Two Weeks at a Glance

Date Activity Venue Details
Fri 18 March Chapel and Assembly Service, Presentation of Leadership/Member Badges St John’s Church 8:45am start,

all families and friends welcome

Mon 21 March Odd Socks Day School Separate letter has been emailed to families
Thur 24 March Think U Know Program Information Evening TBC 5:30pm, (this night is for

St John’s Parents & Caregivers)

Mon 28 March Think U Know Program School Year 1, 2, 4 and 6 classes
Tue 29 March Think U Know Program School Prep, Year 3 and 4 classes
Fri 1 April Hot Cross Buns School Generously supplied by the P&F, more information to come
Fri 1 April Chapel and Assembly Service St John’s Church 8:45am start,

all families and friends welcome

Fri 1 April Last Day of Term 1   Wishing everyone a blessed Easter break
Mon 18 April Easter Monday   School Closed
Tues 19 Apr Term 2 Commences, school resumes School Welcome Back!
Mon 25 April ANZAC DAY   Public Holiday – School Closed
Mon 25 April ANZAC DAY Services   More information to come
Mon 2 May Labour Day   Public Holiday – School Closed
Tue 10 – Thur 12 May NAPLAN – Year 3 and 5 School Newsletter –  Curriculum Connections

 

Community News »
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Community News

School Holiday Activities CQ University will be running Young Engineers workshops in Bundaberg during Autumn Holidays (11-12 April). Young Engineers is a fun and interactive …

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Community News

School Holiday Activities

CQ University will be running Young Engineers workshops in Bundaberg during Autumn Holidays (11-12 April). Young Engineers is a fun and interactive STEM based program aimed at school children from Yr1 – Yr6.

For more information and to register, please click on the link Young Engineers Workshops


Lake Ellen Heritage Hub and Playground – Community Consultation Day

« Two Weeks at a Glance School News »
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School News

Learning to save can be easy with an LLL Children’s Savings Account The LLL encourages children to learn, save, grow. Learn financial literacy skills that will …

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School News

Learning to save can be easy with an LLL Children’s Savings Account

The LLL encourages children to learn, save, grow.
Learn financial literacy skills that will set them up for life.
Save for a goal and budget to share or spend.
Grow in their personal knowledge and wealth.

Open an LLL Children’s Savings Account for your child before 31 March, 2022, and LLL will deposit a savings contribution of $25.00.

 

The following envelope will be sent home with all our Prep families as well as new families who have started at St John’s this year.

For more information, please do not hesitate to click on the link: LLL Children’s Savings Account

 

« Community News Weekly Awards »
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Weekly Awards

Student Awards Congratulations to this fortnight’s award recipients Prep Red Mason Hutton, Thomas Moyle, Christopher Cijo, Dakota Than, Bennett Smith, Onyx Daley, Sora Dittmann, Marcus …

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Weekly Awards

Student Awards

Congratulations to this fortnight’s award recipients
Prep Red Mason Hutton, Thomas Moyle, Christopher Cijo, Dakota Than, Bennett Smith, Onyx Daley, Sora Dittmann, Marcus Merrett
Prep Blue Ava Stehbens, Olivia Carter, Landyn Smith, Arden Thompson, Oliver McDonald, Charlotte Thornton, Judah Scarborough, Theo Higgins
Year 1 Red Oakley Gallwey, Tariq Pacey, Lillian Pozzan, Ebony Rayner, Rose-Marie Wahyudi, Zayden Doble, Eli Avenell, Ashton Barrett
Year 1 Blue Ruan Otto, Atticus Williams, Charlotte Devlin, Ranveer Singh, Lucy Orford, James Vallely, Milla Cross, Emmerson Uebergang
Year 2 Red Sakari Norris, Bill Heading, Clara Volzke, Eugene Tchong, Phoebe Hill, Erin Steindl, Daniel Park, Lizbeth Thomson
Year 2 Blue Emmy Bion, Jonathan Connor, Annabelle Venter, Ruby Moreno, Tiffany Fyfe, Lochie Cleve, Asher Sampson, Thomas Thornton, Chloe Warburton
Year 3 Ava Midgley, Zachary Kira, Jackson Gordon, Sophia Pohlman, Harlow Tickel, James Moyle, Genevieve McMahon
Year 3/4 Charlotte Arnold, Kamdyn Burkitt, Nikith Tarigopula, Sophie Warburton, Annabeth Lankowski, Dylan Linderberg, Harrison Neal, Layla Heading
Year 4 Blake Rayner, Toby Fyfe, Vienna Doble, Gilbert Tasker-Holmes, Hayden Evans, Eloise Milton, Asa Watson, Lachlan King-Siem
Year 5 Joshua Stedman, Charlie McDonald, Jacob Bonney, Abby-Rose Gaston, Baylee Kadel, Olivia Kronk, Dakoda Atkinson, Sahara Martin, Sienna Evans, Alaina Midgley
Year 6 Alexis Heading, Lilly Warburton, Mikhail Egorov, Madalyn Johnson, Isabella Pohlman, Nitya Tarigopula, Savannah Ewald, Haylee MacDonald
Music Sienna Evans, Ky Ditchmen, Charlie Hill, Nate Tickel, Vienna Doble, Sakari Norris

 

« School News Pastoral Care and Wellbeing »
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Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Pastoral Care COVID-19 restrictions, the emerging conflict overseas and the recent Queensland and New South Wales floods may be leaving many of us feeling quite …

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Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Pastoral Care

COVID-19 restrictions, the emerging conflict overseas and the recent Queensland and New South Wales floods may be leaving many of us feeling quite bleak, possibly overwhelmed and even helpless. Please see excerpts from the article below, brought to us by Parents Network Queensland Independent Schools, outlining just how we can support not only our children, but ourselves and those around us during such times.

Supporting your kids through adversity: experts share their advice

QIS Parents Network – March 2, 2022

“Experts assure us there is much we can do – both for ourselves and our children – to keep ourselves buoyed. The importance of acknowledging we are all in the middle of a difficult time, and taking steps to look after our mental health, is a common theme. Australian parenting educator and author Maggie Dent writes “No one is doing fantastically well. Most of us have good days and bad days. This is normal.”

Some Resources to help support your children can be found below:

This article from ReachOut stresses the importance of children and parents acknowledging how they are feeling, prioritising self-care, and focusing on what is within our control. Helpful tips include:

  • Find things to do things that make you feel physically and emotionally safe
  • Spend time with family and friends
  • Make time for yourself
  • Focus on what you can control
  • Keep a regular routine
  • Turn to the community

There are lots of free and confidential support services for parents.

  • Family and Child Connect – a free, unlimited, and confidential service that can connect you to the practical support you need to bounce back in tough times. Call on 13 FAMILY (13 32 64) or visit www.familychildconnect.org.au
  • ReachOut – a national online mental health organisation for young people and their parents that provides practical support, tools, and tips to help young people respond to life’s challenges and provides parents with knowledge and strategies to support their children. There is also a free one-on-one support program for parents if they would like individualised advice on how to support their teenager through a difficult period. https://parents.au.reachout.com/

We pray for all those affected by the challenging circumstances that permit, and for all those working to bring relief and fresh hope.


Health and Wellbeing at School

Further to the information provided in last week’s edition of the newsletter; regarding Grow your Mind, another extremely invaluable program embedded at St John’s Lutheran Primary School, is The Zones of Regulation. In ensuring a consistency of practice and a common language across the whole school, all students are explicitly taught about the Zones of Regulation. Whilst there are no ‘good and bad’ zones the zones are referred to as colours, where we naturally experience a myriad of feelings and emotions.

The Zones of Regulation teaches students to identify the ‘zone’ they are currently sitting in and develop a bank a strategies to use in assisting them to shift zones.


Year Six Leadership and SSRC Membership Installation and Badge Presentation

We would like to cordially invite all members of our school community to join with us in celebrating the installation of our Year Six Elected School Leaders. This special assembly will couple with the badge presentation for members of the Students and Service Representative Council (SSRC) and all other Year Six students selected to fulfil additional Year Six Leadership positions. This installation service will occur as part of Chapel/Assembly at St John’s Lutheran Church on Friday 18 March at 8:45am, where students will be formally recognised and presented with their badges. Chapel/Assembly will commence promptly at 8:45am to which parents and caregivers are warmly invited to attend.

We look forward to seeing the commitment from these students in encouraging, leading, and growing initiatives within our school and wider community to support and serve one another.


Acts of Service at Home

How do we encourage young people to participate in acts of service? A great place is to begin in the home. Whether it’s washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or cleaning the bathroom, acts of service at home help children to feel more invested in their families. It also teaches them important life values and skills. For more information on Acts of Service and many other great resources, visit www.growministries.org.au


THINKUKNOW Program

We have undertaken, with support from Queensland Police personnel, to deliver the ThinkUKnow Program to students in Years Prep – 6. ThinkUKnow Australia, is an evidence-based education program led by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), delivered nationally in partnership with state police and industry partners to promote general child safety and prevent online child exploitation.

The ThinkUKnow Australia program is aligned to the Australian Curriculum (Health and Physical Education and Digital Technologies curriculum learning areas) and aims to support positive, proactive engagement between children and police. These presentations aim to help students understand the benefits and challenges of technology and develop critical thinking skills to identify harmful situations and how to get help.

The program is pro-technology and addresses topics including self-generated online child exploitation material, online grooming, image-based abuse, extortion, and importantly encourages help-seeking behaviour. The course is designed to be delivered at an age and stage, appropriate to young children and their level of emotional and cognitive development, and again, is aligned with the Australian Curriculum.

The THINKUKNOW program, as a partnership with the Australian Federal Police, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Datacom, and Microsoft Australia, works in collaboration with all State and Territory police, and Neighbourhood Watch Australasia.

In our context, District Crime Prevention Co-OrdinatorSenior Constable Brittany Duncan, from the Bundaberg Police Service will deliver a presentation to interested Parents and Caregivers within our school community, to be held on;

  • Thursday 24 March at 5:30 p.m. – Venue to be advised.

To express your interest, please register on the link below, or please contact the office on school@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au

Senior Constable Brittany Duncan will then be engaged in delivering age-appropriate presentations to each of the year levels at school, as follows:

  • Monday 28 March – Year 6, Year 5, Year 1 & Year 2
  • Tuesday 29 March – Prep, Year 4 & Year 3

For more detailed information, please access the following website:

https://www.thinkuknow.org.au

We believe this is a proactive way of educating our children and school community regarding broad personal safety, cyber safety, and group safety matters. Should you have any additional queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our school office.


National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

This Friday 18 March also marks the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. The theme for 2022 is Creating a Kindness Culture – it starts with you! We can promote inclusion, respect and community belonging for all students in schools across Australia.

Tamara Carroll

DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE AND WELLBEING

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Curriculum Connections

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS This term we are offering Parent Teacher Interviews for any parent wishing to discuss your child’s Term One progress. Your child’s teacher …

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Curriculum Connections

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

This term we are offering Parent Teacher Interviews for any parent wishing to discuss your child’s Term One progress. Your child’s teacher will contact you if there is something specific the teacher would like to meet about. Interviews will be held in Week 7 & 8 (21 March 2022 – 1 April 2022) and bookings can be made directly through Parent Lounge. Interview bookings are open from 8.00am, Monday 14 March 2022 and close at 5.00pm on Sunday 20 March 2022.


PARENT LOUNGE – ANNUAL INFORMATION UPDATE

ALL PARENTS AND GUARDIANS – Please note.

As a matter of health and safety for your child/ren it is extremely important that your child’s details are always up to date, through Parent Lounge.

This year Allied Health Support has been added to your child’s record. Please ensure this information is also kept up to date to reflect current access to these services. I have worked my way through a number of student records this past week and many are not up to date. This area should include psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and any other Allied Health support your child accesses.

If you require support to update these details, please phone through to the front office and the ladies will be happy to assist you over the phone.


HOMEWORK

Homework at St John’s is always set as a weekly contract from Tuesday to Monday and is expected to be completed four nights out of the week. Homework is follow-up and revision of content taught in class and includes spelling, mathematics, reading and sometimes another small task. Below is a guide to how much time should be spent on homework depending on the year level of your child.

  • Prep – throughout the year Prep students will have literacy and/or numeracy activities (reading will start after Term 1 but please read to your child).
  • Year 1 – 15 minutes plus reading
  • Year 2 – 15 minutes plus reading
  • Year 3 – 20 minutes plus reading
  • Year 4 – 25 minutes plus reading
  • Year 5 – 30 minutes plus reading
  • Year 6 – 35 minutes plus reading

It is best to plan out your week and work out with your child which days would be best to schedule homework time. Tasks set for homework have the greatest impact if they are spread throughout the week as intended.

If you ever have questions or concerns regarding homework, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher and they will be able to assist you.


NAPLAN – YEAR 3 and YEAR 5 students

NAPLAN 2022 is scheduled for Year 3 and Year 5 students on Tuesday 10 May, Wednesday 11 May and Thursday 12 May. Please be vigilant in ensuring that you do not book appointments for your child on these days.

If you have questions around NAPLAN or are wishing to withdraw your child, please book an appointment at your earliest convenience to discuss this.

Jocelyn Bakker

DIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

« Pastoral Care and Wellbeing From the Principal »
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From the Principal

Success Doesn’t Come Easy It’s often easy to look at ‘successful’ people and think that it’s all come easily to them. In many cases this …

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From the Principal

Success Doesn’t Come Easy

It’s often easy to look at ‘successful’ people and think that it’s all come easily to them. In many cases this is not what happened. Colonel Sanders went to more than 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found an interested buyer. Thomas Edison tried almost 10,000 times before he succeeded in creating the electric light.

The original business plan for what was to become Federal Express was given a failing grade on Fred Smith’s college exam. And, in the early days, their employees would cash their pay cheques at retail stores, rather than banks. This meant it would take longer for the money to clear, thereby giving Fed Ex more time to cover their payroll.

Sylvester Stallone had been turned down a thousand times by agents and was down to his last $600 before he found a company that would produce Rocky. The rest is history!

The American poet Robert Forst had his first poetry submissions to The Atlantic Monthly returned unwanted. He was published in England before anyone in American even considered he was good enough. He went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Ray Kroc, the late founder of McDonalds, knew this too. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence,” he once said. “Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men and women with great talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination and love are omnipotent.”

At assemblies, as is usual, we acknowledge children in our school who have achieved a measure of success. That said, whether it be NAPLAN, class results or success on the sporting field, the true determiner of success isn’t necessarily the isolated result in itself, rather, it is the effort and perseverance one needs to self-employ which is crucial to achievement.

Those referenced in the above tales of success clearly shine a light on this notion of effort. At St John’s it is one of our 6Rs – we call it rigour and resilience! Remember: Rigour – work hard, work tough. Resilience – keep on keeping on!


Dare To Be

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Dare to be the best you can –
At all times, Dare to Be!

Steve Maraboli


“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast (or perseveres) under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2-4, 12

Thank you for working in partnership with us.

Grace and Peace

Chris Mallett

PRINCIPAL

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