Dear St John's Community,

I'm not sure how many of you had time to watch any of the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, but I am always humbled by the dedication and perseverance the athletes put into their respective sports. While most of us won’t be hurtling down a bobsled track or performing a quadruple axel anytime soon, the Olympic spirit offers us some profound lessons.

At St John's, we talk a lot about having a 'growth mindset' with everything we do; the power of 'not yet' is exemplified in the athletes in the games. For every success, we don't see the thousands of fails, the years of practising technique the athletes put in, every single day. It's a great way to talk to children about the struggle to achieve, and that struggle in itself is not a sign of failure, it's the sound of your brain growing. I wish we could all adopt the 'Power of the not yet'.

Hats off to Johannes Hosflot Klaebo of Norway, who claimed 6 gold medals, and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the first gold medal ever for Brazil, and let's not forget our own Aussies in our best Winter Olympics ever. Cooper Woods, Danielle Scott and Josie Baff, to name a few.

ROBLOX

No doubt you have seen or heard about the recent controversies surrounding child safety on the worldwide platform, Roblox. In January this year, 115 lawsuits were brought against the platform by minors who were sexually assaulted by someone they met through the platform. It has been labelled as having become "a breeding ground for predators" and accused of putting "pixel pedophiles and corporate profit' over child safety.

In Australia, Roblox is potentially facing fines of up to $49.5 million for breaches in safety commitments under the PG rating.

My concern is that many of our children are still using the Roblox platform. Parents need to research and know what is going on, especially that the supposed 'safety measures', i.e. parental controls, are not working as they are supposed to on Roblox. Be informed and be wary, protect your kids from online exploitation.

World Day of Prayer, 6th March at St Francis Xavier Church

Come along and support this heartfelt and meaningful event. See details below...

See you tomorrow night! Tickets can be purchased right up until the movie starts! Tickets through Trybooking

Reconciliation Prayer

Please also remember our Reconciliation Sacrament Candidates in your prayers this week.

Dear God,

We lift up to You these precious children who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Fill their hearts with Your peace and love as they take this important step in their journey of faith.

Guide their minds and hearts as they examine their conscience.

Grant them the courage to be honest and the humility to seek forgiveness.

Strengthen them with the grace of this sacrament, that they may grow closer to You and strive to live a life of goodness and virtue.

Bless their families and staff who have supported and prepared them for this sacred moment.

May they continue to nurture these young souls in faith, hope, and love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Easter Raffle

If you can spare a few eggs or other Eastery goodness. Please send them in for the Easter Raffle. Tickets out soon!

Birthday invitations

We all know how much excitement a birthday brings! While we love celebrating these with our students, we kindly ask that party invitations are distributed outside of school hours rather than through the classroom teacher or during school time.

Handing out invitations at school often leads to hurt feelings for those not included. To maintain an inclusive environment where every child feels valued, we prefer that these social arrangements happen privately. Thank you for your understanding.

School Crossing Safety

Use Designated Crossings: Please use supervised crossings if available, even if it requires walking further.

Hold Hands: Constantly supervise children under 10 near traffic and hold hands until they are at least 8.

Model Good Behaviour: Cross only when it's safe (Stop, Look, Listen, Think) and cross at authorised places, not between parked cars.

Avoid Dangerous Actions: Never call your child across the road; walk to them.

Exit Safely: Ensure children enter/exit the car on the kerb side (footpath side), never on the traffic side.

St John's Footy Tipping

We can't let Mr Aron win again!!!

Enjoy the weekend!

Kind regards,

Derek Bruitzman

Principal

NAPLAN 2026 Info for Parents

Child-Safe Standards

For all our new families, as well as a reminder to existing families. Anytime you come to the school to help in some way you need a current Working with Children Check, you need to sign the school's volunteer Child-Safe Code of Conduct and potentially review a risk assessment document as well, depending on the activity you are supporting.

When we have events such as Athletics Day or Assemby, all parents on site must register their presence in the school. You do not have to sign in at the office at these times, we have provided QR codes around the school to enable you to register yourself quickly and easily for those events.

Thank you in advance for helping us maintain the Child-Safe Standards of our school.

Kelly Sports!

Parents - St John's Facebook page

Search: Parents @ St. Johns

Note: You are required to answer the questions to be allowed access to the page.

Jokes of the week:

Q. Why was the fly afraid to land on the computer?

A. It was afraid of the World Wide Web

Q: What's worse than a worm in your apple?

A: Half a worm!

Q: Why are frogs always so happy?

A: Because they eat whatever's bugging them

Fun facts of the week:

In Ancient Egypt, the word for 'cat' was 'mew' or 'meow'.

The largest empire in history is The Mongol Empire from the 13th and 14th centuries!

92% of all money in the world is digital...

St John's Playground Fundraising

Latest total : $7134

Goal: $25000

Link to donate

School Sports Day