Dear St John's families,

Thank you to all who visited their children for Learning Journeys this week. It was nice to speak to families as they strolled through the school and hear students proudly share their learning. I hope everyone enjoyed the colourful displays by our Visual Arts teacher, Ms Veronica Ellis. Thank you also to the teachers and students for preparing for this time of sharing.

End of Year Family Picnic

Last year we held a family picnic at school for our end of year celebrations. Year levels performed a variety of Christmas songs for everyone and families could sit around on rugs and chairs enjoying the performances and eating together.

We had such good feedback about this that we've booked in to do it again! We invite all of our families to come together once again on Thursday 7th December to celebrate the year that was. The Community Council are also planning to help make it a special night. Please hold the date and we'll give you more information early in the term.

Talent Quest

I'm really looking forward to the Talent Quest next Friday, our last day of term. I love learning something new about our students. It's also just a lot of fun. It reminds me of my own children, in their much younger years, and their lounge room performances for my wife and I. We had to develop two rules for them. Firstly, it had to be rehearsed, and secondly, it had to have a finale. This way they didn't just keep going on and on to a captive audience.

Sharing Best Practice

Last Saturday some of our staff attended a conference called Sharing Best Practice. Educators from across the ACT and NSW came together to share their experiences and successes in implementing high impact teaching practice. It was affirming to hear schools doing a lot of what we have already implemented, and gave us great enthusiasm to continue on the journey of creating the best possible learning opportunities for our students.

Thank you for your partnership.

Matthew Garton

Principal

The Writing Revolution

Over the past year and a half, we have been implementing The Writing Revolution. We continue to work with COGLearn coaches who will be coming to our school on Tuesday to help us refine our teaching of The Writing Revolution.

What is the Writing Revolution?

The Writing Revolution is an innovative approach to teaching writing that has gained recognition for its effectiveness in schools around the world. It focuses on equipping students with the essential skills they need to become confident and proficient writers, capable of expressing their thoughts and ideas clearly and persuasively.

Why the Writing Revolution Matters

Effective writing is a crucial skill for success in school and beyond. Whether it's expressing ideas in essays, crafting compelling narratives, or simply conveying thoughts clearly in any situation, strong writing skills are a valuable asset. The Writing Revolution helps our students build these skills systematically and comprehensively.

Key Benefits of the Writing Revolution:

Improved Writing Proficiency: Students who undergo the Writing Revolution program consistently demonstrate significant improvements in their writing abilities.

Increased Confidence: As students gain mastery over writing techniques, they become more confident communicators in all aspects of their education.

Alignment with Curriculum Standards: The Writing Revolution aligns with the Australian Curriculum.

Preparation for Future Success: Strong writing skills are essential for high school and career readiness. The Writing Revolution equips our students for future academic and professional endeavours.

Rebekah Brown

What Students Are Learning About

Last week, 3B had their class mass with Fr Chung. Next week will be 3M’s turn. The scripture that has been selected continues to support Year Three’s learning about Eucharist, “I am the bread of life” John 6:35.  This follows on from their recent reflection time with St Francis Xavier College students.  Experiencing the Mass helps them to deepen their understanding of the importance of celebrating the Eucharist and why it is central to our faith.

Thank you to the Year Three teachers for writing such a beautiful liturgy and preparing the children.

What Staff Are Learning About

I was lucky enough to go on retreat with other Religious Education Coordinators on Monday and Tuesday.  We spent the time reflecting on “Mercy”.  In the evening we had Eucharistic Adoration and Mass.  I was able to spend the time in silence with ease.  Drinking in the peace and prayer with other Religious Educations Coordinators.

Pope Francis has encouraged people to reacquaint themselves with Eucharistic Adoration:

During his Aug. 2 homily at the Jerónimos Monastery Pope Francis said “I would like to ask a question here, but each one should answer it interiorly. How do I pray? Like a parrot — blah blah blah blah blah? Or taking a nap in front of the tabernacle because I don’t know how to talk to the Lord? How do I pray? Only in adoration, only before the Lord, can the taste and passion for evangelisation be recovered,” 

You might like to read more about what the Pope has said in this article.

Catholic Life and Reflection

Visiting St Clements Retreat House in Galong is a treasured experience. It is the place of encounter with Christ. I didn’t understand what that was until I started going on retreats there in my early Religious Education Coordinator days. 

Time, light, faith and relationships have an unusual clarity to them as soon as you cross the cattle grate into Galong. Your breath deepens and slows, your heart beats rich and full and your mind and spirit can catch up with the rest of you.

This time as I drove down Burley Griffin Way I was hoping, not being a country girl at all, that the canola would be out.  My heart lifted as I rounded a corner and saw fields of gold stretching out against the blue sky. 

The more I experience “places” like this the more I feel like I have a glimpse into First Nations connection to country.  Just setting foot on this piece of land makes me feel more …centered (the best word I can think of but not quite enough).

I hope in the coming weeks, as the weather improves, you find some time to retreat to your “place”. The place that brings the breath of life back into your soul.  God is there waiting for you.  

Ruach (pronounced roo-akh) is the Hebrew word for spirit, breath, or wind. When spoken, the word engages one’s breath and lungs. The first mention of Ruach in the Bible is in the very first chapter of Genesis – Genesis 1:2

And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit (Ruach) of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

God bless,

Stephanie Stewart

Happy birthday to Ebube I, Agamjot S, Jampel D, Adrienne M, Miranda T and Jacob H who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.

At St John the Apostle we teach a number of programs that focus on mastering particular knowledge and skills in literacy and numeracy. Students are taught based on their individual, current level of mastery. Two of the programs we teach are Spelling Mastery and Rocket Maths. We regularly collect data from students in both of these programs so we can track that they are having continous progress. Students work hard to achieve mastery in these programs, so we have decided to celebrate the students who show mastery in these programs by giving them awards.

Students will receive Spelling Mastery Awards once they reach mastery three times at their Spelling Mastery level. For some students this is 10/10 and for others it is 25/25. For Kindergarten students will receive Spelling Mastery Awards when they receive 10/10 for each unit they complete in Sounds~Write.

Students will receive Maths Mastery Awards each time they beat their Rocket Math Two Minute Goal.

Week 8 Spelling Mastery Awards

During Friday morning assembly in Week 8 (1 December), the following students will receive Spelling Mastery Awards:

Week 8 Maths Mastery Awards

During Friday morning assembly in Week 8 (1 December), the following students will receive Maths Mastery Awards:

The Uniform Shop Opening Hours

Friday 22 September - 8.30-9.30
Friday 6 October - 8.30-9.30 (School Holidays)
Monday 9 October - 8.30-9.30am

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

SJAPS Talent Quest 2023 

Students have the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents in the 2023 SJAPS Talent Quest which will be held on

Friday 22 September at 12.20pm in the hall.

If your child is interested in performing we are asking you to have a conversation with your child about the types of acts they may perform on stage (individual or group) to help them with ideas. 

Teachers will organise a suitable day and time to hold year group auditions for the talent quest (probably Monday or Tuesday of week 10). Teachers will send me the names of the chosen acts by Wednesday week 10. I will let parents know if your child is performing so you have the opportunity to come and watch. 

Transport Canberra has announced today that a new bus timetable will be implemented from Monday 9 October to align with the start of the school Term 4. 

The timetable features more frequent weekday bus services, most of which will run at least every 30 minutes throughout the day.

A return to 30 minute daytime frequencies will ensure improved off-peak services can be provided between 9.30am and 3.30pm, while maintaining reliability. The increased frequency has resulted in changes to the first and last service times for some bus routes.

Some refinements have also been made to 14 school services based on school and community feedback, and to align with updated school bell times.

The new timetable does not include changes to weekend bus services and there are no changes to light rail frequency.

School packs and timetables

Updated school packs and timetables are now available online to view and download.

Further information on the new bus timetable can be found on the Transport Canberra website.

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