A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers

On Tuesday this week, we celebrated Harmony Day with children dressed in a touch (or a lot) of orange, ate oranges and participated in activities which promoted the theme "Everyone Belongs". We were also lucky to have three current Bulldogs players visit St John's on the day too. Children from Yr 2 had their PE lesson taken over by Ed Richards, Tom Liberatore and Roarke Smith and then the players ran a Q and A session with the whole school. There were lots of excited children, and staff, during this opportunity of getting to see and hear from the Bulldogs players. We even had a sneaky pedestrian who was walking past with their dog stop for a listen too. I was really impressed with the great questions the children asked and even the players commented on this. Hopefully we bring them luck as they play against St Kilda this weekend.

Congratulations to all the Yr 3 and Yr 5 children who have now completed NAPLAN for 2023. We are very proud of the effort and learning dispositions you applied when completing these assessments. 

Last Friday I attend the St Patrick's Day mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in celebration of Catholic Education week with our School Captains, Zoe, Adut, Ellena and Angus. The School Captains were impressed by the size and beauty of the Cathedral as well as how many priests there were on the altar. After mass we walked to Treasury Gardens where MACS held a concert showcasing the talents of students from local secondary schools. Caroline Chisholm Catholic College had also organised different activities for children to play, such as cricket, tug of war and novelty races. We all enjoyed our time in the gardens catching up and meeting new people from across the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools. 

HELP NEEDED

I would love the help of any parents who are available on Tuesday next week (28th March) straight after drop off to help set up the Innovation and Library spaces. We have had new furniture delivered today and would love the support of a few helpers to turn these spaces into inviting and engaging learning environments that spark creativity and joy. If you are available to help relocate books and shelving and placement of new furniture please email me - principal@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au

REMINDERS

Enrolments: Families looking to enrol a child for Prep in 2024 need to submit their applications before the end of Term 1 (2 weeks away).

Emailing St John's staff: 

• When emailing about confidential issues involving wellbeing or learning please don't include the Admin email address. While Melinda and Leonie are very trustworthy some issues don't fall under their roles of responsibility. Please email the relevant leaders or educators directly. Please see Contact Us page of this newsletter for email addresses. If you would like me included in an email please use principal@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au
• Staff will respond to emails within 24 hours between 8am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday. I am trying to support staff wellbeing and ensure they are living a work-life balance. This includes turning notifications for school emails off on their phones. I also request parents to be mindful of the times you are sending emails to St John's staff and use the 'schedule send' option rather than it hit our inbox during the night or over the weekends. 

End of the day pick up: We have noticed an increase in the number of children who are being collected from Everard Street gate. Please be aware this is a very tight space for cars to access. We have two spots where parents can pull in for pick up otherwise drivers will need to go up to the end of the street to do a u-turn and park on the opposite side of the road. A staff member will assist these children to their car if possible, otherwise parents will need to park and collect their child from the gate. It is never safe for parents to stop in the middle of the street and expect their child to get into the car. This is not only dangerous but it also holds up any cars waiting behind you. Please don't attempt 3 point turns out front of the gate as it usually takes more the 3 points to get around. Please drive further up the street where there is more space to safely do a u-turn. Staff who are on duty are there to keep everyone safe and should not be yelled at for asking parents to follow the road rules. I would also like to remind all parents that if you come at 3:20pm you will get a clear run to collect your child from any gate and staff are on duty until 3:25pm.

The end of Term 1 is approaching: It's hard to believe that we are two weeks from Easter and the school holidays. Please see the Learning and Teaching page for all the information around our Holy Week prayer gatherings. The last day of term will beThursday 6th April finishing at 1pm. We will be hosting a sports carnival so children will be invited to wear their house colours on this day. Children return to school for Term 2 on Wednesday 26th April. Monday 24th April is a School Closure day. Staff will be onsite and the office open for normal school hours. Tuesday 27th April is a public holiday for ANZAC Day. 

Finally, I want to say thank you to all the parents of the children from the Prep Hub who were able to join their 'Thank You Party' yesterday afternoon. The weather was perfect and the children worked hard to plan this event. This action stemmed from their Faith unit where they have been learning about solidarity as well as connected to The Resilience Project as an act of kindness. I believe they certainly fulfilled their goal. 

Warm wishes for another great fortnight ahead,

Emily