General Information

CELEBRATING MRS FENECH’S  RETIREMENT 

A member of our inaugural staff, Mrs Jenny Fenech will be retiring at the end of this year.  Jenny has dedicated her working life to Catholic Education.  In recognition of this. We will be holding a special celebration on Monday 11th December at 2:30pm here at school.

We invite parents to join us for this ‘High Tea’, where we can say thanks as a school community to Jenny, for her hard work and dedication.  Please contact the school office if you are able to join us for this celebration as we are finalising numbers for catering purposes.  

Please pass on this invitation to any former St John’s families, who may wish to join us in recognising Jenny on her retirement.

WATER SAFETY PROGRAM

On Tuesday 28th November our Year 5 & 6 students attended Water Safety Sessions at Altona Beach.  These sessions covered important information such as safe techniques for water rescues and tips on how to recognise rips in the ocean.  As you can see from the photos the students had a great time.  Thanks to Mr Geisler for organising these sessions for our students prior to the Christmas Holidays.

YEAR 5 EXCURSION TO IMAX

Our Year 5 students went on an excursion to Imax on Thursday 23rd November.  This was a follow up to their earlier Inquiry Unit on Dinosaurs of the Antarctic.  The students watched a 3D movie on the topic and visited the exhibits at the Museum.  As you can see from the pictures they had a great day.

YEAR 3 EXCURSION TO ACME

Our Year 3s travelled to ACME on Monday 27th November for a hands-on experience.  They participated in an Animation Workshop using Lego and viewed the ‘Story of Moving Image’ exhibition.  The day was full of engaging experiences where the students got to work with animation technology.  

YEAR 6 CELEBRATION BIKE RIDE

Last Thursday 30th November our Year 6s celebrated the end of their Primary School journey with a Bike Ride and BBQ lunch.  The students rode to Presidents Park and then were supervised as they took on the BBQing duties.  It has been a privilege to work with these students, many of whom have been with St John’s since Grade Prep.  We wish them all the best as they move on to Secondary School in 2024.

CHILD SAFETY - TRACKING YOUR CHILD'S  ONLINE ACTIVITY

The Linewize platform helps schools, students and families to develop better digital habits, while also monitoring and tracking digital usages.  With St John’s now working in partnership with Linewize, our parents have access to an Online Safety Parent Hub, via the school’s website. This Hub has a wealth of tips and information for families.   Families can visit the St John’s Online Safety Hub using the link below:

This newsletter we draw your attention to an article by Online Safety Expert Teodora Pavkovic.  In this article Teodora talks about the constant challenge faced by parents that despite doing all the right things – installing parental controls, monitoring devices, and maintaining open lines of communication – children still find ways to keep their online activity hidden. The article explores methods used which range from simply deleting browser history or minimising a window when a parent walks in the room to more sophisticated means such as decoy apps and VPNs.  Click on the link below to go directly to this informative article:

2024 UNIFORM & SCHOOL HAT EXPECTATIONS

With our new uniform range fully in stock, we are asking all families to ensure their child starts the new year in the correct uniform.  This includes a school hat, correct socks and ensuring your child is not wearing any non uniform items such as no name track suit pants or tee shirts.  All uniform items can be purchased from Rushfords in Werribee.  Hats can be purchased directly from the school office for $15.  Students without a school hat in Term 1 & 4 are unable to play in many areas of the yard during break time.