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Newsletter Term 4 - 2024 - Week 6-10 Final Newsletter

IMPORTANT DATES 2025!

Principal's Report

2024 Principal’s Report

Our theme for 2024 was ‘Strength in Unity’ Inspired by Scripture, ‘A cord of three strands is not quickly broken’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12). At our Opening Mass students were asked to reflect on the many opportunities a new academic year brings. We are a community Strong in Faith and Strong Together, committed to the wellbeing and learning of all students. We aspire for our students to flourish, by leading, living, loving and learning with a strong sense of heart spirituality. We aspire that our graduates can pursue their dreams, make positive contributions to the local and global community, and make good moral decisions that promote a better world, built on our College values of: Compassion, Courage, Welcome and Truth.

We are excited about the future of the College. This year the College Advisory Board endorsed our Strategic Plan for 2024 - 2027. Building on the premise that after a decade of rationalisation and consolidation, the College has entered a period of growth, with enrolments growing 9% in 2021, 8% in 2022, 19% in 2023 and 5% in 2024, representing a 47% increase in student enrolments from 2020 to 2024.

Our Strategic Plan, aligned to the Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT) Strategic Plan, guides the direction of the College in the short term as we aim for an enrolment of 350 students by Census 2027. The plan also initiates a master plan process, considering and conceptualising the opportunities and possibilities, for the long-term development of the College. In addition, the plan has three headline themes that weave through the strategies – Growth, Sustainability and Development. Our Strategic Plan will act as a compass to support our decision making, and in the development of Annual School Improvement Plans.

We call ourselves Heart People. The colour red is significant to us, representing heart, love, compassion and spirit, and celebrates our MSC heritage. Therefore, it is appropriate to acknowledge the vision and dedication of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH), and our students, families and staff who have contributed to the College over 65 great years. In addition, we acknowledge and celebrate the OLSH Sisters, who in 2024 marked their Jubilee Year - celebrating 150 years.

This year we were saddened by the passing of Mr Shandy Wijaya, a member of the College Finance and Administration Team. Originally from Indonesia, Mr Wijaya joined the College in 2021, and was a much loved, highly valued and talented member of our team. We give thanks for the life of Mr Wijaya, and the support our College received, and were able to provide, during this time of great sadness. We continue to pray for the soul of Mr Wijaya and for his family, colleagues and friends.

We are a community committed to the process of school improvement. That is why we remain committed to working across the domains of the School Improvement Tool. This year we were pleased to undertake an external review completed by the Australian Council of Education Research (ACER), and commenced our journey in the CENT Learning Alliance, supported by internationally recognised practitioner, researcher and author in the field of education and school improvement, Dr. Lyn Sharratt.

We were pleased to report at the beginning of the year the success of the Class of 2023, which consisted of 19 amazing students. Year 12 results highlights include: 100% completion rate of the NTCET, 22 A Grades in Stage 2 subjects, 55% of Stage 2 Grades awarded were either an A or B Grade, 98% of Stage 2 Grades awarded were a C Grade or higher. NTCET recipients were reflective of the rich diversity of our College community, including: 6 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, 5 Boarding students, 3 students from a Refugee or Humanitarian program background, 2 International students, and 11 students from a Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE). We also congratulate Mirabelle Matyorautah, who was 2023 Dux of the College with highest Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). We are proud of the Class of 2023 just as we are proud and confident in the Class of 2024.

NAPLAN results continue to be positive and provide an ongoing rationale for the implementation of our Targeted Placement policy. Targeted Placement refers to the grouping of students in classes based on academic levels to best cater for their learning needs. There is much to celebrate within our individual, class and cohort NAPLAN data. Our College mean scores are above the NT mean score in every single category and our College mean scores in the Year 7.1 and 9.1 classes are also above the Australian mean score in every single category.

The Annual Report on the State of Education by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that a fully engaged student is more likely to experience positive education, employment, health and wellbeing outcomes. That is why the College continues to focus on student attendance and engagement. This year, the College introduced four bands of attendance monitoring: Excellent: 95%+, Expected: between 90% and 94.9%, Of Concern: between 80% and 89.9% and At Risk: less than 80%. Overall, the College Attendance Rate is 84%, with 46% of students maintaining an Expected or Excellent attendance rate, and 54% of students maintaining an At Risk or Of Concern attendance rate. We affirm all students who have maintained an Expected or Excellent attendance rate, and challenge those who are Of Concern or At Risk to address this matter in 2025.

We are a community committed to the integration ICT skills into 21st century teaching and learning. Building on our BYOD Laptop Program, this year we embedded our electronic textbooks into our teaching and learning scope and sequences, and implemented our contemporary learning management system, SEQTA, linking students, teachers and families, greatly increasing communication and engagement.

2024 saw the introduction of three Sport and Recreation academy electives: Basketball, Soccer and Australian Rules, and Middle School Chess. Often hailed as the game of kings, Chess has long been recognised for its profound impact on cognitive development and reflects the College’s commitment to providing students with a well-rounded education, developing both academic and general capabilities. In 2024, we were also able to extend Dance, Drama and Legal Studies into Stage 2, providing more pathways for our senior students.

St John’s continued with our external Vocational Education and Training (VET) model, supported by our rotating six-day timetable. In 2024, 32 students, or 27% of our senior school undertook a VET course. Courses included Construction, Electrotechnology, Allied Health Assistance, Early Childhood Education and Care, Health Services Assistance, Tourism, Rural Operations, Health Support Services, Automotive, Engineering, Business, Community Engagement, Conservation and Ecosystem Management, Applied Digital Technologies and Retail. We acknowledge the work of our VET and Careers Coordinator Ms Tracey Ingui, and congratulate students who successfully completed their VET courses.

As a growing College, mid last year we celebrated the return of Doneley House to our vertical pastoral care and wellbeing structure. Named after former Principal Father Ignatius Tyson Doneley MSC, with its crest inspired by Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand, by mid 2024, Doneley House had grown to be of equal size to Daley, Buford and O’Loughlin Houses. With regards to the House Cup, we congratulate Daley House on their victory this year. In addition, this year we introduced a series of Merit Pins, with the aim to further develop our school culture, to inspire and influence all students, and to enhance our community as a place of welcome and belonging inspired by Gospel values.

We are a community committed to inclusivity and diversity, visually represented through our Unity in Diversity image, we continue to welcome and celebrate the many heritages, languages, cultures and customs present in our community, whilst at the same time giving witness to our Catholic values, ethos and traditions that unite us. We celebrate that 30% of our student population are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, 8% are International Students and 56% come from a language background other than English.

We continue to support our partner, Melaleuca Australia, in providing an inspiring welcome as part of our refugee and humanitarian program. This year we were blessed to welcome a number of new families from Pakistan, Myanmar, Cameroon, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now representing 15% of our student population. Our International Program continues to rebuild post covid and this year we were able to undertake community engagement visits to Vietnam and Timor Leste. Our Intensive English Unit has expanded to two classes providing targeted English language classes for International and New Arrival students, supporting acquisition in the productive and receptive modes of reading/viewing, writing, listening and speaking. And, our Boarding Program continues to provide a welcoming, supportive and caring environment, providing a home away from home for students, supported by a range of academic, pastoral, recreation, and health and wellbeing programs.

With regards to major capital works for 2024, the College was successful in obtaining funding through the Commonwealth Government’s Block Grant Authority to the amount of $243,750 towards the $380,545 cost to renovate Jubilee Hall. Constructed in 1985, Jubilee Hall was long overdue for renovations to the exterior sheet metal, with the works giving the facility a new lease on life. We thank the Commonwealth Government for their approval of our 2024 BGA project. In addition, we thank the team who prepared the funding application, the team who completed the works, as well as the College Advisory Board for their endorsement of the project.

My thanks for the leadership, governance, guidance and support of the College Advisory Board, Catholic Education Northern Territory Executive, Bishop Charles Gauci and Diocesan Office. My thanks also to the College Strategic Leadership Team, middle management teams and all staff of the College who contribute to provide a quality Catholic education 24 hours a day, seven days a week for over forty weeks of the year.

The Student Leadership Team supports the Principal in working towards the College Vision by providing visible positive servant leadership to the student body in line with the College values of Compassion, Courage, Welcome and Truth. Key components of the role are the promotion of student wellbeing, the development of a culture of welcome and belonging, and the fostering of College and House identity, pride and spirit that is Strong in Faith.

We acknowledge, affirm and celebrate the 2024 Student Leadership Team of: College Captain: Luca Abate, College Vice Captains: Rishi Mishra and Hayden Jansz, Burford House Captains: Patrick Costigan-Dwyer and Afia Azam, Daley House Captains: Emma Ryan and Joshua Winters, O’Loughlin House Captains: Avika Malik and Janeth Msafiri, and Doneley House Captains: Tyrell Lindsay and Lachlan Moffat. We also congratulate in incoming 2025 Student Leadership Team of: College Captains: Emma Ryan & Tyrell Lindsay, College Vice Captains: Afia Azam & Avika Malik, Burford House Captains: Catrina Meldrum & Hoang Ngoc An, Daley House Captains: Kiara Ryan & Korede Dada, O’Loughlin House Captains: Hannah Thomas & Jorja Brisbane, and Doneley House Captains: Belchia (Virginia) Dias Quintas & Sheraz Ahmad.

To our departing staff of Anh Dang, Valencia Dias, Benjamin Friis, Joseph Hicks, Shinead Love, Alexander Savage, Maria Thorbjornsen, Justin Veitch and Jessica Volf thank you for your significant contributions to St John’s during your time at the College. We wish you all the very best as you undertake new opportunities in 2025. We also wish Mrs Ann Tan and Ms Melissa Nielsen all the best as they take leave in 2025. Thank you also to Mrs Cherilyn Hughes who has completed her 9-year term as the College’s Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning. Under her leadership, the College received exceptional stewardship in the area of teaching and learning. The College is fortunate that Cherilyn will continue at the College in 2025. In addition, we acknowledge the service and retirement of Ms Lynda Ayr. Lynda's 42+ years of service to St John's Catholic College and Catholic Education NT is exceptional. Lynda was employed during Father Tony Bolt MSC's Principalship in the early 1980s, meaning Lynda has worked with 10 Principals, many more Science Coordinators, Teachers, Staff and thousands of students. We thank and farewell Ms Lynda Ayr and wish her all the best for her retirement.

Catholic Identity and Pastoral Care Awards

Awarded to students who have consistently demonstrated the College values of:

Compassion, Courage, Welcome and Truth.

Year 7 Greg Lyons Award Jackson Brisbane
Year 8 Luke Hochman Award Divine Mwirambwe
Year 9 Don Burgett Award Sienna McKeen
Year 10 Hugh Eckel Award Nathias Bourke-Miller
Year 11 Catholic Diocese of Darwin Development Fund Award Ester Nirigi

Boarding Awards

Awarded to Boarding students who have consistently demonstrated excellence within the residential community across the areas of: Attendance, Behaviour, Attitude, Engagement, Leadership and Responsibility.

Stanley Tipiloura Middle School Boys Boarding Award Caiden Liddy
Cheryl Bowman Middle School Girls Boarding Award Lakisha Yunupingu
Wesley Lunhupuy Senior School Boys Boarding Award Tyrell Lindsay
Elle Majid Senior School Girls Boarding Award Sasha Kelantumama

Awarded to a student who has made a significant contribution to the goals and activities of the College’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

Reconciliation Award - Isiah Dhurrkay

Sponsored Awards

Chief Minister’s Literacy Achievement Awards

Recognise the literacy achievements of students from Years 7-9

Most Imaginative - Written Finnegan Tickner
Most Outstanding Communicator Simbarashe Pawandiwa
Most Improved - Writing Rex Rioli
Most Imaginative - Written Tom Donnelly
Most Improved - Writing Joseph Carroll
Most Imaginative - Written Divine Mwirambwe
Most Improved - Writing Sofia Korecki
Most Improved - Writing Sonia Tarus
Most Improved - Writing Micah Maymuru

Awarded to the highest achieving Mathematics student in each year level

Year 10 - Catrina Meldrum
Year 11 - Avika Malik
Year 12 - Emma Ryan

Australian Defence Force Long Tan Youth Leadership and Future Innovators Awards

ADF Long Tan Leadership & Teamwork Award Year 10 Belchia Dias Quintas
ADF Long Tan Leadership & Teamwork Award Year 12 Joshua Winters
ADF Future Innovators Award Year 10 Catrina Meldrum
ADF Future Innovators Award Year 12 Nathania Palendeng

2025 Student Citizenship Awards

Middle School Ethan Sues
Senior School Catrina Meldrum

ACHPER HPE/Sport Awards

Awarded to the highest achieving HPE student in each year level (Years 7 – 9)

Year 7 - Elijah Murphy
Year 8 - Amara Glynatsis
Year 9 - Preveena Manmurulu

Academic Effort and Achievement Awards
Years 7

Certificate for Outstanding Effort

Awarded to students who demonstrate consistent effort across all core subjects.

Year 7.1 Jade Lewis
Year 7.2 Simbarashe Pawandiwa
Year 7.3 Rex Rioli

Certificate for Academic Achievement

Awarded to students who achieve academic success across all core subjects.

Year 7.1 Elijah Murphy
Year 7.2 Matisse Read
Year 7.3 Caleb Liddy

St John’s Dux Award Year 7

Awarded to the highest achieving academic student across all core subjects.

St John’s Dux Award Year 7 - Sysha Lamba

Academic Effort and Achievement Awards
Years 8

Awarded to students who demonstrate consistent effort across all core subjects.

Year 8.1 Sienna Jerrett
Year 8.2 Madiha Azam
Year 8.3 Divine Mwirambwe

Certificate for Academic Achievement

Awarded to students who achieve academic success across all core subjects.

Year 8.1 Nash Eddy
Year 8.2 Alexander Brotherton
Year 8.3 Shanaya Coolwell

St John’s Dux Award Year 8

Awarded to the highest achieving academic student across all core subjects.

St John’s Dux Award Year 8 - Amara Glynatsis

Academic Effort and Achievement Awards
Years 9 - 12

Awarded to students who demonstrate consistent effort across all core subjects.

Year 9.1 Felicity Idama
Year 9.2 Raeesha Ali
Year 9.3 Yasmine Tipungwuti

Certificate for Academic Achievement

Awarded to students who achieve academic success across all core subjects.

Year 9.1 Chloe Ryan
Year 9.2 Tawan Sornsawan
Year 9.3 Preveena Manmurulu

Area 9 Year 9 Dux Award

Awarded to the highest achieving academic student across all core subjects.

Area 9 Year 9 Dux Award Adam Pendergast

Intensive English Progress Award

Awarded to the student who has demonstrated significant progress in their English language acquisition during their time in the IEU.

Intensive English Progress Award Nikolaos Skyllas

Hanna Wosiri Intensive English Dux

Awarded to the highest achieving academic student across all core subjects.

Hanna Wosiri Intensive English Dux - Phi Quoc Bui

VET School Based Apprenticeship Award

Awarded to the most outstanding VET / School Based apprenticeship student in

Years 10 – 12.

Most outstanding VET Student Lyarni Mayo

St John’s Dux Award Year 10

Awarded to the highest achieving Year 10 academic student across subjects studied.

St John’s Dux Award Year 10 Catrina Meldrum

Eileen Robinson NTCPA Dux Award Year 11

Awarded to the highest achieving Year 11 academic student across subjects studied.

Eileen Robinson NTCPA Dux Award Year 11 Avika Malik

Northern Territory School of Distance Education (NTSDE) Awards

Stage 1 Physics

Academic Excellence (A or A+) Avika Malik

Outstanding Commitment to Learning Dylan Ngere

Attendance Awards
Years 9 - 12

Recognising students who achieved 95% attendance from Term 1, 2024 - Term 4,2024.

Year 7 Jackson Brisbane
Year 7 Patrick Salumu Falhay
Year 7 Sysha Lamba
Year 7 Amata De Zylva
Year 7 Charlotte Schiller
Year 7 Finnegan Tickner
Year 7 Regina Dada
Year 7 Faraz Ahmad
Year 7 Samvit Ravi
Year 7 Bailey Roscoe

Attendance Awards
Years 9 - 12

Recognising students who achieved 95% attendance from Term 1, 2024 - Term 4,2024.

Year 8 Ethan Sues
Year 8 Jordan McNamee
Year 8 Sienna Jerrett
Year 8 Hunter Watling
Year 8 Kiara Baxter
Year 8 Christina Karpasitis
Year 8 Lakisha Yunupingu
Year 8 Roy Binsaris-Roe
Year 8 Spencer Evans
Year 8 Alexander Brotherton
Year 8 Harper Azzapardi
Year 9 Nicolas De Souza Fischborn
Year 9 Benjamin Koefoed
Year 9 Adjoa Woode
Year 9 Felicity Idama
Year 9 Chloe Ryan
Year 9 Tawan Sornsawan
Year 9 Alexander De Zylva
Year 9 Grace Harris
Year 9 Maria Helina Ravini Jansz
Year 9 William Bingham
Year 9 Jayden Ford
Year 9 Sienna McKeen
Year 9 Nicolas Salumu Malga Mwana
Year 9 Colette Caldwell
IEU Sirawat Nasomkhwan
IEU Phi Quoc Bui
IEU Weihao Chi
Year 10 Sheraz Ahmad
Year 10 Naura Abietha
Year 10 Hineamaru Ahpene
Year 11 Hoang Ngoc An
Year 11 Ratthida Aunkham
Year 11 Dylan Ngere
Year 11 David Priore
Year 11 Kiara Ryan
Year 11 Zettlan Hughes
Year 11 Ted Bue Ovia
Year 11 Ester Nirigi
Year 12 Nicholas Brisbane
Year 12 Hayden Jansz
Year 12 Rishi Dos Santos Mishra
Year 12 Aeiden Arulkumar
Year 12 Lachlan Moffat
Year 12 Angelica Witarmin
Year 12 Crishaune Carter

Certificate of Academic Achievement - Individual Subjects

Certificate for Academic Achievement - General Mathematics Aeiden Arulkumar

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Business Innovation Aeiden Arulkumar

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Spirituality Religion & Meaning Afia Azam

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Mathematical Methods Emma Ryan

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Indonesian Continuers Emma Ryan

Top Language Inger Hallenstein Certificate for Academic Achievement

(Indonesian) Ester Nirigi

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Digital Technologies Hayden Jansz

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Essential English Lachlan Moffat

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Essential Mathematics Lachlan Moffat

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Psychology Luca Abate

Certificate for Academic Achievement - English Luca Abate

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Physics Nathania Palendeng

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Chemistry Nathania Palendeng

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Material Solutions (Wood & Metal) Nicholas Brisbane

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Community Studies: RE Sasha Kelantumama

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Physical Education Joshua Winters

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Biology Kiara Ryan

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Music Jorja Brisbane

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Integrated Learning Hospitality Janeth Msafiri

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Dance Thomas Mack

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Creative Arts James Marralanyabananga

Certificate for Academic Achievement - Chinese Background Zhihong Hu

Special Category Awards

Sr Anne Corbett Scholarship Award

Awarded to a Year 10 or 11 student from a Timor Leste background as a contribution towards their tuition. The student who is honored must have demonstrated the
following qualities of Sr Anne: friendship, kindness, honesty and compassion.

Sr Anne Corbett Scholarship Award Belchia Dias Quintas

Lyn Powierza Year 12 Dux Award

Awarded to the highest achieving academic student based on the ATAR from the
previous year’s graduating class

Lyn Powierza Year 12 Dux Award Mirabelle Matyorautah

Father Jules Chevalier MSC Award

Awarded to a Year 12 student whose contribution to the life and values of the College is outstanding in pastoral and religious areas. The student who is honored must also display high levels of academic effort and leadership.

Father Jules Chevalier MSC Award Rishi Dos Santos Mishra

House Cup

Awarded to the Champion House from cumulative scores across Carnivals and House Cup activities.

Champion House

2025 Teaching Staff Announcements

Dear Parents / Carers,

I write as an update regarding teacher staffing at St John’s Catholic College for the 2025 academic year. At the end of the 2024 academic year the College will farewell the following teachers: Ms Anh Dang, Ms Valencia Dias, Mr Jeremee JP Davis, Mr Ben Friis, Mr Joe Hicks, Ms Shinead Love, Mr Alex Savage and Mr Justin Veitch. The College wishes Ms Melissa Nielsen and Mrs Ann Tan all the best as they take leave in 2025. We are pleased to announce the appointment of the following teachers and positions of responsibility for the 2025 academic year:

Mr Pei Yuan (Nelson) Tio (Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Nelson Tio to the position of Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning. Mr Tio holds a Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) from Monash University and a Master of Teaching (Secondary) from the University of Tasmania. Mr Tio returns to St John’s from leave, where he has been the Teaching and Learning Advisor (Science & NTCET Modified Subjects) at the Department of Education NT. Prior to that, Mr Tio had undertaken a variety of roles at St John’s including Teacher, Head of Faculty and SACE Coordinator. In addition, Mr Tio brings recent relevant professional learning to the position including: TEFL Certification from the University of Toronto, Instructional Coaching, and the Brown Collective – Leading from Within. Mr Tio is well known to the St John’s Community, having been a member of the College since 2019.

Ms Carla Hayes (Religious Education Coordinator)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Carla Hayes to the position of Religious Education Coordinator. Ms Hayes holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Southern Queensland, and is currently studying a Diploma of Secondary Teaching majoring in Home Economics through the Central Queensland University, and Cornerstones through the Broken Bay Institute. Ms Hayes brings a variety of experiences to the role from a range of schools including: Berry Springs Primary, Stuart Park Primary, Leanyer Primary, Zuccoli Primary and Holy Spirit Catholic Primary Schools where she has held the positions of Classroom Teacher, Religious Education Coordinator and Assistant Principal. Ms Hayes is strongly connected to Parish life and has coordinated a range of Faith Formation experiences for youth. Ms Hayes has completed the Brown Collective's 'Leading From Within' middle leaders professional development and has been a Classroom Teacher at the College since the beginning of Semester 2, 2024.

Mrs Cherilyn Hughes (Head of Faculty A)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Cherilyn Hughes to the position of Head of Faculty A commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Mrs Hughes holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Secondary Education from QUT completed as a double degree, a Graduate Certificate in Theology from Broken Bay Institute, a Graduate Certificate in Cross-Disciplinary Art & Design from the University of NSW College of Fine Arts, a Diploma of Fine Arts from Southbank Institute of TAFE, TEFL Certification from the University of Toronto and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from Youth Plus. Mrs Hughes began teaching in Catholic Education Northern Territory in 2004 and has worked across O’Loughlin Catholic College, Xavier Catholic College Wurrumiyanga, Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School and St John’s Catholic College in a range of teaching, middle management and senior leadership positions. Mrs Hughes was the Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning (AP: T&L) at St John’s Catholic College from 2016 to 2024. During Mrs Hughes’ tenure, the College strengthened teaching and learning through improved structures, pedagogy, and assessment. The College implemented successful policies, adapted to COVID challenges, managed enrolment growth, and introduced contemporary learning management systems. Mrs Hughes’ expertise in SACE, NTCET tracking, and strategic leadership, significantly contributed to the College's success and community confidence.

Mr Brayden Nheu (Head of Faculty B)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Brayden Nheu to the position of Head of Faculty commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Mr Nheu holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science and a Master of Teaching from Charles Darwin University. Mr Nheu has been acting in the role of Head of Faculty since the beginning of Semester 2, 2024 and has been a Classroom Teacher at the College since the beginning of 2022. During his time at the College, Mr Nheu has overseen the introduction of the Middle School Chess elective and taught a range middle and senior subjects, many that are contained in Faculty B.

Ms April Hoskin (Inclusion Support Coordinator)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms April Hoskin to the position of Inclusion Support Coordinator commencing the beginning of the 2025 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 has been a Classroom Teacher at the College since the beginning of Semester 1, 2024.

Ms Madeline Pruscino (Head of Doneley House):

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Madeline Pruscino to a Classroom Teaching position, with the added responsibility of Head of Doneley House. Ms Pruscino holds a Bachelor of Teaching / Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) from the Australian Catholic University. Ms Pruscino is an experienced Teacher, having taught at St Francis Xavier College since 2016, and has taken on positions of responsibility, including: Head of House, Differentiated Learning Activities Leader, Co-Director of Learning and Growth, and Professional Practice Leader. Ms Pruscino’s teaching areas are Religious Education and Humanities.

Mr Izaak Thomas (Head of House: O’Loughlin):

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Izaak Thomas to the position of Head of O’Loughlin House commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Mr Thomas holds a Master of Teaching (Secondary) and a Bachelor of Science from Charles Darwin University. Mr Thomas has taught at St John’s since the beginning of 2023 and was the Acting Head of O’Loughlin House during Term 3, 2024. Mr Thomas brings a range of experiences to this role including extensive coaching experience and previous work in the Health sector.

Mr Jody (Skip) Hall (Design & Technology - Wood & Metalwork)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Jody (Skip) Hall to a teaching position commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Mr Hall holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from Adelaide University, and Trade Certification as an Auto Electrician from TAFE South Australia. Mr Hall has previously worked as Classroom Teacher at Casuarina Senior College, Good Shepherd Lutheran College, Marrara Christian College, Woodville High School and Craigmore Christian School. In addition, Mr Hall brings a range of industry experiences to the role through previous positions with Care Flight and Surf Life Saving NT.

Mr Craig Britton (Physics & Chemistry)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Craig Britton to a teaching position commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Mr Britton holds a Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Teaching from Charles Sturt University, majoring in Analytical Chemistry and minoring in Physics. Mr Britton is an experienced teacher having worked as Classroom Teacher and Middle Manager at Mater Dei Catholic College, Wagga Wagga, and Marymount College, Burleigh Heads.

Mrs Rehana Bano (Mathematics)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Rehana Bano to a teaching position commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Ms Bano holds a Bachelor of Education from University of South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. Ms Bano has previously worked in a number of schools in Fiji as Classroom Teacher and Head of Mathematics Department. Ms Bano has also worked as Teacher's Aide and Tutor at Al-Faisal College, New South Wales. Ms Bano has been working at the College as Inclusion Support Assistant since the beginning of Semester 2, 2024 and acted as the Inclusion Support Administrator for a brief period of time.

Mr Robin Eldho (Mathematics and Legal Studies)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Robin Eldho to a teaching position commencing the beginning of the 2025 academic year. Mr Eldho holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Birla Institute of Technology, UAE and a Master of Teaching from Charles Darwin University. Mr Eldho has worked as Classroom Teacher at Darwin Middle School. He has also experience working in the roles of Accountant, Optical Assistant and Teaching Assistant.

Positions of Added Responsibility:

As we prepare for the 2025 academic year, the following is a summary of the staff undertaking positions of added responsibility in 2025 and key contacts for families:

Senior Leadership Team

Principal (Team Leader) Mr Cameron Hughes cameron.hughes@nt.catholic.edu.au
Deputy Principal CENT recruitment process underway
Director of Boarding Mr Scott Mannion scott.mannion@nt.catholic.edu.au
Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning Mr Nelson Tio nelson.tio@nt.catholic.edu.au
Religious Education Coordinator Ms Carla Hayes carla.hayes@nt.catholic.edu.au
Finance Manager Ms Ruth Suriyagoda ruth.suriyagoda@nt.catholic.edu.au
Operations Manager Mr Gayan Abeysekara gayan.abeysekara@nt.catholic.edu.au

Teaching and Learning Team

Assistant Principal: T&L (Team Leader) Mr Nelson Tio nelson.tio@nt.catholic.edu.au
Head of Faculty A Mrs Cherilyn Hughes cherilyn.hughes@nt.catholic.edu.au
Head of Faculty B Mr Brayden Nheu brayden.nheu@nt.catholic.edu.au
Inclusion Support Coordinator Ms April Hoskin april.hoskin@nt.catholic.edu.au
VET and Careers Coordinator Ms Tracey Ingui tracey.ingui@nt.catholic.edu.au

Pastoral Care Team

Deputy Principal (Team Leader) CENT recruitment process underway
Head of Burford House Ms Rebecca Young rebecca.young@nt.catholic.edu.au
Head of Daley House Mr Ernest Fleming ernest.fleming@nt.catholic.edu.au
Head of O’Loughlin House Mr Izaak Thomas izaak.thomas@nt.catholic.edu.au
Head of Doneley House Ms Madeline Pruscino madeline.pruscino@nt.catholic.edu.au
Assistant Director of Boarding: PCW Mr Enrique Vargas enrique.vargas@nt.catholic.edu.au

Boarding Leadership Team

Director of Boarding (Team Leader) Mr Scott Mannion scott.mannion@nt.catholic.edu.au
Assistant Director of Boarding: PCW Mr Enrique Vargas enrique.vargas@nt.catholic.edu.au
Assistant Director of Boarding: Administration Mrs Zuleika Aylward zuleika.aylward@nt.catholic.edu.au

In 2025, and as part of strategic plan, the College will establish Faith Formation and Religious Education Team to be led by the Religious Education Coordinator, Ms Carla Hayes. In addition, I am pleased to announce that Mr Joel Taban will undertake the administration duties of the International Coordinator in 2025. Mr Taban is well known to the College Community through his current role as School Officer: Marketing and Enrolments, and the addition of international enrolments to his portfolio is a natural fit.

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; however, there are positive signs that the shortage is easing. The College has been active in the recruitment market and continues to support the development of future teachers through providing practical experiences. At the time of writing, the College is still seeking to recruit teachers for the following positions for 2025:

Deputy Principal – CENT recruitment process underway
Teacher of Digital Technologies
Teacher of Music and Junior Art

Regarding the position of Deputy Principal, the College continues to work with Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT) for the recruitment of this position. Regarding Digital Technologies, Music and Junior Art, the College is active in the recruitment market, and will cover what classes we can with existing teachers who have the necessary knowledge and experience. The College acknowledges the concern caused by the ongoing national teacher shortage and senior staff, including myself, are available should you wish to discuss this matter further.

I will keep the College Community updated as more appointments are made.

Thank you to all parents, guardians and carers who continue to place their trust in us, the St John’s Catholic College Community. We are blessed to have you and your children as part of our community.

Fortes in Fide,

Cameron Hughes

Principal

Deputy Principal

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

Reflecting on a Year of Growth and Achievement

As the school year at St John’s Catholic College comes to a close, we reflect on the moments of growth, learning, and accomplishment that have shaped our community. From the excitement of the first day back to the challenges and successes along the way, this year has been one for the books. As a person new to the community I have witnessed so many moments of grace and have learnt so much from the students and teachers I’ve been blessed to work alongside.

A Year of Growth Beyond the Classroom

While academics are a priority, we recognize the importance of personal growth as well. This year, our students developed important life skills such as teamwork, resilience, and leadership. Through extracurricular activities like participation in gala day sports, drama, music, and youth ministry events led by the NET Team, students learned the value of collaboration, communication, faith, and empathy.

We also continue to grow in enrolments at St John’s Catholic College, which is a testament to the confidence the community is showing in us as a ‘school of choice’.

We have excelled in 2024 in giving our young people continual encouragement to strive for excellence through the balance of faith, academic, sporting and cultural activities. We celebrate all of these attributes as a community, whether in Mass and liturgical events, academic awards, and the implementation of merit pins which were awarded to students across the year for consistently displaying school wide positive behaviours. Our aim is to inspire all students to enhance our community as a place of welcome and belonging, inspired by Gospel values.

Embracing Diversity and Community

Our school has always prided itself on being a welcoming and inclusive environment. St John’s Catholic College is such a beautiful multicultural College, which welcomes all into an embracing community. We celebrate diversity with cultural events, R U OK Day, and community service projects that bring us closer together. Students from all backgrounds collaborated on projects in the classroom and facilitated by Melaleuca Australia during lunchtimes, that celebrated their unique experiences and perspectives, fostering a greater sense of unity.

Thank You to Our Dedicated Staff

Our teachers and staff at St John’s Catholic College have been instrumental in making this year a success. Their commitment to providing a supportive, engaging, and innovative learning environment has allowed our students to thrive. Whether in the classroom or outside of it, the passion and care they demonstrate each day is truly inspiring. We believe that every student is made in the image of God and therefore every student is given the attention, care, and respect that this entails. It’s always so pleasing to see this reciprocated from our students towards teachers.

Looking Ahead

As we look toward next year, we are excited for the new opportunities that await. We’ll continue to build on the progress made this year, setting new goals, and embracing the challenges that come with them. St John’s Catholic College is stronger than ever, and ready to face the future together.

In closing, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the students, parents, teachers, and staff who made this year unforgettable.

Kind Regards,

Joseph Hicks

Deputy Principal

Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning

Dear St John’s Catholic College Community,

Thank you!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the College community for their support and work during my tenure as the Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning. I have really enjoyed working with everyone and am grateful that I was given the opportunity to work with a great leadership team, staff and students. I would like to thank the St John’s Teaching & Learning Team for their support and the wonderful work they have done throughout the year to help staff and students alike.

Year 12 Results Release on 16 December 2024 - StudentsOnline – SACE Results portal for students

SACE Board helpline: 1300 322 920 – PIN help and Result/ATAR enquiries – please do not call the College for results.

Results will be released at 8.30 am on Monday 16 December 2024.

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.

To login you must use your SACE registration number and a PIN. If you forget your PIN please call the SACE Board helpline: 1300 322 920

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

SEQTA Semester 2 Reports - Released

Semester 2 reports have been released electronically via SEQTA. Parents/Guardians can view reports using the SEQTA Engage app. Reports are also able to be viewed through the student app SEQTA Learn on the ‘Reports’ page.

No reports will be emailed, please ensure that you have installed and accessed the SEQTA Engage app.

If you did not receive your unique QR code to access the app please contact the administration team.

Year 12 Students 2025

Reminder to Year 12 2025 students to ensure that you have the correct subjects selected for your chosen career and university pathway. Please check your subject selections carefully to ensure you have enough Stage 2 subjects selected for the NTCET and/or ATAR.

Subject changes will close on Friday of Week 2 Term 1 2025.

Year 10 Students

A reminder to Year 10 students that by the end of the year you are required to have the following criteria in order to progress to Year 11 and be on track to achieve the NTCET:

Minimum of 40 credits at a ‘C’ or higher
PLP achieved at a ‘C’ grade or higher
English subject achieved at a ‘C’ grade or higher

Students who have not successfully completed Stage 1 PLP in Semester 1 will be required to re-enrol in this subject in Semester 2.

Students may also be required to change their English and Mathematics subjects in order to achieve the compulsory required units for the NTCET.

Year 11 Students

A reminder to Year 11 students, that by the end of the year you are required to have met the following criteria in order to progress to Year 12 and be on track to complete the NTCET:

140 credits at a ‘C’ grade or higher
All compulsories completed at a ‘C’ or higher – 2 x English subjects, 1 x Maths subject, 1 x PLP

Students who have not successfully completed their Maths subject in Semester 1 will be required to change their Math selection in Semester 2 in order to achieve the required compulsory units for the NTCET. This may also be required for some students undertaking Stage 1 English subjects in Year 11.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

Head of Humanities Mr Brayden Nheu Brayden.nheu@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.

Director of Boarding

Dear St John’s College community

This year has seen some major structural changes within the Boarding House that have provided enormous support to both staff and students.

At the end of last year, we went through a process to employ a second Assistant Director of Boarding, to separate the role into two different focus areas, allowing for greater support and increased focus on the key areas of managing our Boarding House. Eric Vargas came into the role of Assistant Director of Boarding (Pastoral Care and Well-being) and Zuleika Aylward moved into the role of Assistant Director of Boarding (Administration).

Eric is well known to us at the College and has worked in the boarding context for many years. He recently spent time in Adelaide but returned to Darwin to move into this newly created role. His focus on Pastoral Care and Wellbeing has given enormous support to staff and students in the areas of behaviour management and pastoral care and wellbeing. Eric works at a pastoral level to make sure that all students understand the expectations that we have at the College and in the Boarding House. He is very good at communicating with families and working together to achieve positive results for the student’s in our care.

Zuleika has been able to focus her workload more toward staff management and staff development in her role of Assistant Director of Boarding (Administration). Often, the work that Zuleika does goes unnoticed because it is often done behind the scenes. She works tirelessly to coordinate and organise the roster to ensure that we have adequate staff numbers on shift and to help staff feel supported individually, and collectively, allowing them to balance work and their personal lives. She has developed routines and structures to increase clarity among staff expectations and has provided support to new staff with induction and on boarding and training processes. Our aim is to provide staff with support and training through inbuilt consistent structures to allow them to feel confident in the work they do every day, which will ultimately provide improved outcomes for our students.

Our boarding staff continue to contribute enormously to the outcomes and success of our students again this year. They are the frontline workers who interact and support our student’s every day. We have trained new Team Leaders this year with great success and I feel that we have a developing and committed Team that are showing increased leadership and teamwork across the year. Team Leaders, Sophie Berry and Paula Gates are continuing from last year, new Team Leaders this year are Tegan Djangara-Cooper, Jaakan Finau and Chloe Jacobs. We thank them for the work they do.

Our houseparents also contribute enormously to the day to day functioning of the Boarding House and provide care and support each day to make sure the students are able to meet the expectations of the College each day. This includes, waking up and getting ready for school, transporting students to many activities and sporting events, coordinating meal times, cleaning up dorms and bedrooms, helping students to manage with day to day logistical problems and much, much more. Our houseparents are, Doris Kamber Jikany Kour, Matthew Berry, Laura Shipp, Olivia Marchesi, Robin Bartie, Ben Humphrey, Floriana Lamboa, Max Newton, Bernard Ho, Kassim Wright, Lucy Vallejo, Samuel Mutebi, Mari-Dine Laubscher, James Brook-Lenehan, Rose-Maree Pintur and others who have worked during the year that are not at the College any more. We thank you enormously.

Our student cohort this year has been relatively stable and consistent across the year. One of the key focus areas and goals for our success is to retain students across the year and across the span of their Middle and Senior school education. This year we have 5 students graduating from Year 12 as residential students. 2 of these have been with us from Year 7, one was with us from Year 8 and the other two have been at the College from Year 10. This stability and continuity for the students and for the College is excellent. We are very excited to see these students grow and develop over time into fine young adults and to achieve their goals of completing the NTCET.

During the year, our boarding students attended two residential camps. Our senior camp went to Litchfield for a weekend camping at the Environmental Education Centre. This is a great spot to get away, we saw some genuine leadership from our senior students and they enjoyed the time away from the campus and away from the city. We went swimming at Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole with a group walk between the two swimming holes. The weekend included camping overnight, cooking dinner, cleaning and packing up, setting up tents. The students were supporting the staff and each other by cooking, setting up, showing enthusiasm and having lots of fun.

Later in the year our junior students went to Batchelor Outdoor Education Centre for a weekend camp full of activities. They worked together in a group at the Rock Climbing Wall, and went for a bush ride around Batchelor on pushbikes. This was lots of fun for them and a great way to get away, to bond with staff and the other students and experience some team building activities.

As a College, and particularly for our remote and regional families, we continued to engage with boarding families through our Boarding Parent Teacher Interviews this year. This is a great way to include parents from our many remote regions to attend the College, to interact with teaching and boarding staff and to get to feel welcome and engaged at the College. This year we had over 40 family members attend the interviews, where they were able to speak about the educational outcomes of their children and spend time at the boarding house over dinner and interacting with boarding staff.

We continue to have a number of students engaged in the Smith Family Indigenous Leadership Program (IYLP) which has been a great support for our students over a number of years. This year, we had two new students attend the annual event in Sydney known as The Gathering, which is a structured program designed to welcome all new students into the IYLP with a three day event of Indigenous focused activities and events in Sydney. This year, Zuleika Aylward and myself attended with students Micah Maymuru and Denise Martin. The trip is exciting and challenging for the students. They get to meet other new students involved in the program, from all around the country and go through leadership and team building challenges. The highlight of the trip is a cruise on Sydney Harbour with an Indigenous focus and historical talks. Our students performed exceptionally well and had a great time. We look forward to seeing them develop as leaders in the coming years.

Each week our students are engaged in sports and activities across the Darwin region. We structure our activities program across the Term and it is managed by the boarding staff on the weekends and occasionally through the week. We aim to provide an exciting and engaging program designed to maximise the time students spend at the College and to create a memorable and enjoyable experience for them during their school years. This also helps alleviate boredom and homesickness for a number of students.

There are many parts of the Boarding program that support our students in different ways. One of the key elements of our program is the Health Centre. Staffed by our Registered Nurse, Jessica Bartlett and supported by Administration Assistant Kevin LaFarber, the Health Centre provides vital support and comfort for students living away from home.

Nurse Jess is at the boarding house each weekday morning to check in with our students and administer any medications and then she is based at the Health Centre across the day to monitor any new illness or injury that occurs during the day and to take care of students across the College.

Our service provides regular health checks to ensure ongoing health and wellbeing, including health education, dental checks, eyesight and hearing, ear, nose and throat, immunisations, mental health support, and much more. We provide a counselling service twice a week through Catholic Care NT and utilise a number of external resources across the Darwin region.

Unfortunately, we have had a number of students required to attend the hospital recently with a variety of injuries and ailments that needed further follow up. Our boarding team and our Health Centre staff do an amazing job supporting students and their families to help them get better.

Our focus is on ensuring that students are fit and healthy, feeling safe, comfortable and happy so that they can arrive at school every Monday morning and do their best each week for their educational outcomes.

We want to give a big shout out to Nurse Jess and to Kevin for the support and care they provide our students across the year. It is a major reason we are able to retain our students.

As we move into the Christmas Holidays, I want to wish everyone at the College and to our extended family of remote students and their families a very safe and happy Christmas and New Year. The time goes very quickly and it is important to make the most of your time together and for our remote and international boarding students, to make the most of their time at home.

Have a great break and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Kind regards,

Scott Mannion

Director of Boarding

Acting Assistant Principal: Religious Education

To our St. John’s community,

On December 9th, the St. John’s College community came together for our final Mass of the year. It was a special opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed and to prepare our hearts for the festive season ahead.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Fr. Suraj and Fr. John for their guidance and support in leading this celebration. Their efforts helped make the Mass a meaningful and inspiring experience for everyone present.

During the Mass, we celebrated three significant occasions:

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, honoring Mary’s pure and faithful “yes” to God’s plan.
Advent, a time of hopeful anticipation as we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas.
Founders Day, a chance to reflect on and give thanks for the vision and dedication of those who laid the foundations of our College. Founder’s Day is important to celebrate St John's being one of the 5 Schools in Australia, under the Patronage of Fr Jules Chevalier MSC.

We are also deeply grateful to our students, families, and staff for their generous support of the St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Your donations will go directly to those in need this Christmas, spreading love, hope, and joy to those who need it most.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this important occasion and for your ongoing support throughout the year. May this Christmas season be filled with peace and blessings for you and your families.

Kind regards,

Justin Veitch

Acting Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Finance Manager

Dear Parents / Guardians,

As we close the 2024 school year, I wish to thank my team for their hard work and commitment to maintaining the high quality of accounting and finance services at the College.

I also wish to thank all families who made their fee payments on time. I would like to request families who still have outstanding balances to ensure school fees are paid in full before the end of the year.

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 we 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.

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

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas.

Kind regards,

Finance Manager

Ruth Suriyagoda CA, CPA, FCA (SL)

Inclusion Support

From the Inclusion Support Team to all our families, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.
We look forward to our students returning and also our inclusion space growing in 2025.
It has been a pleasure collaborating with you over my time here at the College.
I would like to give a big thank you to the Inclusion Support Assistant Team for all their hard work this year working with the students and the collation of the NCCD data.

Thank you for all your support from all of us in the Inclusion Support Team.

Kind regards,

Shinead Love
Inclusion Support Coordinator

NEWS HEADLINES

Daley News

The end of the year provides the opportunity to celebrate the successes of the team, reflect on the learning outcomes against the goals and plan for 2025.

The Daley team enjoyed considerable success in 2024. At the Awards evening, Daley were crowned the Champion House for 2024! Captains Emma Ryan and Josh Winters proudly accepted the trophy on behalf of the team! The Captains credited the team’s success to the willingness of team members living the Daley mantra of, ‘Turning Up, Having a Go and Supporting Each Other’. Although the ‘big points’ came from the carnivals, it was the numerous unsolicited and unheralded contributions that made the Daley team special. As a reward for winning the House Cup, all Daley students enjoyed an excursion to the Leanyer Waterpark.

Congratulations also go to all the Daley students whose academic, work skills and contribution to the College were recognized at the Awards Evening.

Major Daley Award recipients were:

Catholic Identity and Pastoral Care Awards – Sienna McKeen, Nathias Bourke-Miller, Ester Nirigi

Boarding Award – Sasha Kelantyumama

Literacy Awards – Sonia Tarius, Micah Maymuru

Maths Award - Emma Ryan

ADF Long Tan – Joshua Winters

Citizenship Award – Ethan Sues

Sports Award – Preveena Manmurulu

Academic Effort and Achievement Awards – Alexander Brotherton, Chloe Ryan, Tawan Sornsawan, Preveena Manmurulu

A large number of Daley students also received attendance and subject awards. Congratulations to all award winners and those who consistently gave of their best.

Daley House team members also attended the celebrations for the Class of 2024 Graduates. The Graduation Dinner provided the opportunity for past Daley Captains to catch up with the current ones.

A lot of work has gone into planning the Daley program for next year. The HRT team is determined to achieve our goal of, ‘EVERY Daley student develops the knowledge, skills and behaviours to contribute positively to their world!’ We have developed a data set to inform our decision making. The end of year reports will be used to gauge the personalised support needed for individual and team success in 2025.

During this term we developed a Daley prayer that we will use at Daley specific events.

Dearest Lord

Thank you for another day of life and the opportunities it provides.

Like Sister Daley, help us today to be passionate about our faith and to be trusting, kind and gentle.

We pray for all those who have been part of Daley House that their lives are enriched by your grace and that they continue to make a positive difference to their communities.

We ask for your guidance to make us stronger together, as we live, love, lead and learn today.

St John the Evangelist, Pray For Us.

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved. Forever.

We aim for every Daley student to know the prayer, so that along with the College prayer, they have spiritual reminders when they leave the College.

Our Daley Band made its debut during Term 4. Band members, Kuvera Silva Amata De Zylva, Regina Dada, Colette Caldwell, Rosalie Harris and some Daley ‘wannabes’ persistence to get to a performance was admirable. Special thanks to Ms Gen Molendijk for providing support and encouragement.

We thank everyone who has contributed to Daley House in 2024. We wish you a happy and safe festive season.

Ernie Fleming

Head of House for the Daley Staff Team

NAPLAN Report:

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

NAPLAN is the national literacy and numeracy assessment undertaken by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 each year. NAPLAN assesses students in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling and Grammar & Punctuation) and Numeracy. In 2021 NAPLAN moved from a paper-based test to an online adaptive test. In 2023 further reforms were implemented, including:

Change in the testing period from May (Term 2) to March (Term 1).
Change in the way NAPLAN is reported from Bands to Proficiency Standards.

Proficiency Standards:

The proficiency standards represent a challenging but reasonable expectation of student achievement at the time of testing to deliver better information for teachers, parents and carers. Students’ results show how they performed in each of the NAPLAN assessment areas against 4 proficiency levels:

Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
Strong: The student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
Needs Additional Support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

Please note, that due to the shift in reporting from Bands to Proficiency Standards a new NAPLAN time series began in 2023. Results from 2023 – 2024 cannot be compared to results from 2008 to 2022.

Parents / Carers of Students in Years 7 and 9 should have already received their individual NAPLAN report. Following the recent release of the National NAPLAN Report, the below data is provided as a comparison between class, cohort, Northern Territory and Australian mean scores across the five categories. There is much to celebrate within our individual, class and cohort data. Including, the College mean scores are above the NT mean score in every single category, and our College mean scores in the Year 7.1 and 9.1 classes are also above the Australian mean score in every single category.

With regards to additional support, the College has structures in place to support differentiation and support learning outcomes:

Catholic Education Northern Territory – Learning Alliance:

St John’s Catholic College, as part of Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT), has commenced our journey in the CENT Learning Alliance, supported by internationally recognised practitioner, researcher and author in the field of education and school improvement, Dr. Lyn Sharratt. Dr Sharratt's publication Clarity: What Matters Most in Learning, Teaching, and Leading, underpins the work of the CENT Learning Alliance, and emphasises the importance of clear goals, focused collaboration, and data-driven decision-making in education. It offers practical strategies for teachers to improve student outcomes and foster continuous improvement.

Targeted Placement – Years 7 – 9, plus Year 10 Mathematics:

Core subjects are studied in year levels with classes determined by Targeted Placement, which refers to the grouping of students in classes based on academic levels to better cater for their learning needs. This provides students with the opportunity to receive support and/or extension learning, depending on their progress.

Intensive English Unit:

The College offers an Intensive English Unit (IEU) for International and New Arrival students. The IEU caters for learners in the Beginning, Emerging and Developing phases of English language acquisition, and supports students in the Consolidating phase as they transition into mainstream classes.

The Learning Nest:

The Learning Nest is an after school homework centre to further support and extend students in achieving academic success. It is staffed by tutors who are recent graduates of St John’s and have achieved academic success. Students in Years 7-12 are able to access the Learning Nest five days a week for support with homework, study and assessment items at no additional cost to families. The Learning Nest is held in our LOTE Centre Monday to Friday from 3:30 - 5:00pm.

Standardised Testing:

The College participates in the national assessment plan literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN), as well as the ACER’s progressive assessment tests to collect data to inform teaching and learning.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Laptop Program:

The College has implemented a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Laptop Program to enhance and integrate Information and Communication Technologies into the teaching and learning program. The BYOD program provides additional opportunities for additional support, such as a learning management system, digital textbooks, and online resources.

Jacaranda Textbook eLibrary:

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:

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

SORA - Online Digital Library:

The 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

Attendance and Engagement:

In addition to the Teaching and Learning program and additional Resourcing, the College has a focus on a high level of attendance and engagement. The Annual Report on the State of Education by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that a fully engaged student is more likely to experience positive education, employment, health and wellbeing outcomes. Students are expected to contribute to the ongoing development of a positive learning environment and maintain a 90%+ attendance rate. Attendance Rates are reported through the End of Semester Academic Reports. All absences are expected to be communicated by Parents / Carers to College Administration via the Parent Engage application in SEQTA, by phoning the College on 08 8982 2222 or email via admin.stjohns@nt.catholic.edu.au

We encourage students to access the additional supports available. We are available should you have any questions.

Fortes in Fide,

Cameron Hughes

Middle Years Food and Hospitality

Gingerbread Design Challenge

The culminating end of term task for the Middle Years Food and Hospitality students was to use the Design Process to design and build a Gingerbread house. The Middle Years food and Hospitality students have spent the last 4 weeks engaged in a Gingerbread house design challenge. Guided by the design process, students combined practical skills, critical thinking, and imagination to produce festive masterpieces that tasted as good as they looked.

The design process began with the Investigate and Define phase, where students explored the history and cultural significance of gingerbread houses. They researched traditional and modern designs, identifying the key structural elements needed for a sturdy yet appealing house.

Students brainstormed unique design concepts, sketched their ideas, and selected a theme for their houses. From classic cottages to whimsical winter wonderlands, their designs reflected a wide array of creative inspirations.

During the Produce and Implement phase, students rolled up their sleeves and worked hands-on in the kitchen. They carefully prepared the gingerbread dough, measured and cut precise templates, baked the pieces to perfection, and mixed colourful royal icing. Collaboration and problem-solving were key as they constructed their houses, ensuring every piece fit seamlessly.

This challenge wasn’t just about making gingerbread houses—it was an opportunity to integrate design thinking with practical skills, encourage collaboration, and creative thinking and problem solving, as students realised the complexity of maintaining a solid foundation for the house. The students’ creations were proudly displayed in the kitchen, delighting the entire school community and spreading holiday cheer.

Well done to all students involved.

Carla Hayes

Classroom Teacher

Congratulations to Faraz Ahmad, Raine Lambert and Charlotte Schiller who won second place in the Territory Young Scientist Awards in the STEM in the NT Investigation category. In this category students had to include a real-world focus that included a Northern Territory perspective integrated within the project.

The students in STEM Project elective spent a term studying and investigating the effects of sand erosion on Mindil Beach. They visited Mindil Beach several times and researched different ways sand erosion is prevented around the world. Finally, they tested several preventative methods to see which would prevent the most erosion.

The students were awarded a certificate and cash prize at the 2024 Territory Young Scientist Awards night held at Darwin Middle School.

Middle School Chess Class

This year, we hosted our first-ever chess tournament, marking an exciting milestone for our school. The competition was fierce, but ZeWei Yong emerged victorious, showcasing incredible resilience by bouncing back from a loss to secure a 2-1 victory over Ethan Robinson.

An honourable mention goes to Keita (Sirawat) Nasomkhwan, who reached the top four. As a dark horse—or "knight" in this case—Keita triumphed over tough contenders, proving himself to be a formidable competitor.

In addition to the tournament, we travelled to St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, where primary students learned how to play chess. They enthusiastically demonstrated their knowledge by learning how to play and challenge more experienced opponents.

Overall, this this year was a successful year of chess where students were able to collaborate with one another and improve their skills in the king of all games.

Middle School Art

On Monday 25th and Wednesday the 27th of November, Middle School Art went on an excursion to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) where students explored the Telstra 2024 National Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.