Dear St John the Apostle families,

I hope everyone has received their child's Semester 2 report and had the opportunity to look through it. If you haven't then please contact your child's teacher to ensure that it gets to you immediately.

Our teachers are looking forward to talking with parents at the Parent-Teacher interviews during the next week and a half. It is always a joy to tell parents how much their child has grown during the year, and after such an amazing year we want to celebrate every success!

Please be sure to book in for your child's Parent-Teacher interview using the following link:

Where are we heading?

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.

Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
'Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

This is the last half of a poem by Ella Wheeler Cox that I often refer to with the Executive Team. It always reminds me that a clear vision and direction is essential in ensuring that our school continues journeying forward rather than swinging from crisis to crisis. It was this clear focus, accompanied with flexibility, that allowed us to navigate successfully through remote learning this year and continue with our eyes on where we wanted to go.

This week the school Executive Team have been meeting to draft the Strategic Plan for St John the Apostle for 2021 to 2023. To do this we have been pouring over assessment data for students, annual survey data, statistical data for the school cohort, Catholic Education's strategic plan, our own past plans, etc.

We'll be presenting an initial draft of the Strategic Plan to the Community Council next week and it will be published next year for the whole community. Our Strategic Plan covers many areas including our Catholic culture and identity, grounds and resources, community well-being and partnerships with local schools and organisations. Some of the exciting plans in teaching and learning alone include:

• continuing to embed the current literacy practices that have supported students' growth in reading and in spelling, e.g. Daily 5 and Sounds~Write;
• enhancing our already excellent inclusion support with new evidence-based intervention strategies including, e.g. Mini-lit and Mac-lit;
• introducing a Daily 3 Mathematics structure supported by a large increase in hands-on resources for students, a robust Mathematics curriculum and access to coaching that ensures every teacher is supported to teach Mathematics effectively;
• introduction of new opportunities to use technology every day for learning, particularly in Years 4 to 6;
• a re-focus on becoming a truly sustainable school through building knowledge and awareness in our inquiry curriculum, sustainable practices in waste management and energy use and increased engagement with ACTSmart Sustainable Schools program to support student action and leadership; 
• the development of a high quality Physical Education program for all students from K-6 through teacher professional learning and increased access to experts and excellent programs; and,
• the development of more opportunities, both in and out of the classroom, for high achieving students to be further challenged and grow in their areas of strength and capacity.

These are just a few of the plans for teaching & learning in the coming three years. While we have already begun working to achieve some of these, we look forward to starting this important work next year. I will continue to share other intentions in the Newsletter each week as we set the sails for the future and continue our journey to growing as an outstanding educational choice for all local families.

Year 6 and coming to the end

As we near the end of the year our Year 6 students are beginning their end of Primary School celebrations. With COVID-19 implications it has been a different experience for them than for most Year 6 cohorts and that hasn't changed at the end fo this year.

For a number of years now we have been able to hold a whole group graduation at the church each year and then a group of parents organise a relaxed dinner at a local club where families and teachers have an open invitation to come and celebrate together. This year we have many more restrictions placed on us and so our graduation must look a little different.

On Tuesday 15 December we will hold our Year 6 Graduation during the morning at school. Parents will be able to attend. The exact details will be sent to Year 6 families early next week. 

Thank you to those parents who provided an opportunity for all Year 6 parents and families to get together last Monday evening. Thank you for helping to make the end of Year 6 special for them.

Year 6 will celebrate with a fun day and sleepover on Friday 4 December. They will also share in the Whole School Fun Day on Thursday 17 December and the Passing of the Light Ceremony (involving Years 6 and 5) on Friday 18 December, our last day of the year.

As we come to the end of our time together this year let us focus on and celebrate all we have achieved.

Managing the mother load

Dr Jodi Richardson

Dr Jodi Richardson helps people to reduce their anxiety, strengthen their wellbeing, live by their personal values and achieve resilience and lasting happiness. Her research-based advice is grounded in a career of extensive university studies, clinical practice, education and endless compassion. Jodi is the co-author of the highly acclaimed book Anxious Kids. Her latest release is Anxious Mums: How mums can turn their anxiety into strength. For further details visit www.drjodirichardson.com.au