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Please go to our school calendar on the website or COMPASS for more details.
Please note that the last day of Term 4 (17 December) is a pupil free days for professional learning for staff. Students do not attend school on this day. OSHClub will be available.
Term 3 Week 2-7
- Mitch Tambo - Whole School Performance (week 2)
- Maths games - selected students (week 2)
- Mini Olympics Opening Ceremony (week 2)
- Trivia Night (week 3)
- OZ Tag Gala Day (boys and girls) (week 3)
- Author visit - Sue Whiting (week 4)
- Feast of the Assumption Mass (week 4)
- Book Week - Reading is Magic (week 5)
- Book Week Parade (week 5)
- Yr 1 Excursion - National Arboretum (week 5)
- Yr 4 Excusrion - GEOScience Australia (week 5)
- Belconnen Region Athletics Carnival AIS (week 5)
- Class Mass 4B (week 5)
- Kinder Assembly (week 5)
- Aura Parker - Author visit (week 6)
- 4M Class Mass (week 6)
- Kinder Health Checks (week 7)
- Class Mass 3B (week 7)
- Year 2 Assembly (week 7)
- Year 5 Camp (week 7)
- Maths games (week 7)
- Incursion - Japanese Manga Artist & Cartoonist Kenny Chan (week 7)
School Focus and Positive Behaviour
The school positive behaviour focus this week was:
Know the areas to play.
Ngunnawal word of the week:
Yuma (means 'hello')
Dear St John's families,
As I walked around to all of our classes on Tuesday morning, watching all of our teachers and students engaged in Spelling Mastery, I was struck by how settled everyone was and how much I will miss this feeling next year.
Our teachers and students really are quite amazing. They are almost always engaged, working hard and loving being with each other. At the end of each day we assemble together and ask a few students to share 'What went well today?'. Yesterday one student shared how interested they were in their Maths lesson. Another shared how they loved playing with their friend. Another shared about the time they spent with their Kindergarten buddy. A teacher shared the fun they had with their science experiment.
It is a privilege to work in this community every day.
Travelling safely to and from school
In recent months a couple of our students travelling to or from school have had an incident where they have been approached by a stranger from outside the school community. The most recent was this week. In each of these situations the student(s) were supported by others in the community to remain safe.
It is a timely reminder to make sure that if your child rides or walks to or from school they know what they need to do to remain safe in that rare occurance where they meet a stranger.
When encouraging your child to take the active option of walking or riding to school make sure that they:
- know the way to or from school (there might be more than one option).
- know the road rules for that way.
- have previously walked/ridden that pathway with a family member.
- know what to do in an emergency.
- can find your contact details if required.
- know their bike, scooter, phone is in good condition and use any relevant safety equipment, e.g. helmet.
The AFP have produced some excellent videos with tips for children:
Tips for 3-8 year olds
Tips for 9-12 year olds
Ways to get to school
The link below is a printable map for ways children can walk and ride to our school. Created through the ACT Gov Active Schools Program several years ago, it is can be folded up into a small pocket sized map for students to keep in their bag or pocket.
Dropping children at school
I would also just like to remind families that students are not to be dropped at school prior to 8.20am, when the first teacher begins supervision. Our school is already generous with this early supervision. Many other schools will not provide it before 8.30am. It is often very cold in the morning and being outside for over 30 minutes prior to school starting can be a challenge for many of them. Being on site without supervision also increases risk for injury, etc.
We have an excellent and popular OSHClub who provide warmth and breakfast from 7.00am. You can register your child's participation with them at their website.
NAIDOC Mass
Today I accompanied Ms Wormald and a group of student representatives to the
Archdiocese NAIDOC Mass where schools came together to celebrate and acknowledge the work of those who support cultural awareness and recognise the contribution of students, staff and parents in our schools. Our Year 6 students were wonderful representatives.
Thank you all for an excellent first week of school. We're looking forward to the next one.
Kind regards,
Matthew Garton
Principal
Teaching, Learning and Inclusion
Enhancing Learning Through Meaningful Conversations at Home
As adults, we often seek feedback to ensure we are on track, performing well, or effectively communicating our messages. Children are no different; they also seek feedback and reassurance from parents, extended family, peers, and teachers. Our teachers are dedicated to providing continuous feedback to students, encouraging them to discuss their learning and explore concepts more deeply.
Just as feedback from teachers is crucial for a student’s academic progress, conversations at home about classroom activities are equally important. Many parents have experienced the typical shoulder shrug, grunt, or “I don’t know” when asking their child about their school day. This is quite common in many households. Sometimes, simply changing the timing or phrasing of your questions can yield better responses. Children are often tired after a full day of being “switched on,” so waiting until dinner time to ask about their day can be more effective.
Dr. Ian Lillico, an international consultant specialising in gender, boys’ education, and middle schooling, suggests that children are more likely to open up when they are sitting or standing beside you, such as in the car or while doing chores like washing dishes. Standing side by side with less eye contact seems to help children relax and talk more freely. Similarly, engaging in physical activities like kicking or throwing a ball can also encourage conversation.
Consider trying some of these conversation starters to get your child talking. Maybe everyone in the family can take turns answering them:
- What made you laugh today?
- What friendly thing did you do today?
- What did you put a lot of effort into today?
- What made you think hard today?
- What tricky thing did you figure out how to do better?
- What helpful thing did you do for someone?
- What problem did you solve today?
- What are you grateful for today?
- How did you recover from something that went wrong today?
- What did you enjoy in the classroom? Outside the classroom?
By engaging in these conversations, you can support your child's learning and development, making their educational journey more connected to their daily life.
Trivia Night - Thursday 8 August
The Community Council will be holding a '90s' themed Trivia Night at The Raiders Club on Thursday 8 August (6.30pm for a 7.00pm start). This is a free event and hot finger food will be provided. We have extended the RSVP until Thursday 1 August.
Please RSVP at the following link:
httpss:/stjohnfloreyyschoolzineplusscomm/form/80
There are two options available when you RSVP:
- Option 1 - You would like to be included on a table organised on behalf of the Community Council.
- Option 2 - You wish to organise a table and nominate 8-10 people to be on the table. Please list the names of all people to be added to the table.
Please note this is an ADULT ONLY event.
The Community Council would love to see you there.
Rebekah Brown
Assistant Principal and Inclusion Coordinator
What Students are Learning About
This week Year 3 presented an assembly about The Eucharist. They read the scripture from the Last Supper and reflected on questions they had.
Some wondering by the students included:
Jigme: I wonder how Jesus felt, knowing that it was his last supper?
Tom: When we reflect on this scripture, it’s important to remember that Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed by one of his friends. Jesus still fed his friend. I’m not sure if I would be able to do that, knowing my friend was being mean to me… but still treating them with kindness and respect.
Well done Year 3!
What Teachers are Learning About
The start of a new term means teachers engage in new scripture and content. It is always an interesting time. For those teachers who are part of the Catholic Education RE professional learning community their hard work in planning together last term is being used with their classes this term. A few more of our teachers are going to begin planning with teachers across the Archdiocese and student will benefit from their shared knowledge. Watch this space!
Catholic Life and Reflection
In Australia it is so easy to look out and be in awe and wonder of the world around us. I often take photos to capture moments that take my breath away. Often this is as my husband is driving and I hang out the car window! I take photos to hold onto the memory of that awe filled moment. The power and majesty of God in all its glory.
Romans 1:20 (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition):
Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So, they are without excuse...
God bless,
Stephanie Stewart
Happy Birthday to Nathaniel Garang, Chelsea Badenhorst, Asher Mutinhima, Riley Monck, Sophia Clark, Kinley Tshultrim, Lorenzo Scarano, Sophia Youssef, Alexander Richardson, Abel White, Vincent Nott, Lily Nguyen, Alisha Sehgal, Sophie Clifford, Darci Del Guzzo Liam Lster, Tymon Amrado, Nicolas Lester, Tommy cole, Ethan Campbell and Nate Sawyer who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.
This year we will be presenting a number of awards to students. Please see below the scedule for this term. Most awards will be handed out on a Friday morning.
At St John the Apostle we teach a number of programs that focus on mastering particular knowledge and skills in literacy and numeracy. Students are taught based on their individual, current level of mastery. Two of the programs we teach are Spelling Mastery and Rocket Maths. We regularly collect data from students in both of these programs so we can track that they are having continous progress. Students work hard to achieve mastery in these programs, so we celebrate the students who show mastery in these programs by giving them awards.
Students will receive Spelling Mastery Awards once they reach mastery three times at their Spelling Mastery level. For some students this is 10/10 and for others it is 25/25. For Kindergarten students will receive Spelling Mastery Awards when they receive 10/10 for each unit they complete in Sounds~Write.
Students will receive Maths Mastery Awards each time they beat their Rocket Math Two Minute Goal.
This year we will also be presenting Brag Tag Awards. These will be handed out each time a student receives 20 brag tags.
Week |
Award |
Week Three |
Next weeks award recipients in Newsletter |
Week Four |
Brag Tag Awards Spelling Mastery Awards Rocket Maths Awards presented |
Week Five |
Next weeks award recipients in Newsletter |
Week Six |
Spelling Mastery Awards presented Brag Tag Awards presented |
Week Seven |
Next week award recipients in Newsletter |
Week Eight |
Rocket Maths Awards presented Spelling Mastery Awards presented Brag Tag Awards Notify end of term award families. |
Week Nine |
Next week award recipients in Newsletter |
Week Ten |
Spelling Mastery Awards presented Brag Tag Awards presented Rocket Maths Awards presented |
Brag Tag Awards - presented on Friday 16th August, 8.50am (Week 4)
Charlotte Speehley | Oliver Wilson | Heidi Pearson |
Tia McNamara | Ethellyna Balthazar | Henry Bradbury |
Desmond Walsh | Rigzang Tshewang | Bailee Kisgeorge |
Abel White | Jackson Loricchiella | Asher Mutinhima |
Clyde Lomax | George Ackerman | Lilijana Tundulin |
Amelia Peisker | Ebube Iloelunachi | Bettina Morris |
Allira Richardson | Penelope Posantzis | Ethan Zaretzky |
Evelina Nilsson | Rose Holding | Isabelle Jeffs |
Zara Thorpe | Charlotte Pieterse | Timothy Masterman |
Zachary Williams | Diyana Weerarthna | Ella Butler |
William Huskisson | ||
Spelling Mastery Awards - presented on Friday 16th August, 8.50am (Week 2)
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Second Hand Uniform Donations
The Uniform Shop would love to receive second hand uniform donations. If you have school uniforms at home that you no longer need please send them into school. Thank you.
Opening Hours
The Uniform Shop will be open during the following:
Friday 2 August - 8.30am-9.30am
If you have any questions or concerns please email the uniform shop on stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com
Raising children is tough enough without opposition and antagonism from other adults who share in the responsibility. Researchers note that when parents are on the same page, family satisfaction increases, and outcomes for children improve—provided the parents’ habits are positive.
In the early days of my marriage to Kylie, I had no idea how to be a dad – or a husband. Kylie was educated in early childhood. And me? I was not educated in anything. My parenting showed it. But I would not listen to Kylie’s advice.
As it became clear that I was ineffective, and potentially making things worse, I began my studies and changed my ways. Now we were on different pages again. Kylie didn’t like taking my advice. After all, she had previously had the ‘right’ answers. Now I was making suggestions that were contrary to what Kylie had always thought was appropriate. While Kylie’s answers had been better than mine, now it seemed mine might be better than hers, or so I thought. But Kylie disagreed.
Kylie began to resent me making suggestions based on what I had been learning. Until … I came into the house one day and things were loud and tense. Kylie demanded I take over because the kids were driving her insane and I apparently had ‘all the answers’. So I did. And within about 20 seconds everyone was calm, the children were apologetic and peace was restored. (If only I did it that well every time.)
That incident allowed us to turn a corner. We’re not entirely united in every aspect of our parenting, even now. I’m not sure perfect unity is possible. But we work together in consistent ways to get the best results for our children. And it makes such a difference.
So let’s get on the same page. When we see things the same way – or at least work to understand one another – everyone gets along so much better. It’s the first thing parents need to make their parenting work as well as it can.
Flat-out Refusal
In some situations, your partner might refuse to discuss things with you. They may not even be willing to read what you’re reading.
Please remember, you’re playing a long game. So be the example as Kylie was to me, and then as I was later able to be for her. We both had many strained conversations about how to parent. (Even now we still do as our teenagers find new ways to test our skills.) In the end, patience was the winner.
In the meantime, look for the good in the parenting of your partner, or in step- and co-parents. While you know (and deep down, they know) that they can improve, so can all of us! But just because there’s room for improvement, it doesn’t mean they’re an abject failure. Most parents, even those who struggle, are doing some things right. Enjoy those moments and express gratitude and appreciation when they occur.
Focus on Strengths
It would be easy to focus on all the things that create division and misalignment. This probably won’t be helpful at this stage of our discussion. Instead, let’s focus on things that strengthen our views of one another.
- What’s one thing your partner does with the children that you love?
- How can you encourage more of that?
- What family activities do you enjoy together?
- How can you make time for these activities?
Emphasising what we love doing together fosters greater alignment than fixating on our shortcomings.
United parents don’t have to do everything the same or agree on everything. However, when there’s consistency between parents and a willingness to work together toward shared outcomes that matter, we can foster harmony and purpose in our family. This positive environment benefits both our children and our partnerships.
![](https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DrJustinCoulson_300x300-150x150.jpg)
Dr Justin Coulson
Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters and grandfather to 1 granddaughter. He is the parenting expert and co-host of Channel 9’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families podcast. He has written 9 books about families and parenting. For further details visit www.happyfamilies.com.au.