A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers,

It's hard to believe that we have come to the end of Term 3 and what a great term of learning and community events it has been. I would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped with our events including, but not exclusively, our athletics day, Father's day stall and excursions. Running these events successfully really needs a team of people to support. 

Last Saturday Amy and Lauren travelled to Canberra to represent St John's and present to other educators at a REAIE (Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange) Network for Primary Schools. It was a great way to share and celebrate what is happening at St John's but also learn from others. See their reflection on the Learning and Teaching page.

St John's Trivia Night is going ahead on Friday 8th November

We invite all parents who would like to have a night out with other parents from our community join in a fun night of trivia. Please note this is a child-free event.

There will be a door prize as well as a raffle to win prizes donated from local businesses. If you would like to make a donation towards the raffle prizes we would love to hear from you. This could be an anonymous donation or an opportunity for us to advertise your business in our newsletter and on the night as a sponsor. 

Vicki and Jacqueline are heading up the organisation of this night and would love to hear from other parents who would like to be involved in the preparations. Please email me - econroy@sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au

Please click on this link to book tickets; you can book individual tickets or a table of 10. Drinks can be purchased at bar prices and a grazing box will be supplied for each table as part of your ticket. You will also be able to bring your own snacks if you wish.

During the holidays I will be travelling to Italy to participate in an international formation program with ACU.  I will join other leaders in Catholic Education from around Australia and internationally. I will spend time in Rome and Assisi as part of this learning. I will be away from school until 18th October. During this time Karen Dodemaide and Lauren Davis will be in charge. I look forward to sharing more about this experience on my return.

Next year St John's staffing is growing and we are looking to welcome new people in 2025. We will be using our social media to advertise as we have many educators who follow our page that we would love to consider joining our community. I will provide further updates around 2025 in future Term 4 newsletters.

2024 MACSSIS Survey closes tomorrow. I sent a reminder email earlier today with the link and family pin needed if you haven't had a chance to complete this. 

Thank you to the 39 families who have already taken the time to do this. We highly value your input and will use your feedback as we develop our 2025 - 2028 School Improvement Plan.

Building Update: Over the school holidays we will have further safety measures installed for the hall including props that will secure the walls and ceiling to ensure no further deterioration takes place. I will continue to keep the community updated.

Monday 7th October is a School Closure Day. The staff will be participating in a professional learning day focussed on "Uncovering Advent through Art" led by Fr Elio Capra. This day will further develop educator knowledge and understanding of Advent and contributes to their continued accreditation to teach Religious Education. We will end the day with a community event where families are invited to join us at Quang Minh Temple at 2pm. Please see flyer on Family Engagement page. We look forward to sharing more about this experience in our first newsletter next term.

Wishing you safe and enjoyable school holidays,

Emily