Principal's Report
St John’s Regional College Parent and Guardian Code of Conduct
St. John’s Regional College welcomes community participation and values its input. Parents play a crucial role in the academic, social-emotional, physical and spiritual development of their children. Our school is committed to ensuring that children feel happy, safe and secure, and have the maximum opportunity to learn. As members of the school community parents are expected to conduct themselves in a lawful, ethical, safe and responsible manner that recognises and respects the rights of others and the expertise, experience and qualifications of staff. The St. John’s Regional College Parent and Guardian Code of Conduct Policy provides statements which serve as a reminder to all their obligations as a member of the St. John’s School community. This policy applies to all adults including parents, guardians, step-parents, grandparents, extended family, advocates and any others involved in activities or communication related to St. John’s.
The attached code of conduct provides clear guidelines to all parents and visitors regarding the conduct expected of them whilst on the School premises, engaging in School related activities or representing the School. Parents, guardians and visitors are expected to uphold the School’s core values at all times and I thank you for your ongoing support of your children’s education and our community.
2022 SJRC Cross Country
Under sunny skies a very successful cross country was held last Monday. The opportunity to run for fitness and fun is always of benefit to our students and I congratulate Columba House on taking out the 2022 Cross Country title. I also wish to thank Sports Co-ordinator, Mr Mark Alexander, for his preparation of the day along with Sports Assistant Tyler Hall-Ferguson, Mr Nigel Adkins and Mr Van Es. The top performing students on the day will now represent St. John's at the Southern Independent Schools Cross Country on Tuesday 31 May.
Total Points
COLUMBA 360
LEONIS 345
DELPHINUS 241
AQUILA 227
MONOCEROS 190
PHOENIX 155
National Sorry Day - 26th of May / National Reconciliation Week (NRW)
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The dates for NRW remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. In this week we recognise three significant milestones in the reconciliation journey:
- On 13 February 2008 then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd moved a motion of Apology to Indigenous Australians. His apology was a formal apology on behalf of the successive parliaments and governments whose policies and laws "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians".
- 27 May 1967 – On this day, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.
- 3 June 1992 – On this day, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. This decision paved the way for Native Title.
The theme of National Reconciliation Week 2022 is “Be Brave. Make Change.” It presents a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.
To mark the beginning of National Reconciliation Week our community stopped to reflect on these significant events in the History of our Nation’s first people. In our liturgy on Thursday morning we reflected firstly on the forced removal of children from their families through remembering National Sorry Day and then the important recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander land rights. The more we understand the nature and history of these events the more we can see the impact on the first nations' people as human beings, as families and as communities. Our growing understanding of their history develops a deepening empathy for their struggle and with empathy comes a growing commitment to bringing about change for our first nations' people because it is just, fair and right to do so.
St. Mary's and St. Paul, Apostle North Science Excursions
This week it was great to see our feeder Primary school students involved with senior science students from St. John’s as they conducted Science experiments as part of their curriculum programs. Assisted by St, John’s Science Teacher, Miss Anna Nguyen and several of our Year 9 and 10 students, St. Mary’s and St. Paul, Apostle North students were led through a series of experiments to develop their scientific skills particularly observation and analysis. Prior to COVID, our primary schools were involved in a variety of curriculum programs at St. John’s so it was good to see them back and school life getting back to normal.
Student Free Day – June 1
St. John's will close on June 1 to allow staff to participate in a series of professional learning activities including:
• Behaviour Management in the Classroom
• Building Literacy Skills
• Leading Effective Teams and crucial conversations
• Working with Disabilities Standards Modules and NCCD
• ICT Skill Development – Reports and SEQTA
Professional Learning days like this are important as we support staff in the development of their skills and professional capacity to enhance the learning outcomes of our students.
Whole School Approach to Literacy
Our teachers have been working hard on developing literacy strategies for their students throughout the year. Literacy, as we all understand, is a foundation for learning confidence and success for all our students. Literacy has a number of components including writing, grammar, spelling and comprehension (reading). This year we are looking at the ways we can improve the reading comprehension of our students in each of our subject areas.
The goal is to give students several different ways of thinking about what they read to improve their comprehension of keys words and concepts. Unless they understand what they have read they will not be able to progress in their learning.
Our teachers, under the leadership of Dr Biggin, Mr Gordon, Ms Millership, Ms Heldt and our learning Coaches, have been working to develop the following literacy strategies in each of their fields of study whether it be English, Maths or Technology:
Our Whole-School Reading Strategies are:
1. Making Connections
2. Visualising
3. Questioning
4. Inferring
5. Summarising
6. Synthesising
For more information on some of the reading techniques we are using with our students please see the attached document from the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE) which our Year 7-9 Curriculum Programs Leader, Adam Gordon, has contributed to. The document is an excellent starting point for a discussion with your children as to what helps them read for understanding.
Exams
The Semester 1 exam period will commence on Thursday June 2 and conclude on Friday June 10. Students from year 8 to Year11 will be involved in a range of assessment tasks that will form part of their teacher’s assessment of their learning progress throughout Semester 1. In preparation for their exams, I encourage all students to revise their notes and test their understanding of the key connects and skills that were learnt over Semester 1. I also encourage students to access our free tutor service while they are studying for exams. Our tutors are available remotely during the exam period on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and students can book through our website via the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=876338&
