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- Vision and Mission Statement
- Important Dates to Remember
- Principal's Report
- Deputy Principal Report
- Kindergarten Enrolment closing soon
- Birthdays
- Good Samaritan Awards week 7
- Assembly Awards week 7
- Swimming Achievement
- Mini Vinnies
- Harmony Day
- School Photo Day
- Cross Country Snow Cones
- Seasons of growth
- Lighting the Way 2023
- Lunchbox snack ideas
- Rebel Program
- John Therry Enrolment
| DAY | DATE | EVENT |
| Friday | 17th March | Primary Assembly (5 Gold presenting) |
| Friday | 24th March |
Harmony Day (Cultural National costume or orange mufti) Infants Assembly (1 Red presenting) |
| Tuesday | 28th March | Feast of the Annunciation Whole School Mass |
| Thursday | 30th March |
School Photo Day |
| Friday | 31st March | School Cross Country Carnival |
| Monday | 3rd April | Primary Assembly |
| Wednesday | 5th April | Last Day of school for students for Term 1 |
| Thursday | 6th April |
Holy Thursday Staff Professional Development Day |
| Monday | 24th April |
First day of Term 2 for students |
Dear Parents/Carers,
Summoned or not summoned, God is present.
Invoked or not invoked, God is present.
Called or not called, God will be there.
Bidden or not bidden, God is present.
Mother Hilda Scott, from The Abbey in Jamberoo, points out that human need is a magnet that draws the already present God into a Presence that you and I can't miss - if we are truly looking. Have you ever been in need? Have you ever ached for the presence of someone who could at least be there with you? How many times have you come across other people in need of one kind or another. Had we eyes to see, we would have found God sitting beside us. In this season of Lent, let us remember that in our humanness we do not usually go out of way to encounter God, rather he seeks to encounter us.
Sienna Castellon, the founder of Neurodiversity Week explains: “I founded Neurodiversity Celebration Week in 2018 because I wanted to change the way learning differences are perceived. As a teenager who is autistic and has ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, my experience has been that people often focus on the challenges of neurological diversity. I wanted to change the narrative and create a balanced view which focuses equally on our talents and strengths.”
NAPLAN
For the first time NAPLAN is being held in Term 1 and commenced today. This national assessment program is held each year for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and it provides information for parents and teachers about some of the essential literacy and numeracy skills. Parents can see growth in their children's learning over the years and the results can assist schools in strategic planning for future learning programs. We wish our Year 3 and Year 5 students well as they participate in NAPLAN over the next week or so.
Wishing you a safe and blessed week,
Principal
MAPLE SUPPORTING STUDENT WELL BEING
Maple continues to work hard supporting the wellbeing of students at St John’s. She has visited many classrooms, interacting with lots of students each day. To the credit of the children they continue to follow our three expectations:
- Say hello to the person and not the dog
- Make space for Maple
- Keep moving, don’t stop and stare
Maple has supported students in a variety of ways- helping them calm down, assisting children with anxiety and providing positive feelings during interactions.
ST PATRICK’S DAY
People all over the world celebrate on the 17 March, in honour of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Some cities have parades and many people wear green. However, not everyone may know who St. Patrick is.
Born in Britain during the 4th century, St. Patrick was kidnapped and made a slave by Irish raiders when he was a teenager. He was able to escape after six years and become a priest in Britain. He later chose to return to Ireland as a missionary, in order to help spread the teachings of Christianity to those who did not know about God. According to Irish folklore, he also used a shamrock to explain the Christian concept of Trinity- God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to the Irish people. He stayed in Ireland for 30 years and helped build churches and schools. He died on 17 March and was made a Saint by the local church.
LENT- PROJECT COMPASSION
During Lent, we are called to pray, fast and participate in almsgiving. As part of our Catholic Social Teaching we are obliged to give preferential treatment to the poor. We thank students and families in anticipation for their contribution to Project Compassion during this liturgical season.
Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion provides those less fortunate than us, the opportunity to learn new skills, enables them to move away from dependence and debt and assists them to become self-supporting. We are extremely grateful for the work of this Catholic organisation. We are raising money for a poor village in Nepal and, in particular, for a library to be established in a school there.
ONLINE SAFETY: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
Taken from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/online-safety-book
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week 12th March - 18th March
| Jason S | Gaurishaa A | Nathan L |
| Jayden V | Eashan S |
Oliver L |
| Matthew O | Hailey C | |
| Ms Schembri | Ms Tate | Mrs Small |
| Ms Zerafa |
|
Listening KR Noah G: For listening to the needs of his teachers and classmates. 1R Callaghan O’: For being an active listener and responding to others appropriately. 2R Callum B: For consistently being an active listener when learning. 3R Chloe N: for always being an active listener to teachers and peers. 4R Elizabeth O: For always showing the value of listening to her teachers and peers. 5R Jasper R: For listening to the needs of others. 6R Harry G: For enthusiastically listening when learning about God’s word. |
Week 7 - Awards: INFANTS
|
Class |
St John’s Gold Award For: being people of ‘good news’, - displaying gospel values - continuing the mission of Jesus |
Learning Award For - effort, excellence, or achievement with their learning. |
Positive Behaviours for Learning Award For- following the school rules. |
|
K/6 Blue |
Roman M For improved neatness during writing. |
||
|
K Red |
Elena L For showing kindness towards all her classmates and teacher. |
Olivia W For always trying her best during learning time. |
Francesco R For trying his best to be safe in the classroom and playground. |
|
K Gold |
Talaleu V For being gentle in her interactions with others just like Jesus. |
Adele S For a great effort in learning her sight words. |
Charbel N For always following the 4 school rules with a smile on his face. |
|
K Blue |
Bailey G For being a kind and caring class member. |
Nina P For always trying her best during Learning Time. |
Adam G For being a respectful and responsible class member. |
|
1 Red |
Emily M For responding with enthusiasm when sharing how God welcomes us through the sacrament of Baptism. |
Michaella B For writing amazing compound sentences. |
Jacob A For being an organised and responsible learner. |
|
1 Gold |
Aaric K For his kind and respectful conversations with others within the classroom, just like Jesus. |
Hudson K For always trying his best during take-away activities in the classroom. |
Vincent F For being an active listener and continually following teacher direction. |
|
1 Blue |
Lizzy C For the way in which you share kindness and love with those around you. |
Teddy S For consistently striving to do your best during new learning in Maths. |
Jayella T For consistently being a safe and respectful member of One Blue. |
|
2 Red |
Samuel P For always being kind and being helpful to others. |
Joelle M For always being ready to learn |
Christiana W For always showing respect to others. |
|
2 Gold |
Peter Z Showing kindness to others and offering to help those in need. |
Thomas S For showing confidence when using the jump strategy to solve addition problems. |
Demi H Showing respect to others during class discussions. |
|
2 Blue |
Sofia C For her respectful and reverent manner during morning prayer. |
Jacqueline W For excellence in recalling information after reading and viewing texts. |
David O For looking after the needs of others. |
Congratulations to Angelica S who has successfully gained selection in the Wollongong Diocese Swimming Team for the 11 Years 50m Backstroke. Angelica will now compete in the MacKillop Swimming Trials in Homebush in a few weeks time. Best of luck Angelica!
Mini Vinnies News
Hello everyone, we would like to introduce you to our Mini Vinnies team for 2023.
Our President is Amelia and our Vice President is Tate. The Mini Vinnies treasurers are Hermione and Emily. The secretaries are us (Kelsey and Petal). Our Faith leaders who write prayers are Kristie and Annaliese D. We have our Mini Vinnies supports who help around the school community and spread the message of the awesome work we do.
We are looking forward to thinking of innovative ways to fundraise for less fortunate people in need in our community.
By Kelsey Donachie & Petal John
Mini Vinnies empowers primary school students to become advocates within their school and local community by putting their values into action.
Our Mini Vinnies group meets once a week to learn about social justice issues, to develop leadership skills, and to engage with the larger St Vincent de Paul Society.
Watch this space for exciting social justice initiatives happening this year!
Ms Afchal
A Mini Vinnies Prayer
Dear God,
Please help the St John’s community to be FORGIVING to others, WELCOMING our neighbours, LISTENING to other people’s ideas and showing JUSTICE by being role models. Our Mini Vinnies team will work hard this year to help people in need and work together for our community.
Amen
By Annaliese De Malle and Kristie Nguyen
