Dear Parents/Carers,

Pope Francis has named this as the "Year of St Joseph." When speaking about the reasoning behind this focus on Joseph, Pope Francis makes a link between the "ordinary man who goes unnoticed, a daily discreet, hidden presence" and those in our world today who are doing extraordinary, discreet things to help us get through the COVID pandemic. St Joseph, when faced with a difficult decision, listened to the call of God and humbly faced the challenge of bringing Jesus into the world. How easy it would have been for him to just leave Mary on her own. Although he is not mentioned in the Gospels often, we can learn much from his loyalty, humility and preparedness to do what was right. 

Parent-School Partnership Framework

This week I would like to highlight the second of the Principles of the Parent-School Partnership Framework - "Respectful Relationships." In light of Jesus encouraging all of us to "Do to others as you would have them do to you' we are all asked to treat each other with respect, courtesy and positive regard. As staff, we must respect parents as the first educators of the children, and parents are asked to respect the staff for their knowledge, skills and expertise. Together, we are all encouraged to proactively resolve any issues or concerns with a positive and hope-filled attitude. At St John's, this is a key feature of our community.

If ever you need to discuss any concerns or issues with a member of staff, please be mindful of the most appropriate person. If your concern is directly related to your child's learning and well-being, their classroom teacher should be contacted in the first instance. If support is needed in resolving the issue, we have Leadership Team members available. If your concern is more about whole-school procedures, please contact either Miss Tobin or myself.

Contact with a member of staff can be made via the office (email or phone). Please allow a reasonable period of time for a response as teachers can often not reply until the students have left for the day. If you would like to arrange a meeting with a member of staff, please do so via the office. Please be aware that teachers have duties before and after school, so they may not be able to meet straight away.

"Meet and Greet" sessions

Between Monday 15 February and Friday 19 February you have the opportunity to attend a "Meet and Greet" meeting with your child's teacher. This will give you and the teacher the chance to share any necessary information that will support your child's growth and development this year. A notification was pushed out on Compass this week with more information about this. Please note, in order to comply with COVID directives:

• parents must book a meeting on Compass
• parents should only arrive at the time of their meeting and then leave the school site as soon as the meeting has concluded
• the meeting time must be limited to 10 minutes
• cleaning of the furniture will take place between meetings
• while masks are not mandatory, parents can choose to wear one. 

Ash Wednesday

Lent begins next week with Ash Wednesday. Fr John will be leading a liturgy with our students on that day, at which ashes will be distributed to the children. This year, due to COVID restrictions, the children will use the ashes themselves to mark a cross on the back of their hand.

Wishing you a safe week,

Paul Moroney
Principal

Please note that we have scheduled a Staff Professional Development Day for Thursday 1 April. This means that the last day of Term 1 for the students will be Wednesday 31 March.

Each school is allocated two of these days each year. Our second day will be held later in the year. Details will be provided once they are finalised.

Congratulations to all our award recipients this week

KR - Allira 

1R - Joseph A

2R - Emily P

3R - Jocelyne C

4R - Jasmine P

5R - Gabriella M 

6R - Amelia B

SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNTS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION –

2021 SCHOOL FEES

Dear Parents/Carers
We would like to advise you of the following important information in relation to school fees and the
continuing rollout of new administrative systems across our schools. Currently all primary schools and
two secondary schools, Corpus Christi Oak Flats and Holy Spirit Bellambi have been transferred to the
package which includes Compass and Technology One. This has provided the Catholic Education Office
with the ability to perform centralised functions relating to school fee accounts on behalf of these
schools only. All other schools have commenced and will complete transition before the end of 2021.

WHAT CENTRALISATION OF FUNCTIONS MEANS FOR FAMILIES
The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month is now a function
carried out by the Catholic Education Office. Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or
payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement. Commencing in
2021, the issue of reminders for late payment via SMS and email will be introduced for schools on the
new system. These reminders are automatically generated by the software based on the number of days
a payment is overdue. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these
reminders may cause some concern. This is not our intention. Our intention is to manage the collection
of school fee accounts with new technology and in so doing, alleviate some of the administrative work
of our schools.

YOUR SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES
Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, your school/s will always be your point of
contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact
your school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of
schools.
IF YOU WISH TO PAY BY INSTALMENTS
Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself
of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on your school’s
website or at your school’s office. On completion of the request either email it to or submit at your
school’s office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a
schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it
is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment, unless you
wish to amend your payment frequency.
Please note that if you elect to NOT pay your fees by instalments and complete the form on the
website your full fee amount becomes due on 28 FEB, 2021

DIFFICULTY WITH PAYMENT

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the school in which your
child/children are enrolled to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This
may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the

administration office of each school. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict
confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. For those families that received a COVID19 Fee
Concession in 2020, you will have received an email in January, 2021 regarding the review of your
account in February, 2021 and providing options for your 2021 school fees. For further information
regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on your school’s website.

Week 4 Uniform Focus

Each week our school has a uniform focus.  Students who comply with our Uniform Policy receive a token for their house.  The winning house at the end of term receives a special prize.  During the first three weeks we have been focusing on hats, sports shoes and socks.  Next week our uniform focus will be on hair.  A number of children have had haircuts during the holidays that now comply with our policy - a huge thank you for supporting us with this.

In relation to hair, our school policy states:

• Hair should be styled in a manner that attracts positive comments only, with an emphasis on a neat and tidy appearance.  No extreme haircuts or styles.
• Minimal products (e.g. hairspray, gel) may be used to tame or control hair, but not to style (e.g. spike) hair.
• Hair must not be bleached or dyed in any way, this includes the addition of hair extensions, hair pieces or coloured braids. 
• Hair, including fringes, must not fall on a child’s face, covering their eyes.
• Students’ hair cannot be unevenly shaved, including having any lines shaved into their head.  Hair should not be shaved less than a number 3.
• Hair that is collar length or longer must be tied back.

• Girls may use school coloured hair accessories (red, navy/royal blue, golden yellow).  Hair accessories can include: ribbons, scrunchies, thin headbands or plain clips to hold hair back.
• Hair should be cut in an evenly cut manner.  Hair should not have an extreme difference in length, but rather be of a blended appearance. 

If you have any questions please phone the office, or you can refer to our uniform policy on the school website. https://sjctdow.catholic.edu.au/parents/uniform/

Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week and during the holidays, 7th February - 13th February

Just a reminder to not bring any Nut products to school, 

as we have a number of children with serious Nut allergies

Sports Uniform Days

Notice of P&F Annual General Meeting

Please note that the AGM Agenda is open. Please email any agenda items to pandf@sjctdow.catholic.edu.au by Monday 17th February 5pm.

AGM Details:

Date: Tuesday 23rd February 2020

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Tiered Learning Space (near Kindy and Year 1 classes)

All Executive positions will be made vacant and an election held for new office-bearers. The Nomination form and role descriptions follow. All are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there and look forward to meeting new parents of the school. Please contact us if you require any further information

Just a reminder that due to Covid restrictions Children are unable to bring in any type of food/gifts for sharing with their class. There is the option of purchasing Zooper Doopers from the canteen, These are now available to purchase through Flexischools or you can order and pay at the front office.

Thank you for your understanding with this matter

If your child is away from school it is important to let the school know as soon as possible with a specific reason, e.g. what type of illness they have, If you are filling in a note on the Compass app, please add an explanation in the details/comments box .

Do not enter into compass if they are going to be late or leave early, that needs to be done from the school end.

It is really important to keep your child at home if they are unwell, this will help with the spread of illness. In the current COVID 19 climate ,if you child displays cold/flu symptoms you will need to get a medical clearance for your child to return to school 

If your child has a covid test, please notify the school when they have the test and as soon as you get your results please forward these on to the school.

Due to COVID restrictions parents are currently not allowed on school grounds. We also need to limit the amount of visitors that come into the office, so please only come into the office if necessary.

  It is important that you let the office know as soon as possible, via email or phone, if you are picking your child up prior to dismissal (including time).  We can then arrange to have them in the office ready for you.

Please note we are unable to arrange collection of your children during break times (11.15am-12 & 1.15pm-2pm) without prior notice. Please do not enter late arrivals or early departures into compass, this needs to be done by the school office.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.