God of grace and wisdom,

You raise good people who follow Your inspiration.

Let our lives be true to all that our faith teaches,

to respond to the needs of others with open and compassionate hearts,

so we grow more and more in your likeness.

Amen

Dear Parents and Carers,

St John's is naming this week as "Wellbeing Week" in conjunction with RUOK? Day on Thursday. "Wellbeing Week" began in 2020 when we were in the midst of navigating the social restrictions that were implemented during the COVID pandemic. Of course, the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in our school community is an ongoing concern; however, we use this week to give it greater focus, and to teach the children ways in which they can support themselves and each other. 

RUOK? advocates that a 'conversation could change a life.' They espouse four steps in having that conversation with someone who needs support: Ask, Listen, Encourage action, and Check in. In our Religious Education and Personal Development teaching programs, we are regularly teaching the children about developing and maintaining positive friendships and how to empathise with how others may be feeling. As well as other students, classroom teachers and support staff checking in on the wellbeing of children, we also have CatholicCare counselling and pastoral support services as needed.

Of course, we also want to ensure that you, as parents and carers, have any supports that you may need. RUOK? is a question that we all should be asking each other regularly and to advocate for anyone who we know needs some support.

Paul Moroney
Principal

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

A reminder that the Accessible Parking Spaces are only for those who have a parking permit for that space.

There have been some parents and carers who have parked in these spaces, particularly during school dismissal. These spots need to be left available for those members of the community who really need them and who have the appropriate permit visible.

We are in the process of addressing issues with afternoon dismissal. We hope to be able to update the community soon on plans moving forward to mitigate some of these problems.

RUOK DAY- THURSDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER

Ask R U OK? Any Day because life happens every day.  

A lot can happen in a year, a month, a week. Whether it’s your child, a friend, family member or colleague, the people you care about go through life’s ups and downs every day.

By having regular, meaningful conversations, you build trust and normalise talking about what’s going on, so when the people in your world find themselves struggling, they know you’re someone they can talk to.

So whilst R U OK? Day is a National Day of Action on Thursday 12 September we are encouraged to Ask R U OK? Any Day of the year because a conversation could change a life. Sourced from CEDOW

To recognise this significant day, students are asked to wear yellow or another bright colour to school tomorrow. When students walk into the school, some of our Year 6 leaders will welcome them and provide children with an ‘RUOK? Day’ sticker.

NAIDOC WEEK PERFORMANCES

The celebration of NAIDOC Week 2024 took place during the school holidays from 7-14 July 2024. It is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate and recognise the contributions and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Last week we celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture with students engaged in some performances on Thursday, 5 September. The cultural immersion for NAIDOC celebrations “Keep the fire burning” Blak, loud, Proud was led by First Nations Education. All the students had a wonderful learning experience with lots of movement and hand-on activities.

Thanks to Ms Polsen, Miss Janelle (Aboriginal Education Assistant) and Andrew (Aboriginal Education Assistant) for continuing to support our aboriginal and non-aboriginal students by coordinating these important Aboriginal cultural experiences.

Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week :8th September - 14th September

Week 7 - Awards: INFANTS

Recently our Year 5 & 6 students had the opportunity to participate in a Diocesan Public Speaking competition. Aava from Year 5 and Emily from Year 6 represented St John's in the most recent competition held at Holy Family School, Ingleburn. Aava spoke on the topic "The Definition of Courage" while Emily spoke about "Artificial Intelligence: Helpful or Harmful.' Each girl had to speak for between 3 & 5 minutes in front of two adjudicators and an audience of students, parents and teachers. What a great achievement to present a speech at this level.

As a result of this competition, Emily was awarded 2nd place in her category which means she will now progress to the next stage of the competition. Good luck Emily.

Year 3 Walkathon Success 

We are thrilled to announce the outstanding success of our Year 3 Walkathon for Steptember! On Friday, 6th September, our Year 3 students, along with their teachers and Maple, came together at Hurley Park for a meaningful and energetic hour of walking.

Collectively, they walked an impressive 500,000+ steps in support of people living with cerebral palsy and their classmate Chayse. Thanks to the generosity of our school community, we are proud to share that over $1,200 was raised! Every dollar will go towards supporting those affected by cerebral palsy and funding important research and services.

A big thank you to our Year 3 students and their teachers for their incredible effort, and to all the parents, families, and friends who donated and supported this important cause. Together, we made a real difference!

Let’s keep the Steptember spirit alive as we continue to raise awareness and promote inclusion.

Congratulations to three of our Year 6 boys  from St John's, Kyean, William and Hunter on winning their first grandfinal for the Campbelltown Cobras, a massive achievement for the team.

Free family fun at the Parliament of New South Wales

Friday 11 October 9:30 am to 3:00 pm

 Visit us at Australia’s oldest Parliament as it opens its doors for Family Fun Day, an open day packed with fun educational activities for families with children aged from 4 to 12 years. This year’s highlights include:

• Visiting our heritage chambers
• Giving a speech for an election campaign
• Participating in a committee role play
• Enjoying live music
• Making craft animals and objects
• Learning how to vote   

 Entry is free and the event will be held at NSW Parliament, 6 Macquarie Street Sydney. Please use this link to search for directions and public transport options to Parliament House.