Term 1, Week 2, 8 February 2024
Principal Message
Dear St John's Community,
We have had such an amazing start to the year. It has been fantastic to hear all of the memories that students made during the break and we are so happy to see all of their smiling faces again!
During the week celebrated the beginning of the school year with a Mass. This was an opportunity to gather as a school community and ask God to be with us throughout this year. We also used this opportunity to bless the year 6 student leaders and officially welcome our 2024 Kindergarten students and families into our St John’s community.
At the Mass we also recognised and celebrated our Patron Saint, St John the Evangelist, the apostle, the beloved. Whose feast day is celebrated during the holidays on December 27th. Our school is named after St John and is a key part of our identity. I mentioned to the kids that St John was an Apostle of Jesus and is the patron saint of love, loyalty and friendships. I also stated that when Jesus was crucified on the cross, John was the only one of the Twelve Apostles who did not leave Jesus. John stood faithfully at the foot of the cross. Which took courage.
So I challenged the students to think about how they will be like St John this year. Now only how they may be loving, loyal and a good friend, but most importantly, how they will be courageous.
Thank you to Ellie Bailey and Courtney Wells our Leaders of Mission and Engagement, for organising such a great day which included a sausage sizzle lunch, ice blocks, a slip and slide and fun formation activities which the students participated in following Mass.
Upcoming Dates
Please view the upcoming dates in this newsletter's left-hand column or via the calendar HERE on the school website, which is also synchronised with the Compass Calendar.
Student Leadership Group 2024
Congratulations to the following Student Leaders who were voted in by their peers and staff. We know they will do a wonderful job leading our school in 2024.
School Captains: Nahla Perrin, Vander Akehurst
School Vice-Captains: Alana Underwood, Bray Cordin
School Sports Captains: Ryder Butcher, Jack Heares
2024 Staff
Dave Bermingham………………....Principal
Naomi O’Dwyer ………………...…..Leader of Learning (Assistant Principal)
Ellie Bailey…………………….......…. Leader of Mission and Engagement (K-2)
Courtney Wells……………….....…. Leader of Mission and Engagement (3-6)
Greg Flint……………………...…....….Leader of Pastoral Care and Wellbeing (3 days/week)
Laura McEvoy…………….…....…….Leader of Sport & Stage 3 Teacher
Riley O’Leary…………….…....….....Stage 2 Teacher (3 days/week) & Specialist STEM Teacher (2 days/week)
Karla Chartres……………...….….. Stage 2 Teacher (2 days/week)
Myree Loane………………….....…. Stage 1 Teacher
Felicity Gruft…………..….…..…….Kindergarten Teacher
Chloe Quinn……………...…...…….Specialist PE Teacher (1 day/week)
Lisa Russell…………………..….…. Support Teacher (2 days/week)
Aliya King………………….....……...Indigenous Education Worker (IEW) (2.5 days/week)
Anne Nethery…………….......…... Student Wellbeing Officer (2 days/week)
Sasha Kruse……………….…...……..Guidance Counsellor (2 days/week)
Tundra Snape……………..…….…. Administration/Finance
Karyn Doust………….…...…..….....Administration Support
Pauline East……………..….…...…. Teacher Aide/ Library Coordinator
Bernie Woodhouse …...….……. Teacher Aide
Sarah Newson...........................Teacher Aide
Positive Behaviour 4 Learning
At the end of 2023 we embarked on a very exciting journey towards a Positive Behaviour 4 Learning approach to school behaviour management. This will continue to evolve over time, but the first goal was to have a school-wide set of explicit behaviour expectations, and thus our HIKE matrix (below) was developed using both student voice and staff voice. We are asking students to come along for a HIKE with Johnny the HIKEr in displaying the productive behaviours in the HIKE matrix.
The students have been introduced to the HIKE matrix, but over the course of term 1 they will take a deep dive into each section of the matrix and behaviours will be explicitly taught, practised (so students know what it looks like) and then applied to context. Sometimes, small groups of students may need to be re-taught and re-practise certain behaviours, and so students will be given support to do this.
As our PB4L journey evolves, we look forward to sharing new initiatives that come from this approach and all of this will be compiled into a Positive Behaviour Support Plan (Policy) which will then be distributed to the community.
Canteen 2024
At the end of 2023, due to a variety of reasons, it was decided that we would go in a different direction for our school canteen.
- We will still be offering a canteen menu for Fridays (it may extend to another day later in the year).
- For the next few weeks, until we finalise other food suppliers and menu items, only sushi will be available to order through Compass, with orders due by 2pm on Thursdays.
- Some snacks e.g. ice blocks and popcorn may be purchased with cash at recess time.
In the future, we are hoping to offer various, healthy lunch menu items that are sustainable and affordable to families, with the following changes:
- No canteen food will be prepared on-site here at school.
- All food will be prepared off-site and delivered to the school, the same way that sushi has always been ordered and supplied.
- Ordering of canteen lunches can only be done through Compass. Other snacks at recess e.g. ice-blocks and popcorn may be purchased with cash at recess.
- Orders to be completed on Compass by 2pm on Wednesday afternoons.
- Opportunity to extend canteen to an additional day/s.
As we expand our canteen menu, changes will be communicated to the community. We thank you for your patience as this transition takes place.
Communication Channels
Based on feedback from parents, this year we aim to streamline communications between school and home. The streamlining will only be successful if all parents get on board with the channels outlined below.
One change in particular is the weekly update from the classroom teachers which will include some helpful links for parents and a very brief outline of the week, but will not include a large amount of information about what the students are learning. However, twice a term information, about what students are learning will be communicated by the teachers and of course, SeeSaw provides a great insight into what is happening in each room.
The communication methods below will be utilised for the purposes outlined.
Compass is the official communication channel between school and home. Download the Compass app on your device. You will be given a login code to access your Compass account. News items and updates regarding your child or the whole school are available through the Compass app. Pay school fees, pay and give permission to attend events, view report cards, mark your child as absent and much more!
Facebook is essentially a marketing platform for the school, not an official communication channel. Please like and follow our school Facebook page … St John’s Primary Mullumbimby and please comment and like our posts!
School news, snapshots, photos, events and competitions will be placed on Facebook.
SeeSaw is a digital portfolio. Please download the SeeSaw app for families on your phone / device. This will allow you to see your child’s work samples from the classroom and keep up to date with their learning. These can include writing samples, videos, photos and tasks.
School Newsletters (via Schoolzine)
The electronic newsletter is emailed to parents fortnightly on a Thursday. Newsletters will include important information, dates, photos and news of what is happening in our school and classrooms.
For all apps please turn on notifications to ensure you are kept up to date!
Kind Regards,
Dave Bermingham
Principal Awards
Teaching & Learning @ St John's
Sharing Student Learning Learning around the classrooms has certainly started with a flourish. Students are regaining their groove and are engaged in tasks. At St John’s, teachers share your child’s learning in a variety of ways throughout the year. One of our key tools to do this is via the Seesaw App.
What you see on Seesaw is just a snap shot of what your child is learning at that moment in time. Do we only share perfect pieces of work? No, because at St John’s we aim to foster a willingness to take risks, have a go, make mistakes, refine, change and improve ideas and solutions in our students. This is how we grow. Learning is a process and a journey. Creative tasks, new skills, problems or scientific inventions are never perfected in the first attempt. It takes time to learn because it is a lifelong process.
You may not see the feedback on your child’s work sample because this is usually done through a collaborative process and is often given verbally by the teacher or a peer. Students often reflect on how they can improve themselves. It’s very different process from when I went at school and ‘marking’ with red pens, ticks and crosses were all the norm.
Our goal is to celebrate learning, no matter how big or small. So, when you see a piece of your child’s work shared, tell them what you like about it, celebrate their attempts and maybe suggest something they could try next time.
Below are some photos of student’s engaged in learning throughout the week.
Mission @ St John's
Opening Mass and St John's Feast Day
On Wednesday we celebrated our start of the year Mass and was also an opportunity to recognise and celebrate our Patron Saint, St John the Evangelist, whose feast day is celebrated during the holidays on December 27th. As Mr Bermingham mentioned in his opening to the Mass, our school is named after St John and St John is a key part of our identity. St John was an Apostle of Jesus and is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships and authors. St John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. He held a special place in Jesus' heart and was one of only two apostles sent by Jesus to make preparations for the final Passover meal, the Last Supper. During the meal, St. John sat next to Jesus.
Not only that, but John was courageous. He and his brother and father were fishermen. One day Jesus saw the two brothers, James and John. They were in a boat with their father, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. That took some courage. And when Jesus was crucified on the cross, John was the only one of the Twelve Apostles who did not leave Jesus. John stood faithfully at the foot of the cross. That took courage.
In the spirit of St John, Mr Bermingham asked the students to think about how they will be like St John this year. Not just the fishing, but how will they be loving, loyal, and a good friend? Most importantly, he challenged them to think about how will they be courageous like St John this year.
Sacraments Dates 2024
Sacramental Information Night
Tuesday the 20th of February
(This is a compulsory session for all children who would like to receive any of the three sacraments in 2024)
Confirmation
Twilight Session 1- Tuesday 7th of May 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 2- Tuesday 14th of May 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 3- Tuesday 21st of May 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 4- Tuesday 28th of May 5:30 pm
Sacrament- Thursday 6th of June 2024
Reconciliation
Twilight Session 1- Tuesday 27th of February 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 2- Tuesday 15th of March 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 3- Tuesday 12th of March 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 4- Tuesday 19th of March 5:30 pm
Sacrament- 24th of March 2024, 8 am (After Mass)
First Holy Communion
Twilight Session 1- Tuesday 20th of August 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 2- Tuesday 27th of August 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 3- Tuesday 3rd of September 5:30 pm
Twilight Session 4- Tuesday 10th of September 5:30 pm
Sacrament- Sunday 15th of September 8 am
Parent Sacramental Information Night
Tuesday the 20th of February
SCHOOL INFORMATION
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU"
Our Birthday people:-
Mason, Georgia, Caleb
Happy Birthday to those who will celebrate during the summer holidays
Ike Arlo, Harry, Marlon, Hendrix & Ayla
Road Safety
As children return to school, it is essential to keep safety in mind. Talk with your children about safely getting to and from school.
- Keep children safe getting in and out of the car. Always use the door closest to the kerb.
- Keep children safe by walking distraction-free. Expect your child to take off their headphones while walking.
- Keep children safe getting on and off the bus. Wait at the bus stop and stand at least one step back from the road's edge. Always meet your child at the bus stop. Never meet them on the opposite side of the road and call them across. Wait until the bus has gone before crossing the road.
- Keep children safe while using wheeled transport. Children must wear a helmet when riding a bike in any public place – it is the law. Foot scooter, skateboard and rollerblade riders should wear helmets and protective equipment.
Be a positive role model when you are a pedestrian, passenger and driver. Children learn from what they see, as well as what we say.
Never sacrifice safety for convenience.
Source: https://roadsafety.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
