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Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that you are all as well as can be expected.
Our school Photographic Competition - 'Hit me with your best shot' was launched this week and thank you for the 230 photos that were entered in this week's category, 'colour'. Congratulations to all who entered the competition. There was such variety and creativity on display in the photos received that the judging was quite a challenge! Don't forget that the category for next is 'Faces' and your photos can be uploaded at anytime.
The winning photos for this week can be viewed on our Photographic Competition site.
Remote Learning Reminders
As we continue this mode of learning, I gently remind you of the following;
- School is open for those students who absolutely must attend. The Public Health Order states that students should be accessing their learning from home.
- There will continue to be minimal supervision on-site for those students who cannot stay at home.
- Teachers are working on a rotating roster and therefore your child in most cases will not be supervised by their teacher.
- Students who attend school will only be supervised to access the same online learning as the students who are learning from home. There is no teaching of content, only supervision as we have been directed.
- In the case that you have questions, your child's teacher can be contacted between 8:00 – 4:00 pm daily. Emails and messages received outside of this time will be attended to the very next school day.
- The parent online request for is still availabe and can be accessed here.
- Students who are unwell, even with very mild symptoms, must stay home. Following sickness with flu-like symptoms, please ensure your child is free of symptoms and can present a negative COVID-19 test before they return to school.
Message from Her Excellency the Governor of New South Wales.
The Governor of New South Wales has prepared a video message to thank and encourage school communities across the state. You can view her message
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)
First Holy Communion 2021 – IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE
Enrolments for the First Holy Communion preparation program were meant to commence on August 21st. Due to COVID restrictions, this has had to be postponed. At this stage, we don’t have any new dates. Once Father Francis has any information about restrictions lifting regarding Church attendance, you will be notified.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On Sunday, 15th August, it is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a celebration of both Mary’s earthly and heavenly presence living in and through us today.
Mary’s life was one of continuous transformation as she journeyed through the unknown. Yet it was Mary’s willingness to take part in God’s unfolding plan for humanity and the deliverance of the universal story that remains within us to continue today.
It was through Mary’s ‘Yes’ - “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to God’s will” (Luke 1:38) that our invitation awaits our response in order for our transformation to take place. As for Mary, her earthly transformation was made possible through her free will and her freely choosing to let go, to trust and to cooperate with the Spirit. This is what is being asked of us today.
It is through our ‘Yes’ that our first step of transformation begins and the accepting of our true self and the purpose in which we came into the world for. It is our mission in life to live out our purpose with the gifts bestowed upon us at birth to contribute to the unfolding of God’s plan for humanity. Every time we use our gifts and talents for others; every time we empower them, every time we reach out in communion with others, we live out our purpose and contribute to theirs and the unfolding journey of our heavenly home.
Mary’s infinite love for us holds us firmly in her care as she journeys with us.
Congratulations to the following students for receiving Merit Awards for Term 3, Week 5.
The beauty and uniqueness of the photos submitted, of places and flora and abstract colours have been impressive. Photos taken at twilight and sunrise proved popular with stunning photos from the early rises.
This weeks category 'Colour' has closed and we are excited to showcase all the photos submitted and announce the winners.
Don't forget to enter your photos for next weeks competition — Faces.
- 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 (closed)
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.
It is getting close to the end of the Premier’s Reading Challenge for this year, and for the students who have chosen to participate, they will need to make sure they finalise their online reading record before Friday 3 September.
Congratulations to the following students who have completed the Premiers Reading Challenge for 2021:
|
Gracia B (K) |
Nate B (K) |
Zain N (K) |
Sebastian T (K) |
|
Aiden B (K) |
Inara D (K) |
Fletcher P (K) |
Joseph V (K) |
|
Archer B (K) |
Valentina K (K) |
Charlotte R (K) |
Ivy J (1) |
|
Boston B (K) |
Cooper K (K) |
Charli T (K) |
Noah K (5) |
|
Logan B (K) |
To support all students, especially those in NSW faced with the challenges of remote learning, the following adjustments have been applied to the Challenge in 2021. A full list of changes can be found on the PRC rules page. Some of these changes include:
- The Challenge closing date has been extended to allow extra time to finalise student entries and coordinator validations. The new closing dates are:
- Challenge closes for students: Friday September 3, 2021
- Challenge closes for coordinators: Friday September 17, 2021
- Students on all Challenge levels will be able to read 10 choice books.
- Students on all Challenge levels will be able to include books on their reading records that they read collaboratively as a class, in person or online with their teacher or at home with their parents/carers.
If you have misplaced your child’s PRC login details please send a request via the ‘Parent Request for Assistance Form’.
Some of the students from Year 2 have shared their "Let's Celebrate" Remote Learning work that focused on the Olympics.
- Basketball Gala Days - Shellharbour, Berkeley, Beaton Park, Moss Vale and Minto - CANCELLED
Earlier in the year, parents of students from Year 4-6 had the opportunity to register their child/children to sit one or several of the ICAS Assessments. Due to the impacts of Covid 19 and the current lockdown, the ICAS Assessments at St John's will be conducted early in Term 4.
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.
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.
Understandably, 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.