Principal's Page

'A Welcoming Community Leading the Future of Learning with Faith and Love'

A Message from the Principal

We had a beautiful Mass and Celebrations for Fr Dispin's 50th Birthday on Saturday. The Church was packed and it was great to see many of our families in attendance. All students made cards and posters, which were displayed around the walls of the Hall. It was lovely to have the whole Parish together to recognise all of Fr Dispin's achievements over his lifetime and especially at St John's.

To be part of a community like St John's brings me great joy. The support from parents, students, staff and parishioners helps to build a sense of belonging and friendship. Having a sense of community unites us and makes us feel that we are a part of something greater than ourselves. It gives us opportunities to connect with others and makes us feel safe and secure. Our St John's community supports us to develop our social and emotional needs, while providing the opportunity to challenge, offer guidance and learn from different perspectives. The need for love and belonging is part of our basic needs as human beings. Thank-you all for helping to build a strong sense of community at St John's.

St John's Community Fete - Raffle Tickets

The Raffle Tickets have been sent home to every family and they are a big part of our Parish and school fundraising. Tickets are $2.00 each and St John's school receives $1.00 for every ticket that our families sell. If every family sells 10 tickets, we will receive over $1,000 towards our school CA fundraising efforts. Please sell them to your neighbours, friends and families.

We are also looking for some parents to advertise and sell the tickets after each Mass on the weekend for the next month. We will receive $1.00 for every ticket sold. Please contact me if you are able to help out and make this your contribution to volunteering for one of the fete duties. 

It is an expectation that all families contribute at least one hour volunteering to help out at the fete. This may be set up (bump in), during the fete, or pack up on the Sunday (bump out).  Please sign up for any stall or activity on this link.

A huge thank-you to Emily Boyd and Emir Bajcic for offering to help with the Toy Stall. We are delighted that this stall will now be able to go ahead.

Working Bee 

Thank-you to the McKay and Stutchbury families for helping to move a huge amount of mulch and sand into the playground. It is great to freshen up the play area while providing the required soft-fall mulch to keep the playground safe.

We still have another mountain of the soft-fall mulch to move so if you have some spare time this week to assist, it would be greatly appreciated.

Open Day

This Friday, 20 October, we will be holding an Open Day. Please spread the word to your family and friends. Everyone is welcome to come along and visit the classrooms.

Wedding Bells

This Saturday, our Learning Support Officer, Kristin will be getting married to James. Last week we celebrated with Kristin giving her a staff bridal shower. The students in her Year 5/6 class dressed her up and shared afternoon tea with her, to celebrate this very special occasion. We wish Kristin and James all the best for a very happy and loving future together.

2024 Classes 

Next week the staff will begin working on the class groupings for 2024. This is a long process that goes through many drafts and includes input from current and past teachers. Students are asked to list friends they work well with and classes are balanced with gender and various other needs. If any parents would like to make a request about classes for next year please email me by the end of this week. There are no guarantees that all requests will be met but we will do our best in light of all the relevant criteria.

2024 School Fees and Levies

Please see the fee and levy schedule below for the 2024 School Fees.

Swimming Program 

This week our Year 3 and 4 students will be begin their intensive swimming program at Nunawading Aqualink. The buses will leave the school at 11am and return around 12.30pm, beginning from tomorrow. Don't forget to wear your bathers and pack a plastic bag to take all of your wet things home in. Parents are welcome to watch the lessons poolside, throughout the next 2 weeks.

School Closure Days

This Term there will be 2 school closure days and a public holiday for Melbourne Cup.

The first day is Monday, 6 November, on the Cup Day long weekend. This day will be used for Time in Lieu for our staff due to all of their after hours school commitments and meetings.

The second day, Friday, 17 November, will be the day before the Fete, as we need to be off site while the Fete is being set-up. The staff will be involved in Professional Learning in Positive Behaviours.

Maths Jokes of the Week

Have a wonderful week!

Verona Gridley

Principal 

vgridley@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au