Dear Parents/Carers and Students,
We are at the end of Term 2. Due to COVID-19 it has been a very different term of learning and teaching. We have now been back on site for full face to face teaching for five weeks and it is great that we have resumed some normality. Students and teachers have returned to many of the usual school routines, where we have found some comfort in familiar practices. I thank all parents/carers and families for their patience and support during this term.
For teachers and students and parents/carers, online/remote learning from home was challenging; not only did we manage, but we continued to thrive. The greatest of challenges are the ones we face when we do not expect them, and when we think we cannot, we overcome them. For our students, this has been a time of their greatest achievements. I am very proud of every St John Paul II student. They have remained resilient and they have kept in the forefront of their thinking, their focus on their learning and caring for others.
In Term 3 we will begin reintroducing some of the usual school activities, in accordance with advice from NSW Department of Health. MCS and MCCS Sport will recommence and essential curriculum excursions will be re-organised. Year and school assemblies will re-occur when it is permissible for them to do so.
For students in Year 12, communication will be sent to families regarding dates of significant graduation events. The nature and format of these events are subject to advice from NSW Department of Health, but we will ensure that the rites of passage associated with the important occasion of school completion and graduation are appropriately honoured.
2021 Enrolment Update
We have many applications for Year 7 next year and enrolment acceptances have been posted to the families. If you know of any family wishing to enrol for 2021 please ask them to contact Mrs Fay Lovett on 9208 7200 to avoid the disappointment of missing out on a place next year.
Currently I am reading the Semester 1 Student Learning Reports and would like to congratulate the many students who achieved ‘personal bests’, and/or their own learning goals. Year 11 and 12 Semester 1 reports were issued earlier this term and Year 7 – 10 Reports will be issued before the end of this term. Students will be receiving their Parent/Carers/Student/Teacher Online interview information booking sheet for the interviews in the next week.
Parent/Carers/Student/Teacher Semester 1 Online Interviews
Due to current NSW Health guidelines parents/carers in large numbers are not allowed on school sites. This means the Year 7-12 Parent/Carers/Teacher/Student Interviews will be held via zoom on Thursday 25 July from 3.00pm to 7pm and Friday 26 July from 8.00am to 2.15pm.
There will not be any formal classes held on Friday 26 July. If your child requires supervision at school on this day, they can attend the Schofields campus for supervision in the library. All families are encouraged to take this opportunity to discuss online with their son/daughter’s teachers their learning progress. Information about how to book an interview will be sent to all families before the end of this term.
Student Attendance
Since the students returned full time to school, we have re-commenced the focus on improving school attendance. We know that students who attend school regularly find it easier to keep up with work and they also find it easier to form strong friendships with others. Unless there are significant reasons for your child not to be at school on any given day (they may be ill etc.), then we urge parents and carers to continue to ensure their children attend regularly. Regular attendance at school not only helps students understand and complete their classwork it also provides valuable social and cultural experiences.
Staff Update
Term 2.
Mrs Pavic has commenced her maternity leave. Mr Kroon is now teaching Mrs Pavic’s classes and Mr Straw is teaching Mr Kroon’s classes. This arrangement is for the remainder of 2020.
Mrs Madigan who is also on maternity leave. Her classes are being taught by Ms Zore and Ms Rodriguez.
Term 3.
For the majority of Term 3 Mr Bevan DeVries will be replacing Mr Morgan while he is on leave. Justine Phillips will be the Acting Student Learning Liaison – Year 7.
Ms Rosemary de Santa Brigida - Learning Support – Teacher’s Aides has completed her work at our college and found full time employment. Her part time position will be completed by Ashley Martin
Staff Learning – Pupil Free Days
As you are aware, we have postponed our previous advertised Staff Learning-Pupil Free Days for this year. These days were replaced by other days devoted to staff to prepare for remote/online learning.
To assist with your planning, our next Staff Learning - Pupil Free Day is Friday 25 September. The other Staff Learning-Pupil Free Days are Friday 20 November, Thursday 17 December and Friday 18 December. Please contact the college a week before each Staff Learning-Pupil Free Day if you require supervision for your child on these days at school.
Reflection
In reflecting on the journey so far in the COVID-19 world I could not help appreciating the opportunities it has given for schools to have greater autonomy and for students to have greater autonomy and choice in their learning. Let us use this opportunity to make our continued return to school an even greater learning experience. ‘It’s All About Learning’
Finally, a reminder that Term 3 commences for all students on Monday 20 July – Week A Timetable.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.' Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person.As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me.This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever.
Refugee Week
Australia joins with the world in celebrating Refugee Week, this year culminating in World Refugee Day on Saturday June 20. During this week, we are asked to reflect on and, if possible, contribute to creating a ‘better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.’ This year, as we celebrate ‘the year of welcome’, we continue to celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
In celebrating Refugee Week, we are called to be Christ in action - to reach out in care and appreciation to those who have come to our land and our community for shelter and new beginnings.
Respecting the Learning Environment
Learning is the core business of schools. Learning is optimal in a positive, focused environment where learning intention and success criteria are clear and all students are working together to achieve their individual and collective goals. We believe that our parents expect this style of learning environment for their children. Thus, as Assistant Principals, we work with our Stage Team to support teachers and students to maintain this environment.
STJPII & St Joseph’s Access
From Monday 22nd June, the back gate that previously allowed access between the two schools will be closed. This is a localised decision to assist both schools in meeting the new requirements around COVID-19 and keeping our communities safe.
A letter was sent home to all families who previously used the access gate, and a copy of this letter can be obtained from the College Office. Please contact the school if you would like a copy of this letter.
Any student who has concerns please contact Mr Hulme at STJPII, or Ms Del Vecchio at St Joseph’s. We thank you for our understanding at this challenging time.
COMPASS - Keeping Parents Informed
https://stjohnpaul2-nsw.compass.education/
STJPII Catholic College now utilises a parent portal called Compass School Manager. Students and staff also have a similar portal that they use.
Compass enables the school to communicate information to parents, post important dates and activities on the Calendar, book parent-teacher interviews and most importantly, provide rich, ongoing information about student progress. Parents and students are able to access this information from home 24 hours-7 days a week.
Rather than issuing two hard-copy paper reports each year, teachers provide mid-term and end-term Progress Report via Compass to help parents track their child’s learning progress. Semester Reports are provided online twice a year for each year group detailing student grade ratings (or Task rankings/Cumulative in Yr 11 & 12), work effort & behaviour and progress in Specialist areas.
Semester 1 Reporting
Year 12 Semester 1 - Released to parents via Compass (Available now)
Year 11 Semester 1 - Released to parents via Compass (Available now)
Year 7 - 10 Semester 1 - Will be released during Week 10 - Keep an eye out for an SMS
As always, regular communication between teachers and parents continues to be encouraged through either face-to-face interactions (not currently possible due to COVID-19 restrictions), phone calls or Zoom appointments at any time throughout the school year.
Compass allows the College to communicate more efficiently with parents. Using Compass you will be able to access the following:
Email address and mobile phone number | Update your details through the portal. The details listed will be used to send emails and SMS alerts |
Attendance | View your child’s attendance online, approve absences and indicate future absences |
Parent/student/teacher interviews | Make appointments with teachers (Coming soon) |
News feed | The College will post news to parents to remind you about events and activities at the school. Your news feed will be customised showing only the information relevant to you and your children |
Access College Resources | View the latest Newsletter, Subject Handbooks, Assessment Handbooks and Calendars, and the view the College Calendar |
Excursions | Approve your child’s participation in excursions and other special events (Coming Soon) |
Reports | Semester Reports are available online through the Compass portal for viewing, printing and downloading for storage (Yr 7-10 Released Week 10) |
We apologise in advance if there are any technical and/or data issues as we implement this new online resource to the entire College community. If you do receive any incorrect data, please call the College to notify us of your concern. We thank you for your understanding.
Accessing CompassCompass is a web-based system that is accessible on any modern web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc) or by using the Compass iOS or Andriod apps (simply search for “Compass School Manager”).
Every family receives a separate login to Compass which will be emailed out to each family. To access the parent portal, click the Compass logo at the bottom of this page.
If you have forgotten your password, or are having any difficulties logging in, please contact the school on
Student Uniform Expectations
A final reminder: Hoodies are NOT to be worn at any time with the College Uniform. Hoodies that are worn to school will be confiscated.
For extra warmth students have the option of wearing a neutral top (plain colour, no patterns or logos) under the college shirt or polo and/or the College red jumper. There is a non-wool mix option. The College uniform requirements are clearly stated in the College Planner and on the College Website.
The College sport uniform is ONLY to be worn when a student has PACT sport, PDHPE practical and a relevant elective. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in a uniform demerit and isolation for repeated offence.
Given the presence of COVID-19 coupled with the commencement of the influenza (flu) season, our school has an important responsibility to provide a safe environment for students and staff. Your child should not attend school if they are showing any flu like symptoms.
If a student is sent to the office with flu like symptoms we will place them in isolation and call their parents to organise for them to be collected as soon as possible.
Your support in keeping our school healthy and safe is appreciated.
Year 10 have been exploring texts of various styles and forms and the concepts that are explored within them. We started off the year with ‘Spoken Word’, a type of poetry that is designed to be a protest, highlighting issues that are real within life. Below are some examples of the Spoken Word written by students in Miss Kervin’s class. They explore concepts that are close to many hearts and include a ‘Call to Action’ that we can all take note of and follow.
Students moved on to look at how texts are making us rethink the way that we look at Refugees followed by their current novel study and how composers can highlight human values in texts.
Students in Year 8 have taken an opportunity to take some Mathematics outside of the classroom and use their playground to learn about angles, by using some chalk and their feet (as angles) to help recognise the different types of angles associated in parallel lines.
Students were acquainted with the following terms:
parallel lines
transversal line
equidistant
alternate angles
corresponding angles
co-interior angles
Religious Education in the Diocese of Parramatta has undergone much change in the last two years. Term 3 2020 marks the next step towards a new curriculum that will replace ‘Sharing Our Story’, the current curriculum that has been in place for over 20 years.
The process of developing a new approach, currently known as the Draft New Curriculum, has been a collaboration with students, parents, teachers, clergy and system leaders. This innovative and ambitious project has led to the development of Learning Cycles (one per term), that apply scripture and tradition in a meaningful way to the contemporary life of young people. This endeavour supports our students to grow in faith and understanding through prayer, reason and action in daily life.
In Term 3, using experiential learning through student inquiry, students in Stage 5 will engage with one Learning Cycle (unit of work) from the Draft New Curriculum. In preparation for the 2021 implementation, teachers are continuing to participate in extensive theological formation and professional learning. This is an exciting opportunity for our faith community of St John Paul II to further exclaim our commitment to empowering all our young people to discover a meaningful and flourishing life.
We look forward to sharing this journey with you throughout the term and will keep you updated about opportunities that will extend the learning experience further for students and their families.
Stage 4 Music
In term 3, our Year 7 and 8 music students have been challenged to develop their composition skills using the Music Software Program Soundtrap.
In Year 7, students have created some impressive works in their study of Program Music. Students selected a narrative, then carefully arranged music loops to tell the story.
In Year 8, students have become Film Composers as they create music to convey a given scene. They have arranged music loops to portray the mood and events of a specific film scene.
We are thrilled with the quality and detail of these works and are pleased to showcase two impressive compositions.
Year 7 - Ysabella Sibucao: “Aliens”
Year 8 - Dean Ocampo: “Jumanji - Stampede”
Congratulations to our Stage 4 Music Students for their amazing composition works.
Year 12 Construction class practically applied their skills by doing some concreting on our senior campus, preparing a slab for some additional seating in the shade.
Joining the rest of the world, schools have returned to some sense of normalcy. With it, the Public Speaking competition has also finally returned after being postponed for a few weeks.
William Spiteri and Aryan Singh of year 7 competed in the Zone Finals with other students via zoom conferences. Although this new format was unfamiliar and presented some challenges, both students adapted to the circumstance and performed brilliantly.
Though unfortunately, William and Aryan did not progress to the finals, and despite this, we want to congratulate both students for their efforts and representing the school in an exceptional manner.
Recently, Year 8 students participated in the Education Perfect World Series Language Competition which is an annual online competition from the 14-21 of May.
STJPll students earn points by completing any language content. With the vocabulary activities they need to get a word correct twice in a row to earn a point.
As you saw in the results I sent, the students at the school earned over 15,000 points and spent an estimated 85 hours online which is a great achievement.
For information - Education Perfect is an online platform to learn and revise Italian and other subjects which all students are enrolled in.
This year we had 28 applicants for The WSU Access Program and we would like to commend all of them for the quality and high standard of their applications.
Students who attend St John Paul II Catholic College have a unique opportunity to undertake university study at the same time as they undertake year 11 at school. This opportunity is a result of the partnership between: the schools; Western Sydney University; and Western Sydney University The College.
Students who successfully complete a unit are able to gain an early offer of enrolment into most WSU courses on the completion of their HSC. Students may also become eligible for the award of a substantial scholarship of up to $20 000 as a result of successful completion of these units.
Student Representative Council
During Term 2, SRC representatives and students attended Mass at Mary Immaculate Church, Quakers Hill. Our students were eager to attend Mass after some restrictions were lifted due to COVID 19.
SRC representatives have also been involved with contributing and assisting teachers and students with Friday Morning Prayer held at our College.
Please follow us and stay connected on instagram @STJPIICC
Stay up to date with the latest events at STJPIICC. For future important dates click here ...
STUDENTS MUST CARRY A VALID OPAL CARD FOR EVERY TRIP
A reminder that Students are required to tap on and off with their Opal card or show their School bus pass when boarding.
We have suggested that students take a photo of the reverse side of their card (Showing student/card number) on their phones for the days they may forget their card. This can then be shown to drivers/Opal Card Inspectors to show a valid card exists.
If students do not have an OPAL Card, the full fare must be paid.
STUDENT PICK UP / DROP OFF ZONE
A reminder to parents/caregivers -The drop off / pick up zone for our Schofields Campus is located next to the College at Rose Cottage and has a separate entry and exit driveway. We ask that parents/caregivers dropping off or picking up students please use these entry and exit driveways. Where possible if pick up times could be staggered to assist with the congestion that has been occurring in light of an increase in parents/caregivers picking up their children due to COVID-19.
Please refrain from parking across the marked crossings.
NOTE: As an alternative you can also park in adjacent streets - Arilla Close which runs adjacent to the school and can be accessed via Beacon Drive or Brookfield Street, The Ponds which is directly opposite the College.
For the SAFETY of our students and COVID-19 restrictions we ask parents/caregivers not to drive into the College to pick up or drop off - we really appreciate your assistance in this matter.
ATTENDANCE
As we work together in responding to COVID-19, we remind parents/carers to keep your child at home if they have flu-like symptoms. If your child is away, please advise the school by logging into the Compass Parent Portal.
Under your child’s profile, select + Add Attendance Note. Select reason code from dropdown menu and enter further information in Details/Comments section (if necessary). Ensure you have the correct date and select SAVE.
Note: If selecting “Other Explained” then an explanation must be added in the Details/Comments section.
For absences of 5 days or more an Application for Extended Leave must be completed and are available from the College Website. If your child is ill or showing any flu-like symptons, please keep them at home and notify school via Compass portal, as detailed above.
Any work that is missed must be followed up by the student and parents. All assessment dates are published in the student handbook. Could we also ask that Doctor/Dentist appointments are made after school hours.
CONTACTING TEACHERS
The school office is open from 7:30am until 3:30pm. If calling for a teacher please allow them 24 hours to return your call. Parents/Caregivers are asked to remember that teachers are in class during the day and have meetings after school hours. Please make sure an appointment is made with a teacher before coming into the school as a teacher cannot meet with a parent/caregiver during a scheduled learning time or meeting. We thank you for your understanding.
Student Medical Action Plans
Parent/Caregivers are reminded to send in updated Medical Action Plans for students, these can be supplied by your GP.
Student Medication
A reminder that any PRESCRIBED MEDICATION needs to be accompanied by a letter from the prescribing doctor with dosage requirements and kept in the office for our staff to administer.
If you wish our office staff to administer any NON PRESCRIBED MEDICATION, it also MUST have a label from the pharmacy stating the student’s name and dosage requirements and a letter from a parent authorising our staff to administer the medication. The exception is reliever puffers for the emergency treatment of asthma.
Student Devices
It is the expectation that every student brings a charged laptop to school everyday. Most subject areas use Google Classroom and email communication to connect with the students and their learning.
Mobile phones
Students are not permitted to use mobile phones during normal class time. A mobile phone must be switched off during learning time. The use of social media is not permitted at STJPII. Could we ask that if a parent/caregiver needs to send a message to a student that they call the school office so a message can be given to the student. At no time is a student permitted to film or take an image of another student or community member without specific permission.
The appropriate school shoes are a requirement of the school uniform.
The college uniform identifies us as members of the same community and ensures students are well dressed.
When the correct shoes are worn, students satisfy WHS requirements and look professionally dressed.
Please use this Safe, professional and appropriate footwear guide when preparing your child’s uniform.
Please note that students will be asked to purchase new shoes if they are not wearing school or sport shoes that satisfy the requirements of the college uniform code.
All Assessment Handbooks are available online from the website OR COMPASS Community School Documentation Parent Portal parents/caregivers and students to access.
The following Busways information can be found on the website under In The Loop / School Notes / Bus Information
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