ST JOHN S PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER. 2 December 2015 Edition

Transcription

1 ST JOHN S PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER 2 December 2015 Edition From the Principal Dear Parents, This is certainly a very busy time of the school year, and it always feels like a mad headlong rush as we get closer and closer to the end of another school year. Advent commenced last Sunday, but as a result of our hectic lives, we often miss Advent's power. Each year, the busyness of this season often distracts us from having an Advent season that truly prepares us for the celebration of Christmas, with all its meaning. I encourage you all to read Elizabeth's reflection 'Come Lord Jesus' in this week's R.E. News section, focusing on the Second Sunday of Advent. SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY MONDAY 7 th DECEMBER Just a reminder that next Monday, 7th December is a School Closure Day for all students. Staff will be undertaking Professional Development on this day as well as some further planning for Please contact OSHClub if you would like to make use of the facilities for that day. If we have enough bookings, the program will run for that day. ST JOHN'S DAY FRIDAY, 4 th DECEMBER CAROLS NIGHT & FAMILY PICNIC We are all very excited by next Tuesday evening's CAROLS NIGHT. As you know, we will again be celebrating this wonderful gathering of community with a family 'picnic' followed by of course, the Carols. Children are required to wear their school uniform on Tuesday evening, however, they can also add Christmas Colours - a hat, tinsel, etc to their uniform; please note that Santa beards, Rudolph noses or glow-sticks should not be worn. Children are also required to be seated by 7.15pm on the tarps in front of the stage. A reminder that this event is NOT a concert as such, but an opportunity for our children to lead the singing for the whole community to participate. I therefore encourage EVERYONE to sing enthusiastically and joyfully along with the leaders. Booklets will be sent home and I encourage you to bring it along to help you join in. Also feel free to bring your own artificial candle on the night. I encourage families to bring chairs, cushions and/or rugs so you can have a comfortable night participating with our children. There is more detailed information in this Newsletter. As mentioned previously, the actual Feast day of St John the Evangelist is during the school holidays (December 27th), but the school will celebrate this Friday 4 th December in recognition of St John. The day will consist of children being placed into multi-age groupings and rotate through a number of activities. Father Mario will also be celebrating a whole school Mass at 10.15am. The children's disco will be incorporated into the day's festivities instead of a separate evening event this year. CHILDREN ARE ASKED TO WEAR THEIR SPORTS UNIFORM FOR THE DAY AS WELL AS WEAR SOMETHING PURPLE. 55 Cape Street, Heidelberg Vic 3084 Ph E. office@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

2 INTERNET SAFETY AWARENESS PRESENTATION - THURSDAY 10th DECEMBER at 7:00pm Young people today are immersed in digital technologies. They use the internet and mobile phones to socialise, study, exchange ideas and play. While online activity has many benefits, there are also risks. Next Thursday evening, we will be hosting an Internet Safety Awareness Presentation for parents. ACMA presenters in this field are experts in the area of online and mobile safety education and I highly recommend that you attend this event. The session will provide practical advice and safety tips to help manage online safety issues, and discussions surrounding suitable behaviour online. Again, I cannot emphasise enough how important this session is and I would really encourage your attendance. Internet safety education is a crucial element of the curriculum and an essential part of young people s development. This session is designed to enable you to strengthen and reinforce the safety messages that your children receive in school and in your home environment. I really hope that you will be able to attend and look forward to seeing you there. Please allow approximately 90 minutes for this session. COMBINED SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL AND PARISH COUNCIL GATHERING Last Wednesday evening the final School Advisory Council was held for the year. Again, both the School Advisory Council and the Parish Council joined for an informal gathering afterwards. This gathering is one small way whereby the school and parish strengthen links and enhance our School/Parish partnership. OVERVIEW OF THE FINAL WEEK OF SCHOOL The final week of school is always so busy so I thought I would give you an overview of that final week. GENERAL ASSEMBLY - MONDAY 14th December at 2.30PM This assembly will follow the usual format - i.e. Student of the Week Awards and general announcements. BIG DAY OUT FOR YEAR 6 - MONDAY 14th DECEMBER To celebrate the end of their primary school years at St John s, the Year 6 students will enjoy a Big Day Out which will be held at Funfields, Whittlesea. The children will leave at 9.00am and return at approximately 3.25pm. YEAR 6 GRADUATION - TUESDAY 15th DECEMBER The Year 6 Graduation is on Tuesday evening, 15th December commencing at 7.30pm with Mass. this will then be followed by the Graduation Ceremony which includes the announcement of this year's John Hickey Award winner and refreshments. WEDNESDAY 16th DECEMBER - FINAL DAY OF SCHOOL FOR 2015 The timetable for the final day is: 9.30am - The 'Final Assembly' - this includes formal awards, presentations and farewells. 12 noon - End of the Year Mass - Parents are invited to attend and feel free to use the Choir Loft and side chapel as seating will be at a premium. 3.20pm - Final Dismissal including a guard of honour for the Year 6 Graduates and departing children. FIRST DAY OF 2016 The first day for children attending school next year is Thursday 28th January, however, the office will be open for general enquiries from Wednesday, 27th January. 2

3 WEDDING NEWS - CONGRATULATIONS MISS STEPH DOUTRE What an amazing year with so much wonderful news regarding the great experiences by our children s teachers. This year we ve had the arrival of a baby for Ms Clare Jenkinson and of course, the recent birth of a baby son for Mr Egan. To top off the year, I am delighted to inform you of the impending marriage of Miss Steph Doutre. Steph will be getting married on 19 th December but her final day for the year as she prepares for her wedding, will be next Friday, 11 th December. Congratulations Steph - on behalf of the school community we extend our warmest wishes to both you and Daniel and wish you great joy and happiness. STAFF FAREWELL MR JAMES EGAN I am very disappointed to inform you that at the end of the current school year, we will be farewelling Mr James Egan. Unfortunately for us at St John's, James has decided to explore other opportunities in James will be completing a three year association with our school where he has been a classroom teacher but has also undertaken the role of specialist I.T. Teacher in the past two years, as well as combining other responsibilities. James will be missed greatly by our students, staff and parents. James has shown himself to be a passionate and dedicated teacher. On behalf of the community I'd like to extend my sincere gratitude for the contributions that James has made to our school community and we wish him every success with his future endeavours. CONGRATULATIONS We extend our congratulations to the Wignell family for the exciting news of the recent arrival of a new baby, Stella. Congratulations to both Melinda and Ashley, and of course, such exciting news of the arrival of a beautiful sister for Jacob (PN) and Amelia. SCHOOL SPORTS PACIFIC SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS We again congratulate Olivia N. for her outstanding efforts in the recent School's Swimming Championships held in Adelaide. Olivia results were: 1 x Gold medal in 100m Backstroke 1 x Silver medal in 50m Backstroke 1 x Bronze medal in 200m Backstroke 1 x Bronze medal in 50m Breaststroke 1 x Bronze medal in 100m Breaststroke 1 x Bronze medal in 200m Breaststroke Olivia's times in 5 events have also allowed her to qualify for the National Swimming Championships next year! Congratulations again Olivia for your outstanding achievements. VICTORIAN SCHOOLS STATE GOLFING CHAMPIONSHIPS We also wish Frankie P (Year 6) every success at today's Victorian Primary Schools Golf Championships being held at Kooringal Golf Club. 3

4 Looking for the perfect Christmas Gift? St John s Primary may have the answer! As part of our School Fete, we are offering our school families the opportunity to purchase a Fete wristband their child, niece, nephew and/or grandchildren in anticipation of our very exciting family fun filled day. Our St John s Fete Wristband gives you unlimited access on Saturday 5 th March 2016 (from 11am-4pm) to: Laser Tag Star Screamer Chair-O-Plane Inflatable Obstacle Course Mega Inflatable Slide and the Jumping Pillow St John s Fete Wristbands are a great Stocking filler for Christ- *** PLUS we have an Earlybird Special! *** Purchase a St John s Fete Wristband before 10 th February and receive it for ONLY $25 (normally $35) You can purchase a wristband in 3 easy steps: Step 1: Go to our booking website at and order your wristbands (Visa, Mastercard and Amex are all accepted) Step 2: Print off a copy of your St John s Fete wristband payment receipt and put it somewhere safe until Fete Day on Saturday 5 th March 2016 Step 3: Bring this receipt along to the Ticketbox at the School Fete and exchange it for your unlimited access Fete wristband Should you have any questions, please contact either Maureen Hegarty ( ) or Fiona Aspromonte ( ). Please Note: 100% of all money raised at our School Fete will be invested into four projects that directly benefit our students and their families: Acquiring ipads and other technological devices to strengthen our Google Apps for Education (GAFE)learning environment Introducing two garden areas into top yard (adjacent to the upper Adventure playground) Upgrading the upper Adventure playground turf Improving the Main Hall facilities (staging, lighting and acoustics) to enhance St John s Assemblies and school performances 4

5 School Christmas Carols & Family Picnic Date: Tuesday 8th December 2015 Time: Where: 5:45pm onwards (Carols start at 7:30pm, children required to be seated by 7:15pm) School Oval (adjacent to basketball courts on bottom yard) 5:45pm: Family Picnic BYO PICNIC DINNER Please bring your own picnic rug, food and beverages (this is an alcohol-free event) We will also be offering families the opportunity to buy: A pizza or a plate of curry A cake, dessert or slice Icy poles Hot drinks SO PLEASE BRING LOTS OF GOLD COINS! Proceeds from drinks and sweets will go to supporting the Good Samaritan Inn. 7:00pm: Children seated in Class groupings (must be seated by 7:15pm) 7:30pm: St John s Christmas Carols commence We encourage everyone to join the students in singing! We look forward to seeing you there! 5

6 RE News - Elizabeth Williamson, Education in Faith Leader Second Sunday of Advent - Sunday December 6th CELEBRATING ADVENT WITH YOUR FAMILY In family life, we try to prepare ourselves for the future: our next holiday, the children s education, our retirement. We are careful not to allow ourselves to be caught by surprise so that we can handle challenges our family may face. The Scripture readings we hear at mass during Advent remind us that we are called to be attentive in our spiritual lives as well. We are to wait in hope so that the coming salvation will not catch us unprepared. This means attending to our family s spiritual life as carefully as we attend to other important family matters. As you gather as a family, talk about a time when you received surprise visitors at your house, perhaps a neighbour stopping by or a relative who arrived unannounced. Was your household prepared to receive this surprise guest? What might your family have done differently if you knew ahead of time that this visitor was going to arrive? Jesus told his disciples that no one but the Father knows when the Son of Man will come in glory. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch! (Mark 13:33 37) During Advent, we not only prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we also check in to see if we are doing all the things that will keep us ready to r eceive Jesus when he comes again. Talk to your family about how you are doing in attending to your spiritual life as a family. Recommit yourselves to praying daily and staying faithful to God s commandments. Pray together that through this Advent season your family will be more prepared to receive Jesus when he comes again. ADVENT FAMILY PRAYER God of Love, Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us. He is a sign of your love. Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent, As we wait and prepare for his coming. We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour. Amen. ADVENT PRAYER The whole school will gather next Monday at 1.15p.m. in the church to celebrate the second week of Advent. Everyone is most welcome. 6

7 ADVENT CELEBRATION On Monday the whole school gathered in the church to celebrate the beginning of Advent. Father Mario led us in prayer and blessed the classroom Advent Wreaths as well as nativities. ST JOHN'S DAY FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER Unfortunately, the actual Feast day of St John the Evangelist is during the school holidays (December 27th), but the school will celebrate next Friday 4th December. In recent years we have been allocating the first Friday in December as our day of celebration in recognition of St John. The day will consist of children being placed into multi-age groupings and rotate through a number of activities. Father Mario will also be celebrating a whole school Mass at 10.15am. We have decided that the children's disco will be incorporated into the day's festivities instead of a separate evening event. CHILDREN ARE ASKED TO WEAR THEIR SPORTS UNIFORM FOR THE DAY AS WELL AS WEAR SOMETHING PURPLE. CHRISTMAS EVE FAMILY MASS Thank you to all who responded to the request for readers, altar servers, etc. at the Family Christmas Eve Mass. All these places have now been filled. NEW ALTAR SERVERS FOR ST JOHN'S PARISH Eight of our Year 4 students have taken up the invitation to train as altar servers. We congratulate our new altar servers - Taylor, Amy, Matthew, Ryan, Madeline, Emma, Ella and Grace. We are very proud of you all. 7

8 Let's Celebrate St John's Feast Day/ Better Buddies Day Friday December 4th Mass at 10.15am followed by a day of fun activities. 8

9 Student Wellbeing - Carolyn Walsh, Student Wellbeing Coordinator Summer Reading Club Fizz, Boom, Read 1 December 2015 to 1 February 2016 There s more to science than test tubes and text books. Think noisy and messy, potions and lotions, explosions and bangs, and robots and codes. Spend your summer unlocking the mysteries of the world around us. Read as many books as you can about anything you want as part of our Summer Reading Club. All children aged 3 12 can join up and read books to be in the running for an ipad and other great prizes. Sign up at any branch or online, grab a reading kit and discover all the activities on offer. See for more details. Special Performance by "Scientwists" Friday 4 th December (Rosanna Library) pm 2016 Partnership: We encourage you, if possible, to visit the library (any Yarra Plenty branch) over the school holidays to sign your child up as a member. Next year we will be partnering with the Rosanna Library for a number of activities and it may be advantageous for your child to have their own card for borrowing. Carols Night Cake Stall Tuesday 8 th December A cake stall will be held on the night of the carols and we are calling all bakers to please bake something for the night. Last year this was a popular stall with many children/parents purchasing cakes. If you are able to contribute please drop it at school on Tuesday 8 th. Don t forget to label your cake with ingredients. Thank you for your support. Julia Cahill

10 Cybersmart Outreach - Internet Safety Awareness presentation Young people today are immersed in digital technologies. They use the internet and mobile phones to socialise, study, exchange ideas and play. While online activity has many benefits, there are also risks. To help your children stay safe online, St John s is hosting a Cybersmart Outreach Internet Safety Awareness presentation. Designed for parents, teachers and students, this presentation is provided by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) as part of a national program of cybersmart initiatives. The Cybersmart Outreach Internet Safety Awareness presentation is thorough and non-technical. It covers a range of issues including: the ways children use the internet and emerging technologies potential risks for children online, such as cyberbullying, identity theft, inappropriate contact and exposure to inappropriate content tips to help children stay safe online The presentation is conducted by an ACMA Cybersmart trainer and is free of charge. St John s is committed to helping students develop appropriate behaviours when using digital technologies, both at school and at home. Our program of internet safety initiatives includes: Participation in the Alannah and Madeline Foundation esmart Schools initiative Acceptable usage agreements and policies Cybersafety focus during ICT lessons using programs such as: Cyber (smart), Hector s World, CyberQuoll, Budd:e The Cybersmart Outreach Internet Safety Awareness presentation will be held on: Thursday 10 th December Session 1: Student presentation (Years 2.15pm Session 2: Staff 3.30pm Session 3: Parent 7.00pm To register your attendance at the parent session please fill in the form below and return to school as soon as possible. REPLY SLIP Cybersmart Internet Safety Awareness presentation I/We will be attending the Parent Cybersmart Internet Safety Awareness presentation on Thursday 10th December at 7pm. Name: Number of adults attending: Name of child/ren: Child s Year level: 10

11 STUDENT AWARDS Jacob W PN, Charlie B 1L, Juliano L 1L, Matisse N 1L, Anthony G 1T, Eden M 2D, Alyssa S 2D, Adrian M 2P, Kasey P 2P, Georgia R 2P, Trinity G 3P, Pierre A 3P, Gemma M 3W, Olivia B 3W, Matthew V 4C, Anna V 4C, Alastair M 4F, Petria S 4F, Julian M 5/6B, Yasmin V 5/6B, Madeleine D 5/6B, Alana H 5/6C, Anton G 5/6C, Eadric M 5/6S, Sophie M 5/6S, Massimo F 5/6S, John N 5/6S 3 Dec 6 Dec 7 Dec 8 Dec BIRTHDAYS Adrian S PrepN Scarlett V PrepV Oliver M 4C Alannah F 5/6B FORTHCOMING EVENTS Friday 4 Dec St John's Day- Kids Matter celebration Monday Tuesday Wednesday 7 Dec 8 Dec 16 Dec School Closure Day Parish Carols Night End of School Year Mass at 12:00 noon Students Dismissed 3:20pm 2016 Thursday 28 Jan Students commence 11

12 Classroom News from Year 4C We hope you enjoy these writing responses from our guest speaker last week. Sheery is an indigenous elder who came to share her story with us. We found her both fascinating and inspiring: I lost my life, I lost my friends. I wonder if this is the end. I m all chained up, I can t escape. I wonder if it is too late. Now my life is hopeless. I wonder if anyone will stop this mess. I sank to the bottom of the ocean. My body is stuck in imperfect motion. My heart just sank. As if hit by a tank. Their skins are white. And they put up a fight. So many died. And I cried. I served them for so long. The war was so wrong. My life is ticking slow. But I will never know. Just stop the war. Silence Shattered As the sun sends its first warm rays across the land, a rosy hue spills like ink across the indigo sky. Apart from birds and cicadas, there is silence. Then... silence shatters. A gunshot rings out, startling the animals from their dreams. A scream cleaves the morning, filled with agony and fear. The wind carries the sound many miles away. It has begun. by Siobhan by Jakson Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Production, Acrobatics & Singing Studios in Heidelberg (St Johns) - for Boys & Girls Dance Ages from 18 months (Toddlers) to Teenagers Exams, Competitions, Mid Year & End of Year Concerts Southern Federation of Dance Registered (Est 2001) Non Obligation Trial Free Lesson Studio V School of Dance /

13 Hours of Operation: Before Care 6:45am-8:45am After Care 3:20pm-6:00pm Staff: Trent Harkom & Jill El-Khoury Program Update Hi everyone, Hope you re having a great week and beginning to the festive season! This week at OSHClub we ve spent a great deal of time on woollen crafts with children learning and teaching each other how to knit, crochet and weave the wool into interesting patterns. We ve also put up our wonderful Christmas tree that the children have decorated! Sadly I have to announce that at the end of the year I will not be returning to the coordinator position at St. John s. I ve not made the decision to move on lightly and I will honestly miss the children, families and school community who have made this professional journey as easy and carefree as possible for me! Please be aware that as our numbers are increasing significantly it is becoming more important for parents to book their children in online or to give more notice for an on the day booking. This gives us enough time to ensure we are adequately staffed and able to provide a quality program for you and your children. If your child/ren are absent from school or other arrangements are made for them, could you please let us know that they won t be attending afterschool care. On the day cancellations/bookings must be made with a phone call or text to the program number on You will not be able to make online bookings or cancellations on the day. Online bookings or cancellations can be made up until midnight the night before. We hope to see you at OSHClub! Enjoy the rest of your week. NEXT WEEK S ACTIVITIES Before Care Activities After Care Activities Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Tuesday Christmas Cards Christmas Paper Plate Craft Pancakes Gingerbread People 13 Christmas Baubles Christmas Baubles Christmas Pom Poms Felt Ornaments Paper Christmas Wreath Christmas Crafts Parent Information OSHC program phone: Coordinator: Trent Harkom Assistants: Jill El-Khoury OSHClub Head Office: All families must be enrolled to attend the program, remember this is Free!! Please create an account online at all bookings and cancellations can also be managed via your online account. For on the day bookings please contact the Coordinator direct at the program.

14 14

15 Father Mario s Sermon 29 November 2015 (1 st Sunday of Advent, Year C) Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 24:4-5,8-9,10,14; 1Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, Stand erect, hold your heads high; your liberation is near at hand! At a recent funeral eulogy, the son of the deceased told the congregation: My father was born in 1940 and died in There is not much I can tell you about the dates, but I will share with you about the space in between! That is so very true of life: we are born and we journey towards our moment of death, although we generally tend to celebrate our birth day each year, and someone will celebrate our funeral for us, those two dates are the least important in our life. It is what we do in between that is important. As followers of Christ we live between two similar poles: the birth of Christ over two millennia ago, and his second coming in power and glory. They are both important moments in our life and in the history of humanity, but we cannot just celebrate or wait for those two moments without remembering the third coming: in our daily life, everyday! Today the Church invites us to start out on a new journey, this year we will journey along the gospel according to Luke. The first celebration is Christmas, the birth of God as a human being. Christmas is preceded by the time of Advent, a period of waiting. This is an important time for us to renew in us our attitude to wait. It is not easy to wait; in our busy lives often waiting seems like a waste of time. As we wait it is easy to forget what one is waiting for, it is easy to fall asleep. Returning home on the bus or train after a day s work is an example of waiting. It is very easy to dose off, running the risk of missing the station you intended to get off at! Jesus invites us to stay awake, to be alert because we do not know when the Lord will come. In the gospel Jesus uses apocalyptic imagery especially from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He uses the symbolism of the sun, moon and stars that will lose their light or fall from the sky. If this were to happen before the Lord comes again, then we would have no reason to be alert; the signs are very clear and easily observable. But the truth is that the Son of Man comes like a thief, in the middle of the night; we walk into his coming like we walk into a hidden trap. So we need to be very alert, totally awake! Jesus comes and walks into our life every day. We meet him in our friends, in things that happen around us, in the signs of the times. He does not come out shouting and screaming, but discreetly. We need to train ourselves to listen to his footsteps, his light knock on the door, his fingerprints in our life. If I go to sleep, unless I adopt this attitude of being alert, I may easily miss God s messages in my life. Jesus warns us that we can be distracted not only through debauchery and drunkenness, which we understand should be voided, but also through legitimate cares of life. Work and excessive concerns over different aspects in life can also distract us. We need to carry out our daily duties while keeping focused on God. Our waiting for God in our life is a happy experience: our liberator is coming. The Lord who comes is a God of love and great mercy, ready to welcome us back into his fold each time we fail and fall asleep. Therefore we need to rejoice and to wait in hope: standing erect and heads held high. God comes into our life not to punish us but to invite us to join him, to continue in our journey of faithful disciples. Unlike us human beings who get easily tired of forgiving, God s merciful love is infinite, he is always ready to welcome us back. So let us wait in sure hope. The Lord comes; the Lord is here. Let us be always ready to go out and meet him in our daily life, in our relatives and friends, in events that happen around us. Happy Advent! Happy New Year! Fr Mario 15

16 16

17 17