Principal's News

St John's Stewards of Creation

Dear Families,

In our busy lives, it's essential to pause, be present, and reconnect with the world around us. At St John’s, we encourage this practice by immersing our students in nature, fostering a sense of wonder for the environment. As Stewards of Creation, our students learn to appreciate, respect, and care for the natural world — a gift that inspires awe and strengthens their connection to the earth.

We are already in the presence of God; sometimes, what’s missing is our ability to recognise it. By minimising distractions and being present, we can grow more aware of this divine reality in our daily lives. We hope your family found the long weekend a time to enjoy nature, reflect, and be renewed by the beauty surrounding us.

This week, Zara, our Environmental Leader, sent me an email suggesting that our school introduce a Nude Food Wrapper Free Wednesdays. I would like to share part of her message with you, as I am sure it will inspire everyone to get on board with this fantastic initiative.

Nude Food Wrapper Free Wednesdays

“Dear Ms Alison,

Nude Food Wrapper Free Wednesdays is a day when you bring food without packaging or wrappers. We need to protect our planet because it's the only one we've got. This initiative helps the environment and reduces the rubbish that accumulates in our school community. We could use house points to promote the idea and encourage students to participate.

This idea will help students realise the importance of Nude Food and the impact of wrappers, packets, glad wrap, and soft plastics on our community. 

How does it damage our community and the environment? 

Did you know it takes 75-80 years for a single chip packet to break down completely?

Wow! Imagine the impact on our environment, especially with so many students bringing chip packets to school. It takes between 20 to 500 years for soft plastics to decompose. When we get lunch orders, the packaging—often plastic—is thrown away. This is not a great way to end our year at St. John’s. We need to help our environment because every day is Earth Day!

As a member of the Environment SAT team, I see this as a serious issue affecting our community’s environment, and I am concerned about the future that lies in the hands of our generation. That’s why we are requesting a chance to help by reaching out to our peers. With a Nude Food Wrapper Free Wednesday, we can inspire children to bring more sustainable foods in their lunchboxes, gradually encouraging the use of containers over plastic.

An example from home: when my parents buy a large bag of chips, they put portions into small, reusable containers for my lunchbox. Not everyone does this, but with a Nude Food Wrapper Free Wednesday, we could inspire others to pack food in environmentally friendly ways. 

Our school needs to join the race to make the world a better place! Let's make a difference, not next week, not tomorrow, today right now. Let's make our school's environment a better place by one simple step at a time, first with nude food day and later with others. 

"Act now for a greener tomorrow." 

Yours Sincerely,

Zara 6G  - Environment SAT Team Member.

So for now on we will have a Nude Food Wrapper Free Wednesday and each person who has a wrapper free lunch box will receive House points.

Congratulations to the Year 3  Reconciliation students

Congratulations to the Year 3 students who received the Sacrament Reconciliation on 31 October. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (previously referred to as Confession or Penance) has undergone some changes since the Second Vatican Council. The major renewal in thinking revolves around reaffirming the truth that God loves us without fail and forgives us before we even recognise our need to be forgiven. Therefore, when we make poor choices we are also damaging our relationship with God, with others and ourselves. Reconciliation is about building bridges and making an attempt to make things right. No matter our age, we all make mistakes and the Sacrament of Reconciliation reminds us to focus on the social aspect of our wrong-doing in the hope of making better decisions in the future.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day honours those who gave their lives in service. Monday, 11 November 2024, marks the anniversary of the Armistice that ended fighting with Germany in World War I. We will gather briefly at 10:55 in the assembly area for a prayer service and a minute of silence. This service will be led by our school captains and the Faith and Social Justice Student Action Team. All families are welcome to join us.

Exciting news - New students & New arrival

We are thrilled to welcome new students over the past two weeks. We welcome Anastasia (Year 5), Oscar (Year 3) and Florence (Prep) and their families to our school community.  I trust they will enjoy being part of the best school in Melbourne!

Additionally, congratulations to the Harika family on the arrival of baby Isaiah, a new sibling to Isaac, Jayden, and Georgina! We wish the Harika family much joy and happiness during this special time and look forward to welcoming Isaiah into our St John's community and seeing him grow alongside his siblings.

Steps to Prep Program - Parent Education

It was wonderful to see so many families attending the Steps to Prep Maths and Literacy Parent Education Sessions over the past fortnight. Partnering with families in helping their children transition smoothly and happily is always a pleasure. Encouraging a love of learning is an ongoing journey, and here are some practical ways to nurture this enthusiasm:

Celebrate Curiosity: Create opportunities for children to ask questions and explore answers together. Encourage "I wonder" moments and praise their curiosity, no matter how big or small the question.

Real-World Connections: Use everyday experiences to connect learning with real life. Cooking, for example, can help with learning mathematical concepts and following instructions, while nature walks can spark interest in science.

Engaging Materials at Home: Offer hands-on, age-appropriate materials that spark interest, such as puzzles, building blocks, and picture books. Rotating these materials keeps the learning fresh and engaging.

Encourage Storytelling and Play: Reading books together and encouraging children to create their own stories foster language and imagination. Role-playing and pretend play can also build problem-solving skills and social understanding.

Create a “Learning Routine” Set aside a daily or weekly "learning time" where children can explore something they enjoy, whether reading a story, doing a craft activity, or working on a simple project. Consistency helps make learning feel natural and enjoyable. 

Celebrate Effort, Not Just Results: Show children that the effort they put into learning is what matters most. Praise perseverance and resilience, and talk openly about how learning is a process filled with both successes and challenges. 

Stay Positive About Mistakes: Let children know mistakes are part of learning. Encourage them to see mistakes as steps toward progress, and model this by sharing your own learning experiences.

Building a love for learning is a collaborative effort, and we’re so grateful to work alongside families in this journey.  

PSG Meetings

Thank you to the families, teachers, and especially Judy Doupe for organising the PSG meetings. Please remember that all families are welcome to meet with teachers anytime to discuss their child’s progress.

St John’s PIC Annual General Meeting

We are excited to invite St John’s parents and carers to our PIC (Partners in Community) Annual General Meeting on 27 November, 6:30pm on-site. St John’s community has been blessed with an active PIC, who bring us together for events and celebrations as a community and raise valuable funds. We thank the PIC as they maintain cherished traditions, including Food Days, Mother’s and Father’s Day Stalls, and Shrove Tuesday. Additionally, they have shown great initiative through online fundraising opportunities, like the Uniform Shop.

As PIC plans for 2025, we warmly invite parents and carers to attend the AGM and be part of this meaningful work. PIC is a welcoming, friendly group eager to support family and community engagement. Please come along, meet the team, and learn how you can contribute. We look forward to partnering with more families as we strengthen our commitment to one another as a community.

Classroom News: 2CF

At St John’s, staff often mentor preservice teachers as part of their training. Over the next couple of weeks, Chloe Livy will complete her teaching placement in 2CF. We trust Chloe will gain much from working with Catherine Carrick and her students.

Year 4 Learning Highlights

Our Year 4 students recently explored persuasive writing by crafting arguments about why their unique donut creations were the best! They then brought their ideas to life by actually making their donuts in class, combining creativity with persuasive skills in a hands-on way. This fun activity helped them understand the art of persuasion and made learning this writing genre an enjoyable, memorable experience. 

School Fees and Levies

Thank you to all the parents who have paid their 2024 school fees. This is a reminder for those who have not yet paid that all fees and levies are now overdue.

MACS Code of Conduct: Ensuring a Safe and Nurturing School Community

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) has introduced a new Code of Conduct to set clear expectations for maintaining a safe, respectful, and nurturing environment in all our school communities. Inspired by our Catholic faith, the Code of Conduct underpins our shared responsibility for the education and wellbeing of the children and young people entrusted to our care.

The new Code of Conduct will be provided to the community to sign by the start of 2025. This Code of Conduct applies to everyone associated with MACS, including board of directors, committee members, employees, volunteers, consultants, contractors, and School Advisory Council members. Together, we are committed to creating a positive and supportive atmosphere for our students, families, and staff.  

Tabloid Sports Day - Friday 15th November

I hope to see all parents at the Tabloid Sports Day Friday 15 November at 9:15am. The Year 6 students, along with Mr Friggi have been enthusiatically planning some great activities for us all to enjoy. Students are welcome to wear their house colours on this day.

Warm regards

Alison Dean

Principal