Pathways | Volume 39 Number 10 | 1

Wednesday 14 June, 2017

From the Principal

The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up because our challenges are great. Learning does not, and should not, mean that we ‘know’ everything or get it correct the first time. Rather, as should be the case, learning is the art of progressively failing forward.

Success comes when we are not bound by our own limitations. Keep failing forward!

Athletics Carnival

Last Thursday was our first ever Prep – Year 6 Athletics carnival. Bravo to all – it was truly a wonderful day of

participation and competition. Thanks to Mr Higgins and Mr Bakker for their organisation and set up. I also graciously

thank the many parents and friends who gave of their time to either help with the events or simply supported the

event.

Facebook

As you may be aware we have a ‘Facebook’ account for St John’s and are using this as another way to communicate

with our families. If you are a Facebook user and haven’t already ‘liked’ us, we very much value your ‘friendship’.

Volume 39 Number 10 Email: school@stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au

Pathways | Volume 39 Number 10 | 2

Community Sunday

Thank you to the very many children and families who came to Community Sunday last weekend. For the first time

we welcomed our newly formed Chapel band who performed for us. Thank you to Mrs Mann, Mrs Johnson and Mrs

Mac for very ably leading various parts of the service.

End of Term Assessments and Semester 1 Report Over the final weeks of term, many students have been involved in assessment and testing related to the term’s work. This, along with other assessment over time, forms the basis of each child’s End-of-Semester Report. Much time and effort is put into each report and as such, I thank teachers in advance for the effort required. I encourage open communication between home and school after receiving your child’s report, such that clear goals can be set for each child in readiness for Semester 2. Have you moved If you have moved recently and have not yet informed the office of your change of address, please do so as soon as possible. Envelopes have already been labelled but there is still time to make a change. Staffing Update I thank Mrs Crow (Year 3) for her work with students this Semester. We wish Mrs Crow every blessing as she moves from St John’s at the end of this term. As such, we welcome back Mrs Higgins from maternity leave. I know Mrs Higgins is excited to be returning to St John’s and is keen to take the Year 3 children on their learning journey next Semester.

Term 3

A reminder that school recommences on the Tuesday 11 July, 2017. Monday 10 July has been set aside for staff

professional development.

Vacation Care

With the school holidays only a short time away, if you will need Vacation Care during this time, please contact

Barbara to confirm details on 0409 759 831.

As this is our last newsletter for the term I wish each and every family a restful holiday. If you are travelling away I

pray that your travels are safe and enjoyable.

Thank you for working in partnership with us.

Grace and Peace

Chris

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Chaplain’s Chat This is the day! A new day. Not yesterday or tomorrow but today! What will it bring? Is it

a day you have been looking forward to or dreading? Some days certainly hold more

challenges than others. We don’t know what they will bring. Sometimes, if it means work

or exams we look forward to when it is over or the weekend where we can do what we

want.

But let us see each day as a gift – a package full of opportunities and maybe some

surprises! The Bible says “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be

glad in it” Psalm 118:24. God gives us each new day as a gift not a burden. He wants us

to embrace it with its possibilities. We don’t know how many days we will be given but we

can make the most of each day by looking at it with new eyes. What might happen today? Who might I meet? How

might I use this day to respond to the needs of those around me? How might I use this day in a positive, loving way?

This verse also refers to the day Jesus won salvation for us. He completed what needed to be done so we could be

saved. Now we not only have the gift of a new day, we have the gift of new life because of what Jesus did in His

death and resurrection.

Today –is our time. God has placed us in the world for “such a time as this.” God wants to bless us & bless others

through us. God wants you to know that He is there for you through whatever you are facing. God wants you to know

He loves you and cares for you through both the challenges and good times that

today brings. Embrace today as the gift that it is and give praise to the giver. (Rejoice

and be glad in it!) If you are living today – you are here for a reason.

“God made today. Let’s celebrate it and make the most of every opportunity to

serve others in His name.” (Quote from “Our Daily Bread” – an online devotional site)

Have a great day and God bless you,

Jeanette Mann, School Chaplain

Curriculum Connections Reading

Reading is one of the most fundamental and important skills for our children to learn. In order for children to acquire

reading skills, a number of complex changes must occur in a child's brain. Children need to be developmentally ready

to read with certain neural functions formed.

There are certain reading strategies that we teach at school which assist the children when learning to read. They

are:

1. Chunky Monkey – break the word into smaller chunks 2. Stretchy Snake – identify the sounds in the words 3. Elephant Ears – listen to hear if it makes sense 4. Turtle Talk – say a difficult word slowly and then blend the sounds together 5. Eagle Eye – Look at the words and the pictures carefully 6. Skippy Scott – skip a word you are unsure of and then come back to it 7. Flip Flop Froggy – try using short and long vowel sounds to see which one sounds right 8. Lips the Fish – make the initial sound with your mouth 9. Remembering Owl – Is it a sight word you know?

10. Pointy Echidna – point to each word as you read

When you are reading with your child at home you might like to keep this list handy and use it as a reminder for

when reading new words.

Jocelyn Bakker

Learning and Teaching Coordinator and Learning Support Teacher

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Student Awards Congratulations to this fortnight’s award recipients

Prep Dakoda Atkinson, Indee Bakker, Sebastian Tindel-Dimes, Caleb McCracken

Year 1 Ky Ditchmen, Sienna Evans, Hunter Neal, Evie Kay

Year 2 Elloise Wooldridge, Ashleigh Plumridge, Archer Kewley, Thea Smits

Year 3 Lara Hockey, Jack Steinhardt, Molly Kay, Matthew Heaton, Julise Kemp, Lincoln Kay

Year 4 Thalia Smits, Caleb Bonney, William Dullaway, Ryan Steinhardt, Casey Simpson, Jacob Naudé

Year 4/5 Riley Dexter, Sebastian Dexter, Eli Rasmussen, Bridget McEwan

Year 6 Lauren Richter, Caoimhe Craven-Hughes, Joel Faint, Kaitlyn Johnson

Music Kaelan Longford-Banks, Karen Lu, Lauren Richter, Lawson Carroll

Chaplain Matilda Johnstone, Pasqual Stegman

Around the Grounds – General Notices Uniform Shop – Opening House

Tuesday 8.15am – 9.00am

Thursday 2.30pm – 3.15pm

If you are unable to come at the above times, please remember that you can send in orders/payments via the class

basket. Just write a short note and send it in an envelope clearly marked ‘Uniform Shop’.

Student Success Dylan and Charles Shaw competed at the Central Queensland BMX Titles recently in Rockhampton. Dylan received participation awards as he unfortunately crashed and broke his collar bone. Charles rode extremely well and managed to win a place in both his 20 inch and Cruiser classes. Charles got 8th in CQ for 20 inch and 6th in CQ for his Cruiser

class which is a fantastic effort.

Congratulations also to Ashlee Bock who has made the Wide Bay Girls Team for soccer at club level.

Sprouts Our last gathering for Term 2 will be on Wednesday 21 June (3:15pm – 5:00pm). We will not be

having a Sausage Sizzle this time. Thank you for your support this term! We will meet again fortnightly

next term. New participants still welcome (Years 1-6).

Buddy Day – Teddy Bears Picnic This is to be held on Thursday 15 June at lunchtime. Students

can bring a teddy bear to sit with them at lunchtime. Students will also be sitting with their

Buddies. If you wish to be creative students can bring honey sandwiches, Teddy Bear biscuits

etc. During lunch play students will have the opportunity to participate in some picnic games.

Toy and Book Sale - The Toy and Book Sale is to be held on Wednesday 21 June

at lunchtime in the School Hall. Books will priced at 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 (large well - kept books will

be for sale for a little bit more.) Toys will be similar prices. A great opportunity for students to pick up

some good books at great prices!! If there are books still available the sale will continue at Thursday lunchtime).

Closing Chapel Term 2 will conclude with our Closing Service to be held next Friday 23 June at 2.00pm.

All parents, grandparents and friends are welcome to attend. As usual Chapel will be in the St John’s

Church. Semester awards will be presented during this service.

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle Year 6 families are running the Bunnings sausage sizzle this Saturday so

if you are out that way please come along and help the students raise fund for their trip to Canberra in

Term 4.

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Please name everything Our lost property basket is again beginning to burst at the seams. There are many water bottles and clothing. A number of jumpers and jackets are in the lost property basket because the name on them is of a child who has left the school. These have obviously been either purchased as SH items or passed on to children. Unfortunately we cannot return these items. Please come and check or give the office a call if you think one of these belongs to your child.

LLL Banking Interest On the 31 May each year interest is added to LLL accounts. To have the interested added into passbooks, all books need to be sent to Adelaide. Could you please forward your child’s book to the office by next Tuesday 20 June.

Thank You The Alannah and Madeline Foundation would like to say Thank You for the support of St John’s Primary

School on the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (Be a Buddy and not a Bully) by organising a

“Purple Day” and raising $243.00 in Term 1. These vital funds will go such a long way to help keep

children safe. We really appreciate your wonderful support. We send our HUGE thanks to you and

everyone involved who championed our cause and raised funds and awareness of the

Foundation. Best wishes Emily Asworth and the Alannah & Madeline Foundation

Disco Hope you are all ready to get your dancing shoes on for our disco this Friday evening. If you are intending

to be here for the Year 6 Sausage Sizzle, please remember to send in your order no later than tomorrow morning.

A big welcome to Cassius Amey who has joined our Year 4/5 class. We also welcome his

Mum & Dad, Nicole & Andrew. If you see them around the school, please give them a

warm St John’s welcome.

2017 Athletics Carnival The annual St John’s Athletics Carnival has been run and won for 2017. Again this year

we witnessed amazing efforts and sportsmanship from our athletes as they competed in their respective age groups

in their track and field events throughout the day. It was great to see everyone giving it their all for their team. At the

end of the day Biar claimed overall victory by defeating Reuther 642 to 421.

This year we were again joined by Coral Coast Christian School and it was wonderful to see the friendship between

our two schools grow throughout the day. Our carnival this year also saw the Prep class join us for the first time and

although we got off to a ‘false start’ in our first track event for these students, it was fantastic to see them enjoying

their day through their participation.

It was lovely to see so many parents and friends of our school out in support of our students. Promoting an

encouraging environment during these days is something that we really strive for at St John’s and your attendance

assists us in doing this. Thank you.

To those who were able to volunteer their time to assist in any way I would like to recognise your contribution. A lot

of support is required to run our carnival and without you we would not be able to provide such an opportunity for our

students. I greatly appreciate your time and effort.

Throughout the day a number of records were broken and Age Champion medallions were awarded for those who

achieved highly in their age group. We congratulate the students who achieved these successes during the day as

shown below.

Nathan Higgins

PE Coordinator

NEW RECORDS AGE CHAMPIONS

Scarlett Walker: 7yrs Girls 60m (11.17 sec) Kasey Krueger: 9yrs Girls

Bridget McEwan: 10yrs Girls Shot Put (5.49m) Taj Crosbie: 9yrs Boys

Taylar Krueger: 11yrs Girls 800m (3 min 25 sec) Bridget McEwan: 10yrs Girls

William Dullaway: 9yrs Boys 80m (14.45 sec) Jack Carter: 10yrs Boys

Liam Taske: 11yrs Boys 100m (15.32 sec) Taylar Krueger: 11yrs Girls

Liam Taske: 11yrs Boys High Jump (1.37m) Liam Taske: 11yrs Boys

Liam Taske: 11yrs Boys Long Jump (4.05m) Bailey Grigg: 12yrs Girls

Liam Taske: 11yrs Boys Shot Put (7.94m) Joel Faint: 12yrs Boys

See photos on the next page of the great day that was had by all. Thanks to Steve Richter for the photos.

Pathways | Volume 39 Number 10 | 6

What a great day we all had. Congratulations to

the children who showed great sportsmanship and

cheered on all children involved.

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Un-named Bank Deposit We have recently received a payment with the identifier ‘Deposit Sugarland Bundaberg’. We cannot determine from this reference who the payment has come from. Please check your bank records if you made a payment into the school bank between 24 to 26 May, 2017. If this payment belongs to you, could you please notify the office as soon as possible. If paying by internet banking – please ensure you put your identifier (A/c number, name e.g. 0821 Brown) as a reference.

The Pathways Newsletter is now available

on our school website

Go to www.stjohnsbundaberg.qld.edu.au

Click on News & Events - Newsletter

and follow the link to the newsletter

Issue 9, Wednesday 31 May, 2017

or go to our Facebook Page and you will find the link there

Phone 4132 6888

Date Activity Venue Details

14 June Disco Sausage Sizzle Orders Orders should be in by today

15 June Teddy Bears Picnic

Students can bring their teddy bear to

school

16 June School Disco School Hall Sausage Sizzle commences at 5.00pm

Disco 5.30pm – 7.30pm

17 June Bunnings Sausage Sizzle Come along and support our Year 6

Fundraising

20 June LLL Bank Deposit Books Please send your books in for interst

21 June Sprouts

School & Church

Grounds 3.15 – 5.00

Book & Toy Sale To be held at lunchtime

22 June Book & Toy Sale

23 June Last day of Term 2 – Closing Service St John’s Church Commencing at 2pm – Semester Awards

will be presented at this service.

10 July Student Free Day

11 July Term 3 commences with Opening

Service St John’s Church Commencing at 8.45am

Bundaberg Lutheran Parish

Parish Pastor: Pastor Wayne George

Phone: 4152 5900 Email: office@stjohnsbundaberg.org.au Website: www.stjohnsbundy.org.au

St John’s

30 George Street

Service Times

8.30am & 10am

Faith

Larson Street

Service Time

7.30am

Redeemer

Tirroan Rd, Gin

Gin

Service Time

8.00am

Rosedale

10.30am

1st Sunday of the

month

Gracehaven Chapel

Dr May’s Road

10.30am