Dear Parents and Carers,

The post-August winds certainly reminded us all that winter isn't over yet. The wild winds over the weekend reduced one of the shade shelters on the Fr Ward playground to a pile of metal and cloth! Thankfully it was to be removed for the construction of a new sports equipment storage area.

Students in Years 4, 5 & 6 continue to settle into their new learning spaces and are really enjoying the amazing new facilities. There has been lots of excitement and smiles all round as the children become increasingly familiar with many new features, including chilled drinking water, air conditioning, individual toilet cubicles and much more. While we are still to complete the landscaping, the new building is proving to be a real success with both the students and teachers.

As we now move into stage 2 of our school re-development plan, students in Kinder to Year 3 will temporarily re-locate in preparation for demolition work to be undertaken during the upcoming school holidays. Friday 20 September will be the final award assembly in the school hall until stage 2 has been completed.

From Tuesday 17 September new school procedures for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up will take effect. The following information has also been communicated to the school community via Skoolbag and Compass.

Kinder, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 (Jerematta Street Drop-off and Pick-up zone)

• All students in Kindergarten to Year 3 upon arrival each day will enter the Evangelist Campus gates from Jerematta Street.
• Afternoon dismissal will take place from the Evangelist Campus COLA and gates will be opened at 2:20 pm daily for parent/carer to access the school grounds.
• Kindergarten will be walked across to the Evangelist Campus for afternoon dismissal.
• Students traveling by bus will be supervised to the bus lines, located on the MacKillop Campus.
• Parent/carers using drop-off and pick-up will now use the Jerematta Street designated zone.

Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 (Werowi Street Drop-off and Pick-up zone)

• All students in Years 4 – 6 upon arrival each day will enter the MacKillop Campus from either Jerematta Street or Werowi Street.
• Afternoon dismissal will take place from the MacKillop Campus and gates will be opened at 2:20 pm daily for parent/carer to access the school grounds.
• Students traveling by bus will walk to the bus lines, located on the MacKillop Campus.
• Parent/carers using drop-off and pick-up will now use the Werowi Street designated zone.

Importantly, for families with students on both campuses’, the pick-up zone will be Jerematta Street. Students in Years 4, 5 & 6 will meet their younger siblings in this area NOT the Werowi St pick-up zone.

As the new procedures are implemented I ask for your patience as we all adjust to the new routines. At campus meetings on Tuesday 17 September, teachers will walk the children through the new procedures. Please ensure that all family members are aware of the changes, particularly those who only occasionally use the designated pick-up zones.

A gentle reminder that the Director of Schools has approved Friday 13 September and Monday 16 September as pupil free days. As mentioned in my letter on Thursday 22 August, if supervision of your child/ren cannot be arranged, you should contact the school.

Thank you most sincerely for your continued support and positive feedback. It is an exciting time for our school community and it is only when we work together, that we can achieve great things.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan
Principal

Parish Sacramental Program

First Holy Communion (Eucharist)

Last weekend, 63 children from our Parish attended Mass to commit to the preparation programme for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. We pray for them as they prepare themselves to receive Jesus for the first time.

Loving God,
Pour out Your blessing upon our children
That during this time of Sacramental preparation
they may grow closer to you
and come to know Your special love for them.

May this time of preparation be a time of blessing for all families
and for our parish community of St John’s
and unite us all in your great love.

Amen.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Saturday 14 September

A central symbol in our Catholic faith is two rough hewn planks of wood fashioned into an instrument of torture on which our Founder, Jesus of Nazareth, was cruelly done to death. And yet, today, we speak of ‘The Triumph of the Cross’. Where is the triumph? Where is the cause for celebration? The triumph and cause for celebration lie in the fact that the vertical plank of wood, grounded in the hill of Calvary, unites earth to heaven. The triumph and cause for celebration lie in the fact that the horizontal plank of wood stretched out the arms of the One who was able to embrace the whole of humanity. Today we concentrate on the power of the cross in our lives. It is hard to think that death is the way to life, but that is the message of this feast. The cross, which is a sign of shame and misery, is now a symbol of glory and exaltation.                                                                              

Dates for your diary

Friday 20th September - 9:30 am Parish Mass - Year 4 attending
Friday 20th September - Reconciliation - 3G attending

Stage Weekend Masses (with Andrew Chinn)

Please join us to celebrate the Eucharist

Thank you to those families who joined us for the celebration of the Mass last weekend on Saturday evening. A special thank you to Andrew Chinn, well-known singer and musician, who provided us with his music to enhance the liturgy.

Term 4 - Sunday 15 December, 6 pm - 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

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

 The school has been notified by NSW Health that there is an outbreak of whooping cough (pertussis) in NSW, mainly affecting school-aged children. They have advised that there are confirmed cases within our school community and in turn, have provided information for parents and carers.

• Coughing spreads the infection to others nearby.
• Whooping cough can spread to anyone at home, including younger brothers and sisters.
• Whooping cough can be especially dangerous for babies.
• Whooping cough starts like a cold and progresses to bouts of coughing that can last for many weeks.
• The infection can occur even in fully-vaccinated children.
• Older children may just have a cough that is persistent and may be worse at night.
• Children with these symptoms should see a doctor.

The NSW Health factsheet is the most current information whooping cough (pertussis) and should be read by all parents and carers.

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:

Frequently articles are included in our newsletter to support parents and carers with the challenge of parenting. As a registered Parent Ideas School, the following upcoming webinar, Step back so kids step up is being offered at no cost.

About the webinar
Children and teenagers are capable of so much more than they are often given credit for. Closing the expectation gap between what adults believe kids and young adults are capable of, and allowing them to create their own solutions to the challenges they face will greatly impact their resilience and society as a whole. In this webinar, Dr G will outline the practicalities of doing that and the guiding principles that will make it possible.

When
Wednesday 18 September 2019 8:00pm AEST.

Price
This webinar is $37 per person to attend and is free of charge to families at schools that have a membership.

How parents can redeem the voucher

1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-step-back-so-kids-step-up
2. Click ‘Add to cart’
3. Click ‘View cart’
4. Enter the voucher code STEP and click ‘Apply Coupon’ (valid until 18 October 2019). Your discount of $37 will be applied.
5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’
6. Fill in your account details. These details are used to login to your account and access your parenting material
7. Click ‘Place Order’

The Year 6 Masses with Bishop Brian Mascord provided a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together in faith and celebration. The following article and photo gallery is now available on CEDoW’s website.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/general-news/together-as-one-year-6-students-gather-to-celebrate-an-education-milestone-with-bishop-brian-mascord/

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.

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:

Fight Cancer Foundation’s Footy Colours Day is a national fundraising campaign held during the month of September to support kids living with cancer. Students are encouraged to wear their favourite footy team’s colours for a gold coin donation. Every dollar raised supports Fight Cancer Foundation’s education programs to help kids with cancer continue with their education during treatment and recovery.

Thank you to all those families who have finalised their fees for 2019.

Fruit & Veg Month

Did you know only about 5% of NSW children eat enough vegetables? And the statistics are similar for adults. To encourage our school families to eat more fruit and vegetables we have included home hints and tips in this newsletter.

Superpower your family snacks by including more fruit and veg:

• Put out of plate of chopped fruit and/or vegetables with every snack. You’ll be amazed at how much more fruit and veg your kids will eat if it is accessible and ready to eat…now!
• Hot day? Freeze up some pineapple slices or grapes to cool the kids down. Cold day? Make up some tomato and cheese or mushroom and baked bean toasties to warm them up!
• Cook up some heavy-on-the-fruit-or-veg muffins and fritters for lunchbox snacks. Most recipes can be prepared in bulk and frozen until needed.
• Make sure you include fruit or vegetables at every meal. The more meals that contain fruit and vegetables, the more fruit and vegetables your family will eat!
• Up the veg in an instant in your family dinner faves – add a can of legumes (e.g. chickpeas, lentils, cannellini beans, borlotti beans or kidney beans) and some frozen cut-up vegetables. Sorted!
• Time-poor at mealtimes? Prepare vegetables in advance or use frozen or canned vegetables (no added salt).
• No fresh fruit in the house? Have canned fruit in natural juice on standby for breakfasts or after dinner treats with yoghurt or custard.
• Show your kids how often you eat fruit and veg – include them in all your meals and snacks too!
• Talk with your kids about which fruit and veg are your favourites and why you think they are superheroes. Kids live in the moment so taste, texture, and superpowers like going fast and having super strength are what matters to them.
• Get your kids involved in meal planning and shopping. Put a focus on deciding which fruit and vegetables you will include in your meals and snacks.