General Information
Information which you need to be aware of.
WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Miss Amelia Browne who tied the knot on Saturday. We wish Ash and Amelia all the best for the years ahead and ask God to bless their marriage. We look forward to seeing photos from Amelia and Ash’s special day and we can’t wait for Amelia to return as Mrs Amelia Milton!
MATERNITY LEAVE
Ms Vee Bacon will be going on Maternity Leave in Term 4 as she prepares for the birth of her second child. Mr Reuben Vande Kraats will be taking over Vee’s class and is currently working with Vee to ensure a smooth transition occurs next term. We wish Vee all the best.
MORNING DROP OFF TIME REMINDER
A reminder to families that the school grounds are not supervised by staff until 8:30 am. Families who are dropping their child off earlier than this are required to make a booking with our Before School Program. The office has information about this program which is run by Quantin Binnah from our School Hall.
We have noticed that there are some students who are entering the school grounds via the Hall Gate as early as 8:00am, this gate should only be used by students accessing the Before School Care Program. Students entering the school grounds before 8:30am are unsupervised and not inline with our Child Safety Policies. Parents will be contacted if students are in the school prior to 8:30am and will be asked to make alternative arrangements for the morning drop off.
2024 ENROLMENT INTENTIONS SURVEY
Planning for the 2024 school year has begun and this process is quite complex and reliant on accurate and up to date information. We ask any families who are considering moving house or changing their child’s school in 2024, to contact the office. Please be assured that should your plans change, it will in no way affect your child’s placement for next year. Families will be sent a link later this week, to a 2024 Enrolment Intention Survey via Operoo.
DIVISIONAL ATHLETICS COMPETITION
Congratulations to the students who recently qualified for the Divisional Athletics competition. The event will be held at the Newport Athletics Track on 6th September. We wish Luca, Dominic, Bol, Muse, Chidinma, Chiemerie, Zali, Bilen, Leonard, Alier, Ben, Mia, Klara, Nathan and Dylan.
MACSIS SURVEYS
Each year all catholic schools survey students, parents and staff. The data collected through the survey process provides us with valuable feedback and guides the school’s future direction. Students from Year 4-6 will be completing an online survey over the next few weeks. The surveys are conducted by an outside agency, which randomly selects some families to complete a survey. The selected families will have their survey log in details sent home later this week. Surveys open this week and will close on Friday 15th September.
PROPOSED HOLIDAY MAINTENANCE WORKS
School holidays provide us with an excellent opportunity to complete certain maintenance and upgrade works safely whilst there are no students on site. Over the September holidays we will be installing a new gate which will allow another point of entry and exit at the busy drop off and pick up times. The new pedestrian gate will be located on the north eastern perimeter fence, along Embleton Av, close to the wetlands. The school will also be installing upgraded network switches to ensure that the internet and network speeds are sufficient in the coming years. Mark Page our Maintenance Manager will be fertilising and weeding the oval and other grass areas and will also be building up the soil along the northern fence line to reduce gaps under the fence. Our sincere thanks goes to Mark for the way he maintains our school grounds.
LITTLE ANGLER KITS
The Victorian Government is investing $1.5 million from the Recreational Fishing Licence Trust Fund to provide up to 95,000 Little Angler Kits to primary school aged children in Victoria. The free kits provide a wonderful school holiday activity for children with their families and help ease the cost of living, providing a fun activity close to home.
Grade 5 students at all Victorian schools, including ours, will be offered the opportunity to receive a FREE Little Angler Kit. Grade 5 students have been selected based on the Victorian Curriculum focus, movement and motor development, and safety considerations.
The program is entirely voluntary. Schools were provided with the option to opt out of the program. Our school has opted to stay in the program so that parents can decide whether they want their child(ren) to receive a free fishing kit.
Parents of Grade 5 students can advise the school if they do not wish their child(ren) to participate for any reason whatsoever. We support parents in making decisions that align with their family values and beliefs.
The roll out of kits will occur through the second half of 2023 (16 October - 4 December) so that all participating children will have a kit in time for the summer school holidays.
The kits include a rod, reel with line, tackle tray, some tackle and information on how to use them to catch a fish. Please note that the tackle tray includes fishing hooks. The tackle tray will be wrapped in cardboard and placed inside a pocket inside the fishing kit bag, which will be sealed with a cable tie to discourage students from opening their kits until they are with a parent or carer.
Kits will be handed out to students to take home with them as soon as the school receives them. Teachers will tell students not to open the kits until they are safely at home with a parent or carer, however parents can contact the school and request to collect their kit from the school themselves if they prefer.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority will create a Little Angler hub on their website, which will be live when the kits start being distributed. It will have useful information, instructional videos and online resources about where and how to fish linking to existing resources from Fishcare and new resources to be produced just for the Little Angler Kits program.
This initiative aims to grow recreational fishing participation in Victoria by actively encouraging primary school aged children to learn how to fish, as well as learning more about marine life and the natural environment.
FOLLOW ST JOHN’S ON INSTAGRAM
We have launched our St John’s Instagram recently and are very excited with the number of families who are following us. Our instagram handle is @stjatarneit. We’ll be posting new event updates and photos each week.
UNIFORM PRICE LIST
It is wonderful to see so many students wearing the new uniform options. Below are links to updated Price Lists for all St John’s uniform items being sold by Rushfords. Please be aware that students may continue to wear any item from the original uniform range. Some of these original pieces are still for sale at Rushfords, at discounted prices until sold out.
FREQUENTLY ASKED UNIFORM QUESTIONS
My child’s current uniform is in good condition, do I need to buy the new one?
No, as long as your child is in full school uniform, they can wear the current one until you decide to transition across. Remember that the old uniform will not be restocked instore. Once supplies are sold they are no longer available.
What days does my child wear the new uniform?
The new uniform is multipurpose therefore it is worn everyday regardless of whether your child has sport or not.
What parts of the new uniform do I buy?
You now just mix and match any combination that you like from the new uniform wardrobe. This means if your child does not feel the cold you do not need to buy the track pants. We hope this will save families money as they are not having to purchase items their child won't want to wear.
Are any current items able to be worn with the new uniform?
Yes, the sports shorts, polo top, soft shell jacket, hat, vest cardigan and jacket can be worn with the new uniform.
What shoes will be worn with the new uniform?
Students must wear runners with the new uniform. These must be predominantly white or black in colour.
Can I replace new uniform items with unbranded items from Kmart, Target, etc?
No, with the reduced cost of the uniform we are expecting families to use the official uniform items which are identified by the school logo.
Can my child wear leggings or long-sleeved undergarments under the uniform for warmth or sun protection?
Yes, however they must be from the official uniform list. These items have now been added to the wardrobe.
CHILD SAFETY
The Linewize platform helps schools, students and families to develop better digital habits, while also monitoring and tracking digital usages. With St John’s now working in partnership with Linewize, our parents have access to an Online Safety Parent Hub, via the school’s website. This Hub has a wealth of tips and information for families.
This newsletter we draw your attention to an article by Clinical Child Psychologist Jordan Foster. In the article Jordan explores the factors that will influence parents deciding when to give their child access to their first smartphone. Most of our students have probably already been using a digital device such as an iPad or tablet, but giving children their first smartphone can often feel like a big move for parents. So, when is the right time to take the plunge? Click on the link below for some valuable suggestions: