Newsletter

Principal's Report 

National Reconciliation Week 2021 - 27 May to 3 June

As we come to the end of National Reconciliation Week, I would like to begin by acknowledging the Wurundjeri people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are part of our community.

 

National Reconciliation week which runs from 27 May to 3 June commemorates two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. The theme of National Reconciliation Week this year is 'MORE THAN A WORD. RECONCILIATION TAKES ACTION.

 

This urges those invested in the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action, understanding that Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, and organisations, together this journey will define how we see ourselves as Australians.

We Pray :

Dear Loving Lord, Creator of all,

you created us all in your own image,

one image - many colours,

one image - many cultures.

You made us come together like a rainbow,

separate parts but coming together in one creation.

Help us to see the beauty you have created in each and every one of us.

Dear Loving Lord, we are your creation,

hear the cries of your people.

You gave us ears to hear and eyes to see,

open our eyes to what you want us to see,

help us always to look to you to see the wisdom of your ways.

Dear Loving Lord, Creator of all,

you gave us hearts to love and minds to reason.

Help us to understand our differences and grow in love for each other.

Help us to come together as the rainbow comes together, many colours, shining as one creation over all the earth as you intended us to be.

In the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Return to face-to-face teaching 

Following advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has advised that the lockdown has been extended for a further 7 days and will now conclude on June 10.  All Victorian Catholic schools and Government schools will continue with remote and flexible learning arrangements for students in Year 7 -10 until the lockdown is lifted on June 10.  Students in Years 11 and 12 or VCAL will be able to return to face to face teaching at St John’s on Friday June 4.

Exam Period

The extended lockdown has intersected with our calendared exam period and after extensive consultation with staff and parents we have taken the decision to hold the exam period for our Year 7-10 students remotely using the technology of our learning management System SEQTA.  The following points reflect our rationale for making this decision:

  • All students have been preparing for the scheduled exam week with their teachers
  • The exams will provide feedback on learning along with the assessment conducted throughout terms 1 & 2 and form part of our semester 1 reports for students and parents.
  • The survey of our parents this week has provided overwhelming support for the scheduled examination period to take place online.
  • To delay exams until we return will impact on the delivery of the semester 2 curriculum program which commences on June 16
  • Our technology is providing us with an opportunity to assess our students learning remotely.
  • All students and their families who are receiving NCCD funding for learning or social and emotional concerns have the option to not sit the assessments.
  • With the uncertainty around future lockdowns, we need to have confidence in our ability to assess learning using online platforms as this allows us to keep to the calendared curriculum program.

Year 11 Students will complete their examinations face to face at St Johns when they return on the 4th of June.

Congratulations 

Congratulations to ex-student Daniela Di Toro who has again been appointed Co-Captain of the Australian Paralympic Team bound for Tokyo this year. Daniela is a six-time Paralympian having competed at the Paralympic games since 1996 as a wheel chair tennis player where she won a silver and bronze medal before changing to the sport of para-table tennis.  In 2016 she was appointed as co-captain of the Paralympic Team alongside wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley , and helped lead Australia to a top five result at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. We wish her all the best for the Tokyo Games.

Enrolment Interviews for 2022 

This week the senior leadership team have been interviewing our New Year 7 2022 students and their families.  When asked why they have chosen to come to St Johns, many spoke of the schools fine reputation that had been shared with them by past students and their families or they had observed through interaction with our students in the community. It is always pleasing to hear of how highly regarded our school is in the local community which reflects the great work of our staff and students over many years.

 

Enrolment tours take place  every Thursday morning for 2022 and 2023 students.  For those looking for enrolment information please refer to our school website or contact our Enrolment Registrar Ms Symone Goodwin via the main office.on 87932000.

Report Writing Day – June 15

A school closure day will take place on June 15 to allow teaching staff to complete Semester One reports.  Reports will arrive home in the school holidays and will reflect student progress over a range of assessment tasks which evaluate knowledge and skills in each subject area.  They will also contain feedback on the all-important learning habits listed below:

 

Demonstrates Personal Organisation

Manages Timelines

Seeks and Responds to Feedback

Works Collaboratively 

Demonstrates Perseverance

 

Staff have spent considerable time in professional discussions over the last year identifying the learning habits that are important for students in becoming successful and confident learners.  The feedback from teachers in the Semester 1 report will identify where students are at in the development of these important learning habits.  I encourage parents to discuss with their sons and daughters over the school holidays the feedback on their learning habits and to identify the ways they can improve in this area over the course of Semester 2.

Staffing

I congratulate staff members Miss Shantelle Wills who has been appointed to the position of Applied Learning Leader and Mr Nigel Adkin who has been appointed to the position of Monoceros House Leader for the next six months.  They will be replacing respectively Mr Justin Summons who is leaving St John’s to head with his family to America and Ms Keel who is stepping down from her role.  I thank them both for their dedication to their roles and wish Mr Summons well on the exciting journey ahead of him. 

Step up Program

Our Semester 2 curriculum program will begin on the 16th of June.  This is two weeks prior to the end of term to allow for a whole school step up to the 2022 Curriculum in the last three weeks of this school year.  The Step-up Program is used by several schools to give students a head start into the following school years curriculum program.  This is particularly useful for our senior year students but also has benefits for our junior year students as having finished the 2021 curriculum program they finish the final weeks of the school year with a strong focus on their learning and the continued development of subject knowledge and skills for the following year.