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- School Working Bee (Term 1, Week 7)
- Brag Tag Celebration (Term 1, Week 9)
Please remember that the term dates are different across the ACT this year. Our first term is only 9 weeks long. The middle terms are 10 weeks long and the last term is 11 weeks long. The first day of Terms 2 and 3 (19 April and 12 July) are both pupil free days for professional learning for staff. Students do not attend school on these days. OSHClub will be available.
Please go to our school calendar on the website or SZapp for more details.
Today I am thankful again for our community.
First Reconciliation
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Sacrament of Reconciliation for our Year 3 students. Thank you to our Parish Team of Fathers Kimi and Michael, Marian England and Sharon Greaves who spent a lot of time preparing the program and celebration for parents and children. Their commitment to ensuring a meaningful experience of each sacrament for the children is much appreciated.
Year 6 Camp
Today I spent time with Year 6 students on their last day of camp. They have had a wonderful time and I would like to thank their teachers Serae Love and Tabitha Wormald for preparing them and organising the experience. I received a number of messages and photos from them both over the last few days, telling me about the fun they were all having. It is a lovely experience for learning about their own strength and to have greater respect for each other. Thank you also to Rebekah Brown and Lachlan Smith for helping supervise and look after the students over the camp duration, supporting their teachers.
Prayer Assembly
Yesterday afternoon Year 3 led us through a Prayer Assembly about forgiveness. They sang to us, read and acted out one of the stories Jesus told and prayed with us. They were so reverent and beautiful. It is such a privilege to be able to gather together in such a way and spend time in prayer, being thankful for all that we share.
Garden Club
I have an enthusiastic Garden Club led by a small group of Year 5 students who are keen to share their love of growing fruit and vegetables. They will thoroughly enjoy looking after the vegetable garden beds after the Working Bee this weekend.
Community Council
Our enthusiastic Community Council are meeting this coming Wednesday and we will talk about the work to be undertaken for the remainder of the year. If you have any items that you would like the Community Council to discuss please be sure to contact any of the members (listed on our school website) or using the Community Council email address: sjapscommunitycouncil@gmail.com. One of the focuses of the Community Council will be to develop opportunities to gather as a community again since our time of being apart last year. Any suggestions will be welcome.
May you have some beautiful family time this weekend.
Matthew Garton
This weekend kitchen garden working bee!
We'd like to get the kitchen garden ready for winter planting and it needs a little tidy up that adults will do more effectively. Our Working Bee will be held on Sunday morning 21st March, 9.00am to 11.00 am. We'd love to have as many people as possible. If you can make it please register below. Children are welcome to come with parents or grandparents to either help or play nearby. Refreshments will be provided.
If you have a stack of old newspapers that can be used for the kitchen garden could you please drop them off to the Front Office. Thank you.
Principal
Kitchen Garden Working Bee 21st March 2021
Year Six Camp
This week I have had the privilege of attending Year Six Camp. Camp Cooba is the perfect opportunity for our school leaders to strengthen their relationships and develop their resilience through team building experiences. On Wednesday morning, we hopped on the bus and started our journey to Camp Cooba via Dalgety. Our first stop was Dalgety river where the students participated in a number of team building experiences. These included canoeing, raft building and racing and team initiative activities. Once the students had completed these activities we headed to Camp Cooba for some dinner and free time. After a big day, all of the students went to their cabins and watched Shrek 2. On Thursday, the kids woke up early, had breakfast and started a big day of activities. Over the day each group participated in the following activities:
- Low ropes - this involved students working together as a team through multiple problem solving activities.
- Team manoeuvres - working together as a team to solve mysteries, gather clues and break codes. This activity helped students develop orienteering skills.
- Big Swing - this activity is designed for students to face their fears, build their trust in their team and push them out of their comfort zones.
- Archery - students learnt the skills of archery. In teams they worked together to hit a number of different targets to get as many points for their teams as possible.
At night we had fun with our outside disco, playing in the games room and shooting hoops. Today, I left early at 7.00am and Matthew is on his way to spend the last day with Year Six. We had some very positive feedback from the Camp Cooba staff about our students' manners and behaviour. It was so wonderful to see the growth that each student had over this short time, especially in teamwork and effective communication.
Cross Country
Just a reminder that Cross Country will be held on Thursday 25th March (Week 8). Please ensure that your child wears their sports uniform to school. Students are also encouraged to wear one item of clothing representing their house colour.
Rebekah Brown
Assistant Principal and Inclusion Coordinator
What are students learning about?
This week Year 3 students made their First Reconciliation. It is a continuation of the journey they began at their Baptism. Reconciliation is about further committing to following the example set by Jesus and deepening their ability to recognise they have choice in their actions. Their great and glorious humanness is exposed to them as they realise their choices are not always the right ones, that God continues to love us regardless and that saying sorry is a gift.
Year 3 also lead the school in prayer assembly this week. They used the parable of The Prodigal Son to share their understanding of forgiveness. They read the gospel and acted out the story to help show the sorrow and joy of the father and the sons.
What teachers are learning about
This week all teachers are completing an online course as part of our Catalyst program. It is further information about Cognitive Load Theory. The way the brain learns and retains information is fascinating.
Cognitive load theory was recently described by British educationalist Dylan Wiliam as ‘the single most important thing for teachers to know’ (Wiliam 2017) This statement is quite powerful.
Why am I writing about this in the RE section of the newsletter? Because good pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.) is good pedagogy in all areas of the curriculum. Although I often speak of faith development helping students to achieve academically in the area of Religious Education is an important focus of our work too.
Catholic Life and Reflection
What does prayer mean to you?
We are so blessed at our school to have an extremely talented musician on staff, Jack Biilmann. Today he played an old blues song for us that had themes of teaching and learning. As he played I watched him transform. The people in the room, even the room itself disappeared and it was just him and the music. I saw the moment when it transformed from performance to prayer. A perfect reminder of God in all things. It was a privilege to witness.
May God continue to bless all of our students and families.
Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator
Notices from the Parish
Happy birthday to Campbell G, Daniel S, Robert W, William L, Katie N, Madison S, Phoebe B, Byron H and Rose H who all celebrated a birthday over the past week.
Please note that we ask students to not bring home made cupcakes to share with the class for their birthdays. This is a precautionary measure for health and hygiene. The Canteen offers a number of options to share with the class. Purchases can be made through the QKR app.
Congratulations to the following students who received an award for the fortnightly Positive Behaviour Focus.
| Class | ||
| KB | Archie A | Imogen C |
| KM | Kyler A | Annika N |
| 1B | Rylan R | Edith B |
| 1M | Aluel A | Jayden A |
| 2B | James M | Grace R |
| 2M | Lachlan L | Jonah T |
| 3B | Abbey R | Liam D |
| 3M | Charlotte K | Aston B |
| 4B | Sophie N | Jordan D |
| 4M | Zoe S | Cooper P |
| 5B | Yusha A | Phoebe S |
| 5M | Alexis M | Toby F |
| 6B | Harrison R | Finn P |
| 6M | Samson S | Emma M |
Establishing digital boundaries for the screen generation
Parents need to establish digital boundaries and be the pilot (for primary children) and co-pilot (for adolescents) of the digital plane.
Many parents establish screen time limits for their ‘screenagers’ (i.e. their children and teens) by stipulating how much time they can spend plugged in. Focusing solely on time is not the only digital boundary to consider. It’s best to expand our dialogue beyond screen time as the only metric that’s used to assess young people’s digital behaviours.
We also need to create boundaries around:
The screens kids use
The most critical boundary parents need to establish with their children and teens relates to what they’re doing online. Have conversations about the apps, platforms, games, videos, TV shows and media they consume and create. Visit the eSafety Commissioner’s or Common Sense Media’s websites to help you understand the various platforms and tools, so you’re better prepared to know the risks and lessen some of the potential pitfalls.
The time of day
Establish what technology can be used at different times of the day. Ideally, devices would be switched off at least sixty minutes before bedtime as the blue light can delay the onset of sleep and reduce the quality of their sleep. Minimise exposure to rapid-fire, fast-paced screen action before school as this can hyper-arouse the brain and make it challenging to pay attention in class.
Technology zones
As a family, determine the ‘no-go tech zones’ in your house such as bedrooms, bathrooms, meal areas and play areas. Encourage them to use technology in publicly accessible, high-traffic areas of the home such as the kitchen, dining or lounge area. A young person is very unlikely to be sending nudes whilst sitting on the lounge or kitchen bench!
The people they interact with
Talk to your child or teen about who they’re interacting with online and reassure them that if there’s a problem online, they need to come and talk to you, as the pilot or co-pilot of the digital plane and avoid withdrawing screen time as a punishment.
Setting and enforcing firm digital boundaries with children young people is vital if we want them to cultivate healthy digital behaviours. These skills are critical if the screen generation is to thrive in the digital world.
Dr Kristy Goodwin
Dr Kristy Goodwin is a digital wellbeing and performance speaker, author and researcher (and mum who also deals with her kids’ techno-tantrums!). She’s the author of Raising Your Child in a Digital World, and a media commentator who doesn’t suggest that we ban the iPhone, or unplug the gaming console (digital abstinence isn’t the solution). Kristy translates research into essential information and realistic strategies for parents to ensure kids and teens thrive in the digital world. For further details visit www.drkristygoodwin.com.