October 6th 2025: Newsletter #31
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Prayer Week 1
- From the Principal
- 2026 Planning
- Uniform
- School Fees
- Regional Athletics Carnival
- Bushfire At Risk Register (BARR)
- Footy/Netball Day
- Genious Hour
- STEM
- Wellbeing
- Student Awards- Term 4 Week 1
- Happy Birthday
- Student News
- Around our School- Term 3 Week 9
- CDF Community Fund
- 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.
Prayer Week 1
From the Principal
Hello everyone, and welcome to a new term at St. John's!
As I wrote last term, we enter into term 4 looking forward to our swimming and surf awareness programs taking place, welcoming our 2026 Foundations in for their transition program and the 2026 orientation day, the development of our oval on the north side of the school, Grandparents Day, our Mass of Thanksgiving, the season of Advent and of course the graduation of our Gr 6 students.
Whilst its hard not to look to the end of the year with excitement, there is still much learning to be enjoyed and we look forward to these moments of joy with enthusiasm and curiousity.
Enjoy the week ahead, Ben.
Term 4 Assembly Roster:
- Monday Oct 6th- Grade 4
- Monday Oct 13th- Grade 3
- Monday Oct 20th- Grade 5
- Monday Oct 27th- Grade 2
- Monday Nov 3rd- Grade 1
- Monday Nov 10th- Leadership
- Monday Nov 17th- Foundation
- Monday Nov 24th- Advent
- Monday Dec 1st- Advent
- Monday Dec 8th- Advent
- Monday Dec 15th- Grade 6
2026 Planning
With the dawn of term 4, planning for 2026 hits full swing. At St. John's we are all committed to making our school a great place; full of energy, commitment and quality. As part of this commitment to everyone we share the following important information.
Class Structure: Our 2026 class structure will be finalised tomorrow by our Consultative Committee, this is made up of elected members of the teaching staff.
Class Placement: Class Placement refers to the placement by staff of each child into an appropriate classroom for 2026 based on learning levels and needs, social development, and classroom size.
The guidelines staff use for student placement at St. John’s include: academic levels, individual social/emotional/behavioural needs and peer relationships. Other practical factors to impact on the placement will include teacher recommendations, class size, groupings available, and a range of abilities in each class group.
Families are able to contribute to this process by informing the school of any specific requests or thoughts regarding class placement for you child/children. These requests are to be emailed to principal@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au no later than Monday October 20th. Any considerations provided after this date will not be taken into consideration.
In all these processes, professional, respectful co-operation and student welfare will be upmost in all our minds; we thank you in anticipation of your considered support.
Uniform
Students are now welcome to wear their summer uniform, but for the first few weeks of term they can also continue to wear their winter uniform if they wish.
As part of our SunSmart policy, hats must now be worn by all students during break times. All students without a hat will be required to play in the undercover area as we do not provide spare hats due to concerns around the spread of headlice.
We have a small collection of hats available to purchase at the front office for the discount price of $10.
SUMMER UNIFORM:
Girls: Blue and white fine check gingham dress or light blue polo shirt with logo and blue shorts, navy socks, black shoes, navy windcheater or polar fleece jumper with school logo, school hat.
Boys: Navy shorts, light blue polo shirt with logo, navy socks, black shoes, navy windcheater or polar fleece jumper with school logo, school hat. As previously communicated, we are phasing out grey shorts/pants. If your child still has grey shorts, they can continue to wear them for the remainder of this year if they wish.
Please make sure all items of clothing are clearly labelled.
School Fees
As we enter Term 4, we would like to remind families of the importance of finalising their school fee commitments.
In accordance with our governing body DOBCEL, all school fees must be paid in full by the end of the year.
If you have not yet made a payment or do not have a payment plan in place, please contact the office as soon as possible to discuss your payment options.
We appreciate your attention to this matter and thank you for your continued support.
Regional Athletics Carnival
Good luck to the following students who are competing at the Regional Athletics Carnival in Ballarat this Friday: Lottie S, Maddi H, Nala F, Charlotte M, Harry M, Mason C, Harley J and Emmillion O. We wish you all the very best, it is an incredible achievement to reach this level of competiton.
Bushfire At Risk Register (BARR)
Our school is listed on the Bushfire at Risk Register. All schools on the "Bushfire and Grassfire At Risk Registers" will be closed on days classified as Catastrophic FDR.
What does this mean? On a Catastrophic FDR, our school will be closed, along with school bus services. No one will be allowed on site. Such ratings will be declared ahead of the nominated day. In the event of a Catastrophic FDR an email and a Schoolzine alert will go out to parents/guardians.
Please note: A Catastrophic FDR is different to a Day of Total Fire Ban.
Footy/Netball Day
On Wednesday 17th September we enjoyed our annual Football/Netball Day. All students across the school dressed up in their favourite sporting team colours to watch the Grade 6 students battle it out.
We began on the netball court with Magic Mugavins vs Mighty Moloneys. The students did a fantastic job supporting each other on the court before combining to easily defeat the staff team.
After lunch we headed to the Dennington oval to watch staff and students play together for the first time as Vander’s Vipers and Atwell’s Saints. During half time, a student from each year level had a chance to kick the footy into the ute. After a rough and tumble second half of the match the Vander’s Vipers were victorious!
Genious Hour
During Term 3 the Grade 5/6 students spent time investigating something they were interested in for 'Genius Hour' each week. The subjects ranged from Land Rovers, to running in the Olympics, Napoleon, sports, the human body and more. After researching their subject each student had to present their findings to a small group.
STEM
Last Term, Foundations, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students spent time learning all about different sorts of food, where it comes from, why different people approach food in different ways and how to be more sustainable with our food and packaging. To celebrate all our learning, students have designed ‘everyday food’ snacks before finishing the term with making their own fruit kebabs! What delicious fun was had by all!
Wellbeing
World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is marked every year on 10 October as a reminder of the importance of mental health to our overall wellbeing. It is a day that encourages families, schools, workplaces and communities across the globe to start conversations, reduce stigma and highlight the support available for those who may be struggling.
Mental health challenges can affect anyone: children, teens, and adults alike. Recognising this helps us create more compassionate and supportive environments.
Parents and caregivers play a central role in shaping the mental health of their children. World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the pressures young people face in today's world and how we can best support them. Whether it's helping children find balance between school, technology, and rest; encouraging open conversations about feelings; or modelling healthy coping strategies ourselves - small steps at home can make a big difference.
By engaging with resources and discussions on this day, families can strengthen their understanding of mental health and contribute to a culture where seeking help is seen as a sign of strength, not weakness.
This Special Report highlights the importance of World Mental Health Day and offers practical suggestions for how your family can acknowledge and support it together.
Optimisitic October 2025
Student Awards- Term 4 Week 1
Miss Buwalda - Chase H for showing wonderful creativity, effort and care when designing and making his air-dry clay animal last term.
Miss Dwyer - Jetson F for his hard work and perseverance during writing this week.
Mrs Archbold - Frankie G for the fluency she is continuing to display in her reading.
Miss Kissick - Lachlan A for his fantastic work in the Year One Expo. Well done exploring all the different decades Lachlan!
Miss Lucas - Reggie M for his fantastic work in the Year One Expo. Well done exploring all the different decades Reggie!
Mr Hynes - Arlo H for excellent effort completing his information report writing.
Miss Ryan - Isla R for her enthusiastic approach to researching and writing her information reports. Well done Isla!
Mr Harrington - Noah C for being such a great friend in the Grade 3 area, and looking for the positives in each and every day.
Miss Kelly - Archie D for consistently putting determination in your classwork and for being a great friend to those around you. Well done, Archie!
Miss Moloney - Mason C for being reflective and displaying great teamwork skills last term during your group's challenge of designing and creating a new bridge for Port Fairy.
Mrs Mugavin - Harry M for showing good teamwork skills during all of our literacy sessions that focused on researching, designing and creating a new bridge for the Port Fairy community.
Miss P - Amy C for showing such amazing growth in your Maths post-test.
Mr McInerney - Ollie S for such amazing growth in your Division post-test.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrated their special day during the school holidays, we hope you had an amazing day! Chilli H, Nash H, Jude M, Harper H, Jaxon B, Milla B, Jaxson C, Zander M, Arlo O, Dakota A, Isla B and Zahli H.
Best wishes to the following students who celebtate their birthday this week, we hope you have a terrific day! Fern S, Charlotte B, Nellie M, Lottie S, Aurora B, Evie D, Bentley H and Harper F.
Student News
During the holidays, Ivy, Liv, Evie and Charlotte represented their soccer league, Football South West, at the Western United Cup in Ballarat. After a huge three day competition, they made it to the semi-finals, only to miss out on progressing due to a penalty shootout. It was an amazing experience for the girls and we are so proud of what they have achieved.
Around our School- Term 3 Week 9
CDF Community Fund
Parents and Friend's Social Group
Meeting
Our next Parents and Friends meeting will be Wednesday 15th October at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space. Our AGM & end of year break up has been booked for Wednesday 26th November 6:30pm at the Cally.
Dennington's Day Out
Just under 5 weeks to go!!!!
Dennington’s Day Out meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday 7th) in the Gathering Space at 7.00pm.
Going home later this week will be our DDO family packs. Inside these you will find raffle tickets, 2026 calendar & info on how to purchase your unlimited rides wristband pass. Pre purchased rides passes must be paid for by 9.00am on Wednesday 5th November via QR Code.
Raffle tickets are to be returned to the office by Wednesday 5th November they can be returned with cash or payment made on CDF and return the sold tickets to the office.
Keep an eye out for requests for volunteers in coming weeks to help with more preparation before the big day. Reminder all time volunteered goes towards your participation points.
The following meetings have been set
- Tuesday 21st October 7pm
- Tuesday 28th October 7pm
- Thursday 6th November 7pm
Thanks, Sarah Howley
Cake Raffle
Each Assembly we draw a cake raffle for students. The money raised goes to Our noimiated charity, Backpacks Beds.
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 October 13th:
Ryan (Lyla, Grace), Schneebeli, Scott, Seuren and Seymour.
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
Tuesday 7th October: DDO Meeting at 7.00pm in the Stadium.
Friday 10th October: Regional Athletics in Ballarat
Wednesday 15th October: P & F Social Group Meeting at 7.00pm
Wednesday 22nd October: Grandparents Day (more info to come)
Wednesday 26th November: Parents & Friends AGM & end of year break up at The Cally Hotel at 6.30pm