Informer Term 3 Week 2 - 2025

From Our Principal

Dear Families,

On Friday, our boy's rugby league team and their coach achieved something very special. Each year all the Catholic schools in the diocese of Rockhampton gather for a special carnival. Challenge Cup is where every school regardless of size, send a rugby league and a netball team to compete in the competition. For some schools it is a rigorous selection process, for some it is one or two players who join in a combined schools' team.

St John’s has always been competitive in both codes and has a history of bringing back silverware of some description. The beauty of this carnival is that there are four pools of teams. We play everyone in our pool and then the pools are ranked from one to six. Each tier plays off in a semi-final on the last day of the competition, so regardless of rank, each team has a shot at bringing a trophy back to school. News on the first two days is eagerly anticipated back at school as we are keen to hear how our teams are faring. Day one news from the netball was some wins and some losses. The local derby between St John’s and Star of the Sea came out in our favour this year. Our boys had some strong wins. Day two always sees reputations fall under pressure. Our league team played Sacred Heart Yeppoon in what was probably the match of our pool. Mr Langdon and the team put together a very well planned and executed game, coming out on top 24 - 8. And at end of the day, we finished first in our pool. It was something the team had worked very hard at since the beginning of the year, with lots of early morning trainings and fitness session and trial games.  Our netballers came up against some very good teams and ended up finishing third in their pool.

My days of having the luxury of coaching a team or being able to take three days out of school to attend Challenge Cup are long gone, but I always make the effort to attend on the Friday, both to see our kids play and to just be part of the great social event that Challenge Cup is. It is a great catchup with families and teachers from across the diocese.

In speaking with Mrs Hamilton and Mr Langdon our teams were excited and ready for the finals on Friday. Our netball team were in the play of for the Challenge Medal, our league team was in the semi for the Challenge Cup which is the prize that every team strives for. The first semi-trailer final for the league was a tough, hard-fought match that was a 4 all draw, until St John’s crossed the line with 90 seconds to go. Our team was off to the “big dance”.  The pressure and mental fatigue of a three-day carnival caught up with our net ballers and they went down in their semi. It can be hard to watch our kids when we know they have played better or controlled the game more effectively, but as I continue to say, sport is that one area where we cannot save or help them as it’s happening. We can be there to support and advise, but they have to do it all themselves.

Doing the social rounds is never easy when schools have a team in the final. Principals by nature can be very competitive and it is not win at all cost; there is a reason they keep score.  As I headed over to watch our netball team's final game, I was very pleased to see all of our league team there supporting our netballers. Regardless of the upcoming game, we were still there to support each other. The performance the team put on in their facial game just highlighted the frustration of coaching kids' sport. Our team was ‘on’ and played a very good team game against St Benedict’s from Yeppoon.  Things just seemed to click, and we celebrated a strong win.

The last game of the carnival is the Challenge Cup Final in league and netball. I never made it this far as a coach, on our best effort we fell at the semi-final stage and ended up third overall. St John's made the final exactly 10 years ago only to fall to St Patrick’s Emerald at the final hurdle. On Friday, we faced St Mary’s North Rockhampton.  In many ways they were very similar to our team. No great stand out or flashy players, just a very fit and well drilled team who turned up for each other and focused on doing the simple things to the best of their ability.  St John’s scored first, and it was a tightly fought game that ended as an 8 all draw. Under the rules of this competition, there is no extra time and as St John’s had scored first, in the twentieth year of the competition, St John’s lifted the Challenge Cup for the very first time.  Both our teams will be on Assembly this week to talk about their achievements; ones won’t be blowing their own trumpets are Mr Langdon and Mrs Hamilton. They both give up hours and hours of their time to make sure our kids are prepared and able to perform to the best of their ability. As a school, we are very aware and grateful for this ongoing commitment.

Looking forward to seeing how the next chapter of our Challenge Cup goes, we have some very exciting young players at our school. The next few years are looking very promising; we may need to expand the trophy cabinet.

Have a great week and hug your kids.

Regards,
Jamie Emerick
Principal.

NAPLAN Student Reports - 2025

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Student Reports are being sent home with your child today.

Lunch On The Lawn - Thurs 31 July

Catholic Education Week is celebrated annually in the third week of the third term.

As part of these celebrations, we invite families to join us on the school oval for Lunch on the Lawn. In 2025 this will be held on Thursday 31 July at 10:45am-11:25am and we warmly welcome you to organise a picnic lunch and perhaps invite grandparents or special family members to eat with you. We have a decade of experience under our belt and have listed some suggestions below to assist in making your visit pleasant and enjoyable.

1. Parking will be problematic. Please be considerate of our neighbours around the school and do not block driveways or access points. Maybe carpool or walk if you live close by.
2. Finding your child. Have a pre-arranged collection point for you to meet your child. Discuss, decide and check your child KNOWS where to meet you in a crowd of 1000 people. Select an obvious landmark to help e.g. I will meet you behind the Prep Toilet Block on the grass.
3. Older siblings will be released earlier by their class teacher to collect younger siblings. Remind older children about their responsibility.
4. Picnic food. A pre-organised picnic can alleviate waiting times at fast food restaurants. Businesses close to the school and Calliope have been notified about a busy period, but we would suggest being early if choosing that option.
5. Not available to come. Teachers are aware not all families can attend. Please discuss this with your child (and teacher if in Prep or Year 1) and we will informally arrange children to sit with families and friends present. Organising a ‘foster family’ beforehand can assist children who may become worried, so please do this if you are able. Our students eat together every day without parents being present so this will not be an issue.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

P&F Meeting Today

Seesaw Reminder

Please be reminded that Seesaw will be used solely for sharing whole-class or whole-school updates with families.  It is no longer used for two-way communication between parents and staff.

All two-way communication will talk place via the staff member's school email or in person.

Please ensure your child's class teacher has the most up-to-date contact email details.

Thank you for assisting us to maintain clear and effective communication.

Prep 2026 Sibling Enrolments: ENROL NOW

2026 Prep Enrolment interviews finish THIS WEEK. 

If you have already had your enrolment interview and forgotten to bring in any documents i.e. original birth certificate, current immunisation schedule, pediatric reports, speech pathology assessments etc., please do so as soon as possible. Your enrolment application is ON HOLD until these documents are received.

If you have not yet applied for enrolment, please do so NOW.

Prep 2026 Enrolments: Important Diary Dates

Prep 2026 Information/Orientation sessions have been scheduled for the following dates:

Monday 27 October – First Orientation Session (compulsory for all students who have accepted placement)

Monday 24 November – Final Orientation Session (compulsory for all students who have accepted placement)

Learn to Pray

Catholic Education Week

Catholic schools across Queensland will again celebrate Catholic Education Week in 2025 with the theme Communities of Faith, Hope & Love. Each year, a new take on the theme’s creative is released to ignite celebration planning.

This theme captures the essence of what it means to be part of a Catholic school community.

Faith ignites growth. Hope fuels support. Love welcomes all. Together, these pillars nurture students’ spirits, empower teachers, and embrace families, creating a vibrant learning community where everyone thrives.

Hope: embracing the Jubilee Year

Catholic Education Week’s theme works in unity with the 2025 Jubilee Year theme: Pilgrims of Hope. This reminds us of the profound significance of hope and its universal reach.

This year, a scallop shell design has been added to the event materials. The shell is a traditional symbol of pilgrims, highlighting our connection to this journey. We acknowledge students from each class who demonstrate the virtues of faith, hope and love on a daily basis. We also congratulate our wonderful school cleaner, Margie McMullen and her husband Robert, for their tireless efforts within our school community. Margie especially blesses our school with her unending joyful spirit and the random acts of kindness she shares throughout the school. God bless you, Margie!

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)

Volunteer Tuckshop Roster

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

P&F Movie Night: Friday 15 August

Parish News ...

Young Engineers: Term 3

Port to Park Fun Run

Strengthening Young People Against Anxiety Webinar - Tue 5 August

Autism Workshop

‘Positive Partnerships’ is a well-regarded organisation that provides information to parents, carers and educators of school-aged autistic children. Their information is based on research.  They are offering a FREE Autism Workshop in Gladstone at the Mantra Hotel.   

In the Workshop you will learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the partnership between home and school.  Topics will include:

• The diversity of autism
• Sensory processing
• Understanding behaviour
• Working together with your child’s school.

Please see the below Flyer for more information and details on how to register.

Home Run Heroes

Cricket - Great Keppel Island