It's hard to believe school starts back next week! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year with a chance to get some downtime and recharge ready for an exciting year ahead. My family went on a big road trip with our caravan to Sydney and back, covering nearly 9000km! What a fantastic journey going from one side of the country to the other. At times, we were so far from civilisation, standing on the edge of Australia on a cliff at the Great Australian Bight. Simply amazing! Although we were travelling to the other side of Australia for a reason (we had a family event), the journey was such an enjoyable part of the trip. As we begin another year and can sometimes slip into looking out for the next holiday or event, let's be conscious to enjoy the journey and all that goes with it. I'm looking forward to a fantastic year at St Paul's!
As we enter into 2023 and focus on the journey we are about to set out on, the quote from Micah that I have included above about what God needs from us gives us important things to focus on ... to act justly - following the example of the life of Jesus; to love tenderly - loving with selfless sincerity; and to walk humbly with God.
I wanted to send a newsletter before school begins to provide you with some information for the start of the year. Don't forget, students start back on Wednesday 1 February. Please take note of the information below. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone back next week!
Term 1 Events
The Term 1 calendar has been put on our website and there is a list of important dates at the end of this newsletter. Please note any relevant dates on your calendar. We will continue to update the calendar and populate it with the rest of the year so please check it regularly.
Please note, there is a pupil free day this term on Friday 3 March. We will also be resuming assemblies this year and will let you know as soon as we have allocated dates and classes.
I encourage you to attend our Masses and class prayers whenever you can. Our opening mass is in Week 2 and it would be great to see you there! We are also bringing back school parish Masses so please put them in your diary and make every effort to come, particularly when your child's class is rostered on.
Grass Area
I am so pleased to let you know that we have some beautiful new grass at St Paul's! After working closely with a Councillor and the Manager of Parks & Sustainability from the City of Stirling, we have an amazing result! We are very grateful to the City of Stirling.
Initially, it was only the sandy section that was going to be replaced, however, they ended up replacing the entire area! The City of Stirling has given us strict instructions on what needs to be done to give the grass the best chance at success so we don't end up in the same situation as before. This does, however, mean that it is very important that the grass has time to establish itself before we are able to use it. The City of Stirling has put a barrier around the grass to keep people off while it establishes. Unfortunately, this means we need to keep off the grass for the first half of Term 1. Hopefully, the inconvenience of not using it during this time outweighs the long-term benefit we will get!
We are looking at options to ensure our students have enough space to play and run around in the meantime. We have also purchased some games that can be used during break times, which I'm sure will be a big hit! Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding during this time
