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- Principal's Message
- Religious Education
- Grandparents Day
- Sport News
- Athletics Carnival
- Staff Professional Learning
- Book Week 2019
- SPB4L
- School Banking
- Book Club
- P&F Meeting (Term 3) - Mini Hall
- P&F Father's Day Stall
- School Fees
- Disabled Parking
- School Safety Zones
- School Pick-Up Zones
- Soccer Gala Day
- Technology Tip
- Happy Birthday
- Canteen Menu
- Canteen Roster
- Insight – Refining your parenting style
- WCC Disability Inclusion Action Plan
- Community Announcements
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to Term 3.
I hope that the holiday break provided a pleasing break from routine. There were smiles all round as parents and carers entered the school gates on Tuesday morning. When welcoming families, I think the quote of the morning was “Thank goodness the holidays are over ... we’re off to enjoy a quiet and uninterrupted coffee!"
The children have quickly settled back into school and the term ahead promises to be an exciting time for our school community. Most significantly, will be the completion of our new building at the end of August and the celebration of Book Week. Last Friday, Grandparents’ day was once again hugely successful, as together we celebrated with gratitude, the important role of grandparents in family life. We were blessed with the most beautiful weather and following Mass, the picnic morning tea and open classrooms were enjoyed by the large numbers.
Special thanks to the Year 1 teachers, Mrs Doherty, Mrs Trudgett, Miss Purdy and Mrs Wiesel for planning and organising the Grandparents’ Day Mass.
Thank you also to Mrs Atkins and Mrs Mitchell and team for another very successful athletics carnival last Friday. As always, thorough planning and organisation ensured a day that engaged all students in a fun and enjoyable way. Age Champions, ribbons and house point score champions will be presented on Monday 5 August at 2:00pm in the school Hall. All parents and carers are welcome.
As we commence the new term, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Mr Soligo 6G (Wed-Fri) and Mrs Villanti 5R (Mon-Tues). Both teachers have accepted temporary teaching positions following Mr Downe’s appointment to St Michael’s Nowra. This week we also warmly welcome Fr Colin Fowler who is relieving Parish Priest while Fr Francis is on annual leave.
I ask that you please keep Mrs Weissel, Mrs Buttenshaw, Mrs Kissell and Mrs Sharpe and their families in your thoughts and prayers, as all are grieving the loss of a much-loved parent in recent weeks. May they know the peace and strength of God’s compassionate and consoling presence at this time of loss and sadness.
Eternal rest grant to them O’Lord, may perpetual light shine upon them,
may they rest in peace.
Amen.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan (Principal)
Year 6 Mass with the Bishop - Tuesday 30 July 2019
Yesterday Year 6 students and staff travelled to Kiama to celebrate Mass with Bishop Brian and some other Year 6 students from surrounding schools. After Mass, the students enjoyed lunch together and a concert with the Wollongong Youth Ministry Team. Our St John’s students are to be commended on the way they represented our school.
Transfiguration of the Lord - Tuesday 6 August 2019
The feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ celebrates the revelation of Christ's divine glory on Mount Tabor in Galilee (Matthew 17:1-6; Mark 9:1-8; Luke 9:28-36). After revealing to His disciples that He would be put to death in Jerusalem, Christ, along with Saints Peter, James and John went up the mountain. There, Saint Matthew writes, "he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow." On this Feast Day, we are invited to consider whether the truth it reveals is being embraced and experienced in our own daily lives.
St Mary of the Cross - Thursday 8 August 2019
Historical Context – Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop is not only the first Australian to be recognised by the Church as a Saint, she is truly a very Australian saint. She characterises the spirit of the Australian mythology. She was a prodigious hard worker who put the needs of others before herself. She exhibited something of the larrikin spirit: constantly in dispute with authority but pressing on, regardless. She used the strengths of others but also didn’t tolerate those who were not genuine. Her commitment to the schooling of children from poor and rural communities established a model of Catholic education that continues to today. A Saint for and of Australia!
O God, source of all goodness,
Who have shown us in Saint Mary a woman of faith living by the power of the Cross,
Teach us, we pray, by her example to live the Gospel in changing times and to respect and defend the human dignity of all in our land.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever, Amen
Year 6 ACTIVATE fire - 12 August 2019
As part of the Year 6 Religion Curriculum our Year 6 students will be involved in an Immersive Spiritual Experience at St Francis of Assisi School, Warrawong, along with students from St Francis of Assisi and St Patrick’s School, Port Kembla. This day is an Immersive Spiritual Experience based on the Year 6 unit, Confirmation: Celebrating the Gift of the Holy Spirit. The Wollongong Catholic Youth Ministry Team will be facilitating the day.
A reminder to all Year 6 students to return the permission slip as soon as possible.
St Vincent de Paul — Vinnies collection drive and thank you
At our end of term Mass for Term 2, our school presented the St Vincent de Paul Society with our Winter Appeal donations. The St Vincent de Paul Society members who attended the Mass were extremely appreciative of our generosity. Thank you to all who were able to donate to this worthy cause.
Tomorrow, Thursday 1st August, our Mini-Vinnies team will be travelling to the St Vincent de Paul Warehouse in Wollongong to gain knowledge of how the St Vincent de Paul Society operates and in particular will see, first hand, how donations are sorted and the impact of these donations on the community and the environment. Following on from this, the Mini-Vinnies team will be promoting a school drive to collect quality 2ndhand items for St Vincent de Paul. In the week beginning Monday 12th August, we will have a donations bin here at St John’s to collect these items. We are asking each family to bring in one item of quality 2nd hand clothing during this week.
Dates for your diary
- Thursday 8 August, 9:30am PARISH MASS - Whole school attending (Celebration of the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop)
Stage Weekend Masses (with Andrew Chin)
Please join us to celebrate the Eucharist
A reminder of our stage weekend Masses for Terms 3 and 4. We are lucky enough to have Andrew Chinn, a well-known singer and musician, come along and play with us.
- Term 3 - Saturday September 7, 5pm - STAGE 2
- Term 4 - Sunday 15 December, 6pm - STAGE 1 (Years 1 and 2)
Of course, all families are always very welcome to join Father Francis for the celebration of the Mass.
Parish Celebration of the Eucharist
A reminder of weekend Parish Mass times for St John the Evangelist, Dapto.
Fr Francis loves to see our families there.
- Saturday Vigil 5.00pm
- Sunday 7.30am
- Sunday 9.30am
- Sunday 6.00pm
Father Francis is currently away on holidays and Fr Fowler is relieving him as Parish Priest.
Prayer Intentions
We pray for all families in our school community who are in need of our prayers.
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.
St John the Evangelist, pray for us.
Kylie Crowe – Religious Education Coordinator
Dates for Term 3
- Soccer Gala Day – 2 August (Back up 8 August)
- South Coast Athletics – 13 August
- Basketball Gala Day – Juniors 19 September
- Basketball Gala Day – Seniors 20 September
Athletics Carnival
Last Friday, we held our Annual Athletics Carnival at Beaton Park and what a fantastic day we had with perfect conditions. The students had fun participating in track, field and novelty events throughout the day. A huge thank you to our generous parent helpers, your support is always appreciated.
This Monday 5 August we will have our Athletics Presentation of ribbons, age champions and winning house will be announced. It will be in the school hall at 2:40 pm. All parents, careers and grandparents are most welcome.
Soccer Gala Day
This Friday we have 176 students from Year 3 to Year 6 who will be participating in the Wollongong Diocese Soccer Gala day. Thank you to the many parents who have volunteered to be team managers, as always your help is appreciated as without it we wouldn’t be able to send as many teams.
It is important that we recognise that these days are for fun and participation and not competition games.
We wish all our students a fun active day.
At St John’s there is an ongoing commitment to the professional development of staff. Throughout the school year staff engage in professional learning aimed to further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in providing quality learning experiences to support the needs of students in their class and the school.
As a systemic catholic school, the Catholic Education Office also provides professional learning, requiring school representatives to be in attendance. The systems strategic plan informs professional learning delivered and includes matters of compliance and policy implementation.
All teachers must to be accredited with the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA). Accreditation requires ongoing maintenance in which a teacher demonstrates how their practice continues to meet the Australian professional Standards for Teachers. The maintenance period for teachers working full time is 5 years and includes 100 hours of professional learning to support their practice and ongoing professional growth.
Therefore, teachers across the school will attend professional learning opportunities as a requirement of their employment. Every attempt is made to ensure consistency with replacement teachers, but this is a daily challenge and at times the availability of casual teachers, across the system of schools, impacts on our efforts.
The following staff will be attending professional learning:
|
Staff |
Date |
Professional Development Area |
|
Mr De Battista |
29-30/07/19 |
Leadership |
|
Miss Purdy |
31/07/19 | Religious Education (Spirituality) |
| Mr De Battista | 01/08/19 |
Learning Technology |
| Stage 2 Teachers | 05/08/19 |
Collaborative Planning |
| Stage 3 Teachers | 06/08/19 |
Collaborative Planning |
| Early Stage 1 & Stage 1 Teachers | 07/08/19 |
Collaborative Planning |
|
Mrs Ockenden Miss Farrugia |
09/08/19 |
Religious Education (Play-Based Learning) |
Each year, many schools and public libraries from all over Australia spend a week celebrating books and Australian authors and illustrators. Classroom teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians develop activities, offer competitions and tell stories relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading. The theme for Book Week 2019 is ‘READING IS MY SECRET POWER’. Book Week will run from the 19-23 August 2019 and so this year St John's will be celebrating Book Week on FRIDAY 23 August.
To celebrate this wonderful occasion we invite all students from Kinder to Year 6 to come dressed as their favourite book character or around the theme of 'Super Heroes’. At 8.30am we will gather as a whole school on the Fr Ward playground to have our school Book Parade. All parents, grandparents, family and friends are warmly invited to come and share in this celebration. During the day the students will also engage in a number of fun and exciting Literacy Activities around the Shortlisted Books for 2019.
Encourage your children to get to our school and local libraries and get READING!
SPB4L 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 that are:
Our SPB4L focus for weeks 3 and 4:
Week 3
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Following the rules of games at recess and lunch
Week 4
- Morning assembly routines and expectations
- All things in bags
- Sitting up with legs crossed and looking to the front
- Saying the prayer reverently
- Forwarding off in quiet lines
We are in need of a new parent volunteer to assist with school banking each week. After two and half years Jodie Maloney and Melissa Dal Bon are stepping down from the role. I would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Jodie and Melissa for their time and commitment to our school and students.
Volunteering will take about one hour per week and it can be any day of the week. Support is provided by the Commonwealth Bank and further assistance will be provided to any new volunteer with a handover from both Jodie and Melissa.
School banking is a wonderful service provided to our students, developing life skills in understanding the value of money and healthy saving habits.
If you are interested, please contact the school office.
Book Club - Issue 5 has been handed out to students. Please have your order in by Tuesday 6 August 2019. Don't forget, you can order online at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or by using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. There are great rewards and promotions exclusive to ordering through LOOP. If your child is handing their Book Club order in at school, please ensure to include their name and class.
Mrs Kissell (SSO - Library)
13
Tue
13 Aug 2019
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
13
Tue
13 Aug 2019
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
13
Tue
13 Aug 2019
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Thank you to all those families who have finalised their fees for Term 1 & 2 and 2019.
School Fee statements were sent home in Week 1 Term 3 and in a change from previous years, expenses that would normally be incurred during the year such as Life Education, excursions and sports have been included. The Diocese is delivering a new school financial management system and this change is necessary for its implementation. The intention is to simplify the process of collecting, counting and banking money for such school events throughout the year.
A copy of the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and School Fee Agreement were also emailed to families; a copy of each is available on the school’s website for your convenience.
If you have not received your account, please contact the school office to request a copy. Accounts are due 30 days after the date of invoice unless you have either a School Fee Agreement OR Fee Concession arrangement in place.
DIOCESAN SCHOOL FEE MANAGEMENT POLICY
It is advisable that all parents/carers have knowledge of the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy. A Frequently Asked Questions document is also provided on the school’s website to assist families with interpretation.
SCHOOL FEE AGREEMENTS
Families who wish to take advantage of the flexibility of paying their school fees over the school year, rather than pay within 30 days, must have in place a current School Fee Agreement to advise their preferred method of school fee payment, amount and frequency. For your convenience, this Agreement has been emailed to you. Agreements are also accessible from the school’s administration office and school webpage.
Please note: If you have an existing School Fee Agreement you are required to provide an amended version as soon as possible to update your details. In the case that you are paying by Direct Debit or Centrepay, you may also need to provide an amended authority which will be lodged by the school on your behalf.
-
The School Fee Agreement should be returned to the school office as soon as possible with any applicable payment authorities.
-
Families who do not return agreements will be subject to full payment within 30 days.
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Methods of payment offered include: BPay; EFTPOS; Cash/Cheque; Credit Card; Centrepay and Direct Debit with the preferred method being BPay Payments – please refer to the School Fee Agreement for further information regarding each type of payment.
-
Frequencies offered include: Weekly, fortnightly, monthly or intervals that suit the family budget.
-
To determine your payment amount, an online ‘School Fee Calculator’ is available on the school’s website.
IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING OR WISH TO APPLY FOR FEE CONCESSION
If your family requires consideration for Fee Concession due to financial hardship, it is necessary to submit an Application for Fee Concession, providing evidence of your financial situation and have an interview with the Principal. This process will be undertaken by the school annually. Parents/Carers should be assured that these situations will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, respect and empathy.
If you have an existing Fee Concession, we will contact you during the year to conduct an annual review.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you require explanation or assistance in relation to school fee matters.
Please be aware that there are disabled parking spots around our school which, should not be taken, unless you display a disability sticker. The police fine, if you are found in one of these spots, is up to $450. Thank you for your consideration.
Parents and carers are reminded that the area surrounding St John’s is designated as a School Zone. Police and Council Rangers constantly patrol the area and they will have no hesitation in prosecuting drivers for driving offences.
All NSW school zones are sign-posted with regulatory signs that list the operating times of the school zones.
For the safety of all, please ensure that you adhere to the signage and following the directions of our School Crossing Supervisor.
The increased use of car lines by parents and carers has prompted a reminder about our school procedures. To maintain the efficiency of the school pick-up zones, we request that family nameplates be displayed in cars as they approach the afternoon pick-up zone. Teachers on car lines will more efficiently be able to identify the vehicle directing the children safely to the correct vehicle. The nameplate can be attached to the sun visor of your car or placed on the dash and held up so as to be seen by the teachers who will, in turn, announce the family name.
To request a family nameplate, parents and carers are invited to complete the online form by accessing the following link https://goo.gl/forms/L1KuKhqKB9Kj49wq1
Venues (Years 3, 4, 5, 6):
To the following students who are celebrating their birthday in August — we wish you a very happy birthday and hope you have a great day.
| Kinder | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
| Jonathon M | Lachlan W | Wil B | Lucas D | Rhys B | Rocco B | Lara M |
| Sebastian P | Kate S | Sienna G | Kayla K-T | Halle B | Julian S | Izak M |
| Jai T | Ella W | Ava H | Lilah B | Ronan H | Brigitte D | Sophia G |
| Lily T | Sophia B | Norah H | Addison B | Nash M | Harlen-Pierce B | Ethan A |
| Ayla M | Caydence L | Catherine C | Harper W | Matilda G | Noah P | Jack G |
| Jenna H | Joshua N | Cooper W | Benji G | Charli W | Summah B | |
| Zara B | Jaxon W | Jake M | Nicky I | Cohen P | ||
| Evie S | Emily H | Mason P | ||||
| Sophie A |
Council is in the process of updating its Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
This Plan will provide a framework to guide Council in identifying and breaking down the barriers which prevent people with disability from enjoying the same opportunities and choices as everyone else.
As the first step in the process, we are seeking feedback from people with disability and their carers via a survey. The information collected will help us understand more about the experience of accessing Council services, facilities, activities and information.
An online version of the survey can be completed by following this link http://surveys.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=281546&lang=en#
The survey will be open from 22 July to 26 August 2019.
Please contact Carly Pascoe on 4227 7547 or cpascoe@wollongong.nsw.gov.au if you have any questions or require the information in another format.
