Informer Term 2 - Week 2

From Our Principal ...

Dear Parents

We congratulate Mr Michael McCusker on his appointment as our new Director for Catholic Education -Diocese of Rockhampton(CEDR), commencing on 1 July 2024.

Miss Leesa Jeffcoat will continue in the role until the end of this Semester.  We thank Miss Jeffcoat for her outstanding service to Catholic Education for the past 23 years.

Have a great week and hug your kids.

Regards,
Jamie Emerick
Principal.

Parents & Friends Meeting POSTPONED

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this afternoon's Parents & Friends Assocation meeting has been POSTPONED until 5:30pm on MONDAY, 29 APRIL. The meeting will be held in the staff room.

ALL WELCOME!

ANZAC Day Liturgy

ANZAC Day Services

Dear Parents

We take great pride in St John’s long-standing participation in ANZAC Day parades and services. However, it's important to note that teachers volunteer their time outside of school hours to attend this event. While they are eager to accompany and represent our school community during the parade, due to safety considerations, they are not able to provide individualised supervision for students. The ANZAC parade can be overwhelming for young individuals, which further emphasises the need for parental supervision during both the parade and service.

Given these constraints, teachers may not have the necessary resources to attend to every child during the parade due to time constraints and the location of ANZAC Park. If your child typically requires extra support at school, or is prone to being anxious in large crowds or new situations, we kindly request that you accompany them during the parade as part of the St John’s cluster. This ensures that primary responsibility for safety and participation rests with the parent.

Due to restricted space, only Year 4 to 6 students can march at the Dawn Service.  All children are welcome to march in the Day Parade.

We appreciate your cooperation in promptly collecting your children at the conclusion of the service.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

God Bless

New School Flags

Our new flags were presented on parade last week by our Local Federal Member for Flynn Mr Colin Boyce.

Our school community thanks Mr Boyce for his time and generosity.

Volunteer Inductions

If you wish to volunteer in any capacity at St John's and you have not yet completed one of our 2024 Volunteer Induction sessions, it is essential that you attend one of the session times listed below. You do not need to pre-register; just arrive at the school library 5 minutes prior to the start time.

Learn to Pray

Sacrament of Confirmation

Families with children eligible to complete their formation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, please take note.

Enrolments are now open for this preparation. Families are asked to read and complete the enrolment form and complete payment. Copies of the letter AND enrolment form will be provided to students who completed the Sacrament of Reconciliation in 2023.

Please contact the front office if your child does not receive enrolment information by 19 April. Spare copies will be available there.

Confirmation folders can be collected from the parish or school front office from Monday 6 May.

2025 Prep Sibling Enrolments: OPEN NOW

If you have not already completed your child's Prep 2025 enrolment application, please do so NOW!

Interviews will take place this term.

Visit our school website to complete the online enrolment application.  
https://enrol.sjgrok.catholic.edu.au/primary-school-enrolment/start

Fitness Club

Counsellor's Corner

This year, the school has begun offering a number of group counselling opportunities to support children through various challenges. Programs offer a unique opportunity for children to work collaboratively to build on and develop new skills to support them emotionally and foster a sense of belonging within our school community. Children will develop a toolbox of coping strategies they can use to help with emotional regulation.  Each of the groups will explore the following:

• Managing Anxious/Angry Feelings: emotional literacy, body awareness, reframing and challenging negative thoughts, problem solving.
• Building Confidence and Self-esteem: emotional literacy, body awareness, positive character strengths, reframing and challenging negative thoughts, affirmations.
  
• Drumbeat: a model of practice combining rhythmic music and cognitive reflection, with additional elements of Positive Psychology and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, designed specifically to meet the group’s needs.

While confidentiality is strongly encouraged within each group, it cannot be guaranteed due to the collaborative nature of the groups.  If you would like your child to attend one of these group counselling programs throughout the year, please complete counselling consent forms at the office.

Mother's Day Stall

Library News ...

Lest We Forget as we commemorate ANZAC Day.

During World War I, Australian and New Zealand soldiers on the front were sent Christmas care packages in a tin billy. The Anzac Billy is the heartwarming story of a little boy packing a billy with all his father's favourite things - added to by mum and grandma - even though he realises there is no way that the billy can go to a particular soldier. A tender, moving story of a child waiting at home for the return of his father from serving in WWI.

Rachel is in the kitchen, warm and safe.

Her father is in the trenches, cold and afraid. When Rachel makes biscuits for her father, she adds the love, warmth, and hope that he needs. This is a touching story of a family torn apart by war but brought together through the powerful simplicity of Anzac Biscuits.

Australians celebrate or commemorate several special days throughout the year. These special days give us the chance to reflect on the past, appreciate our lives, and look to the future together.

On April 25 every year, Anzac Day is marked with a public holiday. It is a day when people remember all the men and women who have served in the armed forces. Anzac Day also reminds us of our hope for the people of the world to live in peace.

Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs

Here at St. John’s, we pride ourselves on being sustainable and recycling what we can to help God’s creation. Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs is an Australian company that is collecting and sorting bread tags nation-wide. They are creating new products with recycled bread tags that include wheelchairs and reusable food bowls. As of May 2023, they have recycled over 10 000kg of Aussie bread tags (that’s over 10 tonnes of plastic waste)!

How can you help? Please collect any plastic bread clips from home and bring them into your classroom to put into your class’ collection container. Once a fortnight, Year 4 will be around to collect them to empty into our main bin. Once this is full, we will take it to the collection depot in town, where they will be sent away for recycling.

Thank you for helping us to be kinder to our world and for looking after God’s creation.

St John's Way Awardees

Out Of School Sport

Tuckshop Volunteers Needed

Can you spare 30 minutes or 3 hours on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning to volunteer in our tuckshop - anytime from 8am to 2pm?

Our lovely tuckshop staff will provide training. Volunteers need to have completed our school Volunteer Induction Session.

Please call the office if you are able to help out. 

Volunteer Tuckshop Roster

Tuckshop Menu

In And Around OSHC ...

GISMA Workshop

Parish News

Chanel College 2025 Enrolments

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Worldwide Marriage Encounter: Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can cause you to lose touch with your spouse.  A Marriage Encounter Weekend gives married couples the tools to keep passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living.

Live-Out weekend at Good Shepherd Hub, Springfield, Friday 21 June to Sunday 23 June.

For bookings/details contact  Lisha and Joseph 0481 307 821 or  qldbookings@wwme.org.au

In-depth witness stories https://www.shalomworld.org/show/family-discovering-coupleness 

Auskick Information

St John's Walkerston

Young Engineers Program

If your child has registered for the CQ Young Engineers Program, it will be held each Tuesday afternoon this term in our Art Room from 3:10pm to 4:25pm. Should you have any queries, please contact the Program Co-Ordinator, Pavle Jeric directly, on 0424 985 172.