Principal's Page
'A Welcoming Community Leading the Future of Learning with Faith and Love'
A Message from the Principal
Winter has begun and the fresh mornings are certainly invigorating on playground duty. The students still love to run and play at 8.30am and I love my morning chats with them all. It is important that your child arrives at school on time everyday. Please help to ensure that they are up early and at school by 8.30am everyday.
We are blessed with such a welcoming community and over the past 2 weeks we have experienced some special community events, including Grandparents and Special Visitors Day, Kids Disco, Kindergarten Visits and our Long Walk for Reconciliation. the wonderful feedback from our families, friends and extended community is always very encouraging. I was recently told about the amazing public speaking skills that our past students displayed at Emmaus as well as the leadership that our past students are displaying at Aquinas, particularly in their role as Fire Carriers.
Going Pink in June
This June we are GOING PINK. I have registered our school for the Go Pink fundraiser in June. As you may be aware, my life has been greatly impacted by breast cancer, as have many families in our Community. I wanted to raise awareness about the importance of regular checks for women and men. I will be aiming to add a touch of Pink to all of my outfits throughout June. I hope that you can have a day or two of Going Pink also.
On the last day of Term I will ask all students to wear Pink for our Free Dress Day.
https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/stjohnsprimaryschoolmitcham
Learning and Teaching Videos
Ange Crowe was featured in our last newsletter, sharing our Literacy Learning. Many new videos have been added to our website to showcase the wonderful Teaching and Learning at St John's. This week I wanted to share our Year 5/6 students, Lachie and Sheridan, explaining what Inquiry Learning looks like at St John's. Please visit our website to see all of the wonderful videos across the curriculum.
Please visit the website for all of our videos
https://www.sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au/
Grandparents and Special Visitors Day
We were delighted to have so many Grandparents and special visitors come along to our school on Wednesday 24 May. We began the celebrations with Mass where students were able to sit with their special visitors. They then made their way to the classrooms to share their work, create a family tree, interview each other, illustrate and take some funny photos. Some of our wonderful parents, led by Michelle Plant, prepared morning tea and served tea and coffee. They were also entertained by our St John's School choir.
Thank-you to all of the Grandparents and Visitors who joined us for this memorable day.
Dojo Point Winners
It was great to see the Red Team in Free Dress last Friday. Class Dojo is a classroom program that we use at St John’s to track positive behaviour. We feel it is important to acknowledge students who are making good choices and respecting self, others
and property. The program also encourages the importance of having a growth mindset. Class Dojos is a secure online system which enables us to acknowledge students demonstrating respect and our learning dispositions of bravery, curiosity, independence, persistence and resilience.
Trivia Night Major Fundraiser 2023
For information regarding this year's major fundraiser, our Trivia Night on 29 July, please go to the Community Association page where you can follow the link to book your tickets.
Emir Bajcic is coordinating this huge event and she needs your help. Please contact Emir if you are able to offer your assistance or for any donations. emirbajcic@gmail.com
School Fees
Thank you to the families who have already paid their fees and those who are keeping up with regular payments for their child/children's school fees. In order to budget for school expenses, including updating resources, school excursions and camps, we need to have a commitment to cash flow and we ask that you keep the school informed if you are unable to meet your commitments. Please come and see me if your circumstances have changed or you need any additional support.
School Holiday Programs in Whitehorse
Whitehorse Council is offering a huge range of Holiday Activities in our local area. Please visit their website to see all of the Free activities and events on offer.
Joke of the Week
Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use honey combs.
I hope that you have a peaceful week and are able to embrace these brisk winter days.
Verona Gridley
Principal
vgridley@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au