Dear Parents and Carers,

Finally, some sunshine! The grass playgrounds are beginning to dry out and hopefully the children will be able to access them in the coming days.

Last week we celebrated the hope and joy that comes with the Easter Season at a special whole school liturgy. It was lovely to welcome parents, carers and grandparents to the first celebration of the new term.

Once again, the persistent wet weather forced the cancellation of the school Cross Country. A competitor only event took place, in between showers, to enable the selection a representative team for the Diocesan Cross Country. The course did prove to be quite challenging at times and muddy, as you would expect, but the competition was strong and enjoyed by all. Thank you to the many parent/carers who assisted on the day, particularly those who stood in the rain as track marshalls.

Our ANZAC liturgy last Friday was both a reflective and moving experience for all who attended. I would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Mr De Battista for his meticulous planning and organisation. The children were absolutely outstanding in the respectful and reverent way that they engaged in the liturgy. Many of the invited guest commented on the children and their respectful presence throughout the liturgy. It was wonderful too, to have so many parents, carers and grandparents in attendance.

I would like to personally thank representatives from Dapto RSL, service men and women from our parent community, guest speaker, Brigadier Philip McNamara (OAM), the Army Cadets for their active participation in supporting this most important school event.

Kindergarten 2022 Enrolment

Enrolment meetings for Kindergarten 2023 will take place commencing on Saturday 14 May. Letters have been sent to families who have submitted an application, asking that they book a meeting time. Members of the school leadership team will meet with families to discuss the enrolment process, exchange information and answer any questions about the enrolment process and the school. Importantly, if you haven’t submitted an application for kindergarten next year, please do so as a matter of urgency. We have limited places available, demand for placement is high and offers will be made at the end of Term 2.

Arrival and Dismissal

Our school hours are 8:30 am to 2:40 pm. It is important that all children arrive on time each day. We no longer gather for a morning assembly, rather the children now move from the playground straight to their classrooms. It is important that children arrive on time and ready to learn. Being consistently late can have a significant impact on the learning outcomes for those students over time. 

To accommodate for the number of students and parent/carers during afternoon dismissal at the height of the pandemic, adjustments were made allowing for an earlier dismissal time. To this end, we have returned to our previous afternoon dismissal time of 2:40 pm. This information is particularly important for families who utilise the Jerematta St car lines for pick-up. Daily cars are parked from 2:00 pm at the front of the school which is not only contrary to the signage but exacerbates congestion as we approach dismissal time. Staff will not bring children to the carlines until approximately 2:40 pm and therefore arriving after this time will assist greatly in managing traffic congestion. All children will be supervised until 3:00 pm after which they will be brought to the school office.

I have received numerous complaints from local residents about the traffic congestion at afternoon pick up, particularly Werowi St. Please do not queue and prevent residents from accessing their houses. Police will continue to randomly patrol the area and fines for queuing are substantial. To continue this practice, you do so at your own risk.

Thank you

Special thanks to Jodie Maloney and Julia Najjar for organising the Mother’s Day Stall this Friday 6 May and for the helpers who have offered to assist on the day.

Thank you as well to the parents who attended the P&F meeting last nights. While numbers were disappointing, guest speaker Senior Constable Jayke Graham provided valuable insights into keeping our children safe online. Thank you to P&F President, Peter Northey for organising the guest speaker.

Principal Appraisal

As previously communicated, I will be having a Principal Appraisal on Tuesday 17 May. The Catholic Education Office has emailed all parents and carers a feedback survey, which needs to be completed by Friday 6 May. I thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey.

Landscaping of School Grounds

Landscapers have been busy working in and around the school grounds to improve and enhance the physical environment. This work follows on from the major building project and completes the extensive school improvements that have taken place in recent years. Thank you to Ranger Landscapes for their flexibility and very professional service. The new gardens look amazing.

Wishing all mothers a happy Mother's Day.

Yours sincerely

Andrew Heffernan

(Principal)

Have courage and patience and God will help you in all things

Mary MacKillop 

Easter

Easter is not just a weekend, it’s a whole season! It begins on Easter Sunday and it runs through to Pentecost, seven weeks in duration. The colour gold or white is used during this time to signify the glory of the Lord and our joy in the resurrection. It is a time when we, as a Church, focus on the promises of Jesus to save us from evil and to be with us in our lives. It’s really a chance to rejoice in our salvation! It is a time to remember that Jesus died and then rose from the dead so that we could have eternal life in heaven.

MOTHER’S DAY MASS

Friday 6h May at 9:30am
St John the Evangelist Church

KINDERGARTEN, YEAR 5 and YEAR 6 FAMILY MASS

A reminder of our Kindergarten and Stage 3 Mass with Andrew Chinn, a well-known singer and musician on Saturday at 5pm. Please join us to celebrate the Eucharist.

PARISH SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

We keep in our prayers our Year 6 students who have begun preparations to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Lesson booklets need to be stamped at Mass on the following weekends: Saturday/Sunday 7th and 8th, 14th and 15th May,  21st and 22nd May and the  28th and 29th May. 

MAY - MONTH OF MARY

May is the month of Mary. This is a special time for us pay homage to and to honour our Blessed Mother Mary. The Rosary is one way that we can do this. Mary herself once said that "when you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary." Perhaps as a family, some time could be spent praying the rosary throughout May.

Dates for your diary:

• Friday 6th May - Mothers Day Mass 9:30am
• Saturday 7th May - 5pm Mass Kindergarten & Stage 3 (with Andrew Chin) 
• Saturday 7th/Sunday 8th May - Confirmation booklets to be stamped at Church
• Friday 13th May - Kindergarten Mass with Year 6 buddies 9:30am
• Friday 13th May - Year 4 Reconciliation (Half the grade)
• Wednesday 18th May  - Practise for Confirmation 4pm-5pm
•  Friday 20th May - Year 1 Mass 9:30am
• Saturday 21st/Sunday 22nd May - Confirmation booklets to be stamped at Mass

FUNDRAISING

Thank you for your generosity and support.

• $1690.80 – St Vinnies Flood appeal
• $4192.47 – Easter Raffle & Term 1 Missions to Caritas

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.

Renee Maguire
Religious Education Coordinator

NAPLAN 2022

Every year the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses the literacy and numeracy skills of students across Australia. The 2022 testing window begins on Tuesday 10 May and closes on Friday 20 May.

The Year 3 and Year 5 students of St John's will be sitting the individual NAPLAN tests on the following dates: 

• Tuesday 10 May – Writing (paper Yr 3 / online Yr 5)
• Wednesday 11 May – Reading (online) and Conventions of Language (online)
• Monday 16 May – Numeracy (online)
• Tuesday 17 May to Friday 20 May – Catch up tests

On Friday 29 April, the St John’s community participated in an ANZAC Day liturgy of remembrance and gratitude. We remembered those Australian men and women who have died or suffered in the great tragedy of war, those who served and those currently serving.  The liturgy also assisted the students in understanding that on ANZAC Day we do not celebrate war, but rather we celebrate peace and freedom. 

During the liturgy, a HARS Dakota aircraft was flying around our school and this enhanced our commemorations of this special day, probably Australia’s most important national occasion.

HARS is a non-profit organisation that is very dependent on local patronage. HARS is proud of being a family and dog-friendly museum and provides escorted tours, has a childproof playground, café and of course the greatest display of airworthy historic aircraft in Australia.

Thanks again to all who attended our liturgy, our Year 6 students who led the liturgy so reverently and the Year 5 & 6 students who shared wartime artefacts with the school community after the liturgy. Thank you to their families also for sharing these special items with us.

Special thank you to:

Members of the Dapto RSL Sub Branch: Mr Gary McDougall, Mr and Mrs Mike and Mary Johnston, Mr and Mrs Robert and Wendy Turford and Mr Bob Winston; Brigadier (retired) Philip McNamara, Lieutenant Shelly Van Moolenbroek and Leading Seaman Adrian Van Moolenbroek, Captain Wade Priestley, Lieutenant Marco Belobrajdic and the members of the Wollongong Cadet Unit, Mr Brendan Gornall, Mr Greg Rose and our piper for many years, Mr Robert McCann.

Cross Country

On Thursday 28th April, St John’s held its school cross country. Due to the consistent rain, the carnival was moved from Integral Energy Park (Kembla Joggers) to the school grounds, where a ‘competitors only/Diocesan trial' format was implemented.

The following students will represent St John’s at the Diocesan Cross Country carnival on Tuesday 24th May at Nowra’s ‘Wilandra Farm’ Cross Country course.

Congratulations and we wish these students the best of luck,

8/9 years girls

• Taylor P
• Larissa B
• Avah N

8/9 years boys

• Justin R
• Kayden H
• Blake C

10 years girls

• Raine P
• Jasmine P
• Isabelle N

10 years boys

• Gianni O
• Preston T
• Harry B

11 years girls

• Ella P
• Mikki G
• Indi T

11 years boys

• Dean P
• Wil B
• Xander I

12/13 years girls

• Angel B
• Addison B
• Emilia L

12/13 years boys

• Ashton B
• Damon S
• Liam W

Netball Gala Day

Netball gala day permission note (available on Compass) closes this Thursday night. It is for Stage 2 girls and Stage 3 girls and boys.

The wellbeing of our students is a priority at St John’s. Wellbeing includes good physical health, feelings of happiness, satisfaction and successful social functioning. Feelings of wellbeing are fundamental to the overall health of children, enabling them to successfully overcome difficulties. Wellbeing influences how they interact in their environments and a strong sense of wellbeing provides children with confidence and optimism which maximises their learning potential. 

As a means of supporting the work that we do in this area at St John’s, we are planning a Wellbeing Afternoon for all students from K-6 during Week 4 of this term and on other occasions throughout the year.

Students will be able to choose and participate in fun and engaging activities that promote their wellbeing. As part of these Wellbeing Afternoons, the school will provide students with a sausage sizzle at lunch.

Further information regarding Wellbeing Afternoons will be provided in the next newsletter.

National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. This year’s theme for Reconciliation Week: “Be Brave. Make Change” is a challenge to us all to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation and work together towards a just and equitable future for all Australians. 

St John’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and the Year 6 Student Representative Council will be representing St John’s at the CareWays Community Reconciliation Walk on Thursday, 19th May. The walk will begin at Koonawarra Bay at 11:00 am for a Welcome to Country and a Smoking Ceremony, followed by a short walk to Koonawarra Community Centre for a sausage sizzle at 12:00pm. Parents and carers are most welcome to join us for the walk.

The official date for the children to change over to the winter uniform is Monday 16 May (Term 2 Week 4). The winter uniform may be worn prior to this date if the weather becomes cooler. Children must not wear a combination of both; rather it is either one or the other (summer or winter).

A reminder that it is an expectation that all children wear the correct uniform daily, it is not optional. Please refer to the Uniform Policy if you require clarification about the school uniform. You are encouraged not to leave the ordering of any new uniform items to the last minute!

Dear Parents & Carers

With restrictions lifting this year the P&F are excited to announce that the Mother's Day Stall is going ahead on Friday 6th May. Gifts will be priced at $6 and under. If you could please send a plastic bag or similar with your child so they can pop their purchased items in there, that would be a great help. 

If there are any parents who are free to help on the day it's only a couple of hours of your time please text or call me on 0404846106 (Jodie).

Thanks 
Jodie

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

Book Club - Issue 3 is now available to order from. All book club orders MUST be placed online at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or by using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

All orders must be submitted online by Wednesday 11 May 2022. All orders will be delivered to school and sent home with your child.

Lots of books to choose from including titles at $5 and under and each order helps earn free books and teaching materials for our classrooms. 

Strengthening Relationships

Know someone who could use some support to achieve positive change in their life right now?

They may find what they are looking for in our group sessions. They are available to adults who would like to strengthen relationships, support children's development and build resilience within a supportive environment, alongside others who share similar life experiences.

Click below to view our Term 2, 2022 courses.

Limited space available

For more information or to make a booking please contact our Intake Service on 4254 9395 or email IntakeService@catholiccare.dow.org.au

COVID-19 SAFE COURSES
All of our Term 2 Courses adhere to Covid Safe Protocols.

A guide by parents for parents The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT (CCSP) released a wonderful resource for parents and carers.

The Supporting Diverse Learning in Catholic Schools - A Guide by Parents for Parents was developed to support and accompany families as they prepare their child for school, or for the transition from primary to secondary school. It offers practical ideas and advice from parents and carers who have 'been there and done that'. It includes areas such as 'Preparing the School for Your Child', communicating with the school, conversation starters for challenging topics, as well as practical ideas such as visuals board to help establish morning and evening routines once school has commenced.

Whilst it has a specific focus on supporting families of a child with diverse needs, many of the tips and strategies are useful for all parents and carers at the start of their school journey.