16 November 2023

Principal’s Message – Kate Ferguson

Parent Handbook

In preparation for the year ahead, we have made the Parent Handbook for 2024 available on our school website (School website > Parent Information > Parent Handbook).  The handbook identifies school processes and will be updated regularly throughout the year to include any changes.

Allied Health in 2024

We are aware that many children access allied health regularly at St John the Baptist and after consulting with many Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists there has been a resounding response that therapists feel a clinic setting is more beneficial than a school setting. At St John the Baptist, we are unable to offer any inside space and as such, children must have therapy at the lunch tables which can be unpleasant due to the nature of the weather or very distracting as other classes may be outside for sport or other loud lessons.

Please see advantages of clinic therapy from Catholic Schools Office Speech Pathologist, Jackie Parsons.

Clinic Setting:

Specialised Environment: Clinics are equipped with all the specialised tools and resources that are not be available in a school setting. This is beneficial for addressing specific therapy goals and providing a quieter, calmer & focused environment.

One-on-One Attention: In a clinic, therapists often work with individuals or small groups, allowing for more individualised attention and tailored interventions, without competing with the distractions of classes outside playing sport, conducting science experiments etc.

Consistency: Clinic settings typically offer a consistent environment where therapy sessions can be structured and scheduled regularly without interruptions from school activities.

Parent Involvement: Research has found that children have better outcomes in therapy where the parent is actively involved in the sessions, which is beneficial for carryover of skills at home.

Staff at St John the Baptist encourage all families who utilise therapy to re-consider clinic sessions. We are currently reviewing our “Therapy in Schools” policy and will convey this to the school community before the end of term.

Assistant Principal’s Message – Stacey Whiting

Semester 2 Reports 

School reports play a vital role in communicating students’ academic achievement, growth, and areas for further development to parents and caregivers. They serve as formal documentation of a student’s performance over a semester and provide valuable information to parents and carers, allowing them to track their child’s progress and understand areas that may require further support. Transparent and informative school reports promote open communication between parents, students, and teachers, fostering a collaborative learning environment. 

Our Semester 2 reports will reflect on outcomes and content that have been covered in Terms 3 and 4. Teachers use a variety of assessment data to gauge students understanding and progress in all key learning areas. By using a range of assessment tools such as formal assessments, projects, work samples, presentations and class participation, teachers can gather comprehensive insights into students’ abilities and areas for further improvement. Semester 2 reports go live on Compass on Friday 15^th of December. Parents can contact their child’s class teacher in Week 10 if they wish to discuss their child’s Semester 2 report.  

School Uniform  

Thank you to all students who come to school wearing the correct uniform. We often get compliments from our casual teachers about how lovely and presentable our students look! We understand that at times, shoes are misplaced, socks cannot be found, and particularly around this time of the year, students have outgrown their uniforms. We are very understanding that these things happen, but we do expect that parents and carers are taking the necessary steps to ensuring that students have the correct uniform, especially in going forward into 2024. 

Please note our uniform expectations as documented in our uniform policy below. 

• If students are unable to wear the correct uniform, please send in a note or email to the class teacher. 
• If students are not wearing the correct uniform, they will be verbally reminded about expectations of uniform. Students will be given a week to ensure that they are able to access the correct uniform. 
• If students continue to wear incorrect uniform, a letter / email through Compass will be sent home to parents by the class teacher identifying the uniform needing to be corrected. 
• Once this letter is sent home and time has been given for the correct uniform to be sought (one week), if the incorrect uniform is still being worn, parents and students will be asked to meet with a member of the Leadership team to discuss school uniform expectations. Class teachers to monitor the length of time from sending email home and uniform not being changed. 
• If you require any support in providing the school uniform for your students, please do not hesitate to contact the school.  

Religious Education – Chris Sheridan

Catholic Mission

Earlier this term our Minnie Vinnies team led our annual Socktober day in support of the missionary work of Catholic Mission. Through their efforts and the generosity of our students we were able to raise $462.25.

Yesterday our school received a lovely email from our Catholic Mission Diocesan Office as follows:

My reason for writing is to express thanks, on behalf of Sr Carolina and the people of Timor Leste, for your school's generous support of Catholic Mission during Socktober. I have seen the remittance from the Finance Office in the Catholic Schools Office (CSO) and was so humbled, and excited, to read that St John the Baptist at Maitland had raised $462.25. How wonderful is that!

A special thanks to Summer Norris and Steven Tiongco (Year 6) and to Scarlett Clydsdale, Owen Lee and Emma Larisch (Year 5) for doing an excellent job in promoting Socktober prior to the event.

Year 4 Formation Day   

Last week, Year 4 visited both St Mary’s Chapel and St John’s Chapel to learn more about our Catholic Heritage. We spent time exploring, asking questions and hearing about our common Catholic history. Miss Helen Kearney (St Mary’s) provided some excellent background about the Dominican presence in our schools. Following, are some comments from the children:

“I learned that the names on the wall in St Mary’s Chapel were the nuns from the past and when they were born and the date of their passing”.         Siobhan Martin 4B

“I learned that the snake is the symbol of the devil, and it was under Mary’s foot on a statue in the chapel and this represents Good beats Evil.”            Pat O’Toole 4W

“I found lots of different statues of Mary and Jesus in St Mary’s Chapel, and it was very interesting. They are very beautiful statues.”        Edie Dever  4W

“I learned that the symbols on the ceiling of St Mary’s Chapel are Irish. It was very interesting.”    Grace Larkman  4B

“I learned so much more about Saints. I have a better understanding.”    Zac Perkins  4B

“I learned that the Dominican Sisters are from Ireland. I found out that some of the statues are from Ireland. I loved all of it, but my favourite part was seeing St Mary’s Chapel.”   Zali Dorahy  4W

End of Year Liturgy

Parents are invited to join us as we celebrate the successes and blessings of our school year with our End of Year Liturgy. This will take place in our Hall on our last day – Friday 15^th December at 12:00pm.  We know it will be crowded, but we wanted the opportunity to all come together to recognise our many blessings, and to celebrate together. We hope you can come.

The End is Near . . .

This Sunday is the final Sunday in ordinary time, the 33^rd to be exact!  How ordinary is that?  Well, no, but it highlights that what follows will be extra – ordinary! Namely, the prelude to Christmas. The Sunday following will be Our Lord Jesus Christ – King of the Universe, followed by the 4 weeks of Advent.

Most weeks I post on Compass the Parish Bulletin – Saturday or Sunday – which contain the scripture readings for mass that weekend. These can be read in only a few minutes. I commend them to you. The gospels especially, contain many gems of inspiration, as well as offering insights into the teachings and example of Jesus himself.

I’ll finish with one example here:            Matthew 21; 37-43

For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” 

December 15th           End of Year – Liturgy      12:00pm
Parents most welcome – please be aware space will be limited

Primary Co-ordinator – Sara Murdoch

Our 2024 Swimming Carnival is coming up! Don’t forget to fill in the nomination form below!

Please find below an online form for you to complete for our 2024 Swimming Carnival, which is being held on Friday 8^th December, 2023 (Week 9). Please take the time to fill the form out with your children and only tick the events your child wants to compete in. Due to the popularity of our 3 options from last year, we have decided to run those options again.

1. Attend and compete at the Swimming Carnival.
2. Attend the carnival and cheer on your friends and House Colour.
3. Remain at school and participate in a fun water activity morning organised by our current Year 6 students.

Please fill one form out per child. 

Please remember to tick the age your child is turning in 2024!

Class Merit Awards

Canteen

World Diabetes Day

Our school is GOING BLUE on Tuesday 21^st November 2023, for World Diabetes Day to spread awareness about Type 1 diabetes and raise funds to support life changing T1D research.  Please support our mission by wearing a blue accessory and bring a donation to take action for World Diabetes Day.  With your help, we can create the blueprint for a world without T1D. 

We will be holding a jelly bean guessing competition, 50c per guess.  

You can also donate online by using the link below:

Chess Club

It has been amazing having so many students attending Chess Club on Thursday to play the wonderful game of chess.

Year 5 Leadership Retreat

It was an absolute pleasure working with Year 5 as they explored leadership. The children quickly realised that the small things they do matter, and that they are already leading in our community in many ways. We encourage them to use their God given gifts to work together as positive role models in our school and enrich their community through service leadership in the example Jesus gave for us. We are so proud of their approach to the day, their willingness to join in share and learn was beautiful to be a part of.  

The Year Five Teaching Team 

Student Highlights: 

• The pizza we had been hoping for arrived and it was amazing! It was warm on a rainy day.
• We liked doing a different type of learning.
• The snowball fight and the games, especially family feud, were extra fun, plus we learned from them.  
• The cup game was frustrating, but it forced you to work as a team. 
• The pillow piles were soft and cuddly.

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P & F News

Thank you to those who attended the P & F 2024 AGM. We are excited for another busy 12 months of supporting the students, staff and families at St John's. We are pleased to announce the following positions:
President- Elise Banister
Vice President- Adam Banister
Treasurer- Clare Dean
Secretary- Amy Marshall
Events Coordinator- Elise Banister
Uniform Shop Coordinator-  Melissa Parker, Ash Trend & Amy Marshall
Communication & Engagement- Jess Peate
P & F Delegates- Cheryl Murphy & Adam Banister

Dates for the Diary

Term 4

Christmas Family Night - Tuesday 5th December (Week 9)
Christmas Fun Day -Monday 11 December (Week 10)

Uniform Shop

Open Monday 8:30-9am in school hall.

We are asking for donations of approved uniform items in good, clean quality condition (no rips, stains etc).

 Contacting the P & F Committee

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any assistance via executive@pandf-maitlandsj.com

We welcome any suggestions, feedback, offers to volunteer with events or general enquiries.