Newsletter - 2nd September, 2022
Dear Parents and Friends of St John's,This week’s Gospel from Luke, discusses the theme of servant leadership and humility. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Over the last three weeks, I have witnessed the amazing work of our students in living out this message. Many of our senior students have assisted with fundraising events including the St John’s Race Day, Mercy Day and student fundraising events. Each of these events requires a significant investment of time. More recently, our younger students welcomed their Grandparents into the school and gave of their time to show them their classrooms before sharing morning tea with them. Luke’s Gospel message also aligns well with this term’s Mercy value of Justice and more broadly the school motto of ‘Future in Faith’.
This week, we welcomed new staff member Jenny Schuss who arrived from South Africa. Jenny has taken up Year Eight Religious Education and Mathematics whilst shadowing other classes in preparation for Term Four. Jenny is joined by her husband Dieter and children Brae and Cassidy.
We also farewelled Mrs Heather Law who is moving to Hervey Bay to take up a teaching position. Heather has served the students of St John’s for the last six years and we wish her well. St John’s welcomes back Mrs Denise Mulligan who will teach Food Studies for the remainder of 2022.
On Friday 19th August, St John’s School held Grandparents Day. Well over two hundred Grandparents took the opportunity to experience the St John’s Community with their grandchildren by attending a liturgy, followed by classroom activities and morning tea. Grandparents play a vital role in the educational journey of children, by encouraging and promoting the value of learning and validating the self-worth of each young person. I am grateful to all our Grandparents who choose to be part of their grandchildren’s education. A big thank you goes to our organising staff, led by Ms Brutnall for creating a wonderful experience for all.
This week has also been an opportunity to say thank you and remember the fathers who have touched and continue to enrich our lives. The role of father figures in the lives of our children cannot be underestimated. Each brings unique qualities to their respective family and our school and town communities. It was pleasing to see many students bring their ‘fathers’ along to the P&F sponsored breakfast and I trust we will all take time to acknowledge them this weekend on Father’s Day. A big thank you is extended to the wonderful P&F Team who cooked up a storm on Thursday.
On Saturday 20th August, the St John’s Parents and Friends Association held a phenomenally successful Race Day at Bassett Park. Tickets for the luncheon were sold out prior to the day which ensured an extremely healthy fundraising event. The St John’s Race Day is one of the major fundraising events of the P&F. I take this opportunity to thank our wonderful sponsors and the organising committee of Monique Rashford who was ably assisted by Rachael Stanford, Sam Allwood, Amanda Thorne, Belle Deebank. Celeste Mayes, Katrina Barden, Kara Waldron, Anita Crawford, Tegan Bond and Kylie Sabine. I also extend my gratitude to the St John’s students who assisted with the serving of food to the two hundred parents and friends who attended the day.
The beginning of spring heralds a change in uniform for all students with a move from winter to summer uniform, beginning Monday 5th September. This means boys wear shorts and in Years 7-12 male students may dispense with ties. Female students may cease wearing stockings. In terms of the sports uniform, tracksuit pants are not part of the summer uniform. The new addition to the girls’ uniform (shorts) is now in stock and can be worn as an alternative to the skirt (7-12) and culottes (P-6).
Congratulations to the St John’s Dance students who attended the recent eisteddfod in Charleville last weekend and achieved outstanding results including two team wins and individual successes. I know Ms Bright who travelled with young ladies was immensely proud of how they performed and conducted themselves.
Congratulations to the two St John’s Opti-MINDS teams who participated in the recent Toowoomba Regional Finals. Both teams competed strongly and received Honours. I take this opportunity to thank Mr Cockerill and Mrs Emery for their substantial investment of time in preparing the students for this wonderful opportunity.
Finally, a reminder that Friday 2nd September is a Pupil Free Day.
God bless – Jim Brennan
This term in Science, students have had the opportunity to develop an understanding of, and appreciation for, a precious natural resource, water. They have explored how water is used and how to use it responsibly. Students by the end of the term will have an increased awareness of where water comes from, and how it moves across the landscape.
This term, students have been exploring the continents of Africa and South America.
Students have examined the topographical features and the natural environments of both continents. They have investigated how the climate affects the types of animals and plants that can be found in certain areas on the continent.
Students acted as zookeepers at Taronga Zoo to design a zoo enclosure for an animal that lives in the grasslands of Africa. They were required to explain how they replicated the animal’s natural environment, so it is happy and healthy.
As part of the Year 12 Religious Education Praxis Course, our St John’s students have been actively participating in our Service Program. This program is aimed at encouraging students to develop an awareness of the needs of others and respond with our school values: Compassion, Respect, Excellence and Justice. This semester, our students have collectively planned and presented our Year Four Retreats, helped prepare and serve lunch at Mercy Day, emptied and sorted our St John’s recycling bins as well as volunteered their time at Pinaroo Roma Inc. every Thursday. The feedback students have received regarding their efforts has been fantastic. Well done, students.
