Principal's News

Dear Families, 

 I hope that you all enjoyed a safe and happy Easter and had the chance to rest and spend valuable time with family and friends. Easter is such a significant season in our Church, centred on renewal, new life and hope, and I pray it was a meaningful time for your family in its own way. It has been wonderful to welcome our students back for the beginning of Term 2. Seeing their energy, enthusiasm and readiness for learning last week was a lovely way to begin the term.

As this is my first newsletter for the term, I want to thank our St John’s families for the kindness, prayers and support shown to me and my family following the passing of my Mum. The care of this community during such a difficult time has meant so much to me, and I feel incredibly grateful to be part of a school community that looks after one another so well. I also want to acknowledge our amazing staff for everything they did while I was away. Their care for students, teamwork and commitment to our school was outstanding, and I appreciated knowing the school was in such capable hands. A special thank you to Louise Frewen for leading the school as Acting Principal during my absence. Lou did a wonderful job with warmth, calmness and professionalism. She gives so much to every student, family and staff member and we are very lucky to have her at St John’s. 

Cross Country – this Thursday 30th April

Our school Cross Country will be held this Thursday, 30th April. Students in Years 3–6 will head to the Euroa Memorial Oval to compete alongside Euroa Primary School, leaving school at 11:20am for an 11:55am start. Age groups are based on the age students turn by 31st December 2026. Foundation to Year 2 Cross Country will be held at school on the oval from 2:15pm, with races beginning from approximately 2:25pm. Year 2 students will complete 4 laps, Year 1 students 3 laps and Foundation students 2 laps. Families are warmly welcome to come along and support the students on our school oval. Please sign in at the office. A big thank you to Linc McKernan for his work in coordinating this wonderful event for our students and community. Successful students from Years 3-6 will then progress to District Cross Country at Murchison on Thursday 7th May. 

FCJ College Information Evening – Tonight! 

Families in Years 4–6 are warmly encouraged to attend the FCJ College Benalla Information Evening tonight at 7pm at Seven Creeks Hotel. Whether you are still considering secondary school options or have already made a decision and would simply like to learn more about what FCJ College has to offer, this is a great opportunity to hear firsthand about their programs, pathways and community. Please make sure you register prior to attending (see flyer). 

Local Excursions/Difficulty Logging in to the SIMON: Parent Access Module (PAM) 

We kindly ask all families to please ensure they have completed the Local Excursions Permission form for 2026 in SIMON (PAM). 

This permission covers excursions and activities within the local Euroa area, including visits to places such as the church, local sporting facilities and other nearby learning opportunities. When students are attending one of these local events, staff will still send families an email with the details of the upcoming excursion, however you will not need to provide additional permission each time if your Local Excursions Permission has already been completed. 

We also apologise for the difficulties many families have experienced recently when trying to access their SIMON Everywhere (PAM) account. The SIMON system has introduced a global password reset and additional security measures for all parent accounts. To log in to PAM, select Forgot Password, and create a new password. Once this is completed, a six-digit verification code will be sent to your email for secure login. If you don't receive one this is the code:816826. If you are having trouble accessing PAM or completing permissions, please contact the school office and Bek will be very happy to assist. 

New OSHC Provider – Uniting (Commencing Week 4) 

We are excited to that Uniting will become St John’s new Out of School Hours Care provider from Week 4, beginning Monday 11th May. We are really looking forward to this new partnership and know that the refreshed program, along with two staff members on site to support the service at all times, will provide a wonderful experience for our families and students. 

Families are encouraged to enrol now (see flyer below) if you would like to access Before School Care, After School Care or Vacation Care. For more information, please contact earlylearning@vt.uniting.org or call 1800 183 103. 

Enrol now: CLICK HERE TO ENROL NOW TO OUR NEW OSHC "UNITING"

A reminder to families regarding morning arrival times. Yard supervision begins each day at 8:30am, so students should not arrive at school before this time unless they are attending Before School Care through our Out of School Hours Care program. We appreciate your support in helping us ensure all students are safely supervised each morning.

Catholic Education Week & Mother’s Day Celebration - Friday 8th May 

Our current focus is the Catholic Social Teaching Principle “Common Good” – doing what is best for everyone, not just yourself. This encourages students to think of others, include everyone, show kindness and make choices that strengthen our community. Next week we celebrate "Catholic Education Week" from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May. This is a special time to celebrate what makes Catholic education unique – nurturing the whole child academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally, living the values of the Gospel each day and working together to build peace in our world. The 2026 theme is “Seek Peace and Pursue It” (Psalm 34:14; 1 Peter 3:11). Throughout the week, students and staff will celebrate how these values are lived each day at St John’s through learning, relationships, prayer and service. 

As part of Catholic Education Week, we warmly invite mothers, grandmothers and special people in the lives of our students to join us on Friday for our Mother’s Day celebration. We will gather for a Whole School Liturgy at 12:30pm in the Mercy Centre, followed by our Mother’s Day High Tea and Pampering in the Mercy Centre from 1pm.  

2027 Enrolments Now Open 

As we begin planning for 2027, families with younger siblings intending to join St John’s are warmly asked to please submit your application to secure your child's enrolment by Friday 26th June this term. Receiving applications by the due date greatly assists us with planning for classes, staffing and future enrolments. Applications can be completed online via the link below, or please contact Bek. Apply now: 🔗 CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENROLMENT NOW! 

Special Congratulations

A big congratulations to our wonderful Grace Ivill, who competed in the State Showjumping Titles over the weekend. On Sunday, Grace shone brightly and won her final, taking out the Victorian State Title. What an incredible achievement. We are so proud of Grace and the dedication, skill and determination she continues to show. What a star she is.

A reminder that there are NO LUNCH ORDERS TOMORROW for Wednesday - Week 2!

Wishing all of our families a wonderful week ahead. We hope to see many of you at our Mother’s Day celebrations during Catholic Education Week, or cheering on our students at the Cross Country events this Thursday. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of St John’s. 

Take care, 

Sam