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| DAY | DATE | EVENT |
| Thursday | 21 November | Playgroup continues - Kinder 2020 |
| Friday | 22 November | Primary Swimming Carnival (years 3-6) Bradbury Pool Infants Water Fun Day (Kinder-year 2) |
| Tuesday | 26 November | Orientation Kinder 2020 - Session 3 9.15am-10.30am in the Hall |
| Tuesday | 26 November | Parent Social Media Policy Workshops 2.30pm & 6.30pm |
| Friday | 29 November | Primary Assembly 2.30pm in the Hall |
| Friday | 6 December | Welcoming Morning Tea with Mr Moroney - Principal 2020 10.30am |
| Tuesday | 10 December | Year 6 Farewell Mass and Disco St John's Church and Campbelltown Catholic Club |
| Thursday | 12 December | Carols under the COLA 6pm - ALL Welcome |
| Wednesday | 18 December | Last Day of Term for students End of Year School Mass Leaving circle - Year 6 and other students who are leaving St John's. |
Dear Parents and Carers,
Unbelievably, we are headed towards the final weeks of Ordinary time in the Year C liturgical calendar as we prepare to commence the liturgical season of Advent – and await the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The readings all allude to the process of living through difficult times before commencing a new way of being. As a school community we are currently preparing to launch into a new cycle in the life of our school. We have now welcomed our new 2020 Kindergarten students and their parents to several playgroup sessions and two of the three orientation sessions designed to orient the parents and children to school life at St John’s.
Just as Baptism officially welcomes a child of God into a community of faith, our orientation/transition sessions welcome our new members into our educational faith community.
At every enrolment interview the question is asked of prospective parents, “Why did you choose St John’s as the school for your child?”
Although there are a multitude of responses and every reason for the choice of St John’s is valid. Ultimately, parents have made this choice because they acknowledge that St John’s has something to offer their child and their family.
When we enrol a child, in reality we enrol a family. As a school community, despite the faith background that individual families may originate from, we want all parents to be aware that everything that happens at St John’s is centered and modeled around the person of Jesus.
As parents, you enrol at St John’s because you want something from us. But like any relationship, this is not a one sided proposition. We want something from you and your family too.
Accepting a place at St John’s means that you acknowledge and accept everything that this commitment entails for the long term.
Our expectation for all members is that they immerse themselves into this community and find ways to contribute in ways that help to continue to build the community.
Each and every day the reign of God can break into the ordinariness of our lives. Just like the fig tree that is suddenly covered in new leaves or the Jacaranda that is suddenly in full bloom, we can pass through our days without being alert to the smallest signs that God is working around us. Each time we are kind rather than cruel, generous rather than selfish, welcoming rather than dismissive and forgiving rather than judgmental we give life to each other and contribute to a community that can be life giving.
Every member in our school community matters.
Every member of our school community leaves a mark.
Each of us stands on the shoulders of those who have gone before us in our rich school history.
What is the legacy you and your children are leaving at St John’s?
Welcome Morning Tea – Mr Paul Moroney
We would like to warmly invite all parents to a Morning Tea to welcome Mr Moroney to St John’s as Principal from 2020. This will be an opportunity for parents to introduce themselves to Mr Moroney.
This morning tea will be held on Friday 6 December at 10:30am in the school hall. Please RSVP to info@sjctdow.catholic.edu.au by Friday 29 November.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Students not returning to St John's in 2020
If parents are already aware that their child/ren will not be returning to St John’s in 2020, we request that this information be confirmed via the school office as soon as possible.
All leaving families will be requested to complete and return leaving documentation. This information will assist us in meeting NESA requirements, accommodating both new applications and students who are currently on our waiting list and finalising class placement for 2020.
CDF Public Speaking - Grand Final 2019
Congratulations is extended to Eva Grados who will compete today, Wednesday 20th November, in the Diocesan Public Speaking Final at St Thomas Aquinas Bowral. Eva’s topic for her speech is – “It’s Complicated”.
Congratulations also to Estella Sen who competed as the Year 5 Representative at Mary Immaculate Eagle Vale earlier in the term.
Mrs Jane Webb
Acting Principal
Congratulations to the following students who have received a Principal's Award.
150 Sticker
Hayley Espinoza
100 Stickers
Justin Shrestha
Frankie Samson
Mariah Morrison
Cristian Gonzales
Laken Houston
Brody Zioudros
George Vatuvei
50 Stickers
Kyean Lawrence
Last week our new Kindergarten students for 2020 commenced orientation sessions. At St John’s, our transition program allows the students to attend on 3 separate days. On these days the students attend the Kindergarten classrooms to become more familiar with the environment and teachers. The information sessions give our new families an opportunity to find out how our school operates.
We have also been fortunate to have our Speech Pathologist and Occupational Therapist provide advice and information to our Kindergarten parents and carers.
Welcome to our new students and families for 2020!
Kylie Billett Helen Libro
Acting Assistant Principals
Congratulations to the following students who received the Good Samaritan Awards this week:
KR - Francesca Manalastas1R - Braxton Morrison
2R - Troy Siupan
3R - Penny O'Connell-Milner
4R - Erica Tax
5R - Isla Clarke
6R - Sarah Filipo
Carols under the COLA – The Giving Tree
On Thursday, 12 December, we are hosting Andrew Chinn for our annual Carols under the COLA.
As we have done for a few years, we are having a Giving Tree in the corner near our big steps. This Christmas Tree will be up for people to place presents under, to assist families in our local community.
St Vincent de Paul have asked us to buy a gift for a child.
They have asked us to mention a few simple instructions:
- Could all donated gifts please be put into bags and NOT WRAPPED.
- Could parents buy a gift for their child’s age group. For example, if you have a child in Year 2, you would buy a gift that is suitable for a Year 2 child.
- St Vincent de Paul have also told us that gifts for children who are aged 11 or 12 are usually in short supply and they run out of them when organising the gifts.
- If you are able to buy an additional gift, St Vincent de Paul has kindly asked that you buy a gift for an 11 or 12 year old child.
All these beautiful gifts will be collected by St Vincent de Paul on the night of our Carols under the COLA with Andrew Chinn.
Thank you for your kind donations.
Sacramental Program – Reconciliation
Wednesday 27 November is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are 2 sessions – either 5.30 pm or 7 pm in the Church.
Mrs Kathryn Hampton
Religious Education Coordinator
ICAS RESULTS- ENGLISH 3-6
Congratulations to the students in grades 3-6 who participated in the ICAS English Competition this year. These awards will be handed out at the Week 7 Primary Assembly.
Next week’s Bulletin will include results for Year 2 and Years 3-6 who participated in the ICAS Mathematics competition.
The Maths Certificates for Year 2 will be handed out in the Week 8 Infants assembly and Week 9 primary assembly for students in 3-6.
The Writing Certificates will also be handed out at the Week 9 primary assembly.
| Name of Student | Grade | Result |
| Laken Houston | 3 | Credit |
| Jonathon John | 3 | Credit |
| Hannah Butler | 3 | Merit |
| Elliarna Anthony | 3 | Participation |
| Fiona Fernandes | 3 | Participation |
| Natalie Fik | 3 | Participation |
| Annie Jacob | 3 | Participation |
| Ye Jun Ko | 3 | Participation |
| Sean Phonthaphanh | 3 | Participation |
| Alyssa Rodrigues | 3 | Participation |
| Brandan Slavin | 3 | Participation |
| Name of Student | Grade | Result |
| Matthew Smyth | 4 | Distinction |
| Karylle Cooke | 4 | Credit |
| Kylie Espinoza | 4 | Credit |
| Keirah Facey | 4 | Credit |
| Isla Harkin | 4 | Credit |
| Noritha Al Haider | 4 | Participation |
| Stephanie Busuttil | 4 | Participation |
| Francis Dagami | 4 | Participation |
| Chloe Harmon | 4 | Participation |
| Shaynika Lal | 4 | Participation |
| Jessica Lovell | 4 | Participation |
| Francine Manalastas | 4 | Participation |
| Jiya Manandhar | 4 | Participation |
| Karen Patana | 4 | Participation |
| Luca Sen | 4 | Particpation |
| Aarosh Shrestha | 4 | Participation |
| Tessa Simon | 4 | Participation |
| Lara Spires | 4 | Participation |
| Ryder Wilson | 4 | Participation |
| Name of Student | Grade | Result |
| Jared Tan | 5 | Distinction |
| Caprice Fleijsman | 5 | Credit |
| Keith Monzon | 5 | Merit |
| Nicholas Turner | 5 | Merit |
| Ella Carstens | 5 | Participation |
| Isla Clarke | 5 | Participation |
| Phoebe Eagleton | 5 | Participation |
| Hammy Kushan | 5 | Participation |
| Henry Kushan | 5 | Participation |
| Abbie Nelson | 5 | Participation |
| Emma Russell | 5 | Participation |
| Esaf Tadres | 5 | Participation |
| Name of Student | Grade | Result |
| James Palpal-Latoc | 6 | Credit |
| Maryanne Star | 6 | Credit |
| Eve Dooley | 6 | Merit |
| Eva Grados | 6 | Participation |
| Ankita Patole | 6 | Participation |
| Scarlet Wilson | 6 | Participation |
Please see attached note regarding Student Leadership for 2020.
Our Swimminmg Carnival for years 3-6 will be held this Friday 22 November. A few reminders for your child/ren:
- Be fun safe - wear a rash shirt, sunscreen, school hat and thongs. Stay in the shade as much as possible and keep hydrated.
- Students competing in the 100m Freestyle will need to be at the pool by 8.30am.
- All other students must arrive at school for normal bell time and roll marking. Students not in the 100m and not at school will be marked absent.
- There will be a designated lunch break where students will be able to sit with parents.
- Students will be allowed to purchase from the canteen during the designated lunch break with parents and with their grade during the Novelty Event Rotation only.
- Students must ask for teacher permission before going to the toilet, same as in school.
- All students are expected to stay until the end of the carnival and MUST be signed out with their class teacher. Students leaving prior to the end of the carnival will be recorded as a partial absence.
A proposed Order of Events is attached for your records.
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Digital Citizenship Work Did you know that in 2020 the Catholic diocese of Wollongong will be following a new social media policy? This policy offers guidance for staff, families and students in their use of social media. One of the main aims of the policy is to help ensure student safety when using digital technology. One of the expectations of the policy is that all K-12 schools within the Wollongong diocese teach digital citizenship to the students. This must take place annually so that students are consistently reminded of the expectations and best practice for internet use. At St. John’s we will have a big focus on digital citizenship during our Term 1 learning. Teachers will also receive digital citizenship training at the beginning of each school year to ensure consistency across our diocese. 2020 Social Media Policy Parent Sessions This policy has implications for staff, students and parents. Our school will be hosting an information session at alternate times for interested parents to understand the role of the policy and its implications on parent social media use. The sessions will be facilitated by Rebecca Hill from the Catholic Education Office and will run at the following times in the tiered learning space. Date: Tuesday 26 November 2019 Times: 2:30pm or 6:30pm |
Wacky Wednesdays
See attached note from year 6.
Building Resilience in Children
As our children grow they can face many challenges in life from learning new things, assessment at school, friendship challenges, moving home or school, getting braces, being sick and even welcoming new family members just to name a few. Life for them is not always stress-free, yet it is these stressors and the way they approach them in childhood which prepare them for the responsibilities of life as they move into teenage years and then into adult life.
When children face challenges and learn to problem solve them rather than just give up they develop resilience. Building resilience in children helps them see a challenge with the confidence that they can handle it, find solution and know how to ask for support when required. Having resilience helps to reduce anxiety and allow children to see the positive in life situations.
Children are not born with resilience, however we can help them develop it by following these tips.
1. Don’t accommodate every need. When we try to accommodate for every need of our children we are inhibiting them from developing problem solving abilities, this can lead to children become anxious rather than resilient.
2. Avoid eliminating all risk. We all want our children to be safe however becoming over protective has a negative impact on development. By allowing appropriate risk we teach children to know their limits and help them explore boundaries while still providing a safe place for them to come and seek help when required.
3. Teach them to problem-solve. Children who are not taught to problem solve often become worried about small issues, exams at school become bigger problems for them and they can stress for no reason. Teaching your child to brainstorm solutions and ideas that help them handle problems allows them to figure out what works and what doesn’t work and this can then be applied in all areas of life.
4. Avoid “why” questions. By changing the why in a question HOW we challenge our children to think of solutions for different situations in life for example asking " why did you do that " provides a reason by asking "how can we do this differently " ask them to problem solve for a solution that works better in the future. Don’t provide all the answers. Sometimes it feels easy to give the answer rather than try and explain things to our children, however by saying "I don’t know, what do you think, or how can we find that answer," prompts a child to explore possible answers and helps them develop a sense of inquire that builds greater problem solving skills in life.
5. Let your kids make mistakes. We learn from mistakes so allow them to happen. Teach your children that a mistake is not the end of the journey rather a part of it and they can search for better ways to do approach learning. Making mistakes helps for better decision making in the future so allow them to happen.
Remember it's not about not being there for your child, it is rather about teaching them how to handle uncertain situations and allowing them the space to think and find solutions, supporting them along the way and guiding them when they need extra help. Be patient with them as they develop these skills and help guide them along the way. Let them stumble and be with feeling and the emotions that go with these challenges. By you modelling your own resilience and teaching your child problem solving skills you are setting them up for life.
Our school banking day is: Wednesday
