St John's School Roma eNewsletter

Principal's Address

Student Leadership

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing exceptional Year 11 students vying to be the school leaders for 2024 – 2025. I was impressed by how they were already serving the school and the community and their plans for the future of our school. The new leaders were announced at Wednesday’s Mass in a meaningful ritual led by the Pastoral leaders. Congratulations to Erica Cranston and Ethan Ewert, our new School Captains, and to our House Prefects, Allie Ey, Hayley Thornthwaite-Wells, Matilda Rudd, Justin Perske, Henry Pollock and Anea Fernandez. Well done to them; we look forward to seeing the talents they bring to the roles.

We are also very proud of the job done by our departing leaders over the past year. They were given a gift on Wednesday to show our appreciation, and I wanted to leave them with a profound quote about leadership to inspire them to lead into the future. After doing some googling, I came upon the following,

‘Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow.’

I can think of many times our leaders have done this. Our leaders have volunteered at every opportunity to give a speech, run assemblies, run activities such as student fundraisers, participate in Masses and liturgies, and advocate for the students at this school. They have been the drivers of House spirit in each of our Houses. Each time, having courage and putting themselves out there to get others involved and to make our school better. I feel like they do so much more than this, though, so I kept looking.

‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’

This quote was well represented when the new leaders were being interviewed for their roles and many of them mentioned a leader from the past as having a profound impact on their schooling journey and how they had inspired them to be leaders themselves. It is the way that our leaders have treated the other students at this school and modelled how to be students of excellence that will inspire them into the future.

This is the one I settled on though.

‘Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.’

Watching the leaders interact with students at the P-3 Athletics Carnival, it was obvious that their presence made them better. The younger students fed off the enthusiasm and support of the older students. As for their lasting impact, our leaders have been working to raise money for a number of initiatives, including a water bubbler for the basketball court, House signage to put around the school to drive House spirit, free sanitary items for female toilets, a green team to ensure items are being recycled and many more. We hope to see all these projects finished before the end of the year but the work of our leaders will make this place better for the students who follow. Their impact will be lasting.

Thank you Erl Nino, Ella, Tayla, Grace, Leo, Alex, Taylor and Sateki. You have done yourselves and St John’s proud in your time as leaders.

Showcase

The Showcase was a wonderful celebration of the talents of our students. Well done to Sami Rogers, and Gracie Gibbs for their work in preparing and running the night with our leaders; to Carmel Treasure for her work with the choir; Cathy Cooper for the lighting and sound and Michael Cahill for his work with the band. Thank you to all who attended and helped us raise funds for our Arts programs and Dance Troupe.

Cheers,

Mark

Prep Farm Day

Year Three Maths

This term, we have covered the topics of money, calculating change, probability and chance, and graphing. In particular, students loved creating their own spinner to work out the chance of the pin landing on a certain wedge!

Students engaged well in hands-on money activities. Students were given the opportunity to calculate and estimate change as the cashier when they were given money from their customer. This related directly to real-world experiences and was great exposure for students who had never seen cash before.

For one part of the Maths assessment, students thoroughly enjoyed graphing how many M&Ms were in one bag and explaining the likelihood of certain colours being selected.

Overall, this unit has been full of hands-on, authentic and real-world experiences which has kept students engaged.

Primary Art

This semester in Art, students have investigated different art forms across the ages, from Aboriginal Art to Post Impressionism and Pop Art. Students have investigated the different techniques the artists used to create their masterpieces. Students have enjoyed learning about the many different art forms that have existed over the years.

Year Eight Religion

Throughout this term in Religion, the students in Year Eight have been learning about the Sacrament of Baptism. They enjoyed visiting a number of different churches in Roma and learning about how Baptism occurs in each of these churches. The students enjoyed asking questions and learning about different denominations of Christianity and exploring the similarities and differences between them. Learning about ‘Ecumenism’ was also a focus back in the classroom, in particular, what it looks like to uphold unity between faiths within our own school community.

Furthermore, the students also learnt about the Trinity and what it means for God to be ‘three in one’. We looked at some interesting illustrations of an egg and an apple to help us explore the concept of there being one God made up of three different parts.

Queensland Opera – Do We Need Another Hero?

Queensland Opera recently made a delightful stop in Roma, bringing the magic of opera to the heart of the community. The audience was treated to a unique experience of pieces ranging from Pop, Country to Opera which were all surrounding a ‘hero’ theme. One of the highlights of this visit was the opportunity for locals to participate in the community choir, adding their voices to the rich tapestry of the performance. These St John’s staff members and students were lucky enough to be able to perform on stage alongside the opera singers: Miss Cathy Cooper, Ms Judith Symonds, Mrs Catherine Vaughan, Erl Ren Solana, Mariyah Hall, Angelina Manliguez and Archer Fababaer.

Being involved in the community choir was a truly wonderful experience for all participants. It not only provided a platform for individuals to showcase their talents but also fostered a sense of camaraderie and togetherness among the diverse members of the community. As we rehearsed and performed alongside the professional opera singers, there was a sense of pride and excitement in the air. For many of us, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of something truly special, celebrating the universal language of music. Thank you to Miss Cathy Cooper and Mrs Carmel Treasure who made this opportunity possible by organising lunchtime rehearsals to ensure we gained the most out of the experience.

Most Noteworthy Student

Kaitlyn Webb, a standout student from T3, has swiftly become a noteworthy figure in South West sports. Recently representing her region in netball and touch football, Kaitlyn has demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication. Her passion shines brightest on the netball court, where she plays the Goal Attack (GA) and Goal Shooter (GS) positions, and is known for her agility, precision and strategic play.

In addition to her achievements in netball and touch football, Kaitlyn is set to participate in the South West Cross Country team in Brisbane later this year. Balancing multiple sports while maintaining high performance in each, Kaitlyn exemplifies commitment, competitive spirit, and the ability to inspire her teammates, marking her as a true sportswoman.

School Officer Day

Every year, on the second Wednesday of June, we come together to recognise the indispensable role played by our School Support Staff. These dedicated professionals are the unsung heroes who keep our schools operating seamlessly, ensuring that students thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. From skilled administration professionals, laboratory technicians and IT support specialists to friendly classroom assistants, diligent grounds staff and resourceful library staff - to name a few - our School Officers work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our school keeps running smoothly.

Let’s take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to these remarkable individuals who contribute significantly to the success of our schools! ?

Wednesday 8:00 - 10:30 am

Please note the uniform shop will not be open over the school holidays. However will be open Monday 8th July 2:00pm - 4:30pm (Pupil Free Day).

Online:

https://theschoollocker.com.au/schools/st-johns-catholic-school

Newsletter - 20th June 2024