Newsletter Term 1 Week 1-5 2024

Principal's Report

Dear Members of the St John’s Catholic College Community, 

Dearest Lord,

Lift us high on Eagles’ wings,

teach us to be Strong in Faith,

St John the Evangelist guides us to live Your Word,

giving witness to compassion and courage,

                                                              welcome and truth.

                                                                                                                                  Amen

Strategic Plan 2024 – 2027 Consultation 

Dear Members of the St John’s Catholic College Community,

In 2023 Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT) released the CENT Strategic Plan – Towards 2026. The CENT plan outlines four Educational Excellence Priorities for CENT Schools under the overarching priority of ‘Being Christ Centred’:

• Enlivening Faith Formation and Religious Education 
• Excellent Student Learning and Engagement 
• Intentional Capacity Building 
• Quality Governance and Sustainability 

Following the release of the CENT plan, the St John’s Catholic College commenced the development of our next strategic plan. The College’s strategic plan is an important school document as it aligns us to the CENT plan, outlines key goals for the coming years, supports the College in responding to emerging educational needs, and guides the development of Annual School Improvement Plans and operational policies and procedures.

After a decade of rationalisation and consolidation, the College has entered a period of growth, with enrolments growing 9% in 2021, 8% in 2022 and 19% in 2023. Our next strategic plan will guide the direction of the College in the short term as we aim for an enrolment of 350 students by Census 2027. The plan will also initiate a master plan process, considering and conceptualising the opportunities and possibilities, for the long-term development of the College.

Please find attached the DRAFT St John’s Catholic College Strategic Plan 2024 – 2027. We invite all members of our community: students, staff, parents / carers, parish and wider community to provide feedback on our draft plan by completing the following survey where you will be asked to respond to the following questions:

1. Does the Strategic Plan communicate the significance of Catholic Identity and Faith Formation to a Catholic School?
2. Is the Strategic Plan authentically St John’s, celebrating our charism, traditions, identity and character?
3. Is the Strategic Plan sufficiently focused on enhancing Teaching & Learning, and Pastoral Care & Wellbeing?
4. Does the Strategic Plan provide sufficient scope and guidance to support the College in responding to emerging educational needs? 
5. Is the Strategic Plan future focused, considering facilities and the educational needs of the next generation of students?

Click here to complete the consultation survey: https://forms.gle/n3EK4AKoyRg85kdZ8

We eagerly anticipate the coming years and what the realisation of our next strategic plan will bring to our College Community.

Staffing and National Teacher Shortage:

As a follow up to my letter dated Tuesday 5 December 2023 regarding the National Teacher Shortage. We are pleased to welcome the following staff into the St John’s Catholic College Community for 2024:

Mr Joseph Hicks – Deputy Principal

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Joseph Hicks as Deputy Principal at St John's Catholic College with effect from 22 January 2024. Mr Hicks qualifications include a Diploma of Justice Studies from the South Australian Police Academy (1997), a Bachelor of Theology from Flinders University (2010), a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) from the Wesley Institute (2011) and he is currently pursuing a Master of Education (Theological Studies) from the Australian Catholic University. Mr Hicks has worked in several roles during his career including as a South Australian Police Officer and as a Diocesan Youth Minister at Catholic Archdiocese & Catholic Education Office, Adelaide SA. He has also held important roles in the education sector including School Chaplain at Rostrevor College, Classroom Teacher, Acting Deputy Principal on several occasions and many years as a substantive Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission at Nazareth Catholic College and St Paul's College, SA. Mr Hicks has a strong connection to the community and works in the Liturgical Team of St Augustine's Catholic Parish in Salisbury. (Information sourced from CENT Circular)

Ms Keely Bent – Classroom Teacher and Sports Coordinator

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Keely Bent to the position of Sports Coordinator commencing at the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Ms Bent holds a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education from Federation University Ballarat. Ms Bent has teaching experience as a classroom teacher at Xavier Catholic College Wurrumiyanga as well as Casual Relief Teacher experience from Geelong College, Sacred Heart College as well as through ANZUK Education. Ms Bent has sporting and coaching experience across a number of sports including rowing, netball, athletics and surf lifesaving. Ms Bent’s primary teaching area is Health and Physical Education; however, she has experience teaching across the learning areas from her employment at Xavier Catholic College.

Ms Ching Janet Yeung – Classroom Teacher

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Ching Janet Yeung to a teaching position commencing at the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Ms Yeung holds a Bachelor of Education (Honours) English Language, from the Education University of Hong Kong and a Master of Arts English (Literary) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Ms Yeung has taught at The Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad College Hong Kong, and the Christian and Missionary Sun Kei Primary School Hong Kong. Ms Yeung has been teaching at St John’s in Term 4 2023 where she has provided long service leave cover for Mrs Bronwyn Graham. Ms Yeung is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Mr Nandu Nair – Classroom Teacher

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Nandu Nair to a teaching position at the College. Mr Nair commenced as an Inclusion Support Assistant and Casual Relief Teacher in Term 4, 2023 and will take on a full time teaching role from the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Mr Nair holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Majors in Accounting and Finance) from Melbourne University and a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) from Charles Darwin University.

Mr Jacob Parsons – Classroom Teacher

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Jacob Parsons to a teaching position commencing at the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Mr Parsons is an Alumni of St John’s Catholic College having graduated in 2009, and holds a Bachelor of Secondary Education (English and History) from Charles Darwin University. Mr Parsons is a graduate teacher having undertaken his practicum at the CIA International School Cambodia, Palmerston College, MacKillop Catholic College and Darwin High School. Mr Parsons will join St John’s from the Northern Territory Board of Studies where he holds the role of Executive Officer. Mr Parson’s teaching areas are English and History.

Ms April Hoskin – Classroom Teacher

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms April Hoskin to a teaching position commencing the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Ms Hoskin holds a Diploma of Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Design (Communication) from Swinburne University of Technology, Certificate IV in Youth Work from Gordon Institute of TAFE and a Master of Teaching (Secondary) from Federation University. Ms Hoskin has experience as an Education Support Officer at St Joseph’s College Geelong and a Visual Art / Visual Communication Design Teacher from Geelong High School. Ms Hoskin’s teaching areas are Art and Design.

Mrs Natalie Oberman – Classroom Teacher

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Natalie Oberman to a teaching position commencing the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Mrs Oberman holds a Bachelor of Education – Secondary (Arts) from the University of Melbourne and a Diploma of History Education (postgraduate) from Monash University. Mrs Oberman is an experienced teacher having taught at the Western Academy of Beijing, O’Loughlin Catholic College and Darwin High School, as well as relief teaching at schools across Darwin. Mrs Oberman is known to the St John’s Community having undertaken relief work and short-term contract work across 2023. Mrs Oberman’s teaching areas are English, Humanities, History and Economics.   

Mr Samuel Kandiah – Classroom Teacher

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Samuel Kandiah to the position of part time Classroom Teacher (Chemistry) for 2024. Mr Kandiah holds a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education (Science Major) from Charles Darwin University (CDU), a Graduate Certificate in Geographical Information Systems from the Northern Territory University (NTU), a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching from NTU, a Master in Scientific Studies in Botany (Majoring in Plant Tissue Culture) from the University of Queensland (UQ), a Master of Philosophy (Agriculture Chemistry Soil Science – majoring in Soil Fertility) from the University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture Chemistry Soil Science) from the University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka. In addition, Mr Kandiah holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from CDU. Mr Kandiah is an experienced secondary school teacher and tertiary level lecturer and has worked across a number of educational institutions in Darwin including St John’s Catholic College (2004) and Charles Darwin University.       

Ms Nimalka Balage – School Officer: Administration and Student Academic Support

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Nimalka Balage to the position of  School Officer: Administration and Student Academic Support. Ms Nimalka holds a Graduate Diploma of Management Learning from Central Australian College, Melbourne, Master of Chemical Science from La Trobe University and Bachelor of Physical Science from University of Kelniya, Sri Lanka. Ms Nimalka has previously worked as an Inclusion Support Assistant at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Rental Services Officer at Thrifty Rental Darwin, Executive Administration Assistant at Chalavon Pty Ltd. Ms Nimalka is fluent in English and Sinhalese.   

Ms Jessica Bartlett – College Nurse

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Jessica Bartlett to the position of College Nurse commencing the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Ms Bartlett holds a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Tasmania and a Cert. IV in Business Administration from TAFE WA. Ms Bartlett's employment history spans various roles, including Registered Nurse positions at Danila Dilba Health Service, Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, Northern Territory Health (Tennant Creek), WACHS Fitzroy Crossing Hospital, Top End Health Service - Royal Darwin Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service and Calvary Care Tasmania. Ms Bartlett has also served as an Operations Manager of Injalak Arts and Crafts Association - Gunbalanya, showcasing her commitment to both healthcare and community development. Please join me in welcoming Ms Jessica Bartlett to the St John's Catholic College Community.

Ms Miriam David – Inclusion Support Assistant

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Miriam David to the position of casual Inclusion Support Assistant (ISA). Ms David holds a Bachelor in BioMedical Science from Deakin University and is currently undertaking a Masters in Teaching (Secondary) at Charles Darwin University. Ms David has previously worked as a Science Teacher at Gateway College, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Ms David is fluent in English and Tamil and has basic proficiency in Sinhalese.

Mr Enrique (Eric) Vargas – Assistant Director of Boarding: Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Enrique (Eric) Vargas to the position of Assistant Director of Boarding: Pastoral Care and Wellbeing commencing the beginning of the 2024 academic year. Mr Vargas holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance from the Philippine Maritime Institute, Certificate IV in Community Service Residential Student Care from Byron Regional Community College, Certificate IV in Frontline Management from Sejumi Institute of Further Management and a Diploma in Community Service in Residential Care from the Australian Boarding School Association. Mr Vargas' employment history includes a range of experiences from Sky City Darwin Casino, Kentish Lifelong Learning & Care Inc, O'Loughlin Catholic College, as well as a long previous employment history in Boarding at St John's Catholic College. Mr Vargas will join St John's Catholic College from Rostrevor College where he is currently the Boarding House Supervisor.  

Miss Helisha Jansz – Learning Nest Tutor / ISA

Miss Helisha Jansz graduated from the St John’s Catholic College in 2023 and joins the team as a Learning Nest Tutor whilst undertaking a Bachelor of Speech Pathology at Charles Darwin University. 

We also welcome the following staff to the St John’s Team: Mr Daniel Lestro (Grounds and Maintenance), Sister Sari Lagho (Relief Teacher), Ruby Veale (Boarding House Parent) and David Bangura (Boarding House Parent).

National Teacher Shortage

Nationally there continues to be a teacher shortage, with both government and non-government schools, including St John’s, impacted by the shortage. The College has been active in the recruitment market and continues to support the development of future teachers through providing practical experience. The College is still seeking to recruit teachers in the following areas:

• Assistant Principal Religious Education 
• Teacher of Food and Hospitality / Home Economics
• Teacher of Physics 
• Teacher of Health and Physical Education
  

Regarding the position of Assistant Principal Religious Education, the College continues to work with Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT) for the recruitment of this position. Deputy Principal, Mr Joseph Hicks and myself are covering this role in the interim. Regarding Food and Hospitality, the College has covered this subject with existing staff, whilst at the same time remaining active in the recruitment market for a specialist Food and Hospitality / Home Economics teacher. Regarding the position of Teacher of Physics, the College remains active in the recruitment market, whilst providing opportunities for our students to undertake Physics through the Northern Territory School of Distance Education (NTSDE) and O’Loughlin Catholic College. Regarding the position of Teacher of Health and Physical Education, the College will need to recruit for this position for the beginning of Term 2 following the resignation of Ms Keely Bent. 

SORA – Online Digital Library

St John's Catholic College is part of the Australian Catholic Education Network (ACEN). As such, our students have access to SORA, an online digital library. Student log into SORA via their Catholic Education NT dashboard: dashboard-nt.cenet.catholic.edu.au  

Jacaranda Textbook eLibrary 

With the implementation of the BYOD program, all students in Years 7-12 are provided with access to the Jacaranda Textbook eLibrary (JacPLUS) and the associated online activities (LearnOn). The Jacaranda Textbook eLibrary includes textbooks for all middle school core subjects (except Religious Education) and for selected senior school subjects. Please note that selected middle school electives and Stage 1 & 2 subjects may require additional texts. JacPLUS: https://www.jacplus.com.au 

Mathletics 

With the implementation of the BYOD program, all students in Years 7-10 and the Intensive English Unit (IEU) are provided with access to Mathletics. This resource compliments the Mathematics teaching and learning program and provides an engaging support and/or extension resource. Mathletics: https://login.mathletics.com 

Fortes in Fide,

Cameron Hughes

Principal 

Deputy Principal

Dear St John’s Catholic College Community,

It is with a great sense of joy and excitement that I welcome our families to the 2024 school year, as Deputy Principal of St John’s Catholic College.  As a new member to our wonderful community, I particularly welcome all those who are also new to the St John’s family.  Having heard so many fantastic things about this place, before moving here, I have been overwhelmed with the warm welcome from staff and students.

We have made an excellent start to the school year, and I wish to commend our students on the way they have embraced the 2024 academic year already.  Thank you to our families for being supportive of bringing our students in the correct uniform, and with the right attitude. I have seen the core expectations lived out daily from our staff and students – to stay safe, respect everybody, and learn everyday.

I had the privilege of speaking to our cohort of students early in the term and I wanted to emphasise the component of being ‘strong together in faith’.  We are not a community of individuals; we are a community that journeys together in all the ups and downs of school life.  What one person does (either right or wrong) can affect a whole community.  We want our young people to be proud of being a part of the St John’s Catholic College, and that we are at our best and strongest when working together.  This was truly evident when we gathered for the St Mary’s and St John’s Combined Opening Mass in the Cathedral.  Our students represented us with great distinction and the sea of red tops was a sight to behold.

Our recent ‘Meet the Teachers’ evening was a great success, and it was a pleasure to meet many new families who have joined our community.  I kept hearing over and again, how well sons/daughters had settled into life here, and we are proud of our older students with the way they welcome new members. New students have adjusted to new timetables, different classes, and rooms, and settled in well to the dynamic teaching and learning our teachers provide.  SEQTA is up and running well, and we look forward to the weeks ahead, where our ‘parent portal’ will be opened and regular communication and oversight can occur from within the family, of your child’s learning.

As a community of faith, we continue to journey through this important time of Lent together. Our student leaders led a beautiful liturgy on Ash Wednesday, with the distribution of ashes offered to all within our community. Fr Suraj MGL, has recently been appointed our College Chaplain, and he led a beautiful mass at the recent Year 12 Retreat Day.  This was a special day of faith, community, and reflection, and I have no doubt our Year 12 students gained so much from this day and will take this renewed ‘Spirit’ into the year ahead.

College Chaplain

We are lucky enough to have Fr Suraj Jose join us as our College Chaplain. Fr Suraj was ordained a priest on the 8th of September, 2023. Meaning he's still a baby priest. He comes from a city called Bengaluru, in India. He is the youngest of four boys to his parents. He joined the Missionaries of God's Love (MGL) religious order in 2016 as he felt called to a life of simplicity and service to the youth and poor in the society. Before joining the MGL's he was working as a psychologist for about 3 years. He is currently serving as assistant priest at Holy Spirit Parish and St Martin De Porres aboriginal community in Casuarina, Darwin. He will be taking over the role of chaplaincy at St John's from Fr Adam, who is also a member of the MGL's. Fr Suraj will be at St John's every Thursday & Friday of the week. 

I look forward to meeting many of you as the year progresses and thank you again, for the warm welcome I have had into this community.

May God Bless you all,

Joseph Hicks

Deputy Principal

Opening Mass

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Ash Wednesday

Year 12 Retreat

Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning

Dear St John’s Catholic College Community,

NAPLAN 2024

Year 7 and Year 9 students will take part in NAPLAN Online from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 18 March 2024.  Students will complete four tests online on separate days: Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy in that order. Information regarding NAPLAN has been provided in the attached flyer.

Students will be required to use earphones/headphones to access the audio component of tests. The College will provide disposable in-ear earphones; however, if your son/daughter wishes to bring their own earphones, they are encouraged to do so. 

If students bring their own headphones, please ensure that the earphones have a normal headphone jack and not an Apple lightning jack.

If you do not wish your son/daughter to participate in the tests, please contact Lisa Di Donato, member of the administration team at: lisadidonato@nt.catholic.edu.au and request a withdrawal form. 

Exemption forms will also be made available to families who meet the conditions for exemption from NAPLAN testing. Please contact Ms Shinead Love, Inclusion Support Coordinator, for forms and information pertaining to exemption: shinead.love@nt.catholic.edu.au

Withdrawal and exemption forms will need to be submitted to the College by Monday 19 February.

If you wish to see what the online test looks like please visit: https://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

The NAPLAN testing schedule for Year 7 and Year 9 is as follows:

Catch up tests will run as required from Tuesday 19 March through to Thursday 21 March.

Year 12 Students

As the year begins, Year 12 students are already part way through their first assessment tasks, with some submitted already. A reminder to Year 12 students that all coursework for your subjects will be completed by Friday Week 10 Term 3. All school-based assessment should be completed by this date. The SACE Exam timetable will be provided to students once it is released.

Students are required to achieve a ‘C-‘ or better in 3 subjects (60 credits) at Stage 2 in order to qualify for the NTCET. This is in conjunction with the 140 credits at a ‘C’ grade or better at a Stage 1 or 2 level and the successful completion of the compulsory subjects (PLP, 2 x literacy, 1 x numeracy units).

To achieve an ATAR (university entrance score), students are required to undertake 90 credits worth of Stage 2 subjects.

StudentsOnline – SACE Results portal for students

Year 12 students must log into StudentsOnline, the SACE results portal for students, in order to
access their results and ATAR at the end of the year. Students must log into the portal and ensure
that they have ticked ‘yes’ to the sharing preferences. By not doing this, you may restrict your result access, which may include not generating an ATAR as you have not ticked ‘yes’ to sharing with SATAC.

https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/studying/your-sace/what-is-students-online

Subject Changes

Students are no longer able to make changes to their subjects for the semester. The cut off date for changes to subjects was Friday Week 2 this term.

Targeted Placement

Our College uses the targeted placement policy to place students in classes in Years7-9 core classes and Year 10 Math. The College does not offer mixed ability classes for these subjects:

The targeted placement policy is used from Years 7-9 in:

• RE
• English
• History/Geography
• Mathematics
• Science

Targeted Placement refers to the grouping of students in classes based on academic levels to best cater for their learning needs. Targeted Placement provides the opportunity for students to receive support and/or extension depending on their progress in each subject area. Targeted Placement decisions are informed by a range of data collected through: NAPLAN, standardised tests, school assessment and other relevant considerations. 

Teaching & Learning Team

The Teaching & Learning Team members for 2024 are as follows

Inclusion Support                           Ms Shinead Love      Shinead.Love@nt.catholic.edu.au

VET/Careers                                       Ms Tracey Ingui        Tracey.Ingui@nt.catholic.edu.au

ACARA Coordinator – STEAM    Alexander Savage     Alexander.savage@nt.catholic.edu.au

Please make contact with the relevant Coordinator if you have questions.

May God Bless you all,

Cherilyn Hughes

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Director of Boarding

Hello to our College community,

Welcome to all of you for the 2024 school year. One of our key values at the College is that of welcome. We want our College to be a place of welcome and a place where everybody feels welcome when they arrive.

Nearly twenty new students arrived into our residential boarding programme this year, and our goal for them is to feel that St John’s is a place of welcome and a place where they feel safe and comfortable, as if this was their home. This allows them to concentrate on their purpose and strive to be the best they can be. Feeling welcome and safe is a fundamental right for all young people and very important to be able to perform to your best.

We work hard to make this happen.

During the first week of school, we were joined by Larrakia men, Tony and Trent Lee to provide a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony for all of our staff and students. This has a special feeling and is performed to allow new students to feel safe and comfortable living in a place away from their home. As explained by Trent Lee, the smoking ceremony is a traditional way to wash your spirit and leave you feeling fresh and ready to start the new year, a way for the ancestors to know you are here and to keep you safe. We thank Trent and Tony for their support and welcome to Larrakia land.

We are grateful for all of our new and returning students, to our new and returning staff and to our residential community for being a place of welcome and a place of safety for many.

Hope you are enjoying the New Year,

Kind regards

Scott Mannion

Director of Boarding

Finance Manager

Dear College Community,

I would like to start by wishing all new and returning students, parents of students and staff of the College, a productive year of learning and growing stronger together in faith. 

Our fees for Semester 1 2024 was due on 23 February 2024 and I wish to thank all the families who made their fee payments on time, and would like to request families who still have outstanding fees to make payments at their earliest. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of timely school fee payments and to inform you of the various payment options available to you.

Paying school fees is a crucial part of supporting students and maintaining the high standards of education that we provide. We rely on your timely payments to cover the cost of our programmes and services, and to ensure that we can continue to offer these services.

To facilitate the payment process, we offer several convenient payment options including weekly / fortnightly direct debits, online payments, credit card payments and in-person payments at our finance office. If you have any questions about the payment options available to you, please do not hesitate to contact our finance team.

We understand that some families may be experiencing financial hardship and we want to assure you that we are here to support you. We offer a range of financial assistance options including scholarships, discounts and payment plans. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact our finance team to discuss your options.

The finance team is committed to providing seamless support services to the College to ensure the best possible education outcomes for our students.

Ruth Suriyagoda CA, CPA, FCA (SL)

Finance Manager

Inclusion Support

Dear College Community,

Welcome new and returning families to the 2024 school year. We hope the students have all had a smooth transition back into the school routine.
Thank you to the families I have met with so far for EAP meetings, I will continue meeting with families but please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns before this time.
If you are a family that has not provided a documentation of diagnosis, could you please contact me, this document is crucial in acquiring funding that supports equitable education for your child.

We currently have 8 c-pens that have not been allocated to students. Please notify me via email (shinead.love@nt.catholic.edu.au) if you would like your child to participate in a trial of using this technology. The c-pen is a research-based strategy to help engagement with reading activities. It scans the printed material and can read this back to students through headphones. It has been effective for use with students diagnosed with ADHD and SLD. 

Applications are now open for the 2024 Variety NT Adventure Camp which aims at providing teenagers with a mild to moderate disability a unique experience away from their day-to-day routines.

 The Camp will be held at Goanna Park during school holidays from 29 June to 06 July. With the support of carers, volunteers and the Junior Police Rangers, the campers will participate in physical and creative activities, as well as a variety of sightseeing excursions.

Please follow the link below if you are interested in this experience.

https://www.variety.org.au/nt/event/adventure-camp/

Attached are some helpful resources:
Autism NT : https://www.autismnt.org.au/about
Positive Partnerships : https://www.positivepartnerships.com.au/
Be You – Beyond Blue: https://beyou.edu.au/learn

Kind regards

Shinead Love

Inclusion Support

St John's Student Newspaper

 Opening Mass at St Mary's

On the 9th of February, The St John’s community went to the St Mary’s Cathedral. St John’s and St Mary’s gathered together to celebrate the beginning of the school year. St John’s students were dropped off at the Cathedral in the morning with all the teachers, around 8 o’clock it started to rain and the students that had already arrived had to wait inside the church. Luckily the rain cleared pretty fast and the students were let back out. The Mass started at 9 o’clock and the students lined up in their homerooms. The Mass went until around 10 o’clock and the students were taken back to school. The students were taken back on three different buses.

For the science article I will be talking about ferrofluid. Ferrofluid is a liquid that is powered by magnets. The liquid is made of nanoscale ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic suspended in carrier fluid, which gives it magnetic properties. Usually the fluid is organic solvent but sometimes it’s water. Ferrofluid was developed by Steve Papell at NASA to make rocket fuel that can be drawn to the thrusters in a weightless environment by magnets. Ferrofluid is one of the only applications of nanoparticles that work in a magnetic environment. It uses microscopic samples of iron so that magnets can attach to it.  Today it is used in cooling and damping loudspeakers as well as car suspension and vibration absorption.

14th of February

The 14th of February was an eventful day for St John’s. The day started with a Mass for Ash Wednesday. We all gathered in the MP room for the Liturgy. The Liturgy was led by the students, at the end of the Liturgy the students were all allowed to get an ash cross on their forehead.

After that there was also a Valentine's Day celebration. At lunch time there was a bake sale for Valentine’s Day. You had the opportunity to buy some Valentine’s Day themed food right outside of the cooking classroom.

New Staff and Students

This year we got some new teachers and students at St John’s. Most notably we have new deputy principal Mr Hicks. So far Mr Hicks has been a really good new member of the staff. He talks at all the St John’s gatherings and masses. He also walks around every morning saying good morning to all of the students. I’m very excited to see what Mr Hicks has planned for the future. We also have Mrs Graham returning to the school since she was away last term. I haven’t personally met all the new staff yet so to all the new staff that I haven’t mentioned, Welcome to St John’s

We also have a lot of new students that have arrived at St John’s. I’ve met a few of the new year sevens and they seem really nice. There’s new students in all years though so welcome to St John’s. 

Start of the Year

The start of a new school year is always exciting. You never know what new teachers you might have or what new students will be in your class. So far I don’t have any of the new teachers in my classes but that's alright. There's a new middle school elective, Chess! I’m in the chess class and I have never seen a classroom so full of people. The chess class is jam packed full of students, which is really good to see. I really enjoy playing chess so watching heaps of students play chess is awesome.  

With the new year we switched from Google Classroom to SEQTA. SEQTA has so far been pretty weird to use because it’s so new. A Lot of students have struggled to get into SEQTA and don’t know how to use it but I think after a few weeks of using it, Students will become very used to it. 

New Phone Policy

With the new year, there's been a start of a new phone policy. The policy is a more strict version of the old one. The reason for the new policy is that a lot of students have been going on their phones during class and have been avoiding school work in favour of going on their phones. The new policy states that all phones must be turned off and in your bag during class time. I asked a few students for their opinion on the new phone policy and they said “it’s all right, I don't mind it. It’s a lot more strict”. Another student said “I think it’s alright, I guess. I think that they could use their phone instead of a laptop for school work”. So the new phone policy is more strict than it used to be but I think it’s for the better.

LOTE Center

The lote center is one of the most useful parts of St John’s. You can go there in the afternoon to catch up on school work that hasn’t been finished or to do homework that needs to be done. I interviewed Ms Maria and asked for her opinion on the LOTE Center. First I asked if she was happy with the amount of work that gets done at the LOTE Center. She said, “Yes, there are times where work is done so effectively and students are putting their heads down and doing very well, some students ask if they can have some more work to do afterwards.”. Second I asked if there was anything she would change about the lote center. She said, “I do like the setting of how lote is set up, when you walk in it has a nice welcoming vibe and all the culture but to do with the lote center, I would want to include a full lote center brain break so the students can have a break altogether.”. The last question I asked was if she would want to change the hours that students can go to the lote center. She said, “I think the hours are good, finishing at five is great because it allows students to go home or go to training or spend time with their family before dinner and know that they have done the work they needed to get done.”. Thank you to Ms Maria for letting me interview her.