Welcoming, Respecting, Learning, Creating Community
St John’s is a Catholic parish school supported by the St Laurence O’Toole Parish and the community of Cobar. The school is part of the Catholic Education System administered by the Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese. St John’s is co-educational, with classes from Kindergarten to Year Six. St John’s Parish School is part of a long tradition of Catholic education in Cobar. The first Catholic school in Cobar was established in 1884 by the Sisters of Mercy (McAuley). In 1999 the Sisters of St. Joseph (Mackillop) replaced the Sisters of Mercy. The first lay principals were appointed as Co-Principals in 2004. The school’s patron saint, St. John the Apostle, is acknowledged in our school pledge, and McAuley and MacKillop are the names of our school’s sporting houses.
Here at St John’s, we encourage the pursuit of personal achievement and spiritual growth. Religious Education is based on the Educating In Christ Program which allows for the students to learn Christian values within the framework of the Catholic Faith. These values permeate through all we do here at St John’s. Our sacramental programme is led by our school Religious Education Coordinator and Parish Priest. The spiritual dimension of St John’s is supported by the implementation of Restorative Practices and Making Jesus Real.
The teaching and learning at St John’s is contemporary. Our Diocese has implemented a one-to-one device initiative. Every student at St John’s from Kindergarten to Year 6 uses a Chromebook with Google Workspace, allowing staff and students to collaborate online. Each classroom is equipped with an interactive projector, enabling a creative and engaging learning environment. Staged learning supports the class structure of our students at St John’s. Literacy and Numeracy teaching experiences are differentiated to support student learning needs. Each class teacher works with stage partner teachers to build collegiality and 21st-century learning programmes. Flexible learning spaces and contemporary teaching and learning is evident in classrooms across the school.
Parents are always welcome to our school and are encouraged to attend our weekly assembly (8:50 am Fridays), Lunch on the Lawns and other scheduled events. We also have school committees that parents are welcome to join. Parents are informed via the school weekly newsletter, Compass app and class termly newsletters. The school Facebook page shares events and celebrations occurring at the school.
Students have the opportunity to sit for NAPLAN in Years 3 and 5 and the school extends opportunities for students to participate in student groups (such as SRC, Mini-Vinnies etc), State and National academic competitions, Moorambilla, Religious Education, excursions and national cultural and celebratory events. St John’s holds an annual Public Speaking competition held during Literacy Week. All students have the opportunity, are encouraged to participate in a variety of sports as well as compete in local inter-school competitions, Cluster, Diocesan, and State Carnivals. Our Year Six students are provided with leadership opportunities, including the opportunity to organise and run school events, present in front of audiences (including our weekly assemblies), provide peer support as a buddy to our Kindergarten students and other various opportunities for leadership as a part of daily school life. Students Kindergarten to Year 6 are also involved in many community service initiatives supporting our local community.
We seek to support every student at our school academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally. We are very blessed to be part of a very supportive school community at St John’s.
St John’s Parish School – A Catholic community of empowered, engaged and resilient learners centred within Jesus Christ.
