Principal’s Message

Dear Families

Well Term 1 certainly flew by! Thank you, parents who took the time to attend learning conferences and work in partnership with John Paul II for the benefit of our children.

The Stations of the Cross liturgies that occurred in Holy Week was a particular highlight this term. We had 70 students volunteer to be a part of the performance, whether it be a dancer, reader, or actor. The two sittings were well attended by parents and members of the Bellerive-Lindisfarne Parish. It was a beautiful liturgy and reminded me of the Saint John Paul II quote, ‘Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song’.

Talking of joy, it has been particularly joyful to watch our Kindergarten students come so far this term. I joined in with some rotations and it was wonderful to see students interacting positively and joyously with their new peers.

John Paul II School Advisory Board

This week the John Paul II Advisory Board met for the second time this year. It was the Annual General Meeting. The following positions were confirmed:

Board Chair: Elaine Doran

Deputy Chair: Sue Howard

Treasurer: Greg Badcoe

Other Members: Renee Oswin, Brendan Gill, Andrew Sheppard

Other Staff Attending: Lauren Hall, Annette Fox

We are always interested in more members for the Board. Please let me know if you are interested.

The new Library

The new library will be open next term. It has been a massive undertaking, but it is an impressive result. Families are welcome to come and look at our new Library on our opening morning early next term.

‘A library outranks any other thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert’ Andrew Carnegie.

Who is on the Bus?

This term, we started a mystery excursion. Every week we give out Making Jesus Real certificates. These are for students who display acts of kindness and positivity in our community. Certificate recipients are randomly drawn out to go on the Mystery Excursion. This term the reward was a trip to Village Cinemas to watch Kung Fu Panda 4 and eat popcorn! Well done to students who made it onto the bus. We hope you had a great time.

New Maths Curriculum

Thank you to staff this term who have worked hard in the implementation of the new Catholic Education Tasmania Mathematics Curriculum. This has involved centralised professional development, implementation of CET online resources and support from Insight coaches.

Pick-Ups During the Day

Sometimes, students need to be picked up during the day for medical or other specialist appointments. Because of the building works, parents were signing students out and we were calling the classroom. Now that the Library is finished, we will no longer be calling the classrooms. Instead, a staff member will be going to get the student from the classroom. This will mean that the pick-up is a slower process, however it is less disruptive to the whole class because a student is leaving early.

Thank you for your understanding with this matter.

Term 1 Assembly

Thank you to families who attended our end of term assembly.

Congratulations to all the award winners.

· Caritas Cup: Toepher House

· John Paul II Swimming Carnival: Gannon House

End of Term Student Award Recipients

We Show RESPECT Award

Kinder: Parker Morrison
Prep: Ivy Wignall
Grade 1: Emily Balsiger
Grade 2: Charlie Keefe
Grade 3: Dean Pell-Ross
Grade 4: Saira Thapa
Grade 5/6 Huon: Jason Ford-Fitzpatrick
Grade 5/6 Sassafras: Ava Jones

We are SAFE Award

Kinder: Gracie Leonard
Prep: Micheal Ireland
Grade 1: Alexander Van Duiven
Grade 2: Ronan Flynn
Grade 3: Johnathan Dowe
Grade 4: Jiyaan Patel
Grade 5/6 Huon: Maddie Henwood
Grade 5/6 Sassafras: Jed Francis

We have HIGH Standards Award

Kinder: Lily Foster
Prep: Ciara Flynn
Grade 1: Meadow Hopkins
Grade 2: James Ireland
Grade 3: Rosie Barlow
Grade 4: Edison Clark
Grade 5/6 Huon: Davi Barretto
Grade 5/6 Sassafras: Kyle Doan

Selected JPII students represented our school wonderfully at the recent Catholic Interschool Swimming Carnival. Take a look at the short highlight video below for all the action!

I wish all students and families a restful break and look forward to seeing everyone for an amazing Term 2!

Last call on Kindergarten Enrolments for 2025!

Brendan Gill

PRINCIPAL

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KINDER ENROLMENTS - 2025 & BEYOND ARE NOW OPEN

Kinder enrolments for 2025 are now open and we are filling up! It might be an opportune time to remind any families or friends that are interested. We have very strong interest, so it is likely we will have large numbers as per the demand this year.

Anyone interested can pick up an enrolment pack from the office or just fill out this form: https://johnpaul.tas.edu.au/enrol/how-to-enrol/

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Out & About