Volume 2

February 20, 2025

VOLUME 2

20 February 2025

The prayer below is taken from my prayer during the Parent Information Evening.

Dear God

We ask for Your blessings on our school, our families, and our community. May we work together in harmony and with a spirit of cooperation, always keeping the best interests of our children at the forefront of our minds.

Amen

PRINCIPAL'S WELCOME

Dear Parents

It has been a pleasant but busy start to the school year and I am looking forward to working with the children and their families throughout the year.

I am really excited by our Aboriginal Cultural Evening next Friday (28/2). All children are involved in the performances and have been preparing and planning during the last 3 weeks. The evening should provide all who attend a little insight into our Aboriginal traditions and heritage whilst being involved in lots of enjoyable activities and performances for everyone. Additionally, a food van will be serving from 4:30pm. The children’s performances will be commencing at 5:00pm. Remember to come wearing yellow, red and black or clothing featuring Aboriginal design! Please see the flyer at the end of this newsletter.

Parent Information Evening

Thank you to parents who were able to attend the Information Evening last Wednesday. During the whole school session, amongst the information I shared, were the following points:

A student wellbeing program called UR Strong was introduced last year. UR Strong is a whole school approach to building strong relationships by equipping students with healthy strategies to manage conflict in their relationships. Parents are invited to attend an ONLINE Language of Friendship parent-child workshop for URSTRONG Schools on Wednesday 26 February at 6:00pm. Dana Kerford, Founder of URSTRONG, will teach you and your children skills and language to foster healthy, feel-good friendships. This workshop will take place online via Zoom.

When it’s time: CLICK HERE TO JOIN

Meeting ID: 879 0334 8026

Password: URSTRONG

Regarding staff wellbeing, we are encouraging a healthy work/life balance. To assist us in enabling our teachers to disconnect from work and technology at the end of their working hours, there is no expectation that they will respond to calls, emails, texts or other communications outside of school hours. This also applies when the teachers are on Professional Development and on non-working days. Work hours are between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

A cross-schools sibling discount with Mater Dei and Irene McCormack continues, please collect the necessary forms from the office and complete and hand to the office prior to the cut-of date listed in the accompanying letter.

Ash Wednesday Mass

Our first whole school mass for the year takes place on Wednesday 5th March at 9.00am. Families and parishioners are welcome to attend and join with the students for the Ash Wednesday Mass.

School Fees

Fees for the 2025 school year have been issued, and there are a number of options for payment. Should you wish to start a payment plan or if you have account enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

This week, a SMS reminder was sent out for Health Care Card holders who are wishing to access the discount to the tuition fee, or have an expired Health Care Card, to provide a copy to the school office as a current card needs to be held by the school for you to access the health care card discount. Please note that without a current Health Care Card we have no option but to charge full fees.

Sacramental Commitment Mass

All students who are celebrating a Sacrament this year will need to attend the 9.30am Mass this Sunday. Further information and the commitment form are provided below in this newsletter.

Playgroup

Playgroup has commenced again this year, with the session taking place on Friday’s between 8:30 and 10:30am. All parents with children aged 0-4 are welcome to attend. There is no cost for playgroup and we are welcoming of all.

Prayers for Ace

Ace is a Year 2 student at St John Paul II CPS. He has been battling cancer since August 2023, the treatments have been invasive and intensive. He is currently being cared for in Perth Children’s hospital, where he has been since December last year. Ace’s most recent major treatment has been a bone marrow transplant, and he is currently in isolation while he recovers. The next 3 months are critical, and we pray his body accepts the transplant.

In Harmony

Martin Tucker

Principal

ST JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL INFORMATION

SCHOOL TIMES

Start: 8.25am

Finish 3.00pm

Monday - Finish 2.00pm

KINDERGARTEN TIMES

Start 8.25am

Finish 2.45pm

Monday - Finish 2.00pm

BREAKFAST CLUB

Wednesday 7.45 - 8.15am

HUNGRY JPs CANTEEN

Thursday Recess & Lunch

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

FEBRUARY

Sun 23rd Sacramental Commitment Mass 9.30am
Wed 26th Language of Friendship URSTRONG online workshop 6.00 - 7.15pm
Fri 28th P&F Cultural Night 4.30-7.00pm

MARCH

Mon 3rd PUBLIC HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL
Weds 5th Ash Wednesday Mass 9.00am
12th - 24th NAPLAN Year 3 & Year 5
Mon 24th Collaborative Conferences 2.00 - 6.00pm
Weds 26th Collaborative Conferences 3.00 - 5.00pm
Mon 31st PD Day - NO SCHOOL

APRIL

Fri 11th Last Day Term 1
Mon 28th First Day of Term 2

CENTERED ON JESUS CHRIST

Sacramental Commitment Mass

All students celebrating:

Confirmation (mainly Year 6’s)
1st Eucharist (mainly Year 4’s)
Penance / Reconciliation (mainly Year 3’s)

will need to attend the Commitment Mass with their parents on Sunday 23 February at 9.30am. This is part of the students preparation to celebrate one of the Sacraments later in 2025.

If your child is not baptised and you would like this to happen please contact Fr. Phillip, our Parish Assistant Priest, on 6400 0276 or 0448255838

At the Commitment Mass, students will be asked to bring forward their commitment form. Copies of these will be available at the Church and have been distributed in class.

*Please note that children can still receive the Sacraments in a different year level (e.g.: A Year 5 student may celebrate their First Eucharist, or a Year 6 may be preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation).

PROJECT COMPASSION

Our assembly for launching Caritas Project Compassion 2025 is this Friday morning led by our Year 6s. Spanning across the 40 days of Lent, Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools and parishes together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world.

For the remainder of this term we will be inviting children to contribute to project compassion – all funds raised will be collated at the end of the term and passed onto Caritas Australia to support these communities in need. All the support you are able to provide will be gratefully received.

One of the yearly highlights of Project Compassion is the opportunity to engage with the stories that show the difference Project Compassion makes to the lives of others. I would encourage you to look at one of the stories on the Caritas website to see how our contributions are helping others.

ASH WEDNESDAY

On Wednesday 5 March we will come together as a school community for our Ash Wednesday Mass. All members of our school and parish community are welcome to join us.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season of the Church. It is a time to prepare to celebrate the great feast of Easter.

For forty days, we accompany Jesus on his journey to Calvary and we see the mercy he shows towards others, despite his suffering. Just as God shows mercy towards us, like Jesus, how can we show mercy to others?

While Jesus was in the desert he hardly had any food to eat or water to drink.

How can we support the less fortunate in our community?

Lent is a time when like Jesus in the desert, we spend 40 days trying to become closer to God.

We look at our lives and prepare ourselves for Easter.

We try to pray more and share more, thinking less about ourselves and more about other people, our neighbours at home and around the world.

IMPORTANT FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CONCESSION CARD SCHOOL FEE DISCOUNT SCHEME

To access the Concession Card Assistance Scheme, an eligible Family Health Care or Family Pensioner Concession card must be presented to our Administration Office, with a completed Concession Card Application form, which is attached below and available at the office.

Please note these need to be completed and sent to the Office by Thursday, 13th February 2025.

The card must be in the name of the parent/guardian who is responsible for the payment of fees.

Please click on the link below to access the Concession Card Application Form:

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CONCESSION Card Application - SJPIICPS 2025.pdf

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CROSS SCHOOL SIBLING DISCOUNT SCHEME

Please click on the link below to access the information regarding our cross-school sibling discount schemes with Mater Dei College and Irene McCormack Catholic College.