A Message from the Principal

Welcome back to Term 2. It is set to be an exciting one, with many big events planned, including Grandparents Day, First Eucharist Celebrations, Mother's Day Breakfast and the Family Bush Dance. The students arrived excitedly this morning, happily playing in the sunshine as they reconnected with their friends. They are all looking very smart in their Winter Uniforms. We will have a 2 week period of transitioning from Summer to Winter Uniforms. This can be either a tunic with the light blue long sleeved polo or the pants and long sleeved navy polo. If some students prefer to continue wearing shorts during the winter months this is acceptable also. Runners are only to be worn on the 2 dedicated Sports/PE days.

Over the holidays we had specific areas of the school painted and recarpeted, as part of our ongoing maintenance schedule. It is great to freshen up the school and to keep it well maintained. The School Foyer was painted also and is certainly looking much brighter now. Make sure you come in, take a look and say hello.

Tomorrow night the Parent's Association will be meeting in the staffroom. They are planning some great events this term and we hope that you will be able to support in them if you can.

Please see the Term 2 Calendar of Events on the next page and add these to your diary.

Anzac Day Dawn Service

Our St John’s choir will be singing at the Mitcham ANZAC Day Dawn Service on Thursday 25 April at the memorial in Halliday Park, Mitcham Rd, Mitcham. It would be great if everyone could come along to support them at 6.00am.

The Choir will be meeting at 5.30am so that we can stand together, ready to sing our songs during the service. We ask that your child is wearing their winter school uniform for this occasion.

The service lasts for about 45 minutes and is followed by a Gunfire Breakfast, provided by the Mitcham Bowling Club.

Everyone is welcome to attend, as we pay our respects to those who have served and those who have fallen. Lest we forget.

Thank you for your support,

Amanda Hill - Performing Arts Teacher

Enroling Your Child in 2025

We are now taking enrolments for 2025. If you have a younger child or family friend who is eligible to start school next year then please send in your enrolment forms.

We are also hosting a Prep 2025 Parent Information evening on 7 May at 7.00pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend this Transition Evening to help your child as they prepare for school life. We will give you valuable support and knowledge to help your child successfully transition from Kindergarten in to School.

7 May, 7.00pm - Future Prep Parent Information Evening at St John's Primary School Mitcham.

Our next OPEN DAY will be on 24 April.

Trauma and Grief Support

As flags across the country fly at half-mast today in honour of the six victims of Saturday’s shocking tragedy in Sydney, we hold in our hearts and prayers all who are experiencing loss and grief. One of the victims, 38-year-old Ashlee Good, was a Genazzano alumnus. We keep her 9-month-old daughter Harriet in our thoughts and offer our prayers for her recovery. As media coverage can cause distress or worry for children, I take this opportunity to remind you of the resources and supports available to your students who may be distressed or unsettled by the events of the weekend. We have reassured our students today that they are safe within our school and community.

For guidance on helping children cope with the impact of disaster-related news coverage, visit the Trauma and Grief Network website.

Waste Wise and Wrapper Free at St John's

We continue to encourage our students to bring their food in small containers and refrain from bringing any plastic wrappers or packages to school.

Please remind your child to bring home any leftovers or wrappers from their lunchboxes.

All classes have compost bins so many of the fruit or vegetable scraps are able to be composted. Thanks for your support with our Waste Wise Program.

Holiday Jokes of the Week

What did the ocean say to the shore? Nothing…It just waved.

How did the barber win the race? He knew a shortcut.

We hope that Term 2 will be a great one for you and your child at St John's, with so many engaging events and activities planned across the school. Please let me know if I can support you and your child in any way.

Verona Gridley

Principal

vgridley@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au

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