Newsletter - 29th August 2024
- Principal's Address
- Year One Mathematics
- Year Three English
- 7 – 12 Art Exhibition
- Year Eight ICT
- Year Ten Outdoor Education
- Year Twelve Retreat
- Marian - Most Noteworthy Student
- Xaverian House Update
- QAMT Maths Quiz 2024
- Opti-MINDS
- First Communion – All Saints
- Walk of Art
- Uniform Shop Opening Hours
- Tuckshop
The past couple of weeks have been a testament to the strength and unity of our school community. With a series of events that brought together students, parents, staff and extended family members, we have once again proven that our collective efforts can create memorable and impactful experiences for all.
The Book Week Parade was a colourful showcase of creativity and literary appreciation. Students, dressed as their favourite book characters, paraded around the P&F Multi-Purpose Centre, proud of their costumes and designs. Thank you to Ms Emma Wilkes, who organised the event ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Grandparents Day followed, a heartwarming occasion that allowed students to honour the special bond they share with their grandparents. The event was filled with laughter, stories and shared activities, strengthening the intergenerational connections within our community. Thank you to Belle Porter for organising this event. I was so impressed by the student performances in the choir and band. The whole day had a really positive and fun vibe.
St John's Race Day brought a different kind of excitement. It was great to see so many students and parents attend to support the work done by the P&F. Our P&F does excellent work for our school, including building the Multi-Purpose Centre and all the playgrounds and shade cloths you see around the school; they support our sporting teams, buy valuable class resources, and help to ensure that no child at St John’s misses out on an opportunity. The success of this event was made possible by the tireless efforts of parent volunteers. Special thanks must go to Monique Rashford, who took responsibility for the organisation of the event.
These events are more than just dates on our calendar; they are a celebration of our community's spirit and commitment. None of this would be possible without the generous donation of time and energy by our staff and parents. Their willingness to volunteer not only ensures the success of each event but also sets a powerful example for our students about the value of community involvement.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making these events a success. Your contributions are deeply appreciated and have made a lasting impact on our St John’s community.
Cheers,
Mark
This term, the Year One students have been developing their knowledge and understanding associated with simple addition and subtraction. They have learnt how to interpret a ‘Number Story’, for example, ‘Mr Watson had six chickens and purchased three more.’ The students have learnt to identify what the information in the number story is telling them, to help them decide whether they need to add or subtract the numbers in the story and then write their number sentence to show an answer such as, 6 + 3 = 9. They then consolidated their learning further by drawing or using objects to match their number story.
The students have continued to investigate the benefits of knowing the features of a Hundreds Board by skip counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. They have been busy developing their awareness of the patterns that are contained in a Hundreds Board and have recently completed a Hundreds Board Jigsaw Puzzle task where they used this knowledge.
In Week Seven, the students engaged in a data collection activity where they were required to locate and count in Tally Marks the number of’ Where’s Wally’ characters they could find in the Primary Quad Area. They then used this information to create a graph. This week, the students were required to interpret the data that was collected by answering specific questions.
Mr Brennan, Mrs Brennan and Mrs Maunder
Year One Teachers
Congratulations to our secondary students whose work is currently displayed in St John’s Art Exhibition in the Walk of Art at the Roma Community Arts Centre. Consisting of artwork representing Years 7 to 12, the exhibition comprises of a wonderful and diverse range of mixed media, painted, printed and sculptural pieces exploring concepts such as ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Self’. The exhibition remains open to the general public from the 2nd September until the 2nd of November.
In the second half of our ten week elective on Information Communication Technology (ICT) students learnt about using websites to communicate information. We studied appropriate communication of personal information, correct use of images found online and how to structure information using some simple HTML tags for headings and paragraphs which we found was quite different to using a word processor. The emphasis of this Unit on Digital Solutions is all about being ICT literate which is an important job ready skill. Here are two examples of Year Eight student work from this term.
Throughout this term, students have explored various components of fitness, including muscular strength, endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular health. The theory lessons have provided the students with foundational knowledge, covering topics such as the importance of setting fitness goals, understanding different types of exercises and learning how to design a balanced gym program.
In practical sessions, students have taken this theory into action, participating in gym circuits tailored to different fitness outcomes. They have had the opportunity to work with a range of equipment, from free weights to resistance bands and have engaged in exercises that target specific areas such as strength, endurance and flexibility. The hands-on experience has not only helped the students develop their personal fitness but also enabled them to gain confidence in navigating a gym environment.
One of the key highlights of this unit has been the students’ task of creating a personalised gym program for hypothetical clients. This assignment required them to consider the unique needs and goals of different individuals, ranging from beginners looking to improve their overall fitness to more advanced clients focused on specific areas like strength training or cardiovascular endurance. Through this process, students have learned the importance of adaptability and the necessity of tailoring fitness programs to meet diverse needs.
The Year Ten Outdoor Education class needs to be commended for their dedication and enthusiasm in this unit.
Recently, Year 12 students took part in the ‘Emmaus Retreat’, a significant milestone as they near the end of their school journey. The group, along with their teachers, spent three days at Lake Perseverance Dam engaging in reflection, storytelling and bonding.
During the retreat, they explored various themes such as key life milestones, coping with life’s challenges, and seeing God’s presence in the world around them. This retreat also offered the Year 12 students a chance to spend quality time together, one of their final moments before exams begin and school concludes.
The experience was both meaningful and enjoyable for everyone involved. A big thank you to the teachers who supported the students throughout this retreat: Miss Bradford, Mr Brown, Mr Creeley and Miss Tiley.
Trisha Parker
APFM
On Wednesday 31st July, St John’s hosted the 2024 QAMT Maths Quiz. The competition catered for Years 5/6 and Years 7/8 students. 13 teams from St John’s and the Roma State College participated in the Years 5/6 category and 10 teams participated in the Years 7/8 category. All teams demonstrated amazing teamwork skills, respectful behaviour and outstanding mathematical knowledge.
We would like to sincerely thank Mrs Purssell for acting as ‘Quiz Master’, Mrs Schuss for organising the quiz, Mrs Ikin and Mrs McElroy as chief score keepers, Mr Corkett, Miss Tilbury, Miss Bryan, Mrs Row, Miss Cusack, Ruby Ferrier and Lucy Jury as chief marshals, Mr Thompson for IT, Miss Carroll for the PP and photography, and Mr Tiley and Mrs Irwin for lunch.
1st place in the Years 7/8 category were Yasmin Bond, Eli Purssell and Jack Freeman.
2nd place in the Years 7/8 category were Faith Iseppi, Vanessa Abil and Alara Grantham.
3rd place in the Years 7/8 category was a tie between George Holland, Isaac Marsh and Abigail Thornthwaite and a Roma State College team.
1st place in the Years 5/6 category was William Stanford, Kianzie Cruz and Sophia Parker.
2nd place in the Years 5/6 category was Jonty Purssell, Archie Densley and Jaxson Richards.
3rd place in the Years 5/6 category was a tie between Elly Burey, Adelaide Clark and Elsa Smith and a Roma State College team.
On Sunday, the All Saints community gathered to celebrate a significant milestone in the spiritual lives of 15 young children: their First Communion. First Communion is a cherished sacrament in the Catholic Church, marking the first time children receive the Eucharist. It symbolises their deeper initiation into the faith and their growing relationship with Jesus Christ. This sacrament was the last of three in which the students were recently involved. They have been preparing for the sacrament for several weeks by attending classes led by Fr Tom. We congratulate the following students: Reka Cabulay, Jessica Cook, Seth Coutts, Matilda Crouchley, Aubree Davis, Annalise Ey, Kinsey Ey, Toby Flesser, Milla Forbes, Cooper Liston, Hannah Nixon, Samantha Nixon, Willow Prior, Sophia Spreadborough and Lucy Sutton.
The Sacramental Team would like to thank Father Tom for his on-going leadership while preparing the students for the Sacraments.
Our thanks also go to Mrs Carmel Treasure and her helpers for leading the music during Mass.
Toni Densley, Melissa Irwin and Nicole Southee – All Saints Sacramental Team
Uniform Shop Hours:
Monday 2:00 - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:00 - 10:30 am
Online:
https://theschoollocker.com.au/schools/st-johns-catholic-school
