The Gospel reading for today speaks clearly to us at this challenging time.

“One of the scribes who had listened to them debating appreciated that Jesus had given a good answer and put a further question to him,

'Which is the first of all the commandments?'

Jesus replied,

'This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength'.

 

The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. 

There is no commandment greater than these.

The scribe said to him,

'Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true, that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice'.

 Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.’

Mark 12:28-34

Our world has changed so suddenly in a way we could never have imagined. How we respond to this change should be deeply embedded in our Catholic Faith. At St John’s we focus on living our values and now more than ever we are called to respond with a Catholic World Embedded in our heart, head and spirit.

Here at school we have implemented the guidelines for social distancing and hygiene. We have increased the cleaning practices and ensured that hospital grade soap is available to everyone in the bathrooms.

The staff have changed seating arrangements and worked with students to help them understand and practice social distancing. Our young people have responded in the most positive manner. Not only have they followed the guidelines and made the adjustments required they have continued to focus on their learning whilst at the same time engaging in opportunities to learn new ways and bring joy to others in creative and fun ways.

On Wednesday we had to cancel our Project Compassion event with hay bale carrying and a sausage sizzle but they replaced it with a ‘hoedown’. Such a joy to see students and staff line dancing on the oval, all at a distance of 1.5m apart!

Click here to view the 'hoedown' fun

On Thursday our IT team planned for our assembly to go ahead in ‘remote’ mode. It was streamed into the classrooms so we could all still enjoy the celebration that we all value so dearly each fortnight.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR LIVESTREAM ASSEMBLY T1W8 2020

In the days and weeks ahead we may well be moving to learning delivered to your homes. We have prepared well for this and yesterday when I visited many classrooms and chatted with students and their teachers I am confident that they too will engage in this learning with the same positive approach they have given to all our interventions. 

Staff are well prepared and students know that they will follow their usual routine by arising at the usual time, dressing for school and attending to their lessons in line with their school time table. Learning will be delivered using Google Classroom, the platform that they are so familiar with along with other resources including Maths Pathways, Edrolo, Eduperfect, Youtube and Zoom. 

More details will be given if we do need to move to school closure however the best place for students to learn is here at school and all students are expected to attend unless they have a health concern or are unwell.

Wellbeing is a priority and managing anxiety amongst this current climate is important. We must be mindful to listen with the ear or our heart and focus on hope. 

MESSAGE FROM THE CATHOLIC EDUCATION DIOCESE OF WOLLONGONG

Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong has launched a new COVID-19 Information Centre on its website. It is the best place to find the latest information about CEDoW's systemic response to COVID-19.

Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong continues to receive advice from NSW Health, the Department of Education, Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW), and other agencies to ensure our processes and plans are in line with best practice and the latest expert advice.

At this stage, there has been no direction from government or CSNSW to close any schools, except in response to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in a student or staff member. All CEDoW schools, including ours, continue to operate as normal, subject to the directives outlined on the COVID-19 Information Centre webpage.

We will continue to provide you with updates if the situation changes and as soon as new information becomes available.

This site may be accessed by clicking the following link also found on St John's webpage.

In response to the present situation several excursions and events have been postponed or cancelled. Parents and carers will be contacted individually to organise refunds and credits and due to the large volume of processing required we ask for your patience and understanding. Of particular importance, please note our Pupil Free Day scheduled for Thursday 9 April has been postponed therefore students are expected to attend school as normal on this day, being the final day of Term 1 2020.

Parent/Teacher interviews scheduled for Wedneday 8 - Thursday 9 April have been postponed. We encourage you to contact our school if you have any concerns regarding your child. For further details regarding event cancellations and postponements, please click here.

PARENT SURVEY

At St John’s we aim for continual improvement. As a school we are very blessed with committed  staff, engaged parents and a student body that values their learning environment. 

Every 5 years an external team reviews the school and provides feedback on the school’s improvement plan. It also allows an opportunity to use the feedback to inform the school’s future plans for improvement. 

The purpose of Cyclic Review is to:  

• affirm, challenge and endorse the effectiveness of the school’s improvement processes  
• provide an opportunity for reflection on the strategic direction of the school’s plans within the context of school, system and Diocesan priorities 

Feedback from the school community is very important for this review. Students and staff are surveyed here at school. 

 CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PARENT SURVEY

We would be very grateful to hear your feedback. Please complete the survey to inform our planning. We appreciate your time and feedback.

YEAR 7 2021 ENROLMENTS

We wish to remind parents and carers that our Year 7 2021 Enrolment Applications are due by Monday 6 April 2020. Please select the link below to download an enrolment form. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions.