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Frequently Asked Questions
at St John's, Narraweena
Does my child need to come to school every day? - jump to link
What if my child has to stay away from school? - jump to link
How do I contact a teacher? - jump to link
What uniform should my child wear each day? - jump to link
What is NAPLAN all about? - jump to link
Can I visit St John's to see if it's right for my child? - jump to link
When can I enrol my child at St John's? - jump to link
Do we have to be catholic to enrol at St John's? - jump to link
How do I know if my child is ready for school? - jump to link
What if my child has to stay away from school? - jump to link
How do I contact a teacher? - jump to link
What uniform should my child wear each day? - jump to link
What is NAPLAN all about? - jump to link
Can I visit St John's to see if it's right for my child? - jump to link
When can I enrol my child at St John's? - jump to link
Do we have to be catholic to enrol at St John's? - jump to link
How do I know if my child is ready for school? - jump to link
Does my child need to come to school every day? |
Yes!
Children are expected to attend all school activities, on time. School begins at 8:40 am with assembly which is part of the school day. Regular attendance helps your child develop the skills needed to learn, helps your child to learn the importance of punctuality and routine, and ensures your child can keep and maintain friendships.
Missing school can have a major impact on a child’s future – a student missing one day a fortnight will miss four full weeks by the end of the year. By Year 10 they’ll have missed more than a year of school. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.
Learning Every Day Counts - https://www.csodbb.catholic.edu.au/attendance-matters/
Children are expected to attend all school activities, on time. School begins at 8:40 am with assembly which is part of the school day. Regular attendance helps your child develop the skills needed to learn, helps your child to learn the importance of punctuality and routine, and ensures your child can keep and maintain friendships.
Missing school can have a major impact on a child’s future – a student missing one day a fortnight will miss four full weeks by the end of the year. By Year 10 they’ll have missed more than a year of school. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.
Learning Every Day Counts - https://www.csodbb.catholic.edu.au/attendance-matters/
What if my child has to stay away from school? |
If your child is sick or absent from school, you are legally obliged to contact the school and provide a reason for your child’s absence. To explain an absence parents and carers should add an Attendance note via their Compass account. If you CAN NOT access Compass - please let us know and we will help you with resetting your password/account.
Taking children out of school for long absences is discouraged. If children are away from school for 10 days or longer, an ‘Application for Extended Leave’ (available on the school website) must be completed and signed off by the school principal. The principal will determine whether any absence is justified or unjustified and whether a pattern of absences needs to be followed up. Expectations on schools for the monitoring of school attendance have been increased. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us with this obligation.
Taking children out of school for long absences is discouraged. If children are away from school for 10 days or longer, an ‘Application for Extended Leave’ (available on the school website) must be completed and signed off by the school principal. The principal will determine whether any absence is justified or unjustified and whether a pattern of absences needs to be followed up. Expectations on schools for the monitoring of school attendance have been increased. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us with this obligation.
How do I contact a teacher? |
If you need to get in touch with a teacher at St John’s there are a couple of easy ways to do it.
You can email the school office at [email protected] with ‘For the attention of ______’ in the subject line and it will be passed onto that teacher. Teachers also have their direct email address on their class pages on this site.
You can also send a request through Compass. Click on ‘Contact’ and fill in your details (See Parent page and the 'Notes' page on the website for information on using Compass).
You can phone the school office on 9971 9297 and leave a message for the teacher to call you back.
You can give your child a note to pass on to the teacher (or record in student diaries for Years 5 & 6).
You can email the school office at [email protected] with ‘For the attention of ______’ in the subject line and it will be passed onto that teacher. Teachers also have their direct email address on their class pages on this site.
You can also send a request through Compass. Click on ‘Contact’ and fill in your details (See Parent page and the 'Notes' page on the website for information on using Compass).
You can phone the school office on 9971 9297 and leave a message for the teacher to call you back.
You can give your child a note to pass on to the teacher (or record in student diaries for Years 5 & 6).
What uniform should my child wear each day? |
Students at St John's are required to wear our full school uniform. We have a summer uniform which is worn in Terms 1 and 4 and a winter uniform which is worn in Terms 2 and 3. Additionally, we have a sports uniform for students to wear on their allocated sports days. These days may change each term and information is provided by class teacher and in our school newsletter to let you know the 'Sports Days' for your child.
Information on the specific parts of the St John's uniform as well as where to purchase can be found on our St John's website under "Enrolment and Contacts" or click here for a pdf.
Information on the specific parts of the St John's uniform as well as where to purchase can be found on our St John's website under "Enrolment and Contacts" or click here for a pdf.
What is NAPLAN all about? |
Students in Year 3 and Year 5 at St John’s will participate in the national NAPLAN tests in May each year. The NAPLAN tests are held annually for all children across the country in Yr 3, 5, 7 and 9. Results are sent out around September.
Students sit tests for English focusing on language conventions and spelling, writing, and reading comprehension. They also sit a Maths test which covers number, measurement and geometry and statistics and probability. The tests are designed to illustrate the range of student performance across the country and the performance of individual students can be compared to the average performance of all students in Australia. NAPLAN does not replace, but rather complements, assessments run by your child's classroom teacher throughout the year.
At St John’s, teachers use a variety of resources throughout the grades and across the year to help students to prepare for the tests in a number of ways as part of our daily teaching practice.
Whilst it is natural for children to be feeling a bit nervous prior to the tests, we talk to them about it being only a small part of their schooling life. We encourage them to come to school ready to do their best for the NAPLAN tests, but to remember there is no one way to ‘test’ all of the things that make each of them wonderful and unique people. Parents may wish to use similar language when speaking with their own children about NAPLAN.
Parent information regarding NAPLAN can be found at http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support
Students sit tests for English focusing on language conventions and spelling, writing, and reading comprehension. They also sit a Maths test which covers number, measurement and geometry and statistics and probability. The tests are designed to illustrate the range of student performance across the country and the performance of individual students can be compared to the average performance of all students in Australia. NAPLAN does not replace, but rather complements, assessments run by your child's classroom teacher throughout the year.
At St John’s, teachers use a variety of resources throughout the grades and across the year to help students to prepare for the tests in a number of ways as part of our daily teaching practice.
Whilst it is natural for children to be feeling a bit nervous prior to the tests, we talk to them about it being only a small part of their schooling life. We encourage them to come to school ready to do their best for the NAPLAN tests, but to remember there is no one way to ‘test’ all of the things that make each of them wonderful and unique people. Parents may wish to use similar language when speaking with their own children about NAPLAN.
Parent information regarding NAPLAN can be found at http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support
Can I visit St John's to see if it's right for my child? |
We welcome you to come and visit us for a school tour. School Tours available - Please contact the school office 9971 9297 or [email protected] to make an appointment.
We also hold Open Days each year: meet the principal; student leader activities for the children; open classrooms during the morning sessions so visitors can see our school in action.
Check out our Facebook page to get a feel for daily life at St John's - www.facebook.com/sjannarraweena
We also hold Open Days each year: meet the principal; student leader activities for the children; open classrooms during the morning sessions so visitors can see our school in action.
Check out our Facebook page to get a feel for daily life at St John's - www.facebook.com/sjannarraweena
When can I enrol my child at St John's? |
We advise parents to enrol their child as early as possible in the year before they start school. For families who are changing schools or are new to the area, this can be done at any time throughout the year providing we have places available. More information can be found on our school website.
Do we have to be Catholic to enrol at St John's? |
At St John's, as in all schools in our Broken Bay Diocese, we welcome all families to join our community who are prepared to support Catholic ideals and principles. Priority for enrolment is given in the following order:
More information can be found on our school website.
- Children of Catholic families (* who are actively involved in the parish on which the school depend)
- Children of families residing in other parishes in which they are actively involved
- Children of families affiliated to Churches in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, such as the Maronite Church
- Children of Catholic families residing within the parish/parishes on which the school depends
- Children of Catholic families residing in other parishes
- Children of Orthodox or other Christian families
- Children of families of other religious convictions
- Children from non-Catholic backgrounds are accepted in most schools, but acceptance will depend on vacancies and local policies. If you are not Catholic and seek to enrol your child in a Catholic school, please call the Principal for further information.
More information can be found on our school website.
How do I know if my child is ready for school? |
Children generally begin schooling some time between the ages of 5 and 6. When we think about readiness, we need to consider the child's skillset in a variety of areas:
More information on the 'Readiness skills' can be found here.
- Practical/functional skills (toileting, fine and gross motor skills, etc)
- Social interaction skills (being away from parents, sharing skills, etc)
- Communication skills (articulating their needs, following instructions, etc)
- Resilience and coping skills (accept making mistakes, express anger or frustration without hurting themselves or others, etc)
- Cognitive/Academic skills (recognise shapes and colours, recognise their own name in print, etc)
More information on the 'Readiness skills' can be found here.
