Dear St John's families,

This week could be described as the quiet before the storm! We had less on and more opportunity to just be with our students in our classrooms. It was quite peaceful.

Farewell Mrs Milne

Debbie Milne, our Finance Officer, will retire at the end of this year. Debbie has been at our school since her own children went here many years ago. Beginning as an active parent, Debbie went on to play many roles from Canteen Manager, to Front Office Manager and now Finance Officer. Debbie has always been a kind and generous listener to everyone in our community, provided wise advice for parents and staff alike and been thoroughly organised and . Debbie will be sorely missed in our school. Our school is much richer for her having been a member of our community and I know you join me in wishing her every blessing as she spends more time with her family. 

End of Year Behaviour - Finishing Strong

This time of year can be challenging for everyone. As you get closer to the end of the year in your workplace there can be increasing demands to get things done before Christmas. Schools, child care centres, sports teams and friends all want to do end of year activities. Families start thinking about presents, travel, what Christmas Day will look like. The weather gets hotter, daylight savings kicks in, sleep becomes more disrupted. It takes a great deal of teamwork and organisation in the family home to keep up with everything.

Before we know it we are feeling tired, a little overwhelmed and family relationships become a little more frayed. 

This can happen in classrooms as well. It can be particularly challenging with classes full of young children who don't understand why they are feeling tired or emotional.

Over this term we have experienced an increasing amount of relational issues between students, particularly in our older year levels. In the younger year levels there can be less and less resilience and stamina and little disagreements occur. Sometimes the small things that friends don't usually get upset about become bigger than necessary.

We want to ensure that every child finishes the year really positively. We're being very proactive in making sure students:

• have a few extra breaks to maintain their stamina
• drink plenty of water
• are encouraged to seek timely assistance with any friendship issues that need resolving
• are recognised for positive behaviours and contributions to the community
• are encouraged on a daily basis with the expectations for positive behaviour at St John the Apostle

You can help your child finish the school year positively by:

• providing them with some down time (not on a screen, instead just doing simple and quiet activities outside or somewhere quiet at home)
• ensuring they have a good breakfast
• ensuring they experience some very good sleep
• acknowledging how they are feeling and then co-regulating with them, teaching them to recognise and manage their own feelings in a constructive way
• contacting your child's teacher to clarify any interesting stories that your child may come home with

A few important dates are coming up. Please look to our school calendar to know what is happening. 

I look forward to seeing everyone very soon!

Matthew Garton

Principal

Colour Run

1. The whole school - we raised a grand total of $9,839.90.
2. Two Maroon - they raised the most money as a class with a total of $995. They will receive a movie session and pizza lunch on Tuesday 12 December from 11.30-1.30pm. 
3. Sophia Woods (2M) - raised the most money with a total of $350. She won a Nintendo Switch Lite.
4. Jordi Miller (4M) - raffle ticket was picked out. She won a Nintendo Switch Lite. 

What Students are Learning About

Year 5 went on a fabulous excursion to learn more about how light is used in different world religions.  This included a visit to a mosque, St Christophers Cathedral, and a synagogue at the Jewish Memorial Site.

The use of light as a way of representing faith is universal.

Kindergarten are very busy preparing for their Nativity Play. Father Chung came to visit and they spoke to him about all the characters in the nativity story and why the birth of Jesus is important. They also sang a few nativity songs.

Catholic Life and Reflection

The rubber is hitting the road at the moment. A busy, joy filled (did I mention busy) time of year.  It can be a rollercoaster of emotions and activities. When I have been speaking to parents who have had overwhelmed small humans, I have encouraged them to slow down. It seems counter productive right now to say that.  There is so much to do.  I love the saying “when small children are feeling overwhelmed it is our job to help them calm, not join their chaos.”  Even our “bigger” small humans are craving some quiet time.

Some things I have suggested for 'calm time' together are colouring in, reading together, listening to a podcast, going for a swim or taking the dog for a walk. All simple things but the trick is to do it with them. Help them to ground and reset.  Take time for yourself too and do some too, things to help you regulate and rest.

If you can manage it, pop into Mass. Sit with them, explain what is happening, let them ask questions and show them the value of quiet time with God.

Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God bless you all,

Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator

Happy birthday to Emily S, Aradhana A, Archie A and Cruise M who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.

The Swimming Carnival for St John the Apostle Primary is held in Week 3, Term 1, 2024.

It is for students who will be in Years 2 - 6 next year. All students attend and participate to their level of competency. There will be novelty events for those who are not confident swimmers.

To be prepared for this event, and avoid a rush of alerts and notes for families at the beginning of next year, we ask families to fill out the attached form to indicate the swimming capacity of their child. We also need to know which events students will be swimming in so we can organise the races for the day.

Access the information sent via Compass and complete the 'Additional Questions' section. Please return via Compass by Friday, 1^st December 2023.

Students have finished borrowing for the year so that we can do a stocktake. Stocktaking the library helps us to find missing or damaged books, evaluate the collection, and plan for future purchasing decisions. I will be sending out overdue notes to students during their library lessons. Please let me know if you think the books may have been lost, damaged or returned. 

To keep reading,  ACEN (Australian Catholic Education Network) Sora eBook and audiobook service is available, at no charge, for access by students, staff and parents 24/7 from school, home or any location.  The CE pays the annual subscription to Sora for all schools. 

Sora includes a large collection of eBooks and audio-books for students of all year levels, as well as adults.  The collection includes fiction, as well as non-fiction titles related to Australian curriculum topics. The current collection includes over 10,000 eBooks and audiobooks, including ‘Read-a-long’ books.

Sora may be accessed from any tablet, laptop, mobile phone, desktop computer, or loaded onto eReaders for offline reading.   

Sora APP for iPads  - ACEN library Login Procedures

1. Search and install the Sora APP from the Apple Store or Google Play.
2. You are directed to a screen that will read “Find my School.”
3. Choose “ACEN Member Collection.”
4. Sign into the ACEN Member Collection using the student Network Login details and Password (the Diocese from the dropdown menu will be “Canberra-Goulburn”).
5. The Sora home screen appears with the borrower logged in.  A borrower's Account button is at the top of the screen to see current loans and open books that have been borrowed.

Sora ACEN Website

The ACEN Sora website is located at
https://soraapp.com/welcome/login/202541. You will login using the above steps. 

Site Features

• Favorite titles will be displayed.  Click on a title to borrow it, or use the Search window to find a particular title or author’s books.
• Borrower’s title checkout limits and holds are displayed in your account. Titles are borrowed for 14 days and may be renewed.  Titles disappear following the borrowing period.
• Holds may be put on titles that are currently on loan to other borrowers.
• Titles may be read in the browser, or returned by clicking the Return button.
• After the title is opened on the screen, click at the bottom of the screen near the
• Other Advanced features are available for searching titles/groups of titles.  

Title Access Year Levels

Titles in the Sora collection have been given access year level ratings, so students will only be able to borrow titles rated for their level or below.  Students will see all available titles in Overdrive, but titles not able to be borrowed will be greyed out. Eg.  Year 3 students will not be able to borrow Adult level titles. Title are Juvenile (K-4), Young Adult (years 5-8) and Adult (Year 9 – Adult).

Parental Access to Sora

Parents may access Sora using their child’s computer network login details.  The child’s borrowing limit of 3 titles still applies.

Unfortunately, parents will not be able to borrow titles that are above their child’s access level.  Eg. If the child is a Year 6 student, parents will not be able to borrow Adult level books, only Young Adult or Juvenile level books.

Emma Alcock

Teacher Librarian 

The Uniform Shop Opening Hours

Friday 1 December - 8.30-9.30am

Where do big emotions come from?

Big emotions arise for many reasons. I like the acronym HALTS to help me consider why my child might be emotionally triggered:

H is for Hungry. A is for Angry. L is for Lonely. T is for Tired. And S is for Stressed.

Sometimes our child is one of these. Sometimes our child is all of them. Perhaps they’ve eaten, but their meal was lacking in nutritional value. Maybe they’re angry about something that we think is silly but it matters to them. Perhaps they’re in a room full of people but they feel disconnected and lonely. It could be that last night’s TV show went late, their mind was buzzing, and they haven’t slept. Or maybe school, family life, our explosive moods, or a friendship drama is creating stress in their life.
Spending time reducing the likelihood of these triggers means we experience fewer big emotions at home. But try as you might, you can’t (and shouldn’t) eliminate all stress for your kids. After all, stress creates opportunities for growth.

Regulating big emotions

When those big emotions strike, we must remember that high emotions = low intelligence. Our kids act a bit crazy when emotions are high. And because emotions are contagious, we often catch our children’s crazy, cranky, and chaos and become less intelligent as well. Two or three emotional and unintelligent people in a power struggle never works out well.

Since big emotions happen, here are some simple ways that we can respond to our children when they’re feeling sad, cranky, scared, or stressed.

1. Be Intentional

If you think back to the HALTS acronym, there are a handful of simple and intentional things we can do to reduce the likelihood of emotional blow-ups.
For example, you could:
– Bring a snack for your child to eat while you do the shopping
– Don’t demand that chores be done alone, or right before bed
– Take five minutes for cuddles and connection before moving into the bedtime routine or once they’re in bed
– Consider your timing when you make simple requests of them.

2. Remember that emotions are contagious

When our children are feeling chaotic, there’s two ways we can go. We can catch their cranky and join them in an escalating cycle of chaos. Or we can stay calm. Easier said than done, but realistically we can’t parent anybody if we can’t parent ourselves first. Do your best to hold it together.

3. Don’t try to fix things in the moment

Have you ever been angry, had someone say, “Just calm down!”, and responded “Good point, I needed that logic, I will just calm down.”? Of course not! When emotions are big, don’t try to fix things. Instead…

4. Focus on connection or space

Some kids want a hug when they’re feeling mad. Other kids want space. Most of the time, they want space first, then connection. If it’s possible, move your child to a private area. Say to them, “I can see you’re having a tough time. Do you want a hug or do you want me to give you some space?” They’ll probably tell you to go away. Give them some space, but let them know that you’ll be just around the corner ready to give them a hug when they’re ready. Then once they’re regulated again you can move onto problem solving.

5. Problem solve collaboratively

When things are calm – whether it takes ten minutes or ten hours – sit with your child and ask if you can discuss what happened, and problem-solve so that things go better next time. Then listen. Remember, too, that sometimes these conversations work best when your child is drinking a milkshake or enjoying another treat you picked up for them.

Big emotions in our children aren’t an indication that we’re lousy parents. Every single child and teen on the planet cries, stomps their feet, and pushes their parents away. We need to normalise this as part of being human!

Fortunately for us, our children also have the best laughs, give the biggest snuggles, and say the funniest things. So next time you’re in the midst of a child’s emotional meltdown, take a big breath and remind yourself that on the other side of this big moment is the sweetest thing you can experience with your child – the opportunity for growth.

AUTHOR

Dr Justin Coulson

Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters and grandfather to 1 granddaughter. 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 9 books about families and parenting. For further details visit www.happyfamilies.com.au.

NOTE: All donations can start to be dropped off in the Front Office from now until the Fete.

Our school Fete will be on Friday 15 March 2024 from 4-8pm (Term 1, Week 7). We are already well on our way with preparations. Please see information below about requesting volunteers in the lead up to the Fete and requests for donations. We really rely on our school community working together to ensure the success of our school Fete. 

Store Conveners 

Thank you to all of the parents who have contacted me to help out as store conveners. Please contact Rebekah Brown rebekah.brown@cg.catholic.edu.au if you would like to take on one of these roles or if you have any questions. 

At times, we may need to ask the store convenor to purchase some of the items required for the store. However, this money will be reimbursed as quickly as possible. 

Donations 

The Fete Committee has decided to send out all of the requests for donations for the 2024 Fete at one time so that families don't feel like there are requests every week or two. We rely on our community to donate a couple of items per child. Please see below a list of the items we are requesting. All of these items can be sent to school with your child or delivered to the front office. Thank you in advance for your donations and support. 

Tombola

For the 2024 Fete, we are doing Tombola a little differently. We are asking that a full jar is donated. In the past, we have asked for empty jars and the Store Convenor has filled the jars. The items also don’t need to be in a jar. They could be in a zip lock bag, a plastic container or anything that is enclosed and we can stick a raffle ticket on. 

Items that can be put in the tombolar jars/containers:

• Lollies and chocolates 
• Jar of trinkets - small toys, erasers, stickers, hair accessories, craft supplies, stationary etc.

Hampers

We are asking that each child in each year group, donates one or more items for the below hampers. Each year level has been allocated a theme. Year 6 has not been allocated a theme, as they will no longer be at St John’s in 2024. If Year 6 students would like to donate an item, they can choose any theme. Please see below images of past hampers. 

Kindergarten - Baby hamper (e.g. wraps, clothes, nappies, rattles, baby toys, wipes etc.)

Year 1 - Pet Hamper (eg. pet toys, treats, feeders, bowls etc.)

Year 2 - Kids Toy hamper (e.g. puzzles, fidget toys, board games, balls etc.)

Year 3 - Pamper hamper (eg. bath salts, candles, body products etc.)

Year 4 - Parents hamper (eg. wine, beer, chocolates, nuts etc.)

Year 5 - Home hamper (eg. tools, cleaning products, Bunnings gift card etc.)

Books

We will be having a book stall. We would love donations of books to sell at the Fete. These can be picture books, children and adult novels, recipe books etc.

Lucky Lock

We will be having a Lucky Lock competition again for the 2024 Fete. An esky is filled with wine and beer and locked with a padlock. We sell keys and one key opens the lock. This lucky person wins the esky and its contents. To run this competition, we would love donations of the following:

• Wine, beer etc.
• Old keys that are no longer useful 

Pre-loved Soft Toys

We are asking for clean and in good condition pre-loved soft toys to be donated. 

Thank you so much for all of your support in making out 2024 Fete a success.

Kind regards,

Fete Committee

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: