Newsletter - 8th August 2025
- Deputy Principal's Address
- What's on this Fortnight
- 2026 YEAR 7 ENROLMENTS
- Book Fair
- Prep - 100 Days at School
- Year One - Term Three
- Primary Netball
- Year Five & Six Students Shine at Catholic Schools Touch Carnival
- Careers Term Three
- 7 – 10 Assessment Calendars and Exam Block
- 2025 Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards!
- Long Service Awards
- Uniform Shop Opening Hours
- School Crossing Supervisors Wanted
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We have had a few recent incidents where Secondary students used their devices to film classmates or teachers in class without their knowledge. This clearly breaches the appropriate use of IT at St John’s, and I would like to draw your attention to the information below as a timely reminder to all members of our school community.
Responsible IT Use at St John’s: A Shared Commitment to Values and Integrity
At St John’s School, technology is more than just a tool—it’s a gateway to learning, collaboration, and creativity. As we continue to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into our classrooms and school life, we remain guided by the core beliefs and values that shape our community.
Our IT policy is built on three foundational principles:
Equity of Access
We believe every student deserves equal access to digital resources, regardless of background or circumstance. This commitment ensures that ICT supports inclusive learning and bridges gaps within and between school communities.
Authentic Decision Making
In a world overflowing with information, we teach our students to think critically and make informed choices about the nature and extent of the content they engage with. Whether researching for a project or exploring new ideas, students are encouraged to seek out credible sources and reflect on the relevance and reliability of what they find.
Integrity in Sourcing and Ownership
Respecting intellectual property is a cornerstone of our digital conduct. Students are expected to acknowledge the work of others, avoid plagiarism, and understand the ethical responsibilities that come with creating and sharing content online.
Student Guidelines for Online Conduct
To uphold these values, all students at St John’s are expected to follow clear rules when using school ICT systems:
- No illegal or immoral use: Students must not use the system for any activity that is illegal, unethical, or prohibited by school policy.
- Respectful and courteous behaviour: Online interactions should reflect the same kindness and respect we expect in person.
- Educational focus: The Internet and email are to be used strictly for learning purposes—supporting classwork, research, and school-related communication.
A Culture of Digital Responsibility
By aligning our IT practices with the values of equity, authenticity, and integrity, we foster a culture where technology enhances—not distracts from—our mission as a learning community. Parents, teachers, and students all play a vital role in modelling responsible digital behaviour.
Let’s continue to make St John’s a place where innovation meets ethics, and where every student can thrive in a safe, respectful, and purposeful digital environment.
Please note: Updated policy notification
As a part of your Enrolment Agreement with our school, we agreed to notify you of any changes to policies that form a part of this agreement. The Acceptable use of TCS provided ICT systems, devices and resources policy has recently been reviewed and is available on the Toowoomba Catholic Schools website.
Warm regards
Ryan Doig
Deputy Principal
St John’s School will be celebrating Book Week during Week Six this term.
Book Fair will be running from Monday 18th – Wednesday 20th August, as part of our Book Week celebrations. Students can make purchases before school (after 8:00 a.m.), during lunch breaks, and after school (until 3:15 p.m.).
All primary library lessons will run as normal (returning and borrowing books).
The Year One students have been busy this term learning about natural, managed and built features in Geography. Last week, we discussed in our groups what natural and built features we can see around Roma. We used our new BenQ Interactive Whiteboard to display Google Earth images of Roma to locate all the local parks, using our school as the centre point to work out which park is closer to us. We know that parks have natural and built features and are looked after by people such as volunteers and park rangers.
In Science, we will be learning about force and to develop our understanding that a push and pull can be described in terms of strength and direction. In our activities, we will make predictions on how these forces will impact the motion and shape of objects.
This term, we have been learning how to write a procedure. We know that procedures follow a specific structure and start each step with a verb. Next week, we will begin writing a procedure for a pizza. We will then construct the pizza using cardboard and paper. Later in the term, we will learn how to write a persuasive text and express our opinion about a story that we have listened to.
In Mathematics, we have been exploring addition using tens frames. This helps reinforce our understanding before we progress to two-digit numbers. We have been counting and ordering numbers up to 120, recognising the smallest and largest numbers, including three-digit numbers. We have investigated how many tens and ones a number has and drawing it in different ways. Later in the term, we will be investigating what will be the smallest total we can make when we roll two regular dice and what will be the largest number.
In Week Three, all three Year One classes had a new Interactive Benq Panel installed in their classrooms. We are looking forward to using this new technology in our learning.
Mrs Brennan, Mr Brennan and Miss Marquart
Year One Teachers
Last week, our talented Year Five and Six students proudly represented our school at the Catholic Schools Touch Football Carnival in Toowoomba. Although freezing, it was a fantastic day full of energy, sportsmanship, and team spirit.
The boys' team delivered an outstanding performance throughout the day, showcasing skill, determination, and resilience. Their efforts paid off as they secured 3rd place overall—a remarkable achievement against tough competition from schools across the Toowoomba Diocese.
Meanwhile, the girls' team impressed everyone with their outstanding teamwork and positive attitude. They supported each other both on and off the field, demonstrating great communication and cooperation that truly embodied the spirit of the carnival.
A big thank you to the staff and families who supported the students, and congratulations to all the players for representing our school with such pride, enthusiasm and sportsmanship. We are incredibly proud of you!
Assessment Calendars for Term Three are now available via the Sentral App for students and parents. Please note that the Exam Block will run from the end of Week Nine to the middle of Week Ten. Students are expected to attend school as normal through to the final Friday of Term Three. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with our current school assessment policies.
The document below highlights key aspects of the Middle Years (Years 7–10) Assessment Policy. The full policy, along with the Senior Years (Years 11–12) Assessment Policy, can be found on our school website.
Middle Years (7-10) Assessment Policy
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
St John’s has high expectations for academic integrity and student participation and engagement in learning and assessment. Students are expected to:
- engage in the learning for the subject or course of study
- produce evidence of achievement that is authenticated as their own work
- submit responses to scheduled assessment on or before the due date by 3:00 p.m.
ASSIGNMENT EXTENSIONS
The school acknowledges that there may be occasions where students require an extension on an assignment due to illness or misadventure. In this case:
- Students and parents/carers must contact the classroom teacher as soon as possible and submit the relevant supporting documentation.
- This should include an EXTENSION APPLICATION FORM, which must be signed by the student, parent, classroom teacher and Curriculum Leader.
- Copies of the extension application form are available at the front office and on the school website.
Extensions for assignments will not be granted on the following grounds:
- matters that the student could have avoided i.e. poor time management.
- matters of the student’s or parent’s/carer’s own choosing i.e. school sporting commitments, family holidays.
Where students will be absent on the day an assessment is due, the assessment must still be submitted on or before the due date by 3:00 p.m.
In circumstances where students are enrolled in a subject but do not submit a final response, students will be given a result based on work submitted before the due date (i.e. drafts & checkpoints). If no evidence is available, students will receive a Not Rated (NR) for the semester.
MOVEMENT OF EXAM OR PRESENTATION
Students who are unable to sit an exam or present a task such as a speech or performance due to illness or circumstances outside their control will be expected to sit the exam or present their task on the next date as decided by the school. In Years 7-10, parents should contact the school as soon as possible and complete an EXAM MOVEMENT APPLICATION explaining the reason for the absence. Students are eligible to have an exam or presentation moved for the following reasons:
- Illness
- Misadventure
- Events where students are representing the school outside of the student’s control i.e. district, regional and state sporting carnivals.
Students are not eligible for the movement of exam dates on the following grounds:
- matters that the student could have avoided
- matters of the student’s or parent’s/carer’s own choosing i.e. family holiday
Where a student does not sit the exam or present the task for an approved reason, and no other evidence is available, a Not Rated (NR) will be awarded for the semester.
For further information, please contact Cathy Cooper (Academic Leader) or Melissa Irwin (Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning).
Interim Reports and P/T Interviews
Please note that there will no longer be an Interim Report issued for Term Thee. Parent-Teacher Interviews are scheduled to take place in Week Three of Term Four.
Congratulations to St John’s Staff members: Miss Bethany Campbell, Miss Chloe Barwick, Miss Ellie Bradford and Mrs Kate McAuley, who were finalists in the 2025 Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards! It is so wonderful to have such outstanding teachers here at St John’s!
Being named among the top educators in the diocese is a fantastic achievement — and we are so proud of them!
St John’s sends our congratulations to those who were named award recipients. It’s so great to be part of a vibrant and dedicated Catholic education community.
As part of our Catholic Education Week celebrations, we’re proud to acknowledge two of our incredible staff members for their outstanding commitment to Catholic Education.
Congratulations to Mrs Katarina Silvester and Mrs Maria Purssell on reaching 20 years of dedicated service in Catholic Education at St John’s School!
Thank you both for your unwavering dedication to our school community and the positive impact you’ve made on generations of students. We truly appreciate you!
Please join us in celebrating this remarkable milestone in commitment and service.
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.