Key Dates & Reminders

IMPORTANT TERM 1 2024 DATES

Below is a list of some of the main dates on the school calendar for Term 1.  Families need to be aware that events which involve organisations outside of St John’s, such as the St Andrew’s Parish, may at times need to be rescheduled.  Please be aware that these changes are beyond our control.

Saturday 24th February - Community Mass @ St John’s Hall

Thursday 29th February - Prep 2025 Enrolment Info Session

Monday 4th March - Year 3 - 6 Athletics Sports Carnival

Thursday 7th March - School Photo Day 1

Friday 8th March - School Photo Day 2

Monday 11th March - Labour Day Public Holiday NO SCHOOL

Wednesday 13th March - NAPLAN Commences

Thursday 14th March – Reconciliation Parent Meeting @ 7pm School Hall

Tuesday 19th March - 12:30 FINISH FOR STUDENTS due to Parent Teacher Interviews 

Thursday 21st March - Sacrament of Reconciliation @ 7pm in the School Hall

Saturday 23rd March - Community Mass @ St John’s Hall

Tuesday 26th March- Parent Teacher Interviews after school

Thursday 28th March- End of Term early finish 12:30pm 

Friday 29th March – Good Friday

Sunday 31st March - Easter Sunday

NAPLAN SCHEDULE 2024

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.  Below are the dates when students will be completing their four Naplan Assessments:

• Wednesday, 13th March - Naplan Writing (Year 3 & 5)
• Thursday, 14th March - Naplan Reading (Year 3 & 5)
• Friday, 15th March - Language Conventions (Year 3 & 5)
• Monday, 18th March - Numeracy (Year 3 & 5)
• Tuesday, 19th March - Friday, 22nd March (Catch Up Tests)

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.

ST JOHN THE APOSTLE COMMUNITY MASSES

This Saturday we will be hosting our first Community Mass of the Year.  All families are warmly invited to attend, with a special invitation going out to our Baptised Catholic students in Year 3 who will be attending the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, later this term.

Throughout the year we will be holding seven weekend Masses, here in the school Hall.  All families are warmly invited to attend these Masses.  Please check the poster below for which months we will be holding a Mass.

PREP REST DAYS & ASSESSMENT BOOKINGS 

To assist Prep students in coping with the fatigue which is associated with commencing school, the first five Wednesdays of Term One are designated rest days for Prep students.   The dates for the remaining rest days are listed below:

• Wednesday 21st February 2024
• Wednesday 28th February 2024
• Wednesday 6th March 2024 

PREP ASSESSMENT BOOKINGS 

During the Wednesday Rest Days, each student in Prep is required to attend one 45 minute meeting with their teacher, so that some initial assessments can be completed.  These assessments are not for reports but enable the teachers to have a starting point to track each student’s learning and progress.

Bookings for these interviews can be made by either scanning the QR code outside your child’s classroom or using this link https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/zqq9b 

On the day of your child’s appointment parents are asked to drop their child off at the front office for these assessments.  You are welcome to wait in the Community Space while your child is working with their teacher. 

2025 ENROLMENT INFO NIGHT

Our Prep 2025 Enrolment Info Session will be held in the School Hall, this Thursday 29th February. Families living within the school catchment area who are interested in enrolling their child are welcome to attend.  The meeting will commence at 7pm and should conclude by 8:30pm. The evening will include the following:

• A tour of the building and facilities.
• A presentation on the values and educational approach of the school.
• An outline of the enrollment criteria and process.
• Questions from the floor.

We look forward to meeting everyone at this forum.

SUBWAY LUNCH ORDERS

The school will continue our partnership with Subway this year.  This initiative provides students with an opportunity to receive a ‘lunch order’, that families have ordered and paid for online, prior to the day.  

Our first scheduled Subway Lunch Day for Term 1 will be Friday, 16th February.

Orders must be place by 11am the Wednesday prior. (Wednesday, 14th February)

Future Subway Days for 2024

• Term 1 - 16/2, 1/3, 15/3
• Term 2 – 19/4, 3/5, 17/5, 31/5, 14/6
• Term 3 – 19/7, 2/8, 16/8, 30/8, 13/9
• Term 4 – 11/10, 25/10, 8/11, 22/11, 6/12

Please order via the link below:

Friday Icy Poles - $1 (Term 1 & 4)

Each Friday a group of our student voice students organise the sale of Zooper Dooper icypoles before afternoon play. If you would like your child to have an icypole please make sure they bring a dollar on the following Fridays during Term 1. (These days alternate with our Subway lunch days)

• Friday, 23rd February
• Friday, 8th March
• Friday, 22nd March

UNIFORM

With all items of our new uniform now available at Rushfords, it has been wonderful to see so many students wearing one of our many new uniform options.   A reminder for those students still wearing the old uniform, to wear black shoes and not runners if they are wearing the original summer dress or grey school pants. 

School bags should be the official St John’s school bag as these are a smaller size than the standard bag and fit within the student lockers.

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 assembly by clicking on the link which is emailed via email using your Operoo profile. The email only goes to those parents who have ‘“receive correspondence” checked in their settings.