Newsletter - 17th October 2025
- Principal's Address
- All Saints Parish Picnic Invitation
- Student Guide to SMAA
- What's on this Fortnight
- Raising Brave Kids in an Anxious World Webinar
- Year Two - Term Four
- QAMT Maths Competition Round Two
- Year Six Canberra Camp
- FILMING AT ST JOHN’S SCHOOL
- Position Vacant - St John's Kindergarten
- Gold Coast Titans All Schools Touch 2025
- Stymie Launches at St John’s School
- St John’s ‘Creative Juice’ Art Exhibition
- Crescendo Christmas Choir
- Uniform Shop Opening Hours
- Roma Duathlon
- School Crossing Supervisors Wanted
As a P-12 school community, our commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students remains our highest priority. For years, we've navigated the complexities of student life on campus, but a persistent challenge has been the negative online interactions that follow our children home. While we've seen great progress in teaching students to block and report harmful content, we continue to face a broader issue: the algorithms designed to manipulate their attention and expose them to misleading content.
We've seen firsthand the positive impact of setting firm boundaries with technology. When the government first announced the in-school phone ban, I was sceptical. Phone use in secondary schools had been firmly entrenched for years. However, the results have been remarkable. Our secondary lunch areas are once again filled with face-to-face interaction, and the constant pull of the screen has dramatically lessened during school hours. This success demonstrates that with clear boundaries and consistent expectations for all young people, we can create a healthier environment for our children.
As of 10 December 2025, a new Australian law will take effect, requiring individuals to be 16 years or older to hold an account on major social media platforms.
This law applies to platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, and X. Under this legislation, these companies are legally required to find and remove any existing accounts held by users under 16 and prevent them from creating new ones. The purpose is to make the online world safer for our kids while they develop the critical thinking skills and self-control required to navigate online spaces.
This law addresses a well-documented concern about the impact of unchecked technology on young people. Removing access to their smartphones during school hours was the first step. Being glued to the screen had created a state of "continuous partial attention" in our young people. Social media platforms then escalated this, creating systems engineered to be addictive. Their business model often rewards outrage and division to maximise user engagement, which has contributed to a rise in anxiety and depression. This new law is a crucial step in mitigating these risks.
As former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris stated, "All of us are jacked into this system. All of our minds can be hijacked. Our choices are not as free as we think they are."
We believe this change will bring several developmental benefits to our students by giving them more time to mature before being exposed to the pressures of social media.
- Without the burden of maintaining an online persona, students are freed from the constant pressure to perform and compare themselves to others. Many may even feel a sense of relief.
- The law will shield students from endless algorithm feeds that are designed to increase screen time and can expose them to harmful or inappropriate content.
- This legislation provides a critical window for students to build digital literacy and learn how to navigate the internet safely and responsibly before they create accounts at age 16.
I expect that this transition may cause frustration for some students. To help them understand their rights and the steps they need to take, we have attached the Student Guide provided by Ctrl+Shft (www.safeonsocial.com).
The guide explains how they can download their data (photos, videos, messages) before the December deadline.
Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher or our school's wellbeing team if you have any questions or concerns.
PARISH PICNIC
Please join us at the P&F shed at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, 1st November, for the Parish picnic. It promises to be a lovely evening. Fr. Anthony will lead an outdoor mass, and afterwards, we’ll enjoy a meal together in the shed. Catholic schools only began receiving government funding in 1964. Before this, from 1881, our school was solely funded by the parish. Events like the parish picnic are our opportunity to give back and support our parish, as they supported us in the early years.
Cheers,
Mark
On Tuesday, 14th October, some of our Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 students competed in Round Two of the QAMT Maths Quiz. Roma State College once again hosted the quiz, and all teams were prepared for the challenge. Each session tested the students’ understanding and knowledge of estimation, speed, and general mathematical concepts, working both as a team and individually.
All teams were amazing! The team spirit and camaraderie between both Roma schools were exceptional. The results in each division ended in favour of St John’s. Well done to all of the students who participated, and a massive thank you to those who stepped in at the last minute. Thank you for your dedication to the competition, your respect for the teachers and Senior Roma State College students who assisted, and the way you represented yourselves and your school.
Year 5/6 Round 2 Winners
1st – Saral Sharma, Zach Auld, Sophia Spreadborough
2nd – Geoff Murray, Tilly Wells, Olivia Burey
3rd – Reka Cabulay, Amelia Wilson, Heidi Bond
Year 7/8 Round 2 Winners
1st – Tristan Nel, Jonty Purssell, Rachael Bond
Tied 2nd – Isabel Cook, Lincoln Brown, Owen Pearce AND Isabel Shegog, Archie Densley, Caitlin Auld
Year 8 students – your time is done! We hope you have enjoyed this magical mathematical experience. Year 5/6/7 students – we look forward to seeing you compete again in 2026.
Special Thanks
Miss Barwick and Mrs McNulty – thank you for your support and assistance with organising this event.
Mr Corkett – thank you for organising our ‘last-minute’ competitor to get to the competition.
Mrs Schuss – thank you for being an amazing Maths Department Leader.
Mrs Purssell – thank you for being an amazing ‘Quiz Master’.
As previous Canberra trippers will attest, the week Year Six recently spent in Canberra was exciting, educational, inspirational and exhausting! Our days were busy and long as we tried to see and do as much as possible in our five days in the nation’s capital.
Our first stop on the trip was Dubbo, where we visited the zoo for a ‘behind the scenes’ early morning walk. It was then on to Parkes for lunch. After lunch, we continued our way to Canberra, arriving on Sunday evening. The next five days saw us visit Parliament House, Questacon, the Royal Australian Mint, Australian War Memorial, National Museum, National Gallery of Australia, Australian Institute of Sport, Museum of Australian Democracy, the Botanical Gardens, Electoral Education Centre, National Dinosaur Museum, National Library, National Archives, National Film and Sound Archives, Mt Ainslie and Cockington Green. We also popped down to Perisher for a day of fun in the snow! However, the highlight of our trip was visiting Government House, where we were fortunate enough to see the King and Queen of Tonga and have Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn come and speak with us.
A big thank you to Mrs Irwin, Mrs Densley, Mrs Hartfiel, Miss Morey, Mrs Sayer, Mr Brennan and Miss Chinnery for accompanying us on the trip. We hope they have as many wonderful memories of the week as we do!
On Friday, 24th October, representatives from Toowoomba Catholic Schools will be visiting St John’s School to conduct promotional filming aimed at highlighting teaching opportunities in regional areas.
The focus of the video shoot will be on our wonderful teachers here at St John’s. However, some students may be invited to appear in selected shots.
Please be assured that the media release preferences you indicated in your child/ren’s enrolment documentation will be respected.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the filming, please contact the school office.
We are extremely proud of our Gold Coast Titans All Schools participants, who once again represented St John's with outstanding sportsmanship and exemplary conduct both on and off the field. All Schools is the world’s largest touch football tournament, which welcomed over 530 teams from across Australia and beyond. This year, St John's proudly fielded Under 15 Boys and Under 15 Girls teams.
Throughout the tournament, our players consistently demonstrated humility and grace, celebrating victories and accepting defeats with dignity. They supported one another wholeheartedly, showed genuine respect for their opponents, embraced coaching feedback, and maintained a positive attitude.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the parents who made this experience possible. Your tireless efforts in transport, support, and encouragement from the sidelines are deeply appreciated. Special thanks also go to Mrs Sayer, Mr Brennan, Mrs McNulty, and Miss Barwick for generously giving their time and energy to ensure the success of this unforgettable week.
We look forward to next year’s tournament with enthusiasm, aiming to come back stronger and make an even bigger impact. Thanks for being part of this incredible journey.
St John’s School has recently introduced Stymie, an anonymous online notification platform that empowers students to speak up about bullying, cyberbullying, or other concerning behaviours.
Through Stymie (www.stymie.com.au), students can submit confidential reports that go directly to the school’s nominated wellbeing team. This allows staff to respond quickly and appropriately, while giving students a safe and supportive way to help themselves or others.
The platform was launched this term with presentations from Stymie representative Kristen, who spoke with students about how the platform works and the importance of looking out for one another.
Stymie — a word that means “to stop” — is designed to help stop bullying, cyberbullying, and other harmful behaviours by giving students a safe way to speak up and “say something”. It’s part of our broader commitment to creating a safe, inclusive, and caring school environment.
To learn more, visit https://about.stymie.com.au/
At Roma’s Walk of Art, one recent Spring Friday night,
The place was buzzing, pure sheer delight!
Amazing student art was admired, many drinks were poured,
The crowd was buzzing and spirits soared.
Chatter and laughter echoed throughout the night,
As orange and yellow citrus themed lights twinkled just right.
Congratulations to all the wonderful staff and students involved,
A night of celebration, their creativity truly evolved.
Do you love singing carols? Crescendo is forming our 2025 Christmas Carols Choir and would love for you to join us at one or all of our performances. Children are welcome in our choir but must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver who is also in the choir. There will be opportunities to practice with online materials and to join us for a full rehearsal on Sunday, 23rd November. Performance dates are scheduled for Sunday afternoon 30/11, Thursday evening 4th December, and Thursday evening 18th December. For more information, please call Karen Dawes on 0429 442 286 or email roma.singers@gmail.com.
Uniform Shop Hours:
Monday 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday 8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Online:
https://theschoollocker.com.au/schools/st-johns-catholic-school
Please note that the uniform shop is only open during the school term and closed on school holidays.