Dear Parents and Carers,

On Friday, 10 November, we were blessed with a glorious night for the ‘P & F Food and Rides Night’. The conditions were perfect and there was a real community feel with St John’s families from the past, present and future. From all reports the children had a fantastic time! Many thanks to our P & F President Jodie Maloney, Therese Ly and the P & F Executive for their thorough planning and organisation. The P & F continue to be extremely generous in giving of their time to ensure that such events occur to further strengthen the strong sense of community that exists within our wonderful school.

The official ’Opening and Blessing of the School Facilities’ will take place with a special liturgy on Tuesday, 21 November at 9:30 am. It will be a significant event in the history of our school with the opening and blessing to be conducted by Bishop Brian Mascord, MP Mr Stephen Jones and the CEDoW Director of Schools, Mr Peter Hill. Parents and carers are warmly invited to attend this special event.

Last Thursday, we welcomed our 2024 Kindergarten students for the first of two orientation mornings. Having attended our transition to school playgroups, they were very excited about having time in the classrooms with our kindergarten staff. Orientation will continue this Thursday (students only) between 9:00 - 11:30 am.

At this time of the year, children become increasingly excited about the approaching Christmas season. As a school, it is important that we keep firmly focused on learning and maintain our school routines throughout Term 4. It is for this reason Christmas cards are not to be brought to school until after Monday, 4 December, following the First Sunday of Advent. I also ask that candy canes not be brought to school. Thank you for your understanding and support.

As we approach the end of the school year, please make note of the following important dates:

• Sunday 26 November – St John’s Catholic Church, Parish Celebration. All families are warmly invited to join in the celebrations, commencing with an outdoor Mass at 10:00 am.
• Thursday 7 December – Year 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner
• Friday 8 December - End of Year Mass, Principal Awards and SVDP Christmas Appeal.
• Friday 15 December – End of Year Christmas Concert will be held at 1:10 pm with musician/performer Andrew Chinn under the Evangelist Campus COLA.
• Friday 15 December – The school year will conclude with the Year 6 Guard of Honour at 2:20 pm.
  
  
  

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind regards

Mr Matt Downes
Acting Principal

Remembrance Day — 11th November

Every year on the 11th November we celebrate Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day is a time to remember the dead and the tragic loss of thousands of (young) lives in wartime. If it is to have meaning for us now, it might also be a time for us to commit ourselves to justice: to just relationships with those around us; to just relationships between nations; to just for the displaced, the downtrodden and the marginal. If justice becomes a global reality then perhaps war will be no more. Perhaps our remembrance will help bring about peace.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

Annual Parish Celebration — Sunday 26th November

St John’s annual Parish Celebration will take place on Sunday, 26th November. Please come along. Father Francis would love to see as many of our families there as possible.

We will celebrate as a community with Mass under the covered area at 10 am. At the conclusion of Mass, we will gather for lunch and a day of community. The Pastoral Council has decided to organise lunch for the parish celebration as we have in previous years. The information below is designed so that we have a balance of food provided by parishioners. We have decided to ask parishioners to bring food according to the first letter of their surname. Parish celebrations: Lunch arrangements 

Surnames beginning with the letters:

A to F – BBQ chicken and sandwiches
G to L – Salads: Potato, Greek, fried rice
M to R – Savoury slices, crackers and dips
S to Z – Desserts: slices or cakes, fruit platters

The Parish will supply a BBQ along with the food items that are brought along by parishioners. Soft drink and water will also be provided. If parishioners have a gluten intolerance and need the parish to provide alternative food please contact the presbytery ASAP.

Mass times for the weekend of the Parish Celebration are as follows:

Saturday: 5pm | Sunday: 10am

October — World Mission Month

Our final result for our Colour Run fundraiser to support Catholic Mission in the amazing work they do was $8879. Once again, the generosity of our St John’s community is amazing. Congratulations to Kinder Blue, who are our highest fundraising class. They receive a class pizza party to celebrate their efforts.

Save the Date

St John’s Christmas Concert!! 15th December 2023 at 1:20 pm.
 

 
Dates for your diary

Prayer Intentions

During the month of November, we pray for all those who have died.
We pray for all families in our school community who are in need of our prayers.
We pray for the needs of our country and our world.
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.
St John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Kylie Stephens
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.

Diocesan Basketball Trials

Congratulations to Ella Whittle, Caitlyn Whiteside and Nicola Holland on being selected for the Wollongong Representative Basketball Team to compete at Mackillop trials in February 2024. 

Wollongong Diocese Sports Council Medallion

Congratulations to Preston T for being awarded the Wollongong Diocese Sports Council Medallion. This is a prestigious award given to primary students who have represented the Wollongong Diocese in two sporting events. 

Thank you to all those families that have finalised their fees for 2023.

• Please ensure all school fees are paid in full before the end of the 2023 school year.  If you are having genuine financial stress please make contact with the Acting Principal as a matter of urgency to discuss your school fee situation or alternatively email Mr Downes at downesm01@dow.catholic.edu.au
  
  
• Families that currently pay school fees by instalment do not need to complete another 'Request to Pay by Instalment' form, as your current form carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments, e.g. Weekly to fortnightly.  
  
  
• If your child is commencing Year 7 at one of our Diocesan Catholic Colleges, your secondary school fees frequency for payment will be the same as the primary school unless you complete the 'Request to pay by Instalment' form to alter this.
  
  
• Families that do not currently pay school fees by instalment or are new to the school and would like to take up the option to pay their school fees by instalment, please ensure that you complete a 'Request to pay by Instalment' form and either return this to the school office or submit it directly to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au before the conclusion of the 2023 school year.  

Further information is available at: https://www.sjddow.catholic.edu.au/parents-and-carers/school-fees-information/

On Tuesday Gunyah 1 and Gunyah 2 went to The Science Space. I liked the parachute. I liked playing with the robots and seeing the planets. I had the best day ever from Fletcher.

Yesterday Gunyah 1 and Gunyah 2 went to The Science Space. We liked to dance to the music. I had fun at the liquid nitrogen show. From Lottie

Yesterday, the 7th of November, Gunyah One and Gunyah Two went to the UOW Science Space. First, we went to the Planetarium. My favourite planet was Neptune. After that, we played some games. My favourite was the strength bars. I made it to the finish line because I’m really strong! By Joseph Gregoriou

Following a pause in our initial plans, we are delighted to announce the completion of our Sensory Garden. Situated between the library and the office, three beds are now operational and prepared for the children to use and discover.

Sensory gardens are designed to incorporate plants and various materials, forming a self-contained space rich in aromas, textures, colours, sounds, and shapes. Establishing sensory spaces within the school environment enables students to reengage with nature through the stimulation of their five senses. Additionally, we have introduced a small sandpit to enhance the sensory experience in the area.

A massive thanks to 5 Green, Matt, Kane, Lisa, Ann and Daniella who helped along the way. The amazing 3D-printed signs were kindly made by Daniella's husband for us.

During next week, we will be having our Student Wellbeing Afternoons for Term 4. The dates for these afternoons are as follows:
 
Wednesday 22 November – Year 3 & Year 4
Thursday 23 November – Year 5 & Year 6
Friday 24 November – Kindergarten, Year 1 & Year 2
 
As with previous Student Wellbeing Afternoons, students will be able to choose and participate in fun and engaging activities that promote their wellbeing. As part of these Wellbeing Afternoons, the students will be provided with a sausage sizzle for lunch. All sausages will be gluten-free and gluten-free bread will be provided for students with a gluten intolerance. If your child does not eat sausage sizzles or requires more food for lunch than this, please ensure that you pack extra food in their lunchbox.
 
To help make these afternoons even more enjoyable, students are once again encouraged to wear mufti clothes to school on the day their grade has their wellbeing afternoon.

On behalf of the school community, we would like to thank the Parents and Friends Association for their support of this initiative by again funding the cost of the sausage sizzle for the students.
 
We look forward to fun and enjoyable afternoons, promoting and supporting student wellbeing across the school.

Parents and caregivers of the Kindergarten class of 2024 had a delightful experience during their initial Orientation session. This marks an exciting chapter for the children and their families as they embark on their journey toward "big school". It brings us immense joy to extend a warm welcome to numerous new families joining our fantastic school.

A friendly reminder that our last Kindergarten Orientation session is scheduled for Thursday, 16th November. During this session, the children will actively engage with the teachers in the classroom. The session commences at 9 am, with parents dropping off their children and returning to pick them up at 11:30 am.

Please ensure that your child brings a hat and morning tea each day. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome the children into our classrooms and share in their early school experiences.

The P&F remains committed to providing financial assistance to the school, contributing funds for the musical production, student wellbeing afternoons and the school library. Last Friday's P&F Food & Rides Night was an enjoyable event, offering a plethora of food options and exciting rides for everyone in attendance. The weather was ideal, creating a genuine sense of community as St John's families from the past, present, and future came together to share in the festivities.