Principal's Report

Dear St John's Community,

Does anyone else feel like we've squeezed several weeks into the last couple? I sure do! Lots to cover today, so let's get into it!

Fr Chinua & Parish welcome back

Please read the following letter from Fr Chinua welcoming you back to the new year. Please note the change of the mass time in the letter. The mass is now at 11.45am.

Speed Skater making his mark

I just want to highlight a particular achievement by one of our own over the Christmas holidays. 

Jonathan C (aka Jono to many of his friends)

travelled with his family to Perth for the National Speed Skating Competitions.

Jonathan has only recently started speed skating and it turns out he's a bit of a natural!

Despite being one of the youngest competitors and having to race against kids in the under-15s, Jonathan still achieved the following outstanding results:

200 meter Time trials: Rank= 10th in Australia

3000 meters : Rank = 10th in Australia. 

1000 meters:  Rank = 4th in Australia

5000 meters: Rank = 11th in Australia

Well done, Jonathan!

Assembly

I apologise we have not communicated very clearly on assemblies this term. They have been a bit up in the air because of our limited capacity to use the hall.

We did try using the church last week as it was not going to work very well doing it outside and this was marginally successful.

We will have our assembly next Friday in the church at 2.30pm also.

After that, due to a school closure and Good Friday, we only have one more assembly for the term. We will potentially try another format for that one but we will keep you informed.

A very big thank you to Nicole and Conor who did a wonderful thing today for all the kids and teachers at the school and rolled their Ice-cream van into the playground and provided free gelati for everyone! Sooo yummy, sooo good, on a very hot day! Thank you!!!!

Camps

I just want to remind everyone of the current situation with camps at St John's. These were put in place in 2020. 

Grade 3s and 4s participate in a series of adventure days we call 'Wominjeka Day Camps'. These days do not include an overnight stay.

Grade 5/6s attend a 3 or 4-day camp every second year and a Faith and Leadership day on the alternate year.

These changes were made after extensive community consultation. Due to Covid, these processes were unable to begin until last year. 

In regard to the Wominjeka Day Camps, we trialled these in 2022 for the first time and found them to be very successful and a lot less stressful not only for staff but for many parents and students too. They are also a lot cheaper and the students actually engage in more activities on those days than they would if they attended an overnight camp.

Given the changes to staffing arrangements and requirements that have come into place this year, this approach continues to provide a very positive and achievable solution for everyone involved.

We do recognise that for some parents the thought of sending kids away for an overnight stay is different and unique. At present, we feel that the Wominjeka Day Camps are more beneficial and certainly just as exciting in their nature and in the activities, as an overnight camp would be, without the added stresses and anxieties that often occur on these overnight camps for those age groups.

Can't help myself...bad habits

I guess Billy Fields was ahead of his time when it comes to habits!

These days, we talk about habits in light of neurodiversity and how the brain works.

We all tell ourselves at times that we are going to change a certain habit or establish a new habit, e.g. I'm going to change how I eat, I'm going to stop smoking, I'm going to stop or start this or that and often these decisions fail.

When we try and start again it's harder to consider doing it.

Neuroscientists will tell us it is because we need to engage in 'habit stacking'.

At the 2008 Olympic games, the British Cycling team dominated and won 60% of the gold medals available. Their coach adjusted a small thing for each rider in the team to achieve the overall result. This is called the aggregation of marginal gains. This simply translates to:

Instead of focusing on big leaps (big changes in habits), focus on what can be done to make a small but important difference and keep doing these until the larger change is realised.

How does this work? Build new routines around habits you already have.

For example, you want to do more exercise. Pick something you already do and add to it. E.g. While drying your hair could you stand on one leg at the same time and then once you are doing this add 10 squats onto this habit? 

For this approach to work, don't try too many things at once and don't stack anything on until that step becomes part of the habit.

Albert Einstein once said, "Outer changes always begin with inner changes of attitude".

Community Warning - Mosquitoes

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV) and the departments of Health and Education wish to advise parents of the increased risks mosquito bites may incur after the recent heavy rain season.

Recent wet and warm weather has increased mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes can carry diseases that may be passed on to people through mosquito bites. A range of mosquito-borne diseases have recently been detected in mosquitoes in northern Victoria.  Mosquito-borne diseases can cause serious illness, including infections of the brain, with children particularly at risk.

The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid mosquito bites. 

In line with community health advice, families can protect against mosquito bites by:

• using insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin if outdoors when mosquitoes are observed, from October to March
• wearing long, loose-fitting clothing outdoors if possible if mosquitoes are around and covering exposed skin as much as possible. Summer school uniforms, including polos and shorts, can continue to be worn, but students should use insect repellent on exposed skin if mosquitoes are active
• limiting outdoor activity when mosquitoes are active.

Further information

• A handy guide to help protect you and your family from mosquito-borne disease
• Better Health Channel information about preventing mosquito-borne diseases.

Lent and Reconciliation

Loving God,

help us to teach our children that you love us totally and unconditionally. 

Help us to encourage our children to grow in love and to learn how to say sorry, knowing that you always forgive. 

Give us the courage to pray with our children and to share our faith with them as we journey together. 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Amen

Jokes for the weekend!

Q. What dso you get if you cross a snake with a plane?

A. A Boeing Constrictor

Q. What do you call a snake who works for the government?

A. A civil serpent.

Q. What snakes live in your car?

A. Windscreen Vipers

Enjoy the weekend.

Derek Bruitzman

Principal