Term 2 Week 8 - 21 June 2024

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

Principal

kmps@lism.catholic.edu.au

Setting the expectation for your child to attend and actively participate in special College events is a positive step toward creating a supportive and vibrant school community. It contributes to a well-rounded educational experience that extends beyond the academic curriculum and teaches them that being part of a community involves active involvement and a commitment to shared experiences.

Subject Selection - Year 10 (Year 11 2025)
This is a reminder that the Subject Selection evening will take place next week - Wednesday 26 June. This is a compulsory evening for all students and their parents who wish to continue their schooling with us into their HSC years.

This will be followed by an in person meeting with a member of the College leadership team on 31 July during the day. We will inform you of how to book these meetings at the Subject Selection evening.

Year 12
Congratulations to the Year 12 cohort who will be finishing their Term 2 assessments on Monday. So many of the students have worked incredibly hard in the lead up to this assessment period. We are very proud of them.

A reminder that the Trial HSC period is 19 - 30 August. This is an incredibly important assessment block for the students as it prepares them for the reality of the HSC exams.

Year 7-11 Reports
Teachers are busy writing reports at the moment to give you valuable feedback on your child's progress. These reports will be released at the end of Term and we encourage you to sit with your children to discuss their reports. This will then lead us into Parent Teacher Evening on Wednesday 7 August where you will be able to discuss progress with your child's teacher.

Atomi Year 11 and 12
Well done to the Year 11 and 12 students who are using Atomi to support their study. This week the awards for the highest usage go to Lachlan Johnson and Makeely Patterson. Congratulations and enjoy your canteen vouchers!

The Atomi platform is a resource the College has invested in because we know it supports the study habits for our students. Please encourage your children to keep using this valuable resource.

Year 11 Assessment Schedule
Year 11 will begin their Term 2 assessments next week. Please look at the schedule with your child to ensure you are supporting them at this busy time.

Attendance at school during these two weeks is mandatory. We do understand that there is a lot of sickness around at the moment. Students must follow the guidelines on the notification if they are unwell on the day of or the day before a task. This is incredibly important as it follows the necessary guidance from NESA in preparation for their HSC.

Year 11 Assessment Schedule

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

The Year 11 2025 Subject Selection Information Night will be held on Wednesday 26 June at 4.30pm in the Edmund Rice Centre at the College. All prospective Year 11 2025 students and parents/carers must attend this important event.

If you have any queries please email Mrs Kate Fullbrook, Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching kate.fullbrook@lism.catholic.edu.au

Week 10 at St Paul’s - celebrating St Paul’s Feast Day
The College is looking forward to a range of activities celebrating our patron saint, St Paul, in Week 10 this Term. The College will be celebrating Mass on Monday 1 July in the Edmund Rice Centre with Father James. Students are required to wear their academic uniform to Mass. Our College community is blessed to share the life and impact of St Paul on the Christian church. His life and contributions to Christianity are studied throughout the College, culminating as an important aspect of the HSC Studies of Religion extended response. St Paul’s life story and transformation on the road to Damascus is one of the pivotal stories of the Christian tradition; Paul’s early life as a Roman citizen, and a Greek-speaking Jew, supported his access to important leaders during his later years advocating for the teachings of Jesus Christ. Paul’s transforming journey in life is often considered at our College, where an advocacy for helping others with kindness and respect is evident in our beautiful grounds every day.

The St Paul’s Feast Day PC activities are taking place on Tuesday 2 July. Students are welcome to wear their sports uniform and are expected to attend the day and participate in all the activities. The Year 12 student leaders have organised a range of PC challenges which will count towards the House Shield winner for 2024. We have been given a confirmed list of the activities which we will running on the day, including: Tarp Volleyball; Spelling Bee; Trivia; Spaghetti Towers; Sponge Relay; Newspaper Hockey; Giant Chess; European Handball; Gumboot Toss and Vortex.

We have invited a number of local food trucks for lunch purchases, including: Fuller Food Coffee van; Dunghutti Catering; Cha-Cha Sushi; Sweet Choices Ice Cream; Bellingen Pasta; Kekik Turkish Cuisine; Bubble Tea and Munchie Madness.

During period 5 there will be the Year 12 talent show. This was a wonderful event last year where a number of students and staff showed great courage to perform a variety of items that were highly entertaining. We are looking forward to viewing many great acts this year.

Mr Geoffrey Melville - Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing

geoffrey.melville@lism.catholic.edu.au

St Paul’s is excited to have Food Trucks join us during lunch break on Tuesday 2 July where they will be selling delicious food/treats for students and staff to celebrate the College’s Feast Day.

Online Safety - Catfishing
Catfishing refers to someone employing a false identity to deceive you into thinking you're engaging in a genuine online friendship or romance. Once trust is established, catfishers might:

• Publicise your secrets or expose your vulnerability, causing embarrassment or distress.
• Deceive you into sending them money through fraudulent schemes.
• Coerce or manipulate you into sharing intimate photos or engaging in online sexual activities.
• Threaten to expose or exploit you using nude or intimate material, a practice known as 'sextortion.'
• Misuse your personal information to assume your identity and commit identity theft.

By having open and proactive discussions about catfishing, you can help empower your young person to recognise and avoid potential risks while navigating the online world responsibly.

Tips:

• Start with Openness: Begin the conversation in a non-judgmental and open manner. Let your young person know that you want to discuss an important topic related to online safety and they can come to you if they ever feel suspicious or uncomfortable about someone they're talking to online. Emphasise the importance of trust and communication in maintaining their safety.
• Define Catfishing: Explain what catfishing is in simple terms. Describe it as when someone creates a fake online identity to deceive or manipulate others, often for personal gain or to harm others emotionally.
• Discuss Red Flags: Talk about common warning signs of catfishing, such as someone refusing to video chat or meet in person, inconsistencies in their story, or requests for personal or financial information.
• Emphasise Trust and Verification: Stress the importance of verifying the identity of people your young person interacts with online. Encourage them to be cautious and sceptical of strangers, especially if they seem too good to be true.
• Discuss Privacy Settings: Review your young person’s privacy settings on social media with them. Encourage them to keep their profiles private and to be selective about who they accept friend requests or messages from.
• Talk About Consent: Discuss the importance of obtaining consent before sharing personal information or photos online. Remind your teen that they have the right to set boundaries and should never feel pressured to do anything they're not comfortable with. Let your teen know that if they ever find themselves in a situation involving catfishing, you're there to support them without judgement. Reassure them that it's not their fault and that they can take steps to protect themselves. Check-in with your teen periodically to see how they're navigating their online interactions.
  
  

Read more at eSafety Catfishing

If you have any concerns about your young person please contact the College. It is important for the St Paul's to know any wellbeing issues that may impact on learning and behaviour at school.

Ms Fiona Stuart - Leader of Pastoral Care

fiona.stuart@lism.catholic.edu.au

NSWCCC Rugby Team Selection
Congratulations to Emily Stuart (Year 11) who has been selected for the U16 NSWCCC Rugby 7's team and will compete in the NSW All schools Rugby 7's Championships.

Congratulations to Blake Gill (Year 12), who has been selected in the U18's NSWCCC Rugby Union squad. Blake will compete in the NSW All Schools Rugby Championships.

Warwick Clarke Shield – Cricket
On Thursday 13 June the staff and Year 12 students started the ‘pink test’ cricket match for the Warwick Clarke Shield. It was a great day, with the staff batting first putting on a solid total of 104 runs. Students batted at the end of the day losing an early wicket and then came out fresh on Friday chasing down the massive total. They ended up all out for 67 runs, with the teachers getting the win for this Warwick Clarke Shield event. Currently, teachers are leading the Warwick Clarke Shield events with a score of 4-3, with five games still to go.

NRL Country Cup Gala Day
St Paul's U14 girls played in the NRL Country Cup Gala day in Port Macquarie on Wednesday. The girls were outstanding all day, playing with pride, courage and resilience. Their effort was evident until the last game, and their improvement throughout the day was something to be proud of. Well done girls!

Mr Mitchell Robins - Coach

Diocesan Junior Soccer Gala Day
St Paul's junior girls soccer team travelled to Coffs Harbour this week to compete in the Diocesan Junior Soccer Gala day. The girls played some brilliant soccer throughout the day and finished top of their pool. They won the semi final against Xavier College, Ballina, and came up against MacKillop College in the final. Unfortunately they lost this game, however still came away with the runner up medals. The girls represented St Paul's with determination and sportsmanship and should be extremely proud of their achievement.

Upcoming Sport

• Rugby 7’s event, boys and girls U14’s, 16’s and 18’s – Early Term 3.
• Athletics Carnival (high jump and long course running events) – Wednesday 24 July.
• Athletics Carnival - Friday 26 July.

Mr Heath Needs - Teacher and Sports Coordinator

heath.needs@lism.catholic.edu.au

Staff, students and their families are cordially invited to attend the weekly Mass celebrated by Fr James Foster, Parish Priest in the College Chapel. Mass will be held every Tuesday at 8.30am during Term time.

Parking is available for parishioners and families during attendance at the Mass in the staff car park on Sea Street (please do not use the North Street car park at this time due to use by school buses).

For emergency evacuation purposes all attendees are requested to record their details using the sign in sheet provided at the Chapel. This information will not be kept after visitors have left the College site.

Do you want to explore more about the Catholic faith or wish to become Catholic?

The Macleay Valley Catholic Parish will be running the RCIA program which provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of the Catholic faith, including its teachings, history, and traditions. To register or to find out more, please contact 6562 5182 or pastoraloffice@mvcp.org.au

In 2020, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference established a Plenary Council to focus on the future of the Catholic Church in Australia. In 2021, Bishop Greg Homeming commissioned a Renewal of the Diocese of Lismore in response to the Plenary Council. The Renewal’s goal is to provide a focused way forward in the face of the many challenges in parishes and the diocese.

The Renewal, which is ongoing, is involving thousands of people from throughout the Diocese including priests, parishioners, school leaders and teachers, aged care and hospital staff, youth ministry teams and many others involved in the wide range of Diocesan ministries.

To find out more, please visit the Lismore Diocesan website.

What an incredible achievement for Year 11 students, Ruby Bradford, Isla Dowling and Ruby Robbins who competed in the State Shakespeare Carnival titles in Sydney on 1-2 June. The Shakespeare Carnival is a state wide competition organised by the Sport for Jove Theatre company, showcasing students across NSW as they tread the boards and creatively engage with Shakespeare's works on the stage as actors, dancers, musicians and designers.

The weekend began with the students engaging in a whole day of workshopping and learning from industry professionals, learning new skills and extending their understanding of the Shakespearian language. The doors of the theatre were then opened Sunday morning for the final competition of 2024 to begin.

With an impressive scene from Romeo and Juliet, our students took to the stage at the Seymour Centre and impressed the audience with their dangerous and gritty fight scene. The competition was fierce and unfortunately they didn't come away with the crown, however, the gasps and honest reactions from the audience and the applause at the end was a clear indication of the polished performance they presented.

Congratulations to Ruby, Isla and Ruby for getting to the State level. You represented the College and yourselves with style, dedication and conviction and we are very proud of your achievements.

Mrs Amanda Jordan - Drama Teacher

St Paul's Year 8 French classes have been learning the names of foods and drinks. As part of this Term's assessment, they have created delicious French menus.

"In year eight this term in French with Madam Minett, we've been practicing how to say and order food and drinks in French at a restaurant. The posters that are shown are menus for a restaurant that everyone made to showcase what we have learned in class. We will use our menus to create a script for a roleplay, pretending we're at a restaurant in France and need to place our order.

Merci
Les élèves français de year 8"

Sarah Woods and Chelsea Kerfoot - Year 8

St Paul's students and staff supported the National Breast Cancer Foundation by wearing pink on Thursday 13 June to raise funds to support research focused on how to prevent, detect, treat and stop the progression and recurrence of cancer. Thank you to the families who donated baked goods for this good cause.

Congratulations to St Paul's Year 8 student, Dylan Micallef, for taking part in The Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave last week and for reaching his fundraising goal.

Congratulations to St Paul's Year 12 student, Jack Bool, who has been selected for the Australian U19 Joeys All-Star Football team and is currently in Germany on a coaching and playing tour held in June and July. This is a fantastic experience for Jack and we wish him all the best!

Congratulations to St Paul's Year 12 students, Phoebe Laws and Ava Ryan, who have been selected for the Female North Coast NSW Youth Academy Cricket Squad.

NSW Health will be conducting the NSW Schools Vaccination Program catch up clinic on Thursday 24 October for Year 7 and Year 10 students.

Online consent for school vaccinations
If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year and have not received their routine school vaccinations, you can provide online consent for them to receive their vaccinations at the catch up clinic.

⦁ Year 7 students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) 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 2023, will be offered catch up vaccinations in 2024.

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.

Catch Up Clinic for 2024 Vaccination Program:

• Term 4 - Thursday 24 October

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.

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.

The Year 12 group photo will be taken on Wednesday 14 August. All Year 12 students are required to wear full academic uniform including ties and meet the presentation expectations of the College.

Please refer to the College Uniform and Presentation Policy for information regarding uniform expectations.

Wednesday 13 November 2024
Please save the date if you have applied for a position at the College for Year 7 2025. This is a compulsory day for students who accept an offer of a position at St Paul's for Year 7 2025.

If you or someone you know are experiencing any issues that are causing distress, please contact the services below for further support options.

Family Connect Service
The Family Connect services at St Paul's offers support with ANY issues your children or family unit may be experiencing. The service assists to link families to the appropriate specialist services all while providing a confidential and safe space to work with you and advocate for your needs.

St Paul's Family Connect and Support Worker, Ashleigh Howe, works at the College on Mondays and Fridays. Ashleigh has a professional background in the Family Support, Specialist Domestic and Family Violence and Mental Health spaces, and has worked and supported the Macleay Valley community for over 10 years.

If you would like to talk or need advice or support, please contact Ashleigh via email ashleigh.howe@socialfutures.org.au or text/call her on 0448 526 777.