Look after our environment.

This week, Mrs Jo Reed has been in Bowral for Catholic Leaders day and a Principal's Retreat. She has given me permission to make this week's newsletter all about our Fete which is next Friday 14 March, 4-7pm. This means there is only one more week left to ensure you have returned raffle tickets, purchased pre-orders and signed up to volunteer.

The Fete is our biggest and best community event of the year and we can't wait to see you all there. We have so many wonderful stalls and events organised. Have a look below at the map for the day!

Performances

All year levels will do a performance at the school Fete. Please see below the time each year level will perform and some costume ideas. A big thank you to Georgie from Footsteps who has been teaching our students their dances. 

• 5.10pm - Kindergarten - Gummy Bear (Bright colourful clothes) 
• 5:20pm - Year One - Tricky Frog (Green clothes, frog eyes)
• 5:30pm - Year Two - 5, 6, 7, 8 (Cowboy hat, cowboy boots, country clothing)
• 5:40pm - Year Three - Rhythm is a Dancer (Silver/metallic clothing, sequins)
• 5:50pm - Year Four - Bye Bye Bye (Red/white/black, baggy clothes, bandanas)
• 6:00pm - Year Five - Hit the Road Jack (Black/white, suspenders, bowties, fedoras)
• 6:10pm - Year Six - Saving Up (Oversized t-shirt, baggy pants)

FETE PRE ORDERS 2025

You can pre-order the below items on the Qkr! App. We are also taking cash (not eftpos) payments in the Front Office this week. Pre-orders will close on Thursday 13^th March at 3pm.

Volunteers

We still have many spots left that we need to fill for volunteers. Please sign up to volunteer at the below link:

www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13572DC02A2C2ECC4A18-fete2

Donations

We rely on our community to donate a couple of items per child to help with the success of our school Fete. Please see below the items we are requesting. All of these items can be sent to school with your child or delivered to the Front Office. Thank you so much in advance for your donations and support. 

Tombola

We are asking that a full jar is donated. The items also don’t need to be in a jar. They could be in a zip lock bag, a plastic container or anything that is enclosed and we can stick a raffle ticket on. 

Items that can be put in the tombola jars/containers:

• Lollies and chocolates 
• Jar of trinkets - small toys, erasers, stickers, hair accessories, craft supplies, stationary etc.

Hampers

We are asking that each child in each year group, donates one or more items for the below hampers. Each year level has been allocated a theme. Please see below images of past hampers. Kindergarten students are more than welcome to contribute to any of the below hampers. All items can be dropped off to the Front Office.

• Year One 2025 – Baby hamper (e.g. wraps, clothes, nappies, rattles, baby toys, wipes etc.)
• Year Two 2025 - Pet Hamper (eg. pet toys, treats, feeders, bowls etc.)
• Year Three 2025 – Kids Toy hamper (e.g. puzzles, fidget toys, board games, balls etc.)
• Year Four 2025 – Pamper hamper (eg. bath salts, candles, body products etc.)
• Year Five 2025 – Parents hamper (eg. wine, beer, chocolates, nuts etc.)
• Year Six 2025 - Home hamper (eg. tools, cleaning products, Bunnings gift card

Lucky Lock

We will be having a Lucky Lock competition again for the 2025 Fete. An esky is filled with alcohol and locked with a padlock. We sell keys and one key opens the lock. This lucky person wins the esky and its contents. To run this competition, we would love donations of the following:

• Alcohol - Wine, beer etc. ( Please drop these at the front office)
• Old keys that are no longer useful 

Pre-loved Soft Toys

We are asking for clean and in good condition pre-loved soft toys to be donated. 

Raffle Tickets

Each family received one Raffle Ticket Booklet. Raffle Tickets are $2 each or $30 a book. All Raffle Ticket books (sold or not sold) need to be returned to the Front Office by this Thursday 13th March.

Prizes:

• First Prize: $1000
• Second Prize: $500
• Third Prize: $250

Spinning Wheel

This year at the Fete we will be having a spinning wheel. We have had so many wonderful donations that you can win from spinning the wheel. Some of the donated items are as follows:

• Wee Jasper Distillery - $420 worth of Gin
• Shaw Winery - 2 bottles of wine
• Raiders Club Holt - 2 x $50 vouchers
• Brudine Vet - $109 voucher to spend in store
• The Picnic Train - 8 tickets for the train
• Kippax Vet - Bag of food and a voucher for a free consult
• Higgins Dental - Teeth clean
• Oliver Street Photography - Voucher
• Belconnen Bunnings - Ryobi Pressure Cleaner
• Power Kart Raceway - Jungle Golf (Family Pass)
• Flip Out Majura - Voucher
• CanTurf - turf voucher
• Urban Brow Studio 

A big thank you to the above businesses for their generous donations. 

A big thank you to our sponsors for our 2025 School Fete!

Gold Sponsors

Dice 4 Diversity

Dice 4 Diversity specialise in working with neurodiverse people – Autism Spectrum, ADD, ADHD, Trauma – but aren’t limited to people with diagnoses. They also work on social anxiety, self-confidence, resilience, teamwork, and much more. Ages 7 and up. Dice 4 Diversity are NDIS friendly.

Ichi Cafe

Kippax Fair, 29 Hardwick Crescent Holt, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 2615

Why not take a look at the extensive menu of Ichi Cafe and treat the kids to take away food tonight, it's got to be better than slaving over a hot stove, then you can bribe them to do the washing up. What we recommend? Try Bacon and Eggs Roll or Cappucino. 

Silver Sponsors

Leading Edge Fire Doors

Canberra-based fire door installation company.

Showtime Consulting

Pioneers of 'Shielded Cloud Solutions’— leaders in the integration of ultra-secure, intelligent technology in the most challenging environments.  

showtimeconsulting.au

Test and Tag Canberra

Website: TestandTagCanberra.com.au

Email: sales@testandtagcanberra.com.au

Phone: +61 469 903 653

Bronze Sponsors

Zambrero Manuka

Zambrero is Feel Good Mex! A fresh, healthy quick-service Mexican restaurant franchise and a humanitarian enterprise committed to helping stop world hunger by donating a Plate 4 Plate with every burrito, bowl or grab & go retail item purchased.

We are located in MANUKA – Shop 10, 18 Flinders Way. We can’t wait to see you!

N2Eletrical

N2 Electrical is a family owned and operated electrical company services Canberra and the surrounding regions. With a combined 16 years of hands- on experience, we bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to every project we undertake. We are deeply passionate about our craft, viewing each electrical job as an opportunity to make a difference.

We're dedicated to open communication and exceptional service. Whether you have questions or need assistance, we're here for you. Reach out via phone or email, we're always happy to discuss your electrical needs and provide tailored solutions.

RIXE GROUP

The Rixe Group specialises in leadership, leadership emergence, talent management and communication.

We focus on practical application and learning transfer when designing programs, utilising the most rigorous and recent academic research to design and deliver face-to-face and virtual programs that ensure employees, as well as the organisations they belong to, maximise their outcomes.

Barrett Bros Smash Repairs

Barrett Bros Smash Repairs specialise in accident repairs. If you have been involved in an accident, call our friendly team and they will help you with the process.

We aim to provide our clients with the highest level of customer service and quality accident repairs.

We work with all major insurance companies and will support your choice of repairer.

What Students are Learning About

This week all students received the Ashes to commemorate the beginning of Lent. Of course, there was also lots of celebrations as they had special treats on Shrove Tuesday too!

Here are some samples of work students have completed and also displays.

Year 5 Designed Floats for a Lenten Parade

Year 6 students helped Kinder recieve the Ashes.

Catholic Life and Reflection

Stephanie Stewart

Religious Education Coordinator

Brag Tag Awards - presented on Friday 14th March, 8.50am (Week 6)

SJA ICT AGREEMENT

Just a friendly reminder to please go onto COMPASS into the Insights Section and complete the ICT Agreement form.

You child will not be able to use ICT until this is completed

Happy Birthday to Davina Borscz, Samuel Hilhorst, Mackenzie Knight, Alexander Stephensen, Spencer Cantwell, Arjun Pardeshi, Zakary Sutherland, Hayley Greenhalgh, Joseph Cook, Anita Shekarkhandeh, Henry Bradbury, Valentina Saldias Gomez, Campbell Green, Patrick Glenn-Downey, Katie Neiberding, Madison Stanton, William Le, Beau Carr, Casper Nolan, Reedhee Pandey, Joshua Ho, Rishaan Banerji Dash, Logan Campbell and Ruby Muller who all celebrate a Birthday in March.

Opening Hours

A friendly reminder that St Johns is a nut free school. Thank you.

Parking in these spaces is reserved for people who have priority parking cards.

If you do not have a disability parking sticker please do not use these spots

Thank you for your support in this matter.

Now You See Them, Now You Don't

Transforming Chore Dodgers into Willing Helpers

Chores, responsibilities, tasks—no matter what you call them, asking your child to help around the house often leads to groans, whining, or excuses. Suddenly, they’re “sick” or they need to use the bathroom when it’s time to help! While we’ll likely never have children who love doing chores, there are ways to make them more willing participants in keeping the household running. This article explains when kids are ready to help, why they should, and how to involve them in ways that work for everyone.

Developmental Realities

Children are more capable than we often give them credit for. While we expect too much emotionally, we sometimes underestimate their physical abilities. Kids can help with many tasks, but it’s important to match chores with their developmental stage. For example, a 6-year-old might not be able to hang laundry, but they can wash dishes, clear the table, or pick up toys.

How Do You Teach Them?

The fancy term for it is the “Gradual Release of Responsibility” framework. It works in three phases: 

• I Do (demonstration)
• We Do (guided practice)
• You Do (independent application)

First, you model the task completely while they observe. Next, you perform it together, with you gradually stepping back as they take on more responsibility. Finally, they assume complete ownership while you provide occasional guidance. This approach acknowledges that mastery develops through supported practice rather than sudden handover.

Research

Studies show that children who help out with regular tasks around the home:

• Develop better executive function (e.g., memory, self-regulation)
• Have higher self-confidence and self-efficacy
• Are more competent, perform better in school, and are happier

And the researchers generally point to the age of around 5 as the best time to start.

But how? Let me suggest three big ideas to help:

1. Do It Together

Kids are more likely to engage in chores if they’re not left alone. Working side-by-side makes the task faster and allows kids to learn the correct way to do things. Plus, they’re focused on the time spent with you, not the chore itself. You can turn this time into an opportunity to connect—talking about life, their interests, or asking fun questions. Working as a team can also motivate kids, such as framing a task with a goal: “Can we get the whole playroom cleaned in 10 minutes?”

2. Make It Fun

Transforming chores from drudgery to delight is all about presentation.  A competition to see who can do it faster is fun. Pumping up the music and dancing while you work is fun. Reimagining the living room as a laboratory that needs to be organised before an important experiment? Genuinely engaging! 

In our family, we play a game the kids invented called “word association” (terrible name, but it’s all theirs). We identify a theme (like dreams, or modes of transport, or breakups) and take it in turns singing a song that matches the theme. The dishes practically wash themselves when everyone’s belting out “I Will Survive” during our breakup-themed cleanup session. No one is thinking about the chores because they’re having too much fun singing the songs.

3. Create Ownership Through Choice

Children crave autonomy, and giving them some control over their chores can reduce resistance. Instead of a simple “Can you clean your room?”, ask, “Would you like to organise your toys before or after tea?” or “Do you want to be in charge of vacuuming or dusting this week?” Offering a “Responsibility Menu,” where kids choose their tasks for the week, provides more agency while ensuring everything gets done. 

Remember that ownership develops gradually. Start by assigning specific areas of responsibility that belong exclusively to your child.  Perhaps they’re the family’s “Plant Care Specialist” in charge of watering, or the “Energy Monitor” responsible for sensible electricity use. These roles transform mundane tasks into meaningful contributions to the family ecosystem. (But beware… you might create a monster!)

Nurturing Responsibility for Life

Teaching our children to participate in household maintenance goes far beyond having a tidy home. It’s about cultivating essential life skills and values that will serve them well into adulthood. Through collaborative and engaging approaches to chores, we help children build competence, confidence, and consideration for others. 

The investment we make now—in patience, creativity, and consistent expectations—yields dividends in the form of capable, responsible young people who understand that contributing to their community begins at home. By transforming household work from dreaded obligation to meaningful participation, we prepare our children not just for independent living, but for a lifetime of positive engagement with the world around them.

Author

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.