Newsletter Term 1 Weeks 6-10 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

Term 2:

A reminder that Classes Commence for Term 2 on Monday 15 April with Boarders’ Travel Day also Monday 15 April. We wish all families an enjoyable one-week break and we look forward to a productive Term 2. 

SEQTA Implementation Update:

With SEQTA Teach (for Teachers) and SEQTA Learn (for Students) launched in Term 1, the College moves towards launching SEQTA Engage (for Parents / Carers) in Term 2 before End of Semester reports. More information to follow in the coming weeks how to access and navigate SEQTA Engage.  

Reminder – No End of Term Reports:

Students in Years 7-12 undertake a range of formative and summative assessment items. As the College transitions to SEQTA as our Learning Management System, the College is moving to continuous reporting and End of Semester (A to E) reports. SEQTA Engage (for Parents / Carers) will be launched in Term 2 to view the continuous reporting and to access the End of Semester Reports, as well as other important information. We look forward to meeting with Parents / Carers at the upcoming meetings:

• Boarding Families – Wednesday 3 April (Week 10, Term 1)
• Day Families – Thursday 2 May (Week 3, Term 2)

Easter:

The College gathered on the morning of Thursday 28 March for our Easter Liturgy, with the focus being on John 13:2-17, the Washing of the Feet. Jesus washing the feet of his disciples symbolises humility, service, and love. It embodies Jesus' teaching that leadership is about serving others, not being served. By performing this act, he demonstrated the importance of humility and selflessness in life. In contemporary times, it serves as a reminder for Catholics to emulate Jesus' example by humbly serving others, especially the marginalized and vulnerable in society. It emphasises the call to be servants of all, fostering our College values of compassion, courage, welcome and truth. 

Director of Catholic Education NT Visit:

During March, the Director of Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT), Mr Paul Greaves, visited classrooms to talk with students about their learning. All CENT schools, including St John’s, are involved in the CENT Learning Alliance as supported by Dr Lyn Sharratt and her publication Clarity, a resource based around 14 parameters for system and school improvement. Learn more about the 14 Parameters here: https://youtu.be/DOYB1qOdOys?si=hS4r3URkIgwVVXBy  

National Teacher Shortage and Staffing Update:

The College will farewell Ms Keely Bent (Sports Coordinator), Mrs Lisa Di Donato (School Officer: Administration and WHS), Ms Cheryl Bowman (Team Leader - Boarding House) and Mr Giovani Maduro (Student Support)  at the end of Term 1. In addition, the College will farewell Mr Carlo Di Donato (Head of Daley House) at the end of Week 3, Term 2. We thank Ms Bent, Mrs Di Donato, Ms Bowman, Mr Maduro and Mr Di Donato for their contributions during their time at the College. The College is currently seeking the following teachers:

• Design and Technology Teacher: Woodwork and Metalwork  
• Head of Daley House 
• Assistant Principal Religious Education 

The College will announce the appointment of a Food and Hospitality Teacher and a Sports Coordinator / Health and Physical Education Teacher early next time. Both teachers will commence at the College the beginning of Semester 2.  

Enrolment and Attendance Update:

This year the College’s target for enrolments is 275 students. At time of publication, the College’s enrolment is 280 students, with serval additional students to commence at the beginning of Term 2. The College’s overall attendance rate is 84%, below our goal of 95%+. As part of our DRAFT Strategic Plan, the College is committed to ‘drive student enrolments, attendance, engagement and retention supporting growth and achievement, differentiation and choice’. Whilst there is context to every student’s attendance rate, the College’s goal is a 95%+ attendance rate for each student. On a 200-day school year, 95%+ represents attending 190+ days per year (less public holidays and school closure days). Whilst it is pleasing the number of students who maintain excellent attendance, it is most concerning the significant number of students who are well below the 95%+ goal. By choosing to enrol at St John’s, students are joining a community committed to our Catholic Identity, quality teaching and learning, and good pastoral care. Research supports a focus on attendance, as a fully engaged student is more likely to experience positive education, employment, health and wellbeing outcomes. The College looks forward to working with students and families in Term 2 to improve individual and overall attendance. 

International Engagement and Recruitment – Vietnam: 

During March, St John’s Catholic College participated as part of the Study Northern Territory delegation to Vietnam to promote the NT as an education destination. The delegation visited Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Hanoi. The goal for the College was twofold: 1) establish relationships with additional Education Agents, 2) meet with prospective International students and families. The College undertook lead social media marketing linked to our website with great success (lead video promo – 260,000+ views). The College is in the process of finalising a number of new Education Agent relationships and is undertaking initial enrolment interviews for prospective students. We look forward to welcoming more students from Vietnam into our community in the coming semesters. 

Catholic Identity Day 2024 – School Closure Day Friday 21 June: 

Catholic Identity Day is a school closure day for the purpose of Professional Learning and Faith Formation of all staff within a Catholic School. St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and St John’s Catholic College are working together for the 2024 Catholic Identity Day, where the two schools will join together for Professional Learning and Faith Formation delivered by the Chevalier Institute. The Catholic Education Northern Territory approved Catholic Identity Day for St Mary’s and St John’s is Friday 21 June – Friday Week 10, Term 2.

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 

Have a wonderful Term Break and a reminder that registrations for the Darwin City 2 Surf on Sunday 2 June are now open: https://www.ntcity2surf.com.au/ 

Fortes in Fide,

Cameron Hughes

Principal 

Deputy Principal

Dear Friends and Families of St John’s Catholic College,

Term one has come and gone, and our community life remains as busy and energetic as always.  I think staff and students will enjoy a much-needed break, after all the rich activities that journey along our teaching and learning such as NAPLAN tests across the College, Holy Week Celebrations, Ramadan, and the outstanding Swimming Carnival.

This is all in addition, of course, to the in-class activities, excursions and other events that take place every week. It also does not take into consideration all the work that is going on “behind the scenes.”

As our Christian celebration of Easter approached, we held several meaningful liturgical celebrations from the ‘Distribution of Ashes’ to the ‘Washing of the Feet’ during Holy Week on Holy Thursday.  We were most blessed to have members of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Team, and other youth ministries with us to lead the beautiful sacred liturgy,

All of these not only enhance the knowledge of our faith community but will also celebrate how fortunate we all are to be a part of such an inclusive family of cultures and faith backgrounds. It is a blessing to be a part of this great community.

Given we are part of an international family it is most appropriate that we acknowledge and celebrate Harmony Day together. At St John’s Catholic College our sincere hope is that we live in harmony with all our students and families. We believe that our diversity should not only be welcomed but very much included in all we do. We sincerely hope that all feel included, valued, and appreciated for who they are at St John’s Catholic College and what their faith brings to our community. We hope that through the celebrations and spiritual liturgies we hold not only help all our students appreciate our Catholic faith but also reinforce their commitment to their own faith and spiritual journey.

Our God is a God of love, of inclusion, of oneness, of truth and is not only good but beautiful too. These are universal values and beliefs that belong to all the great religions of the world. They are the very deepest things we share, and we have every right to hold each other accountable for those beliefs.

We are who we are at St John’s Catholic College because of that, and it is why we genuinely hope we are a shining light in our broader society.

May God Bless you all,

Joseph Hicks

Deputy Principal

My New Gallery

Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning

Dear St John’s Catholic College Community,

Year 12 Students – SACE Exams 2024

The first version of the SACE Examination timetable for 2024 has been released. It is important for students to note that this timetable may change and that not all exam dates have been released. Students should also note that the time listed is the starting time of the examination. Students are expected to be at the exam room 30 minutes before the start time.

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. 

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.

Student Tracking – Years 10-12 SACE subjects

Students in Years 10-12 enrolled in SACE subjects will have received their traffic light tracking this week. 

St John’s Catholic College senior students (Years 10 – 12) undertake the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET). The College regularly monitors the academic progress of all senior students to support successful NTCET completion.

On Track: Students who have submitted all work to date and are on track to potentially earn a C- or higher will receive a green highlight.

Of Concern: Students who may have a missing task or some tasks not at a potential C- or higher will receive an orange highlight.

At Risk of Failure: Students who may have multiple missing tasks and/or multiple tasks not at a potential C- or higher and are therefore at risk of failing a subject will receive a red highlight.

In addition to this, those students who have two or more subjects in either an orange or red highlight have been flagged by the College as at risk of not successfully completing the NTCET by the end of the 2024 academic year. This is due to the requirements to achieve the NTCET in which students are required to have 200 credits, 140 credits at a C or better and 60 credits of Stage 2 subjects at a C- or better. Students are encouraged to discuss their progress with their subject teachers.

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

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 2022 are as follows:

Head of STEM Mr Alex Savage alexander.savage@nt.catholic.edu.au

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

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

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

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.

Teaching & Learning Team

The Teaching & Learning Team members for 2023 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

To our St. John’s community,

This week marks the end of Term 1 for the 2024 year, but it also marks the end of an era at the College and particularly, in the Boarding House. One of our longest serving staff members is leaving the College and will look forward to some quiet time in the weeks and months ahead.

Cheryl Bowman has worked at the College, in the Boarding House for just short of 23 years. Working in the Girls Boarding house as a houseparent and as a Team Leader for a number of years. She worked across in the Boys Boarding house as well at different times before becoming the Team Leader for all students as the College integrated its staffing structure. 

She was seen by all students as a mother figure, someone who nurtured and cared for students in a meaningful and loving way. As a Team Leader, Cheryl has mentored many staff and has built positive and meaningful relationships with students and their families across Northern and Central Australia. She is well loved and has seen many students come and go and had a genuine effect on the outcomes of their lives.

Personally I have worked with Cheryl for over 10 years and have learnt a lot about community and family and about the relationship that build trust and care for our young people. She is an enormous influence on those around her and has the utmost respect of staff and students at the College and in the wider community.

We wish Cheryl all the very best in the future and we hope that she remains in touch and will always be welcome at the College.

Congratulations and Well Done!!

Kind regards,

Scott Mannion

Director of Boarding

Finance Manager

Dear College Community,

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

Daley Head Of House

Dear St John's Community,

I would like to say congratulations to Daley House for the win at the senior 3x3 basketball house Cup competition, Friday 8 March, and for the most excellent victory at the Swimming Carnival on Friday 22 March. I was very impressed and proud of all the students who attended on the day. Our two House Captains, Emma Ryan and Joshua Winters, who led from the front all day and did a fantastic job of organising and motivating the students.

Thank you to the three Homeroom Teachers for providing the icey cups for students.

I would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to the St John's community as I will be taking up a position at MacKillop Catholic College starting Term 2 Week 3. It has been a great experience being part of the St John's community and I am very grateful, I will miss you all. All the best and God Bless.

Kind regards,

Carlo Di Donato

Daley Head of House

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Doneley Head of House

2024 is the year of Doneley House!

Term 1 was the start of the very first full year of Doneley House. We have been competing inhouse events, making new chants, building house spirit and continuing to grow the best house at St. John’s Catholic College. We  believe Doneley is the best house, because the Doneley community. There is a real sense of belonging and togetherness in Doneley House. On many occasions I have seen Doneley students looking after and supporting and being there for each other.

Doneley House continues to grow in 2024! – now with three Homerooms. Every morning the awesome Doneley Homeroom teachers: Mr. Cheong, Ms. Janet and Ms. Bent, ensure
Doneley Homerooms are welcoming in the morning and full of activities that build the Doneley House spirit and belonging!

Our goal for 2024 is to win the House Cup! House events throughout the year are a chance for each house to earn points towards the House Cup. Doneley won the Middle School Basketball Competition on in Week 6. Doneley was lead by the Nicolas and Patrick Salumu, Maki Ushindi and our House Captains Lachlan Moffat and Tyrell Lindsay. Doneley also placed 3rd in the Swimming Carnival, which will provide valuable points towards the House Cup!

Message from our House Captain’s, Tyrell Lindsay and Lachlan Moffat:

“As House Captains, our goal is to encourage a sense of belonging and
participation in Doneley House activities. We are very happy with the effort and participation of Doneley students so far in 2024.  Everyone is getting involved and making Doneley House the best house at St John’s!”

Whilst Term 1 was a great term for Doneley House – the best is yet to come! Every Doneley student and staff member have their eyes firmly fixed on the Athletics Carnival in Week 9. Burford, Daley and O’Loughlin – LOOK OUT – because the ORANGE TSUNAMI is coming!

Kind regards,

Benjamin Friis

Doneley Head of House

Inclusion Support

Inclusion Support

The Inclusion Support Team have had a busy term, with the welcoming of Tong Su and Miriam David to our Inclusion Team and Mr. Muhammad Zenri, Zen, being appointed as our Inclusion Support Administrator. If you are awaiting Educational Adjustment Plans or would like to book a meeting, please check your inbox or email Mr. Zen at muhammad.zenri@nt.catholic.edu.au .

We also farewell Mr. Giovani Madura as he ventures on to his new role in Chaplaincy and we thank him for all his work and dedication to supporting our students.

As we move closer to the end of the financial year, we move closer to the NCCD evidence collection time. If you are a family that have yet to provide us with diagnosis documentation please contact me at shinead.love@nt.catholic.edu.au to discuss what we will need you to provide to ensure ongoing support. 

Thank you to all our families for your support this term and we look forward to working with you again next term.

Have a lovely restful holiday break.

Shinead Love
Inclusion Support Coordinator