RevelationsThe fortnightly newsletter for Pre-K to Year 12 families of St Paul’s

Revelations - St Paul’s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 57 1

Issue No. 57 16th June 2020

From the Principal

Ian Wake Principal

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. " Psalm 136:1

It is encouraging to see the gradual easing of COVID restrictions by the government in response to case numbers remaining low. We are constantly monitoring the advice from the NSW Government and the Health Department and translating that advice into our practice at school. Between now and the end of term, we will continue to maintain our expectation that everyone on site exercises strong hygiene practices including regular hand sanitising. We will also still maintain restricted access for adults on site and also our expectation that students or staff with flu-like symptoms do not attend school. The café will also remain closed to parents and visitors till the end of the term.

If COVID 19 cases remain low, it is anticipated that we will be able to start to look at further school activities and events coming back next term. We are planning for the recommencement of sport for the beginning of next term and it is encouraging to see some sport teams have already commenced modified training. Activities like parent/teacher evenings and information evenings will also be evaluated to determine whether they might be able to proceed in some modified form.

Once again I would like to acknowledge and thank the support and encouragement we have received from our school families. This has been one of the most difficult circumstances that we have had to navigate, with many unknowns. Overall the school has taken a cautious approach in our response to COVID 19 as we are endeavouring to maximise the safety of our whole community. We are hopeful that next term we will be able to start coming back together as a community and meeting face to face once again. As Term 3 commences we will provide more detailed information about any changes in our management practices and which activities and events may be reintroduced.

I would also like to thank and acknowledge our wonderful staff who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to giving their best in constantly changing circumstances and conditions. We are greatly blessed as a school to have such a dedicated team of workers who are so willing to serve. I continue to feel so privileged to be part of this very special school community and pray for God’s continued blessing on us all.

CRICOS 02267A

Revelations - St Paul’s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 57 2

From the Head of Junior School

Junior School Athletics Carnival The Junior School Athletics Carnival has been scheduled for Wednesday, 22nd July 2020 on the school oval. At this stage, we are not sure if spectators will be permitted, however Miss Bate will certainly let everyone know when this information is available.

Kiss ‘N’ Drop I would like to thank all our families for their support of our arrangements for drop-off and pick-up at the Junior School. Our staff have worked hard to ensure a smooth and safe operation in the mornings and afternoons. The current procedures will remain in place and be reviewed when restrictions change regarding parents coming into the school.

Reports Junior School reports will be issued at the end of this term. While teachers have endeavoured to capture the achievement and progress of students, this has been challenging considering the period of time students engaged in remote learning. With this in mind, some areas of each subject may not be reported until Semester 2 where a full report will be provided. Mrs Day has written a letter of explanation that will be attached to each report.

I would like to wish everyone a safe, relaxing school holiday period and look forward to school resuming in Term 3 on Tuesday, 21st July 2020.

Ian Brooker Head of Junior School

Revelations - St Paul’s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 57 3

From the Director of Learning Services

Year 10 into Year 11- 2021 Information

In the last issue of Revelations, I wrote about the process for Year 10 students to choose courses and subjects for Year 11, 2021. A summary of the differences between the NESA Higher School Certificate and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is now available in a dedicated page for Year 10 2020 into Year 11, 2021 on my.stpauls. Although this page has a specific focus for Year 10 students, parents with children in younger year groups may find this information helpful as they start to plan for senior years.

St Paul’s has long offered a choice of senior secondary courses to our students, the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) Higher School Certificate (HSC) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. Both courses are well established, excellent and highly regarded senior Secondary School credentials that lead to a wide variety of post-school opportunities. Regardless of the course chosen, the pedagogy or teaching practice of inquiry-based learning that is a feature of the IB Primary and Middle Years Programmes continues into both HSC and Diploma classes in Years 11 and 12. As a school we believe that this is best practice in teaching and learning.

St Paul’s does not favour one course over the other and is committed to running a viable number of subjects in each course to meet the needs of our students and provide a good range of choice. The same teachers are assigned to classes in both courses based on timetable requirements. Each course is resourced in the same way to ensure consistency of experience and outcomes for students. Each year we spend many months building our secondary school timetable around student choice to maximise their opportunities. My experience is that this is not the case in many other schools.

We also plan to invite Year 10 students to organise individual interviews with myself or other senior members of staff next term, but if families would like to start this process earlier, please contact me to arrange an interview this term. We continue to plan for a Year 10 into 11 information evening (for Year 10 students and parents) for Wednesday, 14th July. At this event, Year 10 students and their parents will have the opportunity to discuss courses and subjects with Secondary School teachers. Students usually find this an extremely helpful experience in their journey towards course and subject selection.

Parent/Teacher Meeting Dates for the Rest of the Year

We anticipate being able to schedule parent/teacher evenings from early Term 3. At this stage the following dates have been scheduled for meetings:Monday, 27th July: Year 8 parent/teacher, afternoon/evening

Thursday, 6th August: Year 10 parent/teacher, afternoon/evening

Tuesday, 18th August: Year 9 parent/teacher, afternoon/evening

Wednesday, 14th October: Year 7 and Year 11 parent/teacher, afternoon/evening

Invitations with more detail will be sent to parents as these dates approach. If you have any questions about any of the matters raised here, please do not hesitate to contact me

Mr Antony MayrhoferDirector of Learning ServicesE: antony.mayrhofer@stpauls.nsw.edu.auP: +61 2 4776 4705

Revelations - St Paul’s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 57 4

From the Director of Students and Family Services

Standards of Student Behaviour

Last week I addressed all students about a general feeling of unsettledness that has recently crept into the Secondary School. This has manifested itself in areas such as uniform, inappropriate language and behaviour. While I understand that this term has been quite unusual and disrupted, it is very important that we do not let this impact the day-to-day running of the school, particularly the functionality of relationships between students. In my address I strongly encouraged all Secondary School students to treat one another with respect and emphasized the need to finish the remaining two weeks of this term well.

Combined House Day

I am pleased to be able to tell you that our annual Combined House Day will go ahead on the last day of this term. Obviously, the day will be significantly modified compared to normal in order to meet the restrictions that remain in place on schools due to COVID 19. While this may impact the financial success of the day, we still look forward to raising money in support of Congo Aid.

Our prefect's and Heads of House are working hard on the programme in order to maximise the enjoyment for our students. This is definitely not an easy task in the current climate but they are doing a wonderful job. To that end, all students will be permitted to wear sensible non-school uniform on the day. A donation for Congo Aid will be taken during tutor group and a cake stall will be held at recess. We are still hopeful of structuring lunchtime in an appropriate way so that it too can raise funds without breaching Covid regulations. The final part of the day will see an online talent quest take place where students will be able to raise money by voting for their favourite act. Further details outlining the day will be provided soon.

As this is the last edition of Revelations before the holiday break my very best wishes to all our families for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. Philip Heath Director Students and Family Services

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From the Music Academy

Music Ensembles Programme News

New Music EnsembleSt Paul's is looking to form a new music ensemble to explore Alternative Rock Music. Thank you to Jake Warner (Year 10) and Max Caterson (Year 10) who have taken the initiative to get this group up and running. Interested students should be looking to build their skills in alternative music like heavy metal, rock, alternative, emo and punk rock.

We are looking for the following for this exciting new venture:

• 2 or more electric guitarists

• 1 or more bassists

• 1 or more vocalists (male or female). Vocalists should at least be able to sing ‘clean’ vocals and should be willing to explore some screams or similar techniques.

All musicians need to be confident and competent but don’t need to be of expert level to apply. Students who would like to apply should register on the Music Academy my.stpauls page.

Music Ensembles

Senior School and Junior School Music Ensembles have re-commenced. All ensembles are enjoying their time back at school rehearsing music together. All Music tutors have been briefed on the appropriate safety and hygiene protocols for Music Ensemble rehearsals and Conservatorium lessons

To find out more about the Music Academy please visit the Music Academy my.stpauls page.

Here you can register for the Conservatorium Programme or the Ensembles Programme, or find out more information about our Tutors, as well as the types of ensembles available.

Cathy Jarman Coordinator of Music

Conservatorium Programme News

Most Conservatorium lessons are now being delivered on campus and students are enjoying seeing their teacher in a face-to-face setting. Registrations for Music and Speech & Drama lessons remain open, please visit the Music Academy my.stpauls page to submit an application of interest.

Updated dates for Conservatorium concerts are:

Term 4 – Wednesday, 4th November 2020 (Instrumental and Speech & Drama focus)

Term 4 – Saturday, 7th November 2020 (Vocal focus)

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From the Dance Academy

Online Dance Programme

The Dance Academy staff would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the families that have engaged with the online dance programme. We appreciate your support and willingness to be involved in this new method of teaching and learning.

The Dance staff would love to hear any feedback or comments you might have about the programme, from both students and parents. If you would like to contribute, please email Mrs Cullimore at lauren.cullimore@stpauls.nsw.edu.au.

Well-being Resource

We are very excited to share with you as part of the online dance programme, the staff and student well-being resource. Our experienced dance tutor, Natasha O’Hehir, has designed a suite of short videos that will help you maintain your mental and physical health. The exercises are conveniently designed to be completed in a small area at home or at your work/study desk. The videos can be watched in any order and views as many times as needed.

These videos can be located on the Staff and Student well-being mystpauls pages.

For further details, please contact Mrs Cullimore, Coordinator

of Dance at St Paul’s: lauren.cullimore@stpauls.nsw.edu.au

Student ReflectionEllie Smith, Year 9 Dance This is my experience of what school and fitness have been like since the restrictions of COVID-19. I was uncertain how well the transition from school to online learning was going to work, but I found it a lot smoother and easier to get used to than expected. Using the same school online facilities as usual made it less of an adjustment and meant that I could access the learning quickly and in a familiar way. There are also several ways to communicate with teachers and classmates so everyone can feel included and connected.

Since the stay at home restrictions, it has been hard to stay active and diligent when everything is at home and after school activities are ambiguous as to how they are going to run. I am grateful for the subjects that give students the opportunity to focus on physical activity as a part of required work. For me, dance is a passion of mine and I have found it encouraging through these times. It consistently supports exercise and movement whilst also providing the theory behind the benefits of the activity.