2021 Term 1, Week 3

The new school year is full of excitement and possibility for students and parents. Regardless of how a child or young person has previously performed, this year offers a chance to set a new course.

While it’s tempting as a parent to make the attainment of good academic results the main priority, this is a narrow view that may be incompatible with long-term success. It’s wiser to broaden your view and focus on helping your child or young person become the best student they can be.

Click here to find out how.

Below is a step by step guide to access the information.  If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact your student’s House Tutor.

1. Log in to the Parent Lounge via stpauls.qld.edu.au (in you have forgotten your log-in details, please contact enrolments at [email protected])
2. Under the “School Links” tab click on Senior School
3. Click on the link that relates to your student to access the relevant PDF for downloading.

You can download a PDF how-to guide with pictures by clicking here.

Internet Safety Day is on Tuesday, 9^th February. On Safer Internet Day the world comes together with a shared vision of making online experiences better for everyone.

This week your child participated in a virtual classroom presented by the eSafety Commissioner titled ‘Be an eSafe kid: Fake news, real harms’. In this webinar students should:

• identify ways to detect fake news
• explore the impact of misinformation online
• get tips on how to find trusted and safe sources of information online
• learn where to go for help if things go wrong.

During the webinar the students were asked to complete an activity and bring it home to discuss their learning with you.

It would be great if your family also joined the conversation. The eSafety Commissioner has recommended some conversation starters for parents and children to help begin the very important and ongoing conversations about being safe online. You can download them by clicking here.

I hope you find these resources helpful for you and your family.

Kind Regards,

Janelle Hamling

Junior School Teacher Librarian

The MSG supports the St Paul’s School Music program through fundraising and provides support to the many activities necessary for the development and implementation of a successful music program. Our work has a direct benefit to all students in the program from beginners to advanced students.

Membership in this group enables parents to be more actively involved in music within the school with extra advantages, such as:

• Providing a clearer understanding of the learning environment and Music Department processes
• Knowledge is shared and decisions are owned collaboratively through discussion
• The opportunity to put ideas forward and discuss new initiatives. Innovation is encouraged!
• Meeting with a group of like-minded people to share ideas and socialise

You are hereby given notice that the Music Supporters Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Monday, 1 March 2021 at 6.30pm in the Music Department. Please find the official notice and nomination form for executive and committee member positions HERE.

To ensure the Music Supporters Group continues to support the music department we encourage all families to play their part. To achieve this we need voices from across all year levels, so please accept our invitation to become involved. There are many ways in which you can become involved:

1. Participate at MSG meetings (held 1st Monday of each month during term time)
   2. Sign up to volunteer at Music events like Music in the Dark and Con Brio
   3. Sign up to receive the MSG meeting minutes to be kept informed

We understand that attending meetings is not possible for everyone so you can support the team in other ways, like helping out at events when we send out a call for extra volunteer support. This is especially the case for Music in the Dark and Con Brio.

Thank you for your time and if you have any queries or would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to make contact:  [email protected]

Looking forward to working with you!

Kathy Wright
President Music Supporters Group

Please see the attached flyer for more information about returning to sport for 2021. Click here to read the flyer.

To download the app and enable notifications, please follow the steps outlined here:

https://www.stpauls.qld.edu.au/instructions-to-download-the-school-app/

It is vital that all contact details remain up to date so that we can contact you as necessary and continue providing your family with relevant information via email, phone and post.

As of last term, parents/guardians can report their child’s absence from school via parent lounge.  An email detailing the process will be sent to you in the coming days.

If you have forgotten your Parent Lounge password, you can reset this yourself via the Parent Lounge login screen. If you have forgotten your Parent Lounge username, please contact the School’s reception.

This change is another improvement in the School’s approach towards child protection as it adds a level of security and authentication to child absences from school.  If you have any questions please contact the Risk and Compliance Officer, Renaye Ansell ([email protected])

Please note, if your child will be absent for three days or longer email your child’s House Leader.

Please submit your notice in writing to the Headmaster – [email protected]

Debbie Brooks
Registrar (Domestic)

1. Communicate with school
   
   Communication with the school is important in aiding a successful school year for your teenager. Familiarise yourself with the names of your child’s subject teachers, year level coordinator and pastoral care/homeroom teacher. If your child has any specific learning or behavioral issues it is important to share these with their teachers at the outset. Don’t assume that information will be passed on from previous teachers.

Be sure to communicate early any concerns your have regarding your teen’s experience at school. As a secondary teacher myself, I can’t stress enough the importance of parents letting us know of issues before they become big problems. We can only deal with information you share with us.

It can be annoying wading through the mountain of communication that arrives home via your teen’s schoolbag or your inbox, however it is important that you read such communication. Have a dedicated place for keeping incoming and outgoing forms. Note important term dates, sports days, excursions and camps in your diary and on a family calendar visible to all.

2. Organisation tools to support success

We like to believe our teenager will naturally develop strong organisational skills and be a self-motivated young person. However this is not often the case. As parents we often need to model organisation tools and strategies.

Ensure your child uses his or her school diary on a daily basis to record homework, assessment tasks and tests. Take a look at it regularly and ask questions if there are weeks of blank pages.

3. Create and support a homework plan

Many teenagers find homework an inconvenience. However, if homework is set for your teenager it is better to set them up for success rather than ignore the issue. Ensure your child has a well-lit space where they can complete homework each night, ensuring they also have the tools they need. Ensure their social media devices are somewhere else and keep healthy snacks at the ready. Encourage your teenager to get into the habit of creating a ‘to do’ list to keep them focused on two or three tasks in a session.

4. Encourage your teen to find their spark

The school year is long and can be exhausting at times, and it is not the be-all and end-all. Encourage your teenager to find their spark by being involved in non-academic activities that bring them joy. Examples are sports, music, dance, art or anything else they have a passion for. Having an interest outside of school that encourages socialising and developing friendships is also great for resilience.

5. Prepare for a successful day ahead

Preparing for a successful day starts with getting plenty of sleep. This is becoming increasing difficult as an unprecedented number of teenagers are reporting sleep issues as a concern. Most teenagers require 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night, but many report getting less than 5.

Young people often lack the self-control to avoid engaging online when they should be sleeping. One strategy for improving this situation, which may require you to develop your ‘digital spine’, is removing internetenabled devices from the bedroom. Insist devices are placed in a central charging area in the home, away from bedrooms, at a nominated time each evening. Many teenagers also benefit from developing a pre-sleep routine such as reading a (paper) book or magazine half an hour before bed, having a warm bath or shower and/or a warm milk drink. If sleep continues to be an issue, it would be worth a visit to your local GP for a consultation to rule out any underlying issues.

The best way to set the scene for a successful day ahead is to ensure your teenager eats a healthy breakfast and takes a nutritious and balanced lunch with plenty of healthy snacks to keep their brain focused throughout the day.

6. Make time to chat about school

Finally, keep the lines of communication open with your teenager about their school experiences. While you may be met with an awkward grunt when you ask about their day at school, don’t give up on asking. Often a teenager will chat more in the car or in a café. Keep reminding your child that you are always available to listen – listening being the crucial point here. Many adolescents don’t want you to fix their concerns but they may need you to just listen. Talk about the positive experiences you had during your own high school years and reassure your teen that it will go by quicker than they can imagine.

Sharon Witt has been immersed in teen world for over two decades in her role as a Secondary teacher, Author and Presenter. Sharon is one of Australia’s leading book authors for young people. She has written 12 books for young people to help guide them through many of the issues they face in early years and help them develop key strategies in building resilience. www.sharonwitt.com.au

HELPFUL CONTACTS

• Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.
• Youth Beyond Blue http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/

ST PAUL’S SCHOOL CAREERS

Career information is available on the St Paul’s School Careers website at https://www.stpaulscareers.com.au/ . Click here to see the latest newsletter, Career Tools from the website host.

USEFUL CAREERS WEBSITES

• My Future myfuture.edu.au
• Job Outlook jobsearch.gov.au/joboutlook

Please complete the Rugby Supporter’s Group AGM Nomination form by 19 February. Download the form by clicking here.

For more information please click here to read the flyer.

Brisbane City Council

The School has been informed that there will be changes to Brisbane City Council (BCC) school bus services commencing at the start of the 2021 school year that may impact on the journey to or from St Paul’s. The changes to BCC services will be available within Translink’s Journey Planner – https://jp.translink.com.au/ two weeks prior to the start of the 2021 School year. All students that utilise BCC bus services for School travel will need to re-plan their journey to and from School during that period.

Any questions related to school travel can be directed to Translink via telephone on ph. 13 12 30 or via other methods using the links available at https://translink.com.au/contact-us

We would like to advise that these planned schedule updates do not affect our Bunya and Samford bus services, operated in partnership with Brisbane Bus Lines (BBL).

Thompson Bus Services

Thompson Bus Services will be introducing changes to some school bus services across our network from the start of Term 1, 2021.

Please find attached formal notification detailing specific changes to school bus services which may impact how your students travel to/from school.

• 6840 AM – the bus will no longer travel any further south than Hamilton Road due to no boardings
• 6840 PM – the bus will no longer travel any further south than Hamilton Road due to no alightings

 Current students who catch buses that will be impacted by a service change will also be notified through handouts given by the driver until the end of 2020.