PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Lent is a time of prayer, almsgiving, penance and self denial and how real this has
been for everyone over the last few weeks. And now as we prepare for Easter it is important that we keep deep in our hearts the message of hope that comes to us through the Resurrection of Jesus. We may celebrate our Easter differently this year however the message remains:
Earlier this term we planned for the weeks ahead. We set learning agendas, booked excursions, opened up the nominations for representative sport and selected the musical that would be a feature of our year. This year is our 30th anniversary so we booked Bishop Brian to celebrate mass with Fr Pat for our Foundation day and invited all the past principals and even the director said that he would love to come. The calendar was full and we were ready to go.
And then the world changed.
It started with a suggestion that we keep a safe distance and wash our hands well. But so quickly it all grew and we were called to self isolate. So we cancelled the bus trips and changed our thinking. And that is the key.
We can choose to be sad and think about what we have missed or we can be grateful for our health, our homes, and our community and be people of HOPE.
And that’s just what we did.
The teachers reimagined the learning and they too began to learn new skills. They became masters of ZOOM and online learning. They showcased their video skills in dance, music, PE and science videos, all home-made by teachers! They just wanted to see our young people safe, learning, happy and healthy.
Our community moved online and we took our connections to another place. St John’s community is strong and will always reach out to our amazing young people of the Shoalhaven.
And you, the school community of St John’s joined in the challenge.
You set up your workspaces and the students engaged with their classrooms. They shared their learning in a whole new way and their creativity warmed our hearts.
I watched the joy on the teacher’s faces as they shared stories of the amazing online achievements. They are so very proud of our students and their parents and carers that have supported them.
Yes at times it is difficult and we all have bad moments and even bad days but together as people of hope and as we move towards Easter we know that great things can come from difficult times and ultimately bring about a better world.
So take this time to renew yourself, try new things, connect with your loved ones.
Read books and listen, rest and exercise, make art and play and learn new ways of being.
And then listen deeper, meditate, pray, share funny stories, dance.
And we will learn to think differently, we will have made new choices, dreamed of new visions and created new ways of living.
And we will have grown to be better people, people of hope that know that if we work together in community, not only can we let our star shine we can make the world a better place.
REMOTE LEARNING
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PARENTS AND CARERS
We know that it is not easy to turn your home into a classroom, to get your children up and ready for school when they are not leaving the home, to excite them about their learning, to engage them with their timetable, to be the home-school teacher and the canteen manager as well, to get them outside and creative about exercise, to monitor their phone and media use, to be the counsellor and motivator and finally to manage your own wellbeing as well.
You have really impressed us and we appreciate that we have a wonderful support and as a team we are enabling our young people to not only enjoy a continuity of learning but to also maintain a great sense of wellbeing.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENTS
As a group of young people you have taken ownership of your learning and embraced the challenges it has set for you. You have inquired into new skills and reflected on your practices. You have connected with our school community and shared with us some of the most imaginative creations. You have taken the school values to a whole new environment. We are so proud of you.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TEACHERS
Not only did you have to reimagine your delivery of the curriculum but you embedded some very exciting and fun ideas into a whole new way of learning. You have been leaders of learning as you took on the challenge of learning and modelled for our young people that we can all learn new things and do it to a level of excellence. And judging by the large amount of positive feedback, every bit of the effort is greatly appreciated by both our students and their parents and care.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for the positive feedback we have received as we have developed our approach to remote learning. There have already been many positive learning experiences and our teachers are committed to continuing to engage our students in their learning and high quality delivery of the curriculum.
SCHOOL FEE DEFERMENT
During this time many families are facing financial challenges. To ease this there are a number of options around school fee payment. First of all I encourage you to complete the fee deferment form attached to this newsletter. This is a process that has been implemented by the Catholic Education Office to support families.This will defer fee payment for 4 months. If after this time school fees are still causing concerns you may make a fee concession application.
Click here to access our School Fee Deferment Form
PASTORAL AND LEARNING SUPPORT (PALS)
We wish to ensure our student’s wellbeing and continued engagement with their learning therefore emphasize the importance for all students to log into their PALS Google classroom in the morning starting at 8.30am, where their PALS teachers will mark their attendance as well as providing a wellbeing check.
Every Wednesday morning students are to log into a Zoom conference at 8:30am to engage in their weekly long PALS session. PALS teachers have provided students with their class link for access.
Students are expected to follow their weekly timetables following our usual bell times which may be accessed by clicking here.
ASSEMBLIES LIVESTREAM
In an effort to maintain connection, routine and stability for our students we are continuing to conduct our fortnightly assemblies from 8:45am on Thursdays (Week A). I wish to thank our I.T staff for the incredible role they have played in livestreaming assemblies for everyone to enjoy remotely.
Click here to view our Week 10 Assembly
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS- RECENT CHANGES
Please click here to view the letter regarding the decision to conduct staff development days throughout next week from Monday 6 April to Thursday 9 April, 2020.
Please also note, the staff development day scheduled for 27 April has been postponed and all students and staff will resume schooling on Monday 27 April 2020.
TERM 2 2020
As we continue to navigate online learning we assure you teachers have commit to the new process with positivity providing quality learning to achieve curriculum outcomes. Most students are adapting well as teachers continue to deliver lessons in accordance with student timetables and available online during set lessons to provide support for all students. We understand this is a very challenging time for families and thank you for your patience and understanding. For the safety of staff, students and families we plan to continue with online learning until directives are received from Government, health officials and the Catholic Education Office. Unfortunately we are unable to provide an indication of how long this may take however ask for you to keep an eye on your e-mails, our facebook @stjohnsnowra and school website www.sjedow.catholic.edu.au for any updates or changes.
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. It is intended for processing of applications to proceed as planned, however there is a possibility for interviews to be conducted via telephone. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions.
Please share this information with your friends and relatives !
Sending prayers and thoughts to all families through this challenging period. We wish you peace and safety and encourage you to please reach out to our school if we can assist in any way. We have shared a couple of prayers recently delivered by Mr David Comensoli. Please click the images below to access.
Mrs. Sandra Hogan
Principal