NewsletterWeekly

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November 14th 2017 / Term 4 Week 7 www.roma.catholic.edu.au

Principal’s NewsDear Parents and Friends of St

John’s School,

This week, we farewell our Year

Twelve students. We ask God’s

blessing on these young men and

women who, for some, have been

here close to 12 years of their life.

We hope that they will make us all

proud and continue in their lives

to espouse the ‘Spirit of St John’s’ as they move into their

chosen fields of work, study or a gap year.

We are very quickly moving towards the end of year with

much happening here in preparation for 2018. As next year

will be my second year and I have had time to observe and

reflect on 2017, there will be a number of focus areas on

which our school goals will centre in 2018. I will share these

with you in the coming two weeks. Let us make sure that

our students continue to attend and work to the best of

Events in this month

Monday, November 13th - 15thYear 12 Retreat

Thursday, November 15thPrep Information Night 6pm

Thursday, November 16thYear 12 Graduation Dinner 6pm

Friday, November 17thYear 12 Final Assembly and Clap Out 9.30am

Tuesday, November 28thPrep - Year 9, Last day of Term

their ability. Even though assessments and exams may have

finished, important learning continues. Have a great week

and God Bless.

Donaugh

Primary Teachers for 2018 Prep - Miss Arsmstrong, Mrs McPake, Ms Moore

Year One - Mrs Brennan, Mr Brennan, Miss Repetto

Year Two - Miss Boehmer, Miss Collett

Year Three - Mrs Sheilds, Miss Van Slobbe, Mrs Orchison

Year Four - Mrs Moore, Miss Berry

Year Five - Mrs Angus, Mrs Wehl, Miss Parkes Moller

Year Six - Mrs Purssell, Miss Chinnery, Mr Dabrota

Secondary NewMiss Baker – Year 7

Mr Brady – HPE Humanities

Miss Cooper - English (Returning)

Senior Maths teacher YTA

Thank you to those parents who spoke to me about class

allocations. The date for this closed over a week ago and

the classes have been allocated so no changes can be made.

This is quite a difficult and important process and we rely on

the expertise of our staff and leadership to ensure we have

the best mix. Sometimes it does not always work out but we

need to teach our students resilaince and the ability to get on

with others. I am thrilled at the expertise and quality of the

new staff joining us in 2018 and I wish those staff who are

leaving us all the best.

Changes in School NewsletterThe school newsletter will be a fortnightly publication next

year. We are looking very hard at pruning some of the

activities and events to ensure that our focus is on teaching

and learning. While a balanced education for the whole

person is what we seek, we need to be very careful that we

do not fill our school year with activities that take us away

from our core business of teaching and learning.

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News

Christmas ConcertChange of Date

This year’s Christmas Concert will

be held in the P & F Multi - Purpose

Centre on Tuesday 28th November at

11.15am. All are welcome to come and

celebrate the end of the year with us.

Roma Music FestWell done to all the Instrumental

Music students who performed at the

Roma Music Fest 2017. Primary and

Secondary students who have been

learning string, woodwind, brass and

percussion instruments through the

school instrumental music program at

school this year were given a fantastic

performance opportunity to end the

year. Students from Roma, Wallumbilla,

Yuleba, Surat, Mitchell and Injune all

came to perform in the concert. St

John’s Junior Band played ‘One To Go’,

the Senior Band played ‘Senior Piece’

and the string ensemble played ‘Secret

Agent 440’ and ‘Theme from Brahms

Symphony 1’. Many thanks to teachers

Miss Sam Barnes and Mr Sam Muller for

their dedication, commitment, patience

and enthusiasm this year! Music Fest

was held on the evening of Saturday

4th November, after Presentation Night

and the Moonlight Fair.

Year One ReligionThis week in Religion, Year

One students will continue to

investigate the Christmas story

as we move closer to the season

of Advent. During this time, we

will be focusing on the different

characters who feature in the story

of the birth of Christ; the Wise

Men, the shepherds, Jesus, Mary

and Joseph. The students will

learn the importance of the birth

of Jesus as being central in our

Christian faith and that the season

of Advent focuses on giving rather

This term, Year Five students

have been studying the unit,

‘Light fantastic’. Students have

had opportunities to explore

where light comes from, how it is

used, how light travels and how

it helps us to see. Students have

had fun with a number of hands-

on activities. They investigated

than receiving.

During the next two weeks

students will continue to reflect

on how we can live the Advent

theme and will be encouraged to

donate nonperishable items for

the Vinnies Christmas Hampers

appeal. These items will be

distributed to those in need in our

community.

Angela and Mark BrennanYear One Teachers

how the height of a shadow can

change when we move the object

closer or further away from a light

source. Students are planning

and designing shadow puppets

to perform in front of their

classmates.

Lisa KynochYear Five Teacher

Year Five Science

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CurrentNEWS!

Senior Drama

The audience were treated to a highly

emotive performance by the Senior

Drama students when they performed

the Greek Tragedy, ‘Trojan Women’ by

the ancient playwright Euripides.

Students adapted the ancient play into

a 30 minute production which revolved

around the female survivors of the

embattled Troy. The Greeks leave a

horse, which the Trojans mistake as a

gift from the gods. Once night falls, the

Greeks come out of hiding from inside

the horse and overpower Troy and the

Ten year war finally comes to an end.

The play opens with the god, Poseidon,

reminiscing about the city Troy once

was. The women have suffered, with

their husbands and sons killed in battle

and their homes and lives never to be

the same again. They await their fate in

trepidation and fear, knowing they will be

taken as slaves by the Greeks.

The students brilliantly portrayed the

mix of characters and managed to

give a highly polished and engaging

performance. The Drama Room was

transformed for the evening to replicate

a mini amphitheatre and our audience of

parents and friends were impressed with

the talent displayed.

Sarah NervaDrama Teacher

Senior StemLast Friday, STEM students

from Years Eight to Ten had the

opportunity to participate in a

spatial real world workshop.

Throughout the day, they worked

through many different activities,

involving self-driving tractors,

online mapping tools and flying

drones. The activities opened

students up to new technologies

including spatial information and

how it is applied in the real world.

After watching a demonstration of

the self-driving tractor, students

were able to look inside and see

the system that uses GPS in order

to drive.

Mark ShieldsSecondary Teacher

It’s that time of the year again when the library is preparing for its ANNUAL STOCKTAKE!

Could you please assist us by checking current Library Borrowings with your students and returning ALL LIBRARY BOOKS by the end of this week.

Our STOCKTAKE schedule requires the following books returned as follows:

YEAR Twelve Text Books……………by the end of Week 6 (10th November) OR after their exams ALL Secondary Text Books…..by Thursday Week 8 (23rd November) OR after their exams

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in ensuring ALL Library Books are returned.

Library Book Returns

Jenny Eeles Teacher Librarian

Our Year Nine Mathematics

students have been learning

about the relationships

between graphs and equations,

simplifying a range of algebraic

expressions, explaining the use of

relative frequencies to estimate

probabilities and the trigonometric

ratios for right-angle triangles.

They have just completed their

first semester exam for Maths. For

the remainder of the school term,

they are working on consolidating

their knowledge to best prepare

them for Year Ten in 2018.

Mark ShieldsSecondary Teacher

Year Nine Maths

4Prep Transition 2017Throughout Terms Three and Four, we

have been running the St John’s Prep

Transition Program, where our 2018 Prep

students and their families have visited

the school to become familiar with Prep

routines and the learning environment

in which they will be a part of next year.

We have conducted afternoon sessions

where children have attended the

Prep classrooms and participated in

activities while their parents attended

information sessions. These sessions

included; ‘An Introduction to St John’s’,

‘Student Support Services and Positive

Education’ and ‘Hearing, Vision, and

Nutrition in the Early Years’ (presented

by Allied and Community Health).

Last week, we held our popular school

tour where children and their parents

were given a guided tour of the school

and were given the opportunity to

participate in some specialist lessons such

as PE and Performing Arts. This was a

great way for children to become familiar

with some of the curriculum subjects that

are taught by specialist teachers at the

school across year levels. Our visitors

also had the chance to listen to a story

in the Library and have some fun on our

playground equipment.

The final session of our program will

be held this week with our 2018 Prep

students being invited to come to Prep

for the morning and experience routines

such as lunch break and pick up and drop

off, which will further prepare them for a

smooth transition next year.

An evening parent information session

will follow on Wednesday 15th at 6pm;

all future Prep families are welcome to

attend.

I would like to thank all of the staff at

St John’s and the Community Services

team involved in delivering a wonderful

opportunity for future students and

their families to experience St John’s and

become more familiar and confident as

they prepare to begin their first formal

year of schooling. It has been wonderful

for us to meet our new Preppies and

share the enthusiasm and interest they

have shown during their visits.

We look forward to continuing the

transition journey with our 2018 Prep

students in the new school year.

Natalie BeattieEarly Years Co-ordinator

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Social Justice Thank You Morning TeaLast Thursday, we recognised the wonderful efforts of over 30 students who have supported our social

justice activities on a weekly basis. Students have attended Pinaroo, Endeavour and the Big Breakfast at

the St Vincent de Paul Vincentian Village.

At each activity, students have engaged with people who may otherwise be marginalised from society.

At times, this can be challenging for students but the

wonderful depth of character shown by our students

ensures that these visits are successful. It is also so pleasing

to witness the giving nature of the students as they interact

with the people at each activity. As a school, we are very

proud of their efforts.

A huge thank you must also go to the teachers who

accompany these students each week of the school year.

Miss Kaylene Keleher and Miss Lindsay Botten have

supported the Big Breakfast all year, a huge accomplishment

on the freezing cold mornings in winter. Mrs Maria Purssell and Mrs Kate Row have continued to

accompany our students to Pinaroo and a mention must be made of Miss Jenn Fuller, who supported

Endeavour so well in the first three terms of the year.

We are looking forward to another successful year in 2018 and welcoming new students to Social Justice!

Remembrance DayOn Friday, we commemorated Remembrance Day with a full

school prayer assembly, remembering the sacrifices that were

made for us and offering prayers of thanksgiving for the

peaceful nation that we live in today. On Saturday, Claudia Thom

and Kate Barsby represented St John’s School at the Roma

Remembrance Day ceremony, laying a wreath in memory of all

who lost their lives in conflict.

Trisha ParkerActing Assistant Principal Faith and Mission

St Vincent de Paul Christmas AppealIn Term Four, we are focusing on the gift of giving and are currently running an appeal for the donation

of goods for St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers. So far, so many students have made extremely

generous donations but we want to make our hampers even better!

We still need donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries and

toys. These can be brought into classes and placed in the donation

boxes in Years P-6. In Years 7-12, students can donate on Fridays,

when goods are collected at House assemblies.

Please contact me at school if you require any further information

or would like to make a donation. All are welcome!

APFM News

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The year has entered into the final weeks of Term Four for everyone and the Christmas break is a glimpse away. This excitement for holidays has not faltered despite the many events which have occurred in these weeks. Only a couple of weeks ago, we saw the successful Presentation Night/Morning and the Moonlight Fair. A huge congratulations to all award winners and anyone who participated in the ceremonies. As for Moonlight Fair, it was splendid to see all the happy faces and involvement in stalls from young to old. This year, we were also given a bright moon to shine down upon us!

The final few weeks will see all students complete lots of assessments and exams. As Prefects, we would like to wish everyone well in their academic endeavours and remind everyone that although exams or assessments can seem stressful and scary, it is important to remain calm and clear minded and trust that all the hard work you have put in for the semester will pay off!

While everything has been very positive this term, there is a sadness amidst our school. For our Year 12s, it’s their final week before they enter in the big wide world. We would like to thank all of them for everything they have given to St John’s and the positive role models they have been to all students. From everyone in the Mighty Xaverian House, we wish you the best of luck for wherever life may take you and remind you not to forget the Xaverian House Motto – “Respect All, Fear None!”

We would like to wish everyone in Xaverian House and the wider community of St John’s a very safe and joyous festive season and look forward to seeing everyone again in 2018!

Emma, Sean, Joe and Mr MooreXaverian Leadership Team

Mighty Xaverians!

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Calling All Shepherds – Angels – Kings

Mary & Joseph To take part in the Parish Celebration of the

Christmas Story

Once again this year, the children are invited to take part in the presentation of the Christmas Story during the 6pm Mass on Christmas Eve. If your family will be here for Christmas, and you would like your child to be involved, there will be some rehearsals for them to attend during the days before Christmas. If you would like your child/children to be involved, please return your contact details to the School Office before the end of the school year.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…… I would like ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

to be involved in the presentation of the Christmas Story during 6pm Mass on Christmas Eve. I understand there will be:

A short meeting after 8.30am Mass on Sunday December 17 to cast the children in their roles;

Rehearsals on Friday December 22 and Saturday December 23, at 11am in the Church;

The Christmas Story will then be presented during 6pm Mass on Christmas Eve.

Signed………………………………………………………Contact Number……………………………………

Mrs Angela Brennan Fr Jamie Collins 4622 1842 4622 1075

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TUCKSHOP

Thank you to everyone who has embraced the new Flexischools on line ordering. From our end, we have found it easy to use and it is certainly working as we would have hoped. A few issues have been identified, and we will try and deal with these in the best way we can, however we do need your help as a parent to ensure it runs smoothly.

Firstly the cut off is 8.30 am the morning of tuckshop. If you have missed this deadline, you can ring Flexischools and get a late order through or just ring Anita 0418985276.

If you have just ordered one Break for your children, can you please make sure they know what Break you have ordered? Quite often we have children come up at First Break, saying they should have had tuckshop and they have it ordered for Second Break.

You do not need to print the confirmation, we print the labels and put them on paper bags.

If your primary children come to school with money to buy an ice block etc, they will not be served until all high schoolers and children with bags have been served.

We would like to go 100% Flexischools first term back if possible, so those of you who haven’t registered, please do so over the holidays; it is very easy. The easiest way to find our school is to type in Roma rather than St John’s.

We have had a few reports of the website crashing after an order. This is an issue with Flexischools; if this does happen, please call their helpline. I know that they are trying to improve the process at the moment, so like anything else, please be patient.

Thanks you to all of our tuckshop helpers. Without you, tuckshop would not happen; we are very grateful. Even with the assistance of Flexischools, we still need helpers to make the food and ensure it is delivered to classrooms, so if you are able to spare a few hours throughout a term next year, it would be greatly appreciated.

Last day of tuckshop for the term will be Thursday 23rd November 2017. We will return the first Tuesday back, January 23rd 2018.

Thanks again for your support.

Anita and Deb

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St John’s Prep to Year Nine

Christmas Concert

Tuesday 28th November

11.15 am P&F Multi-purpose Centre

All welcome!

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St John’s Catholic School Roma

The Principal and Staff of St John’s School invite

Parents, Carers & Secondary Students

new to St John’s in 2018

to attend

Transitioning into Secondary Information Night

to be held at

St John’s Catholic School P& F Multi-Purpose Centre

on

Tuesday 21st November, 2017

Commencing at 6.00pm

Please join us for an informative evening about Secondary school life at

St John’s Catholic School. We will be covering many aspects of our school including Pastoral Care, Academic Expectations, Laptop Loan Scheme,

Uniform Requirements and the Religious Life of the School.

NewsletterWeekly

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February 14th 2017 / Term 1 Week 4www.roma.catholic.edu.au

Principal’s NewsDear Parents and Friends of St

John’s,

I now believe I am becoming

totally acclimatised to the south

west. If we can all live through

the heat of the last few days,

then we can do anything. Our

thoughts and prayers are with

those families in the central

coast and western parts of New South Wales who have lost

homes and properties to the terrible fires. We thank God

that so far no lives have been lost. Nature can be beautiful

and destructive as we are all aware, in the bush. On Friday

morning, we had a Prep Parent morning tea after drop off.

This was a wonderful opportunity for myself as well as Mrs

Mulligan, Mrs Beattie and Mrs Densley to meet with parents

and talk about what is happening in Prep. Parents shared

their ideas, experiences and concerns around the first three

weeks. What was discovered was that lots of feelings were

Events in this month

Tuesday, February 14

P&F AGM Meeting - 6 pm

Monday, February 27

Year Seven Immunisations

Wednesday, March 1

Ash Wednesday 10.45 am - P & F Multi-Purpose

Centre

Thursday, March 2

P & F Meet and Greet

Friday, March 10

Grandparents/Relatives Day

shared by most of the parents in Prep. The first year is very

important in establishing good routines, resilience strategies,

friendships and learning skills. I will be in Toowoomba at the

Principals’ meeting towards the end of the week.

Generosity of Staff

Last week, Mr Penrose put together the Extracurricular List

for the staff at St John’s. This is where teachers take on

activities beyond their normal teaching duties. There are

three categories and teachers are expected to choose one

from each. These can range from coaching football / netball

to chess, musical, community service and much much more.

I have never been in a school where teachers give so much

of their time for the overall development of their students.

This is voluntary unpaid work and, as a principal, I am firstly

very proud of them and I thank them for this great effort. It

is things like this that make our school so great and show the

real face of Jesus to others.

Coping Strategies

This week is Week Four leading into Week Five where

students begin to tire. This has been exacerbated by the

very hot weather, which tends to make students very tired.

Be proactive in your approach, speak positively, emphasise

that preplanning for the workload is important and that

approaching tasks with a plan can always help.

BusThere seems to be a little confusion around the bus and the

teacher duty. Teachers will be on duty as follows:

Morning Bus: There will be a teacher on duty at the bus

stop each morning for the next two weeks. As of Week Six,

students will be walking to the Prep room accompanied by

their bus buddy without a teacher on duty. Over the next

couple of weeks, the teacher on duty will ensure that all Prep

students have a buddy to accompany them to the classroom.

Afternoon Bus: Beginning this week, Prep students will

be picked up from the classroom and will walk to the bus

assembly area in small groups with an allocated Year Six

student. Students will then be buddied with either siblings

or bus buddies before going to the bus stop where the bus

teacher will be on duty.

Yours sincerely,

Donaugh Shirley

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In the next issue

Prep - Year SixPrep - Religion

Year Two - Maths

Year Four - HASS

Years Seven - TwelveYears Seven/Eight - Dance

Year Eight - HPE

Year Ten - Hospitality

Year Twelve Farewell

St John’s School

29 Duke StreetRoma, Queensland 4455Phone (07) 46 221 842

roma@twb.catholic.edu.au

www.roma.catholic.edu.au

EditorsJenny Ford

Tracey Leard

Rebecca Lynch

Yenda Emery

EditionTerm 4 Week 7 We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this

land, the Mandandanji people, and show our respect for their ancestors and traditions.

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2017 Roma Town Christmas Carols 

Free Entry Family fun with outdoor games  Jumping Castle Sausage sizzle for Chaplaincy

WITH ROMA HARMONY SINGING GROUP