Dear Parents and Carers,

It is with a great sense of sadness that I inform you of the sudden passing of Travis Southby, who was a former student at St John’s, who was in Year 8 at John Therry Catholic High School. Travis passed away over the weekend from a heart condition.

We particularly remember Travis’ parents, his older sister Olivia, and his brother Michael who is in Year 2 at St John’s at this time of great loss. As a school community, we continue to remember the Southby family in our prayers at this time of great sadness. May Travis rest in eternal peace.

Next Sunday, we celebrate one of the most important feast days of our Church, the great feast of Pentecost. The word ‘Pentecost’ in Greek means, the ‘fiftieth day’. It marks the 50th day after Easter Sunday and the end of the Easter Season. In the Jewish tradition, Pentecost occurred fifty days after Passover and was a time of celebration after the harvest. After Jesus’ death the people he had been intimately connected with on a daily basis for the three years of his public ministry, his disciples, returned to their normal lives. Fear and the absence of a clear understanding of the mission ahead sent them back to the default safety of the lives they led before they met Jesus. They became people frozen by fear and uncertainty.

On the day of Pentecost, all this changed when the Holy Spirit descended on them as they were gathered together in Jerusalem. This gathering was the beginning of the first Christian church. The Holy Spirit gave to these frozen disciples the gifts of courage, wisdom, understanding and knowledge so they could finally understand their role in continuing the mission of Jesus. The feast of Pentecost is a celebration of the harvest of the seeds of faith, because the disciples finally came to understand the significance of Jesus’ teaching. As a teacher, this can be liked to the moment when our students finally put the pieces of learning together and are able to transfer this learning to a new situation. Jesus understood the fragility of his followers and knew that would need these gifts if they were to be able to go out to all the nations and spread the good news. New believers in Jesus were baptized as they joined this church. They, along with the first followers of Jesus, shared life together, focusing on teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. They shared their belongings so that no one was hungry or needy. All this was done in keeping alive the memory and mission of Jesus. Jesus began his work of mission and after Pentecost he had a church to continue the mission he had begun ~ to make present in the here and now, the kingdom of God.

The church of Jesus Christ is a place where every single person matters, where every member contributes to the health and mission of the church. Pentecost presents us with an opportunity to consider how we are living each day through our daily interactions with one another.

We pray that as a school community the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgment, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, Wonder, and Awe of God, are present in our lives and the lives of our children. We pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can all play our part transforming the world into a better place.

This begins in the here and now and is played out through our interactions with our family, friends and community, especially our community here at St John’s.

May the Holy Spirit guide our hearts and minds so that we continue to spread the mission of Jesus, to reach out in service of others and build the kingdom of God.

Wishing you many blessings over the coming week.

Jane Webb
Acting Principal

From the Assistant Principals

Semester One reports will be sent to parents at the end of term, on Tuesday 25^th June, for students in Years 1-6. Reports are written in line with the requirements of the new NSW K-10 syllabuses for the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography. Grades are awarded to students following the Common Grade Scale.

At the Parent-Teacher Interview, your child’s class teacher will be able to explain how the grade awarded reflects the level of work your child is currently achieving.

Further explanation of the reports is provided with the following: -

It is now a requirement of national legislation for Primary schools to provide twice-yearly written reports for students in Years 1 - 6 to parents. These reports are to be 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.

Overall grades

Each KLA has an overall grade that is determined by the teacher by 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 in they encounter in each KLA will vary from one reporting period to the next.

The Common Grade Scale is outlined below and is also included on the front of the report.

More information about reading your child’s report will be provided over the coming weeks,

Enjoy the week ahead.

Helen Libro     Kylie Billett
Acting Assistant Principals

Grandparents Day – Photos of Children with their Grandparents

We are having a Grandparents Day Mass early in Term 3. 
We will celebrate the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim who are the grandparents of Jesus.
As part of our Mass, we will be putting together a reflection iMovie at thanksgiving time after Communion.
Children are invited to email Mrs Hampton a photo of them with their grandparents.
If you would like to participate, Mrs Hampton’s email address is:

kathryn.hampton@dow.catholic.edu.au.

We need all photos emailed by Friday 5 July 2019.  Unfortunately, we are unable to accept photos emailed after this date.   

Thank you for your help.

Mrs Hampton

School Photographs will be taken on TUESDAY 18 JUNE and Full School winter uniform must be worn.

ORDER NOW go to www.advancedlife.com.au and enter the code:

7RB 8N4 CFX

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by Advanced Life.  An envelope and flyer was sent home last Friday, ordering MUST be completed online to reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day.

Orders for packages and sibling photographs can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our School’s unique 9 digit online order code.  Portrait and group package orders are due by photography day.

Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than the day before photography day.  Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.

Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au 

Remember Waste Free Wednesday every week.

Our school banking day is: Wednesday

Please see attached flyer from Sherpa regarding school holiday activites.