December 9th 2024: Newsletter #39
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Week 10 Prayer
- From the Principals
- Finance
- End of Year arrangements
- Emergency Management
- Sports Afternoon- This Wednesday!
- Wellbeing
- Theircare
- Happy Birthday
- Student Awards
- Student News
- Around our School- Week 9
- Parents & Friend's Social Group
- School Sponsorship
- Star of the Sea Bulletin
- Community Notices
- Upcoming Events
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
The second candle on the Advent wreath represents Peace. Like the first candle, it is also purple. Often called the "Bethlehem Candle", the second Advent candle reminds us of Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem before Mary gave birth to Jesus.
From the Principals
Welcome everyone to Week 10. It is unbelieveable to think we are at this point of the year.
Last week our Year 5 and 6 children had a fantastic 3 days in Melbourne. The teachers were so impressed with their behaviour and attitude making it such an enjoyable trip and one we hope they look back on with great happiness. We are sure Friday night was an early night for many of the children and the staff. Check out the Gallery below!
On Friday evening we had such a fantastic turn up from the Foundation to Year 4 children at the Carols. Again, the children were so enthusiastic and represented our school in such a positive manner.
This week the Year 5 and 6 children have Surf Awareness, the Foundation and Year 2 children have their fun days on Thursday and on Wednesday, we are finishing off our Sports groups by having some extra fun activities on Wednesday afternoon. All children can wear their sports clothes on the Wednesday.
Tomorrow we have our Orientation Day. All families will receive an email today which will provide you with the name of your child's teacher for 2025.
Tomorrow Mr Tom Beks will be back at St Joseph's for Orientation Day. Tom is returning to St Joseph's in 2025 after having a 2 year switch to St John's. We want to thank Tom for his time and energy while at St John's and we wish him all the best on his return to St Joseph's. As he is now a Dennington "local", we know we will see him around.
Today before assembly, we will have all of the lost and found clothing out in the stadium if you are looking for items. So many of these items do not have names on them, it would be strongly recommended to add your child's name to absolutely everything they wear for 2025.
If you have any good quality pieces of uniform you would like to donate for us to use as spare uniform please drop them into the office.
We hope you all have a peaceful and happy week.
Jan and Amy
Finance
With less than two weeks remaining of the 2024 school year we take this opportunity to remind families of the importance of finalising their School Fee commitments.
2025 School Fee Structure
At our recent School Advisory Council meeting we settled on the following fee structure for 2025.
- Student Levy $150
- Family fee $1090
- Building Levy $240
- Gr 5/6 Camp $350
- Gr 3/4 Camp $200
- Gr F-4 Swimming $100
- Gr 5/6 Surf Awareness $100
- Participation Levy $200
Our fees only make up the difference between the Government (Federal and State) funding we receive and the amount the Government determines as the cost of educating a Primary student. Fees do not mean that we have extra money in our budget to expend on additional resources.
The Family Fee Assistance scheme will be available again in 2025. Families who qualify for the scheme will pay $520 per annum for primary school tuition fees. The discounted fee covers tuition and capital fees only. It does not cover additional charges such as camps, student fees, and excursions.
School Savings Bonus
We have had a few enquiries regarding the School Saving Bonus. Whilst it is available to all governement school students, It is only available to non government school families that hold a valid health care card or pension card and the credit will be applied to your school fee statement in 2025.
Please speak with Sarah Burchell if you have with any questions regarding this or school fees.
End of Year arrangements
Orientation Day - Tomorrow students will spend the day in their 2025 homerooms. You will recieve notice via email of your child's new homeroom today.
Lunch orders - will finish up this Friday 13th December for the year. We look forward to working with Morriss Road Takeaway again in 2025.
Academic reports - Will be released on Friday 13th December via PAM.
Assembly - There will be no assembly on Monday 16th December, due to our final assembly being held on Wednesday 18th December.
End of Year Mass/Final Assembly - Wednesday 18th December. Families are invited to our end of year Mass at St. Pius X Church at 10.00am (All students will attend and will travel by bus) and our final assembly which will be held at 2.00pm in the Stadium.
Last day of school - Wednesday 18th December at the usual finishing time of 3.20pm.
Parent/Guardian Facebook page - Once school has finished for the year, we will be going through the removal process of families in the group that have concluded their time with us. This is not personal (we will miss you all!!) we just need to make sure we have the right audience for our messages. Also, just a reminder this group is for parents and guardians only, please explain this to other family members who may mention they have requested to join but have been declined.
CONNECT requests - Each year, families are required to sign off documention in CONNECT which is in PAM. These documents- Acceptable Use and Cyber Safety agreement, Local Excursion permission, Media permission, Parent Participation Levy and Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct will be reset at the end of this year and you will be required to log in to PAM from Friday 3rd January to accept them for the 2025 school year. The new DOBCEL enrolment agreement will also be added to the suite of documents. These requests need to be completed by the commencement of Term 1, Wednesday 29th January.
Emergency Management
As a part of our Emergency Management Plan we are required to run a drill each Term to practice our roles and responsibilites and refine our techniques. Today we evacuated the buildings to the Stadium. Everything ran smoothly and the children remained calm. Next week staff will participate in our annual accredited Emergency Management Training to further enhance our knowledge and skills.
Sports Afternoon- This Wednesday!
Wellbeing
School Transition
Whether it is starting school for the first time, moving up to a higher grade or embarking on a journey through secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for children and parents.
However, for many, it may also be a very anxious and stressful time for both parents and children. It is important for children to attend transition or orientation programs offered by schools. Familiarisation is often key to reducing stress levels. Read more below:
Theircare
All bookings and questions regarding our outside school provider TheirCare, are to be made directly to them on 1300 072 410. Bookings can also be made at https://theircare.com.au/ and selecting St John's Dennington as the booking location.
Theircare also run a number of holiday programs which they are now taking bookings for. Please note these programs are not run here on site at St John's.
Happy Birthday
Special wishes to Jensen L, Luca G and Ava M who celebrate their birthday this week! We hope you have an amazing day celebrating!
Student Awards
Student News
Taylor and Hallie danced up a storm yesterday at the Dance 101 Christmas concert whilst Lilith gracefully performed in the Physipole showcase! Charlotte has successfully completed level 2 Classical Ballet, and level 1 Jazz, both with merit. She also danced in her 5th performance this year with Fusion Dance. Amazing! Well done to you all!!
Around our School- Week 9
Parents & Friend's Social Group
Our final meeting for the year will be this Thursday 12th December at the Cally Hotel from 6:30pm, all welcome. Please RSVP by 10th December to Emily McGennan.
Dennington's Day Out
Do you have a business or know a business that might be interested in sponsoring our Dennington’s Day Out in 2025 please email ddo@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au and we will contact you in the new year.
Carols by the Merri
Another very successful evening at the Carols. Thank you to everyone who donated slices and helped on the day these events would not be possible without your help. A huge thank you to Alyce and Janelle for organising the food stall.
Family BBQ
A reminder tomorrow night (Tuesday 10th) is our family BBQ night from 5:30pm - 7.00pm. Just remember to BYO drinks if you're coming along.
Christmas Raffle
This year we are holding the annual Christmas raffle and doing it a little differently!
We are looking for families to donate a Christmas item towards the raffle and instead of families selling raffle tickets this year we will be putting each student into the draw for their chance to win.
Donations can be dropped to the office from now until 17th December.
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
Tuesday 10th December: Orientation Day
Tuesday 10th December: Family BBQ at school from 5.30pm
Thursday 12th December: Parents & Friends Social Group Meeting at 6.30pm at The Cally
Friday 13th December: Academic Reports released
Monday 16th December: Grade 6 Graduation at 6.00pm
Wednesday 18th December: Last day of Term 4 - school concludes at 3.20pm
Wednesday 29th January: Start of Term 1 2025 for all students (no country buses running on this day)
Thursday 30th January: Country buses resume