General Information
Information which you need to be aware of.
DIVISIONAL ATHLETICS COMPETITION
Well done to the students who competed last week at the Divisional Athletics competition at the Newport Athletics Track. Congratulations goes especially to the five students who have progressed through to the next round of the athletics competition. Mia, Dominic, Luca, Dylan and Ben will compete at the Keilor Aths track on the 17th of October.
Werribee Little Athletics
Werribee Little Aths will be holding a Free Trial Day. Please see the attached flyers for more information.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW PREP 2024 FAMILIES
It was wonderful to meet many of the new families who will be joining us next year, at our recent Prep 2024 Information Session. During the evening we outlined important transition dates and other information necessary for a smooth start to the year. The times and dates for the three transition sessions, can be found in the Key Dates & Reminders section of the newsletter. Families will be emailed which session their child is to attend on the first Orientation day on Monday 23rd October. Parents please be aware that non attendance at the orientation sessions by a student may jeopardise their enrolment in Prep next year.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR
We had many families visit our St John’s Book Fair when they attended the Parent Teacher Interviews. Scholastic Rewards is a program created by Scholastic as a way to give back to schools. Whenever families purchase items through Book Club or our Book Fair, St John’s earns reward points. These points are then used by the school to offset the cost of reading materials and classroom resources that we purchase from Scholastic.
FATHER’S DAY STALL
Thanks to the office staff, Paula and Michelle for sourcing the great selection of gifts we had on sale this year at our Father’s Day Stall. We hope all the dads had a great day celebrating with their families.
MATERNITY LEAVE
Ms Vee Bacon will be going on Maternity Leave in Term 4 as she prepares for the birth of her second child. Mr Reuben Vande Kraats will be taking over Vee’s class and is currently working with Vee to ensure a smooth transition occurs next term. We wish Vee all the best.
MORNING DROP OFF TIME REMINDER
A reminder to families that the school grounds are not supervised by staff until 8:30 am. Families who are dropping their child off earlier than this are required to make a booking with our Before School Program. The office has information about this program which is run by Quantin Binnah from our School Hall.
We have noticed that there are some students who are entering the school grounds via the Hall Gate as early as 8:00am, this gate should only be used by students accessing the Before School Care Program. Students entering the school grounds before 8:30am are unsupervised and not inline with our Child Safety Policies. Parents will be contacted if students are in the school prior to 8:30am and will be asked to make alternative arrangements for the morning drop off.
2024 ENROLMENT INTENTIONS SURVEY
Planning for the 2024 school year has begun and this process is quite complex and reliant on accurate and up to date information. We ask any families who are considering moving house or changing their child’s school in 2024, to contact the office. Please be assured that should your plans change, it will in no way affect your child’s placement for next year. Families have been sent a link to a 2024 Enrolment Intention Survey via Operoo.
MACSIS SURVEYS
Each year all Catholic school’s survey students, parents and staff. The data collected through the survey process provides us with valuable feedback and guides the school’s future direction. Students from Year 4-6 have been completing an online survey over the past few weeks. The surveys are conducted by an outside agency, which randomly selects some families to complete a survey. The selected families have had their survey log in details sent home. Surveys will close on Friday 15th September, so we ask all selected families to complete their survey by the end of the term.
PROPOSED HOLIDAY MAINTENANCE WORKS
School holidays provide us with an excellent opportunity to complete certain maintenance and upgrade works safely whilst there are no students on site. The school will be installing upgraded network switches to ensure that the internet and network speeds are sufficient in the coming years. Mark Page our Facilities Manager will be fertilising and weeding the oval and other grass areas and will also be building up the soil along the northern fence line to reduce gaps under the fence. Our sincere thanks goes to Mark for the way he maintains our school grounds.
NEW PEDESTRIAN GATE
We are currently installing an additional entry & exit gate here at the school. This gate will allow another point of entry and exit at the busy drop off and pick up times. The new pedestrian gate is located on the north eastern perimeter fence, along Embleton Ave, close to the wetlands.
The gate will be open from 8:30am each morning and 3pm each afyernoonfrom the start of Term 4. We encourage families to consider parking along Embleton Ave to reduce traffic along Kingbird Ave.
FOLLOW ST JOHN’S ON INSTAGRAM
We have launched our St John’s Instagram recently and are very excited with the number of families who are following us. Our Instagram handle is @stjatarneit. We’ll be posting new event updates and photos each week.
UNIFORM PRICE LIST
It is wonderful to see so many students wearing the new uniform options. Below are links to updated Price Lists for all St John’s uniform items being sold by Rushfords. Please be aware that students may continue to wear any item from the original uniform range. Some of these original pieces are still for sale at Rushfords, at discounted prices until sold out.
FREQUENTLY ASKED UNIFORM QUESTIONS
My child’s current uniform is in good condition, do I need to buy the new one?
No, as long as your child is in full school uniform, they can wear the current one until you decide to transition across. Remember that the old uniform will not be restocked instore. Once supplies are sold they are no longer available.
What days does my child wear the new uniform?
The new uniform is multipurpose therefore it is worn everyday regardless of whether your child has sport or not.
What parts of the new uniform do I buy?
You now just mix and match any combination that you like from the new uniform wardrobe. This means if your child does not feel the cold you do not need to buy the track pants. We hope this will save families money as they are not having to purchase items their child won't want to wear.
Are any current items able to be worn with the new uniform?
Yes, the sports shorts, polo top, soft shell jacket, hat, vest cardigan and jacket can be worn with the new uniform.
What shoes will be worn with the new uniform?
Students must wear runners with the new uniform. These must be predominantly white or black in colour.
Can I replace new uniform items with unbranded items from Kmart, Target, etc?
No, with the reduced cost of the uniform we are expecting families to use the official uniform items which are identified by the school logo.
Can my child wear leggings or long-sleeved undergarments under the uniform for warmth or sun protection?
Yes, however they must be from the official uniform list. These items have now been added to the wardrobe.
CHILD SAFETY - SCREEN TIME LIMITS OVER THE HOLIDAYS
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.
This newsletter we draw your attention to the article titled ‘A Parents’ Guide to Screen Time’. With school holidays fast approaching we thought it was timely to draw parents attention to this information as this is a topical issue. The article looks at:
- The risks of too much screen time
- What the experts are saying
- What families can do
QUSTODIO PARENTAL CONTROL - A DIGITAL WELLBEING SOFTWARE
St John’s will be partnering with Qustodio from the 26th October, to provide parents with access to digital wellbeing software. Qustodio Parental Control App is one of the best parental control solutions currently available. The software is designed to be tamper-proof, so it's not easy for a child to bypass its restrictions without the necessary permissions. It is user-friendly, allowing parents to filter website searches, block apps and set time limits. These measures support families to make sure kids stay safe online and don't spend too much time on their devices.