24 February 2023 - Newsletter (Vol 40 No 2)

Helicopter Parents, Cottonwool Kids

I am sure that the terms ‘helicopter parents’ and ‘cottonwool kids’ are not new to many of you. For those who aren’t familiar with them, ‘helicopter parents’ refer to a parent who takes an overprotective or excessive interest in the life of their child or children, while ‘cottonwool kids’ refers to children who have not been exposed to the rough and tumble of daily life.

I am sure that these terms are not very helpful because being a parent is one of the most challenging roles there is, regardless the age of your children. Seeing your child through their teenage years, well that is another matter altogether. It is a constant challenge that can be very rewarding. Nevertheless, the terms do call for pause and reflection.

As a parent there are times when you agonise over a decision, you toss and turn, second guessing yourself. Most of the times the decisions are not clear cut and we do this because ultimately we want what is right for our kids.

Jesus was no different! He caused his parents problems, heartaches and concern. Remember when he disappeared in the temple? Joseph and Mary didn’t know where he was, they were in a state of panic. Jesus was reluctant to perform the miracle of water into wine (asked by his mother) at the Wedding Feast at Cana and his life and actions impacted on his family, not always in a positive sense.

Michael Grose, the bestselling author on parenting has much to say on raising children and says that at times parents love their children too much and these actions rob children of resilience, he refers to them as ‘resilience robbers’. 

1. Parents fight all their battles for them.
2. Parents make their child’s problem their problem.
3. Parents give kids too much voice.
4. Parents put unrealistic or relentless pressure on kids to perform.
5. Parents let kids give in too easily.
6. Parents neglect to develop independence.
7. Parents rescue kids from challenging or stretch situations.

These are confronting for us as parents and looking back, I am ‘guilty’ of so many of these myself. We are four weeks into the year and many parents are asking advice from coordinators and counsellors on how they can help their children. Can I recommend that you have a look at some of Michael’s writings, suggestions and resources as we all do our very best developing our young people to be the best they can be.

During 2023 one of the College goals is focusing on students becoming more engaged in their learning – learning inside and outside of the classroom. It’s a partnership between parents and the college, and one I look forward to progressing.

Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Please find below the Child Protection Policy and Procedures and the mandatory requirements documentation. Please click on the link to access the policy via the College website: https://www.cofhslism.catholic.edu.au/policies

God bless

Michael Carniato
Principal

The 17 April 2023 will mark 40 years since the official opening of stage 1 of John Paul College. During the year we will delve back into the history of the school in our newsletters and on our Facebook page.

This week we feature some aerial shots of the site as construction commenced.

Lent 2023

This week we observed the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Liturgies. As was the case in 2022, the College observed Ash Wednesday with 3 separate liturgies, in order to create a more prayerful atmosphere. Fr Peter provided a thought-provoking homily, reminding us that actions which come from our heart will have the greatest impact on our development into good people. 

Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter (not counting Sundays). It is a time when Christians renew 3 practices: 

• Fasting

• Praying  

• Giving

Choosing to go without, through fasting, reminds us of our dependence on God and Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Catholics refrain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent as penance and sacrifice. Fasting can also take the form of giving something up during Lent (such as chocolate, coffee, junk food, gossiping etc).

Especially during Lent, we are called to deepen our prayer life in order to grow closer to God and to remember Jesus’ life and death. God deeply desires to be in relationship with us - to give his heart and to receive ours. During Lent, we spend time reflecting on where we have fallen short of God’s hope for us and ask for forgiveness.

We are also encouraged to create a more just world and to show love for others through almsgiving. This can take many forms, such as donating money, a meal or volunteering your time to those who are less fortunate. 

Here are some easy prayers you can say to feel connected to God during Lent this year:

• “God, may Your light guide my day, and your spirit bring me peace. Amen.”
• “God, may my sacrifice of today of (state your Lenten sacrifice) remind me of my dependence on You for all the blessings I enjoy. Amen.”
• ”May I stand in solidarity today with all my brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering. May we be united in your love, and may I work to build your kingdom here on earth.”
• “Heavenly Father, I’m truly sorry for the moments today where I missed the mark. I ask for your forgiveness and the strength to better follow Your call tomorrow. Amen.”
• ”God, I lift up (name of the person you’d like to pray for) today. I ask that you bless them abundantly today and throughout Lent. Amen.”
• “Oh Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. Amen.”

(Source: Hallow)

P & F Meeting Tuesday 28 February 7pm (Week 5)

Through our Emmaus Project, SJPC staff collaborated to select Gospel passages and themes and align them to Year Groups. It is now time for our parent community to get involved in the project by selecting a Gospel passage and theme that they think best represents them as they accompany their children throughout their education and spiritual growth.

To begin this process, at our next P & F meeting, parents/carers will be presented with a range of Gospel passages to consider. After discussion as a group, these will be narrowed down to 3 Gospel passages. This is an important part of our school’s history and as such you are encouraged to come along and contribute to the discussion and decision making. We really would love to hear your thoughts.

After the P & F meeting, feedback will be sought from the whole parent community via a Google Form through which all parents/carers will have the chance to vote for their favourite Gospel passage. 

The theme of  ‘Belonging’ is the College focus in Term 1 for all year groups. Belonging Day and Night is held specifically for Year 7 as it is their first year at the College. Last Friday I had the pleasure of dropping in for a short time to the Yr 7 Belonging Day at Boambee Creek Reserve. This day consists of the Year 7 students being involved in a variety of activities that are facilitated by Homeroom teachers and our very enthusiastic Yr 10 Peer Mentors. Many of the activities are centred around teamwork and belonging. It was wonderful to witness the positive energy and huge smiles. The moment that really topped off my day, however, was when I received a phone call from a member of the public. The gentleman who phoned had been at the reserve with his wife and wanted to let me know how impressed he was with the behaviour of such a large group (250 students) and how well they were all getting along. We discussed how refreshing it was to receive such a phone call.

If we feel we belong, we also feel we can contribute. In belonging we are more inclined to give our opinion, become involved and strive for a common goal. As individuals we bring great diversity in the manner of experiences, culture and beliefs. Teamwork maximises the individual strengths of team members to bring out their best. Teamwork brings people together and motivates them to rely on one another to get things done. Teamwork also makes progress easier and allows the group to overcome obstacles that would have been difficult or impossible as an individual. Without teamwork, none of that would be possible.

I like to think of our school community as a team. One team. Not teams opposing another. Our students, parents and staff all bring a variety of strengths, talents and skill sets to our team. If we go back in time when our ancestors realised they could get much greater results if they worked together, we can conclude that teamwork is a game-changer. Cars, industrial machines, medicines, complicated surgeries, etc. could have never been real if we didn’t want to work together. Furthermore, many team sports could not have been invented and we were still living in the same conditions as our ancestors. On the other hand, the interesting fact is that no one forced our ancestors to work together back then. There was already an urge to collaborate with others to have better results in almost every job. So, we all have that desire deep inside us that motivates us towards working together. 

Our common goal is for our students, your children, to thrive to be the best version of themselves academically, socially,spiritually and physically. As a team we can achieve this together.

Uniform Matters

The College continues to take the uniform policy seriously. The expectations are clearly outlined in the College Diary. It is the student’s responsibility to wear the right uniform on the right day in the right manner. Parents are reminded that notes from home do not excuse students from lunchtime detention if the uniform is not worn correctly. 

In extreme situations parents should contact one of the Assistant Principals to discuss the concern.

Lunchtime Detention

The College holds Lunchtime Detentions on Monday - Thursday as part of its Student Management & Uniform Policy. Students are reminded that lunchtime detentions appear on their Compass Dashboard and must be served on the day it is given (except Thursday afternoon and Friday which need to be served on Monday). It is expected that students check their Compass Dashboard regularly throughout the day. Parents are currently able to view any Lunchtime Detentions issued to their child through the Calendar tab in their Compass App. We are currently working with Compass on a notification to be sent to the App in addition to the Calendar entry.

Students who fail to attend the lunchtime detention on the designated day will automatically be placed on the next Wednesday after school detention from 3:30pm - 4:10pm. Parents will be notified via email of the after school detention.

Until next time:

NAPLAN 2023

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

From 2023, NAPLAN will occur during Term 1 and will take place from Wednesday 15 March lasting over 4 days. The reason for this change is so that results can be returned to schools earlier in the year which will support teachers to understand the learning needs of their students and plan accordingly.

NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling. 

Students and parents can access the public demonstration site to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.

NAPLAN 2023 Information for parents and carers is attached. If you have any further questions about NAPLAN, please do not hesitate to contact the College. 

Resources include:

Public demonstration site

NESA NAPLAN website

NAP parent/carer support page

Watch a video that explains tailored testing

Study Skills

Learn more about the ‘managing stress’ resources through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au . Our College access details are:

School’s Username – stjohnpaul

School’s password – 89success

In addition, our subscription to Elevate Education may assist in this area.

This online platform contains resources and useful study tips that all SJPC students will find effective. We encourage them to access this Student Portal and try some of the strategies. Students have the password to this site. The password can also be found on the Curriculum Noticeboard.

AMDG

James Furey
Assistant Principal
Learning and Teaching

Canteen

Finance

For fee related enquiries and payment plan assistance, please contact the Catholic Schools Office by email: cofhs-fees@lism.catholic.edu.au

The Catholic Schools Office Fee Enquiry

Ph: 6653 1655 - Mell and Tess

Office Hours: 8:30am to 4:00pm
Email: cofhs-fees@lism.catholic.edu.au

SJPC Communication - Facebook

Do you follow SJPC's facebook page? This is where you will find reminders of upcoming social events, sporting updates, transport delays, job advertisements and photos of SJPC students participating in everyday life at the College.

To start following St John Paul College, Coffs Harbour please click on this link

Compass - Permission to Leave School during the Day - Early Departure

The survey results will be discussed at the P&F meeting on Tuesday 28 February at 7pm in the College Library. 

As many in our community already know, at SJPC we recognise that learning is not static. It is a continual process that involves practice, reflection, adjustment, and refinement. 

Our focus is on student growth and building the capacity of learners to improve. The NSW education system uses a standards referenced approach based on what students are expected to learn and how well they have achieved, with grades being the indicators of the level of achievement of outcomes in each course. However, grades are only part of the discussion, they are not the discussion. 

As such, we have a flexible, supportive approach to assessment in Years 7 – 9 with an emphasis on developing an attitude which promotes continuous improvement, engagement and therefore learning. 

Our aim is to develop expert, engaged learners who are motivated, knowledgeable, resourceful and goal-directed.

Learners who are focused on effective habits and routines as opposed to deadlines. Students in Years 7 – 9 have multiple opportunities to provide evidence of their learning and achievement of course outcomes across a semester, with feedback playing a vital role in student growth and improvement. Grades are based on this evidence which teachers have collected during the teaching and learning cycle.

Students are encouraged to;

• reflect on their learning and whether they have met each lesson’s success criteria 
• act on feedback from their teachers and peers regarding which strategies they need to employ to improve. 

It is important that we continue to ensure everyone understands what learning, assessment and grading ’looks’ like. 

Our Year 9 students attended a curriculum presentation last Tuesday which outlined many of the ideas discussed here.  The students were receptive, engaged and well-mannered during the entire presentation. With the cohort achieving an average of 73% in the exit quiz! The majority of these young adults showed they were ready to take on the more challenging Stage 5 curriculum, including their 3 new electives.

All information regarding Scope and Sequences of courses, and what assessment looks like in Years 7 to 9 can be accessed via the Assessment Information booklets on the Curriculum page of the College website. SJPC Curriculum

Last newsletter we included information about the how you, as parents and carers, can gain some insight into how you can best support your children in developing effective study habits by registering for Elevate’s free Parent Support Webinar series. It was wonderful to see many of our community register for the last Webinar How to Get (And Keep) Your Child Motivated This Year?

Elevate Education's next free webinar will be taking place on Wednesday 1 March, focusing on Time Management.

Elevate Education works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how you can help better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.

The College continues to base decision making on data and educational research. We ask you to continue to trust us to implement the strategies that international educational research has shown to be effective.

Below is a video you may find helpful when discussing how to study effectively with your children.

 13 Study Tips - The Science of Better Learning

Claudia Brown
Leader of Curriculum

All things Literacy, because Literacy matters in all things

Vocabulary is an important focus in literacy teaching. Words all have:

• meaning, which can vary according to context
• phonology – sounds
• morphology – word parts
• syntax - the way in which words are arranged to form phrases or sentences
• uses - depending on context.

Oral vocabulary refers to words that children can understand or use while speaking and listening. Oral vocabulary is closely related to reading vocabulary, which is the words that children can recognise and use in their reading or writing.

Children need to have a rich vocabulary that continually grows through language and literacy experiences, in order to comprehend and construct increasingly complex texts, and engage in oral language for a variety of social purposes. It is an unconstrained skill, meaning we continue to develop it over our life span.

There is a close association between vocabulary skills and how well teenagers read and write. For this reason, supporting vocabulary skills and the acquisition of new words has the potential to positively impact the ability to read, write and understand in all aspects of life.

Here at SJPC, we thoroughly enjoy sharing our passion for words and we encourage you to foster this thirst for vocabulary in the home.

Attached is a beautiful clip exploring the young boy who loved and collected words - a beautiful story to share at home. Also, engage in our college ‘Word Of the Week’

The Boy Who Loved Words

Word of the Week - 4

Felicity (noun)

DEFINITION: The quality or state of being happy. An instance of happiness.

IN A SENTENCE: The felicities of school life peek through the stress.

Marriage has brought him a felicity that he has never known before.

The poet is well known for his felicities.

Word of the Week - 5

Mellifluous (adjective)

DEFINITION: Having a smooth, rich flow; sweet sounds

IN A SENTENCE: She has a rich, mellifluous voice.

In or out of uniform, his motion is described as languid and his voice relaxed and mellifluous.

Maree McKelvie

After many years without exchange students, this year SJPC has welcomed 5 students from our sister school, Reitaku Mizunami High School, in Gifu, Japan. All of the students are living with SJPC host families and are attending classes in Year 11. 

Anna Kato, Ayano Yasumoto, Arisa Hashiba, Jun Arai and Sakiha Koketsu are with us for 3 months and will get the opportunity to experience our school life as well as all the Coffs Coast has to offer. 

We would like to welcome the students and thank their host families, fellow students and all their teachers for their hospitality. This program, which has been running successfully for 12 years, would not be possible without the entire SJPC community’s support.

Kirsten Binnie
Leader of Learning - Languages

This week we have been testing critical reasoning skills to finalise the students who will be offered a position in the HP&G program this year.  Students were selected to participate in the testing based on an aggregate of the objective data we have available (Naplan, PAT Testing, academic achievement) and subjective referrals (self/teacher/parent). This test assesses each student’s ability in the three domains of: conceptual reasoning, basic logic and argument analysis.  Students will receive feedback on their achievement in the three domains in the next few days.  

A sample of one of the argument analysis questions is detailed here:

Offers for the HP&G program will be made early next week.  At the critical reasoning test, I commended all of the participants on their achievement to date, and encouraged them to keep striving for academic excellence regardless of whether they are part of the program or not.  Aside from Year 7, where participants will be reviewed post NAPLAN data, positions will last for the duration of 2023.

Over the holidays I was reading about some of the longest-running longitudinal surveys of intellectually talented students.  Commencing in 1971 under the guidance of professor Julian Stanley, the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth has tracked the vocational choices and accomplishments of over 5000 individuals.  The research highlights the importance of nurturing the skills of high-potential and Gifted students and suggests that spatial perceptiveness is one of the core skills in fostering creativity and technical innovation. Similarly, the Munich Longitudinal Study of Giftedness found that curiosity and creativity are important indicators of later excellence.  This study tracked 26,000 gifted students in the mid-1980s.

In an effort to foster gifted learning behaviours, parents and schools can do the following:

• “Expose children to diverse experiences;
• When a child exhibits strong interests or talents, provide opportunities to develop them;
• Support both intellectual and emotional needs;
• Help children to develop a ‘growth mindset’ by praising effort, not ability;
• Encourage children to take intellectual risks and to be open to failures that help them learn” (Vazquex, 2016).

References

Clynes, T. (2016). How to raise a genius: Lessons from a 45-year study of super-smart children. Nature, 537(7619), 152–155. https://doi.org/10.1038/537152a 

Perleth, C., & Heller, K. A. (1994). The Munich longitudinal study of giftedness. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/12163459.pdf 

Vazquez, L. (2016). Want to raise a child genius? A study running for 45 years has suggestions. Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/how-to-raise-genius-kids/ 

Aaron Dewhurst
Leader of High Potential Learning

Vicki Foggiato
Leader of Learning - Visual Arts

Mia McKeon (Year 12), Ruby Flanders (Year 10), Jaxon White (Year 9) and Poppi Flanders (Year 8) were selected in their respective Diocesan Touch Football teams. They will now travel to Wagga Wagga to compete against other Dioceses in the State. We wish them all well.

Mia McKeon

Ruby Flanders

Jaxon White

Poppi Flanders

Isla Martin (Year 10) recently competed at the NSW Country Swimming Championships in Sydney. Not only did she win the 14s 100m Backstroke, she also recorded a personal best time by 1.5 seconds! An amazing result.

Isla Martin

Nikolas Davies (Year 11) has been selected to attend a youth academy in England for West Ham in Football. We congratulate him on this exciting achievement. 

Nikolas Davies

Danielle McAra
Sport Co-ordinator

Username: stjohnpaul
Password: 89success

Wednesday 22 March - 5.30pm - 6.45pm
College Theatre
Registration opens 10 March - click on the link