Week 6, August 16th, 2022: Newsletter #25

Acknowledgement of Country

St. John’s school community respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and future. 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.

Week 6 Prayer

From the Principal

Greetings everyone,

First Communicants: We congratulate the children who will this Sunday receive the Sacrament of First Communion, this is the final step into their initiation into the Catholic Church. We wish them and their families well in this important stage in their faith journey. 

Before & After School Care: Thanks to all parents who completed the survey, initially it looks like there is enough interest so we are now working with the provider to ascertain what this will look like in 2023 and beyond. Stay Tuned!

Enjoy your week, Ben. 

Sacrament of First Eucharist

The dates for Eucharist are as follows:

August 15th: Family Week 4

August 21st: Sacrament of Eucharist as part of Mass

If you have any questions please email Damien Webster- dwebster@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au

Covid 19 Term 3 Updates

Rapid Antigen Testing: RAT's will be provided to students and staff for the remainder of the school year. On a semi regular basis, students will be provided with RAT's but if at any stage you require additional kits, please contact the office. 

Rapid antigen test screening requirements: Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 4 weeks after their release from isolation. Please note that this time frame has recently reduced from 12 weeks to 4 weeks.

Vaccination Mandate: The new COVID regulations have lifted the mandate for all employees and volunteers to be vaccinated. This means there will be no requirement for adults entering the school to declare their vaccination status.

Transport: Parents/carers who are positive cases are able to leave isolation if other arrangements cannot be made to transport someone they live with to and/or from school. 

The person leaving self-isolation must travel directly to and from the location, making no stops, unless there is an emergency or as required by law. 

They must remain in the vehicle at all times, unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to deliver the person to and from school. They must wear a face covering at all times while transporting and delivering the child.

Household contacts: Students who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are not required to quarantine. They may return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times during their 7-day period. They are required to notify the school that they are a household contact. Students aged 8 years and above who are household contacts are required to wear facemasks when indoors at school unless they have a valid exemption. If a student household contact returns a positive RAT result, they must isolate for 7 days.

Continuity of Learning: Our school community has been fortunate that we have not had significant staff numbers impacted by COVID such that we have continued to provide quality learning and teaching and student care. I remind families that this could change quickly and the school may be required to ask some classes or year levels to stay home if we do not have adequate staff numbers onsite. We hope that this is not the case, but if it does become a necessity, we will work hard to minimise any disruption.

Important School Reminders

1. Breakfast Club runs from 8:15am-8:40am in the Gathering Space every Tuesday morning. 

2. Wednesday Treats- please ensure orders are returned by 3.25pm every Monday. Orders can be paid with correct money or by direct deposit (bank details are on the forms). No late orders will be accepted.

3.  Lunch orders from the Dennington Store are available Tuesday and Fridays only. Orders can be dropped at school or directy to the Dennington Store the day before. 

4.  A reminder that the loops are to be used for quick drop off and pick up. If your child requires help with their seatbelt etc please use the car parks to keep the loop moving at a steady pace. 

5. Student Absences: Can all parents and guardians please remember that if a child is absent then we require you to contact the school via schoolzine, PAM, or phone to notify us as to why they are absent. This is a government requirement. 

6.  Students playing football etc at lunch times are required to bring a change of clothes- these can be worn over the top of uniforms.

Grade 3/4 Camp

Last Wednesday the Grade 3/4 students travelled to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat for two fun filled days. They participated in a range of activities centred around the colourful history of the Goldfields. The children were all exceptionally well behaved and represented our school admirably.  Here's what they had to say!

It was fun watching the blacksmith make his fencing, he also made me a horse shoe that had Sovereign Hill 2022 on the front and my name put on the back. He had letter stamps and knocked them into the iron. The mine was interesting where we saw the gold nuggets. - Caleb G (yr 4) - AM

I liked all of camp, I liked watching the gold pour because it was something I had never seen before. - Stella C (yr 3) - AM

I enjoyed bowling, you had to bowl the pins over using a wooden bowl, it doesn;t automatically set up the pins, you had to run down and set them up yourself. I nearly knocked a strike down! - Harvey B (yr 3) - AM

I enjoyed sleeping, I was in a cabin with my friends and I got the bottom bunk. - Greta G (yr 4) - AM

I really enjoyed watching how the gold was poured and I really liked the education session because we got to learn about machines and old objects and how they used them in the past. Evie S (yr 4) - DH

I liked the mine shaft because I haven’t been that far underground before and the gold pour, because I have never seen gold before and especially because it was worth $250,000 dollars! - Archie S (yr 4) - DH

The gold pour was the best because you got to watch her make gold right in front of you and the cafe where we ate dinner, because the food was great! - Sienna C (yr 3) - DH

I really liked the gold pour because it was cool to see how gold is made and I also really enjoyed the bowling because it was really hard, you couldn’t let the wooden ball go outside the very small lane. Billy F (yr 3) - DH

Mates on a Mission

On Friday we are welcoming two guest speakers, Ben Pettingil and Mike Rolls into our school to talk with the Grade 3-6 students. These two individuals experienced some life changing events as young men. When Ben was 16, he woke up one morning and he had lost 98% of his vision. Additionally, when Mike was 18, he contracted a lethal disease which resulted in him having multiple amputations. Although both of their experiences were entirely different, the methods that they used to 'bounce back' and overcome these challenges were the same. 

Ben and Mike are now two mates on a mission to share their stories about the challenges they faced and empower our students to possess more skills, confidence and resilience to overcome any challenges, change or adversity they may face. Additionally, they want to highlight the importance of being real and prioritising our mental health and wellbeing.

We thank Ski for Life and the annual Ski for Life fundraising event that involves participants water skiing from Murray Bridge to Renmark (456kms) over three days to raise awareness for mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention. Without this charity and the event, this duo would not be sharing this important message with us. 

We look forward to welcoming them into St. John's and the surrounding community this week. 

Happy Birthday

A very big Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthday this week! Ella C, Dexter B, Flynn C and Starla M. We hope you have a fantastic day!

Learning Walks

Parents and Friends Social Group News

Parents & Friends Social Group Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on  Wednesday 31st August at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space.  To RSVP please comment on the meeting post on the parent Community Facebook page or email: parents@sjdennington.cathoic.edu.au

Dennington Day Out Meeting

The next meeting will be held Wednesday 7th September at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space.

Wednesday Treats 

Orders must be placed no later than 3.25pm Monday. All order forms are to be filled out by parents with the correct money either included or paid into the bank account with details on the forms. EFT payments must be made prior to 3.00pm each monday in order for funds to clear. No late orders or payments will be accepted.

Wednesday 17th August HOT CHIPS

Tuesday 16th August 9.00am: Emily M, Nicole R, Louise L and Tanya M

Wednesday 17th August 12.00pm: Nicole R, Kate C and Julia M

Family Movie Night

Cake Raffle

The following families are rostered on this Friday:

Raitt, Martin, Matthews, and Daffy

All students will be able to buy a raffle ticket for 20c each Friday. The Johnnies will come around to the classrooms during the day to write out tickets and collect money. 

All funds raised throughout the year will be donated to the Good Friday Appeal the following year. 

School Sponsorship

A big thank you to Fry Painting, Brownies Shed, South West Pipe Relining and gforce employment & recruitment who support 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 10.00am 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 Noticeboard

Upcoming Events

Wednesday 10th August: DDO meeting at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space

Friday 19th August: Family Movie Night- 6.30pm in the Stadium.

Wednesday 24th August: Parent Learning Walks at 9.00am (Bookings essential)

Wednesday 31st August: P & Social Group meeting at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space

Wednesday 7th September: DDO committee meeting 7pm Gathering Space

Thursday 8th September: Staff Professional Development - School Closure Day