St Johns College Dubbo Term 4, Week 4 2024

Principal

Dear St Johns Community

Last week I attended our Term 4 Diocesan Principals Conference in Bathurst. One of the sessions was presented by Susan McLean who is one of Australia’s foremost experts in the area of cybersafety, particularly as it relates to young people. Her presentation was eye opening and also a little frightening at times. She shared some harrowing statistics with us about the way young people are engaging online and also shared some strategies to support the work we do in this area. 

Susan’s book ‘Sexts, Texts & Selfies’ is an excellent guide for parents and carers hoping to give their children the skills, knowledge and strategies they need to navigate the internet in a safe and responsible way. The book reminds us that, although our children are digital natives who are extremely tech savvy, we need to be careful not to confuse this with actual knowledge of and appreciation for the risks associated with being online. Whilst our children might appear to know a lot more about technology than we do, we as parents have a crucial role to play in helping them to develop a better understanding of how to stay safe in the online world. Susan points out that young people don’t always have the ability to pause and reflect on the consequences of their actions before doing something and, because they are young, they don’t yet have the life experience to really understand the consequences even after they have been explained to them.

A topic as serious as this is a very good example of the need for a high functioning partnership between home and school so that we can increase the likelihood for successful outcomes for our children. The school has initiatives in place to support students and I encourage families to have discussions around this topic. As I am sure you know, there are lots of amazing resources available via the eSafety Commissioner website. I would also strongly recommend you check out Susan McLean’s website Cyber Safety Solutions. 

If you ever have any concerns or questions regarding your child's online safety, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will support you in whatever way we can.

The final HSC Examination concluded today with Geography being the final examination. I am sure you will join me in keeping our wonderful Year 12 students in your prayers as they transition into the next stage of their lives. 

God bless,

Mr Justin McCarney
Principal

Assistant Principal

St Johns College endeavours to provide a safe and supporting environment for our students. Recently we have become aware of an increase in the negative impact sexting is having on students in our community. 

We are aware that issues of sexting often impact on the learning of groups of students. We aim to  educate and help students manage their online images and those of others in the following ways:

• education through school lessons and activities 
• helping students understand privacy and pornography laws, individually and in group visits from NSW Police and other guest presenters  
• Referral for student to confidential supports eg school counseling 

The school will always meet its reporting obligations to support the safety of our students.

Parents have an important role in supporting their child's understanding and learning in relation to sexting and personal relationships. Sometimes conversation with children can be difficult and the NSW e-Safety Commission has a large number of parent resources to assist parents. These resources can be found at : https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources

Yours faithfully

Mrs Emma Chater
Assistant Principal

Learning and Teaching

Year 11 Commences the HSC Course in Term 4

As Term 4 commences, so too does the HSC for Year 11.

To get them off to a flying start we have had a few important presentations and workshops.

On Monday 28th October we welcomed Elevate Education to run workshops on:

• How to Ace Your Exams
• Memory Mnemonics

These have been planned to support Year 11 to use their study time effectively, as well as learn all the new concepts in their courses deeply.

On Wednesday 30th October we ran a short presentation on understanding how the HSC works, where HSC marks come from, and why focusing on your course rank is more important than your mark.

7 - 9 Examinations Feedback and Results

Feedback to students on their Term 3 Examinations can be found in Canvas.

Parents can log in to Canvas through the Canvas Portal on the College website.

In addition to marks and comments, parents can find comparative information like this:

To access this, 

1. Select a course from the dashboard
2. Click “Marks” on the top left
3. Click “Show All Details” on the top right

Like any app that is new to us, Canvas can take some exploring to navigate all of its features and functions, but the resources are excellent.

Year 10 Exams 

Year 10 end of course exams will take place in Week 7.

Assessment Notifications for the exams, with links to revision guides will be appearing in Canvas over the next two weeks.

Year 10 have lots of resources at their fingertips to start setting up a study routine, including the “How to Study for Exams” course on their Canvas Dashboard.

7 - 9 Assessment Term 4

Assessment time is upon us for Term 4 for students in Years 7 - 9.

Most tasks are project based this term and there are really interesting research topics and choice for students in many subjects across the term.

Teachers make judgements about student grades using many methods, but summative assessment tasks are an important measure because we anticipate students are putting their best effort into this work.

End of Year Academic and Special Awards

We are starting to prepare for our end of year awards which will be held on Monday 16th December in the SJC Hall - time to be advised.

Teachers have commenced the process of nominating students for special awards, including Commitment to College Life, Missional Values and Shining Light Awards. 

As grades are determined for student achievement, we will start to look at our Academic Excellence Awards, which recognise students who have achieved a grade point average of 3 or above. 

How To Help Your Child Alleviate Stress

Please see the advertisement in the newsletter this week and our socials for an upcoming webinar with Elevate Education.

Our upcoming webinar aims to provide parents with an action plan to help their child manage stress levels and prioritise their wellbeing in the run-up to exams.  

Many families took the opportunity to attend Elevate’s recent webinar on helping your child to manage their time, and the feedback for this has been really positive.

We will continue to share Elevate’s excellent resources with you.

Professional Learning Term 4

Curriculum reform is well underway, and most of our faculties enter a preparation year in 2025.

Engaging completely with new syllabuses and their demands, and programming learning, is a top priority for our professional learning this term.

In Week 2 we welcomed our NESA Liaison Officer Wendy Murphy to the College to refresh our understanding of best practice in curriculum planning as we commence this work.

Yours faithfully

Mrs Catherine Jones
Leader of Teacher and Learning

Faith and Mission

Dear Families,

Every year, the College takes part in the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. We raise as much money as we can to provide as many hampers as we can. 

During Academic Care, your child will have an opportunity to bring in a donation. It is up to them how much they donate and how often they donate. Your child's AC teacher may talk to the class about a goal they would like to set, and that will determine how much they bring in.

The Hamper Appeal is a very worthy cause. We see year after year the impact it has on the people of Dubbo who do not have a lot.

Could I please ask that your support us in our endeavour in two ways. Firstly, by talking to your child about those in our community for whom Christmas will not be a joyous time because they have so little. Secondly, by encouraging your child to donate their own money, rather than asking you for it. Many of our students have jobs - perhaps you could talk to them about what they would be willing to donate. Perhaps they have some birthday money that they could donate. 

I look forward to keeping you up to date with how much money we raise and how many hampers we provide.
Thank you in advance for your support with this important cause.

Yours in faith

Elissa Burden
Leader of Faith and Mission

Yr 12 2025 Mass Badging and Ceremony

The school community came together today to celebrate mass and present badges to our 2025 Student Leadership Team and Yr 12 Students. It was a wonderful celebration which was celebrated with parents and family.

We wish our 2025 Yr 12 students luck as they venture into their final year of schooling.

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Pathways

Information Newsletter For years 9, 10, 11 and 12. Check your emails!!

Mrs Strain - VET KLA Leader and Stage 5 Pathways Coordinator
Mrs Strahorn - Stage 6 Pathways & ASPA Coordinator
Miss Lappa - Careers and Pathways Assistant

Agriculture

A big thank you to our Vet, Banjo, from Fur Life Vet Dubbo for taking the time to explain animal health care and welfare to our Agriculture students today.

TAS Yr 12 Food Technology

Year 12 Food Technology students visited Little Big Dairy Co for their industry study of the Australian Food Industry. Students toured the manufacturing facility and learned the operations of the business.Thank you to The Little Big Dairy Co. for this experience, to Kate for her insightful knowledge and the chocolate milk we received.

Melissa Cross | TAS Teacher

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First Lego League Competition

The St Johns College Lego Team travelled to Sydney last Friday to compete in the First Lego League Competition.  The day went exceptionally well, allowing us to connect with new people and gain valuable insights from other schools and the competition. Out of 20 teams, we finished in 18th place, competing against some very prestigious institutions and engineering academies.

I’m incredibly proud of everyone who participated. The students should take pride in their efforts, even in the face of a few challenges.

A heartfelt thank you to all the staff who supported us, and a special shoutout to Mrs. Chater for being such a fantastic driver.

Mr Cody Mcdonald | Lego Team Coordinator

Staff Success

Keer Zhang Awarded Early Career Teachers Award

Keer Zhang has been awarded the Early Career Teachers Award (Secondary) at the Teachers’ Guild of NSW Awards in Sydney last Friday.

Keer was nominated and her submission included her work with our EAL/D - English as an Additional Language/Dialect students. She was also interviewed by a panel from the Teachers' Guild of NSW as part of the nomination process. Keer was named as one of seven finalists and travelled to Sydney with English KLA Leader Zoe Smith and Leader of Faith and Mission Elissa Burden to attend the awards evening where she was named as the winner! This is the second year in a row that St Johns College has had a teacher win this award. It is wonderful that the College has Early Career teachers of such high calibre.

Congratuations Keer and thank you for making a difference at St Johns College.

Sport

U15 Boys Berg Shield Cricket

The U15 Boys Berg Shield Cricket team travelled to Orange for their NSW CCC knockout competition. In the first match, they were defeated by Stannies Bathurst. St Johns were successful in defeating Red Bend Catholic College 9/96 to 8/86 in the second match. Well done boys on a great day of cricket!

Mr Dave McAlister | Sports Coordinator

Diocesan Touch Football Gala Day

Last Wednesday, St John’s sent four teams to the Diocesan Touch Football Gala Day at Red Bend College, Forbes.The day was very successful for SJC with the Under 14s Boys and Opens Girls winning their divisions, and the Opens Boys finishing as runners up in the division. The Under 14s Girls were very unlucky to narrowly miss out on a spot in the finals but played in great spirits all day. All students were great representatives of the College and demonstrated great sportsmanship throughout. Thanks to Ms Lucy Redden, Ms Chloe Reid and Mr Zac O’Leary for coaching on the day.

Mr Connor Burke | PDHPE KLA Leader

Job Vacancies

Resource Hub - Library

Attendance

We care about attendance because we care about your child.

Regular school attendance establishes a strong foundation for academic growth and paves the way for future achievements and enhancing life opportunities.

Regular school attendance is not just about meeting a requirement; it is a fundamental building block that sets the stage for academic growth, personal development, and the pursuit of life's opportunities. It lays the groundwork for a successful and fulfilling educational journey.

Consistent school attendance is a key factor in preparing students for success in college and future careers. Employers and higher education institutions value the dedication and commitment demonstrated through regular attendance.

Expect that your child attends and actively participates in their school community. 

School Fees

Dear Parents/Guardians 

Thank you to our families who have paid their College fees.

Families paying their fees by the term please note instalment 3, the last instalment for the year, is now overdue, please ensure prompt payment.

For families making regular, weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments please ensure your payment plan is on track to have your College fees account finalised by 30 November 2024.

To ensure your College fees account is on track please note from Friday 8 November 2024 there are 4 weeks or 2 fortnights until fees are due. Contact the College Fees Office if you need to adjust your payment plan.
Please note failure to meet your financial commitment to the College as per the enrolment agreement may result in your College fees account being forward to our Fees Liaison Office in Bathurst for further action. 

If you 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

Canteen

Parent Webinars

Important Dates

Term 4 2024

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

Monday 11th November
Remembrrance Day - SJC Leaders and Band
Yr 9 Agriculture Excursion to Fletchers

Tuesday 12th November
Taiko Drumming
Netball NSW School Cup - Olympic Park

Tuesday 12th November
Taiko Drumming
Netball NSW School Cup - Olympic Park

Wednesday 13th November
Netball NSW School Cup - Olympic Park
Yr 10 Elective Performance

Thursday 14th November
Yr 9 Retreat

Friday 15th November
Yr 9 Retreat
iRise Leadership Day - Wellington
Yr 11 Business studies Zoo excursion
Yr 12 Graduation Ball

Saturday 16th November
Sydney Royal Cattle Paraders and Junior Judge Qualifying

Community Notices