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- Recent Calendar Updates
- School Focus and Positive Behaviour
- Principal's Corner
- Teaching, Learning and Inclusion
- School Fete
- Catholic Life and Reflection
- Happy Birthday
- Happy Families
- The Uniform Shop
- Year 6 Formular 1 Trials Gallery
- Fete Sponsorship
- Thank you to our Fete Sponsors!
- School Photos - Tuesday 26 March
- Hot Cross Bun Breakfast
- Community Notices
Please go to our school calendar on the website or COMPASS for more details.
Please note that Term 2 Monday 29 April is a pupil free day. The first day of Term 3 and the last day of Term 4 (22 July, and 17 December) are also pupil free days for professional learning for staff. Students do not attend school on these days. OSHClub will be available.
Term 1 Weeks 7-10
- Year 4 Online One-to_one Chromebook Meeting (week 7)
- Cricket Clinic (week 7)
- My Body My Life (week 7)
- Sacrament of Penance (week 7)
- Schoool Fete (week 7)
- NAPLAN Yrs 3-5 (weeks 7-8)
- Confirmation Formation (week 8)
- Hot Cross Bun Breakfast (week 9)
- School Photo Day (week 9)
- Regional Swimming Carnival (week 9)
- Easter Liturgies (week 9)
- Community Council Meeting (week 10)
The school positive behaviour focus this week was:
Right place, right time, right task.
Ngunnawal word of the week:
Garid (means 'rain')
Dear St John's families,
At the end of last week we contributed to Clean Up Australia Day. Every class gathered the rubbish that had collected in specific areas within or surrounding our school grounds. It was an opportunity to help our students remember that we share our environment with a wider community and to examine any impact our own daily practices have on the local environment. Thank you to the Year 3 and 4 teachers who arranged the event for our school.
I hope that all families have had the opportunity to meet with their child's teacher this week. These positive conversations are an excellent way to build a collaborative relationship between school and home. It will set the direction for the remainder of the school year. I would like to thank our teachers for making themselves available to see every family across the week. It always involves much longer and more demanding days and I appreciate their care and commitment to their students.
NAPLAN
Our Years 3 and 5 students will start NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) on Wednesday. The timetable of assessments was sent out to Years 3 and 5 families this morning via Compass.
Thank you to our Years 3 and 5 teachers who have been preparing their students to undertake the assessment with ease. It will provide valuable data for our system and our school on student achievement in literacy and numeracy at this point in their school journey.
School Fete
As we enter into the last week before our school fete I would like to offer a very big thank you to Rebekah Brown (Assistant Principal), Sally Walsh (mum of Desmond) and Katie Matthews (mum of Austin and Evie) who have organised next Friday evening's fete. Their boundless work over many months means that we get to enjoy this celebration together while raising funds for valuable projects that support our students' learning. Please come along and celebrate with us and wherever possible help out on a stall. More information can be found below.
Thank you for working together to support your child in their learning and growth.
Matthew Garton
Principal
DIBELS Assessment
From Weeks 3-5 this term, teachers have been completing the DIBELS assessment with every student across the school. During your parent teacher interviews or three way conferences, teachers may have discussed your child's performance in this assessment.
DIBELS, which stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, is a tool used by teachers to help measure how well young students are doing in reading. It's like a check-up for reading skills. Students might do things like reading out loud or naming letters quickly. Teachers use the information from DIBELS to figure out if a student might need extra help with reading or if they're doing great and can move forward with confidence. It's a way to make sure all kids get the support they need to become strong readers!
Swimming Carnival Ribbons
Congratulations to all of the students who received Swimming Carnival Ribbons on Thursday morning. Thank you again to Ms Mel Watson and the Year 3 and 4 teachers for their organisation of the Swimming Carnival.
Brag Tag, Maths Mastery and Spelling Mastery Awards
Congratulations to our students who received Brag Tag, Maths Mastery and Spelling Mastery Awards on Thursday morning.
Rebekah Brown
Assistant Principal and Inclusion Coordinator
Volunteers
Please sign up to volunteer at the below link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13572DC02A2C2ECC4A18-fete1#/
Pre-sale/QKR payments
We will be doing cash payments at the Front Office next week for pre-sale items.
Performance Schedule
Fete Dances - New Generation Choir
(Friday 15th March 2024 5:00pm to 6:00 pm on the Year 2 Fake Grass)
The FETE is around the corner and students have been rehearsing Hip Hop style dances through a Footsteps program and in Performing Arts. All students should keep themselves Sun Safe, including wearing sunscreen,caps, sunglasses. Clothing should be suitable to dance in, eg: shorts, leggings, t-shirts, baggy pants/jeans. Please see the Dance/ Choir program below.
SJAPS Dance/ Choir Program
|
Time |
Grade |
Dance |
Costume ideas |
|
5:00 pm |
Kinder |
Better When I’m Dancing |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in |
|
5:10 pm |
Yr 1 |
Get Yo Body Movin |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in |
|
5:20 pm |
Yr 2 |
Butter |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in, (lots of bling!) |
|
5:30 pm |
Yr 3 |
Power |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in (tecno colours, robotic outfits, transformers, marvel characters) |
|
5:40 pm |
Yr 4 |
Speed Racer |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in (racing style) |
|
5:50pm |
Yr 5 |
Superstar |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in, (glitter and stars) |
|
6:00pm |
Yr 6 |
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes |
Bright colours in Hip-hop style , comfortable to dance in (Black and white skeleton outfits) |
|
6:10 pm |
Choir |
Celebrate This is Me |
Choir t-shirts |
Raffle Tickets
All Raffle Ticket books (sold or not sold) need to be returned to the Front Office by this Thursday 14th March.
Cash Preferred
The Fete will be a cash preferred event. We have an ATM available. However, it would be good to come prepared with some cash. Qkr! will also be available to use to pay at each stall.
Qkr!
If you are having difficulties with your Qkr! app, you need to make sure you update and reallocate your child's year level.
Eskies and Rice Cookers
We are seeking eskies and rice cookers to use on the day of the Fete. If you have one of these items we can borrow, please drop it to the Front Office (clearly labelled).
Plants
If you have been growing plants to sell at the plant stall, please drop them into the Front Office on the morning of the Fete.
Cake Stall
The cake stall is one of our Fete icons, thanks to the delicious donations from you - our family and friends of St John the Apostle Primary School.
We are calling on our home bakers and treat makers to provide baked goods and treats for our Fete next Friday.
We will send home a plate and ingredient card to each child at the school next Tuesday, 12th March. There is no obligation to provide multiple plates for children in the same family. More plates can also be collected from the front office.
If you would like to donate items to the cake stall, please:
- list all the item’s ingredients on the ingredients card being provided with the plate
- put the item on the plate provided and wrap in clear plastic
- drop your item off at the school on the morning of Friday 15 March 2024
Unfortunately, we cannot accept items that:
- need to be refrigerated (for example goods with fresh cream and cheese cakes).
- do not have an ingredients list.
- contain nuts.
Simple crowd-pleasing suggestions to get you thinking:
Cakes, cupcakes, slices, toffees, fudge, biscuits, scones, pies, chocolate crackles, honey joys, coconut ice, muffins, brownies, blondies, pikelets.
Kind regards,
Fete Committee
What Students are Learning About
Year One have made Lenten promises and displayed them in their classrooms. Miss E even made sure she did one too!
Catholic Life and Reflection
When we allow, the fundamental, the simple, the pureness of God ... we are transformed.
God bless.Stephanie Stewart
Notices from the Parish
Happy Birthday to Mackenzie K, Alexander S, Spencer C, Abbey R, Arjun P and Zakary S who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.
Literacy is one of the main pillars of early education. There’s a big focus on learning the ABCs, strengthening comprehension skills, and understanding literary devices. Being able to read and understand text is a foundational skill that enables learning in all other subject areas. Additionally, when children are exposed to book reading from an early age, it begins a ‘causal spiral’ – the more they are exposed to books, the greater their reading skills, which in turn encourages them to read more, culminating in greater academic outcomes.
But to focus on only the academic angle is a pretty narrow view of the benefits of reading. Adult book lovers innately know that there’s a lot more to the benefits of reading than just academic achievement.
Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Reading is an antidote to stress. For example, a study of children hospitalised in the ICU found that listening to a story for just 30 minutes reduced their levels of cortisol (stress hormone) and increased their levels of oxytocin (the love hormone). Similarly, over a whole academic year, a study of college students found that recreational reading was associated with reduced psychological distress. In other words, reading can help people cope with mental and physical health challenges by boosting resilience to stress.
- Reading allows us to connect meaningfully with our fellow humans. Neuroscientists have determined that reading fiction provides readers with the opportunity to strengthen a certain neural network, which in turn makes them better at being able to use theory of mind capabilities (being able to consider the mental state of others).
- Reading makes us happier. A study of older adults found that frequent fiction readers report greater life satisfaction and greater positive affective well-being.
- Reading helps us live longer! A longitudinal study of 3675 participants found that book readers experience a survival advantage. This line from the study sums it up best: “The benefits of reading books include a longer life in which to read them.”
Clearly, a love for reading leads to a much more fulfilling life and that’s something we definitely want to pass on to our children!
So how can we implement a reading culture in our home?
Read together
This is the easiest and most effective way to encourage reading in kids of any age. Reading aloud has a strong and long-lasting effect on reading and cognitive skills. The best way to go about this, per cognitive psychologist David Willingham, is to (1) choose books that are rhyme-heavy; (2) engage them by asking questions as you go, (3) having books available in places and at times when they are likely to be bored (like in the car).
Have physical books
Make them available and accessible throughout your home. Literally, show kids how important books are by giving them valuable space in your home. Having lots of books in your home has a greater relationship with your child’s reading ability than even being a good reader yourself.
If you’re not sure how to get started, the first stop is a visit to your local library! There are thousands of books waiting to be discovered: picture books, graphic novels, folk tales, poetry. Borrow as many as you can carry!
Be a model
Show kids that you enjoy using your free time to read. Kids imitate us, so we can inspire them to read simply by picking up a book and reading in their presence.
No pressure
There’s a lot of pressure towards reading at earlier and earlier ages. However, the evidence doesn’t support pushing our kids to read early.
A focus on early reading (that is, teaching reading before age six or seven) shows only short-term effects that even out with time, such that by the time the child is 12 (or even earlier), their reading skills are not any better than those who learned to read later. Additionally, children who learn to read later acquire reading skills more readily (requiring about half as much formal instruction). Moreover, a large study looking at the natural variability in school starting age between countries found no evidence for an association between when formal reading instruction starts and reading achievement at age 15.
What does this mean? There is no need to push kids to read early! Any initial gains are lost later on. Additionally, the risk of pushing teaching to read too early or too hard is that it can backfire and can rob the fun and joy out of reading, leading to it being perceived as another pesky task or chore to complete.
Reading is life-changing. A child’s curiosity is insatiable, and reading is the buffet that never ends. It is both a passport and time machine – taking readers to new countries, imaginary worlds, across the galaxy, to the distant past or forward to strange futures. Learning to read is good. Learning to love reading is magical.
The Uniform Shop Opening Hours
The Uniform Shop will be open on the following day and time:
Friday 15 March - 8.30am-9.30am
If you have any questions or concerns please email the uniform shop on stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com
Last week Year 6 were invited to visit St Francis Xavier College for the Formular 1 Trials. The Year 6 students were able to see how the Year 12 students designed and built their F1 cars to go to Nationals. We built ours out of cardboard and they put a mini gas cylinder in them to send them down the track. Our cardboard ones reached speeds of 75kms an hour, but the real ones go much faster.
Please see below a letter we are sending out to local businesses to support our upcoming 2024 Fete. If you have a business that would like to sponsor the Fete or you know of someone who would be interested in sponsoring our Fete, please see the below information. If you would like this letter to supply businesses with our letterhead, please email Rebekah Brown (rebekah.brown@cg.catholic.edu.au).
Supporting our school – Supporting our students
We hope this letter finds you well. We are writing to you to seek your support for our schools upcoming Fete.
We are hosting our highly anticipated Annual Fete on Friday, 15 March 2024 and we are extremely excited about creating a memorable experience for our students, families and the wider community. For over 40 years St John the Apostle Primary School has served a community that includes families from over 30 different locations in the ACT and NSW.
This event is not only a great opportunity to celebrate our school’s achievements, but also a chance to raise funds for various academic and extracurricular activities, including the continued upgrading our playground and kitchen garden space.
In order to make this event a resounding success, we are reaching out to businesses like yours, which have demonstrated a commitment to community and education. We would be grateful for any donation you can provide, whether it is in the form of monetary support or an in-kind contribution. Your contribution will go towards purchasing items for our stalls, including our BBQ, drinks, gelato, popcorn and fairy floss, chocolate toss, and many more!
As a sponsor, your business will receive significant exposure and recognition at our Fete. We plan to acknowledge our generous sponsors in our signage, social media platforms, school website and our school newsletter with a heartfelt thank you for your support.
We understand that businesses receive numerous sponsorship requests, and we truly appreciate your consideration of our request. Your support will have a direct impact on the educational opportunities we can provide to our students.
Please find enclosed a sponsorship form that outlines the various donation levels. We kindly request that you review the form and select a sponsorship level that aligns with your business’s objectives and budget. If you are able to support us, or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rebekah Brown our Assistant Principal on (02 6258 3592).
On behalf of the entire St John the Apostle Primary School community, we thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Garton Katie Matthews
Principal Community Council Chair
St John the Apostle Primary School Fete Sponsorship Form
Thank you for considering sponsoring our Annual School Fete, we truly value your support. Please review the sponsorship levels below and select the one that aligns with your business' goals and budget.
Gold Sponsorship - $1,000 or more:
- Prominent recognition as a Gold Sponsor on event signage
- Company logo featured on our school website and social media platforms with a link to your website
- Acknowledgment and thank you at the event
- Opportunity to place promotional materials at our event booths or information stands
Silver Sponsorship - $500:
- Recognition as a Silver Sponsor on event signage
- Company logo featured on our school website and social media platforms
- Acknowledgment and thank you at the event
- Opportunity to place promotional materials at our event booths or information stands
Bronze Sponsorship - $250:
- Recognition as a Bronze Sponsor on event banners, flyers, and signage
- Company name showcased on our school website and social media platforms
- Acknowledgment and thank you at the event
Please contact us using the details provided below to arrange payment of your sponsorship contribution. We will then reach out to discuss further promotion and recognition opportunities. We sincerely appreciate your generosity and support.
Thank you to the following businesses for sponsoring our school Fete!
GOLD SPONSORS
Showtime Consulting
Pioneers of 'Shielded Cloud Solutions’— leaders in the integration of ultra-secure, intelligent technology in the most challenging environments.
showtimeconsulting.au
Community Bank Canberra Belconnen
Community Bank Canberra Belconnen are delighted to sponsor St. John the Apostle Primary School with their 2024 annual school fete.
Not only does our bank give you access to award-winning financial products and services, we're also committed to returning profits to our local communities. In fact, $320 million has been returned to communities and initiatives Australia-wide.
You may not think who you bank with matters. But it does. For our customers, their banking is making a real impact in our community.
You need a bank to give you the products and services you need. We need your banking to help us make a difference.
SlLVER SPONSORS
Dice 4 Diversity
Dice 4 Diversity is a family-owned business based in Jamison, that utilises role-playing games to build social and communication skills in a safe environment. Role-playing games provide opportunities where social skills can be learnt and practiced without real-world consequences.
We specialise in working with neurodiverse people – Autism Spectrum, ADD, ADHD, Trauma – but aren’t limited to people with diagnoses. We also work on social anxiety, self-confidence, resilience, teamwork, and much more. Ages 7 and up. We are NDIS friendly.
CBR CYBER
CBR Cyber is a Canberra-based business providing high calibre ICT Cyber Security services to Canberra-region government agencies and private enterprise. We are Australia’s 2nd fastest growing ICT company (CRN Fast50 Awards for financial year 2022/23), demonstrating our team’s commitment to delivering exceptional ICT outcomes in the Canberra region.
BRONZE SPONSORS
The Sewing Shoppe
https://www.sewingshoppe.com.au/fabric
The Sewing Shoppe aims to inspire people by offering diverse patchwork and bag making courses to create that something special for yourself or others. We have created a warm and friendly vintage inspired space to relax and create. Please check our huge range of classes from bag making to patchwork. We can supply all of your sewing essentials including haberdashery, thread, patterns, fabric and kits. Come in and see us, we can't wait to meet you!
Entice Travel
Entice Travel is a boutique travel agency that is passionately committed to creating captivating experiences and adventures that allow you to explore your world, your way, in your own time.
Whether you are after a custom-designed indulgent holiday, a package deal or additional curated experiences, every travel detail is considered.
Personalised Service | 24/7 Availability | Bespoke Holidays & Experiences
https://www.enticetravel.com.au/ Ph: 6123 0567
Manuka Zambrero's
We are located in MANUKA – Shop 10, 18 Flinders Way. We can’t wait to see you!
Balthees Cakes
Award winning local business providing customised cakes, cupcakes, cookies and desserts for all occasions within the Canberra region (located in Belconnen)
Can be contacted through Facebook page and Instagram “Baltheescakes“
Phone number 0452184750
Trilogy Investment Property Funding
Trilogy is honoured to be a part of the vibrant community at St. John the Apostle Primary School. We take great pride in supporting the school and the incredible families that make it so special. As a company, we are committed to providing financial assistance whenever and wherever possible. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of this wonderful school.
Florey Bakery
School photography day is on Tuesday 26 March. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below or by returning the order envelope with your payment to our photographer on school photo day.
2 easy ways to purchase:
- Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
- Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day
Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: 21X CFH 6YT
School photography information:
- Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
- Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
- Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
- Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
- Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past
All students are required to wear their full summer school uniform on the day.
advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to St John The Apostle Primary School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at: www.advancedlife.com.au/contact
If you have indicated on your child’s enrolment form that permission has not been granted for ‘photos/videos published online or in-print’ or ‘release of information for school photos’ please contact the school if you DO NOT want your child to participate on photo day.
