A message from Emily
Principal – St John's Footscray
A message from Emily
Principal – St John's Footscray
Dear parents and carers
What a fabulous start to Term 4 it has been! Both the children and staff have returned from the break refreshed and ready for all that the next few months hold.
A huge thank you to the many families who responded to and completed the MACSSIS survey. We had an outstanding 64 families complete the survey, which is almost three times the response rate from last year! This valuable data is crucial as we evaluate our impact and determine priorities for 2026. Your voice truly matters.
I invite you to check out the Community Connection page as I have added some local information and online workshops that are on offer to our families that you may wish to access.
Focusing on Wellbeing and Positive Behaviour
We want to ensure every child feels safe and supported, so Karen emailed all families yesterday with detailed information on wellbeing and behaviour at St John's, including this term's lunch clubs.
To reinforce our positive culture, last week we held our WOW (Ways of Working) Week, where we explicitly retaught our school expectations—as we do at the start of every term.
Our focus for acknowledgements at upcoming school assemblies will be on identifying children who display Kindness, Safe Choices, and a Learner mindset. We'll continue to share what's happening at St John's to keep you informed and so you can support these messages at home too.
Lady Northcote Camp Fun
This week, the 3/4 Hub enjoyed two action-packed days at camp at Lady Northcote. The children had an amazing time experiencing new activities with their friends and educators. While the weather was certainly warm, it didn't slow down the fun!
Our Year 3 children enjoyed an extended day, returning after dinner on Wednesday night, while the Year 4s spent the night, continuing their full camp experience and returning this afternoon. We hope all our campers enjoy a well-deserved rest day tomorrow!
This incredible experience wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of our staff: Jordan, Alicia, Kelly, Amy, and Karen. We are also deeply grateful to Michelle and Thushari for generously giving their time, which allowed our Year 3 students to have that special extended day. Thank you to all families for supporting your children in preparing for this successful camp.
Next week we will be celebrating significant older people in the lives of our children with our Grandparents Day event.
On Wednesday, October 29th, we're celebrating World Teacher's Day by taking time to acknowledge all our incredible staff at St John's. We are truly fortunate to have such caring, passionate, and dedicated team members who consistently put the children's needs as their first priority. I encourage you to reach out—in person or via email—to an educator, co-educator, admin staff member, or leader to give them a well-deserved positive boost on this special day.
ZOOPER DOOPER FOR SALE:
Next week, on Wednesday, we are introducing Zooper Doopers for the children to buy during their first break. This is part of our fundraising initiative and will be a weekly event. We will have zero sugar and original Zooper Doopers available for $1. We look forward to the excitement this will create.
Warm regards
Emily
OUR IMAGE OF THE CHILD
‘At St. John’s, we strongly believe that children are at the centre when given authentic and meaningful experiences. They flourish when their passions and interests are acknowledged and valued. Children are empowered when they take ownership for their learning. They have a right to develop autonomy through discovery.’
(St. John’s Staff, 2018)
We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation as the owners of the land on which we live, play and learn at St John's Primary School, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
All students attending St. John's Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.