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Informer Term 1 - Week 2

From Our Principal ...

Dear Families,

We are back into the swing of things again and in some ways, it is as if we never left. One of the realities of school life is that each year the actors may change, but the script is very similar to what has happened before.

This year sees changes in communication via the new Parent Orbit App, new school fee model, as well as staffing changes. However, the day-to-day consistency of school life rolls on. New preps, new students, new families all get used to the way the machine works very quickly. One of the great strengths of St. John’s is structure and process. Our kids and families should be very clear on how we operate, and the Parent Handbook is a growing resource for a one stop shop of information. If there is something missing from this resource, please let us know. It is not a finished work by any means and one we continue to adapt and improve.

At the beginning of each year, as parents, we often want to be involved and informed about what our children are doing and learning. Past experience as a parent would show that unless you ask the right questions, you may not get much information. If I was to believe the responses of some of my own kids when asked what did you do at school today, the responses would lead me to believe school life was a black hole of nothingness.

Information is often only as good as the question asked. I have written this newsletter a number of times over the years, and the list of questions often changes. This list came from a site called Understood.org. It is a good summary of many of the lists I have seen over the years and takes the discussion with our kids away from an interrogation and into the territory of a discussion and gives our kids a structure for when they need to raise a significant issue with us as parents.

I hope it helps in the coming year.

Have a great week and hug your kids.

Regards,
Jamie Emerick
Principal.

Q1: “What made you laugh today?”
Asking kids to think about a happy topic can make them more eager to share, and not just shoot off an answer.

Q2: “Which subject was your favorite today?”
This question can give you an idea of strengths and interests you might not know about. You can follow up with “Which was your least favorite?”

Q3: “What was the best part of your day?”
Starting with the positive may make it easier for your child to talk about negative things that happened, too.

Q4: “Who did you sit with at lunch today?”
This is a gentle way to find out whether your child is making friends and feels like part of the group.

Q5: “What was the most interesting thing you learned today?”
If the answer is often “nothing,” it could mean your child isn’t tuned in or doesn’t fully understand what’s being taught. Or, it could be that your child just doesn’t like to think back over the day.

Q6: “What did you like most about school today?”
Your child can go anywhere with this question, and you may learn new things about what your child is thinking and doing.

Q7: “What was the hardest thing you did today?”
This question lets your child talk about things that were challenging in a good way and also things that were a struggle.

Upload Parent Orbit App NOW!

Instructions regarding how to upload our new Parent Orbit App were emailed to all families on Wednesday, 29 January. Please upload now.

From Friday, 21 February no new information will be uploaded to our old Schoolzine SZapp.

Student Pick-Up and Drop-Off

Please DO NOT park on flattened dirt area next to oval shed, or on grassed area near Stop, Drop, Go off J. Hickey Avenue. This is a safety hazard.
Please DO NOT Park Over Driveways
We have received several complaints from school neighbours regarding vehicles parking over their driveways. We need to be respectful of our neighbours. Parking over driveways is ILLEGAL. Police and local traffic controllers patrol our school area often and issue fines to vehicles parked illegally. When you park, please check that the front and back of your vehicle is NOT obstructing a driveway.
Under no circumstances should the visitor car park be used as a pick-up or drop-off area for students.
Drivers MUST not obstruct the bus from entering or leaving the bus stop on J. Hickey Avenue.
Drivers MUST not park on footpaths or grassed areas (i.e. near the J. Hickey Avenue Stop, Drop, Go.)

All St John's families using Stop, Drop, Go MUST abide by the following:

Students in Prep, Years 1 and 2 MUST be picked up after school (3:00pm to 3:20pm) from the J. Hickey Avenue Stop, Drop, Go area.
Students in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 (and their younger siblings in Prep, Year 1 and 2), MUST be picked up after school (3:00pm to 3:20pm) from the Laner Street Stop, Drop, Go area.
Students MUST sit in the undercover area at each location and wait for direction from the teacher on duty. No students are to be playing on school play areas during this time.
Parents under no circumstances are to park their car in either the J. Hickey Avenue or Laner Street Stop, Drop, Go areas. Please use the Laner Street visitor car park or street parking if you intend to walk your child/ren into the school grounds.

Thank you for ensuring the smooth and safe drop-off and collection of our wonderful students!

Students Riding To/From School

If your child is riding to/from school, please ensure they have a lock to secure their bike or scooter. Bikes and scooters MUST always be stored and secured in the racks provided.

Parent Info PowerPoints On Parent Lounge

Last week, Parent Information PowerPoints were uploaded to Parent Lounge and our new Parent Orbit App. If you haven't already, please make time to have a look at your child/s year level, so that you can familiarise yourself with what is planned for the year ahead, including: Curriculum Overview, Homework Expectations, Behaviour Management, Communication Channels and General Information.

Opening Mass - Save the Date - Fri 7 Feb

Volunteering at St John's

We appreciate volunteers at St John’s.

If you wish to volunteer in any capacity (including changing reading books/reading groups in your child’s class), it is an industrial and insurance requirement that you have completed a St John’s Volunteer Induction Session prior to commencing. These sessions take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete, face-to-face, in a group, with one of our leadership team.

Prep Parent Teacher Interviews

In Weeks 3 and 4 (Monday 10 February – Thursday 20 February) we will host our Semester One, Prep Parent Teacher Interviews.

Parent Teacher Interviews are imperative to ensure strong home and school relationships as well as providing a wonderful opportunity to discuss the progress of your child, celebrate successes and set goals for the coming year.

Interview times OPEN for parents to book via Parent Lounge on Monday 3 February (Week 2) at 8.00am and will close on Thursday 6 February (Week 2) at 3.00pm.

All Parent Teacher Interviews MUST be booked via Parent Lounge within this timeframe. No bookings will be made from the office or via your child’s teacher.

Interview times can be reserved by accessing your Parent Lounge account via h ttps://402sjg.rok.catholic.edu.au/parentlounge.

Parents & Friends Meeting: TODAY

Our first Parent & Friends (P&F) Meeting for the year is on TODAY!

Monday, 3 February 2025 at 5:30pm
in the staffroom (Admin Building).

Our 2025 Committee WELCOMES EVERYONE!

P&F Welcome BBQ: Friday 14 February

Pre-Loved Uniform Shirt Sale

Student Free Day: Friday 21 February

Students DO NOT attend school on Friday 21 February.

All staff will be participating in Bishop's Inservice Day professional development training on this day.

St John's Way Awardees

Students who have embodied faith, dignity and integrity within our school.

We view our school as one body, with many parts, each in its own way contributing to our common mission

(1 Corinthians 12: 12-26)

Health & Physical Education Has Begun

What better way to start the year than a Fitness Focus in HPE!

Our students test, track and improve their own fitness and strength weekly, focusing on the following activities:

Beep Test (20m shuttle run)
1-minute sit-ups
1-minute burpees
1-minute dips
1-minutes side jumps
1-minute skipping
Sit and reach

It was wonderful to see the students eager and ready to go in the first week of HPE. Some were fresh and rested, others were feeling the pinch, but all students did their very best!

As the students’ fitness improves, their confidence in their abilities grow and they are proud of their own weekly gains.

Parents, we challenge you to practice the 7 exercises with your children at home and improve your fitness too!

Dusting off the cobwebs in Week 1, saw the following highest Beep Test Results:

Week 1 Beep Test Results:

Girls
Harper Halliwell (Year 6)
8.6

Boys
Koby Halliwell (Year 4)
10.1

Baxter Briskey (Year 5)
10.1

Will Bebendorf (Year 6)
10.1

Port Curtis Trials - 2025

Please note that there was an error in the Port Curtis Trials Calander which was shared in last week's newsletter.

The 2025 Challenge Cup dates were advertised as 16-18 June, rather than 16-18 July.

Challenge Cup for 2025:
Wed 16 July–Fri 18 July - Rugby League 10 – 12 years
Wed 16 July–Fri 18 July - Netball 10 – 12 years

Port_Curtis_School_Trials_2025.pdf

Tuckshop Ordering Information & Menu

Our tuckshop operates every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (first and second breaks).

The following information will ensure the efficient ordering of tuckshop for your child/ren:

Tuckshop must be ordered online via QuickCliq www.quickcliq.com.au Orders will not be accepted at the Tuckshop or Office.
Orders must be placed by 8:10am. Tuckshop can be ordered weeks in advance. Simply click on the day/s that tuckshop is required.
QuickCliq operates very slowly at very busy times i.e. close to 8:10am. During these times the system may boot you off and require you to log back in. Late orders put a lot of pressure on our tuckshop staff and volunteer helpers.
If you miss the ordering cut off time, your order will be transferred to the following day. You will be notified of this on the screen.
Parents MUST check confirmation email to ensure the order has been processed for the correct food on the correct day.

If you have any problems with the online ordering system please contact QuickCliq via 1300 11 66 37, or email: support@quickcliq.com.au