Dear Parents and Carers,

As Term 2 draws to a close, I would like to congratulate the children for their commitment to their learning over the course of the term and extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff for their commitment and professionalism. It has been a very challenging time for us all and while students are back at school, it is definitely not business as usual. We remain in Phase 3 of our Return to School Plan and will do so until advised otherwise. At times, the changes implemented to keep students, staff as well as parents and carers safe, may cause a level of frustration or be seen as unnecessary but as we are in the midst of a global pandemic, they are absolutely necessary.

There will be no changes to morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up arrangements as we commence Term 3. Restricted access to the school grounds for all parents and carers will continue for the foreseeable future. The gates will remain locked during school hours and for access visitors must ring the school office 4261 4611.

Further to the cancellation of planned school events and activities, it has been decided that the following will now also be cancelled;

• Life Education Van
• Grandparents Day

Interim Semester 1 Reports were made available via Compass on Friday 19 June and an explanation of the report was provided in the Week 8 newsletter. From Monday 22 June teachers have been conducting parent/teacher phone interviews. The phone interview option has seen a significant increase in the number of parents and carers scheduling a time to discuss their child/ren's learning. The convenience of a phone conversation has obviously been well received and perhaps needs to be a consideration post-COVID. I'm sure that you have found the process to be both valuable and supportive.

Please be advised the school resumes on Monday 20 July (K-6). There is NO pupil-free day on the first day of Term 3.

Have a happy, relaxing, and safe holiday break.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan (Principal)

Anniversary of Ordination – Wednesday 1 July

Congratulations to Father Francis on the 25^th anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of his ordination to the priesthood. We are truly blessed to have such an enthusiastic, and spirit-filled Parish Priest. Together, we offer our thanks and gratitude for Fr Francis and his dedicated service and commitment to his priestly ministry.

Gracious and loving God,

We thank you for the gift of Father Francis.

Through him, we experience your presence in the sacraments.

We ask you to help Fr Francis to be strong in his vocation
and set his soul on fire with love for your people.

Grant him the wisdom, understanding,
and strength he needs to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Inspire him with the vision of your Kingdom
and give him the words he needs to spread the Gospel.

Allow him to experience joy in his ministry
and help him to become an instrument of your divine grace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.

Amen.

Artwork by 4R & 4B

 
SACRAMENTS

Yesterday, notes were sent home regarding how the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) would continue this year, along with the amended Reconciliation Sacramental Dates for 2020 (a copy is attached below). These notes were only sent home to those children who had already commenced the preparation program earlier in the year. Due to COVID-19, please be aware that these dates may still need to change if Government regulations and/or the Bishop’s directives change.

In regards to the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation, we are planning that these Sacraments will also be going ahead, though again, flexibility is needed as to how this will look. Notes and dates for both of these Sacraments will be going home in the first week of Term 3. For your diary though, at this stage, First Holy Communion is planned for Saturday 19th September and Confirmation is planned for Thursday 5th November.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL WINTER APPEAL

Due to COVID-19, we find ourselves in a world that is quite different from what we are used to. The St Vincent de Paul Society are continuing though, to meet the needs of people who are in need of support. This need for support is even greater than usual with so many people deeply challenged by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here at St John’s we would like to support the fantastic work that the St Vincent de Paul Society do.

We are asking our families to bring in items that are most needed at the present moment. These include:

• Beanies
• Scarves
• Toiletries -  toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo (no conditioner)

We are asking that all items are brought in during the first two weeks of next term. Staff at St John’s who volunteer on the Vinnies Van will be able to get these items directly to the people who need them most.

On Friday 31st July we are going to have a mufti day (please remember shoes must be enclosed). For this privilege, we ask that the children bring in a coin, preferably a gold coin. The money raised through the mufti day will be used to buy food gift cards. These will then be given to our local St Vincent de Paul Society for them to give to families in our local area that are in need. As a thank you to the children for their generosity, we will be having some fun tabloid activities throughout the day.

We know that some of our own families here at St John’s are also affected by COVID-19 and we do not wish to place any extra pressure on anyone. Please know that any donation you can give, no matter how small, will make a difference and will be gratefully accepted.

As Mary MacKillop said, “Never see a need without doing something about it”.

REMOTE ONLINE LEARNING IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

As part of the Diocese’s support of Remote Learning in Religious Education a weekly show called PRAY SCHOOL has been developed. PRAY SCHOOL is an engaging program, appealing to the spirituality of the child through storytelling, music, singing, listening and responding to Scripture. This program is aimed at children in Kinder through to Year 2 and many teachers are sharing this in their weekly activities. For those parents and carers who have also been sharing with pre-schoolers at home, here are the links to all episodes in Season 2. Season 2 explores symbols, spaces, roles and seasons through the four parts of the Mass.

• Episode 1: Gathered Together - https://youtu.be/t61nIKn8z9U
• Episode 2: Listen to the Word - https://youtu.be/aLAocFajtDA
• Episode 3: A Sacred Meal - https://youtu.be/_M3OVAU5N28
• Episode 4: Sent Forth To Love And Serve - https://youtu.be/zvBwjK1elBs 

CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

Masses have resumed at normal times in our Parish but are limited to 50 parishioners at one mass. It is essential to register for weekend masses as we need to ensure that the maximum capacity is not exceeded. To register for mass please call or email the parish office.  Alternatively you are able to register your interest to go to mass at the following link:  https://www.dow.org.au/registration

Once your interest to register for mass is received by the parish office, you will need to wait for confirmation that you can attend the mass.

A reminder also that each Sunday Mass can also be celebrated online with Bishop Brian and other clergy from Lumen Christi Catholic Parishes Wollongong:

https://www.dow.org.au/covid-19/sunday-mass-online-with-bishop-brian/

ADULT SPIRITUALITY

“Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness”

In response to the current Covid-19 situation, a significant initiative has been developed by the Catholic Education Office CLEM (Catholic Life, Education and Mission) team for staff and parents to support our ongoing personal spiritual formation. It is a new podcast series entitled ‘Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness’. Ripples seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation. On Tuesday of each week a new Episode and Meditation will be offered. Practices like these create a ripple effect. They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, colleagues, to others in our world, to creation and to our loving God.

https://ripples.dow.catholic.edu.au/p/introduction-1588201803/

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 John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Kylie Crowe
Religious Education Coordinator

Excitedly, plans have now been finalised for a new nature playground which will coincide with the completion of our major building works.  In 2019, we successfully secured an NSW Government Local Communities Grant for $10 000.00, and together with support from the Parents and Friends Association, the project will be completed early Term 4, 2020.

The 3D imagine below gives a general overall of what has been planned, although some further design refinement may still be necessary.

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 (mohawks), as well as coloured hair, are 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.

Kinder Green loved having a visit from Sister Narelle last week. Sister Narelle was a champion ten-pin bowler when she was younger, so we put her skills to use! We used 10 cups instead of pins to learn about subtraction and the Friends of Ten. Kinder Green loved learning about subtraction in a fun and hands-on way. 

Thank you to all those families who have finalised their fees for Term 2 and 2020.

Daily, school jumpers, jackets, hats, lunch boxes and other items are left on the playground and in the classrooms. Teachers continue to make every effort to ensure such items are returned however, with items not being clearly labelled, it is a very difficult task.

Presently, we have a number of families missing clothing items that have been labelled with their child’s name. Parents are asked to check all uniform items to ensure that the wrong item of clothing hasn’t accidentally been taken home. Please ensure that your child’s uniform and all personal items are clearly labelled with their name.

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

ThinkUKnow

ThinkUKnow is a partnership between the Australian Federal Police, Commonwealth Bank, Datacom and Microsoft, and delivered in partnership with all State and Territory police and Neighbourhood Watch Australasia. The ThinkUKnow program gives parents, carers, teachers and students information on how to stay safe online. 

The Carly Ryan Foundation — App Factsheets

Provides support in the areas of internet safety and crime, and cyberbullying, including delivering online safety and healthy relationship seminars to students and parents. Their factsheets provide information and parent advice on the following apps: Calculator; Tik Tok; Fortnite; Roblox; Discord; Snapchat; Instagram; Facebook; and YouTube.