Term 2 Week 10 - 1 July 2022

Dear Parent/Carer

‘Let all the earth cry out to God with joy’

Psalm 65: 1-7, 16, 20 R. v. 1

Our second term of the semester has certainly moved quickly and I hope families take the time to relax and value the hard work that has taken place across the last few months. I reference our Year 12 students, in particular, who have had to complete significant assessment tasks in the remaining weeks of term and I expect that they will be ready to take a few days off before preparation continues toward the Trial Higher School Certificate examinations.

The Semester two reporting period has concluded and awards were released on our FEAST DAY, which was a wonderful celebration for the St Paul’s community. I congratulate all award recipients as well as students who received school reports that reflected a sustaining of efforts leading to strong achievement of learning outcomes. Nothing changes without a consistency of effort and a commitment to be better. The reports that I read indicated that we have many students who are aspirational and this is pleasing.

The FEAST DAY on Friday 1 JULY was tremendous. Across the day we acknowledged St Paul and the value in journeying with and learning from one another. We also celebrated NAIDOC week and welcomed Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) and Burrun Dalai who set up some amazing workshops and activities for our students. We also had a visit from One Mob Radio who played music and conducted interviews for a PODCAST that will be broadcasted later in the month. Staff and students had an excellent day and I thank all those involved in making this day an excellent one for all in our community.

This semester we reinforced expectations regarding the use of Mobile phones, correct uniform and appropriate jewellery. I would like to thank families for supporting us and reinforce to you all that these expectations will continue into the next semester. The way we present ourselves matters very much and students are certainly aware of what is expected and with consistency from home we can prevent confusion and miscommunication.

Please remember to download the COMPASS APP for access to our new DATA MANAGEMENT system that will ‘go live’ from the beginning of Term 3, 2022. This system streamlines all we do at the College and will make communication between the College and home much easier. It is expected that you will all receive a user name and password (via email) that will allow you to log into this application. Please refer to previous communication regarding COMPASS if further assistance is required.

Finally, I would like to remind all in our community the value of open, sincere and respectful communication. There are many things currently happening across our ‘newsfeeds’ that may create anxiety, concern and stress. While this is a current reality, we still have collective control of how we interact and engage with each other. Stress can prevent us from being ‘at our best’ and this, at times, is evidenced in how we behave in the classroom and out in the playground.

I would ask us all to consider how valuable it is to work with each other, to talk with people and not about people and see the inherent good that exists in each and every one of us. We are fortunate to be a part of the St Paul’s Catholic College community. Every day I see amazing young people, doing incredible things and it makes me very proud.

Happy and restful holidays to you all

Kind Regards

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

Principal

david.johns@lism.catholic.edu.au

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year NAIDOC week will be celebrated from 3 - 10 July 2022.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. Follow the links below to find out more:

St Paul's Catholic College looks forward to welcoming all students back in Term 3 on Tuesday 19 July. Please note that the College Office will be CLOSED over the school holidays and on Monday 18 July.

Semester 1 Year 7-11 reports

There have been significant efforts made by all staff during the past month preparing Years 7-11 Semester 1 reports. These reports provide students and their families with a snapshot of student achievement during Semester 1 and excellent advice for areas of growth leading into Term 3. The academic grades produced on the report result from staff judging student performance against the NESA A-E grade scale, which correlates to Stage 6 performance Bands in the HSC.

There have been many great achievements outlined in the Semester 1 reports and many students will be recognized for outstanding aspects of their reports during the Commendation ceremony during St Paul’s Feast Day on Friday 1 July. Platinum, Gold and Silver awards will be announced for outstanding reports based on the following criteria:

• Platinum Award- determined by the Principal for students demonstrating outstanding and consistent results across their subjects.
• Gold Award- where students demonstrate high academic achievement based on a range of courses.
• Silver Award- where students demonstrate outstanding performance in academic grades as well as consistency in work habits such as being well organised, contributes to a positive learning environment and meeting homework expectations.

Great congratulations to Mrs Tovey and her team of academic staff for managing an excellent academic program during Semester 1 considering the extent of illness and disruption throughout the community, we look forward to starting bigger and better than ever in Term 3 after a well-earned upcoming holiday.

Mr Geoffrey Melville - Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

geoffrey.melville@lism.catholic.edu.au

St Paul’s Catholic College celebrated the Feast day of our Patron, St Paul, at school with a lovely Mass on Wednesday. Our Year 12 students played an important role, performing in various ministries throughout the Mass. Our wonderful musicians, led expertly by Mrs McMillan and Mrs Capararo provided live music as we transition back to ‘normal’ Masses at the College. We also had a wonderful showing from our acclaimed Men’s Choir, for their first outing for a few years. As a College we would like to again thank Fr James for celebrating Mass with us, and for all of his guidance and support throughout the term.

Last weekend, Hunta Crilley and Ebony Vella took part in Street Retreat. Street Retreat is a program organized by the Catholic Schools Office to provide students from across the Diocese an opportunity to give witness to their faith through participating in various acts of service in and around Brisbane. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to see what is being done to help those at the margins of society, and hopefully bring those ideas and enthusiasm back to our local community.

On the last Sunday of the holidays (17 July) All Saints Church in Kempsey will be celebrating it’s centenary. St Paul’s students and staff will be contributing to this celebration with our hospitality staff and students providing a light morning tea, and our Men’s Choir singing the reflection hymn after Communion. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of St Paul’s students and their families there for the day to contribute to the celebrations.

In Term 3, St Paul’s College will be launching a community service program for our students. Students will have the opportunity to complete the program and be recognized for their service to the school community and wider community. More information will follow early next term for this exciting initiative.

Any students who have served as an Altar server at Mass before, or are interested in joining this ministry in the future are invited to see Mr Pollock as we prepare our services for Term 3 and beyond.

Each Wednesday at lunchtimes, Lou our Youth Ministry Officer, is running REACH. This is a program that allows young people to have a relaxed and friendly environment where they are able to discuss their faith and, we hope, make new friends. Each week there is a theme and the sessions are generally relaxed and welcoming. All are welcome to join Lou in the Convent rooms in Term 3 for this wonderful activity.

Mr MacAndrews has been running Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at lunchtimes on Thursdays in the Chapel and will continue to do this in Term 3. Students and staff are welcome to join for as long a time or short a time as they wish. All are welcome to the Chapel at lunchtimes Thursday for quiet Adoration and worship.

Finally, a reminder that all are welcome to Mass in our Parish Churches. Mass is 7.30am Sunday morning at South West Rocks and 9.30am Sunday morning and 6.00pm Saturday night here in Kempsey. All are welcome!

Mr Will Pollock - Leader of Evangelisation

will.pollock@lism.catholic.edu.au

Year 10 into 11 Course Handbook

Year 10 students and their families can now access the St Paul’s Catholic College Course Handbook to familiarise themselves with the courses on offer next year at SPC. The handbook can be found using the following link:

This handbook will allow students and their families to discuss the courses available and to formulate questions that can be asked on our subject selection night that will be held on 3 August beginning at 4:30 pm.

Our course marketplace held on 22 June with our Year 11 and 12 students was a fantastic opportunity for the Year 10 students to understand what the courses are about and the work ethic involved in order to do well in each course.

Mrs Amy Tovey - Leader of Curriculum

amy.tovey@lism.catholic.edu.au

As we wind down for the end of Term 2 , it is a wonderful time to acknowledge many students for their outstanding success this term.

Max Farrell in year 11 was awarded the 17 Years+ Male Swimming Age Champion at the NSWCCC Swimming Championships. An absolutely outstanding achievement. Well done Max.

Katrina Fanning Cup

Our Rugby League Girls travelled to Port Macquarie on June 15 to compete in the Katrina Fanning Cup. The girls all played extremely well, and coaches Mr Mascord (U14’s girls), Mr Robinson (U16’s girls) and Mrs Meehan (U18's girls) were proud of their efforts on the day. A massive congratulations to the Under 18’s girls who were successful on the day and will now travel to Coffs Harbour to compete in the Regional Finals.

Under 18’s Girls Local Gala Day Winners

Under 16’s Girls

Under 14’s Girls

Upcoming Events

There are a number of significant upcoming events that students and parents should take note of:

Thursday Week 1 – Whole School Athletics Carnival
Friday Week 1 – Senior Boys Basketball vs Kempsey Adventist
Tuesday Week 2 – Diocesan Touch Football at Ballina
Tuesday Week 2 – Katrina Fanning Cup Regional Finals
Thursday Week 5 – Diocesan Athletics at Coffs Harbour

Mr Heath Needs - Teacher and Sports Coordinator

heath.needs@lism.catholic.edu.au

Bump-It-Up Walls in Classrooms

At St Paul’s Catholic College, the Learning Collaborative Team is working to support teachers in best practice within our classrooms across the school. One such strategy supported by Sharratt (2019) is the use of Bump-It-Up Walls in classrooms.

Bump-it-Up Walls are visual displays of rich performance tasks (exemplars) that explicitly show what low-level work (E to D graded) looks like compared to medium-level (C graded) and high-level work (B to A graded).

Students and teachers collaboratively develop success criteria and discuss ways to improve work samples so that students can move up the grading system, providing students with the opportunity to achieve excellence.

The purpose of Bump-It-Up Walls is to show students through self assessment:

• Learning is iterative - it gets better with feedback and successive attempts
• Improvement is possible
• Work can always get better
• How to improve so they never settle for the first attempt

Bump-It-Up Walls help teachers communicate clear expectations and help students develop the thinking skills required to become evaluators of their own work. They provide a visual representation of the success criteria and enable students to use self-assessment and goal setting in order to improve.

Bump-It-Up Walls will be installed in classrooms across the school as part of our 2022 School Improvement Plan (SIP) Learning and Teaching Goal: To support classroom environments that allow accessibility of learning for all students based on a culture of engagement and data led improved student learning outcomes.

Bibliography: Sharratt, L. (2019), Clarity: What matters most in learning, teaching and leading, Corwin A Sage Publishing Company, California.

Ms Maria Littlejohn - Leader of Pedagogy

maria.littlejohn@lism.catholic.edu.au

Positive Behaviour Reward Scheme (PBRS) winners for Term 2

We have our 6 winners of the Positive Behaviour Reward Scheme (PBRS) point system for Term 2. Congratulations to these students who have modelled excellent behaviour and deserve their recognition. The winners of these prizes are:

• Year 7 - Phoebe Johnson - Farrelly
• Year 8 - Zara Lee - Edmund
• Year 9 - Holly Spokes - Edmund
• Year 10 - Lily Farrell - Edmund
• Year 11 - Abelia Pratt - Edmund 
• Year 12 - Jessica Dening - Edmund

The prizes are gift cards from Australia Post which have been loaded with $100 cash to be spent by the winner at their own discretion. All students have the same opportunities to collect these positive behaviour reward points and we certainly need to see more boys vying for these prizes and we also need to end the dominance of Edmund House.

Term 3 Uniform/Accessories Requirements

Thank you to all those students who continue to meet the College expectations in regard to uniform and accessories. In the interests of equity, Pastoral Care teachers, House/Year Coordinators and myself will be continuing to communicate with the families of students who are unable to comply with basic uniform requirements as we move into Term 3.

St Paul’s Feast Day Mass and Celebration

On Wednesday 29 June the students and staff participated wholeheartedly in the feast day liturgy for St Paul and St Peter, the former after whom our College has been named. We also enjoyed a celebration of the Life of St Paul for most of the day on Friday 1 July before the Commendation Ceremony. We were joined in this celebration by the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation and Burrun Dalai who provided students with opportunities to immerse themselves in indigenous culture. Both students and staff were engrossed in these activities along with the inter house games which were organised and supervised by College staff.

Enjoy the holidays

Best wishes to all students and their families for the July holidays. I wish you all a happy, safe and restful break and look forward to seeing students and staff at the beginning of another busy Term 3.

Mr Leon Robinson - Leader of Pastoral Care

leon.robinson@lism.catholic.edu.au  

0401 166 415

02 65627200

VOLUNTEERS

The canteen serves an important role in the running of the school day. However, the canteen has minimal staffing and requires help up until 11:30am each day. If you or someone you know would like to assist in the canteen making sandwiches, chopping and slicing fresh salad vegetables or putting some drinks away in the fridge, then please call the college on 6562 7200.

If you can only work for an hour or so, a day or so, each week or occasionally, it all helps. Come in and say Hi. Trial for an hour or so to see if you like it. No strings attached.

Please assist us to assist your children.

Ricki Saunders - Canteen Manager

All Saints Catholic Church Kempsey is turning 100! All are welcome for the celebrations with the Bishop of Lismore, Greg Homeming, on Saturday 17 July at 9:30am.

Our Parishes

We are blessed to be supported by two wonderful parish communities here at St Paul’s College. Click on the links below to find out about ways to connect with parish life, including to find out Mass times:

On Friday 10 June, St Paul's Aboriginal students from Year 10, 11 and 12 participated in a Careers and Wellbeing day organised by Burrun Dalai. Students were involved in workshops and stalls from NSW Police, NSW SES, Country University, Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation and Charles Sturt University.

Many thanks to Mr Melville and Miss Thomas for driving the bus and to Aunty Sharon and Linda Pogson for supervising the students.

On Tuesday 21 June, 45 students from St Paul's Catholic College travelled to Port Macquarie Race Club to engage with universities, training organisations and other employers as part of the Mid Coast Careers Market. From exploring tertiary options through to fashion design and automotive engineering, these Year 10 and 11 students took the opportunity to consider what may lie ahead for them in a post school environment.

Now is a great time to discuss career and vocation options with your young person. With the Year 10 Subject Selection Process starting, developing future focused goals will undoubtedly make these sometimes difficult decisions a little easier.

Congratulations to Year 12 student Georgia Gaddes and to former St Paul's student, Erin Cook on their success at the annual Surf Life Saving Mid North Coast Awards of Excellence. Georgia and Erin now progress to the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence at the end of August at Luna Park in Sydney.

Changes have been made to the Close Contact guidelines:

Staff and students who are close contacts and have NO symptoms may continue to attend school if they follow the guidelines below:

Notify the College that they are a close contact and will be attending school following these guidelines -

• Conduct a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) and return a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 school days.
• Secondary school students must wear a mask indoors (except when eating or exercising).

Masks and RAT kits for student use can be provided by the College, if required.

Please note:

• No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to participate in overnight excursions, including school camps.
• No apprentices, trainees or students on placement or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to attend settings identified as high risk by NSW Health (healthcare, aged care, disability care or correctional facilities)
• Any visitor to the College who is a close contact is required to advise the College that they are a close contact before they come on site. These visitors should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result before attending. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times.

Remember: staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms occur at any time, students should not attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test (RAT).

Outside of these necessary isolations students are expected to attend school every day unless they are otherwise unwell or have a different justifiable reason.

Positive COVID Cases
If a student or staff member receives a positive RAT or PCR test, they need to:

• Record the positive result through the Service NSW website or Service NSW app – please add details of St Paul’s when prompted
• Notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR test result as soon as possible and
  follow NSW Health advice to isolate for 7 days.

Masks

Masks are not mandatory for staff and students in high schools. Staff and students will be supported to wear a mask if they choose to do so. Mask wearing is mandatory for staff and high school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days. Where students or staff are unable to wear a mask, they will be supported to learn or work remotely.

Remember: masks continue to be mandatory on public transport. This applies to students aged 12 years and older, and staff when travelling to and from school and during school excursions by public transport or by chartered transport services.

We request your support in relation to partial day attendance of students. Arriving late and departing early places increased pressure on students, in relation to them needing to catch up on missed work. It also disrupts class learning when students enter or leave a lesson during class time.

We ask that appointments are made outside of class times and/or school hours. We realise that this is not always possible, therefore we require that the following occurs if your child has an appointment during the school day.

Early Departures

If you need to collect your child early a signed note MUST be provided to the Office, stating the reason and time the student is to be picked up. This must be provided to the Office prior to morning PC (between 8:30am and 8:55am) so that a pass out can be arranged for the student to leave class early. If a note is not able to be provided, an email with the information in regards to the appointment may be emailed to kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

If a note or email is not provided to the Office, we cannot guarantee that a student will be ready for collection upon your arrival at the College, as rooming and class activities may change their location. This may result in a parent/caregiver having to wait until the end of a lesson before they can collect their child.

Emergencies

If an emergency situation occurs and your child must be collected immediately, we will endeavour to get them to you as quickly as possible.

Late Arrivals

Students arriving late MUST report to the College Office, so that they can be marked as present, prior to them going to class. Parents/carers are not required to come into the College with their child, however we do require an email or phone call from you to explain the reason for the late arrival.

Thank you for your cooperation with these procedures.