Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the gift of our fathers and all the men who guide and care for us. For grandfathers, uncles, teachers, and mentors, we are grateful for their love, support, and wisdom.

We ask you to bless them with strength and grace to fulfil their calling. May they be patient in times of trouble, gentle in their guidance, and full of joy in their hearts. Help them to be true examples of your love, teaching us to be kind, courageous, and faithful.

Inspire our fathers to be a source of comfort and security for their families, just as Saint Joseph was a loving and watchful father to Jesus.

Bless all fathers, both living and deceased, and help us to always honour them. May they always feel our deep gratitude and know how much they are loved.

Amen.

Dear Parents/Carers,

What a wonderful celebration we had for Grandparent's Day last Friday. There was a palpable sense of joy around the school as the children got to spend time with their special visitors on the playground and in the classrooms. Many of the children even got to convince their grandparents that a visit to the Book Fair was worthwhile! A day like this is always a highlight of the school year, and this year's certainly lived up to our joyful expectations.

Sincere thanks to the many families who provided food for the morning tea, and to those parents who were able to help with the setting up and cleaning.

I would like to wish all of our dad's a wonderful day on Sunday. I hope that you get to spend some quality time with your family.

Change of uniform

From next Monday, as the weather begins to transition from winter to spring, and for the rest of this term students are able to wear either the winter or summer uniform. From the start of Term 4, the summer uniform is to be worn.

Wishing you a blessed week,

NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK- SEPTEMBER 1-7

This year’s theme ‘EVERY CONVERSATION MATTERS: Shifting Conversation to Action’ highlights that while open discussions are crucial, words alone are not enough: we must turn dialogue into meaningful action.

NAPCAN acknowledges that while conversations can raise awareness, challenge harmful norms, and spark new ideas, real change happens when we take steps to create safer environments for children that prevent them from harm.

This year, we are focusing on moving beyond conversations to concrete actions that prevent harm and instead, focussing on strengthening support systems, and empowering communities to actively protect children.

By shifting from conversation to action, we can ensure that every child not only feels heard but also experiences real safety, care, and protection.

Sourced from- https://www.napcan.org.au/ncpw-theme/

WELLBEING WEEK AT ST JOHN’S

Next week is Week 8 of Term 3, which has been set aside as Wellbeing Week. This week is aligned with ‘R U Okay’ Day held on Thursday, 11 September. We know that whether it’s a friend, family member, partner, or colleague , the people around us go through life’s ups and downs every day. That’s why we want everyone to feel confident to check in with the people they care about and Ask ‘R U OK?’ Any Day.

We are looking forward to promoting mental health and well being for everyone in our community. There will be a range of activities next week such as a mufti day wearing yellow or bright colours (Thursday, 11 September), health hustles, discussing acts of kindness and a class picnic with fruit.

FATHERS DAY CELEBRATIONS

We hope that all fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other men in the lives of our children have a Happy Father’s Day on Sunday, 7 September. It is a day for people to show their appreciation for fathers and father figures. 

This Thursday, 4 September, there will be an opportunity for the students to purchase a special something for Father’s Day. Thank you to the P & F who have organised this opportunity for the children to buy something at the Father’s Day Stall. Gifts can be purchased for $5.

On Friday, 5 September, we invite our fathers, grandfathers and other men in the lives of the students to have a picnic lunch. We once again thank our hard working P & F for organising the BBQ lunch for our school community.

A special Father’s Day Liturgy on Friday afternoon will be held at 12:45pm. Our Father’s Day picnic lunch will follow. We hope many of our fathers and grandfathers will be able to attend.

Lord God, who is Father of all,

send your blessing down on these men who are fathers.

For those who in the night worry for their child,

grant them your comfort.

For those who in the day work and struggle to provide for their child,

send them your strength.

For those who mourn a child,

hold them in your love.

For those who play, laugh, sing and dance with their child,

you share in their joy.

Lord God, who is Father of all,

walk with these fathers, in the light times and the dark.

Bless them, and may they each be a living symbol of your fatherly love;

a symbol to their children and all who they encounter.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GRANDPARENTS DAY CELEBRATIONS

We were so fortunate to have our school filled with so many members of our community, on Friday, 29 August, in honour of Grandparents Day. It was a wonderful celebration, with our Whole School Mass, Picnic and Open Classrooms.

Thank you to Fr. John and Dcn. Darren for helping us celebrate Grandparents Day and the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus. 

Thanks to Miss Costello, our Religious Education Coordinator, for coordinating the Mass. We also thank Tim Hart who led our music next to Ms Johnson and our School Choir. We also appreciate our students and grandparents who participated in the liturgy in various ways.

Thanks to all the families for assisting with contributions for our morning tea. 

A special thank you to the Grandparents and loved ones for your presence and unwavering love and support for our students. They were overjoyed showing their classrooms and sharing our school with the special people in their lives.

 

SCHOOL PRIDE HOUSE COMPETITION

In Week 10, our School Pride House Competition will be awarded to the students who have collected the most tokens for their house by consistently wearing the correct uniform and participating in Waste Free Wednesday this term. 

The winning house will be announced on Monday, 22 September via Compass and at Tuesday morning’s announcements. The reward will take place on Wednesday, 24 September. On this day students from the winning house will be rewarded with a mufti day and Zooper Dooper.

Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week :31st August - 6th September

Week 6 - Awards: PRIMARY 

MUSIC NEWS from Ms Johnson

Our Enrichment Choir has been lucky enough to work with renowned Catholic musician Andrew Chinn over the past two years. Andrew Chinn originally wrote our school song ‘We Walk in Peace and Joy’. Last year, he recorded an updated version of the Enrichment Choir singing and this year he filmed a corresponding video with the dance moves. The Enrichment Choir worked really hard on these days, and were absolutely delighted with the final product. Please enjoy this video of We Walk in Peace and Joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s0s75EjmFM

Students have received their sponsorship booklet and can now create their profile at www.myprofilepage.com.au.

There are big prizes up for grabs! Simply raise $10 to unlock your first incentive prize. The more you raise, the more prizes you will receive.”

As part of National Child Protection Week, we’re excited to offer a free, informative Zoom session for parents and carers titled “Keeping Kids Safe Online”, taking place on Thursday, 11th September from 6-7pm.

 This session provides an easy and accessible way for families to gain valuable insights into online safety and how to better protect their children in today’s digital world. It’s a practical and supportive resource that aligns perfectly with our shared commitment to child safety and wellbeing.

Free family fun at the Parliament of New South Wales

Friday 10 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 up to 12 years. This year’s highlights include:

• Visiting our heritage chambers
• Playing music and drawing with Blak Douglas
• Having your say in a committee role play
• Travelling through time with historical storytelling  
• Making craft animals and objects
• Learning how to vote 
• Enjoying live music and engaging with roving historical figures

Discover, learn and have fun at this free one-day-only event!  

Parents/carers can learn more and get their free ticket by visiting our website: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/visit/events/Pages/Family-Fun-Day-2025.aspx 

Or book directly with Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1329207227599?