A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers

As I shared last term, I was heading to Italy to undertake a study tour with ACU. It was an amazing experience learning more about the Catholic faith and history. Professor Br David Hall and Peter Woods from ACU La Salle Academy for Faith Formation & Religious Education led our group through theology and history in Rome and Assisi. The first three days we were joined by interaction leaders in Catholic education and dioceses. It was great to connect, hear and learn about what is happening in other Catholic systems around the world. Part two was just the Australian and Kenyan cohort who spent time in lectures and outings to significant locations to be immersed in the history of saints and recounts of how the early church was built. Through this experience I wanted to deepen my understanding and connection to my own faith as leader of a Catholic school. This was certainly achieved and I will need time to go back over my many notes and photos to reflect further on this experience to continue my own spiritual growth. I would love to explore further St John the Evangelist, who our beautiful school is named after, and the person he was and the work he did in service to his faith and others. I look forward to sharing more of this experience through the work we do as a school and embedding our Catholic identity.

Yesterday, leaders met with our school reviewer, Kylie Graham and Senior Manager, Wayne Richard for a school review feedback session. In the coming weeks the staff will work together to further unpack this report to set priorities as part of our School Improvement Plan 2025 - 2028. We have also received our 2024 MACSSIS data that will be used in conjunction with the recommendations. I would like to share some of the strengths that have been identified as part of our school review:

• A welcoming, nurturing and inclusive community for students and their families, modelled by a highly collaborative leadership team and a motivated and engaged staff.
• The implementation and delivery of pedagogy that underpins discovery and project based investigations, leading students to see themselves as inquirers of their own learning.
• The breadth of Allied Services personnel that work closely with the school to support the varying needs of the student population.
• Highly effective distributive model of leadership.
• The collaborative creation and delivery of transdisciplinary faith-based inquiry units that are recontextualised, provide opportunity for dialogue and meet students at their point of understanding.

Thank you again to all the families and children who contributed to the school review process and MACSSIS survey. This information will be highly valuable as we build upon the strength of our school for continued improvement.

I would also like to acknowledge the amazing sporting achievements of some of our children, Pearl, Alec and our Year 6 relay team. Make sure you check out the Learning and Teaching page to see the impressive results at the recent Regional Athletics Day.

In the coming newsletters I will be confirming hub structures and staffing for 2025 as well as plans to accomodate for the issues with hall. Please see Office News page for 2025 fees and levies information. There will also be a separate communication sent home next week with a more detailed break down of fees and levies as well as payment options. Please note that the 3/4 camp is TBC as we are still confirming prices. This week at the parent information session for children moving from Year 2 to Year 3, I explained the change to our approach to camp for their children. Based in our experiences in recent years, children in Year 3 will attend a long day camp returning to school after dinner and only Year 4 children will sleepover. We have found that the sleep over is too much for some children so a step towards an overnight camp where they will attend and complete all the activities but return home at the end of the day. More will be shared about this once dates have been confirmed with the venue.

Tomorrow we look forward to welcoming grandparents and significant people in the lives of the children of St John's. School gates will open at 8:30am and there will be drinks and food available for the special guests. Children and guests will then gather for a very special prayer gathering led by the 1 Hub. Please be mindful the school drop off will be busier than usual tomorrow and the backyard won't be open for drop off as this space will be accessed by OSHClub.

I would also like to remind parents that children will be required to wear a hat whenever they are outside during this term and Term 1 2025. Children who are not wearing a hat will be asked to play in designated areas that provide protection from the sun. As warmer days increase please ensure sunscreen is applied in the mornings to provide additional protection. Children will have access to sunscreen at school if they need to reapply. School hats are available to purchase online and from the school office. We have three options available for purchase. See the School Uniform page for more information.

Wishing everyone a safe extra long weekend and we look forward to welcoming the children back on Wednesday 6th November.

Emily