A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers

I hope that families had a restful mini-break this weekend before the hustle and bustle of December begins. While this time may have been enjoyed with family and loved ones, I'm also mindful that recent events, both locally and globally, haven't always been positive. In the Catholic faith, November is traditionally dedicated to praying for the souls of the departed. Specifically, November 2nd is All Souls' Day, a day dedicated to honouring and praying for loved ones who have died.  We hold in our thoughts all those who have died, recognising how challenging this can be for loved ones, particularly during this time of the year. 

It has come to that time of year where we start to announce the plans for 2024. With this comes some changes with staffing, including accomodating the growth of an extra class group of children. Change can be exciting as we welcome new people but also sad when we wish people all the best as they leave our beautiful community. 

First and foremost, I'd like to express my deep appreciation for the dedication and leadership of Chevon, and the invaluable contributions she has made to the St. John's community over many years. Despite her maternity leave in recent months, she has consistently been just a call or email away, offering unwavering support to anyone who reaches out. Chevon provided tremendous assistance to me when I first joined St. John's, guiding me in understanding the school's narrative. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Chevon on her successful appointment as Deputy Principal at St. Stephen's, commencing in 2024.

Shelly Stuart has also been appointed as Deputy Principal at St. Clare's, starting in 2024. Despite her relatively short time at St. John's, Shelly's lasting impact will resonate within the community. Her role in Learning Diversity allowed her to cultivate trusted relationships with both families and educators. She led with empathy and care, ensuring that every child at St. John's has the best support to thrive as learners. I express my enormous gratitude to Shelly and extend my best wishes for her new opportunity.

While it's sad to see both Shelly and Chevon leave our community, it stands as a testament to our school that many of our leaders are being appointed to Deputy Principal positions within schools across MACS over the last two years.

I will be confirming all 2024 Staffing announcements in the coming weeks, including the appointment of Hub educators and co-educators.

As St John's continues to grow we are always reflecting and evaluating what will be best for the children and living out our school Horizon. I am currently working with architects to develop a new master plan for the school, with the inclusion of the covent (building next to the farm), to ensure we can cater for our growing numbers into the future. The vision is to have additional learning hubs on the site of the convent. 

The Leadership Team has endorsed the recommendation proposed by the Consultative Committee to merge students from Years 3 and 4, forming two 3/4 hubs in 2024. While acknowledging the benefits of both multi-aged and single-aged groupings, our school prioritises the optimal learning environment for the children in these groups each year.

As a small school, we emphasise the significance of enabling children to cultivate friendships across various year levels. This option presents opportunities for children to collaborate, build relationships, and learn to work harmoniously with peers of different ages, fostering the development of empathy, leadership skills and a sense of responsibility towards others.

This approach also allows for mentoring opportunities, with older students supporting those transitioning into the middle years. They will assist in the introduction of technology, such as Chromebooks, and collaborative projects, while reinforcing their own learning.

2024 Hub structures 

Prep Hub

1 Hub

2 Hub

2 x 3/4 Hub

5/6 Hub 

2024 Specialists will be Physical Education, Engaging with Place (Farm), Innovation, LOTE: Auslan and The Arts

In the previous newsletter, I announced the upcoming fee adjustments for 2024. Today, all families should have received an email outlining the fee and levy structures for the upcoming year.

Furthermore, I shared our decision to organise a day camp experience for 3/4 children next year. Following positive feedback from families of current Year 3 students about their children's love for last year's overnight camp, we're looking to gauge the broader perspective of families. To gather insights, I'll be sending additional information about the Camp Program and a set of survey questions to our current Year 2 and 3 families. Your valuable input will play a pivotal role in determining the type of camping experience offered for the 3/4 Hubs moving forward. You can expect to receive the survey via email later today.

School Uniform : Last term, we gathered feedback regarding the school uniform. I'm excited to share that our supplier has sent back approved designs, introducing an additional option to the current polo. The image below displays the new design—a cotton blend polo. The darker panel in the middle has been incorporated to assist in concealing any stains that children might encounter during their active learning days.

Parents will still have the choice to purchase the existing polo while it's in stock. The new polo option will soon be available from our supplier, RH Uniforms. As mentioned in previous newsletters, children are allowed to wear the sports uniform every day to school.

Please make sure your child has a school hat to wear everyday during Term 4. These can be purchased from the School Office

Also see the School Uniform page for more information.

Next week marks the beginning of our first of three transition sessions for our Prep 2024 children. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of these children and their families, welcoming them to our community. Today, our current Year 6 students engaged in a transition day alongside their peers from Christ the King Primary School and St Monica's Primary School, a pivotal step in their journey toward Year 7.

This period of the year can be both challenging and exciting for children. The impending changes may bring about uncertainty, making it an unsettling time. Transition sessions are crafted to provide children with a safe space for exploration, asking questions, forging new friendships, and understanding that others share similar feelings. If you have any queries or require support for your child as we approach the end of the 2023 school year, please don't hesitate to reach out.

To enhance and simplify our ways of communication, we've partnered with SIMON, a company aimed at improving the experience for our community. Our collaboration involves utilising this platform to create our Student Reports this term. Moving forward, we plan to expand its use to manage reporting absences, sharing first aid reports and medical requirements, and providing permission notes for excursions and camps starting next year.

This initiative will consolidate information for parents into one accessible platform. It's designed to offer digital and instantaneous access to information, enabling both the receipt and provision of essential details in a more convenient manner. More information about this exciting new feature for our community will be shared very soon.

Warm wishes

Emily