Dear Parents/Caregivers,

This Friday our school will be celebrating our Opening School Mass. As a Catholic school community, joining together to celebrate the Eucharist is paramount in helping to identify who we are. It also helps to place our school in the context of being an integral part of the parish, so that by being a student in our school they will come to know that they are also a member of the parish. Parents are most welcome to attend the Mass which starts at 10.00am, following which the P & F will be providing a morning tea in the hall.

 Parents and Friends Association

Next Monday 24 February at 7.00pm the P & F will be holding their Annual General Meeting (AGM). Often when people hear of an AGM, they will avoid attending out of fear of being given a position on the team! I urge you all to put away that fear and come along as no one will be forced into doing something that they do not want to do. The P & F are a positive and friendly group of people who have the welfare of the school at heart. Attending the meetings are a great way for you to keep in touch with happenings at the school and to socialise with other parents. I look forward to seeing as many people as possible next Monday night.

 Goals for 2020

Each year schools in our diocese follow a process of review and planning for improvement. Part of this process is to set some goals that we will work toward achieving during the year, sometimes over more than one year. Over the next few Newsletters I will share with you the goals we have set for 2020.

• The school will support the ALPHA Parish Spiritual Formation Program by offering this program to parents.
• The school community will co-construct “Students’ Rights and Responsibilities” and implement these across the school.

I hope that you have a great week,

Paul Moroney
Principal

Online Gaming

Online games can be great fun for your child, but make sure you can help them manage the risks.

From time to time we have had conversations with students in our primary grades about ways that they connect outside of school with their friends.

We often hear them tell us about play dates that are arranged with school friends via their parents. Arranging play dates is a great way for children to develop friendships outside of school.

More recently, we have been hearing about connections that have been made via the internet through gaming and messenger apps.

Many games can improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as help build social skills through online interactivity with other players, but it is also important to understand what might go wrong and have a negative impact on your child. 

The following are some tips for parents from the Australian Government e-safety commissioner website that we would like to share with you if your child is playing online games such as Roblox and connecting with their friends through apps online.

Look out for signs such as:

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• not doing so well at school  
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches or eye strain 
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• anger when being asked to take a break from online activity, or appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family

You can check the age guidelines and classification for an individual game on its website or product packaging, or from the Australian Classification Board’s public database.

Assistant Principals
Helen Libro and Kylie Billett

Congratulations to the following students who received Good Samaritan Awards this week.

Following are some important dates coming up on our RE calender this year:

Opening School Mass

This Friday is our Opening School Mass – Friday 21 February 2020.  It will be celebrated in the Church at 10 am and all are welcome to come.

Ash Wednesday

Next Wednesday, 26 February is Ash Wednesday.  All Primary students will be attending Mass in the Church at 12 midday.  Infants will have a liturgy just with their classes where they will receive the blessed ashes. 

First Holy Communion

This Sacrament is for students who have made their Sacrament of Reconciliation.  There is a Parent Information Evening on Wednesday 6 May 2020 at 7 pm in the church. All parents must come to this information evening if they wish their child to be part of this sacrament program.  This is Week 2 in Term 2.  Put it in your calendars!

RE Newsletter for Parents

Please find attached the latest RE newsletter for parents.  It continues our journey with St Paul. 

Enjoy your week.

Mrs Kathryn Hampton
Religious Education Coordinator

Happy Birthday to the following students are celebrating their birthday this week, February 17 - February 23

RETURN AND EARN DRIVE WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH – START COLLECTING NOW!

St John’s will hold our first termly return and earn drive on Wednesday 18 March.  All items received will be collected by St Vincent De Paul raising funds for their important work in the community.

On 18 March students will be invited to place their return and earn items in their house colour under the COLA. The team that brings the most items will get 200 points, 2nd will get 150, 3rd 100 and 4th 50. The points will help them to earn the Waste Warrior Trophy each term in addition to the waste free Wednesday points

Waste Free Wednesday is back again this year. We ask that students pack their lunch in re-usable containers to reduce the amount of classroom waste around the school. Points are awarded to classes for the least amount of rubbish each Wednesday.

Tea & Coffee Invitation

The P&F kindly invite you to join them for tea & coffee after our opening school Mass this Friday 21 February.

School Banking Day is Wednesday!

School Crossing Supervisor

The RMS have advised a crossing supervisor has been appointed.  They will be onsite both morning and afternoon from Monday 24 February.

School Bus Travel

A reminder to all students catching buses must remeber to Tap On and Tap Off each time you travel. A letter from Busabout is attached for your attention.

Sisterhood is a rapidly growing national movement of Catholic women seeking to deepen our personal relationship with Jesus Christ and those we do life with. We are regular everyday women; students, sisters, daughters, wives, mums, career women and grandmothers, walking alongside one another and doing life together.

Sisterhood has now been operating for the past 14 years. Each year the conference draws between 200-300 Catholic women of all ages and from right across Australia for a weekend of prayer and formation on what it means to be a Catholic woman in the Church today.

Through keynote talks and workshops, mass, adoration of the blessed sacrament, reconciliation and quality sisterhood with other women, women are given the opportunity to deepen in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ and develop community with other women. The conference seeks to provide keynote inputs which are both spiritually enriching but also practical to the lives of women of all ages and stages of life.

We are excited to announce the 2020 Sisterhood National Catholic Women’s Conference, ‘Anointed’ will be held from 20 – 22 March 2020 at The Tops Conference Centre, Stanwell Tops. Tickets can be purchased via Trybooking - https://www.trybooking.com/BFQZP

This year's keynote speakers include the very beautiful and well known singer Alyssa Agius from Melbourne and Katie Kobler. Katie has a passion for seeing women released to be who they are created to be.  She also has a powerful personal story to share. The other keynote speakers include: The Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia of Nashville Tennessee, Trish Macarthy, Vivian Dolar, Carrie McCormack, Renee Doyle, Kate Seseljia and more. 

We want to invite women to what will be an incredible weekend of dynamic talks, quality sisterhood time and most importantly an encounter with an amazing God who loves us beyond measure and pours His Grace abundantly.