Term 1 Week 2 - 10 February 2023

Dear Parent/Carer

‘…. for I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Kingdom of heaven’

Matthew 5:17-37

Welcome to our first Newsletter for the 2023 Academic Year!

I wish to acknowledge the return of our students and I am excited not only by the enthusiasm of their return but also their presentation and engagement in classes. We have commenced the 2023 Academic Year with strong student numbers across all year groups and a collection of new staff who have significant skills in a variety of areas that will further enhance our academic delivery.

With the departure of Mrs Bronwyn Shipton and the moving across of Mr Geoff Melville into the Assistant Principal - Mission space, we have advertised for an Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching and will be short listing toward the end of this week. I am pleased to announce that Amy Tovey our current Leader of Curriculum will occupy the interim - Director of Studies position that will pick up the vacated AP - Learning and Teaching higher duties until we have appointed an appropriate replacement. Amy will be tremendous in this interim role and I thank her for the work she does.

Bronwyn Shipton commenced work for the Catholic Schools Office this week, as a Pastoral Care Officer and we are enormously excited about the contributions she will make to our system. I thank her for all she has done across her three years serving the St Paul’s community.

I wish to draw your attention to the significant communication associated with the use of mobile phones and the presentation of school uniform. Mobile phones and the use of social media is a challenge and the College is committed to a response that is reflective of research that demonstrates successful agreed practice and the value of student voice. Senior students met with the College Executive team and some clarifying statement were made. These are outlined below and will be explained further to our students at our Opening Assembly.

1. Students MUST be a part of the discussion and clearly understand why we are limiting Mobile Phone usage.
2. Families MUST understand and support decisions made around the use of Mobile Phone at the College.
3. College staff must feel comfortable being consistent and challenging students around Mobile Phone use.
4. Students MUST abide by school rules regarding Mobile Phones and accommodate College staff requests.

Between 8.30-3.25pm mobile phones are not to be used on school grounds. Phones are in bags and placed on silent mode or turned off. Phones that are not in a bag and instead are carried by the student is a breach of school rules and this will result in consequences. It is strongly encouraged that families communicate this to their children to alleviate any temptation to use their phone across the school day. It is understood that phones may assist in managing bus travel to and from the College- it is expected that once off the bus, the phone is put away. In ongoing consultation with students, specifics of these expectations will be released over the coming days. While these expectations are not new, a revisit and open discussions provide a clarity of expectations that is critical for our community moving forward.

These expectations and standards are carried over into how we wear our school uniform. The correct uniform on the right days, the wearing of acceptable jewellery and standards of haircuts, makeup worn and general appearance matters. Students attend the College to learn, there should be no pressure to dress or present in a certain way. The College has standards and it is important that families continue to support us to ensure that students meet these standards.

Our build continues and we hope that there will be a significant acceleration toward completion over the coming weeks. Shortly the new hall will have a roof, allowing the internal work to commence. Our Edmund Rice Performing Arts Centre (Old Hall), is nearing the final stages of completion and it will be a tremendous facility. Some rooms are already in use and across this week IT will come on line.

Finally, I thank all staff and students involved in our Opening School Mass and College Swimming Carnival. Both events were well supported with students presenting themselves in a most excellent fashion. The success of these occasions further reinforce what an outstanding College community we have.

Kind regards

Mr David JOHNS
Principal

Catholic Schools New South Wales (CSNSW), in line with current health advice, has advised that all Catholic schools are to continue with ‘baseline’ COVID-smart measures during Term 1 2023.

Masks
Mask-wearing is strongly encouraged when indoors for all staff and for all students, when physical distancing is not possible, and for people who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19.

Illness
Staff and students should stay at home when unwell, even with mild symptoms.

St Paul's College would like to welcome our new staff and congratulate those staff who have commenced new positions at the College:

Executive appointments
Fiona Stuart - Leader of Pastoral Care
Barica Rafton - Leader of Catechesis
Matthew Mitchell (new staff member) - Leader of Evangelisation
Amy Tovey - Director of Studies (Interim)

New class teachers
Brendan Goswell - CAS
Scott Hupalo - TAS Teacher
Paul Posterino - English
Peter Hill - PDHPE
Tess Minett - Languages
Jasmin Northey - Visual Arts/Science
Jamie Hart - English
Beth Rennes - PDHPE
Heidi Tamblyn - Visual Arts
Jo Day - Mathematics/Numeracy Coordinator
Erica Browning - Mathematics
Jennifer Winkler - VET Nursing–Aged Care
Megan Dunbar - VET-Early Childhood/House Coordinator

Co Educators (formerly known as Teachers' Aides)
Khianii Walsh-McKiernan
Danielle Prior

Science Assistant
Katie Gleeson

Youth Ministry Officer
Maxwell Winn (Year 12 2022)

Matthew Mitchell
Making Christian life relevant for young people is one of the exciting challenges facing St Paul’s new Leader of Evangelisation, Matthew Mitchell.

Originally from Sydney, Matthew was most recently Leader of Pastoral Care at Ignatius Park College in Townsville. He said he and his wife and two young sons are looking forward to building their lives in the Macleay where he has strong family connections.

Jasmin Northey
The decision of which job offer to accept was an easy one for new teaching graduate Jasmin Northey. Jasmin, who will be teaching Science and Art, undertook her prac teaching at St Paul's and said she knew how great the College was so her decision to accept St Paul's over three Melbourne offers was quick.

Jasmin is very familiar with the College community as her father, Glen, teaches Computing and Maths at the College.

Paul Posterino
St Paul's new teacher of English, Paul Posterino, will be teaching students from Years 8, 9 and 10.

Paul is originally from Victoria and has moved with his family to make a home in the Macleay Valley which offers the lifestyle he is seeking.

Maxwell Winn
Seventeen year old Maxwell Winn is prepared for the challenges of his new position as Youth Ministry Officer at St Paul's College, Kempsey.

Having graduated from St Paul's in 2022, Maxwell believes he is in a unique position to help students be proud of who they are and to be comfortable with themselves. Maxwell is looking forward to growing his own personal faith and to help students connect with their spirituality during his 12 month appointment.

He plans to start a university degree in psychology and business in 2024 and in the future wants to work with young people and people in hospital and correctional facilities who need support.

Last week we welcomed our Year 7 students to the College. We look forward to getting to know them all over the coming weeks.

Welcome Back
A very warm welcome to existing families and new families to St Paul’s College in 2023. It is a great privilege to work in partnerships with our students and their families as we chart academic progress at St Paul’s. I am always very keen to be able to speak to students and their parents regarding opportunities for learning at St Paul’s, as secondary school is such a precious time in the growth of young men and women.

I have recently changed roles at St Paul’s becoming the Assistant Principal - Mission from the Learning and Teaching space. I have big shoes to fill following the departure of the wonderful Bronwyn Shipton. The Mission of a Catholic school is the foundation of the school, all aspects of the school community stems from its College Mission. St Paul’s was founded in 1965 and follows a storied history of Catholic education under the guidance of the Christian Brothers and Mercy Sisters. I look forward to writing to you during each newsletter exploring the important aspects of Mission at our school and opportunities for us all to be involved.

We celebrated a wonderful Opening Mass with Father James on Tuesday this week. Father James spoke to us about the importance of our school motto, “Let your light shine”, and drew clear comparisons to the Lord’s word and its meaning. Let your light shine at St Paul’s is a beautiful metaphor for kindness, respect and support for others just as Jesus Christ taught us. There were just under 800 people seated outdoors in the school Hangar, everyone had to bring a chair within the variety of sights and sounds of West Kempsey. The positive energy and engagement of our community at the Opening Mass, including nearly 200 new participants, again demonstrates the beauty of the school Mission with these opportunities allowing us to come together celebrating the blessings of God, which are so precious and continue to remind us of the great beauty of our school community.

I look forward to our communications throughout the year, you are very welcome to contact me at St Paul’s on 0438 314 199 or geoffrey.melville@lism.catholic.edu.au

Mr Geoff Melville - Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing

geoffrey.melville@lism.catholic.edu.au

Let Your light Shine
Jesus said to his disciples: You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lamp stand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5: 14-16

On Tuesday 7 February, St Paul’s College celebrated the opening of the school year with a Mass. A major theme of the mass was to reflect on our College motto “Let your Light Shine” and what it means to be a member of St Paul’s.

Our Ceremony opened with an Acknowledgement of Country by Year 9 student Graeme Griffen, and a smoking ceremony by Reece, a representative of the Dunghutti people on whose land the school is located. The senior leaders reminded us of college culture paying tribute to our four houses and the faith that drives our mission. Fr James spoke to the staff and students of our responsibility to be active in the faith and positively contribute to the lives of our community.

The final blessing saw both the staff and students make a pledge to be the light in our community and have the courage to not hide it:

Staff led by Mr Johns
We, the staff of St Paul’s College call upon God to bless us in our vocation of teaching and nurturing these students and each other. May we show to them the face of Jesus in some small way everyday. May the spirit which dwells in our school be one of joy, compassion and holiness. May our presence, here in our parish community, remind us that we are called to be pilgrims on a journey together. Guide us Lord, as we guide and journey with others. Amen.

Students led by College Captains
We the students of St Paul’s College will try to do our best in all that we set out to do at school, whether it be academic, sporting, spiritual or helping out in our community. Lord help each of us to be leaders in our own way, setting examples for one another, and to ‘Let Our Light Shine’.

Mr Matthew Mitchell - Leader of Evangelisation

matthew.mitchell@lism.catholic.edu.au

Welcome to 2023 from library staff. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with our new and returning students. For those who are new to our library, below are some details of interest about the Chisholm library, including hours, activities and links:

Opening Hours - lunchtime and 8.30 am till 4pm, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday and Friday it is open till 3.30pm.

Book Chat – lunchtime on Thursdays – all students and staff are welcome for a free snack and chat session.

Lunchtime - games and puzzles available, including Chess, Scrabble and the popular UNO. Library is also available for study, school work or quiet reading during this time

Book Exchange – if you are happy to donate any good quality reading material we are happy to receive them. We do have a section for exchange of books and magazines so any items in good condition are most welcome.

Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) - This annual Challenge aims to “encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely”. The Challenge is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools. For information visit PRC . More details in the coming weeks.

Library website - Visit our library website to not only search our physical catalogue but also our e-book library. Here, if students log in, they can place reservations and create their own reading lists. It also contains other useful features, news and links.

SORA – our ebook library (https://soraapp.com/home), has an extensive range of free books, audio books and magazines. For app install instructions please visit our website or follow the instructions below.

ClickView (https://online.clickview.com.au/) is the College’s online educational video repository. This useful resource can be accessed at home via website or by installing the app via your app store.

Have a book in mind that you would like the library to purchase? Enter book details in our online Library Book Request Form (https://forms.gle/22MU5Z8zmEoTo6mPA) OR visit library staff to make a request.

Overdue textbooks from 2022
Parents and students with outstanding books from last year have been emailed this week with a detailed list of outstanding items. Textbooks in particular need to be urgently returned so we can distribute them to other students.

As accounts will be issued shortly, please email me or contact the College if you need to discuss any items on the list. We always welcome you contacting us if there are any issues with the returns.

If the items are at home, could you please ensure your child returns them next week, which would make a very happy ending to this story.

Looking forward to your support in this matter.


Kind regards

Mrs Patrice Martin & Mrs Cathy Whalen - Library Assistants

Safer Internet Day
Promoting online safety is a challenge. In 2022 the ESafety Commissioner reported almost 50% of children using the internet were bullied or treated badly online, and 47% of 14 to 17 year olds had received sexual messages.

Join the ESafety Commission to promote Safer Internet Day and support online safety at school and home.

Free resources and campaign kits can be found HERE.

Please follow the link HERE for live webinars which give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.

Ms Fiona Stuart - Leader of Pastoral Care

fiona.stuart@lism.catholic.edu.au

Eyes on the future
On Monday 6 February the College welcomed representatives from four separate universities for the annual University Roadshow. Students listened to and asked many questions of representatives from Southern Cross University, Charles Sturt University, University of Newcastle and the University of New England.

Various topics were covered, including university entry options, costs involved and what studying at university is like. Year 11 and Year 12 students who attended also had the opportunity to ask questions and gather information from the four institutions.

Now is a great time to look towards the future and start thinking about post-school goals for Year 11 and 12 students. The University Admissions Centre (UAC) website along with the College’s Student Directions website are two great sources of information.

In the near future, a presentation on applying for university via the UAC will be delivered to Year 12 students.

St Paul's College invites all parents/carers and community members to attend the Parents and Friends (P & F) Association AGM on Monday 13 March at 5.30pm. This evening will be an opportunity to discuss the future concept of the P & F Association and its involvement and contribution to the College, including parent voice in the college and future Debutante Balls.

All P & F positions will be vacated to be filled for 2023. We look forward to new Association members and fresh ideas to support our students.

Enrolments for Year 7 for 2024 are now open and we have begun interviewing. If you have applied you will be contacted in the coming weeks to arrange your interview time, we interview all applicants. Applications for Year 7, 2024 must be lodged before 31 May 2023. This is applicable to students from all schools including Catholic feeder primary schools.

Please follow the link HERE for further information regarding enrolments at St Paul's College.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

At Compass, our priority is to ensure we maintain a high standard of quality assurance, while also striving to deliver significant improvements to the platform. As a result, we wish to advise that the Compass Platform Operations team will be undertaking system maintenance on Compass portals.

Compass system maintenance is scheduled for 11am Saturday 11 February - 12am Sunday 12 February.

Unfortunately users will not have access to the Compass portal during this period. 
This will affect all users including parents and students.