Principal's Report
Dear Parents/Carers,
Lord, give me the eyes to see the true spiritual thirst in the people around me. May I see those who seek to hide from their shame in broad daylight.
Give me the opportunity today to hear the spiritual thirst in a conversation, and grant me the grace to engage the person in conversation about it.
Grant me the patience to avoid the conversational detours.
Amen.
We are encouraged during Lent to focus on how we can reconnect with Jesus, through our interactions with others. It would be worth remembering:
- Jesus was an itinerant worker, moving around early in his life as a carpenter
- he noticed people on the margins perpetually and was drawn towards them
- he lived on the peripheries and countered the mindset of many religious leaders of the time
- he suggested that preferring to opt for those on the margins is also opting for a full, thriving life.
In the coming week, maybe we can think about who is on the edges or peripheries of our days? Our family and friends, or maybe also the cleaner, the barista, a neighbour, bus driver. Who are the marginalised in our community and how do we connect with them? In reaching out to others we are living out the
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L)
For those of you who have attended our Monday morning assemblies, you may have heard us remind the children of our PB4L focus for the week. As its expanded name explains, the PB4L framework is all about promoting positive behaviours which foster effective learning opportunities. It encompasses a broad range of systemic and individualised strategies and agreed practices for achieving important social and academic outcomes for all students. All staff at our school work together to explicitly teach, affirm and correct agreed behaviour expectations across school-wide, classroom and non-classroom settings, based on our school rules that underpin who we are and what we do at St John's.
Rewards for children who follow the expectations include both class-based and whole school-based (Playground Awards, Good Samaritan Awards, Sticker Book and Principal Awards, and the awards presented at our Friday assemblies.) When children are having difficulty following expectations, they are provided with support and opportunities to modify their behaviour. On the rare occasion when a child's behaviour is causing significant disruption to the learning, safety or wellbeing of others, we will seek your support.
You can read more about the framework at this link.
School Photos
You are reminded that our school photos are being taken next Thursday 30 March. All children are to wear the summer school uniform. Ordering of photos can be done online with details provided further in this Newsletter.
Cross Country
Our school’s Cross Country is being held next Friday 31 March on our school grounds. We look forward to our first carnival of the year that gives the children the opportunity to participate and compete for their House Colour. Our House Colours are:
St Joseph (Red): named after the foster father of Jesus and husband of Mary.
Therry (Yellow): named after Fr John Therry, a priest who came to Australia in 1820 to be a priest for the convicts. He helped establish the first catholic school in Campbelltown named St Patrick’s School in the Quondong building. St Patrick’s School then moved to our present school site and the name was changed to St John the Evangelist.
Polding (Blue): named after Archbishop John Bede Polding who was the first Bishop in Australia and Archbishop of Sydney. He founded the Sisters of the Good Samaritan in Sydney, who were later the first educators at St John the Evangelist Primary School.
Vaughan (Green): named after Archbishop Roger William Bede Vaughan who was the second Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. The main aim of his work in Australia was the provision of Catholic education for children and the completion of the building of St Mary’s Cathedral.
A day such as this relies on the help of volunteers. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated, even if it is only for a short time. You will need to have a valid Working With Children's Check. On the day, just come and meet with Mrs Marshall who will happily allocate you a job. We look forward to seeing you on the day.
Wishing you a safe and blessed week,
Principal