s Staff, Students and Parents

Last year, St Paul’s College created an email address for members of our College community to send in any questions they may have regarding faith, church, religion, spirituality, etc.

Please note: this form is not a crisis or mental health service. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please reach out to a family member or friend, a staff member at the College, or any of the mental health outlines.

For example:
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4236
Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
Parent Line NSW on 1300 1300 52

Anonymous author option - complete this Google Form (leave name and email address fields blank). Where appropriate, answers to anonymous questions will be posted in the College newsletter.

Known author option - send an email to kmps-faithquestions@lism.catholic.edu.au , or complete this Google Form (complete the name and email address fields). If you include your name and email address, we will attempt to send you an answer directly.

Thank you and God bless.

Mr Brendan Goswell - Leader of Catechesis

brendan.goswell@lism.catholic.edu.au

Image-Based Abuse
In our connected world, digital devices and social media are a daily part of young people’s lives. While they offer ways to connect and share, they also bring risks—particularly in the form of image-based abuse, threatening and bullying behaviour. Image-based abuse involves sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent. In Australia, this behaviour is illegal, with severe consequences for those involved. Young people may not fully understand the gravity of sharing intimate images, even in private contexts, and the lasting impact it can have. The use of generated artificial intelligence (Gen AI) images adds a troubling dimension, as realistic but fake images can be created and misused to target peers, staff, or others.

The Law
Sharing, or threatening to share, a nude or sexual image or video without the consent of the person shown is a crime in Australia. It is a criminal offence to:

• Share intimate images of a person without their consent.
• Threaten to share such images.
• Possess or create explicit images of minors, even if shared consensually among peers.
• Create or distribute Gen AI explicit images involving real or fake depictions of individuals without consent.

How Parents Can Respond
Educate - Talk to your young person about the legal and emotional consequences of image sharing and the misuse of Gen AI technology.
Monitor - Stay aware of your young person’s online activities and encourage responsible use of technology.
Support - Let your young person know they can approach you if they encounter online harassment or pressure.
Conversation Starters - Use open questions to discuss this topic with your young person.

• ‘Have you heard about image-based abuse? What do you think it means?’
• ‘What would you do if someone asked you to send a private image of yourself?’
• ‘Why is it important to think carefully before sharing images online?’
• ‘How can we protect ourselves and others from harmful online behaviour?’

The creation or sharing of inappropriate images, whether real or Gen AI, of peers, staff, or others will not be tolerated within our College community. We aim to partner with you in fostering a safe, nurturing environment where our students grow in faith, virtue, and knowledge. By raising awareness about image-based abuse, we can help our young people make wise choices and protect their dignity online.

Please follow the link for more information: esafety Image-based Abuse



Mrs Krystal Brady - Leader of Pastoral Care

krystal.brady@lism.catholic.edu.au

Welcome to the 2025 school year. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new St Paul’s College Sports Coordinator. Within this role, I oversee the organisation of both internal sport lessons and extracurricular representative sports.

Internal Sport
At St Paul’s we have an internal timetabled sport lesson for one hour per week for all students in Years 7 -10. The sport program for Term 1 will be as follows:

Students in Year 7-10 will participate in a wide variety of different sports throughout 2025. The College will soon have access to the new Mercy Centre which will be a fantastic addition to our sporting resources and enhance sporting opportunities at St Paul’s College for our internal sports program.

We understand that at times it may not be possible for some students to physically participate in sport due to illness or injury. If this is the case, a note from the parent or caregiver is required to be written for your child’s teacher and presented at the beginning of the lesson.

As with any activity, there is an expectation that all students behave appropriately. This is especially important when we travel off-site. Failure to follow teacher directions or behave in a sensible and safe manner will result in students not being allowed off-site for their sports lessons. Students (in some circumstances) may also be required to remain at school and be excluded from participating in sport depending on the level of inappropriate behaviour.

St Paul’s College Representative Sport
In regards to extracurricular representative sports, St Paul’s College provides a range of sporting opportunities for students to participate in organised team and individual competitions locally, and at Diocesan and State levels.

All representative opportunities are communicated through the Compass App and students express their interest in trialling for a team on the App or our new SPC Sports Desk Google Classroom. The code for students to join this Google Classroom is wr4qczg. Once students have registered their interest, the coaches will run trial/training sessions to allow them to select a team, and then the team/s will be announced. Once selected for a College representative sports team students will be required to attend training sessions prior to the day of competition. Additional information about when these training sessions are occurring will be communicated through the Compass App and SPC Sports Desk.

Parents/guardians will receive permission notes for representative sports events via Compass where you can give permission and pay for the event. It is College policy that elective fees must be paid and up to date for a student to be able to attend an extracurricular event, therefore please make sure that this is the case prior to paying for any sporting events.

NSW CCC Sporting Representation
Families with students who wish to nominate to trial for a sport at the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) level should make themselves familiar with the Catholic Schools NSW (CS NSW) Sport website. Parents/carers will need to create an account to be able to register their child. Once a student has been registered on the CS NSW Sport portal it will be sent to me for College approval.

This webpage is a summary of all of the representative sports pathways that NSWCCC offers. Within the webpage click on the selected sport tab to get the pathway information for that sport. This information will also be advertised on the SPC Sports Desk. Please be prepared to travel if your child is accepted. Parents have the responsibility to ensure that their child is registered correctly on the CSNSW Sport portal.

College Swimming Carnival
Our College swimming carnival will take place on Friday 21 February at the McElhone Swimming Complex, Kempsey. Students are to come to school at the normal time dressed in sports uniform and Year 7-11 students are permitted to bring a shirt in house colours to wear at the Carnival. Year 12 students can come to the carnival in their house themed costumes. All students (Year 7-12) will be transported by bus to the pool with the whole school carnival starting at approximately 10:00am. Staff and students will return to the College in time for afternoon buses.

Our College swimming carnival’s focus is for our competitive swimmers to have the opportunity to excel in their sport and compete against each other. We also want to have a carnival that is inclusive and enjoyable for all, therefore, we have many non-competitive races and activities for students to participate in throughout the day.

Long Course Swimming
I would like to thank all students who participated in the long course part of the Swimming Carnival earlier this week. 

The College Swimming Carnival is a normal school day, and the normal procedures for student absenteeism and early departure must be followed. Please keep in mind that attendance at the Swimming Carnival is noted on student reports. Students who wish to be eligible to attend our awards day at the end of the year need to attend our College community days.

If a student is required to leave early they must follow the same protocols as a normal school day: bring a note signed by their parent/carer stating their name and the time they will get picked up. Parents/carers must pick their child/ren up from the pool and sign them out with a staff member at the gate. Due to the logistics of safely organising students to return for buses in the afternoon, the latest a student can be collected from the pool is 2:00pm.

Regarding swimwear, students must wear suitable swimwear at the carnival that is modest and of an appropriate style suited to a Catholic School environment. If swimwear is deemed unsuitable the student will not be allowed to compete and they will be asked to change back into the clothing they wore to the carnival. Students need also to be mindful that the clothing they wear to the carnival is modest, appropriate and sun safe. Students still need to wear enclosed shoes to school. If a student refuses to cooperate with these expectations parents/carers will be called to come and collect their child.

Finally, swimmers who place 1st or 2nd in any championship races are eligible to compete at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival to be held on Thursday 6 March (Week 5) in Lismore. Parents will be required to make their own arrangements for their child to attend the Diocesan Swimming Carnival in Lismore. Students who then place 1st at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival will be eligible for the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, Homebush on Thursday 3 April (Week 10).


Mr Leon Robinson - Teacher and Sports Coordinator

leon.robinson@lism.catholic.edu.au

If you need to notify the College regarding your child's attendance or absence or early departure please follow this process:

If your child is absent for a day or more please do one of the following:

1. respond to the SMS sent daily
2. put an attendance note on Compass
3. email kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au
4. call the College office 6562 7200
Please do not email individual staff members

If your child needs to be picked up early (partial absence) please do one of the following:

1. provide a written note to the College office before 9am
2. email kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au (with at least one hour's notice)
3. call the College office 6562 7200 if it is an urgent, unplanned departure
Please do not email individual staff members

If your child is late to school (partial absence) please do one of the following:

1. call the College office 6562 7200
2. email kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au
Please do not email individual staff members

If your child will be absent for 10 days or more, please contact the College office well in advance of your departure to be sent the appropriate forms, as these must be reviewed by the Principal.

For more information please click here. Thank you for assisting us to care for your child.

St Paul's welcomes all the new Year 7 students and families joining our College community this year.

This week twenty eager Drama students travelled by bus to Sydney for the annual Drama excursion. Despite an early start, the Drama students from Year 10, 11 and 12 were excited for the two days planned.

Our first stop was the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) to engage in a two hour Physical Theatre and Group Devising Workshop. Focusing on their physicality, instead of dialogue, students learnt how to build a scene and work collaboratively as an ensemble.

That evening we were treated to some live theatre at the Seymour Centre. This was the Onstage performance, which was the best of the HSC Major works from 2024, focusing on Monologue, Group Performance, Scripted Performance, Video, Costume Design, Set and Promotion Design. The enthusiasm and inspiration created from this showcase was palpable within the students.

Before leaving Sydney, the students ventured to the Belvoir Theatre to watch two archived performances, Parramatta Girls by Alana Valentine and My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. These performances were engaging and moving, and further inspired and boosted their creativity moving into the HSC content, along with continuing to build their knowledge and skills.

While it was a busy two days, the students presented themselves confidently and respectfully and engaged with each other and the activities with enthusiasm and passion. We can't wait to do it all again next year!

Mrs Amanda Jordan - Drama Teacher

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN - All Year 6 students from the Macleay Valley and Nambucca Valley are invited to attend the Day in the Life of a St Paul’s student on Thursday 27 February.

NUMBERS ARE LIMITED – register now by following the link here. 
Registrations will close once capacity is reached or on Friday 21 February, whichever occurs first. For more information about enrolments for Year 7 2026, please visit the College website. 

St Paul’s College warmly invites prospective and current students and families to our Open Afternoon on Thursday 27 February from 4pm to 6:30pm. No registration required. Join us for a tour of the College from 4:15pm, followed by an address from St Paul’s Principal, Mr Geoffrey Melville.

If your child is registered to attend the Day in the Life event, supervision from 3:30pm to 4pm may be arranged by contacting the College office on kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

There will be a pupil free day on Friday 28 February to allow staff to attend a professional learning day. Please note that the College office will also be closed on this date.

Hi, my name is Ashleigh. I am the Family Connect in Schools Worker based within St Paul's College.

My Professional background is in the Family support, Specialist Domestic and Family violence and Mental health spaces, I have also worked within and supported this community for the last 10+ years.

I have been supporting St Pauls College for the last 3 years and will be based within the school to support with ANY issues your children or family unit may be experiencing and will assist to link you into the appropriate specialist services all while providing a confidential and safe space to work with you to advocate for your needs.

If you feel you would like to talk or need some advice or support, you can self-refer by texting or calling myself on 0448 526 777, email ashleigh.howe@socialfutures.org.au or speak to your pastoral care team who can also link you in with the Family Connect in Schools program.

External Support For Families

The College photo day will be held on Monday 3 March.

All students are required to wear academic uniform and to adhere to the College policy regarding jewellery, make up and hairstyles. Information regarding the College Uniform & Presentation Policy is available HERE.

Senior students are reminded that they are to wear a College tie for their photograph. These can be purchased from Team Spirit's online shop for delivery to the College during Term time.

For those absent on photo day catch up photos will be taken on Friday 14 March. The Year 12 group photo will be taken on a date to be confirmed, likely to be in June.

2025 College photos are now ready to order through the Compass Portal. Emails from MSP were sent out to families on 12 February and contain important information regarding ordering your photos online. Please check your spam/junk folder. All photo orders MUST be placed before midnight on Sunday 2 March.

Please click HERE for the MSP ordering guide.

To place your order, make sure you have your Compass login details. If you're unsure of your login details, please contact kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

For all other enquiries regarding the photography service or packages available, please contact MSP on 02 6583 1968 or email northcoast@msp.com.au

NSW Health School Vaccination Program 2025
Each year, St Paul's College provides the venue for NSW Health to conduct the NSW Schools Vaccination Program for our students. Register online (see below) or contact the College kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au to request a paper form.

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

⦁ Year 7 students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (Boostrix) and human papillomavirus (HPV).
⦁ Year 10 students are offered a free vaccine for meningococcal ACWY.

Please note - Year 8 and Year 11 students who have an online consent/signed consent form from 2024, will be offered catch up vaccinations in 2025.

If parents/guardians consent online they will receive a reminder text 3 days prior to the clinic date.

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

Vaccination Program Dates for 2025:

Term 2 – Thursday 8 May

⦁ Year 10 (Meningococcal ACWY)
⦁ Year 11 & 12 (Meningococcal ACWY) - (Catch up)
⦁ Year 7, 8 & 9 HPV (Human papillomavirus) and Boostrix (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) - (Catch up)

Term 4 – Tuesday 21 October

⦁ Catch up clinic if required

To provide consent for vaccination online, parents/carers will need to:
⦁ Visit the online consent portal here.
⦁ Follow the steps to log in to your existing Service NSW account. 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.
⦁ Enter Medicare details for yourself and your child and provide consent.
⦁ If you consent online, you will receive a reminder text 3 days prior to the clinic date.
⦁ Read a step-by-step guide on how to provide consent online. Translated guides are available online.
⦁ If you or your child do not have a Medicare card or you cannot provide consent online, please email the College Office kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au to request a paper consent form to be sent home.

Please ensure your child has eaten breakfast on the morning of the clinic, this helps prevent fainting.

The benefits of providing consent online:
⦁ easily update your child's details.
⦁ receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given.
⦁ faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination. If you have any questions regarding your child's school vaccinations, please contact the NSW Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055.

All current and previous students, staff and family are invited to save the date to join St Paul's 60th anniversary celebrations on Sunday 5 October 2025.
Mass will be held at 9:30am in the Mercy Centre at St Paul's College, followed by a BBQ picnic. More details to follow closer to the date.

All current Year 9 and 10 students are encouraged to consider joining the Duke of Edinburgh programme for 2025. Please speak to Ms Beth Rennes for an application form. 

Follow the link to find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award or speak to Ms Beth Rennes or Ms Jade Tildsley for more information.

All students interested in singing for fun are invited to meet in ER 6 on Tuesdays at lunch time. For more information, please speak to Ms Swan or email donna.swan@lism.catholic.edu.au

Road Safety is an Essential Back-to-School Conversation 
As students return to school, safety remains a top priority. Engage your young person in conversations about safe travel to and from school to help them develop responsible habits.

Key Safety Reminders for Secondary Students:

• Entering and Exiting Vehicles Safely
  Encourage your young person to always use the door closest to the curb when getting in and out of the car to avoid stepping into traffic.
• Walking Without Distractions
  Set the expectation that headphones/earbuds and mobile devices should be put away while walking, especially when crossing roads or near traffic. Staying alert keeps them and others safe.
• Being a Positive Role Model on Public Transport
  Remind them that younger students look up to them. Encourage responsible behaviour when using buses, such as waiting safely, being polite to drivers, and setting a good example for others.
• Using Wheeled Transport Responsibly
  Ensure they understand that wearing a properly fitted helmet is a non-negotiable when riding bikes, e-bikes, scooters, or skateboards.
• Safe Driving for Student Drivers
  Encourage open conversations about peer pressure and safe driving practices.
• New to the College
  Ensuring they feel confident and prepared for their journey to and from school is essential. Establishing safe travel habits early on can boost their sense of security and help them adjust to the new environment at the start of the year.
• Safety Over Convenience
  Teach your young person never to sacrifice safety for convenience, even when it may seem easier to ignore safety practices. Responsible travel choices protect not only themselves but also their peers and the broader College community.

For more road safety tips, visit the official resource: NSW Transport - Road Safety.
By reinforcing these habits, we can ensure students have a safe and smooth transition back to school in 2025.

Please note that the College has a Traffic Management Plan which can be viewed on the College website here.

The North Coast Academy of Sport (NCAS) Netball Program selects athletes who demonstrate the potential to advance to state or national levels with a focus on the development of talented junior netball athletes, umpires and coaches on the North Coast of NSW. Congratulations to St Paul's students, Lakyah Bell and Leah Quinn, who have been selected for the Netball squad, and to Jada Appleyard and Chelsea Ellis, who have been selected for the Umpires Squad. Well done girls!

Congratulations to the St Paul's students who represented South West Rocks Physical Culture Club in Sydney at the end of 2024 and were successful in their performances. Well done to Olivia Wright, Sienna Allen, Tayah Duffy, Isla Rushworth, Lilly Rushworth, Stella Thorman and Lily Farrell, we are very proud of your achievements!

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Shianne McKee, for her success at the Kempsey Sporting Car Club Hillclimb held in Cooperabung at the start of February, where she was awarded first lady in class and first junior in class. Well done Shianne!

Elevate Education delivers high-impact workshops to our students that help to develop their study skills, motivation, and exam preparation. Over the next term, you're invited to join their parent webinar series, where you can help support your child at home by reinforcing the skills they're learning at school.

Hear expert advice on the following topics:

• How to Get (And Keep!) Your Child Motivated
  12 February 6:30pm 
• How You Can Help Your Child Manage Their Time
  26 February 6:30pm
• How You Can Make Technology an Ally (& Not the Enemy!)
  12 March 6:30pm 
• How You Can Help Improve Your Child’s Memory
  26 March 6:30pm

Register here today. 

The NSW Council of Catholic School Parents has a number of free parenting education sessions this Term:

• Schoolspeak 101
  Learn the basic language of school so you can best support your child's learning.
  Tuesday 25 February: 12:30pm - 1pm. Follow this link to register.
  OR
  Wednesday 26 February: 7:30pm - 8pm. Follow this link to register.
  
  
• Dream Big
  Help your child find their passion by encouraging curiosity and creativity.
  Wednesday 5 March: 12:30pm - 1pm. Follow this link to register.
  
  
• Algorithms and Adolescents
  Find out about the rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people.
  Wednesday 19 March: 7pm - 7:30pm. Follow this link to register.