Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope

Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,

look favorably on your servant Francis,

whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

grant, we pray, that by word and example

he may be of service to those over whom he presides

so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,

he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

A Prayer for Pope Francis

Loving God,

We give you thanks for the life and leadership of Pope Francis — for his humility, his courage, and his heart for the poor. For the way he called us back to the Gospel — to mercy, to justice, and to joy.

Bless his soul with eternal peace and rest in your loving presence. Strengthen your Church, O Lord, to continue walking in the light he helped us see. Raise up shepherds after your own heart, that our Church may be ever faithful, ever hopeful, and ever loving.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Dear SJA Families,

 I hope your Easter break offered you some peace, renewal, and time with those you love. Easter, of course, is a season of hope — of light shining from the empty tomb — and a reminder that even in the face of suffering and loss, we are a people of resurrection.

This year, our Easter reflections are touched with sorrow as we mark the death of Pope Francis. His passing is a significant moment in the life of our Church and the wider world. He was a shepherd with the smell of his sheep, a Pope who walked humbly, loved boldly, and consistently pointed us back to the Gospel.

Pope Francis reminded us — again and again — that our faith must be lived at the edges: in compassion for the poor, in care for the planet, in welcoming the stranger, and in upholding the dignity of all people. In all ways, his leadership mirrored the MSC spirituality, 'to be on earth, the heart of God' in which we strive for everyday at SJA.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit from Argentina, he became the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church in 2013, choosing the name Francis after St Francis of Assisi — a bold signal of the papacy he would lead:

• a papacy rooted in simplicity, compassion, and care for the marginalised
• a Pope who washed the feet of prisoners, welcomed refugees, and reminded us that “the Church is a field hospital after battle”
• a call to mercy over judgement, encounter over exclusion
• a commitment to interfaith dialogue, especially with our Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters
• a prophetic voice for the environment, through Laudato Si’, urging us to care for our common home
• a deep concern for the poor, the displaced, and the suffering — those Francis called “the flesh of Christ”

He was not afraid to challenge comfort or complacency, reminding us always that Christianity is a movement, not a monument.

This week we welcomed back all of our wonderful students. They skipped into school with smiles all around to catch up with their friends. I have listened to family holiday adventures, camping, trips to the coast, and heard about the abundance of chocolate eggs and bunnies consumed.  As always, a big welcome to our new families and look forward to sharing the journey with all of you.

Facilities Upgrade and Repairs

You may have noticed some holiday facility improvements, especially in our front entrance walk area and pergolas. New carpets and a fresh coat of paint have made all the difference in a multiple learning areas. Today, our new water dispensers on the rainbow top have been installed hopefully ready for next week.  We thank the Catholic Education Office for their continued support in the commitment for improving the learning and play areas of our school.

Staff Professional Development

During the holidays, the teachers have been busy planning for our term ahead. On Monday, during our Professional Development Sessions we continued our Catalyst journey learning more about Guided Practice. Guided Practice – ‘We Do’ explores the Gradual Release of Responsibility instructional framework in lesson design and explicit instruction. The Gradual Release of Responsibility framework is a research-based instructional model that shifts the learning responsibility gradually from the teacher to the student. It includes three phases: the 'I Do' phase where the teacher explicitly teaches and models, the 'We Do' phase where students engage in guided practice, and finally, the 'You Do' phase where students work independently. Our session focused on the ‘We Do’ phase, to help teachers deepen their understanding in the critical role of guided practice, and together we explored strategies to manage cognitive load, enhance questioning techniques, differentiate review from retrieval, and monitor student progress effectively through this phase. I am so proud of the Teachers and the Learning Support Team who worked together to ensure that we include this phase with fidelity in our lessons.

Volunteers Needed

Calling all volunteers for the following SJA events

Thursday 8^th May – Cross Country – (11.00am – 1.30pm) Many parents are needed to help with on the track marshalling and student support. Please contact Ryan Spencer if you can help – ryan.spencer@cg.catholic.edu.au

Friday 9^th May – Mother’s, Grandma’s Breakfast – (Dads only please- starting at 7am – 9am) cooking the bacon and eggs, sausages, serving, packing up etc. Even if you can pop in for just an hour, please contact Karen Leighton if you can help – karen.leighton@cg.catholic.edu.au

Saturday 17^th   May– SJA Working Bee in collabaration with the Community Council 

All Welcome. The Working Bee will begin at 8.30am – 12.30pm. There are slots that you can sign up for or even help out for longer. There is BBQ cooking for hungry workers (and kids), weeding garden beds, cleaning up the vegie patch, pruning, mulch patrol, sand pit and playground. Can you bring your own tools – shovels, pruners, rakes etc. A COMPASS note will be sent out, you will be able to sign up on this platform or contact our Office.

Thank you again for all of your continued support and I look forward to catching up with all of you at our upcoming community engagement events.

Kind regards

Jo 

Friendly Reminders

 Enrolment 2026

2026 Enrolment Period is the month of May.

Enrolment period is now upon us. If you have a little one ready for school in 2026 or know of anyone interested in looking at our fantastic school for their children, please let them know to contact us. We are opened for individual or group tours.

Notes some key dates here:

School Uniform – Winter Term Reminders

From Week 3, all students are expected to be in full winter uniform. Thank you to all families for your efforts!

A few reminders:

• Formal black leather shoes must be worn (no black runners, Lynx shoes, or canvas shoes).
• Navy gloves, scarves, and coats are appropriate during winter.
• Jewellery is restricted to plain small studs/sleepers and a watch (no dangles, loops, or bracelets).
• A parent note is required if uniform deviations occur while sourcing correct items.

Our uniform promotes pride in appearance, a sense of belonging, and the spirit of our school community.

Uniforms are available through our fabulous SJA Uniform Shop.

Opening hours: Friday 9nd May 8:30am - 9:30am

If you have any questions or concerns please email the uniform shop on stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com

Term Dates

This term will finish for students on Thursday 3rd July. Friday 4th July will be a Staff Professional Learning Day.

Illness

If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school. If your child becomes unwell during the day, we will phone you and ask you to kindly make swift arrangement to collect them. Children who are unwell are unable to remain at school for extended periods of time in the sick bay as they will spread their illness to others. Thank you for your understanding with this matter.