On the first weekend of the school holidays, I had the privilege of attending the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teacher Conference, in Brisbane. There was so much rich learning from colleagues and it reinforced what I had fought for as a panel member for the Queensland review of the Australian Curriculum over the past few years. Where Mathematics is moving is very exciting and I can't wait to see what is to come for our students as they learn to not only master mathematical concepts, but investigate and apply Maths in practical, complex and challenging ways. Professor Chris Matthews from the ATSIMA (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance) spoke with wisdom and passion about connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and culture to Mathematics. Here is a short video of Professor Matthews explaining his amazing work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H1pHCXcTrE Dr Simon Singh was a key note speaker and his humourous and insightful presentation showed his deep commitment to making Maths engaging and challenging for all students. Dr Singh has made documentaries for the BBC, including one called Fermat's Last Theorem and is a widely published author of Maths and Science books. He has an organisation called Parallel and I encourage you and your children to have a go at his weekly problems called Parallelograms here: https://parallel.org.uk/. So how does the rubber hit the road with the delivery of the intent of the new Mathematics curriculum at our school? We have already started this journey at St Paul's. This year, we have introduced daily Number Talks across the school (which both students and teachers are loving!), along with regular Maths investigations. Our teachers have engaged in professional learning in Computational Thinking and have completed 2 Mathematics courses from Standford University. This term, our teachers will receive more professional learning in Maths as they engage in the webinars from the Infinite Ideas Festival and they will be encouraged to think outside of the square as they actively and collaboratively investigate problems from Maths 300. In August, we will be a host school for the region for the Year 5 and 6 Queensland Mathematics Competition. Students will work in groups of 3 to solve Mathematical problems collaboratively. We have invited other schools in the area to join us at St Paul's as we challenge ourselves in our Mathematical thinking and investigate problems. At St Paul's, we are committed to providing a high-quality education with evidence-based best practice in Literacy and Numeracy. We are excited to see your children grow, learn and challenge themselves in Mathematics and we are looking forward to also challenging and growing ourselves as staff.  

Family Book Club

Hot Chocolates! What a fabulous start to the P & F volunteers running our Thursday Hot Chocolate mornings!  So much so, they ran out of hot chocolate!  But not this week… They are ready for the popularity of this wonderful initiative, especially with the chilly, wet weather expected.  Please come along and have a chat with members of the Exec, staff and families of the St Paul’s community. Playground and Oval Term 3 will see the commencement of the upgrade to our Junior playground in Week 3.  There are some wonderful plans ahead and we look forward to swinging from and climbing on the new equipment later this term! Our oval has also dried out with many weeks spent being unable to access it last term.  So we hope to see the wonderful games and fun being had back out there by our students. Parent Workshop There will be a VSC (Valuing Safe Communities) Parent Workshop on Tuesday 26 July at 2.00pm (in person) and option to complete online for Parent Volunteers. Please note: If you are planning to volunteer for excursions or camps, this is a requirement that you have completed this workshop.  Log on to register your attendance here: Valuing Safe Communities Registration Cyber Safety Keeping our kids safe online is a huge priority and responsibility we share between home and school.  As such, we are launching a Mrs J’s Tech Lounge where we will be sending out information regarding up-to-date information on social media, iPad security, cyber bullying and 'how to' guides for parents to monitor devices at home.  This is an ever changing field and we wish to educate staff, parents and students across the term on these areas and more!  Being eSmart is a must have skill. Loose Parts Play Thanks to our wonderful Learning Assistants who have taken on a task to set up Loose Parts Play in the Junior play space.  This allows the children to learn cooperative play as they create, build and collaborate using a variety of everyday equipment.  We will be looking to add some interesting design and tech ideas for students in the Senior Primary school during the term.  Watch this space! Challenge All students have been challenged this week to write or draw things they are grateful for and pop them in the postbox outside my office for a chance to win an iceblock!  If there are things or people you are grateful for, drop in a note and help us create an overflowing cup of gratitude!  For parents, there may even be a hot chocolate on me. 😉 As always, I love catching up with students and parents on a daily basis.  Please feel free to stop by for a chat anytime!  Having an open door policy to connect is something I highly value.  If, however,  you need to make an appointment to discuss something more formal, please don’t hesitate to do so. Have a wonderful week ahead! Mrs Marcia Jealous Acting Deputy Principal