Dear Parents and Carers,

As another hugely successful school term draws to a close, I would like to thank you for your continued support and involvement in our wonderful school and I wish all families an enjoyable, restful and well-deserved holiday break.

This week, we farewell Mrs Renee Maguire (Religious Education Coordinator) as she relocates to Tamworth for the beginning of Term 4. Mrs Maguire has made a significant contribution to St John’s over the last eighteen months as Acting Religious Coordinator and her caring and considerate leadership will be missed. On behalf of the St John’s community, I wish Mrs Maguire all the best as she commences this new chapter in her life.

Congratulations to Temperence (6B), Millicent (5B) and Isabelle (5R), whose artworks and reflective written responses have been shortlisted and entered into the Diocese of Wollongong Exhibition of the Christmas Story Art Competition. The artworks chosen were judged to best respond to the criteria and were exemplary of Stage 3 reflective writing and artistic skills. Their artworks will now be part of the exhibition and will be on display at the Wollongong City Art Gallery from 6th – 29th October. The Christmas Story Art Competition and Exhibition is an initiative of the Catholic Education Offices in Wollongong and Sydney, designed to celebrate and explore children's creative and artistic ability in illustrating the Christmas story. Thank you to Mrs Scales, who has worked with and supported the students in the completion of their artwork and written responses. This is an outstanding achievement for our school.

Preparations for the P & F Food and Rides Night are in full swing. Currently, the P & F are seeking prize donations for the Chocolate Wheel. If you are able to assist, please bring donations to the front office or email the P & F on pandf@sjddow.catholic.edu.au.

Term 3 Principal Awards will be presented at the conclusion of the end-of-term whole school Mass (9:30am) this Friday, 22 September. Due to this, there will not be an afternoon awards assembly this Friday. Term 4 will commence on Monday, 9 October. All students are required to return to school in their full summer uniform.

I wish all families an enjoyable, safe and relaxing holiday break.

Kind regards,

Mr Matt Downes
Acting Principal

We must teach more by example than word.
Mary MacKillop 1967

Feast of St Francis of Assisi — 4th October

We conclude the Season of Creation with St Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day. St Francis was a spiritual leader who founded three Catholic orders, including the Franciscan Order named after him. He gathered followers as he rebuilt churches, helped the poor and declared the sanctity of all life. The principle of sanctity for all of God's creations, whether human, animate or inanimate, is the source of his reputation as a lover of nature. He believed that since God had created all, then all were kin. 

His meaning was clear in his “Canticle for the Sun” (or Canticle for the Creatures, as it is also known):, which reads in part:

“Praised be you, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day and through whom You give us light,
and he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
Praised by You, My Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised by You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised by You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised by You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised by You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.”

He was considered then (and now) as the most conscientious follower of the principles of Jesus of Nazareth to leave behind worldly goods and follow the spirit.  He was beatified as St. Francis in 1226, only two years after his death.
He loved nature, and many stories relate to how he could commune with birds (he called them “little brethren the birds”) and other animals.  And so has grown the image of St. Francis of Assisi as the symbol of a loving relationship with nature.  So strong is his example that in 1979, Pope John Paul II formally named St. Francis as the “Patron Saint of Ecology.”

Pope Francis chose to be called after St. Francis of Assisi, “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation,”          
(Reference: Papal Declaration of Francis as Patron of Ecology.)

Thank you

As I prepare to embark on a new chapter, moving to the north-western region of NSW, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you — the dedicated staff, students and supportive families. It has been an honour and a privilege to be a part of this incredible school community. The staff demonstrate an unwavering dedication, passion, and commitment to providing a high-quality education for the students. The students, the heart and soul of St John’s, whose curiosity, creativity, compassion and faith, following Jesus’ commandment to ‘love one another' are an inspiration. To all of the parents and carers, thank you for your support and involvement, especially in your fundraising efforts for Project Compassion, Mission Month and St Vincent de Paul Winter and Christmas Appeals. Your generosity has made such a difference to so many lives locally, throughout Australia and around the world. I leave with a deep sense of gratitude for the memories, friendships, and experiences I have gained here. The St John’s community truly follows Mary MacKillop’s motto ‘Never See A Need Without Doing Something About It'. Lastly, to Fr. Francis, Sr Narelle and Jenny, your dedication to the St John’s Parish is a blessing to us all.

Dates for your diary

Prayer Intentions

We pray for all families in our school community who are in need of our prayers, as well as our country and world.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.
St Joseph, Pray for us.
St John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Renee Maguire
Religious Education Coordinator

PB4L is an evidence-based framework that emphasises school-wide systems of support for all students and staff. These include proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviours. Positive behaviour supports are implemented for all students, across all school settings, by all staff, at all times. This continuum of support ensures students’ academic and social outcomes.

All student behaviour expectations are founded on our three school rules – Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe.

2024 Year 5 & Year 6 Representative Sport Opportunities

Through the Diocese of Wollongong Sports Council, some students are provided with the opportunity to trial for Wollongong representative teams, which give students the opportunity to access higher levels of sporting pathways, representation and opportunities to progress into state representation. 

2024 Year 5 & 6 students will be receiving an information note with information regarding this opportunity.

For further clarification, please contact Mrs Mitchell.

Congratulations Ash

Ash participated in the NSW state softball competition, representing MacKillop, and secured the coveted gold medal. Ash and the MacKillop team can now proudly call themselves State Champions. Their exceptional performance was highlighted by a remarkable achievement on Day 1 when, during his first bat, he scored a 3-run home run, making it his very first homerun in the sport.

Well done Ash!

Congratulations Gianni

Congratulations to Temperence (Y6), Isabelle (Y6) and Millicent (Y5), whose artworks and reflective written responses have been shortlisted and entered into the Diocese of Wollongong Exhibition of the Christmas Story Art Competition.

This year the top 44 artworks were chosen from the artworks entered into the competition. Those chosen were works that were judged to best respond to the criteria and were exemplary of Stage 3 reflective writing and artistic skills.

Their artworks will now be part of the exhibition and will be on display at the Wollongong City Art Gallery from October 6th – 29th. Artworks can be viewed over the holiday period. Art Gallery opening details: Tues – Fri 10am–5pm and Weekends 12–4pm.

The Christmas Story Art Competition and Exhibition is an initiative of the Catholic Education Offices in Wollongong and Sydney, designed to celebrate and explore children's creative and artistic ability in illustrating the Christmas story. This exhibition and competition provides the opportunity for Years 5 and 6 students to share with the wider community a greater awareness of the role of the arts in Religious Education. Children can develop a deeper appreciation for their talents and recognise the value of the arts in expressing understandings of the Catholic faith.

Congratulations to Jay for being announced as one of the Catholic Schools Guide Competition recipients.

The question for the competition from Catholic Schools Guide was, 'What makes your Catholic school so great?'. Here is Jay's answer:

Gunyah had a delightful afternoon engaging in coding activities with the VEX robots.

Today, our Year 5 students had the privilege of hosting a visit from the RFS. The NSW Rural Fire Service acknowledges that children can play a significant role in strengthening household and community resilience. NSW RFS members conveyed crucial messages to Year 5 regarding bushfire safety, offering advice on emergency planning, and taking part in emergency drills.

What can you expect?

• Pre-purchase ride bands are $35 (or on the night $40) or $8 per ride (on sale one week prior)
• Over 16 Market Stalls, Rides, Show bags, Farm Animals
• Market Stalls include hair braiding, pet products, airbrush tattoos, face painting, candles, toys, specialty nuts and much, much more!
• Food Trucks include: Burgers, Ice Cream Trucks, Twist Potatoes, Pizza, Doughnuts and Vietnamese and Coffee Van
• ATM will be available; however, bring your change!
• Chocolate Wheel from 6pm – 7pm
• BYO Chairs and Picnic Blankets

How can you help?

• We will be seeking volunteers to support on the night in the coming weeks.
• We are also seeking support for prizes for our chocolate wheel. Do you know someone that could donate a prize to support us? If so, please bring in donations to the office or email the P&F; pandf@sjddow.catholic.edu.au

To the following students who are celebrating their birthday in October — we wish you a very happy birthday and hope you have a great day.