St John's Newsletter - 29th April 2022

Dear Parents and Friends of St John's,

Welcome back to the beginning of Term Two which is shaping to be a busy term.

Over the holidays, we celebrated the Holy Easter period. As Christians, we know from the Gospels, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion, known as Easter Sunday. His resurrection marks the triumph of good over evil, sin and death. It is the singular event which proves that those who trust in God and accept Christ will be raised from the dead. The Easter period also focuses on a strong message of sacrifice where God gave his only son. On Good Friday, we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

 During the first weekend of the Easter Holidays, St John’s School participated in the Easter in the Country Parade. The school entered a float in the parade which highlighted the theme of 'Be kind' which is at the core of 'The Spirit of St John’s'. A big thank you to Mrs Nicole Southee, Mrs Rachael Stanford, Mrs Trish Parker and Ms Emily Koster who organised and coordinated the school float. It was pleasing to see so many students and staff participate and showcase our school within the community and to visitors.

Last weekend, over one hundred and twenty St John's students and thirty-five staff marched on ANZAC Day. It was an outstanding representation by the school to acknowledge the contributions of past and current servicemembers. On Friday 22^nd April, the school held an ANZAC Liturgy which allowed all students and staff to reflect on the ANZAC spirit which exemplifies mateship, courage, endurance and sacrifice. On both occasions, students were front and centre of the ceremonies with many being involved in bands or as honour guards and wreath bearers. These occasions reinforce for me that our communities are in safe hands with our young people. Special mention goes to Year 11 student, Lalitha Cooper, who delivered an address at the Roma Historical Society ANZAC Ceremony at the Roma Cemetery. Lalitha highlighted the contributions of First Nation People to the defence of Australia and how their sacrifices have provided inspiration and embody the spirit of ANZAC. I also note the contributions of St John’s students to the many services conducted throughout the Maranoa.  In particular, I note the attendance of students and Mr Mark Brennan at the Muckadilla Dawn Service. I would like to acknowledge the organisational efforts of Mrs Trish Parker, Mrs Sarah Flesser, Mr Matt Creeley and Mr Mark Brennan who coordinated the respective events.

The Year 12 Formal will be held on Friday evening (30th April) at The Explorers Inn Convention Centre. The occasion traditionally represents 'a coming of age' for our senior students.  

The School Open Day structure will be different in 2022. Rather than the one session on a Sunday morning, St John’s School will conduct three separate tours on Tuesday 10^th May at 11am and 5pm and Friday 13^th May at 11am. This structure will provide an opportunity to showcase the sense of community within the school during operational times and prior to Enrichment Night. Members of the Executive Leadership Teams will conduct the tours.

Preparation for NAPLAN has been continuing this term for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The four NAPLAN tasks for each year level will be conducted between Tuesday 10^th May to Wednesday 18^th May. Each of the four tasks will be completed on separate days. The development of the skills for NAPLAN occurs through the implementation of curriculum, whilst preparation at St John’s focuses on students being familiar with the format, digital platform, and common-sense approaches such as time management. Staff have been reinforcing the importance of students 'doing their best' as the purpose of NAPLAN is to provide a point in time snapshot of both individual and cohort performance. In short, it is a health check for the school curriculum implementation.

Recently, I wrote to parents and staff advising of the changes to protocols regarding close contacts of COVID 19 cases. In short, students and staff who are close contacts may return to school providing they are not displaying COVID symptoms, return negative RAT results on Day 0, 2, 4, 6 and wear a face mask during that period. These changes also mean that teachers will only provide work on request to students who are isolating whilst infected with COVID 19.

St John’s School welcomes back staff members Alison Baker and Loretta Britt from leave. Alison resumes her role of Marian Pastoral Leader, Humanities and HPE teacher whilst Loretta will be working as a Traffic Crossing Supervisor. I take this opportunity to thank Sarah Flesser for her work whilst relieving in the role of Marian Pastoral Leader. The school was also delighted to hear news of the recent arrivals of Gigi for Jacina Van Slobbe and Henry for Katie Shellshear.

A reminder that the school winter uniform will be mandatory from the commencement of Week Five this term. Weeks Three and Four will be a transition period where students may wear either the summer or winter uniforms. Families of students in Years 10, 11 and 12 are reminded that the school blazer is a compulsory item of the winter uniform. Whilst the school jumper may be worn under the blazer, it is not worn in place of the blazer.

It was pleasing to witness the large numbers of parents who took advantage of the opportunity to meet with teachers at parent-teacher interviews. These opportunities provide more in-depth feedback and the building of parent, teacher and student relationships. During these meetings, proactive strategies and affirmations which are student orientated are frequently discussed. I would strongly encourage parents who were unable to attend requested meetings to contact respective teachers to organise an alternate time to discuss your child’s progress.

The school continues to invest in facilities that enhance learning and outdoors experiences. During the holidays, there was extensive repair to a number of areas around the school. Shade sails and supporting poles were replaced in the Years 7-10 eating areas, Years 1-3 playground and in the outdoor Art area. The residence adjacent to the school in Bowen Street (which is school owned) has been refurbished to provide low-cost accommodation for preservice teachers on placements. This is an attraction strategy by the school to secure beginning teachers to St John's.

During next week, I will be attending the Toowoomba Catholic Education Principals' Forum in Warwick. Deputy Principal, Ryan Doig, will be Acting Principal during my absence and will remain in contact with me during this time.

God Bless

Jim Brennan