4 March 2021

Dear Friends of St Paul’s

We are finishing up week 6 of the term and as seems so normal it is flying past. So many wonderful events have occurred, and the atmosphere of the College is extremely positive. As has been mentioned several times we are being inundated with enrolment enquiries and our planning for our transition to a coeducational College continues in earnest. The College tours have been booked out and the level of interest in St Paul’s is so overwhelmingly positive. It is a very humbling experience hearing so many positive stories about the College and we all sincerely hope that this growth continues in such a way that we remain faithful to our mission and vision as a Catholic College in the Edmund Rice Tradition.

It is with much pleasure that I inform you all some staffing news. Our exceptional Deputy Principal, Josh Foulis and his wife Irene are expecting their first baby any day now and so Josh will be taking some leave to help the family settle into their new way of life. As a result, Mr Nick Callary (currently the Head of Student Development) will step up into the Deputy Principal’s role and Mr John Grave (Leader of O’Loughlin House) will become the Acting Head of Student Development. To assist us with backfilling the teaching of some classes we will welcome Ms Christabella Iuliano who will help us for the next five weeks. This will include some cover for Mrs Maria Gioralamo-Corbo who will be taking some Long Service Leave too. We wish them all well.

Work Completion Policy

By now all students and families would be aware of the new Work Completion Policy that was enacted this week. The reason I would like to highlight this again is that as we move into this program, aimed at continuing to assist our students with the development of their personal responsibility and study habits, there will be some failed grades and negative reactions.

While this may bring some significant debate, we believe it is in the student’s best interest and is an important step in the preparation for life beyond school where employers and or universities will demand that people stick to deadlines and adhere to due dates. It will also help develop greater resilience and organisational skills in the students. Parents are welcome to be a part of any of these discussions with their sons’ subject teachers or home room teachers.

As was indicated in the recent letter to all families.

• Work Completion sessions (WCS) provide an environment where students are supported to complete their evidence of learning pieces because:
• all learning is valued and valuable
• assessment tasks are the means through which students can demonstrate their learning; therefore, all assessment tasks are required to be completed to the best of the students’ ability
• to support students to develop skills to be successful at school and post school
• students who complete all set tasks are likely to achieve success in the subject
• completing tasks is not optional

We hope everyone has a great break over the long weekend. It has come at a good time for our staff who have been working very diligently as they always do.

God Bless

Take Care,

Paul Belton

Monday 8 March is more than a public holiday. It is also International Women's Day. As we move towards co-education this is a day we should consider and make ourselves aware of the reason it exists. The theme this year is Choose to Challenge. Please take the time to have a look at the website and perhaps consider getting involved in some of the actions:

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

From a religious perspective the issue of gender equality is long standing and complex. We proclaim that we are all equal in human dignity but we certainly do not all experience the same rights or opportunities and the world still lacks the female voice in decision making. Look at all those in power who dismiss women or belittle them. What about all the girls around the globe that are denied education and forced into early marriage? There is a video on the site by a young poet – I particularly loved the line ‘Choose to create history not to be created by it’ – this I think challenges us all to rise to the opportunity to make a difference and to challenge the status quo. (Link below)

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Videos

As we ponder this day may we find gratitude in our hearts for all the women who influence our lives.

Angela Collins
APRIM

Twilight Primary Sports Day – 25 March 2.30pm – 6.00pm

I would like to invite all families to put the above date into their calendars as we hold our second Twilight Sports Day. Fingers crossed we will not be rained out this year! Families are most welcome to attend and we will send out more information about the events and schedule through Consent 2 Go in the next few weeks.

As we do not start Twilight Sports Day until 2.30pm, students are not expected to be at school until 2pm for roll call. If you need your child/ren to attend as per a normal school day, OSHC will be operating in the morning from 7am and then teachers will supervise those students who need to be here. It will not be a ‘normal’ lesson day, but all children will be cared for until the fun begins. OSHC will not be operating in the afternoon.

Character Strengths

With our whole College focus on Positive Education, one important aspect of this is our Character Strengths. Researchers have defined character strengths as positive, trait-like capacities for thinking, feeling, and behaving in ways that benefit oneself and others. In total there are 24 character strengths and we possess them all to varying degrees.

We name these strengths in our classes, help students understand what they are and identify which ones they think are their top five. As a staff we undertook a character strength inventory at the start of 2020 and we each discovered what our top five were and explored how these can work in collaboration with others to enhance wellbeing and collaboration.

In the primary space we bring these strengths to life in our classes by commenting to our students that we will be looking for examples of different strengths in our work. One teacher might be looking for the strengths of creativity and perseverance throughout the day’s learning. Whilst I might give feedback to students who I see demonstrating kindness and fairness in their interaction with others.

I would encourage you to speak to your child/ren about their character strengths and if you are interested you might like to take part in an online questionnaire to discover your top 5. (https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths)

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Emily Sayer
Head of Primary

E/B Grey Shorts & Socks

E/B shorts are now back in stock. Please collect your back orders as soon as possible.
Cost $45.  They can also be ordered and paid for via Qkr app.
Socks are also back in stock.  I still have some back orders that haven’t been collected.

Easter

Due to early closure for Easter the Uniform Shop will be CLOSED on Thursday1 April. Reminder that we are open Wednesday afternoons 3pm to 5pm.

School Holiday Openings  

The Uniform Shop will be open in the second week of the upcoming school holidays as follows:

• Tuesday 20 April 9:00am to 4:00pm
• Thursday 23 April 10:00am to 6:00pm

Mrs Allan
Uniform Shop Manager           

Bus Routes A, B & C am Drop Off

With a recent change to traffic conditions on the corner of Grand Junction Road and Black’s Road, our buses are experiencing delays of 10 minutes or more turning right into Blacks Road in the morning. This is in turn running students late when the bus finally reaches Kildare.

To alleviate the need to turn right into Blacks Road in the morning, a decision has been made in consultation with Grant’s Coachlines and Kildare to drop St Paul’s students at the Metro bus stop on the Northern side of Grand Junction Road directly opposite the College.

Students will be required to cross Paul’s Drive at the traffic lights and then Grand Junction Road at the lights to enter the College via the Grand Junction Road Gates. This is a requirement to keep students safe. Under no circumstances are students able to cross Grand Junction Road without using the traffic lights. Staff on yard duty are aware of the change and will assist students to enter the College safely.

Please note there is no change to the PM pickup.

Your assistance with this change is appreciated.

If you’re currently studying a vocational education and training (VET) qualification, or have studied in the past five years, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment wants to hear from you.

You can help improve Australia’s VET system so that you, and other students, receive high-quality training that supports your career goals.

The Australian Commonwealth, state and territory governments are currently seeking your feedback on how to improve the quality of training in the VET system, and identify what an excellent place to study looks like.

Have your say

Your views will directly contribute to shaping the future of VET training in Australia. See the different ways you can contribute below:

Attend a workshop

Attend a digital workshop to discuss what quality training looks like to you.

Workshop date: Wednesday 3 March 2021, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm AEDT. If you are interested in attending, please Click this link to register.

Complete a survey

Complete the RTO Student Pulse Survey and tell us how you chose where to study, what your experience was like and what would make a good place to study from your perspective.

Closing date: 9am AEDT Monday 15 March 2021

Want to know more?

If you would like more information on Skills Reform visit www.skillsreform.gov.au. To receive further updates on opportunities to provide your feedback, register here.

27 February 2021

Intensive UCAT Training Workshop - LIVE ONLINE INTERACTIVE

Do not delay any longer, make a start with your UCAT Preparation this month.

ENROLL

Complete UCAT Courses - various levels of preparation and options available to meet individual student needs.

UCAT Preparation Workshop - 5 sections of the UCAT covered + full mock exam under timed conditions + introduction to medical interviews.

Ongoing UCAT Training - UCAT Kaplan Platform - Affordable and superior to any other UCAT training available worldwide. 

UCAT Textbooks - recommended list of textbooks to support your UCAT and Interview preparation.

Medical Interviews Workshop - lift your performance above the competition, validating your sincerity and burning positive lasting impressions into the minds of the selection panel.

IMPORTANT UCAT ANZ 2021 DATES

Candidates taking the UCAT ANZ in 2021 for entry to universities in Australia and New Zealand in 2022 should note these key dates (deadline times are in AEST - Australian Eastern Standard Time): 

• Concession Scheme opens / Access Arrangements open : 1 February 2021
• BOOKING OPENS: 1 March 2021
• Concession application deadline: 10 May 2021
• Access Arrangements application deadline: 17 May 2021
• BOOKING DEADLINE: 17 May 2021
• Late booking deadline: 31 May 2021
• Cancellation deadline: 7 June 2021
• Testing begins: 1 July 2021
• Last testing date: 11 August 2021
• Results delivered to universities: by early September 2021

TEAM: Middle B1

DATE: 19 Feb 2021

GAME: SPC Vs St Ignatius College

RESULT: WON

SCORES: SPC 3 SETS  75  POINTS OPPSN: 0  SET  64  POINTS

BEST AND/OR PERFORMANCES OF NOTE:  Bilal Soherwardi

An energetic team were ready to play St Ignatius. In the first set, players concentrated in improving their communication by making clear and early calls. Mustafa Hussani served well and gave the team some confidence. The first set went St Paul’s way 25-18. The second set was much closer but with many 3 touch plays and some good spiking from Carlin Verrall and Bilal Soherwardi, the team moved forwarded snatching the set 26-24. In the final set, players changed position and played in a more relaxed manner. Players continued to work on their communication and supported each other. The final set was won 25-22.

TEAM: Middle B1

DATE: 26 Feb 2021

GAME: SPC Vs Pembroke College

RESULT: WON

SCORES: SPC 3 SETS  75 POINTS OPPSN: 0 SET  38 POINTS

BEST AND/OR PERFORMANCES OF NOTE: Carlin Verrall

The team played exceptionally well this week. Carlin served consistently well and put the team ahead in several sets. This was supported by better communication within the team and several players setting well. St Paul's defeated Pembroke 25-10,25- 15, 25 – 13.

Ms Edda Gastaldo