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Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that you and your families are well.
As we conclude another week of remote learning, the teachers and I want you to know that you are doing an amazing job! I mentioned last week, it is important that you are realistic in your expectations of both yourself and your child/ren in the completion of the planned online learning. Teachers are differentiating learning as far as practicably possible and including a range of optional activities, but please don't feel that everything needs to be completed. Again, do what you can, prioritise reading and if it gets too much, take a break, put the iPad down and encourage some time outside. At school, we refer to this as a 'brain break'.
The pressures of lockdown, including online learning, are significant for all families regardless of individual circumstances. In acknowledgement, teachers will be planning 'Fun Fridays' with the focus not on academic learning rather, fun activities and family interactions to hopefully take some pressure off everyone. There will be a reduced workload for students and teachers will be encouraging time away from their devices. Teachers will schedule ‘Fun Friday’ in their weekly overview from next week and speak with their class about what has been planned. Remember, it is about taking a break, slowing down and reducing the demands on our families and teachers.
We are also launching a Photographic Competition - 'Hit me with your best shot' for all students (K-6). The competition will run across four weeks with a new category each week. At the end of each week, the category will be closed and judged with two prizes awarded to each of the following stage groups (ES/S1 K-2, Stage 2 Yr 3-4 and Stage 3 Yr 5-6). We are all very excited about the photographic competition and can't wait to see the photos. Full details, including categories, descriptions and entry can be found in this newsletter.
This coming Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Australia’s only saint - St Mary of the Cross, Mary MacKillop. Some suggest Mary was a woman ahead of her time, others believe just a resilient, hardworking dedicated woman who saw a need and actioned a response.
In celebrating 200 years of Catholic education in Australia, it’s important that we reflect on the profound and significant contribution that Mary made to Catholic school in Australia. She recognised the fact that many children could not access education for financial reasons and felt strongly that God’s love needed to be shared with all. Motivated by this, Mary’s life commitment would eventually enable many Australian children to access Catholic Education and give them a chance for a stronger relationship with their God.
Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and together they responded to the educational needs of poor and isolated children, establishing the first Josephite school in Penola SA in 1866. Their mission continued with schools opening across Australia, including our own school, with the arrival of the Sisters in 1880. The Sisters remained at St John's until 1996 before the first lay principal, Mrs Marie Debusch was appointed in 1997.
Mary MacKillop famously said, “Never see a need without doing something about it.” This message is as relevant today as it was over a century ago. What our world needs now more than ever, is hope, kindness, and compassion. We learn from Mary how to stay true to our convictions, work hard for what we believe to be right and show resilience when obstacles are thrown our way.
May we never forget the dedication and commitment of the Sisters, and be strengthened by our rich history, as we walk in the footsteps of Mary MacKillop and her Sisters.
Mary MacKillop always trusted in God and she knew that she didn’t have to worry because, no matter what, God was always with her.
Perhaps, in this time of Pandemic, we can be more like Mary and trust more in God. You might like to choose one of the following Mary MacKillop’s quotes to help you.
- 'God gives me strength for what is necessary'
- 'Love one another, bear with one another, and let charity guide you in all your life’
- 'Let no obstacle deter us from proceeding with courage'
- 'Our courage should rise with difficulties and obstacles'
- 'God will take care of us'
- 'Be calm and full of hope'
- 'Wherever we may be, let God’s glory absorb our thoughts, deliberations and actions'
- 'Keep your mind in peace, no matter what happens'
- 'May the spirit of unity and love reign amongst us'
- 'Lean on God'
Financial Support for Families
The Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) is offering support to families, conscious of the significant financial impact that many may be experiencing as a result of the continuing COVID-19 restrictions.
Stay safe and go gently.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan
(Principal)
Congratulations to the following students for receiving Merit Awards for Term 3, Week 4.
We’re launching an exciting new photography competition for all students and staff — Hit me with your best shot. The photography competition will run across four weeks with a new category each week. At the end of each week the category will be closed and judged with two prizes awarded to each the following stage groups (ES/S1 K-2, Stage 2 Yr 3-4 and Stage 3 Yr 5-6).
- Week 5: Colour (Closes Friday 13th August at 9:00am)
- Week 6: Faces (Closes Friday 20th August at 9:00am)
- Week 7: Movement (Closes Friday 27th August at 9:00am)
- Week 8: Creative (Closes Friday 3rd September at 9:00am)
Category Descriptions
Colour
Everyday we are surrounded by colour. Colour is so powerful it can affect your behaviour, moods and thoughts. In Week 5 your challenge is to brighten the mood by showing us some colour in your world.
Faces
Portraits are one of the most common styles of photography. A portrait aims to capture the mood and personality of an individual or group. In Week 6 your challenge is to be as creative as you can in sharing a face (or faces) of someone in your family.
Movement
Photographs mid-movement can provide a perfect moment in time, capturing moods and emotions while eliminating distractions from the shot. In Week 7 your challenge is to capture a precise moment in time of something or someone mid-movement.
Creative
Careful observations and out-of-the-box thinking has helped create some amazing creative photography. There are no rules or guidelines for this category. In Week 8 your challenge is to experiment and intentionally capture a moment or object by doing something different.
Rules
- Photograph to be taken by yourself.
- Can only enter one photo for each category.
- Photos can be taken on any device, e.g. iPad, phone, digital camera.
- Photos can be taken from any angle.
- Do not submit photos of family members/public without their consent.
- Photos to be used by St John’s Catholic Parish Primary School or CEDoW online, social media and/or advertising.
Goodluck.
All students now have access to ebooks and audio books from the Australian Catholic Education Network (ACEN) digital library. The Sora website or Sora app is a student friendly reading platform that provides access to thousands of online books.
To login to Sora each student will require their own personalised CENet / Student Google account. Students in Years 4 to 6 are currently using this account daily to access their remote learning. Due to limited access to physical books, it is important that students in Kindergarten to Year 3 also have an opportunity to access this online library.
Kindergarten to Year 3 CENet / Student Google account information was emailed to Parents/Carers on Wednesday 4 August. Please send a request to support via the Parent/Carer Request for Support form if you did not receive the email.
To access Sora you can go to the Sora website or download the Sora App. The Getting Started with Sora video tutorial will help you setup and use Sora. When asked to select your school make sure you select My school isn't listed > ACEN Member Collection. If you require further assistance logging into Sora please send a request for support via the Parent Request for Support form.
On Monday 9 August International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. At the same time, it aims to recognise the achievements and contributions that indigenous people continue to make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.
There are over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own world views and priorities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting populations all over the world that were already suffering from poverty, illness, discrimination or financial insecurity. From the perspective of indigenous peoples, the contrast is even starker.
As we fight against the spread of the pandemic, it is more important than ever to safeguard indigenous peoples and their knowledge. Their territories are home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity and they can teach us much about how to rebalance our relationship with nature and reduce the risk of future pandemics.
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 |
| Kai | Tully | Zara | Sophia | Sophie | Addison | Rhys |
| Georgia | Praise | Jennifer | Caydence | Wil | Lilah | Halle |
| Ivy | Taylor | Ayla | Jake | Catherine | Lucas | Matilda |
| Ruby | Mila-Rae | Sebastian | Tinashe | Sienna | Benji | Ronan |
| Charli | Audrey | Evie | Emily | Kaiya | ||
| Emily | Jai | Nate | Ava | Harper | ||
| Leela | Lily | Ella | Norah | |||
| Jaxon | Aydan | |||||
| Lachlan | Aydan | |||||
| Cooper |
CatholicCare has made available Keeping Calm and Connected: Mindfulness Sessions, offered as recordings and accessible through the website below. The website also includes an audio recording of the mindfulness reflection exercise 'A time to reflect with pride, love, and gratitude during COVID-19'.
The sessions focus on the following, with recordings ranging from 11 – 20 minutes:
- Mindfulness
- Mindfulness & Self Care
- Mindfulness & Sleep
- Mindfulness & Compassion
- Mindfulness & Worry
- Mindfulness & Gratitude
As we currently navigate this most recent COVID challenge, these resources help us to remember the importance of looking after and being kind to ourselves, whether it be watching these recordings, or something else that brings you calm and joy. Please feel free to share this link with school communities, your family, and friends.
- School buses will run as per normal for those students that have to attend school.
- School Canteen will be closed until further notice.
- Students who are remote learning will need to access their classwork through their means of delivery (e.g. Google Classroom, Seesaw) by 3pm each day to be marked as present.
School drop-off and pick-up procedures will, for the most, remain unchanged. There will be minor adjustments to the afternoon pick, with parents and carers now not permitted to be onsite. You are asked to follow the directions of staff and maintain physical distancing at all times.
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Read LessUnderstandably, many questions may arise and it is hoped that frequent school communication via Compass, assists you in clarifying your concerns. Teachers will respond to emails and phone calls in a timely manner during school hours (8:00 am – 3:00 pm) only. Requests for technology support can be made via the form below.