April 15th, 2024: Newsletter #9

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 1 Prayer

From the Principal

Welcome to the 1st week of a new term, we hope the break was fantastic. 

Welcome Benhail, Luis and Luke: This week we welcome new students and their families into our school community. Benhail Subin has started today in Gr 3 in 3/4DH and tomorrow Luke Villanueva (Gr 3 in 3/4DH) and his brother Luis (Gr 5 in 56KP) will join our school. Benhail comes to us from India while Luke and Luis are from the Philippines. We warmly welcome the three boys and their families to our school community. 

Good Friday Cake Raffle: As a result of the cake raffle throughout the year, we were able to donate an amount of $640 dollars to the Good Friday appeal- thanks to everyone for their support. 

Welcome Margie: We welcome back Margie Smith this week who will resume her previously held position of PE Teacher, we are excited to have her back on deck.  

Mother's Day Stall & Breakfast: Please note that our Mother's day stall will be held on Wednesday May 8th and the Mother's Day Breakfast will be held on Friday May 10th starting at 7.30am. Further details to come. 

Breakfast Club: Our Breakfast Club commences again this week. I ask that parents speak to children about their attendance at Breakfast Club as we've noticed a number of children will attend Breakfast Club when it starts, grab a piece of toast then head out to play where they are not supervised.

The purpose of Breakfast Club is for children to sit, to socialise and to share a meal together, not to quickly guzzle down some toast and play. We thank you in advance for your support. 

ANZAC Day: Our school has again been invited to join with the Dennington Community in commemorating those who served in all wars.

Our students are welcome to gather at the Dennington Kinder in their school uniform, we will then join in the parade before our captains lay a wreath at the memorial on behalf of our school community.

We have also been asked to lead the singing of the national anthem so all children in attendance will gather after the parade to do this. A staff member will coordinate this on the day. 

Please also note that all community members are invited to join in the Dennington Community Association breakfast which will run frrom 7.30am at the Payne Reserve BBQ area. 

We look forward to the week ahead, Ben.

Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund

Just a reminder if you haven't put in a claim for the CSEF and you have a current health care card please complete the attached form and drop it into the office. 

Sacrament of Confirmation

The South West Coast parish is now inviting all families of children to register to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation- this sacrament is available to all baptised children in Gr 3 and above.

The Formation evening for children and parents will be held Monday April 22nd in Koroit whilst the actual Sacrament will be held on Wednesday May 15th also in Koroit. 

We ask that families who wish for their child to receive this sacrament, please complete the linked form below.

Should you have any questions, please contact Tom Beks. 

https://forms.gle/rQwdTrBewAxkNxus6

Home Reading versus Homework

For many years now there has been an ongoing conversations about the value of Homework. At St. John's we do not utilise homework as a means of supporting the learning program. This decision has been based on research that suggests that for over 85% of families, homework is a major stress. Many experts have suggested that large amounts of home learning often cause children to dislike learning – it is done, but not well, and is usually a chore rather than something that is fun. In his research on how children learn best, Professor John Hattie, University of Auckland, found that home learning has little impact. In fact out of a list of 123 things, home learning comes in at number 88. We learn through experiences (doing) and reflecting on these experiences. 

Our approach to Home Reading however is different as Home Reading is fundamental to learning achievement, it is different to Homework. Research shows that when parents/ guardians are involved in reading with their children the following benefits flow;

• Parents’ perceptions, values, attitudes, and expectations play an important role in influencing their children’s attitudes toward reading, and subsequent literacy development. When children share a book with someone who makes them feel special, the attitude that reading is pleasurable is transferred to other reading encounters.
  
• At the core of reading is a relationship and it is the bond between children and parents that is enhanced through reading together. It only takes ten minutes a day to build this relationship.
• The research is conclusive: When parents successfully support their children’s literacy learning from an early age, everyone benefits. When teachers and parents work together to support children’s reading and academic success, learning outcomes for all children improve.
• Students who read with their parents are better prepared for school. They begin school with knowledge of book language and familiarity with concepts of print. They understand how books work and have many more exposures to text types and vocabulary.
• Knowing someone cares enough to take time out of a busy schedule to give you undivided attention around a book makes a significant difference to how students perceive themselves as learners and readers. When parents show an interest in their children’s learning, children respond positively.

At St. John's we ask that all families read nightly. For juniors, Home Reading is as per the Little Learners program and for all Gr 3-6 children there should be 20 minutes of reading on Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs. 

New CONNECT request

At the end of last term you should have recieved a link via email directing you to new CONNECT request to complete in PAM. The new request is for Local Excursions (St. Pius X Church and Dennington Rec Reserve) This is due to DOBCEL updating their camps and local excursion policies.

We require this request to be completed ASAP. Thank you to families who have already done so.

Term 2 Student Free Days

Please mark these days in your calendar:

• Thursday 25th April - ANZAC Day
• Thursday 2nd May - May Race Public Holiday
• Tuesday 7th May - Staff Professional Development Day on Wellbeing

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.

Enrolment Apply Now Link

If you require any assistance please contact the office.

2025 Enrolment Tours

Winter Uniforms

As we enter Term 2, children are welcome to wear their winter uniform, but for the first few weeks of term children are also welcome to wear their summer uniform, it's a family decision.

Boys: Grey trousers, Blue polo shirt, Polar fleece jumper, grey socks and black school shoes.

Girls: Blue polo shirt, Navy tunic or Navy taiored slacks, Ploar fleece jumper, Navy tights or white socks and black school shoes.

Click here to visit our uniform supplier- Lowes at Gateway Plaza.

Students can wear plain navy trackpants instead of sport shorts on their Specialist Day only, if they wish to do so.

Hats are not required to be worn in Term 2 or Term 3.  

Project Compassion- Please return boxes

As we've written about previously, Caritas is one of the Catholic Church's charities and throught the Season Of Lent, it operates Project Compassion which is its main fundraiser for the year. If you still have a Project Compassion box, to return it to school where they will be collected and any funds raised will be provided to Caritas. 

Holy Thursday and The Last Supper

On Thursday 28th March we held a liturgy focusing on the Last Supper.  Thank you to the many families who joined us for this occassion. 

Year levels also worked together in the lead up to create a Last Supper Display in each of their areas. The displays were very well done, with a lot of thought and work going into each one. It was brilliant to listen to the students talk about the display and explain what the had learnt about the Last Supper when asked.

STEM

Exciting things were happeing in STEM with Mrs Painter during Term 1. Our Years 3-6 summarise what they have been up to. Stay tuned for an update from the Juniors later this Term!

Last Term, our years 3-6 STEM unit was called ‘Sustainable Practices’ and we had to design an everyday item that is built from sustainable materials. 

It had to have a practical purpose and to be functional. Lots of us made solar ovens to cook smores, basketball and netball hoops and arcade games. 

Some other great designs included a hand held washing machine, a fish feeder, prosthetic leg, leg brace insulated fridge and bionic hand. 

All children worked very hard all term and came up with some incredible ideas. We are all proud of our efforts. 

By Pippa, Archie, Charlotte and Jagger.

Student News

Billy and his big sister Elsie have enjoyed their holidays snuggling with their gorgoeus new brother Joey, born on 20th March. A big congratultions from all of us here at St. Johns! 

For Easter Sommer and Savannah D and their families went skiing to Lake Charm to their family holiday house. Harper C and her family went with them also.  On the last weekend of the school holidays Sommer went to Moama and skiied on the Murray. Here she is pictured on the knee board with her dad. Wow! Well done Sommer!

Lots of students were very busy looking after new fury members of the family during the school holidays!  Ella and Ruby are absolutely smitten with their new dachshund puppy Molly! 

Kyla's family welcomed four new German Shepherd pups (Three girls and one boy). How adorable! Only one female pup is left for sale.

Taylor and Maddison's family are the proud new owners of this cute litte border collie pup called Cooper! We have heard he is currently cute by day but not so much at night!! 

Franklin and Leo were thrilled to welcome Teddy into their family. Teddy is a German Shepherd and is absolutely adorable!

If you have any news that you would like to share with our school community please email admin@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au

Student Awards

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrated thier special day through the holidays: Archie D, Zariyah Q, Marcus F, Austin M, Zivah K, Hayley G, Zoe M, Lyla R, Lara M and Darcy M.

This week we say Happy Birthday to Luca B and Mila N. We hope you have a terrific day!

TheirCare

Parents & Friends Social Group

Our next general meeting will be held on Tuesday 23rd April at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space. We would love to see some new faces. 

Dennington's Day Out

This Wednesday 17th April at 7:15pm join us for our next planning meeting in the Gathering Space. Still plenty of opportunities to volunteer within the group. 

Bunnings BBQ

Bunnings BBQ this year will be on Sunday 28th April. 

We are currently looking for volunteers to assist on the day with cooking & serving. All time volunteered will go towards your Parent Participation Levy. If you are able to help please click here to  fill out the google form.  

This is a significant fundraiser for our school and any assistance would be greatly appreciated. 

Can’t make it on the day but would still like to contribute? We are also looking for donations of some products. Please see below.

Wednesday Treats

Wednesday Treats is back next week!

We would like to thank everyone that sent back the volunteers form, you will receive a copy of the roster this week.

Order forms for next week will be going home tomorrow, please keep an eye out for it. All orders must be in by Monday 3.00pm. No late orders will be accepted. If you are paying via EFT please make sure that’s processed by 3.00pm on Monday with your child's name and class as reference. 

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Taliah Gleeson or Emily McGennan.

Easter Raffle

Easter Raffle was drawn on the last day of term 1. We would like to congratulate all winners. 

A massive thank you to everyone who donated items towards our raffle and sold raffle tickets to raise money for our school. We raised $1,906.90. 

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 22nd April:

Cox, Crothers, Curran, Cust and Cuzens.

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.

Our Diocesan Community

Please click here to view the March edition.

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/ 

Emmanuel College

Community Notices

Upcoming Events

Monday 15th April: Term 2 commences

Wednesday 17th April: DDO Meeting at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space

Tuesday 23rd April: Parents and Friends meeting at 7.00pm Gathering Space

Thursday April 25th: ANZAC Day Holiday

Sunday 28th April: Bunnings BBQ

Thursday May 2nd: May Races Holiday

Tuesday May 7th: School Closure Day