Wellbeing News

Ride2School Day - Friday 20 March

On Friday, 20 March, our school community traded four wheels for two (and sometimes three!) as we participated in the annual Ride2School morning.

It was fantastic to see our hall overflowing with transport and the front gates buzzing with energy. Whether you arrived by bicycle, scooter, skateboard, or on foot, your choice to commute actively made a huge difference to the morning atmosphere and our environment. 

To celebrate all that hard work, students were greeted at the finish line with a fruit buffet, providing the perfect healthy fuel-up to kickstart a day of learning.

Why We Ride

Events like this aren't just about the commute, they’re about:

• Health & Wellbeing: Starting the day with fresh air and exercise improves focus in the classroom.
• Sustainability: Reducing our carbon footprint, one pedal at a time.
• Community: Seeing students, parents, and teachers cheering each other on at the gate!

A massive thank you to all the families who supported this initiative and to our student leaders who helped coordinate the data collection. Let’s keep that momentum rolling—why wait for next year to ride to school again?

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Our students have been focusing on mastering our core Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) routines to ensure our school day runs smoothly and respectfully. Whether it is the focused silence during Mass, the transition from the playground when the bell rings, or the orderly way we line up for class, these habits are essential to our community. By showing pride and patience during assembly, students are demonstrating exactly what it means to be a responsible learner. These consistent routines do more than just keep us organised, they create a respectful environment where every student feels safe and ready to succeed. 

Congratulations to these students who were recognised for thier consistency in showing the St John's PBL routines. The Prep students are continuing to learn and practise these routines. 

1D - Genevieve

1W- Callahan

2MJ - Georgia 

2C - Matteo 

3B - Maddie 

3C - Aveer

4D - Kalina 

4BT - Matteo

5L - Veronica 

5P - Nico

6M - Sam 

6G - Lilla  

We are placing a strong focus on the mindset of being "ready and prepared to learn" each and every day. This commitment goes beyond simply having the right stationery or books, it is about arriving with a focused attitude and a willingness to engage fully in the classroom. When students take ownership of their preparation, they work towards reducing distractions for themselves and others, ensuring that every minute of our learning time is used effectively. By being mentally and physically organized from the start of the day, our students are setting themselves up for personal growth and academic success.

You can see our social stories (a short, personalized learning tool, usually written or visual, that describes a specific social situation, skill, or concept in a clear and reassuring way) here, which are taught and reviewed in classrooms.

We highly encourage you to discuss and review the PBL learning that has been taking place in our school so far this term. PBL is successful when all stakeholders reinforce the expectations, teachers, leaders, office staff and families.

Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR)

 St John's Primary School is a proud Respectful Relationships school.

Respectful relationships education is part of the Victorian Curriculum and delivered by all Victorian government schools. It supports students to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed for respectful relationships, and helps to build respect and equality across the entire school community.

Research tells us that providing respectful relationships education at school can lead to positive impacts on students’ academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour and relationships.

Our school uses the Department of Education’s evidence-based teaching and learning resources to teach our students about Respectful Relationships from Foundation to Grade 6. 

The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships resources have 8 topics that teach students about emotional literacy, personal and cultural strengths, resilience, problem-solving, stress-management, help-seeking, gender norms and stereotypes and positive gender relations.

Classes beginning RRRR we are working on Topic 1 which helps students to learn about Emotional Literacy. You can view a sample activity from Year 1/2 in this topic below.

If you have any questions about Respectful Relationships education, you can contact Alison Dean or Brooke Davis and visit the Victorian Government’s Respectful Relationships page: https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships