Dear Parents and Carers,

This week is National Reconciliation Week, a time for all people in Australia to reflect on our shared culture and history. It’s a time to consider the relationship between past achievements and future progress.

Reconciliation Week 2025 marks the 58th anniversary of the 1967 referendum in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isander people became able to be counted in the census.

This year's theme, Bridging Now to Next, calls us to use these lessons of the past to push forward into the future. Our students have been collaborating on an installation that we will feature in our corridor that represents moving forward together in peace and love.

Photograph taken by artist Cathy Breen on 27th of May 2025.

Recently I was asked ‘What is Catalyst and what is it that makes SJA so special?’

I explained that the faith filled Catholic Education opportunities offered at St John the Apostle equips students with the skills and knowledge they need to become active, responsible and engaged global citizens. Some of the Catalyst Programs include InitiaLit, Spelling Mastery, Rocket Maths, The Writing Revolution, MacLit and MiniLit.  These programs are informed by the Science of Learning and Science of Reading. 

St John’s delivers excellent learning experiences for students through evidence-based teaching practice and high-quality resources as a learning community, the teaching staff implements the current Australian Curriculum, V9. The delivery of the Australian curriculum is through lessons that reflect High Impact Teaching Practices. This includes daily review, sequencing of concepts, modelling, questioning and reviewing previously taught concepts. 

Our teachers use Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) in their strategically planned lessons, to teach new concepts to mastery. During EDI lessons, teachers utilise ‘Engagement Norms’ (TAPPLE) to motivate students and hold them accountable for their learning. Engagement Norms ensure children are doing something every minute, whether it be discussion with a partner, reading text aloud, showing responses on a whiteboard or gesturing. These norms are designed to keep students actively engaged in their learning. Teachers are able to instantly check for understanding, provide immediate feedback, correct student responses at point of need and re-teach concepts if 80% mastery has not been achieved.

T - Teach First

A- Ask a question

P - Pause & Pair Share

P- Pick a Non-Volunteer

L - Listen to the response

E - Effective Feedback

If your child mentions that today we chinned our boards, parked our pens, hands on top, were chosen to answer without notice; they are all part of our toolbox of strategies that allow our students to be engaged in the learning of new concepts and skills to deepen understanding and expand their knowledge. 

The St John the Apostle school community is unique in promoting a strong values program and offers all children many opportunities to enable them to reach their full potential. The school has a strong focus on Restorative Practices and well‐being of all students. Recently, we have received our School NAPLAN results. There have been notable gains in the areas of English and Maths. Thumbs up to our amazing teachers and students who excel every single day!

We continue to be a community that is committed to providing innovative, state of the art learning facilities where parental involvement is encouraged and valued.

Enjoy the weekend. 

Jo Reed

Walk and Ride to school day - Friday 30^th May 

Our Walk and Ride Day was held this morning, thank you

 to all who participated.

Thank you to Woolworths Kippax for their very generous donation of fresh fruit and water for all who participated and to the parents who were able to stick around to enjoy a warm cuppa together.

Kinder and Yr 1 Assembly

We will be holding a second performance of the Year 1 Assembly for all of the parents and Carers who were unable to attend, along with the NAIDOC Junior choir next Friday 6^th June.

Kinder Assembly will be Friday 13^th June.

School hats

Now that the suns UV levels have dropped to below 3, sun hats are now optional for the months of June and July.               

Parent Online Workshops

Catholic schools ACT and NSW Parent association regularly offer parent workshops. Here is the link to the ones that are being offered this term. https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/

The Resilience Project webinar – Thursday 25 June

Parents are invited to attend a ‘Discovering Resilience’ live webinar with Martin Heppell on 25 June from 6.30pm-7.30pm. Martin, who is also a parent of young children, will share engaging stories and practical strategies to support the mental wellbeing of the entire family. If you are unable to attend, a recorded version will be available. Further information about The Resilience Project can be found at https://theresilienceproject.com.au/about/.  REGISTER HERE for the webinar.

Fundraising

A lovley thank you email (see below) arrived after Mike from St Vincent de Paul collected our donations. Being on earth the heart of God is about action.  It is about living the life God asks us to. Taking care of the vulnerable in our community is exaclty what we mean.

Dear St John the Apostle Community,

On behalf of the members of the Kippax Vinnies Conference and the families that we support, our companions, thank you very much for the donations of food, warm clothes and blankets. What a tremendous response from the community of St John the Apostle Primary School.

Kippax Conference members will distribute the food to families in our local community who are struggling to make ends meet. We will pass on the jackets, scarves, gloves and blankets to the Vinnies Night Patrol. They will distribute them to men and women who are homeless and are sleeping rough. Your gifts of warmth will be much appreciated.

Thanks again. We are most grateful for your wonderful generosity.

Michael Blyth

President

St Vincent de Paul Conference

St John the Apostle Parish

Kippax

What Students are Learning About

Catholic Life and Reflection

The Parish Pastoral Council is taking time to discerne a possible new name for the combined parish of St Thomas Aquinas and St John the Apostle.

This is a process that we are dedicating a great deal of time to both personally and when we are together.  To support my understanding I am reading the Encyclical from Pope Francis called Dilexit Nos - He Loved Us and Summa Theologiae St Thomas Aquinas most famous work. Well I am trying to read it!  It is good to be challenged by what we read and I really want to learn more.

Understanding more about who St Thomas Aquinas is will support our decisions as a council.

Learning more about our faith through the Saints and Doctors of the church is a way of deepening our connections to not only our parish but to the wider church.

God bless,

Stephanie Stewart

Religious Education Coordinator

Happy Birthday to Samuel Mullins, Victor Lomax, Sophie Peisker, Amelia Swiderski, Thomas Anderson, Adaline Jozwiak, Aviana Jozwiak, Troy Khalu-Reindl, Caleb Quinn, Ameilia Peisker, Jayden Amardo, Violet Oxenham, Bevan Hilhorst, Angelina Amrado, KlaraNilsson, Jasmine Khalu-Reindl, Jackson Loricchiella, Sonam Drolma, Alexis Greenhalgh, Japji Chohan, Evelina Nilsson, Hugo Mullins, Jonah Terron, Sophia Woods, Grace Garang,  Charlie Daza, Samuel Hedges, Gauri Dwivedi, Aysha Zenha Mohamed Jabir, Toby Blackford, Luca Vuckovic, Evelyn Wijnberg, Rigzang Tshewang, Thomasina Neilsen, Jennifer Nguyen, Emma Wooden, Penelope Osborne-Goldsbrough, Angel Bujune who all celebrate a Birthday in May.

Opening Hours

The Liking Gap: Helping Kids Feel More Confident in Friendships

Written by Dr Justin Coulson

When I wrote my book about teen girls, “Miss-Connection: Why Your Daughter “Hates You”, Expects the World, and Needs to Talk”, I was astonished at how insecure girls felt in their relationships. 

“I wonder if my friends really like me”, one girl confessed. She was not alone.

It turns out that it’s a very human challenge. We meet someone (or catch up with someone), and walk away from an interaction wondering if we said something silly or if the other person even liked us. This is incredibly common—not just for adults, but especially for kids.

Psychology researchers call it “the Liking Gap”—the tendency we have to underestimate how much others like us after an interaction. And research shows this gap starts young. Even children as young as four or five experience it – boys and girls.

Why it matters for your child

Think about your child at school:

• They meet new classmates.
• They wonder if they’ll be liked.
• They say something awkward—or worry they did.
• And then, they assume the worst.

This can lead to anxiety, loneliness, and even social withdrawal. Many kids believe their peers tolerate them rather than truly like them. Another girl in my book told me, 

“I have a massive fear that everyone around me is just putting up with me until I leave them alone.”

The tragedy is, most of the time, this belief is wrong. The science is clear: people generally like us more than we think.

What the research shows

A recent study from the University of Toronto found that across thousands of conversations, people consistently underestimated how much their conversation partners liked them. And the more anxious or insecure a person was, the bigger the gap.

In other words, your child is probably more liked than they realise—but they don’t know it.

So what can we do?

3 Things Parents Can Do to Help Close the Liking Gap

1. They’re Likely More Liked Than They Think

Children from about age 5 onward tend to underestimate how much others like them. When your child worries “nobody likes me,” they’re probably wrong! They won’t believe you, but if you tell them to reverse it and ask them how much they like other people, they’ll get your logic. When they understand the science, they are more likely to believe it.

Remind them that their natural tendency to miss positive social signals from peers becomes more pronounced as they get older, making tweens and teens especially vulnerable to social insecurity.

2. Focus on connection, not perfection.

Teach your child to stop keeping an invisible “friendship scorecard” in their head. Encourage them to focus on being present—listening, showing interest, and sharing kindly. Those are the traits people like most.

3. Build their confidence at home.

Self-esteem plays a huge role in the liking gap. Children who believe they have something valuable to say are more likely to connect with others and feel good doing it. Let your child’s voice be heard at home. Ask their opinions. Validate their thoughts. Confidence in relationships starts in the lounge room before it shows up in the classroom.

One final thought

Most kids aren’t struggling with being unlikable—they’re struggling with believing they’re likable. That’s a mindset shift we, as parents, can gently guide.

Your child is probably doing better socially than they think. Let’s help them see it.

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