Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday, we welcomed our new kindergarten students for the first of two orientation mornings. Having attended our transition to school playgroup, they were very excited about having time in the classrooms with their teachers and support staff. Orientation will continue on Thursday 17 November (students only) between 9:00 - 11:30 am.

The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and our teachers are very busy preparing Semester 2 Reports, which will be available via Compass on Wednesday 7 December. 

At this time of the year, children become increasingly excited about the approaching Christmas season. As a school, it is important that we keep firmly focused on learning and maintain our school routines throughout Term 4.

When Christmas cards, candy canes, and the like arrive too early, the children tend to ‘switch off’ from their learning. While it is acknowledged that children love to share the spirit of Christmas with their friends, it can be quite disruptive and unsettling, particularly when a child does not receive a card!

It is for this reason, and in keeping with the season of Advent, Christmas cards are not to be brought to school until Monday 12 December. This will give the students time to exchange cards and share this special time with their school friends. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Term 4 concludes for all students on Friday 16 December.

Parish Celebration Day

The annual Parish Celebration Day will be held this coming Sunday, commencing at 10:00 am with an outdoor Mass. Fr Francis warmly invites you to join in the celebrations as we come together to give thanks for our parish community. There will be food stalls, rides, entertainment as well as a coffee van available. It’s always a wonderful day of celebration and we look forward to seeing you.

Communicating with Teachers

The use of the Seesaw app is primarily to share and celebrate learning with parents and carers. In recent times, the conversation feature has been used by parents/carers to communicate important information to their child’s teacher. As teachers are in fact teaching, as well as undertaking duties during morning tea and lunch, it is unreasonable to expect them to be checking messages, replying and enacting requests. Important information about changes to a child’s afternoon dismissal arrangements is just one example where the use of Seesaw risks the message not being read and conveyed as requested causing upset for children, parents/carers and teachers.

For this reason, the conversation feature will be turned off and no longer accessible from Monday 21 November. Seesaw will only be used to share and celebrate learning.

To communicate with your child’s teacher, parents/carers should:

• Phone (42614611) or email (info@sjddow.catholic.edu.au) the school office regarding changes to afternoon pick-up arrangements or to request a meeting.
• Alternatively, email your child’s teacher directly to request a meeting. Teachers will reply within 2 working days, between 8:00 am – 5:00 pm only.

Thank you for your understanding and support. I’m sure that you can appreciate the importance of having clear and consistent protocols for communicating with the school.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan
Principal.

God gives me strength for what is necessary.
Mary MacKillop
Painting by Sr Mary Brady

Feast of Christ The King - Sunday 20th November

The Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King, also called the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, on the last Sunday of the Liturgical year. The season of Advent starts the Sunday after. This feast day is about looking at Christ the King as our ultimate leader. The most important part of leadership lies in love. Christ the king shows us that the ultimate power is the power of love. Regardless of what happened to him, Jesus Christ always loved. No one could stop him. His love continued to flow from the cross and reveal the mercy and power of God. The Feast of Christ the King serves to remind us of his love. We are urged not to lose our perspective. Through the power of love, we can effect change in our world and continue to create a life filled with forgiveness and mercy in a world where justice and peace reign supreme.

Season of Advent begins Sunday 27th November

Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s new year and is a season of waiting and preparation. This season of Advent focuses on Christ’s threefold coming—past, present and future:

• We await and prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas.
• We hope and give thanks for Christ’s presence within us and in the Word and sacraments.
• We look to the future, waiting for Christ to come again.

In the coming four weeks we prepare with mounting expectation for the coming of Christ in a spirit of waiting, conversion and hope.

Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Over the course of the next couple of weeks we are encouraging students in each class to bring in items to support the ‘St Vincent De Paul Annual Christmas Appeal’. St Vincent de Paul require the following items to create their Christmas Hampers for struggling local families. The local St Vincent De Paul provides approximately 120 hampers to families experiencing difficulties in our local area. For St Vincent de Paul members to have enough time to put together the hampers, we are asking that all items are brought into school by Friday 9th December 2022.
 
Items to bring in:

Staff
Serviettes / Napkins / Bon Bons 

Gunyah
Tinned fruit

Kinder
Christmas Cakes / Christmas Pudding / Mince Pies 

Year 1
1B — Sweet Biscuits — shortbread, scotch fingers, wafers, ginger biscuits, etc.
1G — Savoury Biscuits — Jatz, Ritz, Sakatas, Shapes, Cheese Twists, etc.
1R — Cake/muffin/pancake mix / Packets of Jelly 

Year 2
Chips / Lollies

Year 3
Chocolates — Christmas stockings, Block chocolate, Box chocolate 

Year 4
4B — Long Life Custard
4G — Spreads — Nutella / Honey / Jam / Maple Syrup / Vegemite 
4R — Pretzels / Rice Crackers / Nuts

Year 5
Tea Bags / Coffee / Hot Chocolate Mix / Cocoa Mix / Marshmallows 

Year 6
Drinks — Cans / Bottles / Cordial / Poppers

Thank you for supporting St Vincent de Paul and the wonderful work they do.

Dates for your diary:

• Friday 18th November - Year 5 Mass 9:30am
• Fr 18th Nov - Reconciliation (Half of Year 6)
• Sun 20th November - Parish Mass Celebration
• Friday 25th November - Year 1  Gunyah Mass 9:30am
• Fr 25th Nov - Reconciliation (Half of Year 6)
• Fr 2nd Dec - Reconciliation (Half of Year 4)

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

Parish Celebration Day — Feast of Christ the King
Sunday 20 November

Dear Parishioners,

Once again, we look forward to a special parish celebration for all parishioners on Sunday 20th November, the feast of Christ the King.  There will be an outdoor mass at 10 am and activities and entertainment afterwards. A jumping castle has been booked along with popcorn, a snow cone and a fairy floss machine. All entertainment as well as food and drinks are free. We expect the activities to conclude about 2 pm.

The day will be a wonderful opportunity for families to celebrate together across all
generations.  The Parish Council looks forward to seeing you on the day.
 
Lunch for the Parish Celebration

The Pastoral Council has decided to organise lunch for the parish celebration as in previous years. The table below is designed so that we have a balance of food provided by parishioners. We have decided to ask parishioners to bring food according to the first letter of their surname. Please see the table below:
 
A to F
BBQ Chicken and Sandwiches

G to L
Salads: Potato, Greek, Fried Rice, etc

M to R
Savoury Slices, crackers and dips

S to Z
Deserts: Slices or cakes, fruit platters

This is in addition to parish BBQ sausages, onions (+ sliced bread. The Parish will provide Eskys with ice and some soft drinks and water, sausage rolls and chicken wings. If parishioners have a gluten intolerance and need the parish to provide alternative food please contact the presbytery asap.

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 – Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe.

Wollongong Diocesan Sports Awards 2022

Last Friday, the 11th of November, Ashton Byrne was invited to the Wollongong Diocesan Sporting Awards. It was held at St Mary's, Star of the Sea College, Wollongong. 

Ashton was awarded the Primary Red Award for his achievement in cross country and athletics in 2022. This is a wonderful achievement with only 16 students in primary being awarded this prestigious award.

Congratulations Ashton!!!

Diocesan Sport Trials

Tuesday the 8th November was a great day for St John's and some students trialing at the Wollongong Diocesan Basketball and Tennis selection trials.
 
Sebastian Mrkovic (Year 5)  played extremely well at the tennis trials at Beaton Park. He was selected in the Wollongong Diocesan tennis team to play at the Mackillop trials early next year.
 
Ella Whittle, Caitlin Whiteside and Nicola Holland (Year 4) played in the Diocesan Basketball trial at the Snake Pit (Beaton Park). All girls were successful in gaining selection in the Wollongong team for the Mackillop trials early next year.
 
Congratulations Sebastian, Ella, Caitlin and Nicola!