October 13th 2025: Newsletter #32

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 2- Missions Month

“I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

Catholic Mission is the Pope’s international mission agency in Australia and is part of the global network of Pontifical Mission Societies operating in over 160 countries. We partner with communities to help them flourish by supporting grassroots projects, including healthcare, education, and faith formation, while also being an active voice for human rights.

Each year Catholic Mission celebrates the work of the Mission in Australia and around the world in October for Catholic Mission month.

Loving God,

You sent Your Son Jesus so that we may have life and have it to the full.

Bless the work of Catholic Mission as they bring life, hope and love to communities in need.

May their efforts in healthcare, education and faith formation help all people flourish in dignity and peace.

Inspire us to be part of Your mission, sharing Your love and standing up for justice around the world.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

From the Principal

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

Welcome Bonnie: This week we welcome Bonnie Cain and her family into Gr 2RH and our school community, we wish them a smooth transition and warm welcome. 

DOBCEL Board Visit: This Tuesday we will welcome DOBCEL Board Directors to our school as they tour the Warrnambool network.

Personal Development Week: All classes this week will be participating in a personal Development focus which is age appropriate and in line with the DOBCEL Fullness of Life framework. The work being covered may prompt questions for you at home and we encourage these questions to be, where possible, answered in an open and informative manner. 

Bushfire At Risk Register: Further on in this newsletter is information relating to the BARR. We are one of the few schools in Warnambool located on the BARR due to our location. The most important point to note is that if a Catastrophic Fire day is declared, then our school will be closed and no students or staff are allowed to attend school on that day. 

Swimming Programs: Advance notice that our annual swimming program for children in Grade F-4 will commence on Monday November 10th and will operate over two weeks. The Gr 5/6 Surf Awareness will take place in the first week of December. 

2026 Trainees: I am pleased to announce that our Trainees for 2026 have been appointed, they are Molly McLaren, Jonty McInerney and Bridie Poyner. Molly and Jonty are both at Emmanuel and Bridie is at W'bool College. We look forward to welcoming them into our community in 2026.  

Pevan and Sarah Concert: This Tuesday the Foundation students will be travelling to the Lighthouse Theatre to view the dynamic duo “Pevan and Sarah” for a 50 minute action-packed performance full of their favourite hits. Pevan the tiger and his energetic sidekick Sarah will bring the house down in a show that’s as entertaining as it is educational, we hope they have an amzing time. 

Enjoy the week ahead, Ben.

Term 4 Assembly Roster: 

• Monday Oct 13th- Grade 3
• Monday Oct 20th- Grade 5
• Monday Oct 27th- Grade 2
• Monday Nov 3rd- Grade 1 
• Monday Nov 10th- Leadership
• Monday Nov 17th- Foundation
• Monday Nov 24th- Advent
• Monday Dec 1st- Advent
• Monday Dec 8th- Advent
• Monday Dec 15th- Grade 6 

2026 Planning

At St. John's we are all committed to making our school a great place; full of energy, commitment and quality. As part of this commitment to everyone we share the following important information.

2026 Class Structure: Our class structure will be as follows

• 3 Foundation classes (this will then combine into 2 classes after 2nd lunch and on Fridays)
• 2 Gr 1 classes
• 2 Gr 2 classes
• 2 Gr 3 classes
• 2 Gr 4 classes
• 3 Gr 5/6 classes 
  

Class Placement: Class Placement refers to the placement by staff of each child into an appropriate classroom for 2026 based on learning levels and needs, social development, and classroom size.
The guidelines staff use for student placement at St. John’s include: academic levels, individual social/emotional/behavioural needs and peer relationships. Other practical factors to impact on the placement will include teacher recommendations, class size, groupings available, and a range of abilities in each class group. 

Families are able to contribute to this process by informing the school of any specific requests or thoughts regarding class placement for you child/children. These requests are to be emailed to principal@sjdennington.catholic.edu.au no later than Monday October 20th. Any considerations provided after this date will not be taken into consideration. 

In all these processes, professional, respectful co-operation and student welfare will be upmost in all our minds; we thank you in anticipation of your considered support. 

Uniform

Students are now welcome to wear their summer uniform, but for the first few weeks of term they can also continue to wear their winter uniform if they wish.

As part of our SunSmart policy, hats must now be worn by all students during break times. All students without a hat will be required to play in the undercover area as we do not provide spare hats due to concerns around the spread of headlice.

We have a small collection of hats available to purchase at the front office for the discount price of $10.

SUMMER UNIFORM:

Girls: Blue and white fine check gingham dress or light blue polo shirt with logo and blue shorts, navy socks, black shoes, navy windcheater or polar fleece jumper with school logo, school hat.

Boys: Navy shorts, light blue polo shirt with logo, navy socks, black shoes, navy windcheater or polar fleece jumper with school logo, school hat. As previously communicated, we are phasing out grey shorts/pants. If your child still has grey shorts, they can continue to wear them for the remainder of this year if they wish.

Please make sure all items of clothing are clearly labelled.

School Fees

As we enter Term 4, we would like to remind families of the importance of finalising their school fee commitments.

In accordance with our governing body DOBCEL, all school fees must be paid in full by the end of the year.

If you have not yet made a payment or do not have a payment plan in place, please contact the office as soon as possible to discuss your payment options.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and thank you for your continued support.

Regional Athletics

Congratulations to the following students who represented St. John's at the SSV Greater Western Regions Athletics Championships held at Llanberris Reserve Ballarat last Friday:

• 9/10yrs 100m - Mason C - 8th
• 9/10yrs 200m - Harry M - 2nd
• 9/10yrs 100m - Harry M - 4th
•  9/10yrs High Jump - Nala F - 1st
•  11yrs 100m - Lottie S - 11th
• 11yrs High Jump - Emmillion O - 4th
• 11yrs 200m - Harley J - 4th
• 11yrs Long Jump - Harley J - 2nd
• 12/13years 1500m - Maddi H - 10th 

These students are to be highly commended on their efforts to run and jump in extremely windy and testing conditions. Congratulations and best wishes to Nala, Harry and Harley who have now qualified for the SSV State Championships to be held at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on 6th November.

Grandparent's Day

Bushfire At Risk Register (BARR)

Our school is listed on the Bushfire at Risk Register.  All schools on the "Bushfire and Grassfire At Risk Registers" will be closed on days classified as Catastrophic FDR.

What does this mean?  On a Catastrophic FDR, our school will be closed, along with school bus services.  No one will be allowed on site. Such ratings will be declared ahead of the nominated day. In the event of a Catastrophic FDR an email and a Schoolzine alert will go out to parents/guardians.

 Please note:  A Catastrophic FDR is different to a Day of Total Fire Ban.

Wellbeing

School Refusal

School refusal, sometimes called school avoidance or school phobia, is not uncommon. It is different to ‘wagging’ or truancy and is often related to worry or anxiety-related issues about going to school. School refusal may start gradually or happen suddenly. Although it is normal for a child to occasionally miss a day of school, parents should only be concerned if a child regularly complains about feeling sick or often asks to stay home due to minor physical complaints.

School refusal is a complex issue as there is rarely a single cause. It affects children of all ages across primary and secondary levels. It can often occur during times of transition at school. More recently, the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the educational experience of all students, affecting some more than others. Dealing with a school refusal child can affect the whole family, adding pressure to an already challenging time. School refusal is not considered a formal psychiatric diagnosis. It’s a name given to an emotional and/or behavioural problem.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will learn how best to approach this issue and work towards a solution.

Student Awards- Term 4 Week 2

Miss Buwalda - Grace R for brightening our school every day through her kindness and positivity.

Miss Dwyer - Lyrah C for working hard in class and displaying a willingness to engage in extension writing activities. Well done on your impressive growth!

Mrs Archbold - Brooklyn B for applying great reading strategies which have enabled her to become a  more fluent reader.

Miss Kissick - Thomas N  for having a positive return to school for his last term of  Year One. Keep it up Thomas!

Miss Lucas -  Mason W  for starting the term with enthusiasm and determination. Well done Mason!

Mr Hynes - Polly R for trying her very best during all maths and literacy sessionsthroughout the week! Awesome!

Miss Ryan - Gracie S for being a supportive learning partner and helping others with their work.

Mr Harrington - Lenny E for showing such maturity and independence in the classroom lately.

Miss Kelly - Arlo B for showing fantastic enthusiasm and thoughtfulness every single day across all learning areas. Great work, Arlo!

Miss Moloney - Bradly S for sharing insightful personal connections during our Australian studies this week in Inquiry.

Mrs Mugavin -  Ella C for staying super focused and independently following the teacher instructions when creating a Fraction Wall in Maths this week.

Miss P -  Kiara D for showing such great enthusiasm towards your learning as you begin Term 4. Keep up the great attitude Kiara.

Mr McInerney - Charlotte M for working with fractions in Maths with a positive and open mindset. 

Happy Birthday

Best wishes to the following students who celebtate their birthday this week, we hope you have an amazing day! Cyrus L, Easton S, Parker K, Alexander R, Nikita B and Paisley G.

Student News

Taylor and Maddison have just finished their second end-of-year dance concert with DNA Hip Hop Dance and Aerobics, another great performance to celebrate! 

Around our School- Term 4 Week 1

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CDF Community Fund

Parents and Friend's Social Group

Meeting

Our next Parents and Friends meeting will be held THIS Wednesday 15th October at 7.00pm in the Gathering Space.  Our AGM & end of year break up has been booked for Wednesday 26th November 6:30pm at The Cally Hotel.  

Dennington's Day Out

Just under 4 weeks to go!!!!  

Everyone should have received their family pack last Thursday or Friday with details on how to purchase unlimited rides wristbands and raffle tickets. Pre purchased rides passes must be paid for by 9am on Wednesday 5th November via QR Code. 

Raffle tickets are to be returned to the office by Wednesday 5th November they can be returned with cash or payment made on CDF and return the sold tickets to the office. 

We are looking for some volunteers for Tuesday 21st October at 7.00pm to help put together the showbags for this years showbag stall. If you're able to help please let Emily McGennan or Sarah Howley know. 

Keep an eye out for requests for volunteers in coming weeks to help with more preparation before the big day. Reminder all time volunteered goes towards your participation points.

The following meetings have been set 

• Tuesday 21st October 7pm 
• Tuesday 28th October 7pm
• Thursday 6th November 7pm  

Thanks, Sarah Howley

Cake Raffle

Each 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 October 13th:

Shanahan, Sharma, Shepherd, Smith (Amber & Noah) and Smith (Koda).

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

Wednesday 15th October: P & F Social Group Meeting at 7.00pm

Wednesday 22nd October: Grandparents Day from 9.00am - 11.00am

Wednesday 26th November: Parents & Friends AGM & end of year break up at The Cally Hotel at 6.30pm