23 February 2024

Dear Families and Friends of St Paul’s,

We are currently in the Catholic Church’s season of Lent. This began last Wednesday when we celebrated Ash Wednesday. The Primary Years were wonderfully led by the Year 4 students in Callan Hall and the Middle and Senior Years students all attended a moving liturgy in our main courtyard. The liturgies reminded us all of the importance of this season in both turning away from the things we do that do not help anyone and turn towards a more positive, helpful and better version of ourselves. In one way it allows us to try to be perfect! When our friends ask why we are doing something positively unusual we can say it because it is lent! Everyone will accept that!

In preparation for Ash Wednesday the College Executive cooked pancakes for breakfast for all the primary students on Shrove Tuesday. This was great fun, and we are sure very much appreciated by all the students. The idea was that of the Primary Religious Identity Leader Ms Miranda McGlaughlin.

College Tour

Our first College Tours for 2024 took place last Thursday (for potential 2026 Yr 7 students) and on Friday (for potential 2026 Reception students.) Both occasions were extremely well attended and for the first time we had the opportunity to hold the Primary Tour in the new primary building. That was more than enough to have parents sign up without delay! It is so pleasing to see so many parents keen to enroll their sons and daughters with us and become a part of this special community.

Teaching and Learning

This week has seen several significant teaching and learning experiences take place right across the College. One of these is the PAT M and PAT R testing regime. These tests, while not the be all and end all of assessment, provide us with an excellent base line to which we can compare improvement in literacy and numeracy across several years. Tracking student improvement is our core business, essential to us knowing that our programs and curricula delivery are the best they can be. Our aim, as always, is to enable every student to reach their full potential and move on to whatever postschool pathway they desire. Baseline testing like these and others like NAPLAN assists greatly with this.

Students have also been on Year 8 geography excursions and the Year 12 Outdoor Education class has been on a surfing camp. Our summer season co-curricula program is also in full swing with hundreds of students and families enjoying the competitiveness of several sports. These activities provide our staff and students with the opportunity to further develop positive relationships outside normal classroom situations.

The 2024 year has begun extremely well, and we look forward to building on these experiences throughout the year.

Take care, God Bless

Paul Belton

Sports Days 2024

As preparations heighten, we look forward to the College’s Sports Day next week:

• Primary Years (R-6) Sports Day: 10:30am – 3:10pm, Thursday 29 February
• Secondary (Yr 7-12) Sports Day: 8:40am – 3:10pm, Friday 1 March

These are fun-filled events aiming to maximise student engagement with physical activity, celebrate our community with staff and students and families sharing in the fun, and provide an opportunity for talented athletes to shine!

Families are encouraged to attend as much as possible and dress in your House colours. We remember that this is a compulsory event for students, albeit we know that Sports Day is one of the favourite days on the calendar for our students.

Students should remember sun protection and hydration. Families will have a reserved area and are encouraged to visit events throughout the days. The College’s Parents & Friends Committee are welcoming any volunteers to assist with cake stalls, drinks and BBQ, so please contact the College if you can spare any amount of time to assist.

2024 Sports Days conclude at 2:45pm on Friday, where the whole school is present for the announcement of individual and House Awards. Will your House be the victors in 2024?

See you at Sports Day!

Respectful Communication is Key

Seeing families onsite and hearing about the many forms of communication (SEQTA messaging, email, phone calls) in the opening weeks of the year, gives every confidence that the College and families are working together for the obvious benefit of students.

As we maintain ongoing communication that involves all three parties (student, staff, family), we remember the need to remain respectful in all interactions. Not only do we need to model respect to our young people, we need to remember that every staff member is here for the child(ren) and every family wants what is best for their child – quite basically, everybody is motivated by the needs of the child. Remembering this at all times, allows us to maintain respectful communication, even where passion is understandably present.

Thank you for the way that our families maintain respect and lines of communication when interacting with staff; it is required and it is most effective as we assist young people in their journey.

Smoking and Vaping – New Legislation from 1 March 2024

From 1 March 2024, new legislation bans smoking and vaping in a variety of public outdoor areas in SA. CLICK HERE to see an overview and HERE for more information. While the College is already a smoke-free site, members of our community should note that this will now be legislated:

“The new laws will create smoke and vape-free outdoor areas in all public areas: at early childhood services premises, and education and children’s services facilities (including schools), and within 10 metres of their boundaries.”

From 1 March 2024, it will be unlawful for anybody to smoke or vape on our College site and within 10 metres of our College boundary. This always applies to all people, irrespective of whether it is school hours, and whether young people are present or not.

Members of our community, including external clubs and associations, are advised of the need to refrain from smoking or vaping at all times, in and around our College.

Josh Foulis - Deputy Principal

Dear Families,

At St Paul’s College we believe that wearing the full and correct school uniform is an extremely important and integral feature of our college community.  The uniform symbolises identity and unites all students equally and instils a sense of pride and belonging to St Paul’s.  Wearing the correct and full school uniform assists in developing self-respect, self-discipline and care of oneself.  It also reflects the values and attitudes held within our college community and provides structure and routine in attending school. The uniform also reflects an image of the college in the public forum.

When parents and carers enrol their child at St Paul’s, they agree to abide by the rules and procedures of our college.  Adhering to the college’s uniform policy is, therefore, a parental responsibility taken on as part of acceptance as a member of the school community. 

I would like to congratulate our students on the settled and calm start they have had to 2024. Our teachers are running Morning Circle each day which is a great way to check in and out, frame expectations for the day or upcoming lessons and nurture meaningful relationships, within the Learning Community, in a safe manner. The positive primer leaves them feeling energised and ready to learn.  It also helps to build predictable routines. It allows the class to set the tone for the day, highlighting positives. Teachers then finish the day, by giving everyone the opportunity to reflect and share something they’ve enjoyed – What Went Well (WWW).

When you see your child for the first time after school, ask them, “what went well with your day?” It sets them up to share positive and happy emotions and is also a great conversation starter at dinner time.

NAPLAN testing will occur in our Primary Years between 13 and 25 March 2024 for students in Years 3 and 5.  Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored, or adaptive, which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.

All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

NAPLAN provides valuable information to schools and parents about Literacy and Numeracy achievement. It supports school improvement processes by enabling teachers to monitor student progress over time and to identify areas of strength and development.

All eligible students are encouraged and supported to participate in NAPLAN testing. Visit www.nap.edu.au to see interactive versions of the test and for more information.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN or other Teaching and Learning queries in our Primary Years, please feel welcome to contact Nadia Morris, our Leader of Teaching and Learning nmorris@stpauls.sa.edu.au and she will be more than happy to speak or meet with you.

Until next fortnight, take care.

Marianne Loftus - Head of Primary Years

Last week saw the beginning of Lent, which was acknowledged with a Year 7 to 12 Ash Wednesday liturgy in the main quadrangle. Students are to be commended on the respect and reverence they displayed throughout the liturgy, with a special thank you to Mr Clarke and Mr Stramare for their coordination of such a beautiful service. The Lenten season marks the beginning of the journey to Easter and is commonly associated with 'giving something up,' which can also be viewed as a sacrifice, and a period of change. As Mr. Belton aptly described during the liturgy, Lent is a time to open our hearts to growth and being better for others, and sharing our love, friendship, and compassion to enrich our own lives and those around us. I encourage all students to embrace this philosophy throughout the Lenten Season, where we all strive to be better people for others, our community, and for ourselves.

Another significant event from last week was our Academic Assembly, which acknowledged the achievements of current secondary students’ efforts from semester 2, 2023, as well as the Class of 2023. It was incredibly pleasing to see so many students achieving awards for both academic excellence and application, highlighting a consistent commitment to studies and a positive attitude towards learning. The Class of 2023 have left a proud and fulfilling legacy, with 86% of students receiving a university offer, and several students successfully obtaining a trade apprenticeship. This year’s keynote speakers were Class of 2016 graduate Mr Chad Wood, who is now teaching Primary PE at St Paul's, and Harsimrat Singh, our Class of 2023 College Dux. One of the common threads throughout both speeches was a love for our community and a sense of gratitude for the support of staff, and the friendships and memories created throughout their educational journey at St Paul's. This message resonated strongly with the student cohort, inspiring students to try their best and to take advantage of the endless resources and opportunities they have at their fingertips to help them succeed. As we approach the midway point of Term 1, I trust that students are applying themselves as best as possible in class, asking questions, completing set work, and actively engaging in their learning. This will not only enable them to maximize their potential but also achieve their personal best, which is most important. A big thank you to Mr. Muscat for leading this event, which was a terrific reflection of the hard work of students and staff as shown by the number of students receiving recognition.

Anthony Farina - Head of Secondary

College Dux Harsimrat Singh was acknowledged by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute at a ceremony held at Flinders University for achieving an A+ merit for Chemistry in 2023.  He was one of 35 students across the state where 1600 studied chemistry. An outstanding achievement! 

We are all excited and preparing for our two fantastic Sports Days – Primary on Thursday 29th of February from 10.00 am to 3.10pm and Secondary Sports Day on Friday 1st of March 8.30am to 3.00pm.

Our Parents and Friends Committee will be holding a cake stall at both events. To assist with this, we are asking for your generous and delicious donations of cakes, slices, biscuits, and sweets to sell on the day. Please refrain from using cream and ensure all ingredients are labelled for any allergy concerns. Don't forget to mark your containers with your name for easy return.

Please drop off your donations at the front office on the morning of either sports day.

View results for Term 1 Week 2 here

View results for Term 1 Week 3 here

Week 4 fixture

Monday to Thursday, between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, students from Years 5 to 12 are welcome to attend Homework Club in the Resource Centre. Staffing for Week 5 and Week 6 will be:

Week 5

Monday - Chandler Dorsey
Tuesday - Rachel Lynds (English & HASS) /Cristina Maiese
Wednesday - Kristian Oleson
Thursday - Stewart Fraser

Week 6

Monday - Stash Domiszewski
Tuesday - Michael White
Wednesday - Gianinna Hoffman (Maths & Science)
Thursday - Sam Dodson