April 29th, 2024: Newsletter #11
- Acknowledgement of Country
- 150th Anniversary Celebrations
- Week 3 Prayer
- From the Principal
- ANZAC Day
- St John's Cross Country- Wednesday
- Mother's Day Breakfast
- Specialist Timetables & Public Holidays
- NCCD
- Food Bank for Needy Families
- 2025 Foundation Students
- 2025 Enrolment Tours
- Lunchtime Workshops
- Student News
- Around our School- Week 2
- Student Awards
- Happy Birthday
- Parents & Friends Social Group
- School Sponsorship
- Star of the Sea Bulletin
- Community Notices
- Upcoming Events
Acknowledgement of Country
St. John’s school community respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on this land and commit to building a brighter future together, working together towards a reconciled Australia.
150th Anniversary Celebrations
Week 3 Prayer
From the Principal
Welcome everyone to May Race week, if attending the races may you have a great time.
Congratulations Jordan & Tom: Our congratulations to our very own Jordan Miller who became engaged to her partner Tom on ANZAC Day- we are thrilled for Jordan and Tom and wish them all the very best as they take the next step in their life journey together.
Welcome Sarah: I am pleased to announce that Sarah Burchell has been appointed to the position of Finance Officer following Gayle McPherson's resignation. Sarah is an accountant with the Warrnambool City Council and prior to that has worked with Sinclair Wilson, she brings a great skill set to the position. We look forward to welcoming Sarah when she commences with on May 27th.
Work Experience Students: Over the next 2 weeks we welcome Hannah and Maddie to our school community as part of their work experience program in their respective schools- we welcome them and hope they have an amazing time.
Student Safety: We have noticed an increased number of students who are using bikes, scooters, Segways or E-Scooters as a means of travelling to and from school. With these forms of transport comes responsibility on the users to make sure they are using these pieces of equipment safely. Unfortunately this has not been the case and since term has commenced, we have had a number of incidents where children on these have devices have hit another student.
Powered bicycles, scooters etc can be very dangerous when not used correctly and I ask all parents to be diligent and responsible when considering if their child is old enough to use the device, particularly if it is a powered bicycle, scooter etc.
We look forward to the week ahead, Ben.
ANZAC Day
My thanks to all community members who joined the wider Dennington and Warrnambool communities to commemorate ANZAC Day, your participation helps to celebrate the lives of all those who died who strived to bring peace to the world.
St John's Cross Country- Wednesday
Our school cross country is being held this Wednesday 1st May. Students are to wear their sports uniform to school on this day. Students will compete in their age groups, the same age groups as Athletics.
All events will start and finish at the Dennington oval near the netball courts. Parents are welcome to come along and watch if they would like but please bear in mind the below times are approximate and will depend on weather.
Event Times and distances:
1.00pm- 12/13 year olds (3km)
1.20pm- 11 year olds (3km)
1:40pm- 10 year olds (2km)
2.00pm- 9 year olds (2km)
2:20pm- 8 year olds (1km- two laps of oval)
2.35pm- 7 year olds (1km- two laps of oval)
2.50pm- 5/6 year olds (500m- lap of oval)
Presentations to follow.
Mother's Day Breakfast
We invite Mothers or a special person to our annual Mother's Day Breakfast- which will be held on Friday 10th May starting at 7.30am in the Stadium.
Please complete the google form to let us know if you can make it. We hope to see you there!
Specialist Timetables & Public Holidays
Due to the fact that this Thursdays is a Public Holiday, we have created an alternate Specialist Timetable to ensure all students particpate in all of their Specialist Subjects. The timetable for Friday is shown below.
All students need to wear their Sports Uniform on Firday.
NCCD
Food Bank for Needy Families
The St. John's community has a wonderful tradition of supporting families in need. The "Food Bank" is one where families come together to provide a meal for families within our school who are in need of support (for example, a new arrival, family illness or bereavement). If you are aware of a family requiring support, please contact the office.
If you are willing to help out during the year, please contact Ben van de Camp and we will reach out when the need arises. Thanks in advance.
2025 Foundation Students
Foundation 2025 enrollments for siblings of current students are now welcome, please visit the following link to commence enrolling your Foundation 2025 child.
If you require any assistance please contact the office.
2025 Enrolment Tours
We are taking bookings for Enrolment Tours in May. Please share with anyone that you know that may be interesting in attending and learning more about our wonderful school. Please head to our website or click here for the link to register.
Lunchtime Workshops
Our lunchtime workshops are in full swing and operate at first lunch on Tuesdays through to Friday. They are open to all students and the activites change regularly.
Student News
Tilda attended the Inspire Aerial competition on the weekend in Geelong and placed 2nd. Tilda was very proud of the outcome as she spent a great deal of time training in the lead up.
This is incredible achievement Tilda, what an amazing talent you have!
Around our School- Week 2
Student Awards
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to Luke V who celebrates his birthday this week. We hope you have a terrific day.
Parents & Friends Social Group
Our next general meeting will be held on Tuesday 21st May at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space. We welcome all current and new members.
We are looking for a couple of helpers to help organise for our movie fundraiser. The movie “IF” will be released in may with our movie date to be finalised this week. More information to come
Dennington's Day Out
Planning is well underway for this year’s Dennington’s Day Out. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 29th May at 7:15pm in the Gathering Space.
There is still time to sponsor, If you or know someone that might be interested please email ddo@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au to enquire about the packages or check out the DDO facebook page.
Bunnings BBQ
A huge thank you to everyone who assisted yesterday at the Bunnings BBQ. This is a significant fundraiser for our school and the assistance given was greatly appreciated.
Wednesday Treats
Roster for this week:
Tuesday 30th 9.00am - Taliah, Theresa G, Laura M, Rebecca W & Melissa C
Wednesday 1st May 9:45am - Adela S, Nicole D, Tess M
Potato Cake order forms for next week will be going home tomorrow, please keep an eye out for it. With next Tuesday being a school closure day. All orders must be in by Monday 9.00am. No late orders will be accepted. If you are paying via EFT please make sure that it is processed by 3.00pm on Sunday with your child's name and class as reference.
Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Taliah Gleeson or Emily McGennan.
Mother's Day Stall
Our Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Wednesday 8th May. We are looking for volunteers to help on the day. If you are able to help please contact Regina Laird on 0419 115 108. Any help would be much appreciated and will be taken off your participation points.
Cake Raffle
Each week on a Monday, families are rostered on to bring in a cake which will then be raffled and drawn out at assembly. All funds raised throughout the year will be donated to the Good Friday Appeal the following year.
All students will have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket for 20c each Monday with a limit of five tickets per student. The Johnnies will make a P.A announcement at first lunch, calling all students who wish to purchase a ticket, to the Library.
The following families are rostered on next week, Monday 29th April:
De Visscher, De Martin (Savannah), De Martin (Sommer), Doak and Drake.
Please drop your (store purchased) cake into the front office with your child's name written on top.
School Sponsorship
A big thank you to O'Brien's Electrical, Joinery by Jarrod, Fry Painting and Carry on Travel who sponsor our school!
Would you like to advertise your business in our school newsletter? Businesses can advertise for only $100 a year and will have a business card sized listing in every school newsletter.
Please contact parents@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au for more information.
Star of the Sea Bulletin
Sunday Mass is held at 10.00am at St. Pius X Church. School families are always welcome.
The Parish office can be contacted on 5562 2231 and this weekends bulletin is featured below. Other information and contact details can be found on the Star of the Sea South West Coast website: https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/parish/southwestcoast/
Community Notices
Upcoming Events
Wednesday 1st May: School Cross Country
Thursday May 2nd: May Races Holiday
Tuesday May 7th: School Closure Day
Wednesday 8th May: Mother's Day Stall
Friday 10th May: Mother's Day Breakfast
Tuesday 21st May: Parents and Friends general meeting at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space
Wednesday 29th May: DDO Meeting at 7:15pm in the Gathering Space