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- Recent Calendar Updates
- School Focus and Positive Behaviour
- Principal's Corner
- Teaching, Learning and Inclusion
- Catholic Life and Reflection
- Happy Birthday
- Collection Notice for Parents
- Library News
- Finance News
- 2023 Fete News
- Entertainment Book
- Happy Families
- OSHClub
- Young Engineers at St Johns
- Community Notices
Please go to our school calendar on the website or COMPASS for more details.
Term 1
- Community Council Meeting (Week 3)
- Hockey Clinic (Yrs 1-3) (Week 3)
- Sacrament of Penance (Week 7)
- AFL Giants Visit (Week 4)
Term 2
- School Cross Country (Week 2)
- Belconnen Region Cross Country (Week 5)
- St Johns Athletic Carnival (Week 6)
Term 3
- Belconnen Athletics Carnival (Week 5)
Dear St John the Apostle community,
We're looking forward to seeing everybody this evening at our 2023 School Fete.
Thank you to our wonderful group of parents who have been organising the fete, led by Katie Matthews (mum of Austin in Year 2 and Evie in Year 4). Thank you to all of our fabulous stall conveners and those who have volunteered to assist on a stall. Thank you to our SFX students who volunteered. Whatever your contribution, thank you, it has all been helpful.
The funds raised by our school fete will support the development of our outdoor learning environment. This evening you'll be able to come and see it all in action and play on the newly released senior playground!
Community Council 2023
Are you interested in being part of our Community Council in 2023? It's a fantastic group who help to build our community and shape the direction of our school.
Next Wednesday 15 February at 6.30pm we will hold our Community Council AGM in the school library. It is an open meeting and all community members and friends are welcome to attend. The executive positions will be open for re-election.
The Community Council is an excellent way to be involved and connected to what is happening in the school. We meet on a Wednesday evening twice each term. If you are interested and would like to know more you can read about our Community Council on our school website or talk to one of the Community Council members listed there. You are also welcome to reach out to me and I will happily answer any questions or connect you with a current Community Council member to speak with.
To help us plan for the meeting could you please complete the following brief on-line form to register your attendance and interest. The form does not commit anyone to a role on the Community Council. It is an expression of interest and I will be in contact with those registering to answer any questions.
See you all this evening.
Matthew Garton
Principal
Teaching, Learning and Inclusion
NAPLAN
Year 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN between 15 March to 27 March. We will communicate the exact days and schedule of tests in the next couple of weeks.
What is NAPLAN?
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, and is the only nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake.
It’s a measure to see whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.
If you would like your child to be withdrawn from NAPLAN testing or have any concerns about your child's participation, please contact me as soon as possible at rebekah.brown@cg.catholic.edu.au
There is a public demonstration site that can be accessed by students and their parents. The demonstration site has tests which can be used by students to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and related functionalities available in the online NAPLAN assessment. You can access the public demonstration site at the following link:
Rebekah Brown
Assistant Principal and Inclusion Coordinator
What students are learning about
In Year 4 this week we have been learning how to find scripture in the bible. Every time I teach this lesson the students are always highly engaged. They love working out where to find things and are often surprised at how many stories they know.
Learning how to read the bible is an important skill. I see it as an essential part of the Catalyst goal “Every child is competent reader.”
Monday night was the parent formation night for Penance. I always enjoy meeting a new group of parents who are continuing the sacramental journey with their children. Marian England prepares so carefully for these sessions. Each time I walk away with a new insight into my own faith.
She began with the baptism of Jesus by John in the river Jordan. Matthew 3:13-17 is a beautiful scripture that I have read many times before.
What really moved me was that this was the beginning of his ministry. Before this he was a good Jewish man, living his life as instructed by the law. After his baptism he understood who he was and the mission that God had planned.
After this experience he went into the desert for 40 days to discern what had happened and what to do next. I had never really thought about that before. He had an encounter with God that changed him. He knew, with clarity, what was being asked of him. He just had to work out how.
There are desert times in all our lives. How? How do we manage our new work schedule? How do I get my teenager out of bed on time? How do I sustain myself in this busy life?
Some desert times are small, others require more thought. Knowing that Jesus in all his humanness experienced times of worry, temptation and doubt is a comforting thought. He listened and trusted in His heavenly Father.
This week try to find some time to listen to what God is asking of you.
Psalm 46:10
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
God bless,
Stephanie Stewart
Religous Education Coordinator
Thank you from Vinnies
'Our conference had a wonderful response to our Christmas appeal and we were able to deliver 55 hampers to families and gifts to 64 children in the community.
We are always grateful for the food donations St Johns Primary School generously provides towards the parish hampers each year.
Once again please pass on our thanks to the students and staff of St John's Primary for all their support. We know for a fact that those 55 families are all very grateful for this little extra joy and happiness that the wider community shows to them at this time of the year.'
Notices from the Parish
Happy birthday to Emilio V, Kiranjot K and Rylan R who celebrated a birthday over the last fortnight
For Library Lover’s Day last week, Ms Alcock tasked the students with writing down their favourite books and series onto a coloured leaf to add to the ‘Book Lover’s tree’. From Dog Man to Pig the Pug to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it’s been great to see the wide variety of stories that are well-loved by the students at St John’s.
Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge
St John’s is excited to be entering the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge again this year. Students in Kindergarten, Year 1 and 2 will be completing the challenge during library lessons. Students in Year 3 will keep a paper list in their classroom, and students in Years 4 to 6 will have their reading records available on Google Classroom from next week. The challenge is to read 30 books before Friday 11th August. Once completed, students need to inform Ms Alcock.
Is your child looking for a new online read?
The Sora eBook and Audiobook service is available, at no charge, for access by students and staff.
Sora may be accessed on any Tablet, laptop, mobile phone, desktop computer, or loaded onto eReaders for offline. https://soraapp.com/welcome
HOW TO USE: SORA You can visit https://soraapp.com in your web browser or download the free Sora App from the Apple and Google Play stores on a mobile device. When asked to search for a library, click search by ‘Name’, not location, and then search for ‘ACEN’. Once you have selected ‘ACEN’ you can then browse and borrow any books of your choice.Happy reading!
Emma Alcock (Teacher Librarian), Kelly Levi (Library Assistant/LSA) and Laura Monaghan (Library Assistant/LSA)Fee Statements
Fee statements were emailed out on Tuesday. If you did not receive one please contact Debbie Milne (finance 0fficer) via email finance.sjaps@cg.catholic.edu.au
Fees are due Friday 3rd March unless you are paying by direct debit.
Chromebooks
An error has been made when invoicing Chromebooks for Year 5 this term.
Chromebooks should have been invoiced at $57.00 but were inadvertently invoiced for $53.00.
The school will wear the cost of the short fall for this term but please be advised that term 2 and subsequent terms, the cost will revert to $57.00.
Chromebook payments for Year 6 are to be paid, $53.00, on QKR by Week 5 of term – Friday 3rd March
Chromebooks for Year 4 & Year 5 have been added to your school fee invoice. You will just need to factor in the extra $57.00 for Year 5 & $53.00 for Year 4 when setting up a direct debit.
Payment must be received or the students will not be able to take their device home from school.
Year 6 Camp Payments
Year 6 camp payments are to be made on QKR.
Payments can be made in full or in instalments.
Camp must be paid in full by the end of term 2 2023, Friday 30th June.
If you have any queries regarding your fees or payments please email Debbie Milne finance.sjaps@cg.catholic.edu.au
Fete 2023 - Friday 10 February 4pm-8pm
Fete Performances
At the Fete (next Friday 4-8pm), students from across our school will have an opportunity to perform. Please see below the time each year level and Choir will be performing and the costume they can wear for their performance. We will call up each year level prior to their performance on the day.
Time |
Year |
Item |
Costume |
5:00pm |
3-6 |
Choir |
Own clothes |
5:10 pm |
1 |
Mexican Hat Dance |
Mexican hats, ponchos, bright coloured clothes |
5:15 pm |
2 |
Mexican Hat Dance |
Mexican hats, ponchos, bright coloured clothes |
5:25 pm |
3 |
Heel Toe Polka |
Colonial style dresses, shirts, pants |
5:35 pm |
4 |
Heel Toe Polka |
Colonial style dresses, shirts, pants, hats |
5:45 pm |
5 |
Hava Nagila |
Black vests, black pants, black shorts, black skirts, white shirts |
5:55pm |
6 |
Zorba The Greek Dance |
White; shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, blue scarves for sashes. |
TO ORDER GO TO https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/2323z3
Starting the year right
If you’re like most parents, you really wanted to start things off well, but it’s been a little rocky. Getting back into a routine, being on time, sorting out school lunches… it’s a bit tricky. Best laid plans haven’t quite been as smooth as you might have liked. To dial in your morning and evening routines, I’m going to suggest a few principles to help.
1. Get clear on what ‘getting it right’ actually means.
You might know what you want the morning to look like. But is it clear to you? Can you write it down? Can you put it on the fridge? Can you explain it to your kids and help them to buy into why it matters? Clearly explaining what you want and why is going to be a critical first step.
2. Set up a system.
Author, James Clear, says that “you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” So what does your system look like for making things happen? Can you create a system that will facilitate a smooth morning for every member of the family?
3. Workshop it.
Setting up a system when you’re a parent is pretty easy. But bringing the family along can be trickier. By having a meeting and developing the system with input from your kids, you get to be clear, establish the system, and create buy-in. Ask your children to make suggestions and design the morning based on their ideas. Fashion it with your expert knowledge. And watch the results improve because your children have been part of it. Involvement is a central success pillar when it comes to developing a system that works in any family.
4. Curate competence.
The real secret to successful routines is helping the kids become self-sufficient. It takes time, but teaching them to toast their bread or crumpets, fry or scramble some egg, or organise their cereal or yogurt, or even blend a smoothie means that there is less friction with your routine. They feel good about doing what needs to be done because they know how to do it. And while it’s slow at first, it becomes wonderfully efficient over time.
5. Support autonomy.
Kids love to have choices. They appreciate being able to make their own decisions. Support them in that while ensuring they know what the guidelines and boundaries are for making things happen well.
Here are the golden rules of a magic morning (from a dad of six who has talked with thousands of parents about getting this right):
- Your morning begins the night before. Get the prep done for tomorrow at bedtime so uniforms are ready, bags are packed, and library books or sports gear is sorted.
- Create margin by waking up a little early, and getting the kids up (gently) a little early too. Room to breathe makes everything work better.
- Create the structure so everyone knows what needs to be done.
- Keep the kids accountable in a supportive way.
In spite of your best efforts, things will go pear-shaped now and then. When this happens, stay calm (remember: emotions are contagious), don’t sweat the small stuff, be flexible for the morning… but get it back on track the next day by having a calm conversation in the evening, reinforcing the system, and working together on making it work.
Whether it’s magic mornings or excellent evenings, the process is the same. Work as a team, and watch the magic happen… at least sometimes.
AUTHOR
Dr Justin Coulson
Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters. He is the parenting expert and co-host of Channel 9’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families podcast. He has written 6 books about families and parenting. For further details visit www.happyfamilies.com.au.
Young Engineers Program
https://canberra.young-engineers.com.au/registration/
Please use the above link take you to our registrations page and look for your school to book.