July 21st 2025: Newsletter #22
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Acknowledgement of Country
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Prayer Week 1
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From the Principal
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First Eucharist- Grade 4
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Library- Helpers Required!
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Term 3 Wellbeing Day- Next Wednesday!
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Dental Van
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Year 4 Exhibition
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Book Week Dress Up Day
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Art
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St. John's Dance Concert
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Wellbeing
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Student Awards- Term 3, Week 1, 21st July
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Happy Birthday
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Student News
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Around our School- Term 2 Week 11
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Parents and Friend's Social Group
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Cake Raffle
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School Sponsorship
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Star of the Sea Bulletin
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Community Notices
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Upcoming Events
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.
Prayer Week 1

From the Principal
Hello everyone, welcome to a new term at St. John's.
Staffing Updates: Margie Smith (PE Teacher) will conclude her time with us 2 weeks ahead of schedule based on doctors orders so Emily Rooke will commence teaching PE Classes this week. We wish Margie all the best as she commences her maternity leave and we also look forward to welcoming Emily onto staff this week.
Student Movements: This week we welcome Charlee Stuy into Gr 3MK and farewell Bronte T from 4AM as she transfers to Kings College to be at the same setting as her brother.
Loop Use and No parking on oval: A general reminder for all families regarding pickup, if you need to help your child in and out of the car, please park in the car park rather than use the loop as it adds to congestion at an already busy time of day. I ask also that families do not park on the oval at the Russell Street end of the school at pick up time, this is unsafe. If there are no parks available then you will need to park on Russell Street.
After School Arrangements: One of the things that seems to cause students anxiety is a lack of clarity around who is collecting them at the end of school, I ask that all families please ensure that children are aware of who is collecting them each day and if there are to be changes, feel free to contact the office and we will let the children know.
Emmanuel Update: Coming home today for each family is new publciation from Emmanuel College- keep an eye out for this!
Term 3 Student Free Days: Please note the following dates will be student free in Term 3 to enable staff to particpate in professional development. Theircare will be available on these dates for students that require care.
- Monday August 4th
- Monday August 25th
2025 Term 3 Assembly Roster:
- Monday July 21st- Grade 4
- Monday July 28th- Foundation
- Monday August 4th- Student Free Day
- Monday August 11th- Grade 3
- Monday August 18th- No assembly due to concert
- Monday August 25th- Student Free Day
- Monday September 1st- Grade 5/6
- Monday Sep 8th- Grade 1
- Monday Sep 15th- Grade 2
Enjoy the break, Ben.
First Eucharist- Grade 4
First Eucharist is a Sacramental Program for Year 4 students and older who have been both Baptised and Confirmed.
This year we will be continuing the new format of a combined Parish Parent Information session and a combined Parish schools Eucharist Formation Day, these will be both be held on the dates outlined below.
A kit containing the materials and information to prepare your child for the Celebration of First Eucharist will be provided to your child. Parents work through this booklet at home with their child (rather that the previous Family Groups after school).
Parents who wish to register their child for participation in the Sacrament, should complete the form below. Anyone who has already done so, does not need to do it again.
Key Dates
7pm, Tuesday 29th July | Parent Information session at St. Joseph's Church |
Tuesday 5th August | Combined Parish Schools Eucharist Formation Day |
10:30am, Sunday 10th August | Mass of Committment, St Pius X School & Church |
9:00am, Sunday August 24th | Celebration of the First Eucharist Sacrament, St Pius X Church |
Library- Helpers Required!

We are looking for parental assistance in our Library which will be counted towards Parent Participation levy points. Tasks would include shelving books, returning books, organising shelves and general tidiness. A staff member will explain how the books are returned and shelved.
We hope to do a general audit of all the books over the second half of this year.Times are very flexible, perhaps an hour in the morning or before pick up. Thursdays and Fridays are not available as the Library is used for Japanese at these times.
If you are interested please email Jan Madden jmadden@sjdennington.catholic.
Term 3 Wellbeing Day- Next Wednesday!
Healthy relationships are crucial for wellbeing. On Wednesday 30th July, it is International Day of Friendship. At school that day we will be celebrating with our whole school Wellbeing Day. The focus this year is on strengthening connections and building resilience. Students will also work on developing regulation plans and engaging in activities that enhance their Wellbeing. All students are able to wear casual, comfy clothes on this day.

Dental Van
This is a friendly reminder that Teeth On Wheels will be visiting our school for dental check-ups starting on August 11th 2025.
Early dental visits are crucial for your child’s long-term oral health. At this visit, Teeth On Wheels will help identify and address common dental concerns, such as:
- Thumb-sucking– which can affect tooth development.
- Teeth eruption– ensuring teeth are coming through correctly.
- Bite issues– preventing misalignments that may cause future problems.
- Hypoplasia– weakened tooth enamel that can lead to decay.
- Decay and cavities – catching early signs before they develop into bigger issues.
- Deep grooves and pits– which can trap food and bacteria, increasing the risk of decay.
- Gum infections– preventing long-term damage to gums and surrounding tissue.
To ensure your child is part of this visit, please complete the consent form by clicking the link below. Important: The cut-off date for completing your child’s form is August 5th 2025.
Once completed, the Teeth On Wheels team will Check your child’s eligibility for FREE care under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). If your child is not eligible, Teeth On Wheels is offering a special deal of $125 for a full check-up, clean, fluoride treatment, and any required x-rays (which can be claimed through your private health insurance).
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact the Teeth On Wheels team at (03) 9338 1191.

Year 4 Exhibition
Last term the Year 4 students completed a unit of learning called ‘Into the Unknown’. They researched about different past explorers of the world who had made an impact or changed the world from their discoveries and voyages.
The students demonstrated their learning by creating a Learning Showcase, which included the artifacts and ships for each of the explorers, posters of their information reports and devices for a kahoot to check their visitors' understanding.
Parents, families, friends, the whole school and wider community, came through the school stadium to check out all the work the students completed over the term.
Thank you to Clinton Moloney and Reece and Samantha Lane, for the work they did to help the children also create a human-size rotatable globe of the Earth.








Book Week Dress Up Day
Art
St. John's Dance Concert
Wellbeing

It is not always easy for children and teenagers to always know how to manage friendships. 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 child's wellbeing. Friendships are full of ups and downs and it is better for kids to learn how to manage and build their own friendships, even though as an adult carer you may be tempted to interfere.
Student Awards- Term 3, Week 1, 21st July
Miss Buwalda - Kathleen M for being so happy and helpful everyday in our classroom.
Miss Dwyer - Jacob D for always using his manners and displaying kindness towards his peers and teachers. Keep it up, Jacob!
Mrs Archbold - Chili H for displaying eagerness and engagement during this week’s Literacy sessions.
Miss Kissick - Zivah K for displaying great teamwork when solving puzzles with the Foundations and Year Ones. Well done Zivah!
Miss Lucas - Nakia A for her amazing acting as the ‘Mouse’ for our class play. You are born for the stage!
Mr Hynes - Lyra Egan for always trying her best during all learning sessions daily! Keep it going Lyra!
Miss Ryan - Easton S for his enthusiastic approach to learning especially in reading. Well done Easton!
Mr Harrington - Lucy W for showing such resilience and maturity lately. Keep it up!
Miss Kelly - Austin S for being a superstar in the grade 3 area and always being your positive self. Great work Austin!
Miss Moloney - Kai B for sharing your knowledge and engaging your audience about your explorer, Marco Polo, during the Year 4 Learning Showcase.
Mrs Mugavin - Carter A for his enthusiasm, positivity and willingness to share his work to a range of audiences during the Grade 4 Learning Showcase about Christopher Colombus.
Miss P - Harvey O for his persistence in all areas of Multiplication problem solving.
Mr McInerney - Evie D for her fantastic Genius Hour project topic.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrated their birthday during the holidays: Freya T, Danyl S, Lysander L, Mia Y, Charlotte M, Eva M, Nakia A, Kai C, Eliza M, Lucy W, Mason C and Kaiya G.
Best wishes to the following students who turn another year older this week! Raani M, Gracie R, Tessa A, Koda S, Finn A, Sonny A, Alfie P, Layker A and Taylor G.

Student News
Zoe competed in her first calisthenics competition over the weekend in Mt. Gambier and her team won first place! She performed beautifully and loved the stage! Our own Miss Maleiah Mugavin is her coach, and her senior team were runners up in their division too.
Isabelle took center stage during the holidays in the musical My Son Pinocchio, presented by Primary Performers playing the role of a spoilt brat. Based off first hand accounts, she played the role very well and has a bright future in acting.


Around our School- Term 2 Week 11
















Parents and Friend's Social Group
Join us this Tuesday night 22nd July at 7.00pm in the Gathering space to discuss this term's fundraising and upcoming events. All welcome!
Dennington Day Out
The next Dennington Day Out next meeting is being held on Tuesday 29th July at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space.
Do you have a child that might be interested in holding a mini entrepreneurs stall at this years DDO? Make sure you are following the Dennington Day Out Facebook page for the expressions of interest google form that will be posted in the coming weeks.
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
Wednesday Treats
Wednesday Treats begin next Wednesday 30th July starting with Hot Dogs! Orders will open this Wednesday and close Tuesday 29th July at 8:30am.
Hot Dogs $2.50 each. Gluten Free Hot Dogs in bread $2.50 each
$2.00 each - Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Chocolate Milk & Strawberry Milk
Roster:
Tuesday 29th July - Laura, Alisha R & Danili J
Wednesday 30th July - Theresa G, Tess & Jess W
Please remember Orders are required to be placed online via the CDFpay app. Each Wednesday the order for the following week will be uploaded to the app. Orders will close at 8:30am each Tuesday so please make sure you get your orders in on time as we can not accept late orders or cash this year.
Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Taliah Gleeson, Emily McGennan or the front office.
Cake Raffle

Each week at Assembly we draw a cake raffle for students. The money raised goes to Our noimiated charity, Backpacks Beds.
School families have been assigned a week to bring in a cake. There is no obligation or pressure for you to do so, it is only if you wish to. If you have been assigned a week that is unsuitable and you would like to bring a cake in another week, please contact the office and an alternate date will be arranged.
If you choose to, please drop your store purchased cake into the office with your family name written on top.
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 on for Monday 28th July:
MacLean, Maher, Malone, Marsden and Mason.
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

Tuesday 22nd July - Wednesday 24th July: Grade 3/4 Camp
Tuesday 22nd July - P&F Meeting
Tuesday 29th July: Eucharist parent meeting at 7.00pm at St. Joseph's Church
Wednesday 30th July: Wellbeing Day (wear comfortable casual clothes)
Monday 4th August: School Closure Day (Theircare open for bookings)
Wednesday 6th August: Book Week Dress Up Day and Parade at 9.00am in the Stadium
Monday 11th - Wednesday 13th August: Teeth on Wheels Dental Van Visit
Monday 18th August: School Dance Concert at 6.30pm at Emmanuel College.
Monday 25th August: School Closure Day (Theircare open for bookings)