Term 3, Week 6, 24 August 2023

Principal Message

Dear Parents, carers and members of the St John's community,

This week was a whirlwind of excitement as we immersed ourselves in the captivating worlds of science and literature during our celebration of National Science Week and Book Week. 

On Monday we held our Book Week Parade. All the students did a marvelous job dressing up! Thank you to all the parents for organising such great costumes for your children and thank you to those parents who came to watch the parade. 

On Tuesday we had our Paper Plane Contest Finals with the Categories of Best design & Longest distance. Congratulations to all of the students for their effort, creativity and determination in building their incredible paper aeroplanes prior to the competition. Congratulations Phoenix on taking out first place for the longest distance! All students also voted for the most creative design, and we congratulate Alariah for receiving the majority vote! 

On Wednesday we had a visit from Dr Renaud Joannes-Boyau AKA Science with Frenchie who is a geochronologist and a geochemist, Head of the Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group at Southern Cross University in Lismore as well as the teachers doing experiments in the middle session of the day.

On Thursday we wore Orange for Story Dogs fundraiser, as well as had families join us for an afternoon Tea, Picnic & Orange bake sale.

An amazing week!

Upcoming Dates

Please find below a list of dates savers below of events that are occuring this term. 

• Wednesday 30th August - Cyber Safety event for Stage 3 @ 2pm
• Wednesday 30th August - Cyber Safety event for Parents @ 6pm
• Friday 1st September - Father's Day Breakfast @ 8am
• Monday 4th September - Pupil Free Day
• Sunday 10th September - First Holy Communion Sacrament Mass @ 8am
• Friday 15th September - School Silent Disco @ 6pm
• Saturday 16th September - Chinny Charge (St John's Team)
• Friday 22nd September - Last Day of Term 3

Father's Day Breakfast

Please join us for Fathers Day Brekkie on Friday 1st September from 8am!

Big Talks for Little People Program

Last week Stage 2 and Stage 3 started a new program called ‘Big Talks for Little People’.

The introduction of this program is in response to data collected in the Tell Them From Me surveys which students completed in May. There were particular areas of the survey results that we wish to target in order to improve such as student positive relationships, positive behaviour, safety and advocacy.

The program Big Talks for Little People, has been endorsed and invested in by the Lismore Catholic Schools Office. For an overview, please Click here. This program is research based and has been developed by Phillip T Slee (Ph.D) Professor in Human Development School of Education, Flinders University.

This program promotes student wellbeing, involves developing student strength-based capacities and positive mindset relating to understanding and regulating behaviour, communication skills, resilience and optimism. More broadly it includes understanding diversity, inclusiveness and the importance of intercultural understanding as part of global citizenship. We want your children to grow and see this as a life- long learning opportunity to develop skills in relationship building and self-awareness.

We are already starting to notice some of the skills students have been learning in action on the playground and in the classrooms!

St John's FREE Cyber Safety Workshop - AUGUST 30TH

Next Wednesday 30th August there is a FREE Cyber Safety Parent Workshop with Brett Lee from Internet Safe Education.

Child Minding is available! To Register please CLICK HERE.

Brett will conduct a session with our Stage 3 Students in the afternoon and the Parent session will take place in our Hall from 6pm that evening. 

I have personally attended a number of Brett's sessions as a parent and educator and found them extremely practical. Brett Lee founded internet safe education in 2008 and has been working tirelessly in schools to educate parents and students about technology. Brett has worked as a Queensland police Officer for 22 years, 16 of those as a Detective in the field of Child Exploitation. In the 5 years prior to his retirement from the QPS, he was a specialist in the field of internet child exploitation investigations. This experience gives him great insight into how to keep kids safe online. 

Staffing Update

Lisa Russell - Sick Leave

Lisa Russell is presently unwell and her doctor has recommeneded that she take a period of leave until the end of Term 3. Karla Chartres has been appointed to replace Lisa on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until the end of term 3. Karla is currently an existing member of staff who teaches specialist lessons on a Thursday and Kindergarten on a Friday. Having Karla accept these additional days ensures that there is greater consistency for our students. We will keep Lisa in our prayers and we wish her a speedy recovery. 

Amanda Bottle - Long Service Leave

Amanda Bottle has been granted Long Service Leave for Term 4. We have appointed Karla Chartres to the position of Stage 3 teacher for term 4. Karla is currently an existing member of staff who teaches specialist lessons on a Thursday and Kindergarten on a Friday. The Stage 3 students are very familiar with Karla, so having her appointed to this position ensures that there is greater consistency for our students. We are currently advertising for Karla's replacement for term 4 and as soon as an appointment is made it will be communicated to the community. We thank Karla for accepting this role and we thank Amanda Bottle for her service, as she takes her well earned and deserved long service leave. We wish her, Jeff and the boys a restful break. 

Kind Regards, 

Dave Bermingham

Week 6 Awards

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Innovation- Science All Around

It was wonderful see innovative design and make tasks in full swing  around the school this week. Students thoroughly enjoyed the paper plane competition. There were  designs and prototypes produced. Lots of testing and streamlining  as well as sharing ideas to improve their planes. Phoenix did a wonderful job creating his sleek, slim line plane which flew an incredible distance. Alariah’s artistic creations captured the attention of her peers and won most creative design. 

Today all students engaged in STEM challenges and the variety experiences really engaged the students. We have some budding scientists in K -2 who were creating chemical reactions with lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. They actually managed to inflate a ballon with the gas they made.  However, it didn’t stop there were lemon volcanoes to make. The red, bubbly lava delighted all and eruptions were occurring everywhere. Students participated in some deadly science using natural materials to create wells. It was all hands on deck to build the best one.

S2 and S3 decided that elephants need toothpaste too and explored chemical reactions to create a bubbling, coloutful paste which I’m sure any elephant would love to use. Their design make tasks included creating a pizza box ovens and ballon rockets. Many models were tried and tested. S3 also engaged in some coding tasks using Scratch Junior and attempted to make Lego Solar Powered Cars. 

Some experiments may not haave been totally successful but it was great to see so many scientific minds in action! Thank you to the staff who prepared the wonderful activities for the week. 

Science Experiments

Kinder's lemon volcanoes

Leader of Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Can we coach our kids to assist them when they show anxious thinking/behaviours?

The answer is a definitive yes! If significant adults can position themselves as the guide on the side or coach they can help children to manage their own anxious thinking and behaviours. 

All humans experience negative thoughts at times, however, if negative thinking becomes habitual and evolves into a thinking pattern it can result in a range of unproductive behaviours. Chief among these behaviors is a tendency to avoid, have you heard any of these kind of statements? eg “I don't want to do it!”, “I’m no good at that!”, “I can’t do this, I’m not smart enough!” 

When negative thinking becomes habitual it can be described as Automatic Negative Thinking (ANT) please see the video below:

This video not only helps us to understand ANT it gives some excellent suggestions as to how children can change those patterns of thinking and how we can coach and support them to reframe, rethink and refute the negative thoughts and find ways to build resilience by becoming problem solvers.

View the tutorial hereAutomatic Negative Thinking

Please let me know if you’d like any further information on this subject we have books in the parent library at school and access to coaching courses for parents.

Yours in wellbeing.

Greg Flint

Leader of Mission

Family Faith Resources

Welcome to week 6. I hope you are all well. The Catholic Schools Office Parent Resource Centre provides families with faith formation resources, including simple and engaging prayer ideas for home and information about the special times in the Church year. 

God bless,

Ellie Bailey

SCHOOL INFORMATION

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU"

Our Birthday people:-  

Catherine, Avalon, Kiara, & Nahla

Trying to put on Compass that your child is absent is not working at the present time and unfortunately we don't have a work around at this time. Parents will have to go 'old school' and ring the office. Our understanding is that the link in the absence text message will work. 

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS PARENT ASSEMBLY