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- Vision and Mission Statement
- Important Dates to Remember
- Principal's Report
- Deputy Principal Report
- Birthdays
- Good Samaritan Awards
- Assembly Awards week 6
- Choir
- Vinnies Christmas Toy appeal
- Book Club
- End of year Mass
- Christmas Carol Invitation
- P & F Christmas Raffle
- P & F Christmas Carols Hotdog combo
- 2025 school fee information
- eSafety update
- ASPIRE Vacation Care
- Campbelltown Presbyterian Oshc vacation care
| DAY | DATE | EVENT |
| Thursday & Friday | 28th November & 29th November | Year 6 Excursion to Canberra |
| Friday | 29th November | Infants Assembly 2pm |
| Thursday | 5th December | Primary Assembly 2pm ( 3Blue presenting) |
| Friday | 6th December | Swimming Carnival |
| Tuesday | 10th December | Year 6 Farewell Dinner 6pm |
| Thursday | 12th December | Year 6 Reward Day |
| Friday | 13th December |
Year 6 Liturgy and Awards 10am Kinder Graduation Ceremony 1.50pm |
| Tuesday | 17th December |
End of year Mass 10.30am St John's Got Talent 1.30pm |
| Wednesday | 18th December |
Christmas Carols 11.30am Farewell Tunnel Last Day of Term 4 |
| Tuesday | 4th February | First Day of school 2025 |
God of Love,
Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
As we wait and prepare for his coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior.
Dear Parents and Carers,
This Sunday our Church celebrates the First Sunday of Advent. Thus begins the period of four weeks in which we 'prepare' for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. However, we believe that Jesus is already among us so, as Pope Francis reminds us, "the Lord is present in our daily lives, accompanying us in our journey. This reality may get lost at times as we become distracted by the many concrete aspects of our daily lives; or perhaps we only look for spectacular and miraculous signs of the Lord’s presence. God conceals Himself in the most common and ordinary situations in our life, and we need to be constantly aware of this reality, not awaiting extraordinary events. This can be when we face someone in need, a chance encounter, or even in what might seem quiet or dull moments of daily life."
How can you help your children 'prepare' during Advent as they focus on Christmas Day itself and all the excitement and joy it brings? Maybe using an Advent wreath at home to keep a focus on the light of Christ....visiting elderly relatives with a handmade Christmas card......helping them choose some toys they no longer use to donat to charity......be more attentive to Jesus though prayer or attendance at Mass.
As a Catholic school, we want to honour the season of Advent before moving into the commercial side of Christmas. As such, students are welcome to bring Christmas cards, candy canes, small Christmas chocolates to share with their friends from Monday 9th December. Please be mindful that any treats do not contain nuts.
Parish Sacrament of Reconciliation
Yesterday, after a four-week period of preparation, students from Year 2 at our school participated in the Sacarment of Reconciliation for the first time. One of our church's seven sacraments, Reconciliation provides us with the opportunity to reflect and discern on how we live our lives, and to strengthen our relationship with God by acknowledging those times when we have strayed from what we know is spiritually virtuous.
Congratulations to these students and their families. I pray that you experience continual conversion in your spiritual life.
Principal
PARENT COMMUNICATION SURVEY
Thank you to the parents/carers who have completed our ‘Parent Communication Survey’.
The Survey will close on Monday, 2 December.
Please click on the link to complete it. It could take as little as 30 seconds to complete- Parent Communication- Feedback Survey.
Thank you in anticipation for your time to reflect and share your feedback. The data we receive will be shared in next week’s newsletter.
FIRST RECONCILIATION
Many of our Year 2 students made their First Reconciliation yesterday evening on Tuesday, 26 November at 5:00pm & 6:30pm.
We are grateful for Fr John Ho and Fr Richard Healy for their leadership in our parish. Thanks also to the families and students for the reverent manner in which they participated throughout the liturgy.
A special thank you to many of our staff members and the Parish Sacramental Team for their hard work in preparing the children at the workshops alongside their parents and carers.
YEAR 6 GRADUATION & CELEBRATIONS
The Year 6 Graduation Celebrations will begin soon. We look forward to celebrating this milestone of completing Primary Education with our Year 6 students, their parents and teachers.
Our Year 6 students will celebrate their graduation with dinner at the Campbelltown Catholic Club on Tuesday, 10 December. This evening will be a special occasion to celebrate the achievements of our graduating Year 6 students. It will be an opportunity for teachers and students to come together and reflect on the growth and accomplishments of the past academic year. We are looking forward to an enjoyable and memorable night for the children.
The Year 6 Rewards Day will take place on Thursday, 12 December. The students will enjoy a fun day together at the new Billabong Parklands. It will be one of the final opportunities to celebrate as a whole grade.
On Friday, 13 December, we will gather together to celebrate a liturgy for our graduating students for 2024. We look forward to the presence of our school community at this joyous occasion as we congratulate our Year 6 students and wish them success in their future endeavours. They have taken on their role of student leaders with a high level of commitment and responsibility. They will leave behind a myriad of memories, laughs, cultural talents and academic achievements. We wish them all every success when they move onto high school in 2025.
THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING- SUNDAY, 24 NOVEMBER
At our Monday morning assembly, Year 2 led the school community in a special prayer commemorating the Feast of Christ the King. Congratulations to the students who read prayers and scripture passages so clearly.
During the liturgy it was mentioned how Jesus shows us that you do not have to be rich or powerful to be important. He shows us that what is more important is how you treat others. What we do and say is much more important than whether we are rich or poor or where we come from. Thank you to the Year 2 teachers and students for sharing this important message.
THE SEASON OF ADVENT
The Season of Advent begins this Sunday, 1 December.
Advent means “coming” – the coming of God among us; but the season of Advent is not merely a preparation to celebrate the historical birth of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem. This is there, but only as a minor theme.
Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us, in three ways; in the past, in the present and in the future. The Lord Jesus is with us now, but in another sense he is yet to come, in his fullness, as the God of power, truth, justice and peace for all people. He will come to judge our response, yet we look forward to his return in glory, the final manifestation of God’s covenant of love with his creation, with joy.
Our reflection and prayer during this season should be hopeful – concentrating more on the future than on the past, and on how we can make that future present now. For the Christian, thinking of the future involves not only hope but enthusiasm, looking forward eagerly to Christ’s return. It also means patience as we wait and watch. It implies readiness to change as needs be, preparing the way for the Lord, responding to his initiative of love.
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS- TEACHER PLACEMENT
Over the past few weeks we have supported university students from ACU and Curtin University with teacher placement. These students are currently completing their degree in Primary Education. They have just completed their time here at St John’s. The feedback from them all has been overwhelmingly positive. They all spoke very highly of our students and the teachers who were supervising them.
We certainly need more young teachers in our system and hope that one day they may even return to our wonderful community. These students did a great job supporting the learning of our children throughout their placement. Their names and classes they were with are below. We wish them all the best in the future.
Damian Pelligrino- 5G
Mackenzie Quinn- KB
Emma Smith- 2G
Tavara Sofa- 1B
ANNUAL SWIMMING CARNIVAL
On Friday, 6 December, our Years 3-6 students will participate in our annual swimming carnival held at The Gordon Fetterplace Aquatic Centre, Bradbury. We look forward to a day filled with spirited competition and of course, lots of fun in the water! The annual swimming carnival is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their swimming talents, build teamwork skills, and create lasting memories with their peers.
YEAR 3 EXCURSION TO LIZARD LOG
Our Year 3 students attended a school excursion to Lizard Log, Western Sydney Parklands on Friday 22nd November 2024. This excursion supported the Geography program unit ‘Protection of Places’.
The visit to the Lizard Log, Western Sydney Parklands provided an opportunity for the students to develop an understanding of the characteristics of different places and environments. Students participated in activities such as water and the effects of pollution, constructing bird houses, bug catching, bushwalking, creating a home for native animals, and investigating the ways people, places and the environment interact.
Thank you to the students and teachers in the way they engaged in their learning in the hot conditions.
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week : 24th November - 30th November
| Amarissa T | Freya H | Oliver L |
| Maximus R | Liam R | Amaya M |
| Joseph A | Mohamed S | Miss Rita |
|
LISTENING KR - Anthony A- for trying his best to listen to his friends and teachers. 1R - Charlotte S - For listening and responding thoughtful to God’s Bible stories. 2R - Namami P - for listening respectfully to her peers and teachers. 3R- Samuel Pl- For continually displaying active listening skills within the classroom. 4R - Aarya A - For listening attentively and respectfully to others. 5R - Ye Sung K- For listening and responding to the needs of others. 6R - Neha S- For listening like jesus by being fully present and empathetic to her peers. |
Week 6 - Awards: PRIMARY
|
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. |
|
3 Red |
Archie S For being a helpful friend in the classroom and offering to assist others. |
Nathaniel C For showing persistence when writing persuasive text. |
Jonathan J For remaining organised and completing all learning tasks to a high standard. |
|
3 Gold |
Daniel P For striving to live out the Gospel Values by helping his classmates. |
Jacob W For his efforts with his English learning. Keep it up! |
Ndibe T For working to use respectful behaviours when interacting with teachers |
|
3 Blue |
Amara C For being kind and caring towards her peers. A beautiful model of what it means to ‘Walk in Peace and Joy’. |
Monique J For her use of opinion language and high modality words in her persuasive writing. |
Anora B For persevering and trying her best in all learning tasks. |
|
4 Red |
Rithika P For always displaying respectful behaviour and beautiful manners. |
Joseph A For his excellent writing using adverbs and time connectives. |
Angelica N For being a positive role model following our 4 school rules. |
|
4 Gold |
Oliver C For ‘Walking in Peace and Joy’ by spreading kindness through his positive and welcoming interactions with his peers and teachers. |
Gabriela C For working hard to include adverbials and subject specific vocabulary in her information texts. |
Michael P For being a positive role model to his peers by always being respectful, safe, organised and ready to learn. |
|
5 Red |
Cameron P For showing acts of kindness towards others. |
Andre G For explaining his thinking about the mathematical concept of conversions in mass. |
Mohamed S For consistently making the effort to be organised and ready to learn. |
|
5 Gold |
Abigail Z For being a kind and compassionate student in all the interactions you have with your peers. |
Emmanuel B For your great mathematical thinking in a range of numeracy tasks. |
Elizabeth O For consistently working hard to be an organised and ready to learn student. |
|
5 Blue |
Sherissa W For Walking in Peace and Joy by showing kindness to her peers. |
Taly R For composing a well written letter, explaining the issue of traffic in Campbelltown |
Utsaha G For being a responsible student, who completes her work to a high standard |
|
6 Red |
Lionel M For being a kind and supportive friend by respectfully standing up for his peers. |
Liliana G For displaying a hardworking attitude towards solving problems in multiplication and division |
Hunter R For being responsible and organised during learning tasks |
|
6 Gold |
Tommy F For continuing the mission of Jesus through his great relationships with others. |
Jordan B For really pushing and applying himself towards building his reading capacity and skills. |
Annabel N For working very hard to make sure that she is improving her ability to follow the school rules. |
|
6 Blue |
Rajbir B For being a helpful friend in the classroom and showing a willingness to assist others. |
Ellanor A For applying an excellent effort towards her learning in reading. |
Arabella D For always making a concerted effort to be organised with her classroom learning. |
P & F Christmas Raffle
The P & F are excited to have a Christmas Raffle that will be drawn on 18 December 2024 during the family Christmas Carols under the Cola.
There are several prizes to be won: -
A family pass to Aquatopia Fairfield,
2 x Christmas hampers,
4 x movie vouchers,
4 x $50 gift cards
Trays of cupcakes
Trays of brownies
Each child will receive a booklet of 5 tickets to be sold for $ 2.00 per ticket.
Please ensure the name and child’s class and a contact phone number is written on each ticket sold.
Raffle tickets will be sent home Tuesday 26 November 2024 with a return date of Monday 16 December 2024 3pm.
Please return all tickets sold / unsold.
What does it mean for my family?
eSafety welcomes the introduction of the Australian Government’s Social Media Minimum Age Bill setting a minimum age of 16 for access to certain age-restricted social media platforms. While the contents and passage of the legislation remains a matter for the Parliament, eSafety looks forward to working closely with government, industry and the Australian community to ensure the implementation of any future legislation is effective, enforceable and fair.
Even with minimum age restrictions in place, it is crucial that we continue supporting parents to play an active role in their children’s online lives. Nothing can replace those vital conversations that help parents stay informed, set boundaries and help when something goes wrong. By modelling good digital practices, parents can lay the foundations for safer and more positive online experiences.
Cyberbullying support for parents
“Thank you very much for your swift response and for getting the video removed.”
This was the feedback we received from a parent whose child had experienced bullying and humiliation due to a TikTok video. eSafety worked with the family and the social media platform to have the video removed.
Our research shows that more than half of children have been treated in a hurtful or nasty way online. Importantly, more than two-thirds told us they sought help from their parents when it happened.
Watch this video to learn more about how eSafety can help if your child is experiencing cyberbullying, including advice in languages other than English.
Apple makes changes to improve child safety
Apple has introduced a new feature that allows Australian children to easily report unwanted nude images. This is a positive step that will help protect children from receiving unsolicited nudes using Apple devices. eSafety first highlighted the lack of basic safety measures on Apple products nearly two years ago, so it is no coincidence Apple is introducing this feature in Australia before rolling it out worldwide. The new in-app reporting feature is available by default to children in Australia, with Australian adults able to opt-in.
Instagram campaign to prevent sextortion
Instagram has launched a new education campaign to raise awareness among teens and parents about how to spot sextortion scams, and what to do if you’re targeted. The educational video helps teens recognise red flags, including if someone is coming on too strong, asking to trade photos, or suggesting to move the conversation to a different app.
If someone shares or threatens to share an intimate image or video of you or your child, you can turn to eSafety for help.
Unwrap the secrets to smart, safe tech gifts!
Tis’ the season to find tech gifts that don’t come with hidden surprises! But how do you choose tech gifts that are both fun and safe for your kids? eSafety’s Gift Guide is here to help you unwrap age-appropriate options in tech. From gaming consoles to drones, we’ve done the homework so you can make safe, informed decisions.
Free webinars for parents
Supporting healthy tech use as your child transitions into high school
This webinar explores the social pressures, peer influences, and technological challenges young people face as they transition into high school, and provides practical strategies for navigating online friendships.
Thursday, 28 November, 12.30 pm AEDT
eSafety 101: How eSafety can help
This webinar provides an overview of the work of the eSafety Commissioner and the programs and resources available for parents, carers, children, and young people.
Wednesday, 4 December, 12.30pm AEDT
Please see attached a copy of the ASPIRE Dec/Jan vacation care program.
For more information about the Campbelltown Presbyterian Oshc vacation care please scan the QR code below
