Dear Parents and Carers,

Book Week for 2025 was celebrated on Friday, and it was fantastic to see everyone embracing the fun by dressing up as their favourite book characters. A big thank you to our Year 6 leaders for organising the event, with special recognition to our three comperes Finlay, Sam and Kiara. For many, Book Week provides a wonderful chance to dive into discussions about books and immerse ourselves in the world of literature. It also serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of reading.

From my experience, a child’s reading ability in the early years is a strong indicator of their future academic success. That’s why it’s so important for children to develop consistent reading habits at home. While some children are eager to pick up a book at any opportunity, we also know that modern distractions, like devices, can pull them away from reading.

I want to emphasise how crucial it is for children to read every night. While school plays an essential role in teaching children how to read, the impact of reading at home cannot be overstated. It helps children build important skills and habits that will serve them well in both school and life.

Reading aloud to your child is a simple but powerful way to support their learning. It helps them understand language, context, sentence structure, grammar, and other key aspects of language development. When children read at home, they can practice what they’ve learned in school, strengthening their love for reading. Without this practice, it’s much harder for children to develop a lasting passion for books. As a parent, this is one of the most impactful things you can do to support your child’s education and it requires so little other than your time.

A huge thank you to Toni and the P&F for organising the “Dance Through the Decades” last Friday night. It was fantastic to see so many parents embracing the theme, dressing up and showing their support for the school. A special thanks to Kellie McGrath for being our wonderful MC. Hosting such an event is never easy but she did an incredible job keeping everyone entertained. We’d also like to thank Sam Robertson for auctioning off our artwork. St Paul’s truly is a wonderful community school and nights like this are a beautiful reminder of just how amazing you all are.

School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) are conducted annually for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. This year’s MACSSIS window is from Monday 1 September to Friday 19 September 2025. All families are invited to participate in our school improvement survey. Each family will receive their personalised log in details via email on September 1st. We would really appreciate as many families completing the survey as possible. More information about the survey can be found here: https://youtu.be/gjkNImfr8BM. It should only take approximately 10 minutes to complete and will be a valuable tool for our forward planning. I ask that when families complete the survey that they base their answers on my time here at St Paul's. We cannot change the past but can help shape the future.

The preparations for the school concert on 22nd October are progressing well. The students have finished their STOMP sessions and the Year 5 and 6 leads are looking fantastic. This week we will begin integrating the classes with the lead performers and we’re aiming to have the full show ready by the end of this term. Attached to this newsletter, you’ll find detailed information about tickets, programs and costumes for each class. I’ve received feedback from both staff and families about the disappointment of ticket restrictions, with some family members missing out on seeing the performance in the past. To address this, we’ve decided to run the show twice this year. Each performance will last about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The first show will be at 5:30pm, followed by a second show at 7:30pm, giving the students a break in between. Both performances will be identical, with the same cast, but this will allow more family and friends the chance to see our students shine on stage.

Each family was sent a letter from MACS regarding the resignation of Mrs Freda Tahtouh last week. As stated in the letter, there will need to be a formal recruitment process for the Principal position. The position will be advertised and a panel will be appointed to interview the successful candidates. I have had a few questions regarding the recruitment process and the timeline. I can confirm that the process will begin in 2025 so the principal is appointed and ready for the beginning of the 2026 school year.

Last week, the plumbers and builders completed repairs to the roof of the main building. They’ve also fixed the internal damage in the teacher resource room and computer lab and will begin work on the Junior building this week. We’re grateful that there haven’t been too many disruptions to the students during this process. The Jasper Road gate has now been reopened.

In addition, the installation of the new junior playground will begin this week. The temporary fencing will go up on Wednesday and the playground itself will be installed on Thursday and Friday. While this will not cause disruptions to the students, the fencing will block off the walkway between the playground and the Prep rooms. The Year 1 students will access their classrooms from the main door during this time. A big thank you to Kassy Wira for her hard work organising the playground and to the P&F for their fundraising efforts to make this possible.

Kind regards

Jussahra Treagus

Upcoming Dates to note

Term 3 Dates: Monday 21 July - Friday 19 September

Thursday 4th September - Father's Day Stall

Friday 5th September - Father's Day breakfast

Friday 12th September - Second hand uniform shop open 8.30 - 9.15am

Monday 8th September -  Whole School Assembly 2.50pm

Friday 12th September - RU OK Day? celebration

Friday 19th September - Last day of term, finish 2.30pm

Term 4 Dates: Monday 6 October - Tuesday 16 December

We are so incredibly lucky to have Sensei teaching Japanese to all our Prep–Year 6 students. Today, we held a very special assembly to celebrate those students who have achieved the milestone of being able to read and write Hiragana. This is an amazing accomplishment, as it takes perseverance, focus and lots of practice.

To mark this achievement, Sensei designed and created beautiful handmade belts for each student, with the year and their name written in Japanese. The effort and care Sensei put into these belts made the recognition even more meaningful and personal.

The hall was buzzing with excitement as students proudly received their belts in front of their peers and teachers. A highlight of the assembly was our beautiful Prep–Year 2 students singing Japanese songs with such enthusiasm and joy. Their performance filled the room with smiles and reminded us of the wonderful journey of language learning that begins in the early years.

This assembly not only celebrated student success, but also highlighted the importance of learning another language and appreciating different cultures. We are so proud of our students for their hard work and of Sensei for inspiring such passion for Japanese learning in our school.

Our Year 5 and 6 students had an exciting hands-on experience with Supreme Incursions as part of their Design and Technology and Science unit. This incursion gave students the chance to put their classroom learning about electrical circuits, energy-efficient cars and sustainable energy into action by designing and building their own billy carts.

It was fantastic to see students apply their knowledge in a practical, engaging way, testing designs, problem-solving and thinking creatively. Even Mr Santamera couldn’t resist joining in and enjoyed racing one of the contraptions!

The activity encouraged teamwork, resilience and innovation, and it was wonderful to see students’ curiosity and skills come alive as they raced their creations and reflected on how design and technology can be applied in real-life contexts.

School Holiday Program – bookings now open! 

 Looking for a safe, engaging and fun environment for your child these school holidays? Our holiday program has something for everyone:

•  Time with friends in a relaxed setting
•  A wide variety of activities to choose from
•  Opportunities to learn new skills and build confidence

Book your child via Xplor Home App – the same way you book OSHC. If your child is new to OSHC with MACSEYE, contact the school office for an enrolment brochure or visit www.macseye.vic.edu.au.