March 24th, 2025: Newsletter #9

Acknowledgement of Country

St. John’s school community respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders as the traditional custodians of the land on which we learn, pray and grow. 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 9 Prayer: The Feast Day of Oscar Romero

Today, March 24th is the Feast Day of St Oscar Romero. Romero was the Archbishop of San Salvador. As archbishop, Romero spoke out against social injustice and violence amid the escalating conflict between the military lead government and left-wing insurgents that led to the civil war in El Salvador. In 1980, Romero was shot by an assassin while celebrating mass.  

Romero was declared a martyr by Pope Francis on 3 February 2015, paving the way for his beatification on 23 May 2015. During Romero's beatification, Pope Francis declared that his "ministry was distinguished by his particular attention to the most poor and marginalized." Pope Francis canonized Romero on 14 October 2018.

Seen as a social conservative at the time of his appointment as archbishop in 1977, Romero was deeply affected by the murder of his friend and fellow priest and thereafter became an outspoken critic of the El Salvador government. Romero actively denounced violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable people and defended the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposing all forms of violence. 

In Lent each year we are called to support the work of Caritas Australia through Project Compassion. Caritas, as part of its promotion of the project, use the words of Romero "Aspire not to have more, but to be more!".

As we hold true to the ideals of Project Compassion, may be all be like Romero in standing up for the marginalised, the outcast, the poor and those that society tends to forget.

From the Principal

Hello everyone, welcome to Week 9 at St. John's.

Lent and Easter: Further in the newsletter are two flyers about two events happening this term and then on the first day back. This year Easter comes at the end of our school holidays. Usually we have had a liturgy for Holy Thursday/Good Friday and Easter Sunday at the end of our term. Due to the timing we will be having "St John's Purple Day" where our Johnny's leaders have a Lenten challenge for project Compassion. This year we are raising funds and awareness to help those in developing countries to get access to clean water. The children are invited to wear something Purple on Tuesday April 1st.

The second event is on our first day back in Term 2 to celebrate Easter. We will be having a Liturgy at 9.00am and children are invited to wear bright, colourful clothing for "Alleluia Day". We would like to thank Alicia Moloney and Grace Lucas who are leading these occasions as part of their roles as Liturgy leader (Grace) and Religious Education Leader (Alicia).

Wellbeing at St John's:  As part of our Wellbeing Program at St John's, we are running a family Wellbeing evening on April the 2nd at 6.00pm. We are so fortunate to have such an experienced and motivated Wellbeing team lead by Jasmine Koch and Mel Willis. The evening is designed to support all families with ways to utilise many of the strategies we use here at school with the children and how that can integrate into your family life. Wellbeing is for everyone and every age. We hope that we get many families along to this interactive and fun evening. There will be more about this next week.

As part of our Wellbeing at school we are offering some weekly wellbeing workshops/activities at first break. The reasons behind this initiative are that they are firstly great fun and also to engage children in group activities at break time.

• Monday - movement (dancing, yoga etc)
• Tuesday - Quiet activities such as chess, puzzles
• Wednesday  - Singing
• Thursday - Running/walking club
• Friday - Craft

Traffic Management: Now that the term is well and truly underway, I would like to make people aware of a few expectations around our pick up processes.

1.  If your child needs assistance to hop in and out of the car, we ask that you do not use the loop but park your car and collect them. This ensures that the loop movement is not held up and moves smoothly and allows traffic flow.
2.  Many parents utilise Dennington Rec Reserve as a collection point but please note that this is not a supervised area, it is not monitored by staff. 

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Today, several Grade 6 students preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation gathered at Emmanuel College alongside approximately 80 other students from across the Star of the Sea Parish. 

Maria Forde, an experienced educator, guided the students in learning about and reflecting on the sacrament.

New arrival:  Sending our warmest congratulations to the Serra family on the arrival of little baby Leo. Wishing you all the love and joy that a new baby brings.

School Closure Days: Our first School Closure day for the year will take place on Thursday April 24th, which will focus on the presentation of the DOBCEL Strategy 2035, titled "Pursuing Fullness of Life for All." This comprehensive plan aims to enhance the performance of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat over the next decade. The strategy will be presented to all staff members of DOBCEL schools by Executive Director, Tom Sexton. All schools in the Southern Zone will gather at St Joseph's Primary School, Warrnambool, on April 24th to ensure everyone in the Zone has a clear understanding of this strategy and its vision. This day will be a School Closure Day for all schools in the Southern Zone. The full Executive Summary of the DOBCEL 2035 Strategy is available on the DOBCEL website or hard copies can be obtained from the school office.

Enjoy the week ahead,  Ben. 

Learning and Teaching with Jan and Amy

The Helpdesk is well underway and it was great to see a few parents drop by last week. We will be on hand every Monday afternoon along with Ben, our Wellbeing leaders Jasmine and Mel, and Administration Officer Julie to answer any questions you may have.

Parent Participation Levy

Please remember to log your volunteer hours that you have accumulated this term. There is a tile on the schoolzine app where you can record the activity and the number of hours you volunteered for. There is also a paper sign in sheet at the office if you prefer.

PPL hours will be updated at the start of term 2 and reflected in your next fee statement. 4 hours of volunteering will trigger a $100 refund and 8 hours will trigger a further $100 with the maximum being $200 refunded.  If you need clarification or have any questions please contact the office.

Foodbank

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. 

Project Compassion

Farewell Mrs Painter!

We wish Mrs Painter all the best as she begins maternity leave and thank her for all of her hard work and support ensuring her students had a smooth transition into Foundation. Kristie has now completed an extensive handover to Kylie Archbold who will step into the class and continue the excellent work Kristie has started. 

Lions Eye Care Health program

Last week The Warrnambool Lions Club undertook Vision Screening for children that opted in from Foundation, Year 3 and Year 6. This is a free service they provide and we sincerely thank them for their time and professionalism. 

Personalised letters were written and addressed to the relevant parent/guardian following the screening and were sent home last week. In this letter the results of the screenings were identified, highlighting any areas of concern that should be referred on to an Optometrist for further examination if required. 

Gardening Club

Some of our Year One students have been helping our volunteers (Denise and Tamara) to get our raised garden beds back to being operational. The children have been helping to spread the soil, plant herbs, vegetables and flowers (for the bees). We would like to thanks Bells Garden Centre for giving us a discount on the soil and a big thank you to Denise and Tamara for giving up their time to make this project happen.

Wellbeing

Friendship & Belonging

Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a young person’s wellbeing. It gives them a sense of security helping them feel valued which in turn builds their confidence.

Positive friendships are an important part of the journey to adulthood. Adult carers can support their child or teenager by providing guidance in the many social and emotional skills required for a healthy relationship. This will help them to obtain, retain and maintain friendships. However, not all friendship are regarded as positive. Sometimes young people develop negative or toxic friendships. Therefore it is also important for them to learn how to identify, avoid or deal with such a friendship.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to support their young person’s friendship so that they experience a sense of belonging.

Wellbeing Barometer Survey - 2025

The Wellbeing Barometer survey has become an essential resource for schools, providing valuable insights into youth mental health and wellbeing. By capturing community concerns and understanding the nature of these challenges, schools are better positioned to support families, foster meaningful conversations, and strengthen relationships.

As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, this survey plays a pivotal role in tailoring support for students and their families. It offers a comprehensive view of students’ experiences, challenges, and achievements over a 12 month period.

By participating in this survey, your school can identify areas of strength, uncover potential concerns, and pinpoint opportunities for early intervention. The survey’s findings enable a deeper understanding of young people’s lives, supporting a more tailored approach to improving mental and emotional wellbeing.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to complete either one or both surveys, depending on the age of your son or daughter and the school they attend.

We encourage you to complete one survey for each child. There is no limit to how many times you can complete the survey. This will enable you to provide more accurate responses based on individual children.

Please remember, all responses remain anonymous and should reflect observations made over the last 12 months. Survey results are only reported on an aggregated basis.

STEM

In STEM students have been using the Dash Robots to program the ball launcher. Check out the videos below!

Alleluia Day

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthday this week: Sommer D, Arlo B, Dustin P and Evie R.  We hope you enjoy your special day!

Student Awards

Around our School- Week 8

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Parents and Friend's Social Group

Please join us tonight at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space for our monthly meeting. Everyone is welcome, we always look forward to seeing some new faces. Hope you can make it.

Dennington Day Out

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 13th May at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space. Our committee is still looking for new volunteers to join. 

Dennington Day Out Sponsorship Proposal for 2025 is now available if you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring this years event please contact ddo@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au

Parents and Friends Social bowls

This Saturday night is our first “Social night out” lock a babysitter in and come along for a fun night out. It will be a great way to meet other parents/guardians. 

Join us from 6:30pm til late at the Dennington Bowls club- $10 per person includes bbq and game of bowls. Drinks at bar prices. RSVP is a must for catering by Wednesday 26th March via CDFpay in the app. If you are unsure or have any questions please see Hayley Black or Emily McGennan.

Easter Raffle

A book of ten raffle tickets were sent home last week with the eldest child in the family. Raffle tickets are $2 each.

All raffle ticket payments are to be made via CDFpay. Please return you sold tickets to the office in an envelope with your eldest child's name written on the front so we can match payments via CDFpay. The cut off time for raffle ticket payments is 10.00am the day of the raffle - Monday 31st March.

If you require additional tickets they can be collected from the office.

We are kindly asking for Easter themed donations for the raffle, these can be dropped into the office now.

Wednesday Treats

Last week our Wednesday Treats volunteer form for Term 2 went home. If you are able to help on a Tuesday or Wednesday please fill out the form and return to the office by Tuesday 1st April. All time that you volunteer will go towards your participation levy. Any questions please reach out to Taliah Gleeson or Emily McGennan.

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 various charities. Please drop your store purchased cake into the office with your family name written on top.  If there is no assembly on your rostered day due to a school closure or event, please drop your cake in the week after.

All students will have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket for 20c 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 for:

Monday 31st March: 

Cole, Collins, Coverdale, Cox, Crothers and Cust.

School Sponsorship

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.

A big thank you to O'Brien Electrical & Plumbing, Fry Painting, Carry on travel, King Cole Fruit Supply, Total Landscapes and Design and Hiensch Haulage that sponsor our school!

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/ 

Community Notices

Upcoming Events

Monday 24th March: Reconciliation Formation Day - Emmanuel College

Monday 24th March: Parents and Friends meeting at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space

Saturday 29th March:  Parents and Friends social lawn bowls at 6:30pm

Monday 31st March: Final Assembly for Term 1 and Easter Raffle draw at 2.30pm

Wednesday 2nd April: Family Wellbring Evening at 6.00pm - 7.30 in the Shared Learning Space

Thursday 3rd April: Reconciliation Sacrament

Thursday 3rd April: District Athletics Carnival

Friday 4th April: Last Day of Term 1. School concludes at 2.20pm.

Monday 21st April: Easter Monday Public Holiday

Tuesday 22nd April: First Day of Term 2

Thursday 24th April: Closure Day - Southern Zone Collaboration Day (DOBCEL determined date)

Friday 25th April: ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Monday 28th April: Confirmation Parent Meeting (7.00pm St Joseph's Church)

Thursday 1st May: May Races Public Holiday

Tuesday 13th May: DDO Meeting at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space