Pathways | Volume 40 Number 13 | 1

Wednesday 12 September 2018

From the Principal

Dear Parents and friends,

Shake off your problems

A man's favorite donkey falls into a deep precipice;

He can't pull it out no matter how hard he tries;

He therefore decides to bury it alive.

Soil is poured onto the donkey from above.

The donkey feels the load, shakes it off, and steps on it;

More soil is poured.

It shakes it off and steps up;

The more the load was poured, the higher it rose;

By noon, the donkey was grazing in green pastures.

After much shaking off (of problems)

And stepping up (learning from them),

One will graze in GREEN PASTURES.

I find this time of the year often brings about a sense of restlessness in our young people. I’m not sure as to the

reason for it, but in many a conversation with educational colleagues from all corners of the country this phenomenon

seems rather common. I encourage our young people to, as the donkey in the story above did, shake off the soil of

woes and challenges and turn them into ‘green pastures’.

The Bible also provides encouragement: And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if

we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

This story resonates with our common message to the students this term – Start Strong, Finish Strong, Together.

NAPLAN Our school has recently received the results of the NAPLAN tests which took place in May. Staff are presently analysing individual and class results and will use such, along with other school data, to inform

our planning and professional development for the next calendar year. Particularly, we are more interested in the

longitudinal growth and trends for individual students and classes rather than the point-in-time results themselves.

Longitudinal information serves to indicate areas of growth over time and is a more reliable data set than point-in-

time assessment - especially when considered, on balance, against standardised and class-based assessment.

Volume 40 Number 13 Email: school@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au

Pathways | Volume 40 Number 13 | 2

That said, collectively our school has done very well. Our results place us in the top 3 schools in the region -

Bundaberg and beyond. This is reason for celebration given there are over 40 primary schools in the region.

I commend our staff and students over time for the efforts they all play in focussing on quality learning and teaching.

Uniform and grooming

Please note the following gentle reminders regarding uniform requirements, in readiness for Term 4.

Girl’s earrings can only be plain gold or silver sleepers or studs.

All black school shoes worn with the uniform must be clean and in good condition (Mary-Jane style not

permitted)

Boy’s hair length must be above the collar and well-above the eyebrows. The style is to be neat and tidy.

Girl’s hair must be tied up with hair tie/band once it touches the collar and p inned off the face at all times

(Navy, Red or White) (No JoJo Bows, please)

Nail polish is not to be worn to school

Reef Guardian School

Recently our school has been approved to become a Reef Guardian School. This is a wonderful initiative of our local

Bundaberg Regional Council. I thank Ms Lena Anderson and her team of enthusiastic children for the work they are

doing in our school to help the broader environment. One such ways is our focus on recycling and making sure we

are using our bins properly. With the help of our Eco Club, I’m pleased to report that the use of our yellow bins has

increased considerably. So much so, that I’ve written to the Bundaberg Regional Council to ask for more yellow top

bins in our school. Well done, Eco club and Ms Anderson!

Thank you for working in partnership with us.

Grace and peace

Chris

Chaplain’s Chat

Have you ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle without a completed picture of the puzzle?

It can make it very hard to put the pieces altogether!

Sometimes reading the Bible can be a bit like this. We read and know a number of random

Bible Stories, but we don’t know how they all fit together as a whole. We may recognise that

there is an Old Testament and a New Testament but we don’t really get the BIG picture. It is

only when we see that, from the beginning, after people first sinned, God put into action a plan

of how He would save people. Then we start to see the picture forming.

So the Old Testament is ‘the story’ of how God planned to rescue people through the Promised Saviour. The people

of the Old Testament (OT) looked forward to the time when God would sent the Saviour who would save them from

their sins.

The New Testament (NT) tells the account of that Promised Saviour coming to earth as baby Jesus. He lived and

moved among people and showed people who God was and what He is like. He fulfilled God’s plan to rescue people

by suffering, dying and rising to life again and rescuing people from the consequences of sin. Believers then shared

this message of hope throughout the world.

So both the OT and the NT point to Jesus, and the picture of the pieces of the bible comes together in God’s rescue

plan through Jesus.

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As John 20:31 says “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then,

by believing, you may have life through his name.”

Warmly in God’s Love,

Jeanette Mann (School Chaplain)

Curriculum Connections

The Australian Curriculum – Information for Parents

At St John’s, and in alignment with the Australian Curriculum we believe that parents and families have the most

influence on their children. When we can work in partnership with families and have them actively involved in their

child’s education, children are usually more excited to come to school and achieve better results.

Despite where you live in Australia the goal of the Australian curriculum is the same. It is designed to teacher students

how they can become active and informed citizens and creative individuals. The curriculum sets goals for what all

students should be learning through their school life.

In the early years of schooling, priority is given to literacy and numeracy development as these are the building blocks

for future learning. As the students move through the year levels, a shift in focus occurs towards the knowledge,

understanding and skills of all key learning areas still including Mathematics and English.

As St John’s is an independent school we have been granted flexibility around how we deliver the Australian

Curriculum to our students. We must plan, teach, assess and report under the auspice of the Australian Curriculum,

however the units of work and the Mathematics and English delivery modes at St John’s are specifically designed to

suit the learning needs of our students. We believe in implementing the most up to date models for our students,

rather than a one size fits all approach.

We believe that every student is unique, with different needs and different areas of interest. Our teachers use the

Australian Curriculum to create meaningful and life worthy sequences of learning that respond to the learning needs

of the learners in each class whilst maintaining direct links to Australian Curriculum expectations.

If you would like to find out more about the Australian Curriculum you can access parent information through the link

below:

http://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/The_Australian_Curriculum_an_overview_for_parents.pdf

Or, I would be happy to chat with you at any time, as my door is always open.

Jocelyn Bakker – Learning and Teaching Coordinator and Learning Support Coordinator

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Student Awards

Around the Grounds – General Notices

Uniform Shop – Opening House

Tuesday 8.15am – 9.00am

Thursday 2.30pm – 3.15pm

If you are unable to come at the above times, please remember that you can send in orders/payments via the class

basket. Just write a short note and send it in an envelope clearly marked ‘Uniform Shop’.

Sprouts Kid’s Club

This Wednesday 12th September 3:15pm – 5pm. This will be the last Kid’s Club for Term 3. We will

recommence once again in Term 4, Week 1 (Wednesday 10th October 2018)

Casual Day

Tuesday 18th September will be a casual day to support farmers going through drought

conditions. Children are asked to bring a Gold Coin Donation to support this cause. Children are

invited to wear casual clothes OR come dressed as a farmer. There will be some prizes for the

best dressed “farmers”. If children would like to, they can also bring along items that are of

assistance to farming families. (A separate note will be coming home about this.)

Term Fees

Many thanks to those parents who have finalised this terms fees. It would be appreciated if all fees could be

brought up to date by the end of term. If you have any queries, please contact the Business Manager, Bernadette

Latimer either by phone number or by email businessmanager@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au

P&F News

On the 28th of August we held our Annual Election Meeting. A new executive committee was elected. I am pleased

to announce the new executive committee as follows:

President: Allison Stallan

Secretary: Cassie Heading

Finance Officer: Bernadette Latimer

Executive Members: Tamara Carroll, Gillian Croft, Cassie Von Blanckensee & Danielle Wooldridge

Congratulations to this fortnight’s award recipients

Prep Red Xavier Norman, Chloe Park, Jackson Harm, Sophie Warburton

Prep Blue Aadhya Shoree, Nixon Jones, Hayden Evans, Hayden Frangleton

Year 1 Dakoda Atkinson, Thomas Dullaway, Thomas Von Deest, Nate Tickel, Samuel Dignon,

Madison Barrett

Year 2 Dusty Johnstone, Alexis Heading, Flynn McMillan, Ella Park, Reegan Jones, Evie Kay,

Santiago Villanueva, Toni Krueger

Year 3 Charlotte Meiers, Elloise Wooldridge, Faith Diener, Savya Gurung

Year 4 Dakoda Dale, Levi Faint, Nate Sergeant, Jack Steinhardt

Year 5 Charlotte MacDonald, Ryan Steinhardt, Jacob Heaton, Lawson Carroll

Year 5/6 Alexander Orr, Mr Mallett, Tiahna Diener, Madeline Smith, Sebastian Dexter, Harper Tindel-

Dimes, Jackson Ainsworth

Music Sebella Marano, Imogen Willes, Nate Sergeant, Shaile Findlay

Chaplain Mia Smith, Cooper Higgins

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I would like to take this time to sincerely thank Stacey Tindel, Nathan Van der Klugt and Lee-Anne Zahn for their

service on the 2017/18 executive committee. Your support, commitment, decision making, discussions and time on

the committee has been invaluable and much appreciated.

It’s hard to believe we are at the end of term 3. It has been a busy term with Book Fair and Grandparents’ Day being

some of the highlights thus far. It was such a lovely day on Grandparents’ Day, the students were so excited to share

their school with grandparents and special friends as well as coming together to share morning tea around the mango

tree, finishing off with the concert in the hall. Speaking of concerts, date claimer for the 20th of September for our

biannual school concert what a wonderful way to end term 3. Back to the Future- Let’s Celebrate is this year’s theme.

On behalf of the executive committee we are looking forward to another year of service on the P&F. Please if you

have any questions or ideas you would like to share with the P&F or would like to become a general member, do not

hesitate to call or email either myself or Cassie.

Allison Stallan Cassie Heading

0401 729 690 0466 640 547

astallan@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au cheading@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au

Looking forward to another great year, thanking you all for your ongoing support.

Allison Stallan

2018 School Concert

Moncrieff Entertainment Centre

Bourbong St, Bundaberg

Thursday 20th September Commencing at 6.30pm

‘Back to the Future – Let’s Celebrate’

TICKETS: Further to the School Concert note sent home yesterday, tickets are now on sale and can be purchased

only at the Moncrieff Theatre. Tickets may be purchased on the night but going on past concerts ‘get in early to

avoid disappointment’. Tickets are available for purchase during normal box office opening times which are 9.00am

to 5.00pm.

Seating is not numbered.

Please note that the Moncrieff apply a $2.10 transaction fee when purchasing tickets.

TICKET PRICES:

$13.50 Adults $7.50 Pensioners / High School Students $3.50 Children Under 12 who require a seat St John’s students do not require a ticket

Please do not hesitate to contact the office if you did not receive a copy of yesterday’s School Concert note.

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Are you thinking about Kindergarten for your child next year?

A successful transition into school is important to us!

St John’s Lutheran Kindergarten will hold a Family Information

Night on Tuesday the 18th of September at 5.30-6.30 for the

opportunity to meet the team and discuss our program and

philosophy.

Enrolment packs will be handed out on the night and time for questions and answers. You can find us

through the gate on Elizabeth Street located in the first room to your right.

We hope to see you there!

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24 George St, Bundaberg, QLD 4670. Ph: 0409759831 (7am to 6pm Daily)

BOOKING FORM

Please book your children in by the 10th September, so we can organise catering, numbers and educators over this

time, also to avoid disappointment on excursion days as they are the first to fill.

Closed in shoes must be worn for all excursions, No singlet tops for play, Hats are compulsory outdoors must be

bucket hats no caps.

24th September 25th September 26th September 27st September 28th September

1st October 2nd October 3rd October 4th October 5th October

Childs name……………………………………………….…………………………

Parents Name…………………………………………….………………………..

Email…………………………………………………………………………………….Phone…………………………………

24th Sept 2018 25th Sept 2018 26th Sept 2018 27th Sept 2018 28th Sept 2018

Let’s Make:

Friendship

Bracelets

Make some for you

and all your friends

so you can wear

them through the

holidays.

Hot Dog Day

Coin donation for

Children’s Ward at

Bundaberg Base

Hospital.

You only need

morning and

afternoon tea today!

Tinaberries

Excursion

Today its out to Tina to

pick our very own

punnet of

Strawberries, and

learn all about how

they are grown and

processed.

$12 a head

Solar Cars

Today we are going

to make our very

own solar car to

take home.

$5 a head

Water pipe

play.

Bring some

clothes you

can get wet in!

1st Oct 2018 2nd Oct 2018 3rd Oct 2018 4th Oct 2018 5th Oct 2018

Public Holiday

Team Fun Day Wear your favourite

team jersey or shirt

today.

We will have team

games, races, and

competitions.

Lots of prizes to

be won.

Nannas Pantry

Excursion

Today we are Making

Gelato with Lizzie at

10am

$10 a head

Seed art day

Bundy Bowl &

Leisure

Laser Tag &

Bowling

$22 a head

ST JOHN'S VACATION CARE BUNDABERG SEPTEMBER 2018

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