Dear Parents and Carers,

It is National Reconciliation Week, 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. The theme “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation, so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians. 

On Friday 3 June we will be acknowledging National Reconciliation Week with a special liturgy at 12:00 pm. The liturgy will be followed by the presentation on Merit Awards and parents and carers are warmly invited.

It is the time of year when teachers are busy preparing Semester 1 Reports. On Wednesday 29 June, parents and carers will be notified by a Compass alert that reports are available for viewing. Only students in Years 1 – 6 will receive a report for semester 1. Kindergarten parents and carers will have a learning conversation (Parent/teacher meeting) with their child's teacher

It is important that all parents and carers have accessed the Compass parent portal by logging in and updating their details. An email reminder will be sent to those who have not yet accessed the portal for the first time and include important login information. A step-by-step guide can also be downloaded from the link below and if required, a hard copy can be provided by contacting the school office.

I’m excited to announce that this week our school therapy dog 'Hero', will visit for the first time on Thursday and Friday. Together with his handler, he will be visiting classrooms and supporting students across the school. Hero has recently graduated after 18 months of training and is a qualified and registered therapy dog. Therapy dogs build positivity for students and can reduce anxiety and stress as well as develop social skills. Initially, he will only be at school a few days a week in small blocks of time.

On Monday 6 June, Year 6 will be travelling to Canberra for a two-day, overnight excursion. They will visit Parliament House as well as the War Memorial, National Gallery, Questacon, Institute of Sport, Electoral Commission and the Museum of Democracy. Visiting the National Capital is always a valuable educational experience for the children and I am confident that Year 6 will be outstanding ambassadors for our school. I would like to acknowledge and thank the Year 6 teachers who have organised this wonderful experience.

A Year 4 excursion has also been planned for Wednesday 8 June. To further support their History unit of work on ‘First Contact’, they will travel by bus to Hyde Park Barracks and The Rocks Discovery Museum. I'm sure that it too, will be a valuable learning experience for the students.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan
Principal

A certain sense of God’s wonderful love strengthens me.

Mary MacKillop

Pentecost Sunday 5th June

Jn 20:19-23 - As the Father sent me, so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit

Pentecost celebrates the beginning and the birth of the Church. By the power and action of the Holy Spirit the infant Christian community called the Church began. It is by the same Holy Spirit that the Church continues today to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ. Next to Christmas and Easter, Pentecost is the greatest day in the Christian year.

Pentecost reminds us too, that Mary is the Mother of the Church. She is not only Jesus' mother but our mother, too. Just as Mary mothered Jesus at his birth in Bethlehem, so too, Mary mothered the birth of the infant Church at Pentecost.

As Jesus was dying on the cross he looked at his mother and then at his beloved disciple John. He said to John: 'Behold your mother' and then to Mary his mother: 'Behold your son'. With these words Jesus was telling John and all of us that whoever belongs to Jesus has Mary as his or her mother. How generous, caring and loving Jesus was to share even his mother with us! The disciples with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, received the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost Sunday.

And so, on Pentecost Sunday, ten days after Jesus' ascension, the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples. The Church celebrates this special event each year on Pentecost Sunday. It marks the end of the Easter Season and signals the beginning of a new age: The age of the Holy Spirit.

We live in the age of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who anoints and empowers the followers of Jesus to continue the work and mission Jesus began while he was on earth. The Holy Spirit is the power and energy that stirs, moves and inspires Christians to bring Jesus' message of love and care to everyone everywhere.

The Holy Spirit enlivens and fills us with eagerness and enthusiasm to 'go tell everyone the good news that God's kingdom has come!' The Holy Spirit leads and guides the Church in bringing about God's kingdom on earth.

We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we are baptised and are confirmed. That first Pentecost made it possible for all of God's people to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps Christians to follow Jesus and bring Jesus and his message to others.

(Understanding Faith Stage 3, Unit 47)

Confirmation

On Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd of June our Year 6 and Parish candidates will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at the Sacrament of Confirmation. This begins a new and important chapter in the student’s faith journey, we keep these students in our prayers.                                         

Prayer for Confirmation candidates

Lord, You send out Your Spirit to touch the hearts of all people, so that they may believe in You and in Jesus whom You sent.

Look kindly on all candidates for Confirmation as they listen to Your voice. Open their hearts to Your Spirit and bring to fulfilment the good work that You have begun in them.

As we prepare these children for Confirmation, make each of us an instrument of Your love. Teach us to appreciate what is holy in others, and to be patient with what we do not understand.

Deepen our faith in the Gospel and help us to pass it on by our example. We pray that You will continue to guide us and sustain us.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Vinnie’s Winter Appeal

Vinnies sees firsthand the difficulties individuals and families face when they’ve got nowhere safe or secure to go. They are often assisted by Vinnies who see it as a great privilege to be there when people need them. Homelessness is an issue that affects far too many children, families, and individuals across the country. After recent natural disasters, this is especially true for our North East NSW region. We know that children without a safe and secure home struggle to focus in school and maintain their health and social wellbeing.

The Mini Vinnie’s team have organised for St John’s to support the Winter Appeal. We are asking our families to bring in items that are most needed at the present moment, by Thursday of Week 10. These include:

• Beanies
• Gloves
• Scarves
• Toiletries -  toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo

Dates for your diary

• Tuesday 31 May — Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Wednesday 1st June, 7:00 pm — Confirmation
• Thursday 2nd June, 7:00 pm — Confirmation
• Fri  3rd June, 9:30 am — Year 3 Mass
• Fri  3rd June, 11:30 am — Reconciliation Week Liturgy
• Sunday 5th June — World Environment Day
• Friday 10th June, 9:30 am — Year 4 Mass
• Friday 10th June — Year 3 Reconciliation (Half the grade) 
  
  
  

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 Joseph, pray for us.
St John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Renee Maguire
Religious Education Coordinator

Semester 1 Reports will be available via Compass on Wednesday 29 June for students in Years 1 – 6.  Kindergarten only receive an end-of-year report (Semester 2). 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 after 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. 

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 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 for all students in Year 1 to Year 6 on Wednesday 29 June.
• Kindergarten Learning Conversations will be held from Tuesday 14 June to Friday 24 June (Week 8 and Week 9). Kindergarten parents will be sent a notification via Compass once the bookings have opened. 
  
  

Representative Sport

Congratulations Ashton B for placing 4th in the 12 years Diocesan Cross Country trials.

Ashton will compete in the MacKillop trials at Eastern Creek next week.

Good Luck Ashton 

Thank you to Yasmina A (Year 2)  for sharing her Grandmother's, Mary Brunero's photos and booklet.

The history of St John's by Sr Bernadette O'Sullivan for the Story of a Hundred Years Dapto 1880–1980.

World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually since 1974, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.

#OnlyOneEarth facts and figures for World Environment Day 5 June 2022

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