Dear St John the Apostle Families, 

We have had a very community based week this week. 

We had Learning Journeys on Tuesday. It was so wonderful to have so many family members come and visit the school and engage in their children’s Learning Journey. There was a beautiful buzz around the school on Tuesday morning and afternoon and many proud students showing their families the wonderful learning they do at St John’s. Thank you to all of the teachers for preparing the students for the Learning Journeys and for all of the family members who came to visit. 

ThinkUKnow Presentation

On Wednesday evening, the Community Council organised a ThinkUKnow Presentation. We had over 30 people attend the presentation. I found the presentation very engaging and informative and I would like to thank the two volunteers who came to present, Jessamy and Steve (AFP). I wanted to share some important information they presented to us, as I realised that one of the most important ways to keep our children safe is to ensure that we are educated and proactive in this area. 

The ThinkUKnow presentation for parents about child exploitation focused on educating and empowering parents to recognise, prevent, and respond to the various forms of online child exploitation. It provided essential information about the digital threats that children may encounter and offered guidance on how to protect them in an increasingly connected world. Here's an overview of what the presentation covered:

1. Understanding Child Exploitation

• Defines the different forms of child exploitation, with a focus on online sexual exploitation.
• Highlights the risks of children being groomed online, manipulated for explicit content, or coerced into unsafe activities.
• Provides examples of common exploitation tactics such as grooming, sextortion, and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

2. Grooming and Online Predators

• Explains how online predators operate by building trust with children through social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps.
• Discusses the signs of grooming and how perpetrators target vulnerabilities in children.
• Offers tips for parents on how to recognise suspicious behaviours, both in their children and in individuals they interact with online.

3. Sextortion and Cyber Blackmail

• Covers the threat of sextortion, where children are coerced into sharing inappropriate images, which are then used to blackmail them.
• Discusses how perpetrators manipulate children into sending content and the emotional toll it takes on victims.
• Provides advice on what to do if a child is a victim of sextortion and how to report it.

4. The Role of Social Media and Technology

• Describes the role of social media, gaming, and other online platforms in child exploitation.
• Offers guidance on how to set privacy controls, monitor online interactions, and reduce the risk of children being targeted by predators.
• Discusses the importance of limiting the sharing of personal information and understanding the risks associated with apps and platforms.

5. Spotting Warning Signs

• Provides practical tips for parents to recognise changes in their child’s behaviour that may indicate they are being exploited, such as secrecy about their online activities, withdrawal, or sudden unexplained gifts.
• Suggests open communication strategies to encourage children to talk about their online experiences and any concerns they have.

6. Prevention Strategies

• Recommends proactive steps parents can take to reduce the risk of exploitation, including:
• Keeping up-to-date with the latest apps, platforms, and technology their children use.
• Setting parental controls and creating age-appropriate rules for internet use.
• Having regular conversations about online safety and the potential dangers of interacting with strangers online.
• Have a contractual agreement about technology use.

7. Reporting and Support

• Provides information on how to report child exploitation to authorities, including the police, cybercrime agencies, and organisations like the Australian Federal Police.
• Highlights resources and helplines that offer support to families affected by child exploitation.
• Encourages parents to collaborate with schools, community organisations, and law enforcement to safeguard children.

8. The Role of Parents

• Emphasises the critical role that parents play in protecting their children from exploitation by staying informed, maintaining open lines of communication, and fostering a trusting environment where children feel safe to report any issues.
• Encourages parents to be active participants in their child’s online life and to model responsible online behaviour.

If you would like to discuss any of the above or would like further information please don’t hesitate to contact me. The ThinkUKnow website also has a wealth of information. 

Principal 2025

Yesterday, I sent out correspondence from the Director, Ross Fox about the appointment of Joanne (Jo) Reed, who will be the Principal of St John’s for next year. I would like to congratulate Jo on her appointment and we look forward to her chapter in the story of St John the Apostle Primary School. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to all of our award recipients today. We handed out Spelling Mastery Awards, Brag Tag Awards and Maths Mastery Awards.

CSPA Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) are collaborating with the University of New England (UNE) to conduct a national study on student wellbeing and learning. They are aiming to collect evidence through a survey from a broad sample of parents and carers of children attending Catholic schools in Australia. The survey will be open until the end of October. Results will be used to report to the Federal Government and Catholic Education. 

Rebekah Brown

Principal (Acting)

Rosenshine's Principals of Instruction (Part 3)

"Guided practise is typically where learning activities involve thorough explanations, high frequency. Short answer questions or simple tasks where the teacher and students are engaged interactively, with plenty of modelling, corrective or affirming feedback and aspects of reteaching where gaps remain.”

Tom Sherrington “Rosenshine’s Principles in Action”

 

Choral Repetition

Choral repetition is one way to guide student practise.

For example

In a Grade 3 lesson on fronted adverbials for dramatic impact: students practise these sentences, repeatedly stating the stem with each variation of ending they made up.

“Quick as a flash…”

• He disappeared behind the fence.
• He climbed over the tower.
• She conjured up a potion.

 

Check for student understanding.

Again, this sounds so basic. Of course, good teachers check that students have understood. But HOW do we do it?

Things like “Do you have any questions?” (See picture below!) are not very effective.

Rosenshine says that we should be clear and specific when checking for understanding or CFU. One way is to shift our thinking to not ask “Have you understood?” but “What have you understood?” and give time for students to answer.

And here is a favourite non-example of CFU. ?

Education of the Whole Child

Kindergarten learning about Noah's Ark.

Literacy Groups with Miss McIver

Poetry with Ms OG.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments (especially if I am being boring!)  stephanie.stewart@cg.catholic.edu.au

God bless,

Stephanie Stewart

Assistant Principal (Acting)

What Students Are Learning About

On Tuesday, Years 3 and 6 participated in a Sacrament reflection day.  Mr Lenarcic and eight Year 10 students from St. Francis Xavier College came to assist.  The Year 10 students acted as role models, leading activities in small groups. 

The focus for the Communion reflection was ‘Breakfast on the Beach with Jesus’ (John 21:1-13).  Students received rosary beads and were led through a decade of the Rosary, ‘Read With a Pencil’ to study the Scripture, reflected on different artworks depicting the Gospel story, shared a meal, and participated in an ‘Imaginative Prayer’ experience.

The focus for the Confirmation reflection was ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22-23).  The students participated in a number of activities including ‘Read With a Pencil’ to study the Scripture, ‘Discussion cards’ matching scenarios to the Fruit of the Spirit being depicted, the 4 steps towards Canonization, a reflection on how their chosen saint lived their Catholic faith, and how they will show their Catholic faith.  They also shared a meal. Students in both year levels were engaged and reflected thoughtfully throughout the sessions.

On Thursday, 3M and Mrs Osborne-Goldsbrough celebrated Mass with Fr Chung.  It was a celebration of the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.   The Gospel reading was the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, Luke 1:39-45.  Mrs O-G describes the Gospel reading as ‘always a beautiful one, about the miracle of life’.

Rebecca Stevenson

Religious Education Coordinator

Notices from the Parish

A gardening update for the newsletter! School leaders helping little people water the plants. The newspaper will hopefully protect the seeds from the frost that we are expecting this weekend.

Happy Birthday to Evie Matthews, Alana Stonham, Suban Rijal, Alexandra Bradbury, Ariella Grebowski, Noah Anthony, Simo Tran and Ky McNamara who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.

Opening Hours

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