A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers

Last week, our 2025 School Captains led their first assembly and did an amazing job! I was unfortunately unable to attend as I had a very productive meeting with our architects. We discussed several alternatives for our school master plan, including the hall, and I'm excited to share these with you in the coming weeks. I'll continue to provide fortnightly updates on our progress. 

Next Thursday is our Open Afternoon and Welcome Picnic, and we look forward to enjoying this time together as a community. Please see the Family Engagement page for all the details. The following week, we will be observing Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent. Details of our Ash Wednesday liturgy will be shared with families next week. 

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, we'd like to make pancakes for the children. If you're available to help with the preparation and cooking on the morning of Tuesday 4th March, please email me - econroy@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au 

(Current Working With Children's Check required).

I'd like to congratulate all the children who represented St. John's at the recent District Swimming Carnival!  I've heard wonderful reports about their behavior and how supportive they were of each other.  It's also fantastic news that some of our talented swimmers are moving on to the next level. You can find more information about their achievements on the Learning and Teaching page.

This week, all the children in Years 3-6 participated in cross country trials during their PE lessons.  A team will be selected to compete at the District event on 21st March.  A huge thank you to Michelle Graham for her hard work in planning and organising these events.  They wouldn't be possible without her dedication, the support of our educators, and our wonderful parent volunteers. It was especially great to see so many parents supporting the cross country trials this week, which allowed us to hold them at Shorten Reserve.

We all love celebrating birthdays and making someone feel extra special!  When your child has a birthday, their educators will always acknowledge it and celebrate with their hub, present them with a birthday bookmark at assembly, and sing "Happy Birthday."  However, we kindly request that parents refrain from sending food for their child to share with their hub. We have many children with allergies, dietary requirements, or restrictions on things like sugar intake, some of which are potentially life-threatening. To help us keep everyone safe and healthy, we ask that families support us in this approach.

Finally, next week, on Tuesday 25 February, is our School Photo Day. Please ensure your child is in correct school uniform. Orders need to be made online via Advancedlife. See Family Engagement page to find out more.

Warm wishes

Emily

• If you are planning to take a family holiday during the school term, please email me. For census reporting purposes, we need to account for extended student absences. Your email notification will help us document this information and also support your child both before and after their absence.
• PAM and the Simon Everywhere App will be used for all communication. SeeSaw will be used by educators and children to share photos and updates from their hubs. Please reach out if you need support to sign up to these platforms.
• Each year we create a Parent Information Handbook for our Prep families.  This handbook provides a great overview of what's happening at St. John's, and I wanted to share it with all families as it contains useful information for everyone. See link below.