Dear St John's families,

As I walked around to all of our classes on Tuesday morning, watching all of our teachers and students engaged in Spelling Mastery, I was struck by how settled everyone was and how much I will miss this feeling next year.

Our teachers and students really are quite amazing. They are almost always engaged, working hard and loving being with each other. At the end of each day we assemble together and ask a few students to share 'What went well today?'. Yesterday one student shared how interested they were in their Maths lesson. Another shared how they loved playing with their friend. Another shared about the time they spent with their Kindergarten buddy. A teacher shared the fun they had with their science experiment.

It is a privilege to work in this community every day.

Travelling safely to and from school

In recent months a couple of our students travelling to or from school have had an incident where they have been approached by a stranger from outside the school community. The most recent was this week. In each of these situations the student(s) were supported by others in the community to remain safe.

It is a timely reminder to make sure that if your child rides or walks to or from school they know what they need to do to remain safe in that rare occurance where they meet a stranger.

When encouraging your child to take the active option of walking or riding to school make sure that they:

• know the way to or from school (there might be more than one option).
• know the road rules for that way.
• have previously walked/ridden that pathway with a family member.
• know what to do in an emergency.
• can find your contact details if required.
• know their bike, scooter, phone is in good condition and use any relevant safety equipment, e.g. helmet.

The AFP have produced some excellent videos with tips for children:

Tips for 3-8 year olds

Tips for 9-12 year olds

Ways to get to school

The link below is a printable map for ways children can walk and ride to our school. Created through the ACT Gov Active Schools Program several years ago, it is can be folded up into a small pocket sized map for students to keep in their bag or pocket.

We have an excellent and popular OSHClub who provide warmth and breakfast from 7.00am. You can register your child's participation with them at their website.

NAIDOC Mass

Today I accompanied Ms Wormald and a group of student representatives to the

Archdiocese NAIDOC Mass where schools came together to celebrate and acknowledge the work of those who support cultural awareness and recognise the contribution of students, staff and parents in our schools. Our Year 6 students were wonderful representatives. 

Thank you all for an excellent first week of school. We're looking forward to the next one.

Kind regards,

Matthew Garton

Principal

Enhancing Learning Through Meaningful Conversations at Home

As adults, we often seek feedback to ensure we are on track, performing well, or effectively communicating our messages. Children are no different; they also seek feedback and reassurance from parents, extended family, peers, and teachers. Our teachers are dedicated to providing continuous feedback to students, encouraging them to discuss their learning and explore concepts more deeply.

Just as feedback from teachers is crucial for a student’s academic progress, conversations at home about classroom activities are equally important. Many parents have experienced the typical shoulder shrug, grunt, or “I don’t know” when asking their child about their school day. This is quite common in many households. Sometimes, simply changing the timing or phrasing of your questions can yield better responses. Children are often tired after a full day of being “switched on,” so waiting until dinner time to ask about their day can be more effective.

Dr. Ian Lillico, an international consultant specialising in gender, boys’ education, and middle schooling, suggests that children are more likely to open up when they are sitting or standing beside you, such as in the car or while doing chores like washing dishes. Standing side by side with less eye contact seems to help children relax and talk more freely. Similarly, engaging in physical activities like kicking or throwing a ball can also encourage conversation.

Consider trying some of these conversation starters to get your child talking. Maybe everyone in the family can take turns answering them:

• What made you laugh today?
• What friendly thing did you do today?
• What did you put a lot of effort into today?
• What made you think hard today?
• What tricky thing did you figure out how to do better?
• What helpful thing did you do for someone?
• What problem did you solve today?
• What are you grateful for today?
• How did you recover from something that went wrong today?
• What did you enjoy in the classroom? Outside the classroom?

By engaging in these conversations, you can support your child's learning and development, making their educational journey more connected to their daily life.

Trivia Night - Thursday 8 August

The Community Council will be holding a '90s' themed Trivia Night at The Raiders Club on Thursday 8 August (6.30pm for a 7.00pm start). This is a free event and hot finger food will be provided. We have extended the RSVP until Thursday 1 August. 

Please RSVP at the following link: 
httpss:/stjohnfloreyyschoolzineplusscomm/form/80

There are two options available when you RSVP:

• Option 1 - You would like to be included on a table organised on behalf of the Community Council. 
• Option 2 - You wish to organise a table and nominate 8-10 people to be on the table. Please list the names of all people to be added to the table.

Please note this is an ADULT ONLY event. 

The Community Council would love to see you there. 

Rebekah Brown

What Students are Learning About

This week Year 3 presented an assembly about The Eucharist. They read the scripture from the Last Supper and reflected on questions they had.

Some wondering by the students included:

Jigme: I wonder how Jesus felt, knowing that it was his last supper?

Tom: When we reflect on this scripture, it’s important to remember that Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed by one of his friends. Jesus still fed his friend. I’m not sure if I would be able to do that, knowing my friend was being mean to me… but still treating them with kindness and respect. 

Well done Year 3!

What Teachers are Learning About

The start of a new term means teachers engage in new scripture and content. It is always an interesting time. For those teachers who are part of the Catholic Education RE professional learning community their hard work in planning together last term is being used with their classes this term. A few more of our teachers are going to begin planning with teachers across the Archdiocese and student will benefit from their shared knowledge. Watch this space!

Catholic Life and Reflection

In Australia it is so easy to look out and be in awe and wonder of the world around us. I often take photos to capture moments that take my breath away. Often this is as my husband is driving and I hang out the car window! I take photos to hold onto the memory of that awe filled moment. The power and majesty of God in all its glory.

Romans 1:20 (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition):

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So, they are without excuse...

God bless,

Stephanie Stewart

Happy Birthday to Nathaniel Garang, Chelsea Badenhorst, Asher Mutinhima, Riley Monck, Sophia Clark, Kinley Tshultrim, Lorenzo Scarano, Sophia Youssef, Alexander Richardson, Abel White, Vincent Nott, Lily Nguyen, Alisha Sehgal, Sophie Clifford, Darci Del Guzzo Liam Lster, Tymon Amrado, Nicolas Lester, Tommy cole, Ethan Campbell and Nate Sawyer who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.

This year we will be presenting a number of awards to students. Please see below the scedule for this term. Most awards will be handed out on a Friday morning.

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 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.

This year we will also be presenting Brag Tag Awards. These will be handed out each time a student receives 20 brag tags. 

Brag Tag Awards - presented on Friday 16th August, 8.50am (Week 4)

Spelling Mastery Awards - presented on Friday 16th August, 8.50am (Week 2)

Second Hand Uniform Donations

The Uniform Shop would love to receive second hand uniform donations. If you have school uniforms at home that you no longer need please send them into school. Thank you.

Opening Hours

A friendly reminder that St Johns is a nut free school. Thank you.