Term 1, Week 10, 6 April

Principal Message

Dear Parents, carers and members of the St John's community,

We were blessed to have Bishop Gregory and Fr David join us for the Sacrament of Confirmation celebrations last week. Congratulations to the 5 students from St John's who celebrated their Sacrament of Confirmation:

• Harper Butcher
• Tiana Weber
• Alariah Weber
• Finn Perrin
• Nahla Perrin

Heavenly Father, God of power and of love.

We pray for all the children who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation last week. 

May your Holy Spirit help them to grow in faith, hope and love and may they come to know you as the one true God who loves them without limit.

May their hearts welcome you gladly;

May their ears hear your voice in the scriptures;

May their eyes see you in all things;

And may they proclaim your glory as they walk in the ways of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Amen.

As we approach the season of Easter, it is a time of great joy and celebration for us as a community. Easter is the most important feast in the Catholic liturgical calendar as it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the cornerstone of our faith.

During the season of Lent, we have been called to deepen our faith and to reflect on our lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It has been a time of self-examination and penance, and as we approach Easter, we are reminded of the hope and promise of new life that comes with the resurrection of Jesus.

As we celebrate the season of Easter, let us remember that it is a time of renewal and new life. Let us take the time to reflect on our faith and to deepen our relationship with Christ. May the joy and hope of Easter be with us always, and may we continue to spread the message of the Gospel to all those we encounter.

Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to welcoming the students back on Wednesday 26th April.

Wishing you all a blessed Easter season!

2023 School Annual Improvement Plan

It is my pleasure to share with you the 2023 St John's School Annual Improvement Plan (SAIP). Data collected through the Parent, student and staff Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Surveys in 2022, as well as student learning data, have informed our direction for this year. I welcome any feedback or questions that you may have.

To view the 2023 SAIP, please click on the link below. 

Upcoming Dates

Please find below a list of dates savers below of events that are occuring over the next few weeks. 

• 2nd April-7th April - Holy Week
• Wednesday 5th April - School Holy Week Celebrations
• Wednesday 5th April - Last Day of Term 1
• Thursday 6th April - Pupil Free Day (Staff Spirituality Day)
• Monday 24th April - Pupil Free Day (Staff PDD Day)
• Tuesday 25th April - ANZAC Day
• Wednesday 26th April - First Day of Term 2
• Monday 1st May - Cross Country TBC
• Friday 5th May - Zone Cross Country 
• Tuesday 9th May - School Photo Day
• Friday 12th May: Mother's Day Morning Tea 7:30am-9am
• Friday 26th May: National Sorry Day - Start of Reconciliation Week
  

ANZAC Day - April 25th

We would like to extend a warm invitation to all students to attend the ANZAC Day march.

This is a very important day for our nation as we remember and honour the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom in the wars. We would be proud to have our school represented at this important event.

We ask that all students attend the march in their full school uniform with school hat and water bottle. 

We will meet at Railway Park at 10:30am for the march.

Let us show our appreciation and respect for our fallen heroes by attending this event.

To Download the 2023 Parent handbook, please click the link below.

Kind Regards, 

Dave Bermingham

Assistant Principal

That's a Wrap!

It’s hard to believe we are already at the end of Term One. It has been a busy term with lots of learning for our students and teachers.  Firstly,  thank you to the students for the way they have engaged in learning. Learning can be challenging so it is important to maintain a  growth mindset.  At St John's, we try to teach our students the power of “yet”. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this, it’s too hard” we endeavour to change their thinking to, “I can’t do it YET.” Building this resilience sets students up to be lifelong learners. 

Anyone who has learnt to drive a car, learn a new skill on the computer or learn to surf, knows   that we are rarely instantly good at these straight away. It is only with time, repeated practice, lots of mistakes, resilience and the support of others that we eventually ‘get it’. With  perseverance, we get to a level where new skills become hardwired or embedded in our brains. Learning at school is no different. Getting there can be challenging, frustrating and hard. It is easier to opt-out or give up but it is essential to encourage our children to persevere, not take the easy way out and always celebrate the small wins along the way. This term, there are many wins to celebrate and as teachers and parents we have to model this mindset for our students. Every child at St John’s could tell us one thing they have improved in this term and that is worth celebrating. 

Leading educational expert, Carol Dweck, explains the power of yet in the video below.  

Have a wonderful Easter. We look forward to sharing our learning journey with you next term. 

Parent Information Night for K-2.

Thank you to those who were able to attend. For those of you who could not make it, I have inserted the link to the presentation.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14rbU1Tg7mxJinCPiHIe9bYNWQETqZg7V3kjEpNCCPf8/edit?usp=sharing

SCHOOL INFORMATION

SPORT UPDATE

I am excited to share some updates on the sports activities that have taken place throughout this Term at a school, zone and community level. 

The Term kicked off with the Annual St John’s swimming Carnival in Week 2 where a great day was had by all. The children thoroughly enjoyed the novelty activities, followed by jumping in and having a go in the more competitive events. It was fabulous to see the sportsmanship demonstrated by all students giving it a go to receive points for their house. Well done everyone. 

The following Week, a small group of children and their families travelled to Murwillumbah for the Zone Swimming Carnival. I would like to congratulate Chase, Ella, Finn, Nahla, Malakai, Arlo and Marley for their efforts on the day. They competed against children from 6 other Catholic Schools in our Zone and represented our school beautifully.

The same week, school sport kicked off when Dance fever sessions commenced. Dance fever ran a mixture of dance and gymnastics classes throughout the Term on Friday afternoons. Our students had a great time participating in these sessions and we thank the Dance Fever instructors for their engaging and challenging sessions. 

In week 6, the Stage 2 and 3 students travelled to Bangalow to participate in a community Primary School Soccer Gala Day. Upon their return to school, it was evident that the children had an exciting, and exhausting, day! Thank you to Miss O’leary, Mrs Bottle and the parents who attended to support on the day.

As Term 2 approaches, there are more exciting sporting events to look forward to. The Annual St John’s Cross Counrty will take place on Monday the 1st of May down at Brunswick Heads Beach, followed by the Zone Cross Country in Murwillumbah, for those children selected, on Friday the 5th of May. Please keep an eye on compass for more information regarding this event. If you are able to help on the day please let me know at your earliest convenience - laura.mcevoy@lism.catholic.edu.au

I am excited to inform you that Term 2 school sport will be tennis! Steve Gort from the Mullumbimby Tennis Club will be visiting the school each Friday from week 2-9 to run skills sessions for all students. 

We are proud of the St John's students for their effort, enthusiasm and determination they have shown through sport this Term. It is wonderful to see the children developing new skills and learning how to work in a team, all while having fun! Thank you families, for your support. 

Miss McEvoy

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School Photography Day: TUESDAY 9 May 2023

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by returning the order envelope with your payment to our photographer on school photo day. Envelopes will be sent home week 1 Term 2, or can be collected from the office.

Online at www.advancelife.com.au and enter the online order code : M18 RFW CN

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU"

People who will celebrate during the autumn holidays 

Ari, Alexander & Bernie

Chromebooks for Sale

We have some old school stock (5 years old) of Chromebooks. Both white and Black laptops are available to purchase for $50. Laptops have been reset to factory default and include a charging cord. Please see Tundra in the office if you wish to make a purchase. 

Piano Lessons

Piano lessons in 2023  at St John’s, during school hours and after school.
Enquiries please call Daniel Holland 0401 071 667

COMMUNITY NEWS