Filter Content
- Year 5 & 6 Cricket Clinics (Weeks 3-6)
- Kinder & Year 1 Water Day (Week 4)
March - 2021
- OSHClub Welcome Afternoon (Week 5)
- Kinder Health Checks Consent due (Week 5)
At our Community Council Meeting this week we reflected on the 2020 school year and were thankful for the position we currently find ourselves compared to so many in the world. Thank you to all the parents who attended and participated in the fruitful discussion.
We welcomed new Community Council members Hugh and Belinda Clifford, Michael Rix and Leilah Ayton. We also elected our new Community Council Executive of Katie Matthews (Chairperson), Anne O'Donoghue (Deputy Chairperson) and Carly Bonny (Secretary) who will work alongside continuing Treasurer Dan Payne and myself.
We offer a big thank you to outgoing Chairperson, John Nottt, who has been a positive and encouraging leader of the Community Council for two years and
A full list of the members of the Community Council can be found on our school website.a member of the Fees Committee. Thank you also to outgoing Deputy Chairperson, Craig Neiberding, who has played a very active and supportive role in organising fetes and providing advice to various subcommittees, in particular the 1 to 1 technology group. They will both be continuing to be active members of the Community Council.
School Uniform changes
In late 2020 the Community Council agreed to a number of changes to the school uniform. The key focus of these changes was to allow for a more modern design of the sports uniform and more durable fabric for the polo shirts and hat.
Changes to the uniform will be a two-year transition, with all students expected to be in the new uniform by the beginning of 2023. This will allow students to continue to wear old uniform items and outgrow them before purchasing new uniform items. The only exception will be Kindergarten and other new students from 2022 who will have the new uniform items.
What has changed?
Most ordinary uniform items will remain the same. The main changes to the school uniform are:
Sport Uniform:
| Current | New |
| Royal Blue Sports Polo (Short & Long Sleeve) | Navy Blue Sports Polo with Sky Blue & White accent (Short & Long Sleeve) |
| Maroon Sports Shorts/Skort | Navy Microfibre Sports Shorts (Boys & Girls fits available) |
| Maroon track pants (winter) | Navy Blue fleeced and cuff track pants |
Ordinary Uniform:
| Current | New |
| Royal Blue Hat | Navy Blue Bucket Hat with school logo |
| Navy Skort | Navy Blue |
The following photos show an example of some of the school uniform ch
anges that are occurring. A full outline of the school uniform is available on our school website and as a tile on theSZapp.
It is expected that all students are in the appropriate uniform each day. Sports uniform is to be worn each Wednesday and Friday.
We are mindful that families may have already purchased uniforms for this year and you may see that some students are already wearing parts of the new uniform. During the transition it is acceptable to wear parts of the current and new uniform.
How to purchase
The new sports uniform is now available for purchase from the Clothing Pool. The updated price list is available in Qkr, on our school website and the Uniform tile onSZapp.
The Clothing Pool have a range of current uniform options in limited sizes that are heavily discounted. This may be a great option for students in Years 5 and 6 who need new uniforms but only for the transition period. A range of second-hand uniform options also remain available for purchase. These items are only available for in-person purchase at the Clothing Pool.
When purchasing uniforms the preferred method of payment is v
ia QKR. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the Clothing Pool appreciates minimal use of cash sales where possible.
The Clothing Pool is usually open on Friday mornings before school and other open times are advertised on SZapp each week.
If you have any questions please email stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com
We're looking forward to our students enjoying a more modern and comfortable time at school as they learn and play.
Swimming Carnival on Monday
We're looking forward to our Swimming Carnival this coming Monday. Th
ank you to the Year 3 and 4 teachers for organising the day and to the many parents who wil be attending to assist. We couldn't do it without you.
If you need a reminder of the details then please click on the link here.
Lastly, congratulations to our Year 6 student on receving their leadership badges this week.
God Bless,
Matthew Garton
Principal
This week, I am going to share about Catalyst. Catalyst is a System-wide approach to professional learning for all of the teachers in our Archdiocese that will have a positive impact on student achievement and growth.
Catalyst
Catalyst is the vehicle in which Catholic Education will realise its two bold goals. These are:
1. Every Student is a competent reader
2. High Impact Teaching Practice is visible in every classroom
We will work towards these goals through four key initiative which are:
St John's will be implementing the above initiatives in the following ways:
Curriculum
Curriculum is focussed on K-6 Mathematics and more specifically quality resources being used in the classroom to support teachers teaching and students learning. At St John's this year we have implemented Maths Daily 3 at part of the Catalyst Curriculum Initiative. We have also created Maths Kits for each class to support student learning. Through the use of these kits, students will learn many number concepts using dice, cards, dominoes and counters as well all of the ways these can be used to solve mathematical problems.
K-2 Literacy
K-2 Literacy is centred around improving literacy outcomes in our youngest learners, helping us to achieve the goal of "every student is a competent reader". The first stage of this initiative is the implementation of a systematic synthetic phonics program. Fortunately, we are already in our fourth year of teaching Sounds~Write, which is such a program. Teachers will continue to develop their knowledge of Sounds~Write, to ensure fidelity of the program.
Instructional Leadership
The Instructional Leadership Initiative will support our leadership team to guide St John's in implementing and embedding an effective literacy program, High Impact Teaching Practice and developing our teachers' instructional capacity and curriculum knowledge.
High Impact Teaching Practice
The High Impact Teaching Practice Initiative is based on the implementation of highly researched and effective teaching practices in all classrooms. Some of these practices include, high expectations, explicit teaching, quality assessment, feedback, daily review and student engagement. Fortunately, many of the structures we already have at St John's such as, Daily 5, Maths Daily 3 and Integrated Inquiry are founded in these High Impact Teaching Practices.
Rebekah Brown
Assistant Principal and Inclusion Coordinator
What are students learning about?
This week we celebrated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Kindergarten were having their rest day on Wednesday so I popped down yesterday to give them their ashes and talk about Lent.
I was so pleased to see how many of our youngest students were able to tell me about what the ashes represented. Some of their answers were…
“That God loves us.”
“To let people know that we believe in Jesus.”
“To remind us to say sorry.”
The simple act of blessing a child with ashes connects us all to the ancient story of the Resurrection and the love of Christ.
What are teachers learning about?
At our staff meeting this week we looked at how to connect the Brisbane Religious Education Curriculum more deeply within our conceptual inquiry units. We looked at two concepts: story and sustainability.
These are supported by two understanding goals:
- Students will understand that Jesus was a Jewish man who used the Jewish tradition to connect with his community.
- Students will understand that we are called to care for Creation because we are believers in Jesus.
The concepts and goals are the same across the school. Where children access them and where they move to is up to the teachers. Each grade will have some planning time with me to help incorporate their ideas and find supporting scripture and materials.
I am excited!
Catholic Life and Reflection
Firstly, it is important to note that during 2020 we only had one Mass and very few assemblies. Last week we celebrated our opening Mass in the hall with Father Michael. The children were reverent and able to join in the responses and sang like angels!
During Communion teachers gave students a blessing by holding their hand over the head, not the usual cross on the forehead. When the Year 2 students were walking out they were holding their hands up to me to give me a high 5, or so I thought. The third little person to walk past me said “No, I am giving you a blessing!” What a joy!!!! I got several more blessings as they left the hall.
It reminded me once again of how the simple things we do can have an deep impact on our students. They were happy and knew that a blessing was important to pass on.
May God continue to bless all of our students and families.
Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator
Notices from the Parish
There are no birthdays to celebrate this week.
Congratulations to the following students who received an award for the fortnightly Positive Behaviour Focus. To watch the online video presentation login to your child's Google Classroom.
| Class | ||
| KB | Martin H | Austin M |
| KM | Tymon A | Charlotte M |
| 1B | Lewis B | Katie N |
| 1M | Jack H | Elspeth S |
| 2B | Jordi M | Noah M |
| 2M | Ivy S | Evie M |
| 3B | Benjamin B | Aleer K |
| 3M | Angus G | Rose H |
| 4B | Bior A | Alaina S |
| 4M | Vincent B | Erin V |
| 5B | Evan M | Ella W |
| 5M | Bailey C | Emily A |
| 6B | Zella K | Evie J |
| 6M | Robert W | Briony F |
Find out what is happening in our School Library Community - February 2021
What a busy and exciting start to the new school year we have had in the Library! Firstly, we welcome our new Teacher/Librarian Mrs Lauren Hudson who has been doing wonderful things with all classes in regards to learning how the library works, where to find books and how to borrow. Mrs Kirsty Vera has also returned in her Library Administration role from the end of last year and can be found working happily in the Library every Wednesday. We are also lucky to have Miss Laura Monaghan helping for a few hours each week.
Over the holidays we received a lot of donations for which we are very thankful. We would love to spend some time ordering new books for the Library now, so we ask that if you have any donations please hold onto them for the time being or consider donating them to Lifeline or St Vinnies.
New books in 2021
We have had some deliveries of new books in the Library and some of these include:
We are always on the lookout for great new titles so if you or your child has a recommendation for our Library please email us!
kirsty.vera@cg.catholic.edu.au or lauren.hudson@cg.catholic.edu.au
Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge
We are also excited to begin participating in the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge for 2021!
The Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge is open to children from preschool to Year 8. Entrants are required to read 15 books between February and September and keep a Student Reading Record.
By participating, students can win book vouchers for the school library.
Entrants can choose their own books or ask parents, teachers or librarians for suggestions.
Students will be receiving their Reading Record very soon - we hope that all families will encourage participation and share in the fun of this reading challenge.
Other Library News
We are always keen to have parents and carers assist in our Library Community by covering books. If you would like to help us, please send us an email and we will organise a bag of books to be picked up at the Front Office. Thank you so much in advance!!
Additionally, if you have any queries about books that your child has borrowed or may have lost, please contact us - we are always happy to help.
Happy Reading,
Lauren Hudson (Teacher/Librarian) lauren.hudson@cg.catholic.edu.au
Kirsty Vera (Library Assistant) kirsty.vera@cg.catholic.edu.au
Seven ways to be a positive influence on children and young people
Parents and teachers influence children most during their first twelve years of life. We have less influence over teens as they become increasingly independent and look to their peers for guidance and approval.
The following strategies will help ensure that you have a positive influence on children at any age.
1.Be available
Nothing says “You matter” more than a busy parent giving a child undivided attention. Research has established that children whose parents are emotionally present for their kids have better social, academic, and wellbeing outcomes than those whose parents aren’t available.
2. Be warm
Sometimes we can forget that our children are people too – particularly when they’re irritable, tired and obnoxious. By responding to kids warmly (even when you don’t feel like it), you show that you value them as people. A gentle touch, a smile, or soft words bring warmth to a relationship, and increase the likelihood that you’ll be listened to and be a positive influence on their lives.
3. Listen, but don’t fix
Parents can fix sore knees, broken hearts, messy friendships, and even some difficult homework projects. But kids generally don’t need adults to fix them. They just want us to ‘get’ what they’re going through. When you see the world through their eyes, you are more understanding – and more likely to be listened to when they need us.
4. Set limits
Nothing says “I love you” more than a firm and clear “No!” from mum or dad.
“No, you can’t say that to your sister. How can you make things right?”
“No, it’s not ok for you to stay out until midnight. You’re 14.”
“No, I don’t feel right about you having your smartphone/tablet/laptop in your bedroom. Ever!”
Children and young people will often argue with you, but setting limits means that you are having a positive influence on your children. The trick is to not become too authoritarian or you’ll simply drive unwanted behaviour underground.
5. Play
Playing games and laughing together binds us close to our kids. Through play you build a relationship of trust with that facilitates our ongoing positive influence.
6. Be grateful
Grateful people are happier, healthier, have better relationships, sleep better, have more income, are less materialistic, achieve better academic outcomes and are more energetic. By being grateful you’ll be a positive influence in the lives of your children. Say thanks often – and mean it.
7. Love them and show it every day
We’re always correcting our kids or telling them what to do. Pick this up, put that away, get off the computer, pack your bag, tidy up your room, and so on… and that’s before 7.30 in the morning! Our ratio of negative to positive statements can often be the wrong way round. So find opportunities to tell your kids such things as:
- “You really make a positive difference around here.”
- “I am amazed at the exceptional effort you make at…”
- “I love you – no matter what.”
Your time with kids is short. By setting a positive example, you can be a positive and lasting influence in your children’s lives.
Dr Justin Coulson
Dr Justin Coulson helps families be happier. His Goalcast and TEDx positive parenting videos have been viewed by more than 100 million people. He is the author of 6 books about creating flourishing families and raising resilient children. Justin and his wife, Kylie, are the parents of 6 daughters. Find the Dr Justin Coulson’s Happy Families podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For further details visit www.happyfamilies.com.au
