General Information

YEAR 3-6 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Last week on Monday 23rd February our Year 3 - 6 students travelled by bus to the Vic Uni Athletics Track in Hoppers Crossing.  The students are to be commended for the way they embraced the day and had a go at all the different events on offer.  These results help Mr Geisler select students who qualify for the District Athletics Competition held in August.  As you can see from the pictures a great day was had by all!  

TWILIGHT SPRINTS

After the enormous success of our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration last year, we have been investigating similar ways we can gather as a whole school community.  On Friday 13th March from 6:00pm - 8:00pm we will be holding a Twilight Race Meeting, where students can participate in 50 metre Sprints with the chance of qualifying for a place in the finals. The race entry fee will be $1per student and this will be to help cover the cost of the evening.  Mr Geisler will be giving out ‘Wild Card” entries to the finals.  In a similar way to last year’s celebrations, families will be able to picnic on the school grounds, while watching all the race heats.  Once again we will have some food items for sale such as icecreams, soft drinks and popcorn.

NAPLAN SCHEDULE

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an assessment that all Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year.  This year NAPLAN will be completed during March.  Students complete the assessments at school, with all of the tasks being done online, except for the Year 3s Writing Task which is completed on paper.  

Teachers are often asked by parents how they can best prepare their child for these assessments.  In class, the Year 3s and 5s are completing activities which provide the students with opportunities to practise reading and completing tasks similar to those they will encounter on their NAPLAN Tests.  We know that students perform best when they are well rested, have eaten breakfast and do not feel under undue pressure.  If you find your child is becoming anxious about the assessments, reassure them that they are a very small part of each day and that the teachers will be there to help them feel calm.

Below are the dates when students will be completing the set NAPLAN Assessments:

Wednesday, 11th March - Writing (Year 3 & 5)

Thursday, 12th March - Reading (Year 3 & 5)

Friday 13th March - Language Conventions (Year 3 & 5)

Monday 16th March - Numeracy (Year 3 & 5)

Tuesday 17th March - Thursday, 19th March (Catch Up Tests)

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

There are 335 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne that educate around 150,000 students and employ more than 20,000 teachers and staff.  This year we will celebrate Catholic Education Week from 15-22 March 2026.  This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools everyday.  As part of this celebration all Catholic schools in the archdiocese are invited to send representatives to a special Mass which is celebrated at St Patrick’s Cathedral.  Some of our Year 6 students have been selected to represent St John’s at this Mass on Friday 20th March.

PROJECT COMPASSION

Spanning across the six weeks of Lent each year, Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for Caritas, our Catholic Aid Agency. These much-needed funds help alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in the world.  Each class has their own Project Compassion Box, where students can put their donations.  This is a terrific opportunity for children to use some of their pocket money to give to others in the world who are in need of some support.

PARENTS & FRIENDS

Our Parents & Friends are calling for more volunteers.   If you’ve ever got a few hours free they would love to hear from you.  This committee is the major way our parents contribute to St John’s.  Throughout each term, the Parents & Friends oversee various fundraising initiatives.  These include things such as our Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls and the special Treat Days we hold.  Please see the flyer below for more information.

CHILD SAFETY - ONLINE SAFETY PARENT HUB

As part of our ongoing commitment to child safety, we have an Online Safety Parent Hub. The Parent Hub provides a wealth of online safety resources such as; digital parenting guides, app reviews and articles.  These are developed by a team of leading digital safety and wellbeing experts. Plus, families have access to free parental control tools to help keep children safe while using their personal devices.  Content on the hub is constantly updated and added to, so parents should try to get into the habit of visiting this regularly especially as new online social media platforms and games are released.

To access the Online Parent Hub, simply go to the Student Wellbeing Tab at the top of our School Website and click on the Online Safety Parent Hub.  The bottom of this page is where you enter the Hub.

COMMUNICATION APP 

When communicating with families we use the platform nForma For Parents.  It is important that the email used to log in to your App is the email that is linked with the school.  Parents receive all communication via this App and families can also use the App to update student medical information and emergency contacts and to directly communicate student absences with the school.  Please see the downloading instructions below if you don’t have the App already:

ASSEMBLY LIVE STREAMS

Each Friday the students gather for a whole school assembly in the Hall.  This event is usually streamed to our Vimeo channel.  Families can view the assembly by clicking on the link which is sent through via our nForma Parent App.