Dear Families and Friends,
Welcome to term 2!
I hope enjoyed the recent break from routines and the chance to share some relaxed times with your children. It was wonderful to welcome everyone last week, smiling faces from children and parents alike. There are always great stories from the children that make us laugh. We have lots of exciting learning and special events taking place this term.....
Some of these include the
Mother’s Day morning tea, World Environment Day, National Sorry Day, Reception – Year 4 swimming, African Drumming Incursion, writer’s Festival, Catholic Education Week, Athletics and Netball carnivals and the list goes on! Please check the events tab on the website.
Staff professional development in First Aid and Berry Street Education Model will take place on Tuesday 11th June and Thursday 4th July and Friday 5th July. OSHC will be available on these days for a flat fee of $45 per child. Bookings are essential and can be made via the school website. http://www.stjohns.catholic.edu.au/our-school/oshc-booking-form
Learning for a child happens best when it is supported by home and school. This quote reminds us all of the important role parents play in supporting the development of literacy skills, simply by reading at home with your children. “While it is the responsibility of schools to teach children to read and write, there are many things that parents and carers can do to assist in the development of the children’s literacy skills, such as regular adult- child and child- adult reading aloud activities.” National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy, 2005. Throughout my years of experience, I know that this has a significant positive impact on learning and I encourage every parent to spend time every day sharing reading with their child.
Class Newsletters/Overviews of Learning
Last week every parent/ carer should have seen a class newsletter/overview of what will be taught during the term. This was posted to their child’s class seesaw app. We hope this not only informs you of what curriculum is being covered but also allows you to have discussions with your child about their learning so that you can support them. Please don’t hesitate to speak to your child’s teacher if you ever have any questions or concerns about the learning program and your child.
NAPLAN Online Tests Weeks 3 & 4
The Years 3 & 5 students will take part in NAPLAN testing. These tests are done across Australia during the same 9 day window and give a comparative snapshot of individual and year level students’ abilities in literacy and numeracy (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and maths). If your child is in these year levels, ensure they arrive at school on time and have a good breakfast, so that they are calm, confident and ready to do their best. There is often a lot of media attention and misinformation about NAPLAN so I urge you to speak with your child’s teacher, Simone Mashford, Justin Marsh or myself if you have any questions.
GRATITUDE FOR MOTHERS - Next Friday 10th May, we honour our mums and those who are like mums to us with a morning tea. It is a way for us to honour the important role of motherhood in families, for the nurturing, care and constant love that mother’s give. All mums, grandmas and those who care like mothers are very warmly invited to share in our celebration. I hope you always know how very special and important you are and I wish you all a very Happy Mother’s Day for the 12th May!
SCHOOL STREAM APP - A reminder to our families that our main form of communication is via our FREE app ‘School Stream’. We regularly inform families about upcoming events and important news and things happening at St. Johns.
It’s easy to download:
1. Go to the App Store and download “School Stream” to your phone.
2. Open the app and type the school’s name into the search bar to load the school’s profile.
3. Make sure you agree to Push Notifications when prompted.
Staff News
Welcome Miss Button. We hope you enjoy your time with us at St Johns.
The staffing arrangements from Week 2 are:
We wish Mrs & Mr Martinello all the best as they await the birth of their baby.