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Newsletter Term 3 _ Week5_2025

Principal's Report

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

Friday 15 August the College gathered to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Assumption celebrates Mary, mother of Jesus, being taken body and soul into heaven, reflecting her purity, holiness, and unique role in salvation history. Thank you to our College Chaplain, Father Suraj MGL, for celebrating the Eucharist with us, Ms Hayes for coordinating the Mass, and all students involved as readers or in the choir.

In the context of National Bullying No Way Week, prior to the Mass I spoke with all students about each individual’s significant role in cultivating a school culture that is aligned to our values, and the importance of understanding the impact of our words on others.

Please place Friday 10 October in your calendars, on this day we will gather as a College Community for a Mass of Thanksgiving, to honour the contributions of students, families and staff to the Boarding program over many years. Bishop Charles will preside over the Mass, as we gather to give thanks and farewell a most significant part of the College.

This week the College celebrated Science Week. Thank you to Mr Brayden Nheu and all staff for coordinating a festival of activities, from ice cream making and egg drop, to rubber band cars and rockets.

Earlier this term the College welcomed students from O’Loughlin Catholic College and MacKillop Catholic College for a NAIDOC Week Sports Carnival. Students built connections, friendships and school spirit through Touch Football, Basketball and Soccer, as well as visiting the many stalls set up by local service providers. Thank you to our AIEWs Mrs Letticha Clarke and Mrs Lorraine Erlandson, our Deputy Principal Ms Rebecca Young and all staff for coordinating the day.

Congratulations to all students and staff who recently participated in our annual Cross Country Carnival. This year we were blessed by beautiful weather for the event.

Our Year 10 and 11 students are currently discerning their nominations for 2026 Student Leadership positions. Recently, Daley House Captain, Sasha Kelantumama, attended the Garma Festival and Virginia Dias Quintas, Afia Azam, Patricia Sefu and Harnoor Kaur were involved in the NT Youth Parliament.

The Commonwealth Census was recently held, once again St John’s has achieved growth in student enrolments. Due to the closure of Boarding at the end of the 2025 school year, the College projects a 2026 student enrolment figure of between 240 and 250 students, with 5%-10% growth each year in the coming years, 2027 through to 2030.

The College is busy undertaking enrolment interviews for 2026, and families are encouraged to make contact with our Enrolments Officer, Joel Taban, to register their interest or submit an online application via: https://www.stjohnsnt.catholic.edu.au/

With regards to the closure of our Boarding House at the end of the 2025 school year, we are working with families regarding education options for their children in 2026. Some of our Boarding students will continue at St John’s next year as day students, others will attend their local community school, while many will enrol in other Darwin and interstate Boarding Schools. We are particularly appreciative of the support of Haileybury Rendall School, Marrara Christian College and the Transition Support Unit who have been working collaboratively with the College since the announcement to place students.

We are also mindful and thankful of our staff directly affected by the closure of the Boarding House - our Boarding staff, Health Centre staff and Travel staff, who continue to support our students, families and College through their work, whilst at the same time coming to terms that their current roles end at the conclusion of this year. Catholic Education NT has 18 schools and over 5000 students, we hope many of our staff can be redeployed across our system, or gain employment at other local boarding schools.

It was wonderful to gather recently to acknowledge, affirm and celebrate students’ Academic Achievement and Outstanding Effort based on the Semester 1 Report Cards. In addition, the College also celebrated those Year 7 and Year 9 students who scored in the ‘Exceeding’ category in their NAPLAN tests. Thank you also to our guest speaker Ms Leia Grimsey, who spoke about her career leading to being the Director of the Northern Hub, one of eight national innovation hubs funded by the Commonwealth’s Future Drought Fund, working alongside producers, traditional owners, pastoralists, and regional stakeholders to respond to the realities of drought, climate variability, and environmental change.

I will be absent from the College during Week 6 this Term, along with other Catholic Education NT Principals. We will be attending the Australian Catholic Education Conference in Cairns. Being away from school during term time is never ideal, however, I am looking forward to meeting with, and hearing from other Catholic Education Leaders and bringing their collective wisdom and ideas back to St John’s. Our Deputy Principal, Ms Rebecca Young, will be acting in my absence.

Please keep in your prayers members of our College Community who have recently lost loved ones.

Fortes in Fide,

Cameron Hughes

Principal

Formal Assembly Award Recipients

Academic Excellence Award

Magna Cum Laude Awards

NAPLAN AWARD

Outstanding Effort Award

Deputy Principal

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

From the Deputy Principal

It is hard to believe we are already halfway through Week 5 of Term 3. It seems like the year has only just started yet is also racing towards the end where will be celebrating our Graduates and be preparing to farewell our Boarders as they move onto the next part of their school or life journey.

Celebrations and Community Spirit
Week 2 saw the running of our Annual Cross Country House Cup Competition. Congratulations to Daley House for taking home the trophy! It was inspiring to see students pushing themselves to achieve personal goals, and just as heartening to witness the camaraderie and encouragement shown to those pacing themselves more gently.

In Week 3, we acknowledged NAIDOC Week. As NAIDOC Week typically falls during the school holidays, we brought the celebration into the term with a range of homeroom and lunchtime activities, including a weaving workshop hosted by former student and Boarding House Parent, Shaniqua Hutt. On the Tuesday, we were proud to host the inaugural Catholic College NAIDOC Cup, welcoming students from O’Loughlin and MacKillop Catholic Colleges, along with stakeholders from a number of organisations, for a friendly competition in basketball, touch, and soccer. After some very close games, St John’s was delighted to take home the trophy. A heartfelt thank you to all participants and organisers who made the day such a success.

Middle School Year Level Assemblies
Over the past fortnight, we have held Year Level Assemblies for our Middle School students. These assemblies focused on peer interactions, eSafety and online footprint, classroom behaviour, and work output. It was an important reminder of our College Values and school rules, and how they can be lived out in real-life situations both in and out of the classroom.

Addressing Language and Respect
It has come to our attention that some highly offensive and inappropriate language is being used amongst peers, both in person and online. In some cases, students may not fully understand the meaning of the words they are using, but this does not lessen their impact. In other cases, this language is being used deliberately under the guise of ‘banter’ or as a ‘joke’ within friendship groups.

We want to be very clear that this language is unacceptable at St John’s. It is deeply disrespectful, can be extremely hurtful, and goes against our Catholic values and College expectations. Such behaviour will not be tolerated, and serious consequences will follow if it continues.

We strongly encourage parents and carers to have open and honest conversations with their young people about the language they are hearing and using, both face-to-face and in online spaces such as group chats. Please take the time to check in on the nature of these conversations and reinforce with your child the importance of showing respect in all communication.

Supporting Parents with eSafety Resources
The eSafety Commissioner is the independent regulator for online safety. They provide advice, education, and tools to help keep young people safe online, as well as avenues for reporting serious online harm and advice regarding cyber bulling and online incidents.
Parents and carers may be interested in upcoming free webinars, including:

Understanding AI Companions: What parents and carers need to know - 28 August, 11 September
AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat - 21 August
Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online - 2 September
Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know - 9 September
Additional webinars will be available in Term 4. For more information, visit the eSafety Commissioner website.

Bullying! No Way Week
Next week, we will acknowledge Bullying! No Way Week (postponed from Week 5 due to National Science Week). Our Heads of House have prepared a range of activities for Homeroom and lunch breaks, reflecting this year’s theme: “Be Bold, Be Kind, Speak Up.” We encourage families to speak with their young people about the issues discussed and practical actions they can take to support this theme and our school expectations.

Kind Regards,

Rebecca Young

Deputy Principal

Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning

Dear St John’s Catholic College Community,

SEQTA Engage & Learn

A reminder to all students and parents / guardians to view all assessment tasks, coursework and semester reports on SEQTA Engage and SEQTA Learn.

Semester 1 reports and NAPLAN reports (for Year 7 and Year 9) are already released on SEQTA for viewing.

If parents / guardians did not receive your unique QR code to access the SEQTA Engage app, please contact the College reception for IT support.

Stage 2 Students

A reminder that all Stage 2 school coursework must be completed by Friday, Week 10 Term 3.

Teachers had undertaken another round of tracking for Stage 2 subjects this week. With the imminent deadline of Stage 2 coursework, parents / guardians of Year 12 students who are flagged at risk of not achieving the NTCET by the end of the year can expect communication made from the College to arrange for a case management meeting, and if necessary, discuss alternative pathway plans for your child. Year 12 students will receive their tracking slips in Week 6.

Year 12 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.

It is important that Stage 2 students continue to work diligently and follow a strict timeline set by their teachers to complete the required work on time. Non-submission of assessment tasks by the due date will result in an “I – Insufficient Evidence” grade which will detrimentally impact on the overall achievement of a student’s grade in the Stage 2 subject.

Stage 2 Examinable Subjects – Trial Examination in Week 9 Term 3

The SACE Examination timetable is already published. Note that the timetable does not yet include the oral examination for Stage 2 Languages.

Students undertaking the following Stage 2 examinable subjects will be required to sit a trial examination in Week 9 this term.

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Psychology
Legal Studies
Essential Mathematics
General Mathematics
Mathematical Methods
Specialist Mathematics
Spanish (Beginners)

The trial examination will simulate the exam conditions of the actual examination and provide students with the opportunity to experience the required conduct as set by the SACE Board. Participation in the trial examination is therefore compulsory.

The below shows the timetable for the trial examination:

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.

Stage 2 Exam Rules:

It is critical that students familiarise themselves with the SACE exam conditions and rules. Students can access information on SACE exam rules at the website below: https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/studying/assessment/exams/rules

The basics

If you’re enrolled in a subject or subjects that have exams, you’ll receive an exam attendance slip, which shows the exams you’re registered to attend and the relevant rules. You must bring this slip with you to all your exams.

Some rules apply to specific subject exams, such as those that may allow calculators. The following conditions apply to all exams in 2025 and will be reinforced as you prepare and practise for your SACE exams.

Be ready at the doors of the examination room at least 15 minutes before the examination start time.
You can’t enter the examination room more than 40 minutes after the starting time, or leave until 40 minutes after the starting time.
You must hand your answer books to the examination supervisor before you leave the exam room.
Some exams have a separate script book or question booklet for particular sections or questions. If you do not attempt such a section (or question), you must write 'BLANK' on the cover of the script book or question booklet before handing it in.

In addition to following the exam rules, you’ll be expected to act honestly and respect your fellow students.

Signing the examination roll

If you have at least one external exam, you’ll be asked to sign the examination attendance roll.

This is a formal declaration indicating that you’ll comply with the rules on the examination attendance slip, including the conditions for the use of calculators.

Use of notes in an exam

Notes aren’t generally allowed in external SACE exams, but there are some exceptions.

For General Mathematics and Essential Mathematics, you may bring one unfolded A4 sheet (two sides) of your own handwritten notes.
For Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics, you may bring two unfolded A4 sheets (four sides) of your own handwritten notes.

These notes cannot include calculator manuals, but any complex key sequences you think you may need can be included in your handwritten notes.

Handwritten notes, unmarked scores, transcriptions and charts should not be placed in plastic sleeves and should not be laminated.

Use of calculators and dictionaries

Dictionaries

You can use English-English dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and monolingual dictionaries in your written exams. Electronic dictionaries are not permitted.

If you do want to use a dictionary in your exam you must provide your own. The SACE Board does not supply dictionaries, but schools may prefer to provide dictionaries for exams.

Use of dictionaries in an exam is subject to the following provisions:

A dictionary must not contain any additional material that may provide information to help the student in the exam of the subject concerned, such as a thesaurus or maps.
An English-English, bilingual, or monolingual dictionary must be a printed standard dictionary, not a special purpose dictionary such as a Physics or Chemistry dictionary.
A dictionary used in a language exam may contain grammar sections.

Calculators

The attached page lists the approved scientific calculators, graphics calculators, mathematical stencils, and computers and how you’re able to use them in exams.

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 who successfully complete their NTCET will continue to receive their NTCET Certificate in hard copy. However, beginning 2025, Record of Achievement (ROA) and SATAC Tertiary Entrance Statement (TES) will be available digitally only in StudentsOnline. Students will no longer receive hard copies of the ROA and TES in the mail.

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 to both the College and SATAC, which may result in not generating an ATAR.

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

Teaching & Learning Team

The Teaching & Learning Team members for 2025 are as follows:

Head of Faculty A Ms. Cherilyn Hughes cherilyn.hughes@nt.catholic.edu.au

Head of Faculty B Mr. Brayden Nheu brayden.nheu@nt.catholic.edu.au

Inclusion Support Ms April Hoskin april.hoskin@nt.catholic.edu.au

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

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

Fortes in Fide,

Nelson Tio

Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

To our St. John’s community,

"Dear young people, aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. Then you will see the light of the Gospel grow every day, within you and around you."

-Pope Leo XIV

Walking Through Holy Doors – Our Students’ Pilgrimage to the Jubilee of Youth

In August, six of our students were part of a larger group of over 30 young people from Darwin who returned a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, a sacred celebration held only once every 25 years.

The Jubilee of Youth gathered over one million young Catholics from across the globe in a vibrant witness of faith, friendship, and hope. The students journeyed through Sicily and towards Rome over 8 days. A time filled with prayer, song, reflection, and fellowship, culminating in a large outdoor Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Sunday August 3rd at Tor .

Pope Leo’s address was deeply personal and challenging, urging young people to “make radical choices to do good” and reminding them of the dangers of allowing social media to distract from what truly matters. He spoke of the gift of friendship, the courage to follow Christ even when it is hard, and the happiness found in giving ourselves generously to others. His words echoed a truth our students have been learning here at school; that our lives are built on the strong foundation of God’s love, and it is from that love that our vocations emerge.

Our students also had the profound privilege of entering through the Holy Doors at St Paul’s Basilica. A symbolic act of stepping into God’s mercy during this holy year. Inside, they took time for prayer and reflection, discerning where God might be calling them next in their journey of life and faith. Many shared afterwards that this was the moment when the busyness and excitement of the pilgrimage gave way to deep peace and clarity.

As a community, we are deeply proud of these young pilgrims. Our hope is that their courage, joy, and faith will ripple outward, inspiring all of us to live with the same openness to God’s call.

Beacons of Hope – Staff Faith Formation Day

At the close of Term 2, our staff gathered for a Beacons of Hope Faith Formation Day. A time to pause, reflect, and plan for how we can bring the Jubilee Year of Hope to life in tangible ways throughout 2025. The heart of the day was this reminder: “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”

In teams, staff worked collaboratively to develop practical ways of weaving the message of hope into the daily life of our classrooms, our school community, and our connections with families and parish. These plans are not simply ideas on paper, they are commitments to ensure the spirit of the Jubilee is not a fleeting moment, but something that shapes who we are and how we live as a Catholic school.

As we move forward, we do so with sleeves rolled up, hearts open, and a renewed determination to live out the hope we proclaim, making it real, visible, and alive in the life of our school.

Kind Regards,

Carla Hayes
Assistant Principal – Religious Education

NEWS HEADLINES

Doneley House News

Dear Families,

It has been a productive start to Term 3 for Doneley House, and I’m excited to share some of the highlights from the first few weeks. One of the key focuses moving into this term has been increasing student engagement in House and College events. It has been great to see a number of students taking up the opportunities St John’s presents them with and being proud members of Doneley House.

Goal Setting for Success
We kicked off the term with a focus on goal setting. Students met as house and then spent time in Middle and Senior School reflecting on their academic and personal aspirations for the semester. It was fantastic to see the level of thought and maturity students brought to this process, and we look forward to supporting them as they work towards achieving their goals.

Cross Country Spirit
Doneley showed beautiful spirit and determination at the recent House Cross Country event. Whilst we didn’t come away with the win, the sense of community and encouragement was fantastic to see amongst all students. A special congratulations to those who placed in their year levels – Patrick Salumu Falhay (Year 8), Maki Ushindi (Year 10), Sheraz Ahmad (Year 11) and Virginia Dias Quintas (Year 11) – you have done us proud!

NAIDOC Cup Participation
We had several students represent the College in the NAIDOC Cup, against MacKillop Catholic College and O’Loughlin Catholic College. This event was a wonderful celebration of culture and unity. Our students demonstrated great sportsmanship and respect, and I commend them for their involvement.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We’re looking forward to an exciting second half of the term!

Madeline Pruscino – Doneley House of House

Burford House News

Burford students have had a busy first half of term 3.

Well done to everyone who competed in the Cross Country, we came in second by a very close margin.

Congratulations to these place getters from Burford,

We also had several Burford students recognised at the recent assembly for Outstanding Effort and Academic Achievement. It is a reminder that we can all be working towards a more consistent effort in all our classes. Well done to Grace Harris for receiving magna cum laude for her outstanding academic achievement in Semester 1.

Finally, as we near the end of the term the College starts to think about the student leadership team for 2026. I would like to encourage any students in Years 10 and 11 to apply for the position of House Captain if they believe they can positively contribute to our House next year. It is an opportunity to serve your community and develop leadership skills for the future.

Kind Regards,

Bernadette McGrath

Acting Head of Burford

Daley House News

Daley team members met early in the new term, to celebrate a successful first semester, set personal SMART goals for their academic study and to talk about how to best use the fresh start for the second half. Team members will be asked to check their progress towards personal and team goals throughout the semester.

After a slow start to the year in the House Cup, Daley House had closed the gap on the leaders by a great ‘whole team effort’ win in the Inter House Athletics Carnival late Term 2. The House leaders challenged team members to continue to build the legacy in the second half, by living the team mantra of ‘Turning Up, Having a Go, and Supporting Each Other’.

The first whole team challenge for Semester two was the Inter House Cross Country Carnival. Daley House Captains, Kiara Ryan and Sasha Kelatumama, did a great job of organizing participation. While team members enjoyed considerable success in the age group categories, the stand-out was the willingness of all team members to participate and together pull off another Daley win.

Congratulations to the following students who set new Daley Records -

At the College Academic Excellence and Outstanding Achievement Assembly, a number of Daley students were recognized for their academic achievements Semester 1. Congratulations to –Amata De Zylva, Charlotte Schiller, Chloe Ryan, Christiansen Ugwoke, Ester Ngiri, Ethan Chirema, Georgia Critchley, Hannah Docherty, Harry Lumsden, Katerina Magoulias, Keith McClelland, Kiara Ryan, Kuvera Silva, Lavaigne, Megan-Lynn McClelland, Raine Lambert, Raori Wilson, Ratthida Aunkhan, Rye Neer and Theo Wilson.

A number of Daley students have taken up exciting learning opportunities in the first few weeks of term, including three attending the Youth Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome – along with another one million from around the globe! Other events included the Year 9 Retreat, the Science and Engineering Challenge and NAIDOC Week activities.

It was great to catch up with Daley parents/guardians at the Semester 2 ‘Meet the Teachers’ evening. As always, please feel free to contact me at anytime re anything to do with the Daley program.

Kind Regards,

Ernie Fleming
Head of House for the Daley

PARTY PROGRAM

The Stage 1 and 2 Health & Wellbeing classes took part in the P.A.R.T.Y Program (Preventing Alcohol Related Trauma in Youth) held by the Royal Darwin Hospital during week 3 this term. It is an immersive program which aims to assist teens with identifying risk and making better choices throughout their lives by exposing them to the consequences of risk taking behaviours.

At this P.A.R.T.Y. young Territorians follow the journey of a trauma patient. They experience what happens when young people make a decision that changes their life forever. Students experience what it would be like to work in acute care areas of the hospital, participate in hands on activities and hear stories from Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Allied Health Specialists and survivors who share the reality of what can happen when things go wrong.

It was a great learning experience for the students and will be the focus of their assessment this term.