June 2nd, 2025: Newsletter #17
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Pentecost Sunday
- From the Principal
- 2026 Foundation Enrolments
- Foodbank & Support Options
- Learning Walk
- Grade 5/6 Camp
- STEM
- Sporting Events
- Wellbeing
- Student News
- Student Awards- Term 2, Week 7, 2nd June 2025
- Happy Birthday
- Around our School- Week 6
- Parents and Friend's Social Group
- Cake Raffle
- 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 as the traditional custodians of the land on which we learn, pray and grow. 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.
Pentecost Sunday
This weekend, the Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church.
Here’s what you need to know about the feast day.
Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after his ascension into heaven. In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room.
A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. It was such a strange phenomenon!
The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission — to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel.
It was right after Pentecost that Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached his first homily to Jews and other non-believers, in which he opened the scriptures of the Old Testament, showing how the prophet Joel prophesied events and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. When they asked what they should do, Peter exhorted them to repent of their sins and to be baptized. According to the account in Acts, about 3,000 people were baptized following Peter’s sermon.
For this reason, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church — Peter, the first Pope, preaches for the first time and converts thousands of new believers. The apostles and believers, for the first time, were united by a common language, and a common zeal and purpose to go and preach the Gospel.
From the Principal
Hello everyone, welcome to a new week at St. John's.
Annual Report to the School Community: As part of our annual reporting process, a copy of the 2024 Annual Report will be available to read on the schools website from Wednesday onwards.
3 Way Conversations: The dates for these important conversations for Parent, Teacher and Students have been set for Monday June 23rd and Tuesday June 24th from 2pm-5pm each day for F-4 and 12pm-5pm for 5/6. Bookings via PAM for these conversations will open this week.
Term 3 Closure Day: On Monday August 4th we will hold a student free day. Staff will be working on DOBCEL's Fullness of Life for All document which outlines a scope and sequence for the teaching of Relationships and Sexuality and aligns itself with the 4R's program. Theircare will be open for bookings on this day for families that require care.
Term 2 Assembly Roster: Monday June 16th- Leadership and Monday June 23rd- Leadership.
Enjoy the week ahead, Ben.
2026 Foundation Enrolments
Foodbank & Support Options
At St. John’s, we are proud of our strong tradition of caring for one another. One way we do this is through our Food Bank initiative, where families volunteer to provide meals for others in our school community during times of need—whether it’s supporting someone through illness or offering comfort during a time of loss.
We’re currently inviting families who are willing to donate a meal—either homemade or store-bought to support this important initiative. These meals make a real difference to those receiving them. If you are able to make a donation please contact our Pastoral care Leader Jasmine - jkoch@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au
If you and your family are experiencing hardship or a difficult time, along with supplying you a meal, there are also other support services available that Jasmine can assist you with. Please do not hesitate to reach out to her.
We are also aware of two organisations where support can be provided also;
- 'Fitted for Work' is a place in Melbourne that helps people get brand new clothes if they are trying to get a job or struggling.
- Ask Izzy https://askizzy.org.au/ is a website that then links users to many groups that provide support in various manners, including housing and food.
Learning Walk
We invite parents and carers to a Learning Walk through the Grades 3-6 classrooms to see learning in action on Friday June 20th at 9.00am.
This learning is supported by a range of assistive technologies. During this learning walk you will see students using the Read&Write program to help make learning more accessible and support independence.
You'll have an opportunity to watch how it is used and ask any questions you might have. Please RSVP to Ben if you are interested in attending: principal@sjdennington.
Grade 5/6 Camp
STEM
In recognition of Reconciliation Week, students have worked in small groups to create models of shelters using only resources available to indigenous Australians. Tying into our Term 2 topic of staying safe and dry in this wacky weather, students focused on ensuring their shelters only used natural materials and would keep the user safe from rain and wind. Everyone worked well together, developed a plan and made sure everyone had contributed to the team project!
It was a lot of fun, promoted great discussion about how times have changed and included comments like “I love that we can make things in STEM”, “I like that STEM is tricky, but not too hard” and “I loved this activity because it was harder than I thought!”
Sporting Events
Isabelle competed in the GW Region Cross Country carnival last week and finished a highly credible 20th out of 55 competitiors. This is a magnificent achievement by Isabelle who has gradually built her ability in this field over time. Well done Isabelle!
Wellbeing
Studies relating to the diet and nutrition of young people have determined that there is a direct affect on brain development and learning. This can directly impact academic outcomes. Please cick the link below for more details.
Joyful Joy
The Action for Happiness Calendar commenced yesterday. It suggests small actions to boost levels of positive emotion. The experience of positive emotion enhances wellbeing, it makes us more creative, resilient and open minded.
Student News
Ida and Ella came first in their team "Flair" at the 2025 Super Series Aerobics competition. It was held at Rowville Performing Arts Centre Melbourne. Well done girls this is an amazing achievement!
Student Awards- Term 2, Week 7, 2nd June 2025
Miss Buwalda - Alfie P for always bringing a bright smile to school, no matter the challenge. Your positive attitude and joyful sense of humour make our classroom a happier, better place every day.
Miss Dwyer - Pippa C for making some wonderful growth when decoding and blending words. Keep up your amazing effort, Pippa!
Mrs Archbold - Hunter C for the amazing decoding and blending strategies that he is applying to reading. Well done Hunter!
Miss Kissick - Genevieve R for always bringing positivity and determination to the classroom. We are so lucky to have you in EK Genevieve!
Miss Lucas - Davina C for being a great happy helper in GL & doing amazing reading this week.
Mr Hynes - Dakota A for the excellent effort she has been placing into her maths learning of addition and subtraction in class and her EMU sessions. Brilliant!
Miss Ryan - Jax M for making the most of his learning opportunities and showing great leadership skills in the classroom. Keep it up Jax!
Mr Harrington - Jackson J for his outstanding persistence and determination during learning times recently. Keep up the great work!
Miss Kelly - Arlo B for your hard work and dedication in maths. Keep up the fantastic work Arlo!
Miss Moloney - Sky S for doing your best at all times with a smile on your face! Ngān thī̀ dī (narng ti di)
Mrs Mugavin - Raph C for embracing all learning tasks with a huge smile and a persistent mindset. You’re a legend.
Miss P & Mr McInerney - Everyone in 5/6KP and 5/6NM for your amazing resilience, positivity and participation on Roses Gap Camp.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthday this week: Indy V, Olly S and Jack Y. Best wishes, we hope you have a fabulous day!
Around our School- Week 6
Parents and Friend's Social Group
Our next Parents and Friends meeting will be a dinner at the Cally Hotel from 6:30pm on Tuesday 1st July. We will take RSVP's closer to the date.
Disco
Our school Disco is being held on Friday 13th June. Please register via CDF Pay. RSVP and payment are due by Thursday 12th June.
We are looking for volunteers to help on the night. If you would like to volunteer please fill out the google form. Your time will count towards your Participation Levy.
Dennington Day Out
Join us for dinner at the Cally for our next Dennington Day Out meeting on Tuesday 17th June at 6.30pm.
Do you have a child that might be interested in holding a mini entrepreneurs stall at this years DDO? Make sure your following the Dennington Day Out Facebook page for the expressions of interest google form that will be posted in the coming weeks.
Dennington Day Out Sponsorship Proposal for 2025 is now available if you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring this years event please contact ddo@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au
Wednesday Treats
This weeks treat is “Hot chips” - Orders close tomorrow morning, Tuesday 3rd June at 8.30am.
Roster:
Tuesday 3rd June - Taliah, Alisha R & Jennifer M
Wednesday 4th June - Melanie K, Jacinta B & Hayley McKenzie
Next weeks treat (Wednesday 11th June) is Pizza $2.50 each - Garlic, Hawaiian and BBQ Meat Eater. There will be Gluten Free Garlic Pizza for $2.50 and Gluten Free/Dairy Free Hawaiian for $2.50 each.
$2.00 each - Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Chocolate Milk & Strawberry Milk.
Orders for next week will be open on CDF Pay this Wednesday 3rd and will close Tuesday 10th at 8:30am.
Please remember: This year there will be no paper order forms going home; orders are required to be placed online via the CDFpay app. Each Wednesday the order for the following week will be uploaded to the app.
Orders will close at 8:30am each Tuesday so please make sure you get your orders in on time as we can not accept late orders or cash this year.
Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Taliah Gleeson, Emily McGennan or the front office.
Cake Raffle
Each week at Assembly we draw a cake raffle for students. The money raised goes to various charities like Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne.
School families have been assigned a week to bring in a cake. There is no obligation or pressure for you to do so, it is only if you wish to. If you have been assigned a week that is unsuitable and you would like to bring a cake in another week, please contact the office and an alternate date will be arranged.
If you choose to, please drop your store purchased cake into the office with your family name written on top.
All students will have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket for 20c 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 Monday 16th June:
Hinkley-Raitt, Howley, Hunt, Hyatt and Hunt.
School Sponsorship
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.
A big thank you to O'Brien Electrical & Plumbing, Fry Painting, Carry on travel, King Cole Fruit Supply, Total Landscapes and Design and Hiensch Haulage that sponsor our school!
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
Friday 6th June: Merri Hopkens Winter Sports at the Dennington Oval for Grade 5/6 (More details soon)
Monday 9th June: Kings Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 17th June: DDO Meeting at The Cally Hotel at 6.30pm
Friday 20th June: Learning Walk at 9.00am (RSVP's essential)
Tuesday 1st July: P & F Meeting at The Cally Hotel at 6.30pm
Monday 4th August: School Closure Day