The importance of Creativity 

“Creativity is as important as literacy and numeracy, and we should treat it with the same status”- Ken Robinson 

The late Ken Robinson, an arts specialist and leading voice in education, became famous for being responsible for the most viewed TED talk of all time, with over 65 million views, his video –“Do Schools Kill Creativity” focuses on the importance of teaching creativity, through the arts, in schools. He argues that creativity deserves equal status and attention in our education systems and society as a whole. While literacy and numeracy skills are undoubtedly important for success in various field and an essential part of education, Robinson emphasises that creativity should not be undervalued or overlooked. It plays a fundamental role in fostering innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking – skills that are essential for navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.  

The Arts at St. John’s Lutheran Primary School 

At St. John’s we greatly value the importance of the arts in our students’ education. This year we have been blessed to have Mrs. Kate Russell join us as a specialist arts teacher. Students will have the opportunity to engage in all aspects of the arts curriculum through her guidance. Students will get to dance, paint, draw, sing, act, perform and create as they learn dance, visual arts, drama and music in their weekly arts lessons with her. 

Queensland Ballet Visit 

Last week, students in years 3-6 were very fortunate to have two talented members of the Queensland Ballet visit our school and lead their learning. Students engaged in a workshop entitled “Dance the Painting” which explored the connection between artwork and dance, inspired by a selection of artworks created by visual artist Judy Watson, whose Aboriginal matrilineal family is from Waanyi country in north-west Queensland. Students were lead through a contemporary-inspired warm up before sharing footage of Judy explaining characteristics of some of her works. Students were prompted to respond to the different works individually and collaboratively to then experiment and improvise to create movement sequences in a variety of different ways. This workshop made some wonderful links to the learnings students have experienced with Mrs Russell this term in dance, particularly the exploration of dance as a form of communication and expression and the use of action words in the choreographic process. Students are loving their dance lessons and the creativity and skills they are developing through these, is exciting to see! 

Grade 4 Science and Art Installation-18th March 

The teaching of creativity at St John’s is not limited to specialist lessons, our teachers are creative experts themselves, and love to look for ways to bring creative skills into all learning! In their Science lessons, our Year 4 students have been learning about the different biomes of the world. To represent their learning, they have created 51 different dioramas to visually present what animals, plants and landscapes are consistent with various world biomes. They have also written information reports and recorded themselves reading these out loud to complement their dioramas. You are invited to view these dioramas and reports on the 18th of March from 3:30 until 6pm in the hall.   

May you be blessed this week, remembering the greatest creator of all, has blessed you and your child with unique talents and abilities, celebrate his gift of creativity to us! 

God bless, 

Debi Bosch 

(Director of Learning and Teaching) 

As we move to the tail end of the term and NAPLAN approaches for our Year 3 and 5 students, here are some great tips for helping your child with feelings of worry, stress and fear. 

Anxiety can be a normal part of a child’s life, in small amounts, and there are many factors that can cause your child to become anxious. For example: 

• Digital and social media,  
• A stressful life event (death of a loved one or cherished animal), or 
• Hereditary factors may even contribute to anxiety.  

Anxiety affects around 1 in 14 children in Australia between the ages of 4-17 years. A child might exhibit difficulty with managing their feelings, worry, stress or fear. Michael Grose, leading parenting expert on anxiety in children, shares that “the best map that we can have for anxiety is our body.”  

Five ways to soothe your child’s anxiety:

Checking in – Check in. It’s that simple. Talk to your child and ask them how they are going or feeling. Making time to listen to how they’re feeling and providing validation and reassurance. You do not have to fix all their problems. Many times, just listening and having empathy are what is needed. Tell your child that they are brave and capable, and can take steps to face fears or deal with issues.  

Movement – Movement is an awesome tool, not only to distract the mind about how you are feeling, but for physical and mental health. Getting the blood pumping is a great natural endorphin, and will help your child with self-regulating their anxiety.  

Deep breathing – Big belly breaths, is powerful. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. This is a simple, quick, yet effective tool to use, to bring your heart rate down. Focusing on your breath is not only a distraction, but creates a sense of calm. There are some great simple deep breathing techniques such as Lazy 8 breathing and five finger breathing.  

Enjoy green time – Ditch the screen for some green! There are so many benefits to spending time outside. It can improve your mood, make you feel less stressed, and boost physical activity.  

Mindfulness – Mindfulness is a powerful tool because it is about shutting down the mind and the mental clutter. It is a resourceful tool to use as a distraction from an anxious overactive mind. Going for a walk, drawing or colouring, or meditating together, it doesn’t have to be fancy. Utilise a meditation app, video or story, to guide you and your child on how to switch off and realign with themselves.  

Sourced from Life Ed Qld’s Anxiety and how to deal with it.  

Further Parent Tips 

Keep the small things small. Teach your CHILD to become a problem solver. Encourage them to: 

• Identify the problem clearly 
• Come up with their own possible solutions 
• Think about a time when this has worked well/not so well 
• Decide on the best solution or plan 
• Put the plan into action
• Review how the solution works 

Tickets purchase link: https://myschoolconnect.com.au/s-john-lutheran-bundaberg-raffle  

Hair Accessories are now available for purchase in the Uniform Shop!

The St John’s Uniform Shop’s opening hours are:

– Tuesday 8-10am
– Thursday 2-4pm

Find information below regarding the Triple M – You’ve Gotta Be Joking event:

Find information below regarding the Elegance Fashion Show Case:

St John’s Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) Vacation Care Program is on again during the upcoming Easter holidays!

The below link includes details pertaining to the Vacation Care Program. These holidays, some and very exciting excursions and incursions are planned, so make sure you get your bookings in quickly!

OSHC Vacation Care Program – St John’s Lutheran OSHC Program April 2024

For all bookings and enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Barb Thom on 0409 759 831 or email stjohns.oshc@qlecs.org.au

Weekly Awards are presented each week at Chapel & Assembly from 8.45am, SMS notifications are sent prior to this advising of your child’s upcoming award – everyone is welcome to attend.

Please come along and join us before Chapel & Assembly for Coffee & Connect from 8am.