Learning 

Learning & Teaching and Wellbeing

Let’s take a moment to refocus on our St. John’s Horizon as we continue into another week of remote learning and teaching. During this time, our community has continued to show resilience and the flexibility to work in an online, as well as an offline space. While keeping our children at the heart, St. John’s has always encouraged families to focus on their wellbeing, and foster caring experiences that will create joy during this time. This means children finding some time to play, getting outside and exercising daily. In supporting wellbeing, this may mean letting some things go. It might be accepting that the adult/s or child/ren in your house will not do a full day’s work (and children might not complete all learning grid tasks) - and that is ok. Continue to engage in activities that support and promote your family’s well being…

Continue to engage in activities that support and promote your family’s wellbeing on that day. Do what works for YOUR family - and remember that the silver lining is opportunity for closer relationship;with yourself, your children and your family. For children, this closeness and connection with YOU acts as a buffer against all that is happening in the world.

Lauren Davis, Jarryd Bradford, Chevon Adamidis & Ashlee Owen

ldavis@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au 

jbradford@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au 

cadamidis@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au 

aowen@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au 

Learning and Teaching Leaders & Wellbeing Leader

Literacy

It’s Book Week this week! Thank you to everyone who has joined in the fun with our live book reading, scone making and singing along; sharing in the joy and love of reading. Keep an eye out on socials for the CBCA winner this year! This is a beautiful opportunity to talk about the books that you loved growing up as a child, and perhaps sharing these with your children. 

Storytelling is a real art and custom. Oral storytelling has been used by many different cultural groups for hundreds of years to pass on stories, anecdotes, share traditions and ways of doing being and doing, including our First Nations people. Next Wednesday 1 September we celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day Through storytelling. Indigenous Literacy Day “provides a window into the richness, diversity and multilingual world of First Nations peoples”. Their website has resources you can view, including stories, First Nations Authors and language.

How do you share your favourite memories as a family? Perhaps you can create a faux (or real!) campfire in your lounge (definitely faux!) or backyard. It’s amazing how doing this can take your mind off other things and connect you as a family! You can even create a special book where you record some of these memories; what a beautiful keepsake!

Need more lockdown fun ideas?! 

I came across this fantastic website which includes 150 ideas for family fun during Lockdown!

Feel free to email me images of your family engaging in one of these activities, sharing stories around a campfire (real or fake) or even a recommendation of your favourite book to read as a family! I can share these around on our Facebook page to inspire others, too.

If you’d like to hear more about how you can support your child’s Literacy learning at home, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have another Literacy related question? Shoot me an email or call the school! I’d be happy to feature this in the newsletter or have a chat with you.

Daniela De Luca

Literacy Leader

ddeluca@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au 

Faith News

With lockdown continuing it once again places our plans for Sacramental celebrations into uncertainty. Please bear with us as we work towards rescheduling the Sacrament of Confirmation, our Family Faith Night for Yr 3 and our celebration of First Eucharist. It seems like we have had to postpone many opportunities to gather as a community of faith this year, however we warmly welcome you to join our online reflection for Father's Day on Friday 3rd Sept. We will share a reflection video during our Gathering Time, we warmly welcome our father's and father figures to sit with your child/ren during this gathering time. 

Aoife Mc Carthy

Faith Leader

amccarthy@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au

Woiwurrung Word of the Week

St Johns has purchased the Woiwurrung Language Resource for the Early Years.

Woiwurrung language was traditionally spoken and is being reclaimed today by the Wurundjeri people, who inhabited the land along the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers.

The Woiwurrung Language Cards have been produced by the Wurun Child and Family Place and Yarra Ranges Council with permission from key Wurundjeri Elders.

Acknowledging and celebrating Aboriginal culture and its connection to spirituality and language, family and kinship, land, country and community is important in protecting and developing inclusion and equity. Language in particular is recognised as a precious part of cultural strength and pride.

Each newsletter we will share with you a new Woiwurrung word of the week, we hope that this will provide you with a chance to read, speak, and talk about it with your family.