Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and involvement in the life of our wonderful school. Despite the challenges that have confronted us all this year, in reflection, we have achieved so much together. An amalgamated school (K-6), new air-conditioned classrooms for all students and almost completed, new playground equipment, thanks to the Parents and Friends Association and a Local Schools Community Fund grant. There is much to celebrate and be grateful for as the school year comes to a close.

Thank you to our very dedicated staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the year, demonstrating tremendous adaptability and commitment in the face of a global pandemic, and the onset of remote learning. The resumption of face-to-face teaching was welcomed by all and while COVID restrictions and guidelines mandated a new normal, the focus on learning and teaching remained a high priority. Across the school, I'm very proud of the achievements of our students, something that has been acknowledged and affirmed by the Head of School Improvement from the Catholic Education Office. 

A special thank you to Fr Francis for his unwavering support for our parish school. He is an inspiration to us all through the work of his ministry, constantly positive and deeply committed to our parish community.

Today we farewell Year 6 for the last time with a special COVID safe, guard of honour. In congratulating Year 6, I would also like to acknowledge our leaving families. As your time at St John’s comes to an end, I extend my sincere thanks for the many ways that you have supported our school throughout your association. 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
All students (Years 1 – 6) return to school on Thursday 28 January 2021. Kindergarten's first full day at school is Thursday 4 February 2021.

Please ensure that your child/ren return to school wearing the correct summer uniform and note that sports shoes MUST be predominately white, not fluorescent in colour. For your convenience, the school uniform policy is attached below.

I would like to wish all families a Christmas filled with the wonder of the birth of Christ, the warmth of the Holiday spirit and the love of family and friends.

Yours sincerely

Andrew Heffernan
Principal

ST VINCENT DE PAUL – CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Thank you once again to all of our families for your generosity in helping those in need. Our Christmas appeal for hamper donations was very successful with St Vincent de Paul extremely grateful for all that was given.

 

Now three years on this is now a newfound family tradition, with Lewis (Year 2) and Izak (Kindergarten) collecting Return n Earn receipts to purchase items for the St Vincent de Paul hampers.

Izak is proud and excited to donate 18 Christmas Puddings and 108 Fruit Mince Pies with a total value of $126.12. Lewis calculated (Maths being his favourite subject) that he would get maximum value and to use all his vouchers to donate 50 packets of lollies and 10 packets of chips with a total value of $126.12.

Lewis’ family and St John’s are super proud for not only creating this tradition on his own but also sharing the process and proceeds with his brother, Izak.

 
THE SEASONS OF ADVENT and CHRISTMAS

CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

Masses have resumed at normal times in our Parish but are still limited and therefore it is essential to register. This includes Christmas masses. 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.
 
Don't forget that you can also participate in one or more of the many online Masses live streamed throughout our diocese. Check out our diocesan website for all the links.

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. New Episodes and Meditations are being added regularly. 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

STAFFING

An overview of the staffing arrangements for 2022 is included below. In providing you with this information, I would like to acknowledge the following staff who will not be returning next year after accepting new professional opportunities.

• Ms Idstien - Education Officer (Early Years Learning) at the Catholic Education Office
• Miss Farrugia - Diverse Learning Support Teacher (DLST) - Corpus Christi Highschool 
• Mrs McEntee - Temporary Teacher Exchange for 2022
• Miss Annie Collis (Counsellor)

On behalf of the school, I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude for the professional way that they have undertaken their work and supported our school values of Faith, Learning, Love, Respect and Community. They will certainly be missed and I'm sure you join me in wishing them all the best for the year ahead.

At the same time we farewell the above staff members, we welcome the following new staff members to St John's.

• Tiana Cardamone (K Blue Teacher - Temporary Exchange for 2022)
• Mrs Renee Maguire (Religious Education Coordinator) and  Yr. 4 Green teacher
• Mrs Bree Wilson (Counsellor)

Could all parents/carers please arrange to pick up any medication currently at the school today as these cannot be held at the school during the school holidays.  This medication must be returned back to the school at the start of Term 1 with a new completed "Request for St John's to administer medication" form, which can be picked up at the school office or downloaded from our website. Thank you for your prompt cooperation.

The school fees for 2021 have been approved by Bishop Brian Mascord and all fees will be billed at the end of January 2021:

Tuition Fees

The Primary tuition fee for 2021 is:
$1,712 per family (per annum)

The SEDSO Levy for 2021 is:
$1,076 per family (per annum)

The School Resource Fee is:
The Resource Fee for 2021 will be $165 for Kindergarten and $155 for Years 1 to 6 per student.

The following are additional costs (per student) for 2021:

• Sport Levy - $15
• Gunyah Excursion - $40
• Kindergarten Excursion - $35
• Year 1 Excursion - $25
• Year 2 Excursion - $45
• Year 3 Excursion - $20
• Year 4 Excursion - $40
• Year 5 Camp - $300
• Year 6 Canberra - $185
• Year 6 TShirt Fee - $35
• Year 6 Leadership Program - $6
• Year 6 Excursion - $47

Parents are strongly advised to put a 2021 payment plan into place if one has not already been done so — if you are paying by CDF Direct Debit or BPay please ensure that the amount you are currently paying will be sufficient to cover your commitment for 2021. Please Note: If you have not elected to pay by instalments, your school fee account will be payable in full — 30 days after annual invoicing. Fee Concession applications for genuine financial hardship will always be considered but must be applied for through the school office.

This year there will be two outdoor masses for Christmas.

• Christmas Eve -  24 Dec at 6 pm
• Christmas Day -  25 Dec at 9 am

Registrations are essential for these masses. There is a list in the foyer of the church to write down your name and contact number for the mass you would like to attend, please include how many people will be attending. Registrations can also be made through the parish office. You will need to register if you would like to attend one of these masses please register by Tuesday 22 December. Please bring your own chairs or rug to sit on. Social distancing is still required so please keep this in mind when attending mass and keep 1.5m distance from others who are not in your family.

The 2nd rite of Reconciliation will not be as it has been in previous years. Reconciliation will be on every Saturday from 11-12 pm until Christmas. Please ensure you arrive no later than 11.45 pm.

The staff and students of St John's farewelled the Year 6 students with a Guard of Honour. We wish them all the best for High School and we will miss them all.

Christmas time may become a season for financial stress for many families in our parish/school community.

Financial stress can come out in the form of electricity, gas and water bills.  Even basic food items may become a burden.  At Christmas time we also help with toys for children and Christmas hampers. If you need confidential help or know of someone who would appreciate assistance, please do not hesitate to contact any St Vincent De Paul member after mass.  Father will be happy to point us out and we are usually manning the piety shop.  You can also contact through the Dapto Vinnies helpline (Mon – Fri, 9.30am – 11.30am).  We can often give direct help and/or direct you to agencies that will help.

Saint Vincent De Paul Conference
Phone: 0412 912 64

Over the holiday break all students, Kindergarten to Year 5, are invited to take part in the Holiday Reading Challenge. Reading is a very important and necessary skill that we use every day.  It is a skill that we use when reading books and magazines, watching TV, shopping and playing games. When children stop reading for extended periods of time they often take a few steps backwards. This school initiative is intended to help maintain student reading abilities and continue to foster their love of reading over the Christmas holidays.

By participating in the Reading Challenge your child will be practising the skill of reading on a regular basis, reinforcing good reading habits. Parents and carers are encouraged to help their children find fun and interesting books, fiction and non-fiction.  It is important for your child to read aloud to someone and just as important for them to listen and enjoy stories being read to them. 

Students in Kindergarten to Year 5, have be provided with a Holiday Reading Log. Children are encouraged to record the time they spend reading during the holidays into the Holiday Reading Log. Early in 2021, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be presented based on the number of hours spent reading. 

We all know that reading is one of the most important fundamental skills children must master to succeed, almost everything we do involves reading of some form. Hopefully, this challenge will help motivate your child to continue reading on a regular basis during the holiday break.

Matthew Downes
Assistant Principal

We hope you can join us for our Annual
Christmas Remembrance Service
at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

AFL Holiday Program

The AFL will be running a Holiday Program at Croome Rd Oval between 9.30 & 1.30 on Tuesday the 12th January at Croome Rd Sporting Complex and between 9.30 & 1.30 at Thomas Dalton Oval on Tuesday the 19th January.

Boys & Girls turning 5 to 12 years are welcomed to get along and have some fun.

Skills, drills and lots of fun and a safe friendly environment.

Google Auskick, where to register, pop in the postcode and select Wollongong City (after school) Auskick Centre then select Thomas Dalton or Croome Rd Holiday Auskick Program and follow the prompts.

The cost is $51.00 includes a sausage sambo, dinks, insurance & AFL footy pack.

More info call John on 0411226086

Dapto Netball

The Dapto Netball Club will be opening online registrations for the 2021 season from 1 January 2021. In 2020 the Dapto Netball Club had players registered in junior, intermediate and senior teams who were enrolled in schools throughout the Dapto and further Illawarra region.

Logo Design for Aboriginal Students

2 APPLE IPADS UP FOR GRABS

Aboriginal students are invited to enter the logo design competition!

Created in the NSW Government’s response to the Family is Culture review, the Aboriginal Knowledge Circle will be advising the NSW Government on matters surrounding Aboriginal child protection and aims to make a difference to the lives of Aboriginal children and their families.

The Aboriginal Knowledge Circle now needs a logo that represents the work it will be doing, and that is why we are inviting Aboriginal students to enter a competition to design its new logo!

There are two categories: 

• Aboriginal Primary School students in NSW
• Aboriginal High School students in NSW

All entries will receive a letter from The Hon. Gareth Ward MP. Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services.

Find out how to submit your entry and the terms of conditions: https://absec.org.au/logo-competition.html

Entries close 5.00pm Friday 15 January 2021.

Dapto Pool

Bookings apply to anyone coming to the pool, whether they’re swimming laps, splashing around, or just watching.