St John's School Roma eNewsletter

Principal's Address

Dear Parents and Friends of St John's,

Last Wednesday 26^th July, St John's staff from our P-12 campus came together for our annual Bishop’s Inservice Day. Whilst it was a day off for students, all staff worked individually and collectively on their faith and formation. The theme this year was 'Communities of Faith, Hope and Love'. The day was led by Bishop Ken Howell, Dr Pat Coughlan and Associate Professor Maeve Heaney. Such days allow staff to reflect on our shared faith which in turns drives and reaffirms the school’s values, ethos and charism. This is core to maintaining the 'Spirit' of St John's School which is valued so highly within our community. I extend my sincere thanks to Leesa Murray, Kiara Williams and the Senior Student Leaders who catered for the event which included staff from St John’s, St Patrick’s Mitchell and St Patrick's St George.

Last Thursday evening, the Toowoomba Catholic Education Excellence Awards were held in Toowoomba. Three of our staff from St John’s, Trish Parker, Caitlin Matthews and Cathy Cooper were finalists in separate categories. This was an outstanding achievement for our school. I am pleased to report that Cathy Cooper was acknowledged as the winner of the Middle Leadership Award. Suffice to say we are very proud of these three ladies, who bring so much to the St John’s Community.

Over the last two weeks, students from across the campus engaged in a range of extracurricular events. Students in P-6 experienced music workshops with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra on Monday and Tuesday whilst over 130 students represented St John’s School at the Roma and District Athletics Carnival in Roma last Friday. Last Thursday 27^th July, students from Years 5 and 6 participated in the Catholic Schools Primary Touch and Netball competition in Toowoomba. The students' behaviour on and off the court was exemplary. The two competing teams performed strongly on the day and enjoyed the experience. It was wonderful to have St John’s represented as part of the Toowoomba Diocese and the school thanks Ms Chloe Barwick, Kaitlyn Redinger, Hayley Sayer and Trish Parker for their preparation, coaching and supervision of the students involved.

Year 10 students completed their Senior Education and Training Plans last Tuesday 25^th July. These plans which are endorsed by parents and the school, map out each student’s planned learning program for Years 11 and 12. Year 10 students and parents then attended a Years 10 into 11 information evening which provided relevant information about pathways into work, school-based apprenticeships and university entry. Thank you to Ms Cathy Cooper, Angela Pollock and the Pastoral and Curriculum Leaders who delivered both events.

Recently, the school received hard copies of NAPLAN results for students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9. These have been posted out to families and should be received shortly. There have been some changes to how NAPLAN reports student achievement. The four categories used are now Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs Additional Assistance which replace Upper Two Bands, Above, National Minimum Standards and Below. Parents can see where your child has performed against the national mean in the areas of numeracy, reading, writing, grammar and punctuation and spelling. I can report that St John’s results were consistent with national benchmarks and exceeded national means in reading.

Enrichment activities in Mathematics and Science were held this week with Year 5 students engaging in the QMEA STEM Punks Program and Years 5 - 8 students competing in the QMAT Mathematics Competition held at Roma State College. Well done to all for their participation in these wonderful opportunities.

Mercy Day was celebrated this week. The school organised a variety of activities to meet all student interests along with a sausage sizzle. Our school was founded by the Mercy Order of nuns in 1881 with the purpose of providing educational opportunities to young people in the west. I am sure Catherine McAuley (founder of the Mercy Order) would be proud that our school community continues to serve families of the Maranoa. Xaverian students expressed their gratitude this week by coming together to celebrate the Eucharist. Thank you to Fr Tom who led students and staff in this celebration.

St John’s invites all grandparents of current students to attend 'Grandparents Day' on Friday 18^th August. The day commences at 8.45am with a prayer celebration, before classroom visits and morning tea on the oval. Our students are very keen to share their schooling experience with their grandparents and I hope many can attend and connect with the St John’s Community.

This week, we farewelled Mrs Alison Henning who is taking maternity leave with her partner, Simon, in preparation for the birth of their second child. Mrs Bree Hartfiel will assume teaching responsibilities for Mrs Henning's classes for the remainder of 2023.

Mr Aaron Brown will be Pastoral Leader for Marian House for the remainder of the year. Aaron is in his fourth year at St John's and has been actively involved in the Student Representative Council and the Lions Youth of the Year speaking competition.

Finally, I encourage all families to consider supporting the upcoming St John’s Race Day on Saturday 19^th August. Whilst the event is a fund-raising opportunity for the Parents and Friends Association, it is also a wonderful social occasion for the entire school community. Tickets can be purchased online through the St John’s Facebook page.

God bless – Jim Brennan

TCS Perception Survey

With only one week left to share your views and shape our future, we encourage all our parents to complete the Shaping our future – Toowoomba Catholic Schools perception survey.

As a community of Catholic schools together, we strive to create places of work and learning where everyone belongs, feels valued and succeeds.

Parents, staff and students from our other 30 schools and the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office are being called on to complete this survey to shape the ideas, innovations and quality of Toowoomba Catholic Schools.

If you are yet to share your thoughts, I invite you to complete this survey before Sunday, 6 August 2023.

Jim Brennan

https://peoplebenchdata.limesurvey.net/264413?lang=en

Year One

This term, the Year One students will be learning about being part of a Church community in the Religion unit, ‘We Belong to a Church’. At the start of the unit, we looked at what the word ‘belonging’ means and how it feels when we belong to something. We looked at all the different groups we belong to such as our family, football, dance, tennis and soccer. We also looked at how we can belong to a Church community. We have learnt about the parish of All Saints and the different groups who help Father Thomas. We have looked at the different responsibilities that Father Thomas has and what some of the symbols and objects are inside All Saints Catholic Church. This week, the Year Ones, will be visiting the Church to walk inside and around the outside of the Church to examine all the symbols and objects that are used. We will be discussing the importance of each of these to our faith. This term, we will also be looking in more detail at the Mass and creating our own Mass Booklet by writing text and drawing pictures. We will be learning about each of the different parts of the Mass.

Angela Brennan, Mark Brennan, Lainey McPhee

Year One Teachers

Year Four

In Year Four, we are expanding our knowledge of eucalyptus trees and transforming our understanding of flowering plants. We explored germination, life cycles and plant requirements for growth, discovering how plants and animals depend on each other and the environment. Hands-on experiments taught us that seeds need moisture, warmth, and oxygen to sprout. We delved into the diverse stages of plant life cycles and learned patience and perseverance, whilst watching our seeds germinate.

Year Five

This term in Design and Technologies, students have been exploring the world of products, the design process, sustainability and more! In Week Four, Year Five students had the opportunity to participate in a STEM program called STEM Punks, where they engaged in a design challenge to create a drone that could be functional on Mars in 2101 using the innovative platform, Tinkercad.

The students embraced the world of robotics with enthusiasm, mastering the art of designing and constructing their robotic creations online. Tinkercad's user-friendly interface empowered our students to unleash their creativity, transform their ideas into reality and justify their design using their knowledge from our Design and Technologies unit.

From crafting simple yet efficient machines to complex and sophisticated structures, their ingenuity knows no bounds. The projects they have showcased are nothing short of impressive and they thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with technology. The Year Five students' passion for robotics and their ability to grasp technology concepts at such a young age are commendable. We are looking forward to the rest of the term exploring our design ideas and creating new products that are innovative and functional! Here are some of the students’ favourite parts from this term in Design and Technologies so far:

“Exploring and designing robots”

“Experimenting with different shapes and tools to see what I can make”

“Learning about future technology and what it would look like”

Year Seven

Year Seven

Year Twelve

T4 most Noteworthy Student

Marian House

QATSIF Graduation

On Thursday 3^rd August, four of our Year 12 First Nations students celebrated their QATSIF graduation via livestream from UniSQ Toowoomba. QATSIF was created to give Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families increased educational choices and life opportunities. We would like to congratulate Lalitha Cooper, Amy Meacle, Jonah Peak and Thomas Hayward for reaching this momentous milestone.

The Resilience Project

Today’s presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is an intentional awareness generated by paying attention to a whole experience; being present in the moment. It’s important to explore what mindfulness strategies are helpful for you.

Thousands of studies have proven benefits include reduced stress, reduced rumination, increased memory, increased cognitive function and physical health benefits through improved immunity.

View Part 4 of the series here:
Part 4 - Mindfulness: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh-martin/

Hugh highlights some things that mindfulness improves: concentration, quality of thoughts and equanimity (ability to let go). He also shares some mindfulness strategies to use and implement yourself and with your children.

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Christian Community Service: Pinaroo

As part of the St John’s Christian Community Service program, our students visit Pinaroo residents for one hour each Wednesday afternoon. This program is aimed at encouraging students to develop an awareness of the needs of others and to respond with our school values: Compassion, Respect, Excellence and Justice. During this time, students enjoy having afternoon tea, playing games and interacting with the residents. Everyone enjoys shooting hoops, playing quoits, completing jigsaw puzzles, colouring-in and generally talking about their day. It is a great opportunity for everyone to come together and share their experiences. Both students and teachers leave each week knowing that we have brought joy to someone’s life that day.