Dear St John's Community,

Welcome back to Term 3, this one is pretty busy with Parent-Teacher Meetings, Book Week, Father's Day and Footy Day not to mention all the other things going on!

The start of a new term can be a highly stressful time for students, families or even staff. Families may be feeling unsure about how to best support their child’s learning and wellbeing during these times. We aim to be supportive of all members of our community. I'd like to present a short piece from a child therapist and parent coach.

Separation Anxiety – Let them go! - How to Manage Tearful Drop-Offs – Here’s why your kid might be struggling and how to handle it.

(Sarina Behar Natkin)

As each school year starts, we notice parents struggling during morning drop-offs. Children are often in tears, and parents, unsure of what to do, may waver between frustration and guilt. It’s tempting to stick around or peak through the classroom windows, hoping to see your child settle. It’s also tempting to sneak out, thinking that by doing so, it will be easier for your child. However, neither of these strategies works well. The long, drawn-out goodbyes increase the anxiety in our children, and the quick ducking-out plays into their greatest fears about being left. Instead, create a goodbye ritual with your child, for example, give those last hugs and kisses, and tell him you can’t wait to see them after school.

With separation anxiety, the longer the goodbye, the longer the anxiety will stay. If parents stay around for long periods of time, the child’s amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for anxiety) will have hope that the separation won’t happen, and it will keep the fight or flight response going. Once parents leave, the amygdala begins to stop firing. Only then can your young one’s brain and body rest. The neurochemical surge that is driving the physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms of anxiety will start to neutralise and their anxiety will start to ease. The sooner this happens, the sooner your child can settle and get on with the day.

There might be big tears when you leave, and that’s okay. These tears are a sign that the brain is moving to adaption, which lies at the heart of resilience. It’s never easy watching someone you love so much in distress, but remind yourself that they are safe, that the tears will pass quickly, and that you are providing the experience that will build resilience and courage and show them they can do hard things.

Children can go through phases of these experiences and the important thing is consistency. Of course, as with anything, if it continues or they are unable to develop their own self-regulation that may be a sign that you need to seek further help with your child.

Trivia Night

LAST CHANCE!! Deadline extended to Monday 16th, 12pm! Saturday 29th July - 6-9pm

Trybooking Link here

Prayer for the School Term

Dear God,

We start this new term with hearts filled with gratitude and hope. We thank You for the gift of education and the opportunity to grow in knowledge and understanding.

We pray for all the new students joining us this term and for all our students, may You grant them the wisdom to learn, the courage to face challenges, and the determination to persevere. Help them to develop a love for learning and a curiosity that fuels their intellectual growth.

We also pray for the teachers and staff who will guide and nurture these young minds. Grant them patience, compassion, and wisdom as they impart knowledge and instil values in their students.

May they find joy and fulfilment in their vocation and be empowered to make a positive impact on the lives of those they teach.

We ask for a safe and conducive environment for learning. Protect the students, teachers, and all members of our school community from harm, both physical and emotional. Surround them with Your love and shield them from distractions and negative influences.

Let our school community be a place of acceptance, respect, and inclusivity, where each member feels valued and supported.

We pray for the parents and guardians of the students. Grant them wisdom and strength as they nurture and guide their children. Help them to be actively involved in their child's education, encouraging and supporting them along the way.

Finally, we surrender this new school term into Your hands, trusting that You will be with us every step of the way. May this term be a time of growth, discovery, and achievement. May it be filled with moments of joy, friendship, and inspiration. And may all that we do bring honour and glory to You.

Amen

A Special Request to St John's Mothers.

Dear Mothers of St John's Parish Community,

I hope you are all well. I'm writing this to kindly invite you, to get to know more about the movement "Mothers Who Pray for their Children" which gives support in so many ways to families who are need, especially mothers and carers. I humbly ask you that for a moment you put yourself in my shoes. I've been back to Australia for just a bit more than 2 years and never lived in VIC before. This means all the people I know I have never met before. Coming from another country, even when you become a citizen, is hard. People tend to be nice to you but don't give you much credit or attention, nor go further in wanting to participate with you in things you feel are important. I really feel sometimes like St Paul on the way to Damascus, after he heard the Lord and went blind. Of course, we all know how this passage finishes, we get to keep perseverance and prayer.

I know these are difficult times for Catholic evangelisation and let's face it, families in general don't really want to get together and pray, especially when we are time-poor. But what I see is that in fact, people have forgotten or simply don't know enough about Catholic Faith.

Having said that, we live by faith, not by sight. Faith, is God's gift, something we forget to share out of the Church's walls sometimes. The faith I've been granted and pray to be increased leads me fearlessly to plead to my community fellows, or as I like to say, to my brethren in Christ.

So, please, I welcome you to come to one of our meetings on Thursday's at 4pm at the St Francis Xavier Church Chapel and experience this ministry that leads us to reignite and reignite our spiritual motherhood for our children. I need your help, my friends in Christ, and would love to have the chance to know you better.

Currently, we are 5 parish groups and 1 school group at JPC. Please join us.

In Christ,

Carolina Cetenareski (St Francis Xavier Church)

Mothers Who Pray for Their Children

AUSTRALIA COORDINATION

INSTAGRAM - MOTHERS

FACEBOOK - MOTHERS

YOUTUBE - MOTHERS CHANNEL

Congratulations to Ben in 5/6 who was previously selected and played in the U12 Rugby Victoria State Team over the holidays. The team travelled to Queensland to participate in the championships and won the grand final! Awesome! I know a lot of hard work, extra training, and even sleep routines and proper diet was essential to Ben's preparation for the events.

Parent-Teacher Interviews:

These are booked for Week 3, Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th July. Student's finish at 1pm on Monday 24th July and interviews start at 2pm. Students unable to be collected will be supervised by specialist teachers until 3.15pm. On Tuesday 25th July interviews run from 3:30 - 5:00pm. Please check your email for booking details.

Q: What's the difference between Mr B and a train?

A. Mr B says "take that gum out of your mouth," but the train says "Chew, chew, chew."

Q. How do you know Mr B likes fish?

A. He works in a school.

Q. What should you do if Mr B rolls his eyes at you?

A. Pick them up and give them back to him!

Sad jokes I know! But hopefully, they gave you a chuckle and helped your brain generate some endorphins which might just put a smile on your dial and improve your day!

Kind regards,

Derek Bruitzman

Principal

New School website

Marty's Cybersafety: Parent Toolkit

St John's Playgroup