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Dear St John the Apostle families,
We're in that space at the moment where we need to have our minds firmly planted in both this year and next. Since I began teaching a long time ago I have come to accept that no matter how well planned we are, there will always be great achievements to celebrate, unexpected road bumps and diversions that need managing and some tasks that are important but must be bumped to the following year.
I always have a few stanzas from a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox in mind when reflecting on what has passed and planning the future:
One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.
Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
'Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
We set our sails firmly here at St John the Apostle so that no matter what comes, we weather it together, learn and continue in the same direction. The storms that come may delay the arrival time and alter the path of the journey but the destination remains: We are on earth the heart of God.
Planning Teaching & Learning
Yesterday our Executive Team met all day to plan the school development strategies for Teaching & Learning in 2022. We reviewed our 2021 Annual Improvement Plan (you can find this on our school website) and began drawing up the plan for 2022. We're excited to continue to implement High Impact Teaching Practices across our school next year and continue see the very positive growth in learning.
As part of this process we reviewed our NAPLAN data, Annual Survey data and other information about our community. What a long way we've travelled over the past four years! These opportunities to reflect on the journey so far are always very rewarding.
School Budget & Fees for 2022
Our Community Council is meeting next week to confirm the school budget and school fees for 2022 and we hope to communicate these in the Newsletter next week. Our meeting will also be an opportunity to thank the Community Council members for their work in supporting our school and community.
Classes
Thank you to all those parents who have written to let me know the needs their child has that they would like considered when determining class placements for next year. These need to be communicated to me by today via email in order to be included in our planning. They will of course remain confidential to me only.
Transition to High School
Catholic School Parents Australia has developed a toolkit, ‘Gearing Up for Parent Engagement in Student Learning’, to assist families and schools to help make the transition into Primary and Secondary school a great experience for children and young people. The toolkit includes a module on transitions, Nurturing Your Child Through Transition, for Primary and Secondary students. These modules provide practical and concrete advice to assist students and parents to navigate the anxiety that can sometimes happen with change.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Next week you will receive information about Parent-Teacher Interviews that will be held after students receive their Semester 2 School Reports. Please keep an eye out for this information through Compass Parent Portal.
God Bless
The Writing Revolution
This time of the year is always an interesting and exciting time of the year. As teachers and leaders, we are moving towards wrapping up for the year and at the same time discussing what next year will look like.
One of the exciting initiatives some of the teachers at St John's will be implementing next year is The Writing Revolution (TWR). TWR provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focussing on specific techniques that match their needs by providing them with targeted feedback.
The method does more than improve writing skills. It also helps:
- Boost reading comprehension
- Improve organisational and study skills
- Enhance speaking abilities
- Develop analytical capabilities
The TWR method takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.
The Writing Revolution fits seamlessly with Daily 5, our systematic synthetic phonics programs and all of the learning we have had this year in High Impact Teaching Practices and The Science of Learning.
Community Council Hamper Raffle - Tickets now available in the front office
We now have tickets avaiable in the front office, as well as the Qkr app under Community Council Events/Fundraising.
The Hamper Raffle will be drawn on Thursday 9th December (Week 10).
If you can't make a decision on which hamper to choose, then the "All Hampers" ticket is the one for you. Purchase one ticket for $10 and you will get one ticket in each hamper.
The price of tickets are as follows:
1 ticket = $2
3 tickets = $5
5 tickets = $7
Rebekah Brown
Assistant Principal and Inclusion Coordinator
Socktober
Last week we celebrated Socktober…even though it was already November ….well Sock-ember doesn't have quite the same ring!
We raised almost $300 for Catholic Mission.Funds raised
A total of $117, 186 was raised in total across the country.
Catholic Mission are focussing on supporting people in Thailand this year. By focusing on the three aspects of Head, Heart and Hands students can make connections to their own lives and to scripture. Then they can see how the work done to support some of the most vulnerable people in our world helps us all to be on earth the heart of God.
You can read more here!
https://www.socktober.org.au/about
Students had great fun guessing the socks of different teachers.
5M and 6B were amazing and guessed all of the correct ones. They all had an icy pole as a prize on Thursday.
Some of the entries included Mr O'Neill's penguin socks and Ms Collins' Dr Suess socks.
Matthew 25:37 - 40
37 Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40 And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
God bless,
Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator
Notices from the Parish
Happy birthday to Mau'lupe M, Penelope P, Aluel A, Amelia N, Pia G, Daniel K and Lila W who all celebrated a birthday over the last 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.
Turn your anger around without yelling
We’ve all had those days. You know the ones… the days where your child has refused to get ready for school, thrown food at their brother and is in a right mood. Your teenager slams the door when you ask them to clean up their bedroom. You ask and ask again. And again. And the kids just won’t listen. That, or if they listen, they won’t do as they’re told!
When days like this happen – and they do – you can get so angry that you lash out only to regret your actions later on. With smacking now widely regarded as less acceptable, the lashing out often takes the form of yelling. It’s probably fair to say that yelling is the new smacking.
Yelling is harmful
Researchers believe that yelling at kids can be just as bad as smacking. Yelling has also been linked to lower self-esteem in children and young people. Children who are raised in a home where yelling is common have a higher risk of developing psychological issues. When parents use yelling as a discipline measure, kids have an increased risk of developing behavioural problems, anxiety, stress and depression.
Understand, don’t reprimand
When your kids are really getting under your skin, instead of getting furious, be curious. You need to connect before you correct. Children don’t wake up in the morning and think, ‘How can I make life horrible for my parents?’ They might be having a hard time. Work out what needs aren’t being met and help meet them.
Use humour
Humour is one of the best ways to take away anger and reduce stress. A good friend of mine was teaching his daughter to drive. The whole family was in the car while the daughter was driving when she missed a corner and ended up crashing into a petrol station sign. My friend looked at his daughter and at his family and said, “Well, while we’re here, does anyone need to use the bathroom?” By using humour, my friend released the tension in the situation. Then they could calmly talk about what had happened and how to resolve it. What a wonderful way to turn away from anger!
Stay calm and kind
Self-talk is now recognised as a great way to regulate your emotions and change your behaviour. When you’re starting to get upset there’s a mantra that you can use: ‘I’m going to be calm and kind.’ When you repeat this phrase, it reminds you of what you want, and helps you to better regulate your own emotions. Calmness is something of a superpower that can have have such a positive impact on those around you.
Create psychological distance
All parents seem to have just a bit more patience with someone else’s child or young person. Pretend that you’re ‘a favourite aunt who rarely never gets cranky at the kids. She always finds a way to be kind, even with the challenging child or teenager. If that doesn’t work for you, pretend your child is a neighbour’s kid!
In closing
Yelling turns children and young people away. Speak softly. Speaking softly forces them to listen closely, and it make everyone feel better.
Most parents hate yelling (as do their kids). When you are calm and kind, and look to understand, not reprimand, you will be able to keep anger and yelling out of your home. That’s better for your kids and for you.
Dr Justin Coulson
Dr Justin Coulson helps families be happier. His Goalcast and TEDx positive parenting videos have been viewed by more than 100 million people. He is the author of 6 books about creating flourishing families and raising resilient children. Justin and his wife, Kylie, are the parents of 6 daughters. Find the Dr Justin Coulson’s Happy Families podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For further details visit www.happyfamilies.com.au
The Uniform Shop will be open on Friday 26 November 9-10am. Parents are able to attend in person. Please make sure you check-in using the CBR Check-in QR code, wear a face mask and abide by all social distancing requirements set by ACT Health.
If you have any questions or concerns please email the uniform shop on stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com.
Family Photo Fundraiser – Friday 19 Nov & Saturday 20 Nov
Bookings are now available for this years fantastic family photo fundraiser.
For only $20 you get a professional family photo shoot with multiple shots plus a A4 sized (10″ x 13″) professional family photo. You also have the option to buy more however there is absolutely no obligation to buy. (Payment through QKR is available now).
Sessions will be outside this year at the Lake Ginninderra Western Foreshore to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
To make it easier on families we have made bookings available across three days:
Fri 19 Nov 4-7pm and
Sat 20 Nov 3-7pm.
Places will fill fast so BOOK NOW by going to https://sjapsfundraising.com/family-photo-fundraiser-1-nov/
If you have any questions please email our Fundraising coordinator Belinda at Belinda.duke@hotmail.com.au
