September 16th 2024: Newsletter #29

Acknowledgement of Country

St. John’s school community respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on this land and commit to building a brighter future together, working together towards a reconciled Australia. 

Week 10 Prayer

From the Principal

Welcome everyone to the new school week. Please note the following information;

Term 4 Leadership: As announced to the community on Friday, I will be assuming the role of principal of St Pat's Camperdown for term 4 and then returning in 2025. Jan Madden and Amy Atwell will be Acting Principals in my absence. Both ladies will be fantastic in this role and will supported by myself and staff from DOBCEL. I look forward to seeing our school families at various events throughout Term 4. 

Assembly Week 10: Please note that due to a number of events, our assembly will be held on Wednesday at 9.00am. 

Staffing Updates: We are excited to announce that we have appointed Darcy McInerney, Cohan Boyle and Zahli Brookes as our Trainees for 2025. We look forward to these young people working in our community and enriching our school. 

Start of Term 4 Arrangements: A reminder to all families that Term 4 classes commence on Wednesday October 9th at 8.55am and our first assembly will take place on Monday 14th October @ 2.30pm. The newsletter for the first week of term will be sent home on Tuesday October 8th. 

Term 4 Lunch Orders: We are in the process of organizing Morris Rd Takeaway to become the supplier of our lunch orders, we expect this to be operational in week 3 of term with a new product list to be published early next term. 

We look forward to the week ahead and have a restful and safe break, Ben.

School Hats

School hats will be required to be worn from the start of Term 4. Please start looking around for them now so that they are ready to go, students without a hat will play in the undercover area. We do not provide spare hats for students. 

Hats are available to purchase at Lowes - Gateway Plaza.

P&F Major Raffle- Drawn Wednesday @ 2.30pm

If you haven't done so please return your tickets, sold or unsold to the office. We thank families for their support of this very important fundraiser for our school. Huge thanks to italktravel & cruise Warrnambool for being the major sponsor of this raffle. Good luck to all of our entrants!

R U OK?Day

Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm - are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It's therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health, and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children.

R U OK?Day is an initiative that focuses on preventing suicide by encouraging meaningful personal connections and helping informal support networks to help recognise the signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, "Are you OK?"

Engaging in R U OK?Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK?Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.

Whooping Cough

The incidence of Whooping cough cases is continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children. Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing. 

Symptoms include:

• blocked or runny nose
• tiredness
• mild fever
• severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.

Whooping cough can lead to life-threatening infections in babies.

If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.

Students diagnosed with whooping cough must not attend school. If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, they must not attend school for 21 days after the onset of the cough, or until they have received 5 days of antibiotic treatment.

You must notify the school if your child is diagnosed with whooping cough.

To further reduce the spread of infection to your child and the school community, the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 require that some students who were in the same classroom as a student diagnosed with whooping cough should not attend school.

Your child should not attend school for 14 days after they were last exposed to a person diagnosed with whooping cough, or until they have taken 5 days of a course of antibiotic treatment if they are:

• aged less than 7 years; and
• not fully vaccinated with 3 doses of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.

This exclusion is required by law – refer to the School exclusion table for primary schools and children’s services.

If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know. Your support in keeping our students safe and well is greatly appreciated.

For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.

Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.

Roundabout Construction

Works have commenced on the construction of the new roundabout at the intersection of Russell Street and Coghlan's Road. Please be advised that disruptions will occur due to the traffic management controls required for the works. 

Part of these works will require road closures, including the following:
Coghlan's Road - between Harrington Road and O’Malley Drive
Russell Street - between St. John’s Primary School and Shannon Road

It’s expected the closures will be in place between Monday 23rd September and Friday 18th October 2024. There will be detours in place.

Catholic School Parents Australia

National Parent Survey: Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) is running a parent survey in partnership with the University of New England on Student Wellbeing and Learning and are seeking your perspective as parents/carers of children who attend a Catholic School in Australia.

You are invited to share your views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to your child/children’s wellbeing and learning.

The survey is anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary.    

For more information about the study and to participate go here.

Thank you for your support.

Australian Parents Council

Dear St. John's School,

Australian Parents Council hopes this message finds you well.  We are reaching out to invite you to participate in an important survey, and to join APC for a special event in Melbourne.

Survey participation
Your feedback is invaluable to us.  We are conducting a short survey on  the recent NAPLAN testing, now that it has ended and the dust has settled.  We would love it if you could please take a few minutes to complete our survey by clicking the link below: https://austparents.schoolzineplus.com/survey/6

APC Connect invitation
We are very excited to invite you to an exclusive event in Melbourne featuring a keynote address by Dr Jodi Richardson.  This event will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with other parents and gain insights from our esteemed speaker.

Event details
Date: Saturday, 21 September 2024
Time: 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Venue: Double Tree by Hilton Melbourne, 270 Flinders Street, Melbourne 3000

About Our Keynote Speaker: Dr Jodi Richardson is a renowned expert in the areas of anxiety and wellbeing.  With a wealth of experience and a passion for supporting parents and teachers to understand anxiety, she has inspired many through her work.  See attached brief bio and photo of Jodi.

Bio
An educational leader, Dr Jodi Richardson is one of Australia's leading lights in managing anxiety and amplifying wellbeing.  She supports parents and teachers to understand anxiety, change their relationship with it, dial it right down and light the way for their children and students to do the same.  Jodi is an international  speaker, the best-selling author of 'Anxious Kids' and 'Anxious Mums', a wellbeing science consultant, creator and host of the podcast 'Well, hello anxiety' and a  respected media commentator in the wellbeing and parenting space.  Academically accomplished, professionally experienced and intrinsically  compassionate, she has commented via The TODAY Show, ABC Breakfast, Studio 10, Sunrise, The Age, Weekend Today and more.

***Registration is essential***, and spots are limited – make sure to secure your ticket today!  A valid ticket is required for entry. https://events.humanitix.com/australian-parents-council-apc-connect  

Jenny Branch-Allen
President: Australian Parents Council

Football/Netball Day & St John's Got Talent!

It is all happening this Wednesday!  To kick things off, assembly will be held at 9.00am in the Stadium followed by the St. John's Got Talent Grand Final at 9.30am. Students have been working hard polishing their acts and we commend all of them for their enthusiasm, dedication and creativity.

During the afternoon, Grade 6 students will participate in the highly anticipated annual Staff v Students Netball match and Footy match between Vanda's Vipers and Madden's Maddogs while the rest of the school cheer them on. All students across the school are invited to wear their favourite team colours/clothes on this day.  As previously communicated, Wednesday Treats will not be running on this day, in place we are having a sausage sizzle, supplied by the school. 

12.00pm in the Stadium: Netball match

1.50pm on the Dennington Oval: Football match

At 2.30pm our $5,000 italktravel & cruise Warrnambool raffle will be drawn!!! Good luck to those that have entered to win this amazing prize!!

Families are most welcome to attend these events!

Foundation Excursion

On Thursday 12th September, the Foundation students enjoyed themselves while on an excursion to Warrnambool Wildlife Encounters.  When they arrived, the students learnt about a variety of animals such as reptiles, marsupials and birds.  The students were then invited to pat and hold animals such as pythons, kangaroo joeys, bettongs, stumpy tailed lizards and a wombat.  They then went outside and fed emus, goats, deer, a variety of birds, kangaroos, geese and wallabies.  While walking through the enclosures they saw dingoes and koalas. It was a fantastic day topped off with a stop off on the way back at the Botanical gardens for lunch.

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Breakfast Club

Again, a big thank you to Fonterra and Foodshare for providing us with breakfast items and the fruit! 

Foster Carers

MacKillop Family Services is calling on communities of the South-West to understand the need for local foster carers and highlighting the positive impact foster carers make to children’s lives.

8th-14th September is Foster Care Week, when MacKillop celebrates the work foster carers do for children temporarily unable to live at home.

People like Rachael and Matthew Buck, who have provided respite and emergency care to over 100 children and young people.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Heidi B, Gracie S, Seth B, and Alexis E who celebrate their birthday this week! We hope you have a terrific day.

Around our School- Week 9

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Parents & Friend's Social Group

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 15th October at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space.

Dennington's Day Out

The next meeting will be held this Wednesday 18th September at 7:15pm in the Gathering Space.

Applications are now open for our mini entrepreneur stalls at this year's Dennington’s Day Out. If your child is interested and would like to have a stall please register with the below link. 

Family Photo Fundraiser

Thank you to everyone that has supported this fundraiser. If you would be interested in us holding another photo fundraiser in 2025 please let us know and if we get enough interest we will look at it again next year.

Thanks again 

Issy & Emily 

Wednesday Treats 

Wednesday treats has now concluded for 2024. A huge thank you to all our volunteers each Tuesday and Wednesday. Without you it wouldn't be possible.

Thanks to each and every one of you for supporting Wednesday treats during term 2 & 3.  We will be back in term 2 next year.

Taliah & Emily.

Cake Raffle

Each week on a Monday, families are rostered on to bring in a cake which will then be raffled and drawn out at assembly. All funds raised throughout the year will be donated to the Good Friday Appeal the following year.

All students will have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket for 20c next Wednesday with a limit of five tickets per student. The Johnnies will make a P.A announcement at first lunch, calling all students who wish to purchase a ticket, to the Library.

The following families are rostered on for Wednesday 18th September:

Quarrell, Raitt, Ridley and Romanes.

Please drop your store purchased cake into the office with your child's name written on top.

St. John's in the Community!

On Sunday, Olivia, Ella and Ivy participated in the last of 5 Girls Gala Days, representing the Warrnambool Rangers Soccer Club. They finished third overall for the series and Olivia was awarded the Best and Fairest for the Rangers. Evie D also participated throughout the other games. Well done girls!

School Sponsorship

A big thank you to O'Brien's Electrical, Joinery by Jarrod, Fry Painting and Carry on Travel who sponsor our school!

Would you like to advertise your business in our school newsletter? Businesses can advertise for only $100 a year and will have a business card sized listing in every school newsletter.

Please contact parents@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au for more information.

Star of the Sea Bulletin

Sunday Mass is held at 9.00am at St. Pius X Church. School families are always welcome. 

The Parish office can be contacted on 5562 2231 and this weekends bulletin is featured below. Other information and contact details can be found on the Star of the Sea South West Coast website: https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/parish/southwestcoast/ 

Community Notices

Upcoming Events

Wednesday 18th September: Assembly at 9.00am followed by St John's Got Talent Final at 9.30am in the Stadium

Wednesday 18th September: St John's annual Football/Netball Day (Dress in your favourite teams colours)

Wednesday 18th September: DDO Meeting at 7.15pm in the Gathering Space

Friday 20th September: Final day of Term 3. School finishes at 2.30pm.

Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October: School Closure Days

Wednesday 9th October: Students commence @ 8.55am

Monday 21st October: Grade 3/4 Hooptime - Hamilton (more details to follow)

Monday 28th October: Grade 5/6 Hooptime - Hamilton (more details to follow)