General Information
Information which you need to be aware of
PRINCIPAL’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
As Catholics we have just entered a new church year and will begin to reflect on the Gospel of Luke. In Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus, we read about the Host of Heavenly Angels who appeared to some shepherds to tell them the good news of the birth of Jesus. That God chose to share this great news with a group of lowly shepherds, gives us hope that in all our human frailty, God sees us and is with us.
As the end of 2024 draws near, I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of this year. Thank you to our families for your unwavering support and thank you to all the staff who work so tirelessly to ensure the success of every student. As a school community we have much to be grateful for and Christmas provides us with the ideal opportunity to reflect on our successes and give thanks to God for the things we have achieved through His guidance and love. I wish all our families a very Merry Christmas and hope that the holidays are an opportunity to take a break and recharge.
CHRISTMAS NATIVITY PERFORMANCE
On Thursday 5th December, our St John’s School Choir in conjunction with the Year 2s presented the Nativity Story. It was wonderful to see this special event brought to life in such a joyful and meaningful way. For families who were unable to attend, we invite you to scroll through the images below or click on the link which will take you to our Vimeo channel where you can watch the performance. Thanks to all the staff who worked so hard to prepare the costumes and the backdrops, thanks also to the Year 2 teachers for preparing their students and to Ms Carla Romeo for preparing the choir.
STAFF FAREWELLS
We farewell Mr Zac Lane who has worked at St John’s for the past 4 years. Zac has been an instrumental part of our senior school organising and attending camps and sacraments. We thank Zac for all his hard work leading our PBL Initiatives and for his work as our Mental Health Officer. We wish him all the best as he moves down the coast for a ‘Sea Change’.
We also bid farewell to some of our hard working support team. St John’s wishes Aiden Smith, Mia Massessi and Neve Witmitz all the best in their future endeavours. We thank Aiden, Mia and Neve for their hard work and dedication, supporting many students.
Also we farewell Ms Simona Grippi who has been doing a range of teaching roles for us over the past couple of years. We wish Simona all the best at her new school in her role as Performing Arts Teacher and thank her for her contributions to St John’s.
2025 CLASSES
Below is a list of our 2025 Class Teachers:
Year Prep - Ms Vee Bacon & Ms Bianca Gomez
Year 1 - Mrs Wendy Gonsalves/Mrs Kelly Davies & Ms Laura Haughin
Year 2 - Ms Sarah Cauchi, Ms Nicola Folan & Ms Hannah Martin/Mrs Kerry Lowerson
Year 3 -Mrs Erin Webb, Ms Georgia Burston & Mrs Tiana D’Souza
Year 4 - Ms Kara Lawson, Mr Cooper Trigg & Ms Audrey Bongetti
Year 5 - Mr Keanan Van Hees & Ms Jessica Gatt
Year 6 - Ms Carolyn Dillon & Mrs Ashleigh Borg
2025 CLASS LOCATION MAP
As we are growing to 17 grades we have restructured the areas in which some year levels will work from. Please see the image below for the location of our 2025 classes.
YEAR 5 & 6 WATER SAFE SESSION
On Monday 2nd December our Year 5 & 6 students participated in a Water Safety Session, run by Life Saving Victoria. The session took place at Altona Beach and the groups were treated to sensational weather. These water safety lessons are very timely with the Christmas holidays fast approaching.
CHILD SAFETY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DISCORD
The Linewize platform helps schools, students and families to develop better digital habits, while also monitoring and tracking digital usages. With St John’s now working in partnership with Linewize, our parents have access to an Online Safety Parent Hub, via the school’s website. This Hub has a wealth of tips and information for families.
This newsletter we draw your attention to an article by Online Safety Expert Teodora Pavkovic. In this article Teodora talks about the features and known risks of communicating with others on Discord. The article has terrific tips for safe and responsible use of the platform.