Dear Parents and Carers,

God, give us the courage to live in the now.

Help us to live into the ordinary days of our lives.

Remind us that this day is a gift from you in all its ordinariness.

For this day, we give you thanks, Gracious God, because you gave us another day to love you and to love each other.

Amen.

We are currently in the season of the church year called 'Ordinary Time.' It is called "ordinary" not because it is common but simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, in fact, represent the ordered life of the Church.

Thus for Catholics, Ordinary Time is the part of the year in which we are not engaged in special feast days each Sunday which gives us time to reflect that Christ walks among us and transforms our lives. There's nothing "ordinary" about that!

Student reports

From this afternoon Semester 1 student reports for Years 1-6 will be available on the compass app. Kindergarten students in our diocese only receive a report at the end of Semester 2.

As happens for all schools across Australia, students receive a grade for each Key Learning Area (subject). This grade is based on a 5-point scale. Across our diocese we use A-E. A grade of 'C' is a measure for students who are achieving what is expected of them for their Year level in any subject. An A or B indicates they are working beyond the expectations while a D or E show they are working towards. The report also gives you an indication of their work and social habits, as well as some aspects to focus on for next semester. 

I would like to acknowledge the work of our teachers in writing the reports. They are very dedicated in ensuring your child's report is an accurate reflection of their progress.

Parent/Teacher meetings

The reports are only one form of communicating with you about your child’s growth in faith and learning. Having the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher is another significant method of working together for the benift of your child. While this can happen at any time during the year, next week will be an opportunity for you to book an appointment. Details of how to book will be pushed out on compass today. Please note that meetings will be limited to 10 minutes (15 for kindergarten). If this does not give you or the teacher enough time, you are welcome to schedule a follow up meeting.

Wishing you a great week,

Paul Moroney

Principal

UNIFORM FOCUS- HOUSE COLOUR COMPETITION

Next week our House Colour Competition will be awarded to the students who have collected the most tokens for their house by consistently wearing the correct uniform this term. 

The winning house will be announced on Monday, 26 June via Compass and at Tuesday morning’s assembly. The reward will take place on Wednesday, 28 June. On this day students from the winning house will be rewarded with a mufti day and Zooper Dooper.

NETBALL GALA DAY

Tomorrow we have five teams representing St John’s at the Western Region Netball Gala Day. We wish the students the very best on the Netball Court and encourage them all to be safe, responsible, organised and respectful. But most importantly to have fun! 

The day is non-competitive to cater for children of all abilities. Teams have been selected based on preferences given by children earlier in the year. The aim is to give everyone an opportunity to participate, regardless of skill or ability. 

We look forward to finding out all about the Gala Day on their return. A special thank you to Mrs Walker, Mrs Jeffery & Mr Nash for their support in organising and participating in the day.

Thanks also in anticipation to the parents, grandparents and friends for their support of the children tomorrow.

SVDP WINTER APPEAL

Over the last few weeks, the efforts of our St John’s community have been immense, living our Catholic social teaching- preferential treatment for the poor. A heartfelt thank you to everyone for coming together to ensure we can make a difference in our local community and providing for those most vulnerable and in need. 

This generosity was made evident by Jesus' teaching on the poor to help to build a more compassionate world.  Throughout the Bible, and especially in the Gospel narratives of the life of Jesus, we see many examples of God’s special concern for the poor and the powerless.

The donations of our K-6 students and families will go a long way during the winter season to provide comfort and warmth during the coldest months.

Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week  18th June - 24th June

Week 8 - Awards: PRIMARY 

Congratulations to Mikaela L who has been successful in being selected for the MacKillop Softball Team to compete in the NSW PSSA Softball championships in Newcastle. What a great achievement!

Best of luck to Ieronimo (Nimo) in 6Red!

One of our Year 6 students, Olivia Sawdy, is performing in an upcoming production of Frozen Jr. please see attached flyer for more information

Many thanks for your support of community theatre.