Last Sunday in Parishes throughout the Diocese of Wollongong, we celebrated the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B. Last Sunday, I attended Mass with the St John’s Parish community. Fr Francis's homily reminded us of how Jesus approached suffering throughout his life and ministry. Jesus’ compassion and healing of the sick is a sign of the Kingdom of God. The Church continues to extend Christ’s healing presence to others in its ministry to the sick. In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, the Church prays for spiritual and physical healing, forgiveness of sins, and comfort for those who are suffering from illness. In today’s Gospel we also notice the importance of prayer in Jesus’ daily life. We believe that in his prayers, Jesus found guidance and direction from God. We also bring our decision-making to God in prayer, asking for his guidance and direction in our lives.

Dear Parents and Carers,

On behalf of Fr. Francis and the staff at St John's, I wish you a warm welcome back to the 2024 school year. I hope that your Christmas was faith-filled and you were able to spend time with your loved ones during the pupil vacation. I have spoken with many parents, carers and students about their break and the wonderful time they had during January. 

It was such a pleasure to see our students enter the school with such happy smiles and greeting their teachers and friends with much enthusiasm. This is certainly a testament of the supportive and caring culture at St John’s, a school where sincere care is shown constantly by students, staff, parents and carers. 

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the new families who have joined our school community in 2024, especially those parents who will commence the journey with their child at St John’s for the very first time. Welcome to St John’s!! We also welcome our new staff members; Ms Valeria Perez, Ms Hayley Richardson and Mrs Catherine Crowley, I am sure our new staff, students and families will experience the beauty of the St John’s hospitality.

Over the next few weeks our teachers will be focusing on classroom procedures and structures that support learning. This is an opportunity for students to engage in establishing routines for learning, which will optimise student engagement. This includes organising the learning space, establishing classroom procedures and introducing routines and structures that guide student behaviour and learning engagement.

I would like to thank the community for welcoming me so warmly, thank you for the kind words and welcoming emails. It has been a wonderful start to the school year and I look forward to the year ahead.

Please see a video of our 2024 Student Leaders welcoming the St John's school community to the 2024 school year.

2024 Annual School Improvement Plan

In 2023 staff, students, parents and carers had an opportunity to provide feedback about the strengths and areas of growth for the school. This feedback was used by staff and the School Leadership Team in consultation with the Catholic Education Office to develop the St John’s Annual Improvement plan for 2024. This year will see the staff at St John’s focus on one Annual Improvement Goal which is briefly outlined below.

All students are appropriately challenged and demonstrate growth in Mathematics.

Teachers' professional learning will be an integral component of the St John’s Annual Improvement Plan. Teachers will be released from their teaching load throughout the year to engage in professional learning targeted to the above annual improvement goals. We are looking forward to this year's targeted learning and partnership with our parents and carers.

Kindergarten 2024

It has been a pleasure to welcome our Kindergarten students to St John’s. The kindergarten students bring such joy to the school community with their wonder and awe and inquisitive minds. A warm welcome to our new kindergarten parents and carers. It was wonderful to see both familiar faces and new faces today as you supported the transition processes we have in place for our kindergarten students. It is great to welcome you to our school community. 

On behalf of the staff at St John's we look forward to working with our parents and carers to provide a supportive and caring learning environment whereby every St John's student experiences continual growth in Faith and Learning. I leave you with a prayer intention from Pope Francis for educators and we acknowledge that our parents and carers are the first educators of our students.

"We pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than competition and helping the youngest and most vulnerable above all." Pope Francis

I look forward to meeting parents and carers at the upcoming St John’s school events this term.

Yours in Faith and Learning,

Mrs Michelle Rodwell 
Principal

Acknowledgement to Country

St John’s Dapto acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people, past and present, the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is built.

A school-wide Mass is scheduled for 9:30 am on Friday, February 16, during which the official induction of the 2024 student leaders and Mini Vinnies 2024 members will take place. Following the Mass, there will be a morning tea in the Joseph Room for the families of the newly appointed leaders. Invitations were sent to the families of the student leaders on Monday 5th February and invitations will be sent to Mini Vinnies families on Monday 12th February. RSVPs are requested by Wednesday 14th February for catering purposes. We extend a warm invitation to all parents and carers to join us for the Mass in our Parish Church.

Student Learning

As we begin our learning for this year, each grade will be looking at units of work that reflect on our school, its history and its Catholic heritage. Students will delve deeper into the meanings of the following quotes from St Mary of the Cross MacKillop:

Sr Narelle — Golden Jubilee

We extend our warmest congratulations to Sister Narelle on the joyous occasion of her Golden Jubilee as a devoted Sister of St. Joseph. This remarkable milestone marks 50 years of unwavering commitment to faith, service, and love. Sister Narelle is a source of inspiration, tirelessly serving with a heart full of love and a spirit of generosity.

Sister Narelle is an integral part of our school community, and her impact has been felt far beyond our school walls. Her dedication to the values of compassion, humility, and selflessness has been a guiding light for all who have had the privilege of knowing her.

As we join Sister Narelle in celebrating this significant milestone, let us express our deepest gratitude for her years of service and the countless lives she has touched.

Sr Narelle’s Golden Jubilee celebrations last for the whole year so we will be celebrating this special occasion as a school community later in the year.

In loving memory: Fr Kevin Bates, SM — Composer of our school song

As a school community, we acknowledge the passing of Fr Kevin Bates, called to God on 31st January 2024. We pay tribute to Fr Kevin’s remarkable life, his dedication to his calling and the lasting impact he has left on many. Fr Kevin has worked at St John’s with students and staff, nourishing and growing our spirituality. He was a talented musician and composer and worked with our staff on composing and recording our school song, “New Spirit Rise” .

Eternal rest grant unto him O lord,
And may perpetual light shine upon him.

Season of Lent

Ash Wednesday (Wednesday 14th February) begins the Season on Lent.
As we enter the season of Lent, our school community is called to a time of reflection and renewal. Over the next 40 days, students and staff will engage in prayer services, discussions, and acts of kindness that emphasise repentance, humility, and personal growth. This Lenten season also encourages community service and outreach initiatives, reinforcing our commitment to compassion and empathy. Let's embrace this sacred time with open hearts, fostering a spirit of transformation that extends beyond Easter.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." - Psalm 51:10
 
Lent is a period of preparation in the Church’s Liturgical Year that orients the community towards Holy Week and the Season of Easter. It is a time of prayer, fasting and good works. It is also a special time of solidarity with those who are entering their final period of preparation for initiation into the Christian community at Easter. The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Thursday Evening (the Vigil of Good Friday). Ash Wednesday is designated as an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence.
https://liturgyhelp.com/

Dates for your diary

Prayer Intentions

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

Welcome Kindergarten

Today, Kindergarten had their first day at St John’s. 

It was wonderful to see so many families taking photos and wishing their child an amazing first day.

While the parents enjoyed a cup of tea in the Joseph Room, the Kinder students were busy making new friends, creating artwork, reading stories, singing songs and exploring their new play environment.

We are looking forward to a great year of learning.

On their inaugural day, the kindergarten children have settled in

Dates for Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals

• 15 Feb — SJD Primary School Swimming Carnival
• 5 Mar — South Coast Region Swimming
• 11 Mar — Diocesan Swimming Selection Trials
• 25 Mar— SJD Cross Country Carnival
• 8 Apr— SJD Cross Country Carnival - BACKUP Date
• 7 May — Diocesan Cross Country Carnival
• 28 May — Diocesan Cross Country - BACKUP Date
• 2 Jul — SJD Athletics Carnival
• 13 Aug — South Coast Regional Athletics
• 20 Aug — Diocesan Athletics Selection Trials

Primary Swimming Carnival

St John’s Primary Swimming Carnival will be held on Thursday, 15 February. Attendance is compulsory for all Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 students. Novelty events will be run on the day, and each primary grade will attend one session. Primary non-swimmers are included in these activities. 

Entry is also open to Year 2 students who will be turning 8 this year to compete in 50-metre events. Year 2 students must be very competent 50-metre swimmers. Students compete in their age group for freestyle and for all other strokes compete in junior (8, 9 & 10 years), 11 years and senior (12 & 13 years) categories. 

We look forward to a great day of participation, fun and sportsmanship.

A permission and entry form will be published on Compass for all primary students.

CEDoW Sport — Instagram

Mrs Michelle Atkins
Sports Coordinator

All students must bring their library bag on their library days.

Classroom teachers are currently preparing parent information videos that outline specific information for the year ahead. These videos will be shared with parents on Friday 16 Feburary.

From Wednesday 13 March to Friday 15 March, Kindergarten teachers will be hosting parent / teacher meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to provide parents with an opportunity to meet their child’s classroom teacher and for teachers to provide feedback to parents following the Best Start Assessments. Best Start Parent Feedback Summaries will be sent home to families in week 3.
 
At the end of Term 1 (dates to be announced), teachers from Year 1 to Year 6 will be hosting learning conversations. These conversations will involve discussions between classroom teachers, parents and students on achievements, areas for growth and the formation of learning goals. More information will be sent to parents in the coming weeks.
 
To communicate with your child’s teacher, parents/carers should:

• Email your child’s teacher directly. Teachers will reply within 2 working days, between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm only
• Alternatively, phone (42614611) or email (info@sjddow.catholic.edu.au) the school office regarding changes to afternoon pick-up arrangements or to request a meeting.

The Seesaw app will be used by classroom teachers to share and celebrate learning with parents and carers. The conversation feature is no longer an option for sending private messages to classroom teachers. Kindergarten Seesaw login credentials will be emailed in the coming weeks. If you need to communicate with your child’s teacher, please email the teacher directly or contact the school office. 

Class teacher emails are attached below.

Thank you for your understanding and support. I’m sure that you can appreciate the importance of having clear and consistent protocols for communicating with the school.

2024 School Fee Information

School fees for 2024 have now been invoiced and statements will be issued by the end of Week One with annual or first instalment payment due on 28 February 2024. You may also view your school fee account in the Compass Parent Portal. Please note that if you have instalments, they wil only be visable on your school fee statement and not in the Parent Portal.

Please note the following:

• The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month, is now a function carried out by the Catholic Education Office.
• Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement.
• If an amendment is made to your school fee account eg your child changes subjects in a secondary school, etc. you will be emailed a statement which will provide a new schedule of payments and due dates. Please review this schedule to make any changes to your payments that are necessary.
  
  

Reminders for late payments

SMS and email reminders are automatically generated by our accounting software based on the number of days a payment is overdue and are distributed by the Catholic Education Office. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these reminders may cause some distress. This is not our intention. Our intention is to support the collection of school fee accounts centrally and in so doing, alleviate some of the administrative work of our schools.

School fee account enquiries

Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, St John's will always be your point of contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact the school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of schools.

If you wish to pay by instalments

Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on St John's Dapto website or at the school office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at St John's Dapto school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment unless you wish to amend your payment frequency.

Difficulty with payment

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact St John's to discuss an arrangement that will assist you to meet your commitments. This may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the school office. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. If you wish to submit an application, please do so at the office. Please note, if you have children in more than one school, it will only be necessary to submit one application.

For those families that received a Fee Concession in 2023, you will receive an email prior to your annual review date attaching a further Application for Fee Concession. You may also initiate an earlier review if you wish to do so by contacting the school office.

For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on our website.

Building Fund Clarification

You will notice on your 2024 school fee statements a change in name in relation to the ‘SEDSO Levy’. This levy has now been renamed and will be known as ‘PRIMARY BUILDING LEVY’. This is not an additional fee, merely a name change and funds are still used to provide capital grants to schools for new facilities and to meet loan payments for school buildings. The CEODOW is currently in the process of amending all documentation and websites to reflect this variation.

Use this address to access this calendar from other applications.

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/dow.catholic.edu.au_mh6tqnn7prle9olhq4g14drvnk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Use this URL to access this calendar from a web browser.

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=dow.catholic.edu.au_mh6tqnn7prle9olhq4g14drvnk%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Australia%2FSydney

The connection between the parish and the school fosters a supportive community where students, families, teachers, and parishioners come together to share common values, support one another, and build meaningful relationships. This sense of community enhances the overall educational experience and contributes to students' emotional well-being.

All families are welcome to join Fr. Francis and the St John the Evangelist Catholic Parish at Mass on the weekend. Mass times are below

Saturday Vigil — 5pm

Sunday — 7:30am, 9:30am and 6pm.

Please see the link below for the Parish Bulletin

On Friday 9 February, the P&F will be hosting a BBQ for all Kindergarten families and families new to St John's. The BBQ will take place from 2:40pm to 4:00pm following the afternoon awards assembly, where students new to St John's will be presented with a welcome certificate. To help with catering, please indicate the numbers attending from your family.

If any parents can offer their assistance to the P&F volunteers in preparing and serving the sausages, kindly fill out the form provided below.

The P&F Annual General Meeting and Term One Meeting will be held in the St Joseph's Room on Tuesday, 13 February 2023, at 7 pm. The primary purpose of the P&F is to provide an opportunity for parents to be involved in the school through social events, fundraising and supporting various school initiatives throughout the year.

At the meeting, all positions will be declared vacant and an election will take place. If any parent wishes to nominate themselves or someone else for any of the positions, please complete the form below by Friday 9 February 2023. I look forward to seeing you all at the meeting.

School students will be required to have a valid School Opal Card or travel pass for travel to and from school.

Thank you for your continued support of the school uniform policy. As a general reminder, it is expected that all students are in the correct school uniform daily. The policy explicitly outlines the school uniform required for both boys and girls enrolled at St John's. On the rare occasion, that your child cannot wear the correct uniform, a written explanation should be provided to their teacher.

The policy also includes expectations on the wearing of jewellery, nail polish, make-up and haircuts. All long hair MUST be tired back, regardless of gender. The emphasis is on neat and tidy hairstyles and extreme haircuts, as well as coloured hair, is not permitted.

School uniforms are expensive and the school is always ready to provide financial assistance to families in this regard, ensuring no family is disadvantaged. Please contact the school office on 4261 4611 for further assistance.

Get the Compass mobile app

Access student information on the go with Compass mobile app for iPhone & Android phones.

Automatically Update apps

It is important that your mobile device has the most current version of the app. Make sure that the apps are set to automatically update.

iPhone

Go into Settings and scroll until you see iTunes and App Store. Tap on iTunes & App Store. Then scroll down the bottom until you see AUTOMATIC DOWNLOADS. To turn on automatic app updates, tap in the white oval next to App Updates.

Android

Open the Google Play Store app. Tap Menu Settings. Tap Auto-update apps. Select an option: Over any network to update apps using either Wi-Fi or mobile data. Over Wi-Fi only to update apps only when connected to Wi-Fi.

Get Notifications

An app notification is a message or alert sent by Compass to the user. Notifications sent this way do not require the Compass app to be open and messages are displayed on the screen of the mobile even when the device is locked.

iPhone

Go to Settings > Notifications, select the app, and make sure that Allow Notifications is on. If you have notifications turned on for an app but you're not receiving alerts, you might not have Banners selected. Go to Settings > Notifications, select the app, then select Banners.

Android

Open your phone's Settings app. Tap Apps & notifications Notifications. Under "Lock screen," tap Notifications on lock screen or On lock screen. Choose Show alerting and silent notifications. On some phones, choose Show all notification content.

To the following students who will celebrate their birthday in February — we wish you a very happy birthday and hope you have a great day.

Parents, carers, and wider school communities can now access the latest individual school information on the My School website, which has been updated for 2023 with the latest school-level NAPLAN data and new profile information on schools.

The December 2023 My School update includes:

• 2023 NAPLAN results for schools
• 2023 school profile and population data
• 2023 school attendance data for Semester 1
• 2022 school financial information, including capital expenditure and funding sources
• 2022 vocational education training participation and outcomes
• 2022 year 12 certifications

Student progress data for 2021–2023 is not available due to the resetting of the NAPLAN measurement scale and earlier assessment of students, as data from this year onwards cannot be compared to pre-2023 data. However, school leaders, teachers, parents and carers can still view NAPLAN performance data relative to socio-educational advantage by school on the NAPLAN results page.

My School’s Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) indicates the average educational advantage of each school’s students. It is calculated using information about parents/carers’ occupations and education, school geographical location and the proportion of Indigenous students. A school’s ICSEA value is provided to encourage taking socio-educational advantage into account when comparing school achievement.

The “NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook” is a comprehensive and free resource to assist parents, carers as well as teachers on a range of topics essential to child safety.  

The updated digital edition also includes important content updates from: NSW Rural Fire, NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Police Force, Fire and Rescue NSW, Transport NSW, State Emergency Services, NSW Department of Family & Community Services, eSafety Commissioner and NSW Office of the Children's Guardian.

Please click on the cover below to view the updated digital handbook:

Here are additional links where the digital handbook can be viewed:
NSW Police Legacy – https://www.policelegacynsw.org.au/resources/

Child Safety Hub website – http://nsw.childsafetyhub.com.au/handbook/

Lord Mayors picnic poster

Lord Mayors picnic poster 843.04 KB

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With the warmer months upon us, it’s timely to remind students of the dangers of UV rays and the importance of sun safety.

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and statistics show that melanoma is the most common cancer affecting young Australians aged 15 – 24 years. The good news is that skin cancer is highly preventable.

The new Sun and UV at School skin cancer resources will assist primary and secondary school students in making healthy, safe, and proactive choices regarding sun protection to reduce their risk of skin cancer.

SunSmart

SunSmart 1.08 MB

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Our annual campaign kick starts the school year with inspirational tips, recipes and ideas for families to create healthy and enjoyable lunchboxes the whole year through.

We have teamed up with a range of other health organisations providing plenty of handpicked credible nutrition information on the one website. Visit the Healthy Lunchbox Week website for videos, downloadable recipes and fact sheets.

 

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Dapto Hockey Club
Est 1978
2024 SEASON

Dapto Hockey club is conducting a junior try hockey day in conjunction with its registration day. Registrations are now open.

DATE: Saturday 17th February, 2024.
VENUE: Illawarra Hockey Stadium, Waples Road, Unanderra
TIME: 10.00am until Noon
CONTACT: info@daptohockeyclub.com or Wayne Billett (m) 0408 420329
AGES: Juniors 5 -18 years

We also have Senior men’s and women’s teams.

The day is free and the club will provide all the necessary equipment required on the day.

Active kids voucher can be utilised.

Find us on Facebook.

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Looking for something different this year for your child/ren?

Give 1st Dapto Scouts a go! 90 years in Dapto.

Set your kids up for a life of adventure and adventurous friends for life!

If you'd love to know more, then just leave us a few details at the link below, and we'll reach out!

Weeknights kick off again in early Feb 2024 — 4-week free trial if you'd like to give it a go first!

REGISTER INTEREST FORM - https://forms.gle/gcLM1Yy7Xaxrcci28

Further information available at: https://www.daptoscoutgroup.com/

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