A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers

Tonight, some of our Year 6 children will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. While baptism initiates the child into the Church through the parents' decision, Confirmation marks a conscious and personal "yes" from the young person to their faith. Tonight these children will take personal ownership of their baptismal promises, choosing to embrace and live out the Catholic faith for themselves. Today marks a truly special milestone in their faith journey, and we extend our warmest congratulations to each of them. Thank you to the parents and the educators for their support in preparing the children for this sacrament and a big thank you to Taryn and Karen for their leadership during this time.

Loving God,

We thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. 

We pray for these children, your beloved sons and daughters, who are about to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Strengthen them with your grace, 

fill them with wisdom and understanding, 

guide them with your counsel, 

and empower them with courage.

May your Holy Spirit dwell within them, 

helping them to grow in faith, hope, and love. 

Inspire them to be your witnesses in the world, 

and to live lives that bring glory to your name.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Building Update: 

I have continued to meet multiple times each week with the team supporting us with the hall and the works that are required. MACS have sourced three quotes for the partial demolition works required and a timeline. I plan to send something out to the community to give a transparent timeline of what is happening in the coming weeks along with how we manage safety for everyone during this time. Thank you for the positive feedback and support so many of you have expressed to myself and the staff during this time. 

Reporting Mathematics:

Last year I shared an update around the changes to the Victorian Curriculum for Maths with the release of Version 2. I shared that we were continuing to teach and assess against the original curriculum and this would be reflected in our reporting while we worked as a staff around the changes ready for this year. Mairead has prepared a letter attached below explaining what the implementation of Vic Curriculum Maths V2 means for how we report Mathematics to families and how it will look on this semester's reports.

Division Cross Country: 

Well done to Evie R (Yr 4), Eloise W (Yr 5), & Willow H (Yr 6) who ran at the Division Cross Country event last Wednesday. The girls ran well, competing against over 25 other children from Maribyrnong schools over a new course around Kelior parkland in cool and windy conditions.

Congratulations to Eloise who finished in 9th place. This qualifies her to run again at the Western Melbourne Regional event at Keilor on the 19th June. The St John’s community wishes her well in her next event.

Seesaw:

I highly encourage parents of children in Prep and 3-6 to check out the videos that Jessie has posted showing what has been happening in Innovation in recent weeks. The children have been learning about the physical sciences and investigated the forces involved in designing and building marble runs. Jessie is thrilled at the level of engagement, discussion, collaboration and learning that has come from this unit of work.

In everything that has been happening this term I haven't had a chance to stop and share about the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV. I have gathered some thoughts and wanted to share these with you in this edition of the newsletter.

Who is Pope Leo XIV and what kind of Pope will he be?

These were the questions I had as he appeared on the balcony of St Peter's. After reading about Pope Leo and hearing from Professor Br David Hall I am starting to think that we have the right person for who the Church needs right now. 

Here is what I have found out:

Pope Leo XIV appears to be a pontiff who will build upon the legacy of Pope Francis while introducing new emphases, particularly concerning modern technological challenges. He is seen as a "caretaker" of Francis's disruptions, but also as someone who will initiate his own.

• Pope Leo has explicitly stated his commitment to continuing the path laid out by Pope Francis, particularly regarding the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and the priorities outlined in Francis's "Evangelii Gaudium." This includes an emphasis on a more inclusive Church, attention to the faithful, and caring for the "least and rejected."
• A central theme of his papacy is the pursuit of Christian unity and broader interfaith dialogue. He aims for the "re-establishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith" and stresses that "now is the time for dialogue and building bridges" with other religious traditions. He sees the Church as a "leaven for a reconciled world."
• A distinct priority for Pope Leo XIV is the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. He chose the name Leo XIV in part to echo Pope Leo XIII, who addressed the social questions of the First Industrial Revolution with Rerum Novarum. Pope Leo XIV believes the Church must respond to the "new industrial revolution" of AI and its challenges to human dignity, justice, and labor. He aligns with Pope Francis's call for international regulation of AI to ensure it remains human-centric.
• As an Augustinian, his papacy is expected to be influenced by St. Augustine's emphasis on true pastoral care, the pursuit of God, and the Church as a spiritual community bound by charity. His extensive missionary experience in Peru suggests a grounded, practical approach to pastoral issues.
• He is expected to be both a compassionate pastor and a hard-nosed administrator. His prior role as head of the Dicastery for Bishops, where he involved women in vetting episcopal candidates, suggests a commitment to promoting the role of women in the Church. He is also expected to continue Francis's push for zero tolerance on sexual abuse.
• He is known as a peacemaker and a quietly impressive diplomat with a missionary focus. His calls for "no" to war and the arms race and "yes" to peace and disarmament indicate a strong commitment to global peace.
• Some observers characterise him as "Francis 1.5," indicating a blend of Francis's progressive social justice concerns with a potentially more traditional liturgical style, as hinted by his choice of more formal papal attire at his inauguration compared to Francis.

In summary, Pope Leo XIV is anticipated to be a pope who continues the reformist spirit of Pope Francis, with a strong focus on unity, social justice, and a proactive engagement with the ethical challenges posed by rapidly advancing technology, particularly artificial intelligence. (This reflection was written with help from Google Gemini)

We were so lucky to be led by such an extraordinary man in Pope Francis. With his death, we have been reminded of who he was, his mission and what he achieved during his papacy. This included his advocacy for the poor and marginalised, and environmental stewardship; Vatican reforms and transparency; and the promotion of interfaith dialogue and global peace. I have included a short video below from 'The Pope Video' website for your own reflection on Pope Francis.

Thank you, Francis

MACS has released their 2024 Annual Report. There is a hard copy of this report in the office you are welcome to read otherwise you can scan the QR code below to access this online.

Warm wishes

Emily

OUR IMAGE OF THE CHILD

‘At St. John’s, we strongly believe that children are at the centre when given authentic and meaningful experiences. They flourish when their passions and interests are acknowledged and valued. Children are empowered when they take ownership for their learning. They have a right to develop autonomy through discovery.’

(St. John’s Staff, 2018)

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation as the owners of the land on which we live, play and learn at St John's Primary School, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

All students attending St. John's Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.