Thank you everyone for a wonderful night on Wednesday. The Christmas Concert was such a pleasant evening. Students practised for weeks and though some were nervous, they all came alive in the moment and were proud of their performances.

Thank you to Mrs Kate MacDonald, Performing Arts teacher, who was the creative spirit behind the theme, script and many of the dances. Thank you also to the staff and students from Saint Francis Xavier College for allowing us to use their gym and sharing their skills in choreography, music and lighting.

The day and evening also had a special focus: Wear Yellow for Annabelle. We gathered together, wearing yellow and providing a gold coin donation, to support the Isabella and Marcus Foundation, who raise funds to help find a cure for DIPG. Thank you everyone for your generosity. We raised $1692 over the course of the day and the money has already been passed on directly to the Foundation. Mrs Lyn Griffiths is very appreciative of everyone's support for a cause very dear to her family's heart. This was another reminder to me of what a great privilege it is to be Principal in such a warm and embracing community.

During the evening we also thanked two members of our Community Council for their wonderful service. Thank you to Debra Slack who has been at the school for ten years and been on the Community Council in some form for that time. She was particularly instrumental in managing and building the Clothing Pool for a number of years; something we all reap the benefits of today. Thank you also to Veronica Sammons who has been the Community Council Chairperson for the past four years. She has always displayed an outstanding dedication and commitment to the school and the role and our school has continued to grow positively with her involvement.

Semester 2 Student Reports

Today your child's Semester 2 Student Report will be sent home. I have included in every report envelope a copy of an article from Parenting Ideas with some very helpful advice about how to talk to your child about their report. Please remember that the report is addressed to you and that we are telling our students that parents need to open it and read it before children do. Please take the time to celebrate their successes and achievements. It is a great pleasure to enjoy watching them continually grow and learn.

Classes 2019

It is with pleasure that I can inform you of the teachers for classes next year. Today our students will be told their classes for 2019 as well. We tell them at this time so that both teachers and students have an opportunity to say hello to each other and find out a little more about each other before the end of the year. Next Thursday afternoon they will spend an hour in their new class groups and classrooms, meeting their teacher for next year. Most new staff for next year will be attending and those who aren't able to will connect online to meet the students at an appropriate point in the week. This will help all of our students go into the holidays with greater understandings (than assumptions) about what next year holds.

*New to St John the Apostle in 2019

A number of these staff members will be undertaking some small additional roles next year and the full details of staffing will be announced then.

It is perfectly normal for children to feel nervous about meeting a new teacher and being in a new classroom with a new group of students. Nervousness is not something to avoid, it is something to work with. It is a great opportunity to model and teach children about how to handle their nerves. If your child experiences extreme anxiety, feel free to contact their current teacher about how we can work together to assist them. You may also like to read the following article What To Do (And Not To Do) When Children Are Anxious.

St Vincent De Paul Food Drive

Thank you so much for the donations of food over the last few weeks for St Vincent DePaul. A number of loads have already been collected, ready to be placed in hampers and delivered to families before Christmas. Many families will celebrate a scrumptious Christmas this year thanks to your generosity.

Schoolzine app

In January we will cease using Skoolbag and begin using Schoolzine to communicate with families. A flyer was placed on the seats at the Christmas Concert about the new communication app we will use. Please download the app and register on it to begin receiving communication from St John the Apostle from January onwards.

Have a lovely weekend.

Matthew Garton (Principal)