ST JOHN'S NEWSLETTER INSPIRING
STUDENTS FOR LIFE
TERM 4 WEEK 2

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

eACEL Conference

Throughout the term break, I attended the 2024 Australian Council of Educational Leaders (ACEL) conference in Adelaide. It was an outstanding conference with several keynote speakers reinforcing the need for reimagining education in Australia to capture the engagement of students. It was encouraging to know we are on the right path at St John’s with our contemporary approach and the desire to create purpose and engagement in our learners.

Term 4 Start

Term 4 has begun strongly with Henty staff joining us for a full day of PD on Monday 14 October.  We began with devotion and moved into our half-day AISNSW focus on disability legislation and supporting students. The last session was led by Dave Shrowder and Craig Lieschke from CHAMPS Surveys, leading staff through completing the 2024 Staff Wellbeing Survey. The feedback data will provide guidance on how we best support the amazing staff team at St John’s.

Finishing Strongly

2025 will be a new chapter in my professional journey, as I transition to Victory Lutheran College as Principal. Thank you to the families (and students) who have passed on their support and well-wishes for this new adventure. There is always a tension of being torn between staying in a role I thoroughly enjoy and feel a deep sense of connection to the community, verses beginning a new chapter in my leadership journey in a new school. I am completely confident in our school’s continued growth in learning and ability to provide a strong learning environment where student wellbeing is at the core of what we do. We have staff who support each other, and we have a strong leadership team who will continue to drive the positive school culture forward as the board undertakes the recruitment process for the new principal. I am looking forward to a fun term celebrating the fantastic kids and staff I get to work with at St John’s.

Yours in Christian service,

Brad Moss

Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

 

Week 2

Friday 25 October - Grandparents Day Chapel and morning tea

Week 3

Wednesday 30 October - Kinder 2025 Transition #3

Week 4

Wednesday 6 November - 2025 Sports Captain Speeches

 

From the deputy desk
School Happenings!

 

Welcome to Term 4!

We've launched into another term of engaging learning and look forward to special celebrations of our school and students. We hope your family had a refreshing school holiday.

 

ALWS Gifts of Grace

In the next few weeks, all of our school families will receive an Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) Gifts of Grace catalogue and free picture book about a boy living in an African village receiving support from ALWS. ALWS is an overseas aid agency that serves in long-term projects around the world alongside the most vulnerable, empowering them to be active contributors to their own development. St John’s has supported ALWS for many years. The Gifts of Grace program is a way in which people can choose to donate money towards specific ALWS initiatives, such as fertiliser for a family to increase their crop yield, a garden fork for a family to work their land, or particular materials that will go towards building a family a house! When you receive a Gifts of Grace catalogue, you will have the option of purchasing a card that you can give to someone else for Christmas, explaining how their gift has blessed some of the most vulnerable people in the world.  

 

Additional reading support for home - Kinder and Year 1

Please see the flyer at the end of this newsletter providing information about additional reading intervention sessions parents can arrange to access online from home through BoostKids – Early Intervention Literacy Support. BoostKids supports our school’s approach to literacy (Please note that the session times mentioned are based on South Australian time – Ali Watson, BoostKids specialist will arrange times when you contact her) and is offering St John’s families a discount (see image below).    

 

Carpark Safety

To ensure that we keep our students safe, we ask that you please park along Adams St to drop off and pick up, and that students walk on our school footpath, not through our carpark. Arrival Time at School: Students are to arrive at school no earlier than 8:55am, as that is when our staff go out on duty. If they arrive slightly earlier than that, they are to sit outside their classroom until the play bell goes at 8:55am.

 

Colour Run

Your child will have brought home a Colour Run information pack, which is our major fundraiser for the year. Funds raised will go towards new sports equipment for the school. Students are excited to be part of this fun new initiative, and we look forward to getting colourful on Monday 9 December! We will provide more information closer to the date.        

 

Alison Jafari and Anna-Marie Bothe

FROM THE CHAPLAIN

ALL SAINTS DAY - FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1

All Saint’s Day is the time of the Christian calendar where we remember the people in our lives who have passed away. In honour of All Saints Day, we will tackle a hard issue we all deal with throughout our lives – living with grief and loss. Come along and ask our panel (consisting of a Pastor, a Counsellor, and an Occupational Therapist) about grief, loss and faith. Afterwards, you can light a candle for anyone you have lost. 

Click here to subscribe to our Church Newsletter

New Bible Study
Have you ever wondered who wrote the Bible?How was it put together?
Is there a coherent message in the eclectic mix of 66 books?
Join us for conversations over coffee and snacks right here in Jindera where we will try to explore all your questions and more!  

YOUTH GROUP KICK OFF!

Are you in Year 6 or up?

We want to hear your ideas on how to run a youth group!

Join us for free pizza on October 25 at St John’s School Library!

Parents and other adults who want to help are also welcome!

WALBUNDRIE SHOW

Congratulations to Kinder and Year 2!

Kinder - Most Outstanding Exhibit and First Place

Year 2 - Encouragement Award

We think all our class chooks were worthy of a mention, so we have them for a limited time only in the front office. Come and check them out if you get the chance!

Thank you to everyone who made our school concert such a fantastic celebration of student talent!

Enjoy some photos from the evening.

CONCERT - St John's 2024 talent show

TICKETS NOW OPEN
Scan the code or click on the link to book your seats. Limited seating available so don't miss out!

Book your seats here

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL RESULTS

HOUSE CUP RESULTS ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2024

1st Place: Dight (404.83 points)

2nd Place: Goessling (386.16 points)

3rd Place: Luther (363 points)  

 

STUDENT INFORMATION
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CLASS

KINDERGARTEN

MATHS

In Maths this week Kinder has been looking at patterns. We have learnt that the core of the pattern is the part that repeats itself.

YEAR 1

MATHS

We’ve had a great start to the term with the students settling back into our temporary classroom space. This week, the focus for Maths has been Data and they’ve been enjoying exploring various topics and gathering and interpreting results. In PBL, they’ve investigated sound, spending time outdoors listening to their environment and learning how their voices and hearing work. It’s been an exciting hands-on start!  

PBL

This week we were lucky enough to have Chappie Pete come in and share his love of music with us. He brought in many instruments and explained how they worked and demonstrated all the different sounds they can make. This was a great start to our understanding of sound.

YEAR 2

PBL

On Monday, we visited the Jindera Museum and presented Margie Wehner with our projects. We made up two items to be displayed in the museum. One was our A3 posters showing our research of life in the Past/Present/Future. The other item we presented was a book that we made of our own Inventions. Students had to design an item that could be used in the future and describe how this new technology could help people. After we visited the museum, we visited local community services in Jindera and presented them with a letter of thanks, a certificate of appreciation and a small gift.

MATHEMATICS

This week in Mathematics, the students enjoyed shopping and rounding numbers to the nearest dollar and then adding their totals.

YEAR 3/4 PV

WEEK 2

Students enjoyed presenting their PBL showcase to the school community during the last week of Term 3 based on healthy eating. Toby amazed us (especially teachers!) when he brought in a fidget toy which he created using his 3D printer. For physical science, students conducted an experiment rolling a marble down a ramp using difference surfaces. We learnt how the friction affects the distance of the object.

YEAR 3/4 LK

Week 2

Students have had a great first week, having lots of fun with hands-on activities investigating ‘forces' in PBL. 

YEAR 5/6

week 9

What a terrific start to term we have had! Students had fun learning a dance from the great Justin Seidel to present at Chapel to lead worship. The Year 6’s also had the opportunity to go to Boys to the Bush. It has been great to see students push themselves outside of their comfort zone during these times.

WELLBEING and the flu season

Flu season

It's that time of year again when coughs, colds and covid are about in the community.

NSW Health advise we are currently in the moderate level of COVID-19.

For everyone to stay well this season please follow the recommendations of the NSW Government and keep your child home when sick.


You can find out more via the following links

https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/covid-19/advice-for-families#Staying1

https://www.nsw.gov.au/health/covid-19/testing-managing/symptoms

 

Whilst we understand how challenging it is to be called at work, we also know parents value a safe school and we thank you for your support.

 

speach bubble circle

STAY HOME WHEN SICK!

PRAYING FOR YOU

At St John's, we pray for our students and their families and staff members.
This week, we are praying for:

Week 1

George Shipp

Mackenzie Smillie

Lola Delphin – Lee

Isla Gorton

Grace Phelps

Tracey Stevens  

Week 2

Hannah Code

Archie Mahon

Jackson & Evie Pendergast

Mia Lieschke

Emmet Domaille

Charlene Walsh

MERIT AWARDS

Kinder

Jude Miles and Lennon Clinton
Year 1

Jonti Noordam and Jimmy Schmidt
Year 2

Grayson Cox and Clea Merrett

 

Year 3/4 LK
Lachlan Kalina and Jack McGrath

Year 3/4 PV

Lincoln Heinrich and Max Ley

Year 5/6 GC

Ricky Jensen and Daigen Whelan

Year 5/6 DB

Leo Jensen and Finn Condon

CARPARK - SAFETY IS EVERYONES RESPONSIBILTY! 

             Use the footpath to enter school

             Walk

             Use dedicated parking bays  

 

             DO NOT walk/ride/scooter through the carpark

             DO NOT park in driveways

Hats 

Be like George!

  • Label your hat

  • Keep your hat in your bag

  • Wear your hat if the UV is 3 or higher

  • Look after your hat

THEIRCARE
BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE

15/10/24 – 25/10/24

 

Welcome back to the final term of 2024! We were so excited to see such happy faces with heaps of stories to tell about their holiday adventures. For the next six weeks, Lily and Zali will be having their own adventures in Canada, so Lillyana (me!) will be taking over as Coordinator until they come back. The children, families and teaching staff have been so welcoming and have truly made me feel accepted here at St John’s. This week we focused on Children’s Voice, incorporating activities and themes that the children have previously expressed interest in. Monday was a Pupil Free Day (an extra day of holidays!) so we returned to school on Tuesday. On Tuesday we caught up with each other and recounted what we did on the holidays, followed by soccer and funky dance moves! On Wednesday we made cute paper flowers to stick on the door with the beautiful butterflies and we also enjoyed some corn chips, cheese and homemade guacamole as part of TC Tucker. On Thursday we did a whole bunch of animal colourings that were designed by a teacher from Port Macquarie (if you would like the PDFs feel free to ask me) and had some delicious pasta with red sauce for afternoon tea. On Friday we did a colouring competition and settled down with a movie, popcorn and some dot-to-dots.  

 

In Week 2 we will be exploring the safari and all the different animals! From paper crafts to DIY binoculars, we are sure to learn what the beautiful world of safari has to offer us.

HEAD LICE 

Currently we have an increased number of cases of head lice presenting at school. Please click here for a fact sheet of treatments and preventative measures which may be a support to families. If head lice is detected at school, home will be contacted. In line with school expectations, any child with below shoulder length hair is required to tie their hair back while at school. Please ensure if your child has longer hair it is tied back for the school day.

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The Jindera Swimming Pool Committee is running the canteen again this year as there were no other people interested. It can only work well if we have enough volunteers outside the committee.The time commitment is not huge. If you are interested, please contact Jenny on 0438263417 or [email protected]

This pool is for all to enjoy so let's all support this cause.

Thanks

Jenny