The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known 
that anyone who fled to thy protection, 
implored thy help, 
or sought thy intercession, 
was left unaided. 
Inspired by this confidence 
I fly unto thee, 
O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. 
To thee do I come, 
before thee I stand, 
sinful and sorrowful. 
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions, 
but in thy mercy hear and answer me. 
Amen.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope the first few weeks of Term 3 have been happy and healthy!

Feast of the Assumption Mass
Our students were very well behaved at the Feast of the Assumption Mass today at St John the Apostle Parish Church, Kippax. They were truly a credit to all our wonderful parents.

We are very fortunate to have another two preservice teachers from ACU learning alongside our staff and working with our students over the next few weeks. Lilly Eastman and Ellouise Rabbets are both in their final year of a Bachelor of Education degree and are placed with classes 4M and 2M. We are pleased to support our preservice teachers by offering valuable opportunities to learn from our dedicated educators, as well as from the children and families within our wonderful SJA community. We wish Lilly and Ellouise all the best during their time and thank Chris Evans and Lauren Hudson, along with the students, for warmly welcoming and supporting these future teachers.

Best wishes

Rylee 3M and Tia 2M will participate in the National ACT State Gymnastic Championships at the AIS Arena this coming week. They are part of Canberra City Gymnastics club and are in the WAG (Women’s Artistic Gymnastics) National Level 4 Team. They compete in four events – Vault, Uneven Bars, Beam and Floor routine. Rylee mentioned that her speciality is Bars and she loves cast and circle. Tia’s speciality is Floor, she loves to flip out and run at speed. We wish them both good luck!

Social Media

It’s not unusual to hear of children across the country who have been involved in disturbing social media events. As a school, we will continue to look at ways in which we educate our students to use digital resources wisely and appropriately.

Most children access social media when they are not at school. (Social networking describes a variety of services like Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, World of Warcraft, Moshi Monsters, Twitter, Skype, Minecraft and many others.) As a parent it may be useful to refer to the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner website (https://esafety.gov.au/) — it has excellent information on a wide range of topics including protecting personal information; cyberbullying; balancing online time; photos, videos and social media; offensive and illegal content; sexting; and social networking. The site also lists a variety of trusted partners and online safety websites to help guide young people towards safe and enjoyable experiences online.

Our expectation of students in relation to the use of ICT at school for educational purposes is very clear and all students are required to adhere to the acceptable use of IT policy. Thank you for your support in this area.

Cartoon Movies Alert

Some of our younger students are talking about cartoons or cartoon movies they are watching at home – K-Pop Demon Hunters (PG) is an example. Some of the content is quite scary with adult themes and our students in the younger grades are talking about the show. It is influencing some of their social interactions. Some cartoon or animated movies look innocent because they are in that form, this is a friendly reminder to all of us to watch some of the shows that are PG and determine what is age appropriate for our children.

Book Week is Coming!

This term we have some exciting opportunities for family engagement as we celebrate Book Week from Monday 18th August to Friday 22nd August. Book Week is a special time each year where schools and libraries across Australia celebrate books, authors, illustrators, and the joy of reading. The theme for book week this year is ‘Book and Adventure!’

We have plans for a little update for our Library in 2026. We will be asking our students for their wish lists in these areas/spaces to read books and other resources and facilities.

Illness

Please kindly remember that if your child is unwell, we would appreciate you keeping them at home. Many students are being sent to the sick room, and families are having to be called to pick their child/ren up. Your support with this is greatly appreciated and helps to keep our community happy and healthy.

School Fees

Thankyou once again to all those families who have responded to our Fee Statements  as this makes a huge difference to our planning and budgeting, particularly at this stage of the year. Please do all you can to get up to date with school fee payments. If you have any concerns regarding fees, please do not hesitate to contact the office or myself directly. 

Beautiful Barbie Visits SJA

St John the Apostle Primary School had a very special visitor drop in. Barbie the lamb now has many new friends at SJA. Barbie was feed by the children and enjoyed pats and big cuddles. She was on her very best behaviour and wanted to stay the whole day, however, had to go back to the Barrett Family farm to be with her other friends. Thanks for bringing Barbie in to visit us, she is welcome anytime!

Principal Conference in QLD

I will be attending a Principal Conference next week in Queensland which will include visiting a number of schools that are run by Mastery Schools Australia.  Mrs Karen Leighton will be acting on my behalf while I am away.

Blessings to you and your family.

Jo Reed