St Johns College Dubbo Term 1, Week 6 2024

Principal

Dear St Johns Community,

We are past the halfway point of Lent! How are you going with the three facets of this difficult season of the Catholic Church: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Even though I have been one of the lucky ones to have lived through many Lents I never found Lent easy to deal with. We live in a world that is so focused on self that changing our routines to carry out activities that are focused on others presents an enormous challenge to us but one that also delivers significant rewards. If you haven’t had a chance yet to participate in Lent, it’s not too late! For example, if you were going to go without chocolate or chips or soft drink or using poor language or social media you can still have a crack now! You’ll feel better for it!

I came across this yarn the other day and I thought you might like it?
“A man suffered a heart attack. The paramedics rushed the man to the nearest hospital where he had emergency open heart bypass surgery. He awakened from the surgery to find himself in the care of the nuns at the local catholic hospital. Holding a clipboard loaded with several forms, and a pen one of the sisters asked him how he was going to pay for the treatment. “Do you have health insurance?” She asked. He replied in a raspy voice, “No health insurance.” The nun asked, “Do you have money in the bank?”  He replied “No money in the bank.” “Do you have a relative who could help you with the payment?” asked the nun. He said, “I only have a spinster sister, and she’s a nun.” “My dear man, “Nuns are not spinsters, nuns are married to God.” The patient replied, “Perfect send the account to my brother-in-law.”!!

We had a wonderful College assembly last Friday where we were able to acknowledge and congratulate a large number of students and staff for their achievement and contributions both in terms of their own personal best but also their involvement in the wider community. I’ve been impressed with the assemblies here at St Johns! Thank you to the vast majority of students who conduct themselves appropriately, are attentive and enjoy the successes of their peers. You are a credit to your school and your families!! Thanks also to the music staff and the student performers who regaled us in song! Very impressive and enjoyable!! Special mention to Molly Croft, Year 12 and Charlotte Cooke, Year 11, who both spoke so eloquently about the Kid’s Cancer Project and Volunteering in Nepal, respectively.

My message to the students was about thinking!!!. Thinking about the importance of the learning culture of the College and how none of us have the right to disturb, interrupt or impede the learning of others in our classrooms. As we enter the second half of this term, I asked the students to continue their efforts, continue their enthusiasm and continue working with their teachers so that they can achieve their personal best.

I can inform the College community that the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Bathurst is making progress with the search for the new Principal and that interviews will be held as soon as is possible. As soon as I know more I will keep you informed.

Congratulations
To all those students who represented St Johns at the Western All Schools Touch Football competition on Monday. Great work and well done! Both the Year 9 & 10 Boys and Girls progressed to the next round which will likely involve a trip to the big smoke!! Many thanks for the generosity of the staff involved.

St Johns is a good school lets all continue to work to make it a better school!

Yours faithfully

Ray Wooby
Interim Principal

Religious Education

Dear Families,

Lent is always a wonderful time of reflection about who we are and how we need to get better. The word ‘sin’ is used a lot. I teach my students about the meaning of ‘sin’ being “to miss the mark”. All of us strive to hit the bullseye when it comes to our relationships with God and others. But as human beings, we of course ‘miss the mark’ now and then. Perhaps we have not reached out to God as often as we should. Perhaps we have argued with our loved ones. Perhaps we have allowed tiredness and frustration to turn to anger. But that does not mean we stop trying to hit the bullseye every time. We learn from our mistakes and try again. I pray that all of our students endeavour every day to reflect upon their attitude towards others and whether there are areas that need improvement.

This Friday is International Women’s Day. Miss Easman and I took some students to a breakfast and discussion panel at the Western Plains Cultural Centre. It was wonderful to hear from strong women from our community talking about sisterhood and how women need to support women. Please see the section below about how we celebrated International Women's Day at school.

This prayer comes from the Caritas website:

God, whose love and goodness gathers us in:
we pray for women all over the world, 
especially those challenged by poverty and other injustice.
Stir us to know women’s dignity.
Quieten us to listen to women’s voices.
Awaken us to see women’s realities.
Strengthen us to stand for women’s rights.
Fill us with hope to make a better future together. 
Amen.

Next week, Year 10 head to Lake Keepit for their Retreat. I look forward to sharing stories and photos from our time together in the next newsletter. 

Finally, the College is rostered onto Mass this Sunday night. Our students will be singing, reading and doing Eucharistic Ministry. I invite all families to come along at 6pm and remind yourselves of how special attending Mass can be. I guarantee it will fill your cup ready for the week ahead. I hope to see lots of families there.

Warm regards

Elissa Burden
Leader of Ministry and Mission

International Womens Day

To celebrate InternatIonal Women's Day at the College, all female students were invited to gather together on our Trade Trading Centre lawn. Some of our senior girls and staff brought food to share, plus our wonderful canteen catered. The girls listened to music and conversed with one another. Year 11 Charlotte Cooke spoke to the girls about International Women’s Day. She was assisted by Daniel Butcherine, who proved that women’s rights and gender equality should not just be the task of women, but that men need to help in this fight. The pair spoke about a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. 

Our girls were asked to make a gold coin donation for Caritas, an amazing organisaiton which runs many programs which inspire women’s education and empowerment.

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Learning and Teaching

Canvas logins now in your inbox
On Wednesday this week we sent out observer logins to all parents and carers. You can now login to Canvas to see upcoming assessments, assessment results and comparative data, teacher feedback, even lesson content if you want to help your child to relearn anything at home in preparation for assessment.

Accompanying logins we have sent some resources to help you navigate the platform. 

Like any new tech, it might feel a bit confusing at first, but the best way to learn is through use. Fortunately, you have a budding expert in Canvas living in your home. They will be a great resource and teacher. 

If you did not get your login, it means that we may not have the correct email for you in Compass. Please contact our admin staff to help you update your details and get your login. 

Putting effort into Assessment Tasks matters
As our first assessment tasks for 7-10 fall due in the coming days, students are reminded:

• How you perform in assessment tasks helps teachers to work out your grade (A-E).
• Submitting your best work helps the teacher to give you the right feedback, so you can continue to get better.
• If you are in Year 9 and 10, it helps to work out what subjects you should be selecting in Year 11 and 12.
• And, it goes without saying, working hard on more difficult and independent tasks will help you learn the skills and content better. 
  

Finding and identifying assessment tasks in Canvas

• Via the Calendar - click on the link in the calendar to go directly to the task
• Via the course homepage - under the heading “Summative Assessment Tasks”
• Via “Assignments” - located in the menu on the left

Assessment tasks always have the prefix “SAT” for Summative Assessment Task.

Assessment tasks are always on the College template:

How can parents help with assessment preparation?
While a lot of assessment preparation occurs at school, students need to supplement this with homework. All assessment tasks are posted on Canvas. 

Parents can support their children by:

• Helping them to develop their executive functioning skills through scheduling time for schoolwork and ensuring they know their assessment dates and what’s coming up.
• With them, check in on how they are going and compare their progress with the performance outlined in the marking rubric in the task.
• If they are unsure of something, remind them that their lessons are on Canvas and they can go back and relearn it.
• If they are preparing for a test, quiz them on the content.
• Help them to edit their writing, improving grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Look at feedback with them. 

Progress Reports and Parent Teacher Student Conferences
Interim reports will be available through Compass in the coming weeks. These focus on the habits of learning - those things that, if done well, will ensure ongoing success, like response to feedback and focus on independent tasks. They are a useful document in preparing students, teachers and parents for Parent Teacher Student Conferences in Week 9.

Literacy Focus 2024 and the College Writing Rubric
With an emphasis on writing in 2024, the College is introducing a writing rubric. It is consistent in every subject 7 - 10, and sits alongside all assessment tasks. In 2024, it is a feedback tool to help students to continually improve their writing - it is not used in determining a grade. 

Almost every assessment task involves written communication in some aspect. 

Teachers will reflect on the rubric’s role in helping students strengthen their writing, and how it will be used in 2025 and beyond.

For parents, this is a great tool for supporting students in editing their assessment tasks at home.

Professional Learning
Our teachers participated in the inaugural CEDB Webinar Week this week. This brought together teachers across the Diocese to learn about topics of their choice. These ranged from curriculum reform, to student wellbeing and many more. 

Warm regards

Catherine Jones
Leader of Teaching and Learning

Curriculum

NAPLAN

Year 7 and 9 students will be sitting the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) from the 13th - 21st March. The tests are an important check on how well students are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. Further information about NAPLAN can be found at the end of the newsletter.

Students will be required to be prepared with a fully charged Chromebook and headphones for the duration of the examination period. 

Please contact Jacinta New - Leader of Curriculum should you have any queries.

Advanced English

On Tuesday 27th of February, our Year 12 English Advanced students embarked on a whirlwind excursion to Sydney. The trip included a HSC Seminar by the Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company and the University of Sydney, a campus tour, and a performance of the musical & Juliet. Travelling from Dubbo to Sydney, students immersed themselves in enriching experiences and said "Hello!" to the big city. The HSC Seminar, led by actors from the Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company and Associate Professor Huw Griffiths from the University of Sydney, provided students with critical insight into the textual conversation between Shakespeare's Richard III and Pacino's film Looking for Richard. A guided tour of the University of Sydney campus offered a glimpse into university life and potential pathways for further studies. The highlight of the excursion was the performance of & Juliet at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tale. Students and staff alike were blown away by the stellar performance. 

Despite the distance travelled, students embraced the journey with camaraderie and good humour. We are immensely proud of their enthusiasm, dedication, and exemplary conduct throughout the excursion, and we have no doubt that they will continue to shine brightly in their academic pursuits.

We extend our gratitude to the Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company, the University of Sydney, and all involved in organizing this memorable excursion.

Pathways and Careers

2024 University Showcase

Year 10 - 12 Students attended the 2024 University Showcase last week. Speakers from the University of New England, Charles Sturt University and the University of Newcastle presented information on how to apply for university, accommodation options, the financial considerations of going to university and ‘life as a university student’.

Kerry-Lyn Strain - VET and Stage 5 Future Pathways  k.strain@bth.catholic.edu.au
Patricia Strahorn - ASPA and Stage 6 Future Pathways p.strahorn@bth.catholic.edu.au

Navy Week 2024

Being far away from the ocean did not deter interested St Johns College Year 9-12 students from attending an information session on the Navy. 

CO Glyn Hunter along with sailors from HMAS Harman talked about pathways into the Navy from gap year to TAFE or university and everything in between. Students experienced life in a submarine and a frigate by using VR technology.

Following the visit, some students attended the 'Beat to Quarters' ceremony at Victoria Park where they also witnessed the sailors perform the 'Ceremonial Sunset'.

Electrical Pre-Apprenticechip Program for Women

Resource Hub - Library

Lamont Books 

Lamont Books available in the Library soon!!

Feel free to come and have a look!

Mrs Bruce - Teacher Librarian
Miss Lappa - Library Technician

Book Review

Afro Cuban Percussion

On Friday March 1, students from Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 Music Elective were treated to a fabulous session with Gai Bryant, Cesar Marin, Daniel Pliner and Giorgio Rojas from Caribe, a Cuban music group. Students learnt about the clave and cha cha cha rhythms on a variety of percussion instruments and then on their instrument of choice. By the end of this workshop students were able to play melodies/riffs/rhythms as well as improvise as a large ensemble. The presenters were very impressed with how quickly our St Johns College students learnt and embraced new information to create high quality music. The whole session was very ‘vibing’.

Catherine Crossing KLA - CAPA
Adam Caton, Music Teacher

RISEN Event

Good Morning Friends,

Once again we are ready for RISEN!

RISEN is designed for those in Year 10-12 to be formed as leaders for RISE. It's a time of formation in leadership and also in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ...the key stuff, really!

This year RISEN will be held over the weekend of Palm Sunday, commencing on Friday night at Shalom House of Prayer Carcoar and then finishing with Mass with the Bishop in the Cathedral in Bathurst, it will be wonderful to have our different Parish and school communities present for this wonderful commencement of Holy Week.

It is hoped that each Parish/ School may be able to nominate 5 young people to attend. They will also need to be available to attend RISE in July as they will be part of the Team that will work with the RISE festival attendees.
RISEN is always popular, as it is seen as a little graduation when you have been part of RISE, so I encourage you to please get regos in quickly, before you miss out and we really do what to make sure all High Schools and Parishes are represented.

P.S: RISE rego is open too..It's the same form..maybe our primary schools want to get in now and secure their spot!

Hugh Gibbons
Youth Minister

2025 Year 7 Enrolments Now Open

Enrolments close Friday 12th April 2024.

Attendance

For further Compass information plesae refer to our website

Sport

Diocesan Swimming Carnival.

St Johns hosted the Bathurst Diocesan Swim Carnival on Tuesday at the Dubbo pool. The College was successful in winning the 13 Year girls age division and were runner up in a number of other age divisions

Congratulations to the following students who are now record holders at the Diocesan level:

Joely Bruce

• Opens 50m
• Breaststroke - 35.42s
• Opens 50m Butterfly - 30.48s
• Opens 100m Breaststroke 1:17.27
  

Sienna Bennett
15 Years 100m Backstroke 1:18.52

Callum Heitzman
Opens 50m Butterfly 27.57

Thankyou to all the Yr 10,11 & 12 students who volunteered by timekeeping on the day.

Goodluck to all the students who have been selected to represent the Diocese at the NSW CCC Swimming Carnival to be held in Sydney on Thursday 4 April.

David McAlister
Sports Coordinator

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Western All Schools Touch Football

On Wednesday 6th March, 24 students in Year 9 & 10 attended the Western All Schools Touch Football Carnival in Orange. Both teams progressed to the Grand Final and despite being Runners Up on the day will be attending the State Finals in Sydney later this year.

Madie Easman
Stage 6 Leader

Chloe Selected for Diocesan Soccer Squad

Congratulations to Chloe who has been selected in the Bathurst Diocesan Squad to compete at the Southern CCC Soccer trials. Chloe will now trial against Dioceses of Wagga and Canberra / Goulburn. Well done Chloe!.

Vaccination Clinic

Yr 7 and Yr 10 Vaccination Clinic will be held at St Johns College on the 1st May for Yr 7 and a date to be advised later for Yr 10. The following vaccines are offered free to students at school:

- Year 7 - diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV)

- Year 10 - meningococcal ACWY vaccineVaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.

To provide consent for vaccination online, parents/carers will need:

- ServiceNSW log-in details, or to create an account with ServiceNSW if you don’t already have one

- Medicare details for parents/carers and their child

Benefits of online consent for parents/carers:

- SMS notifications when vaccinations are given

- easy updating of your child’s details online

- faster upload of their child’s vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/.../how-to-create-an-account

School Fees

Dear Parents/Guardians 

The 2024 College statements were emailed to families on Friday 1 March 2024.
On the invoice will be Compass and BPAY details and also term payment amounts for those families wishing to pay their fees in Terms 1, 2 & 3.

For existing families that have an additional student join the College this year you may need to adjust your payment plan accordingly. Please contact me to discuss your account.

For new families who wish to start a regular payment plan via Direct Debit, BPAY, Credit Card or Compass please contact me to discuss details and payment options.

Please note all College fees are due by 30 November 2024.
HSC fees are due by 31 October 2024.

If you did not receive a copy of the College Fees statement or wish to discuss your account please contact the College Fees Office on 6841 5142 or email m.carlow@bth.catholic.edu.au.

Kind Regards 

Maree Carlow
Administration Finance Leader

Important Dates

Term 1 2024

If you would like to add the St Johns College Calendar to your google calendar please click on this link.

Wednesday 13th March - Friday 15th March
Yr 10 Retreat - Lake Keepit

Wednesday 13th March - Friday 22nd March
NAPLAN - Yr 7 & 9

Wednesday 20th March
White Card Training

Thursday 21st March
Harmony Day

Tuesday 26th March - 27th March
Parent Teacher Student Conferences

Thursday 28th March
SJC Cross Country

Friday 29th March - Monday 25th March
Easter Weekend

Tuesday 2nd April & Wednesay 3rd April
Yr 7 Retreat

Wednesday 3rd April - Friday 5th April
Yr 12 Art Excursion - Canberra & Sydney

Tuesday 9th April
Easter Art Excursion

Friday 12th April
Last day of Term 1
Yr 7 2025 Enrolments Due

Monday 29th April
Pupil Free Day (Staff Professional Development)

Community News

ACTIVE KIDS VOUCHERS

The new Active and Creative Kids voucher is now available, helping to make activities more affordable for eligible NSW families. 

Parents, guardians and carers of eligible school-aged children will be able to use two $50 vouchers per calendar year.
About the new program

• Vouchers are available to those receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A, or Family Tax Benefit Part B, or both.
• Vouchers can be downloaded as a QR code and used toward either an eligible physical or creative activity.
• The $50 vouchers will be issued in school term 1 and school term 3.
• Vouchers must be redeemed before their expiry date. 

For more information, visit Active and Creative Kids.