Term 2, Week 2 2023
Contents
- From the Leadership Team
- Catholic Identity
- Mothers Day Liturgy
- With Sympathy
- Catholic Education Week
- Finance News
- Pupil Free Day
- From the Sport Coordinator
- School Counsellor
- Save the Date
- Parents & Friends
- Canteen News
- Camp Australia OSHC
- Volunteering at St Johns
- Community News
- Plympton Parish
- Catholic School Parents Evening with Gill Hicks
- Hamra Library Activities
- Sleep Clinic
- Taekwondo
- ASC Camps
- Simply Football
- Kick Start Soccer
- Disclaimer
Dear Families
Welcome to Term 2. We trust that you were able to enjoy a relaxing term break and are re-energised for the term ahead. The beginning of the term has seen us welcome five new students to the school. We warmly welcome:
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Lope F (Rec B)
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Rian S (2S)
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Ashton B (2T)
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Flynn B (3B)
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Nimi F (4A)
On Friday 5th May the first session of our Little JB’s Transition program was held for those children who will begin school as a Reception student in July. We warmly welcomed the following children and hope their experience at St John the Baptist is both positive and rewarding.
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Evie A
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Mehtab A
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Oliver B
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Jude C
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Matilda D
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Liaden H
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Louie J
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Johan JG
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Isabella L
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Isabella P
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Ayan P
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Raghav S
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Evie S
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Marley S
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Leo S
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Asher S
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Charlie S
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Angus T
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Ivana W
Staffing News
As we begin another term, we also warmly welcome the following staff (back) to the school.
Tina Ball who is returning from leave.
Sharee Grimshaw who will be working in Year 6C in a fulltime capacity this term.
Sophie Koster, Kate McKeough and Mary Murray who all take on an element of the Physical Education/Out of School Hours Sport role this term in Paul O’Dea’s absence.
Lauren Farinola, who commenced her ESO Curriculum role.
We look forward to their contribution across various aspects of the school.
Catholic Education Week
Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week, a time where we promote and celebrate the quality teaching and learning across Catholic Education SA. In 2023 the focus is on highlighting what students and staff love about their school. Look out for social media posts across the week to see and hear what is wonderful about St John the Baptist Catholic School.
School Board
We would like to introduce you to our 2023 School Board members.
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Fr Denis Ssemuju
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Dani Amato
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Sally Leonard
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Toni Stevens
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Adam Keegan
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Chris Flatman
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Megan Kloeden
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Ace Lewis
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Jo Livingstone
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Todd LaForgia
We look forward to the contribution of each board member to our school community in this significant position of leadership. The first School Board Meeting of Term 2 will be held on Wednesday evening, 17th May.
Mother's Day Stall
The children will have the opportunity to purchase a gift for their Mum at the annual Mothers Day Stall. This will be held tomorrow, Friday 12th of May. If your child is purchasing a gift, a reminder to please pay via the Qkr! App. We extend a huge thanks to the Parents and Friends who have organised and will run the stall tomorrow. We wish all Mothers a special day on Sunday.
Building Opening Date
We have been provided with a date for the official opening of the new building - Tuesday 1st August at 10:00am (Week 2 of Term 3). Over the coming term we will work towards this special celebration and will welcome many special visitors on the day. Further information will be shared as the term progresses.
With events such as National Walk Safely to School Day coming up on May 19, we take this opportunity to remind students and families to always be vigilant if a student does walk to school, and of course to be wary of approaches from strangers. It is a good time to remind children of strategies available to them, if they do at any stage feel unsafe.
We look forward to sharing another great term with you.
Best Wishes
The Leadership Team
Todd LaForgia, Jo Livingstone, Amanda Razon & Michael Cimarosti
Reconciliation
The children who are receiving their Sacrament of Reconciliation had a practise session with Fr Denis last Thursday. There will be a liturgy and the children will receive their first Reconciliation on Thursday 11th May at 7pm in the church.
Term 2 Masses
This term the children will be attending Mass with their buddy classes on Wednesday mornings at 9:30am. Class teachers will communicate when their class has been allocated to participate in Mass during a particular week. Parents and family members are more than welcome to attend when their child’s class is rostered on.
Mother’s Day Liturgy
Wishing all mothers, a Happy Mother’s Day!
In celebration of Mother’s Day, there will be liturgy for all mothers in Week 3, Monday 15th May at 2:30pm. The service will be held at the church, and all are welcome to join us in this celebration.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for gift of all mothers;
For the heart of love they have for us,
For the pillar of strength they give to us,
For the wisdom and counsel they provide us and
For the warmth and comfort they bring to our families.
O Lord, we ask you to watch over and bless our mothers,
Protect them and keep them in your loving embrace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Supporting Our Parish
We are calling on any family members of our school community who have skills to support the maintenance of the school & parish grounds. We are asking for the skills of those people who are willing to be called upon if the need arises and are available when that need arises.
Below is a list of some of the trades which the parish may require from time to time and if one of those or more, match your skill set, the parish would be very grateful to include you in our “skills register”. The list is not thorough, but it is a start.
Accountant |
Builder |
Bricklayer |
Carpenter |
Carpet Installer |
Cleaner |
Caretaker of the Hall |
Concreter |
Electrician |
Gardener |
IT Specialist/technician |
Landscaper |
Painter/Decorator |
Plasterer |
Pest Exterminator |
Plumber |
Removalist |
Seamstress/Dressmaker |
If you are prepared to offer your skills if needed and keep this great parish outreaching and helping the community as much as we possibly can, the parish would love to hear from you.
To register interest or if you have any questions, please email plymptonparish@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au or call 8293 6600
Amanda Razon
APRIM
We will be holding a Mother's Day Liturgy on Monday 15th May at 2.30pm. We would love all the Mum's to join us in John the Baptist Church.
Our Prayers are with those who have recently lost loved ones.
May God keep them close.
To the Family of Luke, James and William Dimech (Past Scholars) for the loss of their Mother, Helen. Helen was also the God Mother of James H in REC DC.
To the Goyal Family (Rohin 4PR & Jay REC B) for the loss of their grandmother.
To the Calesso family (Lachlan 2T) for the loss of his grandfather.
"Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them,
May they rest in peace."
Catholic Education Week is being celebrated in Catholic schools throughout South Australia from 15 – 21 May 2023.
This week is an opportunity to reflect on and share all the things that we love about St John the Baptist Catholic School and what makes our community special.
Join us on social media this week in sharing Facebook post about the reasons you love our school and being a part of our community, using the hashtag #LoveMyCatholicSchool.
Statement of Accounts
A Statement of Accounts will be sent home with in the next two weeks, please ensure your current method of payment will see your account paid in full by 24th November, unless previously arranged. If you have changed your address, please advise the office as soon as possible on info@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au
School Card
Please follow the link below to apply for the 2023 School Card Scheme. Once we have received the eligibility report from School Card the remission will be applied to your account.
The School Card scheme provides low-income families attending a non-government school with financial assistance for school fees (materials and services charges).
Eligibility
School Card is available to:
- families with children aged four years and over who attend a school full-time
- independent full-time students studying year 10, 11 or 12
- adult re-entry students undertaking subjects to complete their SAC
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries regarding the above.
Change of Circumstance
We ask those families whose circumstances may have changed or are experiencing difficulties to please contact Todd LaForgia or myself at your earliest convenience via email: pmarks@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au
Pam Marks
Bursar/Finance Officer
Please be reminded to put in your diaries, Friday 9th June Pupil Free Day for Staff Development.
Term 2 and 3 sport has begun for basketball and netball. We have 6 basketball teams and 2 netball teams.
St John’s have 6 soccer teams competing this season and soccer will commence on Saturday 27th May. We are also joining with another few schools to enter an Aussie Rules football team.
We are very thankful to the coaches who volunteer their time to coordinate and coach teams.
Congratulations to the 15 students who represented our school at the Airport/Western SAPSASA Cross Country Day on Tuesday 9th May. A great achievement to run the 2km or 3km course.
- Thomas McD
- Archie H
- Rocco G
- Alexandra P
- Alice L
- Henry S
- Gisele G
- Rowan A
- Breanna K
- Inara N
- Dane M
- Archer C
- Amali F
- Riley O’B
- James R
Last Friday the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes had a great opportunity to further their soccer skills by attending a soccer clinic run by Adrian and Raj from Simply Sports. The children were able to learn new soccer skills through playing fun games.
Term 2 Sport Carnivals
SACPSSA Lacrosse Carnival - Tuesday 30th May (Week 5)
SACPSSA Netball Carnival - Monday 3rd July (Week 10) **Please note change of date**
Mary Murray
Co-curricular Sport Co-ordinator
sport@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au
Happy Families Founder, Dr Justin Coulson's goal for parents, teachers, and those who work with children is to see them for the precious humans they are; to connect with them in meaningful ways; and to guide those children to become strong, caring, whole adults.
The Happy Families website covers a range of topics including:
- Resilience in Children
- Parenting teenagers
- Family relationships
- Children and Discipline
- Happier homes
- Neurodiversity in children
Over the past decade Dr Coulson has helped innumerable families with his 6 books about raising children, his hundreds of media appearances (including all of Australia’s major news outlets, and even the Washington Post and the New York Times), and two viral videos that have been viewed a combined 80 million times!
Justin earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Wollongong. He and his wife Kylie have been married since the late 1990’s and are the parents of 6 daughters.
You can find a wealth of information at https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/
Sarah Byrnes
School Counsellor
Mother's Day Stall
We are holding our annual Mother's Day Stall on Friday 12th May.
Please see flyer for further details.
All orders for both recess and lunch are to be ordered via our Qkr! app.
Canteen orders close each canteen day (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) at 9.00am.
Healthy Canteen (Tuesday & Thursday) orders close on Mondays at 12pm.
Canteen Roster
Term 2
Friday 12th May - Jo & Jo Rowett
Monday 15th May - Julie
Tuesday 16th May - Jo
Wednesday 17th May - Julie
Thursday 18th May - Jo
Friday 19th May - Jo & Victoria Thurston
Monday 22nd May - Julie
Tuesday 23rd May - Jo
Wednesday 24th May - Julie
Thursday 25th May - Jo
Friday 26th May - Jo & Stacey Arnold
Julie Henschke & Jo Fitzgerald
St John the Baptist School provides a safe environment for all while valuing the partnership between school and home.
As a Catholic community, we welcome and value volunteers. To be able to volunteer, and/or attend at other times throughout the school year, we ask that you hold a current Catholic Police Check (parents/caregivers attending excursions, reading in class, helping in class, attending community events), a current Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect in Education and Care for Volunteers certificate, have completed the volunteers application package and your COVID vaccination certificate.
A Catholic Police Check for volunteers is free for our current parents and caregivers. Application Forms are available in our school office.
This process ensures we maintain a child safe environment. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you to apply for a Catholic Police Check through the school office as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the school office on 8218 3300 or email Francis Schulz on fschulz@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au .
Hamra Library currently offer the following drop-in activities:
- A monthly writers' group (4:30-5:30pm every second Wednesday of the month)
- A monthly book club with no set text, just a place to come and talk about books! (4:30-5:30pm last Wednesday of every month)
- Homework club for all-ages study assistance every Monday during term, 4pm-6pm.
- 24/7 access to Studiosity for additional support if they have a West Torrens library card!
- The Australian Refugee Association offers homework support to students from refugee backgrounds who have been in Australia for 5 years or less every Thursday of term - 4pm-6pm
- Lego Club (every 2nd Monday during term time, 3:30-5pm)
- "Sign Squad" for 12-25 year olds to learn Auslan from a Deaf tutor (Friday 5-6pm in weeks 1, 4, and 8 of each term)
None of these activities require bookings but further information is available via the Hamra Library website on the Activities and Events webpage:
https://www.westtorrens.sa.gov.au/Hamra-Centre-Library/Activities-and-event
The links and information that are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. They do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by St John the Baptist Catholic School of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organisation or individual. St John the Baptist Catholic School bears no responsibility for the accuracy legality or contact of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
Important Dates
Sacrament of Reconciliation 7pm
Mother's Day Stall
Year 6 Sports Leaders Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day Liturgy
School Board Meeting 6.30pm
Mass 9.30am - REC B & 3J
Principal's Tour 9.30am
Assembly - 1M
Mass 9.30am - 2T & 5F
The Ascension
National Sorry Day
Pentecost
SACPSSA Lacrosse Carnival
Sacramental Parent Info Evening 7pm
Mass 9.30am - 3BM & Year 6s
Trinity Sunday
Assembly - REC B
Pupil Free Day
Blood & Body of Christ
Kings Birthday Public Holiday
School Disco
Birthdays
Congratulations to those who celebrate their birthday in the next two weeks and during the holidays.
May Birthdays
11th May - Archer C (4PR)
12th May - Sophia RC (6C) & Evelyn B (1SM)
13th May - Archer G (REC DC)
14th May - Ava K (6C) & Amyra G (1M)
15th May - Xavier F (3BM)
18th May - Madeleine P (2S)
19th May - Connor D (REC DC)
20th May - Franki-Su (2S)
24th May - Aryav P (REC DC)
School Uniform
Our uniform is available for purchase from Brandmode, 83 Glen Osmond Road, Eastwood. Ph - (08) 8357 0022
To purchase uniform online please click here.
To book an appointment please click here.
For further information on our Uniform Guidelines, please click here.
Instrumental Tutors
We currently offer the following instrumental tutoring:
Piano
(currently a waitlist)
Tutor - Christine Davies
Ph: 0403 546 091
Email - christineonpiano@gmail.com
Guitar
Tutor - Dido Durmanovic
Ph: 0407 719 836
Email: didodurmanovic@hotmail.com
Drums
Tutor - Shaun Doddy
Ph: 0417 806 993
Email: shaundoddy@rocketmail.com
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, learn and work.
We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual connection and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to this country and commit to the ongoing journey of Reconciliation.
Artwork - Unknown artist
Camp Australia
To make a Your OSHC booking, you need to register with Camp Australia first.
Registration is free and can be done online, or with our smartphone app.
www.campaustralia.com.au
Southern Cross Newsletter
Click here to read the latest news from the Southern Cross News.
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