Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope

Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,

look favorably on your servant Francis,

whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

grant, we pray, that by word and example

he may be of service to those over whom he presides

so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,

he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Dear Parents,

You may have noticed that there have been some work vans parked and a large skip in the car park. We are currently refurbishing the back portables and the room beside the Clothing Pool. We are going to use these as learning spaces and a Spanish room. The students will also have new interactive boards in these classrooms, fresh coats of paint and new carpets. The skip allowed us to clean out the shipping containers and provided us with some room to pack away the Fete items and store some furniture.

If you drive past SJA during the holidays you will notice that we will be undergoing some facility upgrade including external painting, gutters replaced, the front entrance pavers will be removed and replaced as will the uneven cement. The arborists will be here to lop some our trees and ensure they all safe. Internally we will have autex (pinboard fluffy material) placed on the walls around our new Interactive Boards and new K-2 toilets which will include an Inclusive Toilet and shower.

A big thank you to our Community Council for providing funds for new soccer goals, new netballs, basketballs and other specialised Physical Education and play equipment. Your donation has ensured that all of our students are using great resources.  Thank you to our new Community Council Members and our Chair, Max Rise who took over the reigns officially this week. There was a great vibe at the meeting. In our next newsletter, we will provide information about the dates and times for our meetings and as always, we extend a warm welcome to all of you.

InitiaLit comes alive at SJA

St John the Apostle Primary School has been on the CE Catalyst journey. Over the past 3 years we have worked with a number of highly experienced Educational Consultants including Dr Lorrainne Hammond, Toni Hatten Roberts and a number of educational consultants in Catholic Education. Early next week we will welcome Toni Hatten-Roberts to continue to work with our Staff embedding High Impact Teaching Practice and Explicit Direct Instruction. 

Centered on improving learning outcomes, our High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP) approach is based on the Science of Learning and Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and will help us realise our goal of “high impact teaching practice is visible in every classroom”.

Ms Hatten-Roberts from CogLearn will continue to support our staff and provide feedback on a number of explicit direct teaching strategies. She will demonstrate lessons and continue to share her knowledge on the Science of Learning and Reading with all of us.

Part of the implementation of the CE Catalyst Program is to introduce targeted programs that continue to provide opportunities for our students to be the best they can possibly be in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. 

In the next few weeks our Staff from K-2 will impliment the InitiaLit Program. InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundation to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit is a three-year program, covering the first three years of school (Foundation to Year 2).

InitiaLit–Foundation focuses on two main components:

1. Phonics, to systematically and explicitly teach the basic alphabetic code in a set sequence. In addition to learning letter-sound correspondences and how these are applied to reading and spelling, children will be introduced to common morphemes and simple grammatical concepts.
2. Vocabulary, oral language and listening comprehension through quality children’s literature. Detailed lessons, including writing tasks, are provided for each of the storybook titles selected for use with the program.

Our students in Kinder are really enjoying the time to identify the letters and sounds this week.

InitiaLit–1 continues on from InitiaLit–Foundation in providing an explicit and effective model for teaching reading, spelling and related skills to children in their second year of school. As in InitiaLit–F, InitiaLit– Year 1 focuses on the two main components of:

1. Phonics, to systematically and explicitly teach the basic and advanced alphabetic code in a set sequence. In addition to learning letter-sound correspondences and how these are applied to reading and spelling, children will be introduced to common morphemes and simple grammatical concepts.
2. Vocabulary, oral language and listening comprehension through quality children’s literature. Detailed lessons, including writing tasks, are provided for each of the storybook titles selected for use with the program.

By Year 2, most children will be well on their way to reading independence. The program builds on the skills taught in InitiaLit–F and InitiaLit–1, with the focus shifting now to consolidating children’s reading and spelling skills, working specifically on reading comprehension, fluency, spelling and vocabulary.

InitiaLit– Year 2 has four main components:

1. This component reviews phoneme-grapheme correspondences and spelling concepts taught in InitiaLit–1 and teaches the remainder of the advanced alphabetic code systematically and explicitly. Children will also learn new spelling rules and morphological concepts.
2. Reading comprehension and fluency. In this component, children will be taught comprehension strategies explicitly and how to apply them to different types of text. They will also be given regular opportunities to work on reading fluency through echo, choral and paired reading.
3. Grammar. Children will be explicitly taught key grammatical features and how to apply them to a writing task.
4. Vocabulary, oral language and comprehension through children’s literature. Detailed lessons are provided for each of the 15 storybook titles selected for use with the program, including detailed writing tasks. Two novel studies are included for use towards the end of the year.

How can parents and carers  support the program?

For young readers, one of the most effective ways parents and carers can offer additional support at home is byspending as little as 10 minutes each day on supported book reading. In addition to sharing a wide range of books, in which you explore together the joy of reading – delving into imaginary worlds, exploring playful language, and investigating special topics of interest. Over the coming weeks your child will take home sequential decodable readers. These are books designed specifically to offer plenty of opportunities for children just starting to read to develop decoding and fluency skills. If you have any questions, your child’s teacher is the most valuable resource.

Yours in Faith

Jo Reed

Principal

Chapel Refurbishment

Stephanie Stewart

Religious Education Coordinator

A friendly reminder that St Johns is a nut free school. Thank you.

Happy Birthday to Davina Borscz, Samuel Hilhorst, Mackenzie Knight, Alexander Stephensen, Spencer Cantwell, Arjun Pardeshi, Zakary Sutherland, Hayley Greenhalgh, Joseph Cook, Anita Shekarkhandeh, Henry Bradbury, Valentina Saldias Gomez, Campbell Green, Patrick Glenn-Downey, Katie Neiberding, Madison Stanton, William Le, Beau Carr, Casper Nolan, Reedhee Pandey, Joshua Ho, Rishaan Banerji Dash, Logan Campbell and Ruby Muller who all celebrate a Birthday in March.

Brag Tag Awards - presented on Friday 4th April, 8.50am (Week 9)

Calling all Volunteers 

If you can help out at the Athletics Carnival please reach out to

Ryan Spencer PE Teacher - ryan.spencer@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Dear Parents,

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below or by returning the order envelope with your payment to our photographer on school photo day.

Two easy ways to purchase:

1. Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
2. Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day

Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: 21X CFH 6YT

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to St John The Apostle Primary School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at: www.advancedlife.com.au/contact

As I have surveyed and worked with thousands of families over the years, there are a small handful of habits that I see parents practice that make their families happy. And they are astonishingly powerful.

In this article I will share those habits by describing the principal, discussing how it works in practice, and offering a provocation to get you thinking.

1. Assume Positive Intent

Principle: Your children are not actually trying to ruin your life. They’re trying their best with limited skills and resources. Sometimes they can be clumsy. They only have their ‘L’ plates on.

In Practice: When your child does something upsetting, pause before reacting. Ask yourself, “What need is my child trying to meet?” Then, address the need rather than just the behaviour. “I can see you’re frustrated. Let’s figure this out together.”

Provocation: We wouldn’t assume your colleague intentionally sabotaged a project, yet we’re quick to believe our children are orchestrating psychological warfare against us. Your child isn’t a criminal mastermind plotting your demise. They’re just hungry, tired, or struggling to communicate. The fastest way to turn a good kid bad is to treat them like they already are.

2. Laugh Together

Principle: Shared joy creates bonds that withstand life’s challenges.

In Practice: Have family movie nights with comedies. Share funny stories. Play ridiculous games. Create inside jokes. Laugh at yourself when you make mistakes. Make silly faces, tell dad jokes, and celebrate the ridiculous moments of family life.

Provocation: Most families spend more time coordinating schedules than creating memories. The average household shares fewer than 20 minutes of laughter per week, yet we wonder why everyone feels disconnected. If your family hasn’t had a proper belly laugh together in the last few days, your family culture is in critical condition.

3. Fix Things Fast

Principle: Conflict is inevitable; prolonged disconnection is optional.

In Practice: Be the first to apologise, especially if you’re the parent. Name what went wrong. Take responsibility for your part. Ask what would help. End with physical connection. A hug, high five, or fist bump resets everyone’s nervous system.

Provocation: Your silent treatment isn’t “teaching them a lesson”. Nor is yelling or threatening. It’s teaching them that love is conditional. Every hour of unresolved tension between you and your child is rewiring their brain to expect conditional acceptance in future relationships. Your pride isn’t worth the therapy bills they’ll have later.

4. Stay Close

Principle: Children of all ages are biologically wired for connection with their parents.

In Practice: Create daily rituals of connection: bedtime stories, morning cuddles, after-school check-ins. Sit on their bed for five minutes at night. Drive them to school when possible. Find small ways to connect throughout the day that show you’re thinking of them.

Provocation: Your child’s push for independence is a façade. Behind it is a child desperately hoping you won’t believe the act. While you’re respecting their “independence” by backing off, they’re interpreting your distance as abandonment. Your children need you more, not less – they just need you differently as they grow. They want your involvement in a supportive, not a controlling way.

5. Listen Fully

Principle: Being heard creates security and builds trust.

In Practice: Put down your phone when your child speaks. Make eye contact. Ask follow-up questions. Reflect back what you hear. Don’t immediately jump to solutions or lectures. Sometimes say, “Tell me more about that.”

Provocation: If your screen time report shows more hours on social media than minutes of eye contact with your children, you’re outsourcing the most important relationship they have right now to someone or something else. Your child will remember exactly zero of your “important” emails or Instagram reels, but they’ll never forget the times you chose your phone over their story.

6. Create Meaningful Traditions

Principle: Family rituals create stability and identity in an unpredictable world.

In Practice: Establish weekly family nights, seasonal celebrations, birthday traditions, or Sunday dinners. They don’t need to be elaborate – consistency matters more than complexity. Even simple traditions like Sunday morning pancakes create anchors of belonging.

Provocation: In a culture where kids construct identity through screens and peers, your family traditions are fighting for your children’s sense of self. Without these shared experiences, your family becomes little more than roommates who occasionally share Wi-Fi. The traditions you neglect creating today are the memories your children won’t have tomorrow.

7. Have the Hard Conversations

Principle: Children need parents who are brave enough to discuss difficult topics.

In Practice: Create an environment where no question is off-limits. Talk about bodies, relationships, disappointments, and fears in age-appropriate ways. Don’t wait for the “perfect moment”. Use everyday opportunities to address important topics briefly and naturally.

Provocation: Your discomfort with difficult conversations doesn’t make them unnecessary. It makes them urgent. The conversations you avoid having with your children will be filled by Google, YouTube, or the kid on the bus with wildly inaccurate information. If you won’t have these conversations, someone else – or something else -will, and you probably won’t like their curriculum.

Author

Dr Justin Coulson

Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters and grandfather to 1 granddaughter. He is the parenting expert and co-host of Channel 9’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families podcast. He has written 9 books about families and parenting. For further details visit www.happyfamilies.com.au.

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Could we please request that all students with hair that can be tied back, be tied back.

We have many cases of Head Lice in the school and we need your help to try to get on top of this.

Please check your child's hair regularly and treat thoroughly.

Parking in these spaces is reserved for people who have priority parking cards.

If you do not have a disability parking sticker please do not use these spots

Thank you for your support in this matter.