Dear Parents and carers,

Winter has certainly arrived and it is a timely reminder that all student's jumpers and jackets need to be clearly labelled with their name. Each and every day at the end of recess and lunch, such clothing items are left on the playground and when not labelled, it is almost impossible to find who they belong to. We have an ever-increasing amount of lost property at school and for the most, it isn't labelled. Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school uniform expectations.

This Friday 11 June, Semester 1 Student Reports will be available to parents and carers via Compass. Please read carefully the information provided further in the newsletter that explains the report format as well as the common grade scale. The video link "Reading Your Child's Report' is an insightful presentation for all parents/carers to view, focusing on ways to foster positive conversations about your child's learning. Bookings are now open for Parent/Student/Teacher Learning Conversations (Years 3-6) and Parent/Teacher (Kinder-Year 2) commencing on Tuesday 15 June. Online bookings will close on Friday 11 June, if you require a booking after this date please contact the classroom teacher directly. Please contact the school office if you require assistance with any aspect of the above-mentioned.

This week we are celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation, with Bishop Brian Mascord who is conferring the Sacrament upon the children of our Parish community. 

The Sacrament of Confirmation builds on what was begun in Baptism and what is nourished in the Holy Eucharist. It completes the process of initiation into the Catholic community and empowers those confirmed, to live a faith-filled life, inspired by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Confirmation means accepting responsibility for your faith and your destiny. The focus is on the Holy Spirit, who came upon the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) giving them the strength and courage to practice their faith. For Catholics, Confirmation is a sacrament of empowerment. It gives the strength to follow Jesus and to become involved in the mission which Jesus left to the Church. 

The children, along with their families, have been preparing for the reception of the Sacrament and I congratulate them for their commitment during this most significant time in their faith journey. Thank you to Father Francis for his guidance and support and also Mrs Crowe (REC) for her exceptional work in planning and coordinating the Sacrament as well as the staff of St John's who have assisted in many ways.

I ask that you please keep the children and their families in your prayers.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan (Principal)

 Sacramental Program – Confirmation

Congratulations to our Year 6 children who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last night and to those who will receive it tonight. Confirmation is as simple as the Holy Spirit, who is God, increasing our faith so that we have the certainty that He’s with us until we arrive in Heaven, for which He also gives us hope. During this Sacrament, the Holy Spirit strengthens our ability to love Him and others more deeply. The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts of: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord to help us do that.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – 11th June 2021

On Friday 11th June, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. When we hear the name, “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,” most of us probably think of a statue that appears in many of our churches.: the image where Jesus stands with his heart, burning with joy and love for us, exposed to all. Many of us probably do not think any deeper about this statue, and yet we are called to more. Pope Francis, in his 2013 homily on the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, said, “It is more difficult to let God love us than to love Him! The best way to love Him in return is to open our hearts and let Him love us.” Every time we see these statues we are reminded to open ourselves to the love of Christ and give ourselves completely to him as he does. He lays his heart open before us as an example of how to live our lives.

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – 12th June 2021

The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary falls on the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus because devotion to these two hearts is promoted together as a means of entering more deeply into the mystery of God’s love. In 1944, in the midst of World War II, Pope Pius XII dedicated the entire world to the patronage and protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—the intention expressed in his decree was "peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue.” On this feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary this year, let us imitate Mary’s heart by sharing her faithfulness to Jesus.

Year 6 ACTIVATE FIRE Spiritual Immersion Day – Monday 21st June 2021

ACTIVATE fire is a primary school Youth Ministry initiative providing catechesis and an opportunity for an encounter with Christ for Year 6 students. The day is a full day Immersive Spiritual Experience based on the Year 6 unit Confirmation: Celebrating the Gift of the Holy Spirit. The day is facilitated by The Catholic Youth Ministry Team with the support of NET (National Evangelism Team) and the Youth Ministry Leaders (Year 10/11 students from the partnering secondary schools). ACTIVATE fire is inclusive of all students regardless of whether they have received or intend to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Schools are grouped in clusters centred on the systemic secondary school to which the students of those primary schools will predominantly attend. St John’s will be hosting this year’s ACTIVATE fire day. Year 6 students from St Patrick’s Port Kembla and St Francis of Assisi Warrawong will be attending. Further information will be sent out to Year 6 students next week.

“Never see a need without doing something about it” (Mary MacKillop)

Harper P. in 2B has been saving her coins at home. She wanted to donate them to her class mission box. She saved $45.10 and gave it all to help those that are in need. Congratulations Harper in following in the footsteps of Mary MacKillop.

Celebration of the Eucharist

Masses have resumed at normal times in our Parish. Parishioners still need to sign in on arrival, sanitise and maintain social distancing. Presently, face masks are also required and singing is not permitted. 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.

• This Friday, 11th June, Year 6 will be attending the Parish Mass at 9:30am.
• On Friday 18th June, Year 3 will be attending the Parish Mass at 9:30am.

All are welcome to join us.

Adult Spirituality

“Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness” – Adult Spiritual Formation

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. 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

PB4L 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:

Semester 1 Reports will be available via Compass on Friday 11 June for students in Years 1 – 6.  Kindergarten only receive an end-of-year report (Semester 2). Student Reports (Years 1 – 6) are standards-referenced, which in NSW means reporting based on the Common Grade Scale. Standards-referenced reporting requires teachers to consider the performance of each student according to the standard detailed at each level (A–E) of the Common Grade Scale for each Key Learning Area (KLA). Students are then awarded a grade based on the evidence teachers have of their learning in that particular KLA and the standard it reflects. According to the Common Grade Scale a ‘C’ grade is considered sound. That is, if awarded a C in a particular KLA the student has demonstrated that they have gained the knowledge, skills and understanding expected of them at that point in time.

The Common Grade Scale

The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of the five grade levels.

OTHER REPORT FEATURES INCLUDE:

Overall grades

Each Key Learning Area (KLA) has an overall grade that is determined by the teacher by considering the evidence of each student’s learning and the standard on the Common Grade Scale it reflects. Overall grades are not determined by averaging performance on strands within a KLA. In many cases more time has been dedicated to learning in one strand over others and this contributes significantly to the balanced judgement a teacher is required to make, in order to award an overall grade. It is not unusual for a student’s overall grade to change from one reporting period to the next as the knowledge, skills and understanding they encounter in each KLA will vary from one reporting period to the next. The Common Grade Scale is included on the front of the report.

Commitment to Learning

Commitment to Learning captures the student’s attitude to the particular KLA and their skills in managing their work, persisting when challenged and working to their potential. A scale explaining the three standards used in Commitment to Learning is included on the front of the report.

Strands

The term ‘strands’ refers to the breakdown of learning within each KLA that is presented in a grid with the options Extensive, Thorough, Sound, Limited, and Basic for teachers to indicate the performance of the student within each strand. Over a reporting period, some strands will have a greater focus than others, which will impact the overall grade for the KLA. In some KLAs not every strand will be covered in each reporting period; those that are not covered will not appear on the report.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Semester 1 Reports will be available on Compass to all students in Year 1 to Year 6 on Friday 11 June.
• Learning Conversations (Parent/Teacher Meetings) will take place between Tuesday 15 and Thursday 24 June.

Interviews will be made available for all parents from Kindergarten to Year 6. Parents will be notified when interview bookings become available.

Thank you to all those families who have finalised their fees for Term 2 and 2021.

On Thursday 3rd June we gathered as a school community to acknowledge Reconciliation Week with a Smoking Ceremony and Liturgy. The theme for 2021 is More than a word. Reconciliation takes action which reminds us we all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation in Australia and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures. 

2021 marks twenty years of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of Australia’s formal reconciliation process. 

For reconciliation to be effective, it must involve truth-telling, and actively address issues of inequality, systemic racism and situations where the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are ignored, denied or reduced. 

It was a very special celebration, made even more so with Uncle Mark, Aunty Jo and Mrs Karan Taylor from the Catholic Education joining us, as well as parents and families.

Year 6 students from St John’s recently undertook an education tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity of participating in a variety of educational programs, which focused on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate has already been included when determining the cost of the excursion.

As you may already know last Thursday Year 6 went on an excursion to Australia’s capital city, Canberra. It was a very interesting and fun experience for all of us.

It was an early 6:30 am start and then a three-hour bus trip before we arrived at the ‘National Exhibition Centre. While we were there we learnt about how Canberra was designed and built based on an international design competition. There was an amazing, accurate and detailed model of the city that helped us understand the competition winner, Walter Burley Griffin's design of our capital city.

The second place we went was on a “High Commission Embassy” tour. Here, we were able to see all the buildings for the representatives from countries all around the world.

Shortly after the Embassy tour, we arrived at the “National Art Gallery”, where we witnessed famous art techniques. There was an enormous amount of artworks on display, it would have been impossible to see them all, therefore we only got to see a small fraction of them. One of the artworks we viewed was called “Blue Poles”, which was a series of layers created by artist Jackson Pollock. He created his painting by throwing and splashing paint all over the canvas. Although this was a very quick method he had to let each and every layer of his paint dry, that is why it took a year to complete.

Right outside the art gallery, there was the “Sculpture Garden” where we were able to run around and try to find different sculptures. In our groups of two or more people, we had to complete tasks relating to the unique artworks.

After the art gallery, we went on a monument tour along “Anzac Parade”. One of the monuments was dedicated to the Greek and Australian war effort representing their friendship during WWII.

By 4:30 pm, we were finally at our cabins. We all wanted to rest but there was no time. We had to get changed and go to dinner where we had roast beef, potatoes, vegetables and a lovely apple pie with cream for dessert.

After dinner, we had two minutes to layer up before going orienteering. We hopped on the bus and drove to the “National Arboretum”, which is kind of like a Botanic Garden but with many more trees. It is used to help replenish endangered tree species. They also collect rare seeds to preserve them for the future. As we arrived, the temperature plummeted to around 4°C, but after we started the activities, we were all starting to sweat as we were running around trying to find all twenty of the hidden tags.

The next day we got up early, got dressed and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. The food was great. We had waffles, eggs, bacon and baked beans. After breakfast, we brushed our teeth and packed our bags ready for the ride home. Before we went home though, we had to visit many more places and learn many more things.

Year 6 were lucky enough to go to “Parliament House” with a tour guide named Hans. He managed to sit us in the public areas of the “Senate” and the “House of Representatives”. He also taught us about the red and green colours for those areas and their origins. We then had to meet another guide named Rebecca. She showed us some of the other fascinating features in Parliament House. These included things such as the lights that flash on the clocks when the Senate or the House of Representatives are to be in session. We were also deeply fascinated by “Shawn the Prawn” and all of the other aquatic fossils in the 3500-year-old marble. We also got to witness the spectacular creation of the Parliament House Lego model which was made by “Brick Man,” himself. It cost just over $30 000 to build. After that, we engaged in a role-play as if we were Members of the Senate and we had to debate a Bill that focussed on whether farmers should save 10% of their land for native wildlife to flourish on it.

After Parliament House, we drove down to “Old Parliament House”. This is now used as a museum of Australian Democracy. They took us to the Senate where everything was preserved and we got to sit in the actual chairs. We learnt about the Governor-General and a bit more about what democracy means for Australians. We didn't get to do as much as we really wanted to do but overall it was a really good experience.

Later on, after we had lunch, we went to the “Australian Electoral Commission”, where we learned about how our country makes decisions and how to preferentially vote. We also got to take a vote ourselves about our favourite fruit and the bananas ended up winning.

That was it, we boarded our buses and headed back home. Once we hopped off the bus, everyone was drained of energy because of the long three-hour drive.

On behalf of Year 6, we would like to thank the amazing teachers that put so much time and effort into this wonderful learning experience. We learnt many things and had a great time away with our friends.
 
Year 6

Year 4 are experiencing the history of Hyde Park Barracks & The Rocks Discovery Museum today.

It has been a busy Term 2 for 2 Red.

REIMAGINE. RECREATE. RESTORE.

This is our moment.

We cannot turn back time. But we can grow trees, green our cities, rewild our gardens, change our diets and clean up rivers and coasts. We are the generation that can make peace with nature.

Let’s get active, not anxious. Let’s be bold, not timid.

On Monday 7 June we celebrate World Environment Day (5 June) with a whole school Liturgy

Come and join in the Drama Fun each Tuesday afternoon!

Yr 1-3  Drama: 2.50 – 3.50pm

Yr 4-6 Drama: 3.50 – 4.50pm