Principal's Report
Horizons of Hope – Families as Partners
What is the role of families in Catholic School Communities?
I include an extract from “Horizons of Hope – Families as Partners “ produced by Catholic Education Melbourne. Horizons of Hope is an Education Framework for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. It has many facets which help guide the direction of education in Catholic schools. The link I provide today celebrates the partnership between home and school. In choosing a Catholic school, parents enter a partnership with the school in which there is shared privilege and responsibility for the child’s faith formation, learning and wellbeing. I encourage our parents when they have a spare moment to reflect on this foundation statement which is inspired by our Catholic Faith and traditions and which I believe sets us apart from other schools in the way we share this privilege and responsibility to educate our young people.
Monash University - Course Selection 2021
We have been advised by Monash University that our school has been listed as an under-represented school for 2021 University Course entry. This means that all domestic students at St John’s are eligible for the Monash Guarantee.
Monash Guarantee
The Monash Guarantee is an entry scheme that guarantees students a place in a Monash degree at a lower ATAR. To apply, students can submit a Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) VTAC application and choose their preferred Monash course. This will allow them to be considered for both the Monash Guarantee and SEAS.
Careers Co-ordinator Ms Leana Bailey has provided the full details of the Monash Guarantee and Scholarship program on SEQTA notices for our students and any queries can be discussed with their Learning Mentors and Ms Bailey on lbailey@sjrc.vic.edu.au.
Children with disability and early childhood education and care
As part of the 2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education 2005, the Australian Government is looking at how well the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) is known, understood and applied in early childhood education and care.
We want to hear about the experiences of children with disability and their parents in early childhood education and care, as well as the experience of educators in the early childhood education and care sector.
A discussion paper has been developed with guiding questions to help you have your say.
How can you get involved?
There are a range of ways you can share your views and ideas.
You can make a submission or complete the early childhood education and care questionnaire.
You can also register to get involved in a focus group, online discussion, or the webinar at the dedicated early childhood education and care Consultation Hub.
The consultations are open until 11.59pm AEST on Friday, 25 September 2020
For more information on how to get involved, email The Social Deck at engage@thesocialdeck.com or call 0491 617 118.
Catholic Students Youth Ministry in Australia (CYSMA) Fundraising
Aware of the tragic hardship experienced by families due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where people have lost family members, jobs and means of livelihood, our Year 11 CSYMA (Catholic Students Youth Ministry in Australia), has taken the initiative to support the college community during these tough times. We began sewing and selling face masks to raise funds to support those financially effected within our community. We have also sent letters of appeal to local supermarkets to support this initiative. We have so far raised about $500 with which we are intending to purchase gift cards from our local supermarkets that are to be distributed to families in need. We thank our St John's community for their contributions.
Year 11 Student Maria Hinen
Project Energy Save 2020
I attach the following thank you and certificate of acknowledgment from Year 12 Student Hriday Nayyar who is leading an Energy Save project with several students from at St John’s. The students have interviewed many students and staff on issues of energy consumption and conservation with the aim of reporting to the College Board at its October meeting.
The Project Energy Save 2020 Teams express a heartfelt gratitude to all the students and staff who have responded to our surveys and interviews. It is my pleasure to announce that we have received more than 18 staff interviews and 200 student responses for the surveys and interviews.
This acknowledgement certificate recognizes the efforts, focus and assistance that all members of St John’s have provided throughout the project. We also appreciate the variety opinions on electricity conservation, consumption and benefits of the Solar Panels installed at SJRC. I wish to acknowledge all the members of the SJRC Community for their loving support and assistance throughout the project.
Hriday Nayyar
Head Presenter
Project Energy Save 2020
St John’s Regional College Advisory Board - Annual General Meeting 25th of August
I advise our College community that the nomination of Mr Andrew Jorissen for the vacant parent position on the St Johns Regional College Board was received and endorsed at this week’s Annual General meeting. There being no other nominations for the vacant position, no election is required to be held and Mr Jorissen nomination will be formally ratified at next week’s meeting of the Association of Canonical Administrators.
Parent & Student Surveys: Step-up Program 2021
In our weekly remote learning survey, you will find a question requesting feedback from parents on a whole school step-up program in 2021. Several secondary schools are running a similar program which aims to engage students in their learning in the final weeks of the school year by elevating them to the following years course of studies. This will see all students from year 7 – 11 step-up in the last two weeks of the academic year to begin their next year’s course of studies. At St John’s we already run a head start for students in year 10 and Year 11 to commence their VCE Studies earlier , the Step-up Program would see all students follow the same routine with perceived benefits of greater levels of student engagement in their learning and a more focused finish to the school year.
Visual Science Challenge – Science Week
Science Week continued in the remote setting this year under the guidance of Innovations Captains Aaron Boak & Christopher Jorissen alongside our STEM Leader Mr Tim Lee. Everyday a simple challenge was emailed to the students at 5pm and the first 3 correct emails were guaranteed a prize pack on their return to school.
Some of the challenges included:
• Take a photo of a balanced stack/tower of 5 fruit/vegetables.
• Take a photo of a pen/pencil balanced at the end of a finger whilst holding up an upside-down glass of water.
• Get some string/wool and follow the instructions link below to make the string pattern shown.
Challenge: Make an animal out of food
Well done to all who were brave enough to undertake the Virtual Science Week Challenge.
College Awards Assembly
Last week, we conducted a Virtual Assembly to celebrate the achievements of our students from Semester 1. In this newsletter I have listed all the students who were acknowledged on that day for academic awards and stella awards and congratulate them on the work ethic and determination that was evident in their achievements. Running the assembly remotely presents some challenges and I wish to acknowledge and thank all staff and students who contributed to its production particularly Mr Swan and Mr Holewa. A link to the assembly is available to our community via our Facebook page.
Talent Quest 2020 is Coming!
Our long-awaited talent quest is finally emerging from lockdown. On the last day of term 3 our students will unleash their hidden talents through a virtual talent quest. We started this quest way back in term 1 when students from year 7-12 went through an extensive rehearsal and audition process to qualify only for the Talent quest to be postponed when we went into lockdown 1. Now nearing the end of lockdown 2, the Talent Quest Team headed by Arts & Engagement Leader Ms Tania Robinson have decided that it is time for our students to reach for the stars once more. Stay tuned for more details via our Learning Management System – SEQTA.
