In this issue

From the Principal
Curriculum Connections
Director of Pastoral Care & Wellbeing
School news
Vacation Care – St John’s OSHC
Weekly Awards
Two Weeks at a Glance
Community News

From the Principal

Whose hands?

A football in my hands is worth about $20.
A football in Jonathan Thurston’s hands is worth about $1 million.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

A basketball in my hands is worth about $25.
A basketball in Shaquille O’Neal’s hands is worth about $30 million.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

A tennis racket is useless in my hands.
A tennis racket in Venus Williams’ hands is a championship winning racket.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

A sling shot in my hands is just a kid’s toy.
A sling shot in David’s hand was a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God’s hands will feed thousands.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse.
Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands will produce salvation for the entire world.
It depends on whose hands it’s in.

As you see now… it depends on whose hands it’s in.

So, put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in God’s hands. Because… It depends on whose hands it’s in.

This message is now in your hands. What will you do with it?

New Students and Staff Installations

Recently we installed a number of new staff and new student leaders and celebrated the successes of our students of the week. It was a vivid reminder of the giftedness with which God has blessed all within our school, including their giftedness as leaders. Leadership is a difficult thing to define. There are many who make a living out of helping people to become better leaders, and yet even amongst scholars and academics there is no general agreement as to what leadership is. In that void we tend to describe what leaders do, the expression of their leadership, rather than the leadership itself. In Christian and non-Christian circles alike, Jesus is often put forward as a great leader. His compassion, his teaching and his love of people are amongst the reasons given. They are all good reasons, but for those of us of faith, it was Jesus’ single-minded focus on completing the will of his father God that best demonstrates his leadership. As we continue through the season of Lent, we once again reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross. This was God’s solution to human disobedience, that his son take the punishment that should have been ours. There is no greater example of purposeful leadership. Our God loves us and hankers for a relationship with us. Jesus makes this possible. What a comfort this is as we look to discern God’s will for us in our daily lives.

The Starfish

An old man was doing his daily walk along the beach one morning, when he spotted a young boy crouched by the water, scooping something up from the sand and throwing it into the sea. The beach was normally empty at this time of day, and so the old man stopped to watch for a while. He noticed that the boy kept on shuffling a little further down the beach, then repeating this same action again and again – stopping, scooping, throwing, moving. “What are you doing there, boy?” the old man asked, walking closer. “I’m saving these starfish that are stranded” replied the boy, “if they stay on the beach they will dry out and die, so I’m putting them back into the ocean so they can live.” The old man was silent for a few seconds. “Young man” he said, “on this stretch of beach alone, there must be more than one hundred stranded starfish. Around the next corner, there must be at least one thousand more. This goes on for miles and miles and miles – I’ve done this walk every day for 10 years, and it’s always the same. There must be millions of stranded starfish! I hate to say it, but you’ll never make a difference.” The boy replied, “well I just made a difference for that one,” and continued with his work.

The star fish reminds me that our calling to teaching in a Lutheran school is to ‘make a difference to this one’. This child in front of me right now, this is the one to whom I can make a difference. May God bless you as you go about your daily tasks this week.

World Day of Prayer

On Friday 3 March, our Year 6 students were involved in the district churches world day of prayer which happened to be held in our church. Thank you to our Year 6 students for their contributions – singing, reading and participating in this day.

Community Sunday

Thank you to those families – students, parents and staff who came to our first Community Sunday last Sunday. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend as I was travelling back to Bundaberg after having been in Brisbane for meetings. From all accounts the morning was a wonderful and fruitful way for our school and church families to come together in worship. Many thanks to those involved for your efforts and commitment.

Thank you for working in partnership with us.

Grace and Peace

Chris Mallett

PRINCIPAL

Curriculum Connections

NAPLAN Year 3 and Year 5

NAPLAN testing for our Year 3 and Year 5 students begins Wednesday 15 March with the Writing Test. Remaining tests will be conducted on Thursday and Friday. Please ensure students are at school on time and have had a decent breakfast, prior to testing. iPads must come to school fully charged, as is normal practice.

Year 3 and Year 5 students will not attend chapel and assembly this week. Awards will be held over until the following Friday assembly for these classes.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Please ensure you have read the recent email sent regarding parent teacher interviews for Term 1. Interviews are generally 15 minutes in duration and are booked through our school Parent Lounge. These interviews are not compulsory and may be booked at teacher or parent request. Our teaching staff look forward to meeting with you and continuing to build solid relationships between home and school.

Allied Health Appointments

If your child visits or is having an initial appointment with an Allied Health specialist, please advise us a week or more prior to the appointment. This allows us to compile a letter for you to take to the appointment (or us to send this information ahead of time with your permission) for the practitioner. These practitioners may include, Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Play Therapist, Psychologist etc. Often, the information provided from home and school allow the therapist a ‘fuller’ picture in order to provide the most appropriate supports for your child.

Mon Repos Camp

Last Thursday the Year 4 cohort travelled to Mon Repos for their overnight camping event. This was the second time this term the students have visited Mon Repos, the first being the day trip in February where the students were very fortunate to see a nesting Loggerhead Turtle.

This camp and the day trip prior, coincided with the student’s science and inquiry units of work which focused on the curriculum content of adaptations, life cycles, sustainability and Indigenous Australian’s histories and cultures. The overnight camp challenged students by incorporating changes in routine, teamwork and team building, as well as resilience in their own adaptation to the camping environment.

Students were fortunate to see two turtle clutches hatch during the night-time Mon Repos turtle tour, a morning guided tour by the local Indigenous Gidarjil corporation, scientific investigation of the local flora and fauna, a refreshing ocean swim and plenty of yummy food to keep up energy.

The staff in Year 4 would like to again thank families, parent helpers, staff and the St John’s community for all their assistance, in which without, the camp would not have been the success that it was. An amazing opportunity for students to not only develop knowledge and experience for strengthening curriculum content but also an adventure that students will hold in memories for years to come.

Mr Barker

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Director of Pastoral Care & Wellbeing

THINK U KNOW Thank you to our parents who attended the Think U Know presentation brought to us by the Qld Police Service in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police.

Senior Constable Brittany and Senior Constable Michael presented very important, engaging and and relative information to promote safe online interactions and connections for your child. A myriad of Fact sheets and resources are available on the Carly Ryan Foundation Website App Fact Sheets | The Carly Ryan Foundation. Formalising an online Safety Contract for Families, was another valuable take away.

Samples of such can be found at: Online Safety Contract | The Carly Ryan Foundation and Family tech agreements | eSafety Commissioner

Information for reporting of suspicious activity was also addressed in this session; Get help | ThinkUKnow

PASTOR RABINDRA DAS

St John’s Lutheran Primary School students were blessed to meet the leader of Nepal’s Living Stone Ministries, Pastor Rabindra Das, as he shared the story of what God is doing right now in this Himalayan nation, through his church network. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to hear the message of Christian hope and hear about life in Nepal.

COMMUNITY SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

Thank you to those families who joined us for our first Community Sunday Worship Service on Sunday 12 March at St John’s Lutheran Church.

What a wonderful way to worship together and praise God, nurturing our faith in Him and encouraging one another. I’m sure those in attendance would agree it was a wonderful morning, despite the warm temperatures. Thank you again, to all those students who participated in bible readings, prayers, action group and singing and to particularly our parents and families who joined us. Thank you staff for joining in our worship service and we look forward to our next Community Sunday Worship Service, which will take place on 18 June (last week of Term 2) and will directly involve students from Prep and Grade Three. All students and families from all year levels are welcome to attend and play a part in our service.

SEASON OF LENT

Lent is the period of six weeks (40 days not including Sundays) leading up to Easter in the Christian calendar. It is the most important festival in the Christian calendar and traditionally is a time of fasting and reflection. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.

When is Lent? In 2023 Lent begins on Wednesday 22 February and ends on Holy Saturday 8 April. Lent is an old English word meaning ‘lengthen’. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer. What is the story of Lent? Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray before beginning his work for God. Jesus was tempted several times by Satan, but was able to resist. Lent allows Christians to remember Jesus’s fasting in the desert. It is a time of giving things up and a test of self-discipline. Some Christians give up particular kinds of food during this time or it can be something they really enjoy.

Below you can find a resource from the BBC, to share with children regarding THE SEASON OF LENT. What is Lent? – BBC Bitesize

Other LENT family resources can be found below and downloaded from the Lutheran Tract Mission. Lutheran Tract Mission (LTM)

HARMONY WEEK celebrated from 20-26 March, is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. This year students from our SSRC have decided to run a Colouring Competition for our Prep – Year 2 students and a Poster Design Competition promoting diversity and inclusivity amongst our St John’s school community – where everybody belongs.

This year in recognition of Harmony Week, we would like to invite students to design a Poster that promotes the theme – Everyone Belongs. To celebrate, students in Prep – Year 2 are invited to colour in a poster and students in Years 3-6 are invited to design an A4 poster that conveys this theme. There are prizes to be won! P-2: 1^st Place and Runners up for each grade. Years 3 – 6: 1^st Place and Runners up for each grade.
To enter, your child simply colours in the provided poster or creates a poster on the A4 piece of paper, and submits it to their Class SSRC Representative or Mrs Carroll in the office! SSRC representatives from Years 3-6 will visit classes to collect P-2 entries.

Entries close Friday 24 March 2023.

The Winning posters will be displayed outside the library. The Winners will be announced at Assembly Week 10 Friday 31 March

See your SSRC Class representative or your teacher for a colouring-in or the A4 sheet of paper for Poster Design.

Students are also invited to wear an orange ribbon pinned to their shirt on Tuesday 21 March (the day on which this day is officially marked.)

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School News

Year 6 Fundraising – Easter Raffle

We have some amazing prizes for the upcoming Easter Raffle. The following photos are 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes with many more being drawn on Friday 31 March 2023.

Tickets are $2.00 each and are due back (sold or unsold) by Tuesday 28 March 2023. Additional tickets can be collected from the School office. We greatly appreciate your support in assisting us to raise funds for our Year 6 students and their camp to Luther Heights.

Lost Property

We currently have a number of lost property items in the office. The following items are currently waiting to be collected by their owner. If you recognise any of these items, we encourage students and parents to visit the office to collect. Any uncollected items remaining at the end of term will be donated.

Uniform Shop – Winter Uniforms

With the cooler months approaching, now is a timely reminder to please check the sizing of all of your winter uniform items. During the school holidays we will be opening the Uniform Shop by appointment only for fittings (more information to come).

If you know your sizing, please feel free to fill out and return the following forms to the school office: school@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au and we will advise when your order is ready to collect.

Prep Uniforms: Order Form

Boys Uniforms: Order Form

Girls Uniforms: Order Form

Please remember to label all items (especially jumpers and jackets) so that if they do make it to Lost Property we can ensure that it is returned promptly.

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Community News

The Surfing Scientist

The Eat, Breathe, Move program brings Ruben Meerman to Bundaberg to deliver a series of engaging public lectures and professional development workshops around the “carbon in, carbon out” concept. Learn the science behind eating, movement and breathing…with an explosion or two thrown in to demonstrate the facts!

Ruben Meerman (The Surfing Scientist) will engage the audience in the fascinating science behind how the food you eat becomes the carbon dioxide you exhale, why we breathe more during exercise and what this means for our weight and health. The whole family will benefit from this intriguing presentation on health.

Please see the attached flyer for more details on this free event.

Learn n Play Tennis Sessions

Join Bundaberg Tennis Academy’s Tennis Australia Club Professional Coach, Kevin Banner & become a Tennis Hot Shot. Kevin will be conducting Learn n Play Tennis Sessions with lots of fun & games at school for Grades 3 – 6 every Tuesday from 7.40 – 8.25am from 14th – 28th March. Cost TBA.

Loan racquets are available and racquets are available for purchase. Limited vacancies with minimum of 6 players. Please register before attending and if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact Kevin on 0409 520 753.

Kind Regards

Kevin Banner

Tennis Australia Club Professional Tennis Coach

Bundaberg Tennis Academy & Bundaberg Junior Tennis Assoc Inc

Minions: The Rise of Gru ~ Moncrieff Theatre

The Moncrieff Theatre will be screening the free movie: Minions: The Rise of Gru on Wednesday, 12 April 2023 at 10.30am. Whilst tickets are free, bookings are essential as seating is allocated: https://aubundaberg.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/93848

The colouring-in competition closes at 4pm on Tuesday, 11 April 2023. Please keep in mind the Moncrieff will be closed for Easter from 5pm on Thursday, 6 April and will reopen at 9am on Tuesday 11 April. Winners will be contacted directly, and first names only will be announced on the Moncrieff Facebook page on Wednesday 12 April.

Bargara Little Athletics

You are invited to Bargara Little Athletics Come n Try days on Sunday 16 April & Sunday 23 April at Bargara Sports Complex. Both Sunday sessions are an opportunity to come and try without paying the $10 Trial fee.

WHO can join?
We offer the Tiny Tots program for 3 and 4 year olds. Athletes run in age groups from Under 6 to Under 17.
We also offer a Senior Program for any interested adults.
Seniors Club Fee: $40 (Senior athletes are also required to be registered as an independent athlete (base membership) with Queensland Athletics (QA) not through LAQ.)

2023 Registration Costs
Tiny Tots: $55
U6-17: $130

Start date for 2023:- Sunday 16th April (Come ‘n’ Try). For more information please visit: www.bargaraathletics.org.au

Wattle Woman Kids Workshop

Scan the QR Code on the below photos or visit www.wattlewoman.com.au to purchase tickets for these sessions.

The Windeward Bound Fundraising

Past students Jaryn & Ashtynne Gallwey are trying to fundraise $2500 each after being selected to complete the Windeward Bound Youth Leadership Challenge in May. It is a 10 day voyage up the coast, where they partner with Refugee teens to help teach them English and life skills whilst actually running a traditional tall ship for an amazing experience of cross-cultural sharing, personal
challenges, team-building, and leadership development.

You can follow the journey and the program on Facebook: facebook.com/windewardbound

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Congratulations to this fortnight’s award recipients
Prep Red	William O’Connor, Chloe Sonntag, Tom McKeown, Zander McClure, Hazel Malla, Hadley Smith
Prep Blue	Freya Muller, Billy Gibb, Marnie Holzberger, Milla Albury, Jude Leckie
Year 1 Red	Taieka-Maree Priestly, Zachary Zielke
Year 1 Blue	Jayce Burkitt, Oliver McDonald
Year 2 Red	Isaac O’Brien, Ebony Rayner, Oakley Gallwey, Ashton Barrett, Rose-Marie Wahyudi, Bridget Watts
Year 2 Blue	Haven Roberts, Atticus Williams, Stella Jones, Brannyn Hayhoe
Year 3 Red	Clara Volzke, Eugene Tchong, Sakari Norris, Imarlie O’Hearn
Year 3 Blue	Maverick Robertson, Emmy Bion, Godric Marshall
Year 4	Grace Wilkins, Genevieve McMahon, Randy Wahyudi, Rebecca Hiller
Year 4/5	Nikith Tarigopula, Layla Heading, Chase Cussen, Scarlett Porter
Year 5	Charlie Hill, Hayden Banks, Damir Ruzmatov, Jackson Harm
Year 6	Phoebe Watts, Tai Abbes
Music	Phoebe Watts, Tilly Dempster, Sienna Evans, Susan Naude, Thomas Thornton, Jonathan Connor, Sophia Pohlman, Georgia Golchert

Date	Activity	Venue	Details
Wed 15 Mar	Naplan	Classroom	Year 3 & 5 Students only.
Thur 16 Mar	Naplan	Classroom	Year 3 & 5 Students only.
Fri 17 Mar	Naplan	Classroom	Year 3 & 5 Students only.
Fri 17 Mar	Chapel & Assembly	St John’s Church	8.45am – All Welcome. Come and join us for Coffee & Connect from 8am.
Fri 24 Mar	Chapel & Assembly	St John’s Church	8.45am – All Welcome. Come and join us for Coffee & Connect from 8am.

Past Issues

Year 1 Animal Experts!

Issue 6 - 24 April 2024

Issue 5 - 27 March 2024

Issue 4 - 13 March 2024

Issue 3 - 28 February 2024

Issue 2 - 14 February 2024

In this issue