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- PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
- FROM THE CURRICULUM OFFICE
- UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER
- YEAR 9 NEWS
- YEAR 11 NEWS
- YEAR 12 NEWS
- YEAR 7 DIARY CHALLENGE
- REPRESENTATIVE SPORT
- NEWS FROM TAS
- CAREERS NEWS
- LIBRARY NEWS
- NEWS FROM GOOROON
- RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
- CANTEEN NEWS
- P&F NEWS
- SHOALHAVEN COMMUNITY OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
- COMMUNITY NOTICES
What a wonderful school St John’s is. It has been an absolute pleasure to have been here for a few weeks and I look forward to the remaining few till the end of Term. The Staff and students have made me feel extremely welcome, with friendly greetings and huge smiles. Like all comprehensive High Schools, St John’s is a busy and energetic place with lots of hard classroom work and activities for students to engage in.
SUBJECT SELECTION EVENING – YEAR 8 & 10
A very big thank you to all who attended this important information evening. As your children move through their schooling they gain more autonomy over the direction and subject choices of their learning. It is important to make informed decisions that are based on the best learning and educational outcomes married to the individual skills and interests of the student.
I am aware that many had to travel considerable distances to attend but the investment in these decisions is well worth that effort. I also acknowledge and thank the large number of Staff who remained and presented or answered parent and student questions.
CHURCH YEAR
We also are in the middle of a great part of the Church calendar. Feast days everywhere. We have just had Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and the Visitation. This weekend is Corpus Christi, and we still have Sacred Heart, Immaculate Heart and John the Baptist to go before the holidays. These are significant days in many Catholic schools and I invite students and parents to re-visit the Catholic importance of them.
FAREWELL FATHER LEO
Father Leo joined the Parish 2 years ago, during this time he journeyed with the region through the bush fires, floods, COVID. He was given the position of Parish Administrator when Fr Pat retired. We thank him for his support at the school through Liturgies, Retreats and Masses.
Mr Wayne Marshall
(Acting) Principal
Click here to view Term 2 Week 8 OOAAA Nominations
Click here to view the Maths Pathway 200+ Club Nominees (Week 8)
Maths Pathways Year 7 Winning Class: 7MAT.M Ms Lee
Growth: 197%
Maths Pathways Year 8 Winning Class: 8MAT. M Ms Kidson
Growth: 199%
TERM 2 2021
Monday 14 June: Queen's Birthday Public Holiday
WEEK 10 (Week A)
Thursday 24 June: NAIDOC Week Ceremony 10am
TERM 3 2021
WEEK 1 (Week B)
Monday 12 July: Staff & Students return for Term 3
WEEK 2 (Week A)
Monday 19 July: P & F General Meeting 6pm
Wed 21 July: Year 10 Immunisations
WEEK 3 (Week B)
Monday 26 July - Monday 9 August: Year 12 HSC Trial Exams
WEEK 4 (Week A)
Friday 6 August: Staff Development Day
WEEK 8 (Week A)
Monday 30 August - Friday 3 Sept: Year 11 Yearly Exams
Click here to access the 2021 Representative Sports Calendar
What an exciting and action-packed term Year 9 has had already. A number of events have taken place that students have been involved in. I look forward to seeing and hearing about more opportunities Year 9 are involving themselves in.
Students are reminded to ensure that they are constantly using their diaries to record homework and learning in class. Students need to have their diaries signed every week by parents and carers, this is a key information tool for staff and parents.
YAM
A program run by the Catholic Education Office that looks at Youth Mental Health and gives students strategies to cope with issues involving mental health.
I congratulate Year 9 on the way in which they have engaged with this program.
On Thursday 26 May, students participated in a day long program run by the Wollongong NET team. Students actively participated in the day.
I would also like to thank the Year 11 Leaders who also assisted.
NAPLAN
BUSHCRAFT
Mrs Sophie Daley
Year 9 Coordinator
Year 11 have now passed the halfway mark of their preliminary year, with Half Yearly Reports now published. I encourage our Year 11 students to take time to reflect on these reports, including both the academic outcomes and the personal profiles. Moving towards the end of Year 11 in Term 3, it is important that students use their previous results and progress to create learning based goals to further improve.
In extended PALS we will be revisiting SMART goal setting. Students and PALS teachers will have the opportunity to meet to discuss learning goals and strategies to ensure success. During these meetings in extended PALS, students will consider both their areas of strength and also those areas which require further development. Looking over the Year 11 Half Yearly reports, I was pleased to hear so many positive comments written about the cohort. I was additionally impressed with the consistent diligence and application Year 11 have shown to their subjects and studies evident in the report personal profiles. I encourage Year 11 to continue with these positive learning qualities as they move closer to starting Year 12.
This is also a timely reminder to students, parents and carers that our HSC year will commence at the end of this year in Term 4 2021.
FOUNDATION DAY
Foundation Day occurred a few weeks ago where we specifically celebrated 30 years of St John’s. Year 11 demonstrated awesome involvement throughout the day, extending from our SRC who had a special role to welcome and acknowledge our guests, all PALS groups who were involved in preparing for and hosting their PALS stalls and finally the many Year 11 students who got involved in the showcase to conclude the day.
The talent and positive attitudes shared by Year 11 was outstanding!
YEAR 12 JERSEYS 2022
Each year jerseys are ordered for Year 12 students. The order must be placed well in advance to ensure that the jerseys arrive before the end of the year. The sizing process has involved students determining their measurements through the sample jerseys tried on during extended PALS. It is the student and family responsibility to ensure the sizing is correct as once the jerseys are produced this will incur a cost to the family to fix any errors.
The cost of the jersey is $85 and ordering the jersey is optional for Year 11 students. Notes and payment information for the jerseys have now been distributed to students. Orders and payment must be made by the 2nd last day of Term 2, 2021. Click here to pay online for your jersey.
Thank you to Ms Castles, our Assistant Year Coordinator and the Year 11 Jersey committee for meeting to organise the design options for our year group.
YEAR 11 SENIOR RETREAT TERM 4 2021
A reminder that the Year 11 Senior Retreat will be held from October 13-15 (Term 4, 2021) at Youthworks Shoalhaven Conference Centre, Waterslea.
Retreats offer a rare opportunity for students to stop and think more deeply about the religious and spiritual dimension of their life. They are a compulsory aspect of the Religious Education Program of the School. Students are expected to make arrangements if part-time work, TAFE or other commitments clash. The permission note and payment information for this event is available for parent/carer access on Compass. The final payment and consent is due by Sunday 1 August 2021.
WALK AWARDS
In celebrating the achievements and positive examples of students in the year group, teachers and students have been nominating Year 11’s for the Walk Awards.
The award is modelled after our year group motto:
‘Walk in the way of the good and the just and be
the change you wish to see in the world’.
Students who have recently set a positive example within the school can be nominated. Positive examples come from a range of things such as work ethic in the classroom, engagement with brain training, improvements in learning, supporting others, exhibiting one or more of the core SJE values and/or learning dispositions, helping another student (from Year 11 or another year group), helping a staff member or living by Pax Christi.
Each week during the Tuesday morning meeting, a winner from the week's nominations will be chosen at random. This student will receive a special 'walk award' pin which can be worn on the school blazer. Other nominees will receive a positive affirmation on Compass.
The winners our recent Walk Awards are:
YEAR 11 YOUTH MINISTRY LEADERS
YEAR 11 IMPORTANT DATES
Term 2 Week 10
Future Finder In2uni event (Tuesday Periods 1-2)
Jersey payment due Thursday 24 June
Term 3
Leadership Day
Leadership application process for Year 12 2022
Year 11 exams
Ms Kate Davis
Year 11 Coordinator
STUDY TIMETABLE
Students have been provided with a weekly Study / Life planner to support them as they approach Term 2 holidays. This enables students to map their week in relation to studying at home and planning their commitments outside of school.
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
Click here to view a copy of the Year 12 Assessment Calendar for your reference. Please assist your child by discussing upcoming task dates that apply to their subject areas. Obviously planning well in advance will reduce stress and the quality of the end product. Students should be noting a particular start date that they will commit to and this should be at least 2 weeks ahead of when the task is due.
Students to plan, a guide such as the following schedule would be useful. Click here to download the template.
STUDY STRATEGIES
To revisit some ideas on making study easier here are some thoughts for Year 12:
- Studying doesn’t have to be boring - you can make it interesting - it is all about getting familiar with the content and immersing yourself in it and filling your brain with knowledge!!! You should also continue to challenge that knowledge as we do in most subjects, with exam questions and past papers
- Drawing funny pictures or cartoon sequences that help you to remember a certain chain of events works well in things like science experiments.
- How many text messages do you send a day or week? Make a plan with your friends to add a fact to the end of every text message you send to build up your knowledge and add to your revision efforts.
- How often does a song get into your head and you end up singing it all day? Why not find some of your favourite tunes and change the words to fit in with a revision topic? The song will help your brain to trigger the information.
- Making a popular game into a revision aid is fun. Even making the game makes you revise your work. Trivial pursuit, blockbusters and battleships work really well. You can learn with a group of friends and have fun doing it.
- Making a popular game into a revision aid is fun. Even making the game makes you revise your work. Trivial pursuit, blockbusters and battleships work really well. You can learn with a group of friends and have fun doing it.
………….and for parents managing stress in the home regarding the HSC, click here for some useful tips.
HSC TRIAL TIMETABLE
This will be published by the end of this term. Students are asked to check this carefully with their PALS teachers and plan their study accordingly
HOLIDAY STUDY SESSIONS
Sessions in many subjects will be offered during the Term 2 holidays and these will be held at school by subject teachers. Students can choose to make use of these as this is a valuable opportunity for them to cover any areas they need to complete and more importantly revise. The guidelines and times and dates of these sessions will be released by the curriculum office shortly.
LIBRARY HOURS
Just another reminder that the library will be open until 5.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Gooroon will also be open until this time on Wednesdays with a separate senior study area being made available.
TEE BALL COMPETITION
As a way of having fun and being with each other, Year 12 are engaging in a series of sports over the next couple of weeks to the end of term. The first of these is a Tee Ball competition which commenced today. Mixed Teams of 9 or 10 students are required and it is rumoured that staff are entering an all star team also. Students must bring their sports wear to school and change into this at the beginning of lunch and change back at the end of the game. The competition will be on a knockout basis.
YEAR 12 RETREAT 2021
Mr Simon Vaughan
Year 12 Coordinator
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2021
The annual SJE Athletics Carnival was held at Shoalhaven High School on Friday 30 April.
Some amazing results were achieved, with a pleasing number of students participating on the day, displaying the true spirit of St John’s.
A special mention to the Year 12 House Captains who inspired some great house spirit and cheer. Many thanks to the staff and student helpers who kept the day running smoothly. In particular, thank you to all of the parent helpers on the day, who assisted with time-keeping, judging and field events. The inclusion of parents and families at our carnivals make a huge difference to the day and the community feel we are so proud of at our school.
Congratulations to our school record breakers.
Thank you to the PDHPE staff who organised the final event of javelin here at school after the whole school carnival. Now the results for this event have been entered we are excited to announce both the age champions and the house results.
Firstly congratulations to our 2021 Athletics Age Champions:
Now the moment you have all been waiting…… announcement of the house placings:
OPEN GIRLS CCC KNOCKOUT FOOTBALL (SOCCER)
In 2021 the TAS Department has yet again been inundated with students showing willingness to learn and explore new concepts and develop new skills.
TAS offers extracurricular activities for students to engage in such as Miss Hall’s TED Group focusing on design, held on Fridays.
Also Mr Malady’s VEX Robotics club where students are given a brief to challenge themselves against other schools.
The Ag Farm is also open two lunchtimes a week where students can engage in Farm activities.
We have been fortunate enough to have seen a new laser cutter purchased which is being used across a range of subjects enhancing and giving students further design possibilities.
Along with this, I Block received a refurbishment during the Easter Holidays. This has seen the opening up of classrooms, larger storage for projects and new flooring, transforming the area into a collaborative learning space, a modern and vibrant environment incorporating industry standard technology.
Year 9 Industrial Technology has two classes making a drinks tray and incorporating the laser cutter personalising their project with a design. We have moved away from a specific timber project in Technology Mandatory in Year 7 and 8 so the 9 Industrial Technology classes are learning a lot of new skills and techniques.
Year 11 Design and Technology are producing some minor projects in their preliminary course. They have experimented with the new laser cutter in designing jewellery and had a design brief of creating a lamp with a specific purpose.
Year 11 Industrial Technology are making a wall cabinet developing their skills.
Mr Phil Gould
TAS Coordinator
GIRLS IN FIREFIGHTING CAMP
There will be a Girls in Firefighting camp at Mogo in the July school holidays. It’s about community resilience and opening the minds of teenage girls to the opportunities out there.
The girls will be led by mentors from different fire agencies and get to discover all the different types of trucks, fitness test drills, remote navigation and also call in a helicopter with a water bucket. The girls will get to sit in the helicopter and talk to the pilot.
A great opportunity to learn new skills and get something that will stand out on your resume. Click here for details.
UNIVERSITY OPEN DAYS
August is “Open Day Season” with most Universities, TAFE and private colleges opening their doors to showcase their institute to prospective students. Students and families in Years 10 -12 are encouraged to attend open days to see and feel what tertiary providers are like. Click here to access the open day calendar. https://studyworkgrow.com.au/open-day-events/
EARLY ADMISSION FOR UNIVERSITY
Each University has a different program for early admission. See the following document for information on all the programs, including what is required and closing dates for Universities in NSW and ACT.
Click here for details.
Students are encouraged to see Mrs Hill if they require assistance with their applications.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Students in Years 10 -12 can undertake Work Experience during the school holidays by completing the student workplace learning record form (4 page document) available from Mrs Hill or the student foyer. Please return the paperwork at least one week prior to the work experience to ensure all insurance conditions are met.
POSITIONS VACANT
Casual positions are currently available at Chooksy’s and Kmart Nowra. See the Careers Google Classroom for further information.
Mrs Carla Hill
Transition and Pathways Specialist
ST JOHN'S STEP TOWARDS RECONCILIATION
The Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong recently published an article highlighting the incredible work being carried out at St John's in providing quality Aboriginal Education for students, including the achievement of 2020 graduate Jasmine Hair placing 2nd in New South Wales HSC for Aboriginal Studies. Click below to view this article and hear our student voice on this matter.
Article on St John's Action towards Reconciliation
CONGRATULATIONS MADISON
With students in Year 10, 11 & 12 from all over Australia applying for the scholarship opportunity to engage in 5 days of University in Townsville, Queensland, including living on campus & taking part in attending lectures, sporting and cultural activities we are excited to announce that Madison Doosey of Year 10 has been a successful recipient!
Madison had to complete an application that included her last report, her reasoning of why she would like to participate in this opportunity and her aspirations for future education.
This is a fantastic achievement as students from all over Australia applied and only a small cohort were selected. Congratulations Madison!
PARISH MISSION: OUR DAILY LOVE PROGRAM
LIVE TWILIGHT RETREAT & LUNCHTIME CONCERT
NOWRA PARISH
Click here to access Nowra Parish
Click here to access Nowra Parish Facebook Page
MILTON PARISH
Click here to access Milton ParishClick here to access the Milton Parish Facebook Page
Mr David Comensoli
Religious Education Coordinator
CHANGE TO LUNCH ORDERS
The canteen will be accept only online lunch orders. While there will still be lunch food available at the canteen, specific, handwritten lunch orders, will not be accepted.
- To register for online lunches, please click on the following link and register; http://www.
schoollunchonline.com.au - Please note, all orders are to be placed by 8.30am.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
Volunteers are required to assist in our canteen during 2021. Parents/Carers, friends, grandparents etc are all welcome!
If you're able to assist in our canteen, please contact Vicki on 4423 1666 or e-mail info@sjedow.catholic.edu.au.
Coming Fortnight Canteen Volunteer Roster
IMMUNISATIONS
On Monday 31 May Year 8 immunisations were given at the school. We would like to thank the following volunteers for their assistance on the day: Melinda Luke, Liza Hodgkins, Samantha Neilson, and Marion Campbell. It was the assistance provided by these volunteers that made the day run so well. We look forward to the next immunisations being carried out for Year 10 students on Wednesday 21 July, we will be calling for volunteers to assist closer to the date.
NEXT P&F MEETING
Our next P&F General Meeting will be held on Monday 19 July at 6pm. All parents/carers/grandparents are most welcome to attend, this is the ideal opportunity to have a say in how the P&F will contribute to the school. The meeting is very informal and we generally discuss issues over a tea or coffee, so please come along and join us and say Hi.
Keeping in touch with the Catholic Primary Schools within the Shoalhaven District.
Please select below links to the Shoalhaven Catholic Primary Schools websites.
AUSSIE STUDENT INVENTION COMPETITION
