Principal's Message
400 million people attended the Mahakumbh Mela last year. This is a religious festival held at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati Rivers in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. This festival happens every 144 years. This picture is only a small section of attendees.
Dear St John's Community,
The last few weeks have passed in a whirlwind, and this week has been especially so.
I’ve barely had any time to process the changes happening for this wonderful community, let alone what that meant for myself…until today…today, as I saw the faces of parents and students and their well wishes for me, it really started to sink in…
I have said previously that I have a very firm belief that God puts me where he needs me. I truly believed that was the case when I started at St John’s, and I do believe that’s the case with this move as well, even if it was unexpected, even for me.
I could not be more grateful or humbled by the contributions many of our staff, children and families have made to building and supporting this community. I could never have done this alone; the challenges we have faced, could not have been overcome or addressed by one person alone. It takes a community.
Even so, I do want to specifically mention a few people I will always be eternally grateful for and have learned so much from.
My leadership team – Maree Summers, Marisa Patton, Bernie Clutterbuck – the best people you would ever want backing you up, this is not an easy job, and we don’t always get things right for everyone, nor would we ever be able to with such a wide and varied community, but with such a team I feel we got it more right than wrong…and I sincerely hope the community feels the same way.
Schools are fast-paced, highly dynamic places, and the contributions and support of these three have been immeasurable.
The parents involved with the school advisory committee group, who have helped provide advice, discussion and insight into the thinking of the community as a whole, and have helped shape the direction of the school. I thank them very much; their valuable advice and input have been well considered and well received over the years and have been hugely appreciated.
I want to have a special mention here for Kate N-G, I have been blessed with her organisational genius in recent years in pulling together so many different things that have contributed so greatly to our community and for the enjoyment of the students. I just cannot thank her enough for that. Kate and all the parents who back her every time she puts the call out are a credit to this community.
I could continue to list everyone, all the staff, all our regular contractors, all our volunteers and more, but I only have so much space.
Instead, my final thanks is for the students of St John’s. They are my inspiration, my joy, and the lights in the world. I'll admit that sometimes they can be my frustration too, but always, always, their presence and their stories, their lives and their joys bring me the greatest rewards and are why I keep striving for myself, to try to be better and try to do better.
Everything this community has taught me, has prepared me for what is to come. And I could not be more grateful. I know I leave the school in good hands. And I pray that all your futures are full of God’s love.
Congratulations to Mr Lefebvre and his lovely partner, Olivia, who tied the knot this week on a mountain top in New Zealand! What an amazing locale!
We say goodbye and a wonderful big thank you to Mrs Lisa Fitzjohn, who has left to spend more time with her family. Lisa has been instrumental in our Reading intervention program for several years now and will be sorely missed!
We thank Ms Sara Wright for her time in 5/6M, stepping in and taking over for Mrs McMahon.
Next term, Mrs Danni Dalben, Mrs Sarah O'Keefe and Mr Cain will be taking over the classroom.
We welcome Ms Chloe Leatham to the Grade 1/2 space as she steps in to work with Mrs Edwards. Mrs Charman is moving to support the prep space.
In the last newsletter, I spoke about changes to the PROTECT frameworks in response to family violence. This week, I am highlighting the new changes to how MACS schools will respond to a variety of incidents that may occur in a school setting. This is helping provide clearer guidelines to parents and schools on how inappropriate incidents may be managed. While any incident in a school can have a variety of responses, the following documents outline potential outcomes for more serious incidents.
Congratulations to all the students who completed their First Holy Communion. It was wonderfully heartwarming to see so many families coming to support those completing their Communion. We pray for them and their families as they continue to grow in their faith.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the joy filling our hearts as we celebrate the students of our community who have recently received their First Holy Communion. Thank You for calling these young ones to the table of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be nourished by His real presence.
Lord Jesus, Bread of Life, We ask You to bless these children. May the encounter they experienced at Your altar be just the beginning of a lifelong friendship with You. Guard their hearts, keep them ever free from sin, fortified in faith, and filled with Your peace.
As they have received You into their hearts, let Your love shine through their daily actions, kindness, and choices.
Holy Spirit, Our Helper and Guide, Fill our students with a persistent hunger for the Eucharist. Grant them the grace to return to Your altar frequently to find strength for life's journey.
Inspire our families to walk alongside them faithfully.
Help us to model Christ’s love through our own words and deeds, serving as living examples they can confidently follow.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry." — John 6:35
The Jaguars are looking for new members, especially in the junior levels (Prep & Grade 1) and under 12s. If you're interested, contact them through this email: admin@stjohnsbasketball.com
What a close competition! I've clawed my way back near the top in recent weeks! Watch out!
Go BLUES!!!!
AshFoudy 95
Dezzabr 95
Ezndaz 95
Jessa1923 94
ToonAussie 94
Nanette-C 93
HenryDR 93
Caleb5 93
MasterONG2016 92
Aidan Ritter 91
Have a wonderful break. I will miss the good times we've all had together. Best wishes for everyone for the future.
Kind regards,
Derek Bruitzman
Principal
Jokes of the week:
Q. Why did the soccer ball quite the team?
A. it was tired of being kicked around!
Q: Why did the soccer player bring string to the soccer game?
A: Because he wanted to tie up the game...
Q: Why did many players stay away from the striker in the soccer game?
A: On the field, he was pretty offensive!
Q: What was Cinderalla kicked off her soccer team?
A: She kept running away from the ball.
Fun facts of the week:
The surface of the ocean is a mirror for the terrain below it, deep trenches cause dips and underwater mountains cause bulges on the surface.
We say "Bless you" when people sneeze. In Medieval times they believed you were sneezing out a demon which is why they said Bless you!
In medieval Europe there was a time where animals could be put on trial in court. Several pigs were executed after being found guilty of murdering children...(What????)
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