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Welcome to Week 5 Term 2
Currently my daughter is writing a persuasive text on ‘Why Autumn is her favourite season?’ Upon completing research we both found this wonderful quote regarding the current church season of Pentecost, which of course falls in Autumn.
“When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That's what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost.” ― David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade
Fete
Our fete is well and truly moving forward and as such, we need to collect items to make it a roaring success.
Right now could I please ask you to look at White Elephant items and Books. These two areas always create interest at our fete. Please do not restrict yourself to your own houses; we gladly will take items from uncles, aunts, grandparents and friends. Put the call out to those you know and we can begin creating a stockpile now. Just send them in or drop them into the Front Office and we will sort everything our from there.
Right now it would be great if we had two more people on board.
Sponsorship Coordinator
Someone to chase up our previous sponsors to see if they would like to continue to support the school.
Bookings Officer
Someone to book rides and events
Please put your hand up!!!!!!
Principal Review
As this is my fifth year at SJV I am up for a Principal Review beginning this term and finishing early next term. The process will involve our school PIL (Performance Improvement Leader) the Deputy Director, Dr Tony Bracken and an independent consultant. The objective of this process is to further develop my leadership skills and as such, the whole community will receive a survey this term. Early next term, the panel will interview key staff and community members and all of this information will be used to help formulate constructive feedback and growth points.
I look forward to hearing directly from my community to enable me to act upon feedback given.
Red Hill – Current CE Position
I have had a small number of parents talk to be about St Bede’s Red Hill and its potential closure, which was recently reported in the Canberra Times. The concern was that Red Hill and SJV are both small schools and the potential direction that CE was taking in this area.
The message that Principals have received is that CE is beginning a program of assistance with all system schools concerning enrolments. They are however, particularly focusing on schools that are in higher socio-economic areas and as such, our school can expect support. As a system, all principals have been told that Red Hill sits in a unique position and that it is the only school that has been looked at in regards to closure, but there is no certainty around this direction.
However, on Tuesday afternoon all Principals received an email of which I have placed an excerpt below:
Dear Colleagues
I write to you with good news. I confirm that, following the consultation, St Bede’s, Red Hill will remain open as a highly valued Catholic primary school.
The passion and commitment of the school community has been clear through the consultation period. The constructive engagement of parents has identified concrete initiatives, which can enable the St Bede’s community to grow and prosper.
I encourage any parent who wishes to enrol their child at St Bede’s for 2022 to apply for enrolment as soon as possible.
The consultation has been difficult for the school community and the wider community of Catholic education. The funding cuts announced in 2017 for Catholic education in the ACT were dramatic and required us to work through them. Since 2017 the funding cuts pursued by the Australian and ACT governments have been reduced significantly. This is due to the support and advocacy of so many across Catholic education.
Thank you for your commitment and support of Catholic education and St Bede’s.
Good wishes
Ross Fox
Director
Enrolments - Open Day Morning - Saturday 29th May 10:00am-12:00
Please spread the word what a great school SJV is and don't forget to mention to people that they can have a tour on the last Saturday morning of May. Time and again it has been proven that word-of-mouth is the best way to get our message out amongst the community.
Athletics Carnival – Friday 18th June
Please keep in mind that our Athletics carnival is on Friday 18th June. Due to the time of year, we are starting the carnival at 11am and will be back at school by 3pm. Information notes will follow the newsletter from our organisers but parent help on the day is always appreciated.
Parent Teacher Interviews
The online booking system was opened Monday for all parent/carers to make appointments since Monday. These sessions are extremely important for you to have input in your child’s school life. Not only are they used to discuss how your child has been going at school, but are also used to ensure effective goals are set for next term. Can I please ask that you make an appointment ASAP if you have not done so already.
White Token Lunch
Our White Token "super special" students Alicia L, Jonathon E, Geoffrey S, Connor B and George S all enjoyed their White Token Lunch with Mr Rodda yesterday. Lots of wonderful conversations around the table.
God bless you and your family
Peter Rodda
Principal
Parent Teacher Interviews
With Parent Teacher Interviews just around the corner, all SJV parents are invited to attend an individual parent teacher meeting at the school, at which the teacher will discuss the student’s progress. These interviews are an essential link between the school and home and attendance is strongly encouraged.
Parents and teachers have a joint responsibility for the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth of the child. Parents who have a genuine worry regarding a child are encouraged to discuss the matter with their child’s teacher in the first instance. A seemingly complex problem may in fact turn out to be readily solved or intercepted through an early meeting of parent and teacher. Reports are issued at the end of each semester in June and December.
Ask Questions
- How is my child fitting in with other children, at the moment?
- What are the children learning now?
- Is there anything about my child’s overall needs that I should know?
- Does my child ask questions, participate in class discussions and other learning activities?
- Is my child progressing positively, reaching their SMART goals?
- What activities does my child seem to enjoy the most at school, what do you see as their gifts?
- Is there anything I can be doing to help support my child at home so they can reach their full potential?
- Does my child need extra help in a particular subject?
- Do you have any concerns about my child?
Also, list anything that might be happening at home that may be helpful for your child’s teacher to know. If your child has seen a specialist for example, there may be some information that is important for the teacher or the school counsellor to know.
Walk away with an agreed plan
Admittedly, there are times when the news isn’t all good. If the teacher raises issues about your child’s learning, development or behaviour, your goal will be to understand the plan to manage that during the school day and how you can help at home.
For example, if your child needs to stay focused during the delivery of instructions for learning, a behaviour diary which travels between class and home every day may be a good suggestion. The idea is the teacher updates you with a short, written account of your child’s day, so you can discuss it with your child each evening. Ask the teacher what sort of strategies they have in mind and how you can help.
After the interview
It’s important to discuss the meeting with your child and really congratulate them on their strengths. If the teacher made suggestions of things you could do at home, discuss these with your child and commit to following through with them.
Teachers like to talk about the good stuff too
If you don’t go to parent-teacher interviews, you’re also missing out on the chance to hear the many positive things about your child that they may not tell you themselves. It’s just as rewarding for teachers to share good news with you and to highlight your child’s positive growth points.
Next week during our Semester Parent Teacher Interviews, we ask you to check-in at the Front Office using the Canberra App and proceed to your child’s classroom. If you need longer than your allocated time, please just make another appointment with your child’s classroom teacher. The Teachers are really looking forward to sharing just how wonderful your sons and daughters truly are and what a joy they are to teach!
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
NCCD takes place every year. The NCCD is a collection that counts:
- the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability
- the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.
Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability.
This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Schools provide this information to education authorities.
Further information regarding the compulsory collection of data can be found in the parent fact sheet.
Many Blessings
Joanne Reed/Assistant Principal
Gospel Reflection - John 20:19-23
This Sunday marks the end of the Easter season with the feast of Pentecost. On this day, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the beginning of the Church. Pentecost reminds us to be open to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, and while we probably won’t witness a rushing wind or tongues of fire, we can still experience this gift. The Gospel this week reminds us of the link between peace, forgiveness and the action of the Holy Spirit. Our Church is called to be a reconciling presence in the world and we are called to be agents of peace and harmony in our communities. For help with this, we pray;
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Adapted from Loyola Press and Enduring Word
Sacramental News
This weekend’s Parish Masses mark the beginning of our First Eucharist celebrations. We continue to pray for all our candidates, and we especially pray for Ashley (3/4P) as he celebrates his First Eucharist this weekend. Our other candidates will celebrate their First Eucharist over the next six weeks at our weekend Parish masses.
We also pray for all our candidates who will make their First Reconciliation next Wednesday after the regular morning Mass. Our CSYMA Youth Minister Elena, led SJV’s Reconciliation candidates in a short prayer session today. The students respectfully participated in the session and enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on this next step in their Sacramental journey.
Wednesday Morning Mass
Year 5/6 will be leading our Parish’s Wednesday morning Mass next week. All parents are welcome to join us at this celebration.
Please note - Merit Awards will be handed out at NEXT Friday's morning assembly.
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KA |
Samuel Ayers |
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1 B |
Elsie Spackman |
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2 J |
Joseph Walshe |
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3/4 CA |
Janae Odonkor |
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3/4 P |
Ailah Buenaventura |
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5/6 J |
Reyna Clarke |
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5/6 P |
Chelsea Jamieson |
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Italian |
Oliver McCormack |
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The Arts |
Kaelan Mogensen |
It's a fun 
way to stay in touch and see what is happening in Our school.
Please like our page and follow us so that you can be part of Our Facebook Community.
Click on the link to go to our Facebook Page.
St John Vianney’s is holding a “Wool/Yarn Drive.”
We are looking for a variety of types of wool/yarn – especially the types that are extra fluffy or with bubbles in them. If you have an extra ball of wool laying around at home, please feel free to drop it into the front office.
The wool/yarn will be donated to some lovely knitters who are connected to Canteen in Bathurst. They will in turn knit us some comfort wrist bands.
A big thank you to Nicole McCormack for facilitating these comfort wrist bands.
ACU Lecture: Mental Health Education
2021 BLACKFRIARS SERIES
Health & Wellbeing
As the primary local mental health education provider in Canberra, Mental Illness Education ACT (MIEACT) engages with young Canberrans of all ages, backgrounds and schools. Through mental health education we build the essential skills to live a productive and healthy life, but we can only do that if we truly understand the barriers, issues and challenges they face. In this session we will unpack what the reality is for young people in our community and how to support them to thrive.
TOPIC: Mental health education: supporting young people to thrive
SPEAKER: Heidi Prowse, Chief Executive Officer, Mental Illness Education ACT
DATE: Tuesday 8 June 2021
TIME: 5:45 pm registration (essential), lecture 6pm - 7pm.
VENUE: Room 301.1.20, Veritas Building, ACU Canberra Campus, 223 Antill Street, WATSON
RSVP: by Friday 4 June 2021 to ocd.canberra@acu.edu.au
Registration is essential. All attendees will also be required to check in through the Check in CBR app.
Please feel free to share this invitation with your family, friends and colleagues.
EAGER ENVIRONMENTALISTS
Don't forget to bring in your Bread Bag Tags to help the environment and to assist the school to earn reward points. We will earn reward points for every 5kg bin we fill.
WORLD BEE DAY Wednesday 20th May
Amazing facts about bees
• Around 20,000 species of bees exist in the world.
• Bees reside in colonies.
• Each colony features the Queen bee, the worker bees, and the drone.
• The Queen bee and workers are females.
• Only the Queen bee reproduces.
• Drones are all males.
• Worker bees clean the beehive, collect pollens and nectar, and care for the offspring.
• Drone bees are there only for mating purpose with the Queen bee.
• The only thing Queen bee does it to lay eggs.
• Bees can a particular color, which humans cannot see. It is a blend of yellow color and ultra violet light. Scientists call it “bee’s purple.”
• An average bee makes a 12th of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime.
• Bees follow democracy. They debate while choosing a new home. Each scout gets an equal platform. Each bee present in the colony performs its own research and there is a voting at the end. The Queen bee stays impartial.
Types of bees on Planet Earth (discovered so far)
Honey bees: They are also known as social bees. Their colonies are huge with 50,000 to 60,000 workers.
Bumble bees: These bees reside in smaller colonies, just 50-400 workers.
Mason bees and leaf cutter: They are also called solitary bees, as a single female bee lives alone in the nest.
Carpenter bees and digger bees: These bees usually live in the soil.
Mining bees: They are also called Andrena. They have huge families comprising thousands of bees. However, the female bee usually lives alone with nests close to each other.
So, the next time you hear the buzzing sound of a bee, think of her as planet Earth’s best friend, not just an insect that stings. And yes, don’t forget to have a spoonful of honey on World Bee Day!
What's coming up and when:
| Monday 3rd May Friday 28th May |
CE Enrolment period for 2022 |
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Tuesday 25th May Wednesday 26th May |
AFL Clinic Term 2 School Uniform Shop open 8:45am-9:15am Parent Teacher Interviews. Book your interview on line from Tuesday 18th May - Friday 21st May. https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/ Sacrament of Reconciliation |
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Friday 21st May |
School Banking Day |
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Saturday 29th May |
SJV Open Day 10:00am - 12Noon |
| Monday 31st May | Public Holiday Reconciliation Day |
| Wednesday 2nd June |
Primary South Weston X-Country Regional Carnival - Stromlo Running Track Playgroup 9:30am - 11:00am Sensory Fun |
Term 2 Week 3 Notes
Term 2 Week 4 Notes
No notes sent home this week.
Term 2 Week 5 Notes
National Simultaneous Storytime
Today we had the pleasure of having Mr Edgar (Ed) Kruzins along to visit us during the National Simultaneous Storytime. Ed has been the Director of the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex (CDSCC) at Tidbinbilla for the last 20 years. He brought with him some special memorabilia from his time at the Deep Space Station Complex and answered many questions about “What’s in SPACE?”. The students then enjoyed a special reading of the Australian storybook, Give Me Some Space! by NASA astronaut, Dr Shannon Walker, from the International Space Station. What a fantastic morning! A very special thank you to Ed for visiting today and to Mrs Lucy Ohlmus for organising the visit!
SJV Tuckshop is open Wednesday & Friday. Orders can be made online via Qkr! A copy of the Menu and Qkr! instructions can be found on the Tuckshop Webpage.
NEXT WEEKS TUCKSHOP ROSTER
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The students will have an opportunity to order a Special Italian Lunch order to celebrate National Italian Day. This forms part of our program at school which immerses students in the language and culture of Italy. This occasion closely follows the Bilingual Puppet Show held last Friday at school where the students were an excited audience, who participate in the performance.
We hope all students will participate in and enjoy the Italian Lunch. Order via QKR which is up and running now. Order the Italian lunch by 31 May.
Please remember to bring your WWVP card with you.
Tuckshop Volunteers Needed
EXTRA NOTE FOR TOMORROW:-
Sorry for the short notice - tomorrow is looking like a busy day and Karen would very much appreciate some extra assistance in the tuckshop. If you are able to assist, please let me know and I can pass your name onto Karen. Many thanks.
If you can only spare a couple of hours, that would be fantastic. If you have little ones, they are very welcome to come along.
Please contact the front office or fill in the tuckshop volunteer form to let us know you are able to help and when.