November 25th 2024: Newsletter #37

Acknowledgement of Country

St. John’s school community respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present. 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. 

Week 8 Prayer

May the Lord be generous in increasing your love…1 Thessalonians 3:12 

These are the opening words from Paul in the second reading for this First Sunday of Advent in Year C (1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2). 

It seems that here, Paul is suggesting that being human is more a verb than a noun, more a human becoming than a finished product. Perhaps it would be most accurate to add the word ‘yet’ to all assessments of ourselves and each other.  

‘She has not learned patience… yet.’   

‘I have not developed courage… yet.’ 

The ‘yet’ changes us. It moves us to see through a different lens, the lens of peace and goodwill that Advent heralds. 

Advent is full of powerful images of life unfolding, of the ‘yet’ that is coming – pregnant Mary, Joseph meeting each changing circumstance with courage, dew falling on grass, dawn drawing near, Divine Light coming into the world… 

Advent reminds us that the only box Christ allowed himself to be put into was a feeding box in a stable. All other boxes people tried to fit him into, he rejected. He had not yet reached his ‘It is finished’ time!

It is not okay to put the other in the box we construct for them with our limited perceptions. We, all of us, have not yet reached our ‘It is finished’ time. 

Jesus, walk with me in my ‘not yet’ time and give me the courage to grow in love,
that the dawn of each new day will find me a human being, a human becoming, 
moving steadfastly to my ‘It is finished’ time.
Amen.
Glory be to God and on earth peace. 

From the Principals

Welcome everyone to Week 8.  Last week we had our Year 1 children have an extended play at school until 7.00pm and the Grade 2 sleepover. It was jammed packed full of fun and activities. A big thank you to Miss Kissick, Mr Beks, Miss Lucas, Mr Keay, Miss Thwaites and Miss Eden who helped ensure the children had a positive experience. This Friday the Year 3 and 4 children are having their fun day and going to see Moana 2 at the cinema.  Next week our Year 5 and 6 children have their camp and travel by train to Melbourne on Wednesday until Friday.  

Our Foundation to Year 4 children are invited to attend and perform at the Carols by the Merri on Friday the 6th  December. Our school will be performing at 6.30pm.

Congratulations to Daniel H, Greta G and Harvey O who competed in Mt Gambier in the basketball last week. We are very proud of your efforts.

We would like to announce appointments of the following staff for 2025 positions:
Sacramental & Liturgical Leader: Grace Lucas

Religious Education Leader: Alicia Moloney

Library Technician: Andrea Pettit

Visual Art Teacher: Sandra Rhodes

Japanese Teacher: Narelle Marsden

Music Teacher: Nick Palmer

We would also like to congratulate Kristie Painter and her husband Michael, as they announce their pregnancy of their second child. Kristie will teach the first term in Foundation. Her position is currently being advertised and the successful applicant will have a thorough handover, ready to commence in term 2 for the remainder of the year.

We hope you all have a peaceful and happy week.

Jan and Amy

End of Year arrangements

As we near the end of Term 4 there are a few whole school notices to be aware of.

Orientation Day - Tuesday 10th Decmeber. On this day students will spend the day in their 2025 homerooms. You will recieve notice via email of your child's new homeroom and teacher the day prior.

End of Year Mass/Final Assembly - Wednesday 18th December. Families are invited to our end of year Mass at St. Pius X Church at 10.00am (All students will attend and will travel by bus) and our final assembly which will be held at 2.00pm in the Stadium. 

Academic reports - Will be released on Friday 13th December via PAM.

Last day of school - Wednesday 18th December at the usual finishing time of 3.20pm.

Parent/Guardian Facebook page - Once school has finished for the year, we will be going through the removal process of families in the group that have concluded their time with us. This is not personal (we will miss you all!!) we just need to make sure we have the right audience for our messages. Also, just a reminder this group is for parents and guardians only.

CONNECT requests - Each year, families are required to sign off documention in CONNECT which is in PAM. These documents- Acceptable Use and Cyber Safety agreement, Local Excursion permission, Media permission, Parent Participation Levy and Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct will be reset at the end of this year and you will be required to go in to PAM from Friday 3rd January to accept them for the 2025 school year. The new DOBCEL enrolment agreement will also be added to the suite of documents. These requests need to be completed by the commencement of Term 1, Wednesday 29th January.

Opening the Doors Foundation

The 2025 Student Grant Round opened on 8th November 2024 and closes on 14th March 2025. Please click the link below to read the eligibilty criteria.

Breakfast Club

Next Tuesday 3rd December will be our last Breakfast club for the year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jasmine and her team of helpers for all of the hard work and organisation it takes running this program.

Breakfast Club gives students the opportunity to eat a wholesome, nutritious breakfast with their peers along with fostering positive impacts such as physical and mental health, social skills and concentration.

We look forward to Breakfast club continuing in 2025!

Walk to school

This Friday will be our final walk to school day. Thank you to those who supported these days this past month.

As usual we will have staff members waiting at the former Dennington Post Office in Drummond Street at 8.10am for a 8.20am departure.  

If your child is yet to join in, please consider it. It is a wonderful way to start the day!

Carols by the Merri

The annual Carols by the Merri is being held on Friday 6th December at the G. G. Payne reserve on the Esplanade in Dennington overlooking the Merri.  It is a great occasion supported by our school and a wonderful opportunity for us to gather with our community.

Students in Grades F-4 have been rehearsing carols and are invited to sing them on stage with their year levels- please wear something Christmassy!  We will have staff members waiting by the stage on the night to assist. We will be performing at 6.30pm. If children could be there by 6.20pm ready to go on stage. We ask that toddlers stay with their families while the children perform.

Hands on Learning

We have just wrapped up our Semester 2 Hands on Learning groups.

Yuruk and Koorrayn spent lots of time in the kitchen cooking cupcakes, muffins, rum balls, brownies, fried rice and savory muffins. In the shed, they worked on safely using tools, making up wooden kits from the Men’s shed and painting fence posts that will be put up around the oval.

The students made playdoh for the Foundations and spent time in the Indigenous garden outside the library and the rain garden in the gully next to school.

Students visited Loved and Shared and learnt about the amazing work they do for our community. For most students the highlight of the semester was meeting residents from Lyndoch and getting to visit them.

Year 1 and 2 Camp Experience

Last week it was our Year 1 and Year two students camp experience with the Year 1 students staying at school until 7.00pm and the Year 2 students staying overnight. These experiences presented a wonderful opportunity for children to experience positive interactions with their peers outside of school hours.  One of the many features of camp is to not only have time with friends but also to expand networks through mixing with a range of children.  The camp is also designed to present the children with a range of social building activities. 

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Wellbeing

Confidence & Motivation

Building confidence and motivation in young people is essential for their overall wellbeing and is a key aspect of their development. These qualities can have a lasting impact on their success and happiness. Confidence helps children believe in their abilities and face challenges with a positive attitude, while motivation drives their desire to learn, explore, and achieve their goals.

Fostering these traits involves creating an environment that encourages children to take risks, learn from their mistakes, and celebrate their achievements. Confidence is built when children feel capable and valued, while motivation is fuelled by the belief that their efforts will lead to growth and success. By actively supporting both, we can help young people thrive in the academic, social, and personal areas of their life.

By offering positive reinforcement, setting realistic expectations, and celebrating their efforts, we can model a positive mindset that can go a long way in helping young people develop both confidence and motivation. Nurturing these qualities, will help them grow into self-assured individuals who believe in their ability to succeed, setting the foundation for a fulfilling future.

In this edition of SchoolTV, discover how to provide opportunities for autonomy and support your child in persevering through challenges.

Theircare

All bookings and questions regarding our outside school provider TheirCare, are to  be made directly to them on 1300 072 410.  Bookings can also be made at https://theircare.com.au/  and selecting St John's Dennington as the booking location.

Theircare also run a number of holiday programs which they are now taking bookings for. Please note these programs are not run here on site at St John's. 

Happy Birthday

Special wishes to Leo R, Macy M, Arlo H, Jackson J, Elija S, Morgan B, Daisy S and Austin S who celebrate their birthday this week! We hope you have a terrific day celebrating!

Student Awards

Around our School- Week 7

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Parents & Friend's Social Group

Our final meeting for the year will be Thursday 12th December at the Cally Hotel from 6:30pm, all welcome.

Dennington's Day Out

We had our final meeting for the year. We discussed the positive and negative feedback we received from the community to take on board next year. It was a great night out and we thanked Jo for all her hard work over the years organising all those food trucks and she will be greatly missed moving forward. 

If you would like to join our committee next year please keep an eye out for meeting details in the new year. 

Do you have a business or know a business that might be interested in sponsoring our Dennington’s Day Out in 2025 please email ddo@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au and we will contact you in the new year. 

Carols by the Merri

The annual Carols by the Merri will be held on Friday 6th December. Our last fundraiser for the year. We are looking for families to donate slices for the night to be sold at our food stall. This is also the last opportunity for anyone needing to tick some participation points off for the year. Please see flyer below for details.

Family BBQ

The P & F committee are supplying a BBQ for all of our school families on Tuesday 10th December from 5.30pm to say thank you for supporting all of the fundraisers throughout the year. BYO drinks. The form below is also being sent home today. Please RSVP your order by Tuesday 3rd December. 

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 next Wednesday 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 for Monday 2nd December.

Vincent, Vomo, Walden and Walder.

Please drop your store purchased cake into the 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 9.00am 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/ 

Upcoming Events

Wednesday 4th - Friday 6th December: Grade 5/6 Camp

Friday 6th December: Carols by the Merri- students arrive by 6.20pm.

Tuesday 10th December: Orientation Day

Tuesday 10th December: Family BBQ at school from 5.00pm

Thursday 12th December: Parents & Friends Social Group Meeting at 6.30pm at The Cally

Friday 13th December: Academic Reports released.

Wednesday 18th December: Last day of Term 4 - school concludes at 3.20pm

Wednesday 29th January: Start of Term 1 2025 for all students (no country buses running on this day)

Thursday 30th January: Country buses resume