A Prayer for Reading a Book

Word of Life, open my eyes to see you and my mind,

to learn more about you through these pages.

Author of Creation, protect me against anything that would lead me astray.

Help me hold on to all that is true, good, and beautiful.

May I sense your presence as I read and find you closer with each turning page.

Amen.

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we are in the midst of Book Week, I thought it appropriate that I include a prayer that focussed on the way in which reading can expand our thinking in order to 'hold on to all that is true, good and beautiful.' As with all forms of creativity that we have access to, we constantly give consideration to those that match our values and beliefs. While our children's minds are developing, we know that they need support when deciding what is 'true, good and beautiful' especially in the world of social media.

We thank God for the gift of words – the way they can stir our imaginations with tales of talking lions and wicked witches. Through books, we can explore new worlds that are built meticulously from brains that God created himself. We discover true stories about world-travelling adventures, world-shattering hardships, or philosophical ruminations about what it actually means to be human.

We get to know different people, different cultures, and different points of view– all without actually leaving the page.

As you crack open the pages of your book today – whichever one it might be – use the prayer above to invite God to meet you there. 

And what a great celebration we had today with our Book Week Parade! A big thanks to Mrs Fraley, our Librarian, for her planning and organisation, not just of the parade but of all the Book Week activities.

Annual Parish Celebration

This Sunday August 25 is the Annual Parish Celebration. It will commence with Mass at 10.00am in the church, followed by food stalls and entertainment in the Parish carpark. All families are welcome to join the parish in this celebration which aims to bring together our community of faith in a spirit of joy, peace and unity. As our school is a significant part of our parish, it would be great to see as many families attend as possible.

Paul Moroney
Principal

BOOK WEEK

On Wednesday, 21 August, we held our Book Week Character Parade in the morning. It was a wonderful school community event. The students all looked amazing and dressed up with the consideration of this year’s Book Week Theme- Reading is Magic… Thanks to the students and their families for the incredible effort in organising such a wonderful variety of Book Week costumes! Their teachers also did a fabulous job and got into dress-up mode as well.

It is truly a wonderful week to highlight quality texts and the importance of reading.

A special thank you to our wonderful librarian, Mrs Fraley, for organising the parade and other activities leading up to and held during the week.

Throughout the week, classes have read some of the shortlisted picture books from the CBCA. Click on the link below to find out the winners of the CBCA 2024 Book of the Year Awards. 

 

SOCCER GALA DAY- YEARS 3-6

On Friday, 23 August, we have nine teams representing St John’s at the Western Region Soccer Gala Day. We wish the students the very best on the Soccer Field at Raby 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 after the event. A special thank you to Miss Clarke & Mr Toohey for coordinating the teams for our school. 

Thanks to the teachers, parents and carers in anticipation of their support on the day.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL

As mentioned during Term One, one of our goals for 2024 is to organise a consistent approach to communicating with parents and carers about student learning from K-6. 

As a result of the data received by parents/carers and collaboration with teachers it was decided that:

• Term Overviews will continue to be sent home at the beginning of the term
• Individual student work will be shared at a minimum of three times a term
• See Saw will be used to share student work from K-6

We hope this initiative has made a difference for families. Please feel free to provide any feedback regarding communication via our school email.

Week 4 - Awards: PRIMARY 

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

 I wish to inform you all that the following classes have been awarded as the WINNERS for 2024 classroom displays.

YOUTH SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM

Operating hours: 8:00am-4:00pm         Location: Campbelltown

FOCUS Connect's Youth School Holiday Program offers an adventure-filled and fun-filled experience for children with disabilities in a supportive environment, aimed at creating lasting memories, acquiring new skills, and fostering long-lasting friendships.

Listed below are the key aspects of the program:

Community access and inclusion

Social interaction

Friendship building

Independence

Physical activity

Therapeutic benefits

Stepping outside of one's comfort zone and trying new things

Most importantly, having fun

The Youth Holiday calendar provides a detailed outline of activities scheduled for each day. Participants are responsible for covering the cost of activities on the day of attendance.

Transportation to and from the program can be arranged if needed.

If you're interested in attending the program or have any questions, please feel free to contact Nikki Ali, our Disability Services Coordinator, at 0491 064 409 or 4627 1188, or via email at Nikkiali@focusconnect.org.au .

Please note that we welcome you to arrange a site tour of the venue.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!