August 11th 2025: Newsletter #25

Acknowledgement of Country

St. John’s school community respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders as the traditional custodians of the land on which we learn, pray and grow. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on this land and commit to building a brighter future together, working together towards a reconciled Australia. 

Prayer Week 4

Friday 8 August is the Feast of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary MacKillop led an extraordinary life. She was born on January 15, 1842, in Fitzroy, Melbourne, to Scottish immigrants Alexander and Flora MacKillop. She passed away on August 8, 1909, in North Sydney. Despite early financial hardships that led to what she considered an “unhappy” childhood, Mary’s life took a remarkable turn.

At the age of 18, she moved to Penola, South Australia, to work as a governess for relatives. During her time there, she crossed paths with Fr Julian Tenison Woods. Together, they established a school for underprivileged children. This initiative laid the foundation for the creation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, making Mary the founder of Australia’s first religious institute.

In 1871, a dispute with the Bishop of Adelaide led to Mary’s excommunication (the act of refusing to allow someone to be involved in the Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, and not allowing that person to take part in the Sacraments). The following year, the Bishop reversed this decision, acknowledging Mary’s innocence. In a testament to her commitment, Mary journeyed to Rome in 1873/74. There, she secured the Pope’s approval for the rule of her Order, a significant achievement.

Under Mary’s guidance, the Sisters of St Joseph thrived. They embarked on a mission to provide education, especially in remote and rural Australia, (including in the Ballarat Diocese) also caring for orphans, and engaging in other charitable endeavours across the countryside. Despite facing challenges, Mary’s determination remained unwavering.

The Sisters of St Joseph continue Mary MacKillop’s legacy today. They serve the disadvantaged in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Timor Leste, Scotland, Ireland, and Peru. Her story resonates as a testament to the transformative power of determination education and compassion. Adapted from Diocese of Parramatta.

Here are some prayers and reflections that may be suitable to celebrate this amazing Australian woman, Australia’s first saint, in your school community this week:

God of all blessings, you revealed in Mary MacKillop a
sensitivity to the rights and dignity of every person, regardless of
race or creed.
May we learn from her to overcome fear and prejudice.
Help us to value the goodness of each person
and all the blessings of unity in diversity.
We ask this through the depth and unity of you, our bountiful
God who holds all things in being.
Amen.

From the Principal

Hello everyone, welcome to a new week at St. John's. 

Insight SRC Surveys: Today, randomly selected families will receive an invitation to provide feedback regarding a school improvement survey. This survey is completed online and should take around 20 minutes. The feedback is very important in helping us drive improvement in our school. Surveys have to be completed by Friday August 15th. 

Principal Professional Development: Over the next two weeks I will be participating in 2 professional development opportunties. The first is this week in Horsham where all principals from the Diocese will gather with DOBCEL Leadership, our focus at this gathering will be continued implementation of DOBCEL 2035 Strategy.

Next week, I will be joining 8 Principals from the area to attend the National Catholic Education Conference in Cairns from Tuesday to Friday. The conference occurs every 4 years and allows principals and leaders from within Catholic education to listen to world renown speakers relating to Catholic education. The conference website is https://www.2025acec.edu.au/

New arrival: Tannah is the proud big brother of precious little Coby. Our heartfelt congratulations to you all, enjoy this special time together and the joy that a new baby brings. 

Term 3 Student Free Days: Please note the following date will be student free in Term 3 to enable staff to participate in professional development. Theircare will be available on this day for students that require care. 

• Monday August 25th

2025 Term 3 Assembly Roster: 

• Monday August 18th- No assembly due to concert
• Monday August 25th- Student Free Day
• Monday September 1st- Grade 5/6
• Monday Sep 8th- Grade 1
• Monday Sep 15th- Grade 2

Enjoy the week ahead, Ben. 

P&F Social Group Raffle- Tickets due this week!

As advised last week, we are excited to promote the 2025 Major Raffle to our school community. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to support the school and also win some fabulous prizes. 

Our prizes are as follows;

• 1st Prize: $4000 worth of goods and services at the Business of your choice.
• 2nd Prize: $750 Coles Myer Gift Card
• 3rd Prize: $250 Fuel Card donated by Matthews Petroleum

Families are asked to sell 5 x $25 tickets and we only have 1000 to sell. Please note there is no obligation for you to sell all tickets. We would really appreciate ALL TICKETS to be returned to the office by Wednesday 13th August or sooner. Returning any unsold tickets would be appreciated so they can be passed on to other families who wish to purchase additional tickets.

You can pay via CDF pay under raffle ticket tab and return your tickets OR return cash with your raffle tickets to the office. 

The raffle will be drawn at the school concert on Monday 18th August.

St. John's Dance Concert- Next Week!

We are excited!!! Our St. John's Dance Concert is only one week away! It is being held at the Emmanuel Centre at Emmanuel College, Botanic Road Warrnambool. The carpark can be accessed via Botanic Road.

On the day of the concert, between 11.30am - 1.30pm, all students will travel by bus to the Emmanuel Centre to particpate in a whole school practice. Students are to wear their sports uniform on this day. Permissions were sent to families via PAM this morning.

Uniform Focus for the Week- Pants & Dresses

As we continue the journey of better understanding our uniform requirements, we focus this week on our pants and dresses. All pants worn are to navy blue or grey (we are phasing out grey pants/ shorts but they are still acceptable). Lowes have two styles of pants available. The winter dress is a blue pinafore.

Please note, black pants are not to be worn. 

Book Week Dress Up Day

Our Book week theme this year was Idioms. Many people use idioms each day and the students have been learning an idiom each week. Caught red handed, break a leg, peas in a pod- It was wonderful seeing the many idioms brought to life. Thank you to the creative Mums, Dads and guardians with their assistance putting together the costumes- you really went above and beyond!

Check out the fun video below of Year 4 showing us their costumes!!

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 19

Next

Father's Day Breakfast

Our annual Father's Day breakfast is being held on Friday 5th September in the Stadium from 7.30am - 8.30am.

Breakfast will consist of egg and bacon rolls (and a coffee for the Dads/special person) Please click on the link below to indicate if you are able to attend. For catering purposes, please rsvp by Thursday 28th August.

We hope you are able to come along! 

Wellbeing

On July 30th we had our Wellbeing Day at St John’s and this year it coincided with International Day of Friendship. We had a chance to explore friendship-building skills and we also used the day as an opportunity to work on resilience, developing a growth mindset and building adaptability in challenging situations.

In the morning the F-4 classrooms explored the concept of ‘bounce or splat’. 

When we are faced with a challenge we can choose to overcome challenges & negative emotions, actively work through problems, learn from mistakes, and maintain a positive outlook. This is what we do when we ‘bounce’. Alternatively we might ‘splat’ - this happens when we are overwhelmed, defeated, or stuck in a negative state. It's when someone gives up easily or allows setbacks to define them. The students used bouncy balls and beanbags to represent this concept and they discussed strategies that would help them to bounce when they are presented with a challenge. 

In year 5/6 the students practised their skills in working as part of a team and showing persistence as they tackled an ‘escape room challenge’. This required students to think critically, problem solve, work together and use a growth mindset to persist with challenging tasks.

Some things you might like to talk about with your children at home are:

1. Why is it better to bounce when you have a problem?
2. What might happen if you splat when you have a problem?
3. Can you think of a character on TV or in a book that bounces back after they have problems?
4. What things can you do to help you cope with a problem?

Throughout the day across the school, students developed their own regulation plans, identifying strategies to support their emotional regulation. Some of these things include breathing techniques, movement breaks, mindful colouring or drawing. In the junior classrooms the students worked as class groups to learn whole class strategies and in the older grades, students developed more personalised plans using their knowledge of what works for them.

To embrace International Day of Friendship there were a variety of activities based on the book “Five Rules of Friendship. In Year 4 the students celebrated diversity and were immersed in cultural inclusion activities including cooking, using chopsticks and sampling foods from across the globe.

In the afternoon the whole school divided into their house groups and rotated around a range of activities, all designed to foster connection, have fun and allow everyone to try new things. The rotations included sports, movement, art and sensory activities. 

It was wonderful to see the engagement and sense of calm as students across the school involved themselves in all activities throughout the day. We already look forward to our next Wellbeing Day together!

Student comments:

Evie - I really liked it because it was calming and really, really fun because we got to hang out with the Foundations.

Raani - It was really fun because I got to see everyone in the school in my house colour

Rylee - I liked learning about how to bounce.

Atlas - I liked the slime and the kinetic sand.

Jackson - I really like the sensory room activity in the afternoon. I also liked the riddle that we did in the morning.

Elijah - I really enjoyed the relays and stretching and doing the art. It was also good doing the regulation plans.

Sienna - I liked the sensory activities.  The kinetic sand and slime helped me feel calm.

Hallie - I liked that we didn’t have to do regular schoolwork. The best thing was the mindful eating.

Morgan - I really liked the sensory space, especially doing the drawing. We also used the chopsticks, it was really tricky.

Olivia - I liked the Escape Room and all the challenges. 

Kiara - I liked playing totem tennis, it was the first time I had tried it.

Library

As part of developing our children to take on more responsibility and showcase their leadership skills, many of the Grade 4 children have been helping out in our library to support Mrs Stephens with general organisation and shelving. They have taken this on with great enthusiasm and our library looks very organised. The children participate at various times throughout the day, before school or break times at their own choice.

Art

Student Awards- Term 3, Week 4

Miss Buwalda - Bonnie B for showing great enthusiasm and leadership during our dance rehearsals. Your energy lights up the stage Bonnie!

Miss Dwyer - Olivia G for her energy, enthusiasm and awesome dance moves during dance rehearsals! Keep it up, Liv! 

Mrs Archbold -  Levi P for being a wonderful friend and showing acts of kindness to students in foundation. 

Miss Kissick - Charlie B for consistently demonstrating respect and active listening in our whole class discussion. Keep on shining Charlie!

Miss Lucas -  Logan V for his active involvement in our Bounce vs Splat discussion on Wellbeing Day. Well done Logan!

Mr Hynes - Finn A for being so dedicated to do his very best to complete his Natural Disasters information booklet. Looks great! 

Miss Ryan - Skylar D for making the most of her learning opportunities and being a great role model in the classroom.

Mr Harrington - Archie M for his amazing energy, maturity and positive attitude on show each and every day. 

Miss Kelly - Chantelle S for her brilliant engagement and hard work in maths this week, great work Chantelle!

Miss Moloney - Marlie H for your enthusiasm and focus in all aspects of your school day, especially for the dance concert.

Mrs Mugavin -  Stella P for showing she can be a resilient, independent and positive member of the Grade 4 space! You have been a star this week!

Miss P -  Charli F for your amazing efforts in researching the “Big 5” for your genius hour project. 

 Mr McInerney - Olivia M for working hard on your Genius Hour project. Keep up the amazing work.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthday this week: Harper C, Amy C, Hunter C, Xavier B, Ella C, Connie W, Atlas B and Turam C. We hope you have a wonderful day!

Around our School- Term 3 Week 3

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 20

Next

Student News

Nala and Isabelle competed in the Westside Calistenics Competition in Melbourne over the weekend. Their team of nine girls competed in six sections, placing first in four sections and coming second and third in the other two. Taking out the win over all for their aggregate! Amazing girls, well done!

Parents and Friend's Social Group

Dennington Day Out

Dennington Day Out 2025 is less than 100 days away. Behind the scenes the team is busy preparing for another awesome jam packed day. Its not too late to jump on board and help. 

The following meetings have been set

• Tuesday 2nd September 7.00pm
• Tuesday 7th October 7.00pm
• Tuesday 21st October 7.00pm 
• Tuesday 28th October 7.00pm
• Thursday 6th November 7.00pm

Do you have a child that might be interested in holding a mini entrepreneurs stall at this years DDO? Make sure you are following the Dennington Day Out Facebook page for the expressions of interest google form that will be posted in the coming weeks. 

Dennington Day Out Sponsorship Proposal for 2025 is now available if you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring this years event please contact ddo@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au

Wednesday Treats

This weeks treat is Dim Sims and Sausage Rolls. Orders close tomorrow Tuesday 12th August at 8:30am.

Dim Sims $1.00 each, Sausage Rolls $2.00 each. Drinks $2.00 each 

Roster:

Tuesday 12th August - Melissa C, Kiri McKane, Jennifer M

Wednesday 13th August - Melanie K, Tess & Hayley M

Next weeks treats on Wednesday 20th August will be Potato Cakes. Orders will open on Wednesday 13th August and close on Tuesday 19th August at 8.30am. 

Potato Cakes $2.00 each. Drinks $2.00 each.

Roster:

Tuesday 19th August - Melissa C, Taliah & Bianca M

Wednesday 20th August - Lacey, Theresa & Rebecca H

Please remember Orders are required to be placed online via the CDFpay app. Each Wednesday the order for the following week will be uploaded to the app. Orders will close at 8:30am each Tuesday so please make sure you get your orders in on time as we can not accept late orders or cash this year.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Emily McGennan or the front office.

Cake Raffle

Each week at Assembly we draw a cake raffle for students. The money raised goes to Our noimiated charity, Backpacks Beds. 

School families have been assigned a week to bring in a cake. There is no obligation or pressure for you to do so, it is only if you wish to. If you have been assigned a week that is unsuitable and you would like to bring a cake in another week, please contact the office and an alternate date will be arranged.

If you choose to, please drop your store purchased cake into the office with your family name written on top. 

All students will have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket for 20c with a limit of five tickets per student. The Johnnies will make a P.A announcement at first lunch, calling all students who wish to purchase a ticket, to the Library.

The following families are rostered on for Monday 1st September:

Moore, Moran, Moulden, Mugavin, Murphy, Osborne, Page, Palmer, Parker, and Paton.

School Sponsorship

Would you like to advertise your business in our school newsletter? Businesses can advertise for only $100 a year and will have a business card sized listing in every school newsletter.

A big thank you to O'Brien Electrical & Plumbing, Fry Painting, Carry on travel, King Cole Fruit Supply, Total Landscapes and Design and Hiensch Haulage that sponsor our school!

Please contact parents@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au for more information.

Star of the Sea Bulletin

Sunday Mass is held at 9.00am at St. Pius X Church. School families are always welcome. 

The Parish office can be contacted on 5562 2231 and this weekends bulletin is featured below. Other information and contact details can be found on the Star of the Sea South West Coast website: https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/parish/southwestcoast/ 

Community Notices

Upcoming Events

Monday 11th - Wednesday 13th August: Teeth on Wheels Dental Van Visit

Wednesday 13th August: Major Raffle tickets due back

Monday 18th August: School Dance Concert at 6.30pm at Emmanuel College

Monday 25th August: School Closure Day (Theircare open for bookings)

Friday 5th September: Father's Day/Special person Breakfast in the Stadium from 7.30am - 8.30am