Dear St John's families,

Welcome back to Term 4. It was a delight to see all of the students and staff on Monday. As they put on their summer uniform again it can often bring home just how much they have grown since they last wore it.

Thank you to our Uniform Shop parent volunteers Belinda, Michael and Wanda who opened up for families in preparation for Term 4 and have also been ordering and organising stock in preparation for 2023. I know that so many of us appreciate the amazing work they do supporting families in our school.

Congratulations Ms Brown

It's with pleasure that I inform the community that Ms Rebekah Brown recently underwent a very successful Contract Review & Renewal process as Assistant Principal at St John the Apostle and was re-appointed to the position for a further four years.

Rebekah is an outstanding leader in our school. Students, staff and parents easily and clearly describe the positive impact she has had on their time at St John the Apostle. Rebekah is a coach, mentor, listener, supporter, planner, doer and all with great care and compassion for everyone she works with.

I would like to thank Rebekah for her exceptional contribution to our school community and I look forward to many great years ahead as we continue to shape our school to be on earth the heart of God.

New carpets

The last of our classrooms in the main building were re-carpeted over the school holidays. Now every child's classroom has new carpet that is clean and fresh and that is specially designed to be sound absorbing. Quite a number of our students experience high sensitivity to noise and the carpet helps to dull that sound just a little for them. It's just one of the many small ways we try to create an inclusive school environment for our students.

Playground update

It's all happening as far as our playground is concerned. The new playground equipment is currently in production and we're expecting installation late October or early November. We tried to begin removal of the old equipment during the school holidays but the amount of rain has caused the trucks to get bogged on the ovals. We hope, after less rain and a few dry days, to undertake this as soon as possible.

Next week we will go to tender for developing the remainder of the playground areas between the OSHClub building and along the back of the school through to the senior playground. The junior oval is remaining. We will introduce a new sandpit, natural play spaces that includes a balancing course and a few towers for students to play in under the gum trees. We are also creating a dry creek bed and paths for exploration. I look forward to sharing the plans with you shortly. Once the tender process is complete we will know when this development work will take place. We hope that it will begin during the Christmas school holidays.

In Rebekah Brown's column below she will outline some of the coming fundraising activities occurring. All our fundraising work will contribute to the playground development project for students.

Parent Forum

On Wednesday 26 October our Community Council will host an open forum with guest presenter Ian Luscombe. Ian is a positive behaviour consultant we work closely with to assist us in supporting positive school wide behaviour here at St John the Apostle. On that evening we will also have wine, cheese, tea, coffee and the opportunity to chat with a few other parents. Please look out for information in Monday on how to register for the evening.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend.

Matthew Garton

Principal

Transition Survey 2022-2023

This year, we have put together a survey to help the smooth transition of students across our school from their current year level to their 2023 year level. The survey includes some questions that would give us information we thought important for each child's 2023 teacher to know.

Included in the survey are three questions to get to know your child's strengths, interests and learning habits and one question for you to express your wishes for you child's education next year. We would love as many parents or carers to complete this survey as possible.

This is just one part of our thorough transition process. We will provide details about other transition opportunities as the term advances. 

Please find the transition survey as a Google Form at the following link:

Christmas Raffle

Yesterday, each family (via the eldest sibling) should have received one booklet of 10 raffle tickets to sell to neighbours, friends or broader family. Each ticket costs $2. Tickets can be paid with either cash or on the QKR app. If the raffle tickets are purchased on QKR, please ensure that you enter the child's name and the numbers on the raffle ticket booklet. At the end of the year all raffle tickets must be reutrned to the school so we can account for them. The prizes are below:

1st Prize: $1,000

2nd Prize: $500

3rd Prize: $250 

All funds that we raise will go directly to the upgrade of our outdoor learning space. 

The raffle will be drawn at our end of year Christmas Carols and Picnic on Tuesday 6th December. 

All raffle ticket booklets (sold or not) need to be returned to the Front Office by Friday 2nd December (Week 8). 

If at any time you would like more raffle tickets to sell, please either email me or come to the front office to collect more. 

Thank you in advance for your continued support. 

Year 6 NAP ICT Literacy Sample Assessment

On Monday 17th October, a group of 20 randomly selected students from Year 6 will participate in an ICT Literacy sample assessment which is an assessment within the National Assessment Program. Over October and November 2022, samples of Year 6 and Year 10 students in all Australian states and territories will participate in the ICT Literacy (NAP–ICT Literacy) sample assessment.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is responsible for developing and overseeing the National Assessment Program. ACARA’s contractor, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is responsible for developing the assessment and administering it in all participating schools. The NAP–ICT Literacy assessment measures and reports on the ability of students to use ICT appropriately and safely to access, manage and evaluate information; develop new understandings; apply computational, design and systems thinking to create solutions; communicate and collaborate with others; and engage productively with emerging and future technologies.

If your child is in Year 6 and you would not like your child to participate in this assessment, please contact me over the weekend.

2023 Fete

The Community Council is beginning to prepare for the 2023 Fete. We are currently looking for some volunteers to run the Plant Stall. This role would include growing or acquiring plants for the Plant Stall and running the Plant Stall on the day of the Fete. Please contact me if you would be interested in running the Plant Stall.

We are also starting to collect second hand books for the book store and clean plastic or glass jars for the Tombola store. If you have any of these items at home please feel free to drop them into the Front Office.

Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival - Cancelled

Due to the excessive rain the organisers of the Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival have decided to cancel the carnival for 2022. They are unable to prepare the fields to an acceptable level that will ensure the safety of the participants.

Happy birthday to Charlotte S, Andrew S, Yusha A, Marian L, Tessa V, Edith B, Ziva Z, Kiri F, Rylee T, Lachlan F, Annika N, April M, Saba K, Kelvin N, Ella W and Maxwell W who all celebrated a birthday over the last three weeks.

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 will receive an award for the fortnightly Positive Behaviour Focus. 

Year 5 & Year 6 Camp Payments

A reminder that camp payments are now past due and prompt payment would be appreciated.

Amount due is $210.00 per camp.

Payments can be made via QKR, over the phone at the front office, cash or direct debit with the reference Camp Year 5 or Camp Year 6.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

School Fees

Term 4 School fees were emailed out yesterday, Thursday, if you did not receive your statement please contact Debbie Milne via email: finance.sjaps@cg.catholic.edu.au

If you wish to discuss your fee statement please contact our finance officer via email or phone the school.

Fees are to be paid in full by Friday 11^th November, unless paying by direct debit. If paying by direct debit please ensure your fees are paid in full by the end of the school year.

As the school year draws to a close we would ask that all families look at their school fees and ensure that they are paid in full by the end of the school year.

The school has financial commitments to meet and prompt payment of school fees enables us to meet our commitments.

If you need to discuss your school fees please contact Debbie Milne (Finance Officer) either via email finance.sjaps@cg.catholic.edu.au or phone the school on 6258 3592.

If you do not reach out to us we are unable to understand your circumstances in regards to fees.

If you are leaving St John’s at the end of the year please ensure your fees are paid in full.

The signature/s that appears on the enrolment form is the person who is legally responsible for the payment of fees. This is the person/s that we will be seeking payment from.

If the student is leaving the school and the fees are not paid in full, we request that you contact our finance officer to discuss an arrangement for payment of fees.

Hair with Heart

One of our very courageous Year 3 students, Josie, has decided to make a difference by cutting and donating her hair so it can be made into a wig for someone who has lost their hair due to a medical condition. She will be chopping off around 35.5cm in around early November. 

Wigs cost families up to $6,000, lasting 1-2 years, meaning families can spend tens of thousands of dollars on the purchase of wigs throughout a child's youth. By making a donation to Variety, the Children's Charity, you can help provide a wig or other vital equipment to a child in need. 

If you would like to support Josie to raise her goal of $5,000, you can donate here. 

Now is the time to get your online entertainment book app that you can load onto multiple devices.

Plus this month you could win $10,000 cash. Twenty winners will each receive a $1,000 eGift card, and one will receive $10,000 in cash.  

Between now and October 31, 2022, every fundraising supporter who purchases a 12-month or 24-month membership will automatically be entered into a drawing for a chance to win up to $30,000 in cash and gifts.

Your closest mate for joy is entertainment, and there are always great deals on all of your favourite things to purchase, eat, and enjoy. When you buy any Single City Membership, you'll get a free Multi City upgrade*, allowing you to explore even more. 

Plus they’re offering a bonus upgrade!

Please note that The Uniform Shop will be open on the following days:

Friday 21 October 8:30am-9:30am

Hats can be purchased at the Front Office but must be paid for via QKR or by cash only.

Parents are able to attend in person. 

If you have any questions or concerns please email the uniform shop on stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com.