Newsletter - 17th July 2024

At the end of Term Three, the Year Four students participated in Minute to Win it activities to celebrate all their hard work and efforts throughout the term. During the afternoon, they had to complete a series of activities that tested their general knowledge and skills. The students had the best time working with their teammates and making lots of memories. The teachers even tried to show off their own skills!

Metric Measurement Mania!

Year Six has started the term exploring the metric measurement system. As well as learning how to convert between units, we’ve also had the opportunity for some practical activities. Students were able to test both their ‘sporting’ ability and knowledge of measurement conversions when they competed in the ‘Metric Measurement Olympics’, with events such as the right-handed marble grab, left-handed sponge squeeze, paper plate discus, straw javelin and cotton ball shotput.

Can you name The Ten Commandments? This was our opening question for Religion in Year Seven this term and the students did particularly well (though no one could name all ten)!

This term, students will focus on The Ten Commandments and how these affirm our relationship with God. They will examine how these ancient Commandments fit into our modern life.

One of our first activities was for students to rank the Commandments in order of importance for today’s society. Interestingly, most students ranked ‘Honour your mother and father’ as the second most important Commandment. We really hope that the Year Seven parents are benefiting from this point of view!

Last term in our Year 10 Visual Art class, students created multiculturally inspired ceramic masks. Students initially learnt about the history, purposes and uses of various masks from around the world before designing and creating their own artworks, by applying their knowledge and understanding of ceramic materials, techniques and processes. The students had a lot of fun during the unit and created some amazing pieces. Well done, students!

Our Year 11 Biology students have been working diligently on their Unit 2 research reports, demonstrating both dedication and enthusiasm in their studies. This unit, which delves into the processes of homeostasis in the human body and the spread of infectious diseases, has challenged students to apply their knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Students have chosen captivating topics for their research report, diving into research about a variety of vaccinations for diseases like whooping cough, polio and Covid-19 or looking into how competing in extreme sports affects the human body. We can’t wait to read their drafts that are due in Week Two!

As they continue through the semester, we look forward to seeing more impressive achievements from our Year 11 Biology students. Keep up the great work!

In Week Ten, Term Two, nearly 1000 students, teachers and parents joined together at All Saints Church to celebrate St John’s Day and our annual Leadership Mass. The patron saint of our school, John the Baptist, sets a brilliant example for all at St John’s. John the Baptist was a bold, unconventional man. He challenged the status quo and fought for the rights of the poor. He was not scared to challenge those in power – such as the pharisees or King Herod. He was honest, brave, truthful and a real role model for all of us at St John’s.  The highlight of our Mass was the whole school singing of the cult favourite song, ‘John and Jesus’, telling the story of the life of John the Baptist. It was a truly joyful moment to have so many voices in unison!

The induction of the new Student Leadership Team during the Mass was also a special moment. The transition from the old to the new Leadership Team was a powerful moment, and one that was made more special by having the whole school body witnessing it. We wish the new Leadership Team the best of luck in their coming 12 months.

Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

During a school week, students have many social-emotional experiences. For some, this is an exciting learning experience; however, for others, it can be quite stressful, particularly if a young person is experiencing some underlying mental health challenges. It may look different in each household, but designating time to reflect on social-emotional well-being will not only help you optimise your mental state, but research suggests it also helps boost your immune system!

I am writing today to let you know about a wonderful new free online program, called Momentum. Momentum is Australia’s most comprehensive self-help digital mental health program that brings vital evidence-informed treatments, tools and techniques to the fingertips of children and adolescents (7-17) who are experiencing common mental health issues.

Momentum offers tailored online treatment programs to help learn new ways to cope with feelings of anxiety and/or unhappiness. Momentum also offers help with sleep difficulties, as well as information on well-being and help-seeking, and tips and information about substance use for adolescents.

Momentum has been designed in collaboration with young people, parents, clinicians and researchers. The program is free to use in Australia and can be worked through at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home.

Want a better overview, explore the site here Momentum (momentumhub.org.au) and check out the short videos that overview the program for 7-12 year olds, 13-17 year olds, or on the parent page.

Also feel free to check out School Counsellor Connect, St John’s very own social-emotional resource bank to help you support your child’s social-emotional well-being. There are resources available on a variety of topics. https://sway.cloud.microsoft/Fcp1uabG1jAYyfbD?ref=Link

Wishing you and your family health and happiness,

Sarah Clear

School Counsellor

During Week Ten of Term Two and the school holidays, we had several students participate in the School Based Work Experience Program.

Thank you to the following Host Employers for the support, time and workplace experience that they offered to our students.

On Thursday 20^th June, our Prep to Year Three students celebrated Under Eights Day.  Under Eights Week is a Queensland-based annual event that celebrates the first eight years of children’s lives and  encourages learning through play. It highlights the importance of play-based learning and gives us all the opportunity to think of creative ways to help children enjoy learning. 

This year’s theme was ‘Connecting to culture through play’.

Our Prep to Year 3 students participated in a meaningful liturgy that allowed us to make connections to the message of Jesus that acknowledges the valuable contribution that children make in our community.  They then embarked on fun play activities provided by our very generous community groups. We had a fantastic morning exploring and participating in many activities which included making necklaces, bookmarks and crowns, face painting, patting cute wildlife, learning about road safety and exploring police vehicles, fire trucks and ambulance equipment.

We were so fortunate to have many local community groups join us for the day and we are always very grateful for their support.  Thank you to Qld Fire and Emergency Services – Roma, Rural Fire Service, Qld Ambulance Service – Roma, Qld Police Service – Roma, Maranoa Wildlife Caring and Education Centre, Roma Hospital: Primary and Community Care, Healthy Communities – Roma, Susie Klein, Department of Transport – Roma Road Safety and Origin Energy who also provided delicious fruit platters for the children to enjoy. Thank you also to our wonderful school officers and Work Experience students and teachers who ran activities on the day.

The day was a fun celebration of the importance and value of play and exploration in the Early Years.

Natalie Beattie

Middle Leader Early Years

At the beginning of the June/July holidays, 20 boys headed north to Townsville for a week of rugby league at the 2024 Confraternity Shield. The group of boys had been training since the beginning of Term One, in preparation for the opportunity to compete against schools from all over Queensland. The boys played six games of football over the week, in both rain and sunshine. They were able to support the QISSN girls in their campaign and were able to attend the WNRL State of Origin Decider. It was a great week and the Confro boys did St John’s very proud. A big thank you to the officials who also helped throughout the week: Mr & Mrs Edwards, Mr Creeley, Mr Penrose, Mr Anderson, Mr Coonan, Mr Crawford and Mr Doig.

Results

26-10 Win V Faith Lutheran College

14-28 Loss V Unity College

0-16 Loss V McAuley College

6-12 Loss V McAuley College

8-28 Loss v Gilroy Santa Maria College

14-14 Draw V Faith Lutheran College 

In the first week of the June/July holidays, the St John’s 1^st VII Netball team travelled to Townsville to compete in the annual QISSN competition. The team represented our school with pride, resilience and sportsmanship. Please enjoy the highlights below.

The QISSN team started out with a bang! Day One saw us with two wins against Blackheath and Thornburgh College, Charters Towers and St Mary’s Catholic College Kingaroy. Our third game was tough, with a loss against St Augustine College, Augustine Heights.

Day Two began with another win over Fraser Coast Anglican College, Hervey Bay. Our second game was a thrilling game, keeping the score close until our team fought hard and won by one goal against All Souls Saint Gabriels.

Day Three saw the girls play an amazing game of netball, drawing 16 all to the team at the top of our pool, Southern Cross Catholic College, Charters Towers. In our second game, we went down to Emmaus College, Jimboomba.

In the quarter and semi-final rounds, St John’s lost to St James Lutheran College, Hervey Bay and St Michael’s College, Merrimac. However, we came back strong for the Grand Final against Columba College to win by one goal, which placed us 7^th overall in Division 7.

Uniform Shop Hours:

Monday 2:00 - 4:30pm

Wednesday 8:00 - 10:30 am

Online:

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