Principal's Message

Giant Dofleini Octopus - Sea of Japan

Dear St John's Community,

Last week was Neurodiversity Week. We hear this term a lot these days, especially in education, but why are we hearing it, and what does it mean?

Neurodiversity is the incredible and natural variety of human minds in the world around us. Some people, children especially, experience the world differently due to specific neurotypes such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, also through conditions such as dyspraxia or Tourette’s syndrome. Having been identified, the recognition is that these differences are just like anything else that is different between humans in the world and should not be seen as deficits; they’re simply part of what makes each person unique.

All children learn, play, and express themselves in their own way. While some may thrive in a structured setting, others might need a little more flexibility, sensory support, or different communication styles to truly shine.

Schools are strongly being encouraged to help shift the focus from challenges to strengths for these children and foster environments where neurodivergent children can flourish alongside everyone else.

However, for many neurodivergent children, the world can often feel like a place that wasn’t designed for them. They may and often do struggle in traditional classroom settings where rapid change can occur frequently, where social situations are overwhelming, or they face misconceptions about their abilities. These things can impact their confidence, self-esteem, and overall wellbeing, and yes, at times this can be displayed in types of behaviours others may not understand or appreciate.

It is often a delicate balance in a classroom these days, supporting the needs of all students and helping everyone understand each other's needs. These are things teachers grapple with every single day in every school, in every classroom. The changing face of education, and one which teachers are trying to rapidly acclimatise to and learn more about in order to provide the right settings at the right times in the right ways. No one ever said, teaching was boring, nor parenting easy!

FIRE Carrier Ceremony

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the FIRE Carrier commissioning ceremony for our new FIRE carrier students at St Augustine's Primary School with JPC students and students from a number of other Catholic Schools in the area. Fire stands for Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education. As part of the ceremony, the newly commissioned students learned about the work the Opening the Doors Foundation undertakes in educating Aboriginal children in Victoria, and were welcomed by Burnurong Elder Uncle Shane. They also had a guest speaker who taught them about the Yidaki and the sound it makes (didgeridoo). Once a FIRE Carrier, always a FIRE Carrier.

Working Bee Wonders!

That's what I like to call all those wonderful parents (and students) who stayed behind on Thursday (and there might have been a little bit of rain too!) and slogged it out to work on several areas of the school needing some tlc.

I am extremely grateful for their contributions.

Thank you!!!!

Reconciliation & Prayer

Congratulations to the students who recently completed the First Rite of Reconciliation. We pray that they find strength in God to continue their journey through life in positive and thoughtful ways.

As the Season of Lent draws again to a close, we thank God for drawing us together and opening our hearts.

Dear God,

Help us gather in humility, in reverence, and in hope of your healing love. Help us discover anew the truths that can help shape our lives: that You have always loved us, and always will, and that we can be renewed in Your life again and again.

Inspire us with your closeness and presence. Encourage us to try to grow in the ways of your Kingdom. Help us to rejoice in your life.

Amen

Easter Celebrations

Wednesday 1st April (No joke!)

Next Wednesday, students have a free dress day for Easter.

Choc Tops and a Dairy Free Option can be purchased through Flexischools until Monday morning. These will be provided on Wednesday.

We will also draw the Easter Raffle on this day.

Easter Raffle

The Jaguars are looking for new members, especially in the junior levels (Prep & Grade 1) and under 12s. If you're interested, contact them through the email listed below.