Key Dates & Reminders
CALENDAR DATES
Below are list of some of the main dates for Family Calendars for the remainder of the year, which includes upcoming extra long weekend which includes a school closure day and a public holiday:
November Dates
Thursday 31st October - Year 6 Great Cycle Challenge Australia
Monday 4th November - SCHOOL CLOSURE Staff Professional Practise
Tuesday 5th November - SCHOOL CLOSURE Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Thursday 7th November - Year 5 & 6 Depart for CAMP
Friday 8th November - Year 5 & 6 Return from CAMP
Monday 11th November - Prep 2025 Day 2 Transition 9:30 - 11am
Wednesday 13th November - Parade of Nations - Cultural Dress Parade @ 9:15
Thursday 14th November - Cultural Week Discos
Prep - Year 3 Throughout the School Day
Year 4 - 6 Evening Disco 6:30 - 8:00 in the School Hall
Monday 18th November - Prep 2025 Day 3 Transition 9:30 - 11am
Saturday 23rd November - Community Mass @ 5:00 School Hall
Wednesday 27th November - School Mass
December Dates
Monday 2nd December - Year 5 & 6 Water Safety Sessions
Thursday 5th December - Nativity Performances @ 2:30, 6:00 & 7:00
Monday 9th December - 2025 Year 1 - 6 Orientation Session
Thursday 12th December - Year 6 Graduation @ 7:00 in the Hall
Tuesday 17th December - End of Term 12:30 Students finish
GREAT BIKE RIDE CHALLENGE
Our year 6 students are participating in the Great Cycle Challenge Australia this Thursday 31st October. The challenge provided the students with an opportunity to set a riding goal as well as raise money for childhood cancer research. Students maximised their ride time during Bike Ed classes through October as well as participating in the challenge this Thursday. Thanks to the Year 6 teachers Ms Withers, Mr Lane and Mrs Lowerson who will accompany the students for this ride. Thanks also to Mrs Jill Stevenson for organising the event and for supporting the students on all their rides
Each class ride and fundraising goal is posted on their Great Cycle Challenge Webpage. The total distances ridden by each class will be updated when the rides are completed.
SCHOOL CLOSURES - MONDAY & TUESDAY
A reminder that next Monday 4th November is a SCHOOL CLOSURE Day for Staff Professional Development. This day joins the Melbourne Cup PUBLIC HOLIDAY on Tuesday 5th November.
YEAR 5 & 6 CAMP
Our Year 5 & 6s are getting very excited for their upcoming Camp on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th November. This year the students will be participating in an Adventure Camp, where they will have the opportunity to experience a range of outdoor activities. St John’s Senior students attended a camp at this location in 2022 and had a great time.
PREP 2025 TRANSITION SESSIONS
It was wonderful to meet all our Prep 2025 students yesterday at our first Orientation Session. As you can see from the photos they had a great time! Below are the details for the remaining two sessions.
Session Two
Monday 11th November
9:30-11:00
Session Three
Monday 18th November
9:30-11:00
Please Note we ask parents to stay onsite to attend a Parent Meeting.
CULTURAL WEEK
Parade of Nations
The countdown is on for our annual Cultural Week, where students take part in a range of activities. On Wednesday 13th November we ask students to come dressed in something that represents their cultural heritage. The image below from our 2023 Parade, may give families some outfit ideas. Weather permitting parents are invited to join us in the undercover area for the Parade of Nations at 9:15am. If the weather is inclement the students will do the parade from the hall and we will live stream the event for parents.
Disco
On Thursday 14th November we will hold various student discos throughout the day. Students in Prep - Year 3 will attend a disco during class time and our Year 4 - 6 students are invited to attend an evening Disco in the school hall. The Year 4, 5 & 6 Disco will be 6:30-8:00pm, in the Hall. A reminder that students must be promptly picked up from this evening event and we are unable to allow students to walk home by themselves.
Cultural Performances
We like to finish off the week with some cultural dances and performances. Ms Grippi will be working with some groups of students over the next month. If your child has performed a cultural dance for an audience outside of school and they would like to do this at assembly, please chat with Mr Dundon.
CAPITAL GRANT
Our school has been successful in a Victorian Government Capital Grant application. Over 2026, the school will co-contribute to a one million dollar grant to build four modular style classrooms. These will allow us to cater for increasing enrolments over the coming years. We expect that the total construction cost will be approximately 1.5 million dollars.
The project will take place over 2025 and will be ready for use at the beginning of the 2026 school year.
FEE STRUCTURE INFORMATION FOR 2025
As the school is now under the governance of MACS, school fees are determined using a system wide formula. This formula takes into account each school’s loans, current building projects and the school’s allocated DMI index. Below are the calculated School Fees for St John’s for 2025, which are inline with this new model. The model includes a Capital Levy which assists schools with the repayment of any current building loans. St John’s is currently in Stage 4 of our building program and as such we fall under the category requiring a Capital Levy. Please be assured that St John’s has tried to minimise the impact these changes will have on household budgets. Families with a current Government Health Care Card are reminded that they are eligible for concessions to the Family Tuition Fee.
Family Tuition Fee - $1840 per family
Student Levy - $400 per student
Capital Levy - $100 per family
Parish Stewardship Program - Our parish of St Andrew’s Werribee encourages a family contribution of $260 per family
HATS
With the commencement of Term 4, all students are expected to be wearing their school hats. If your child’s hat has been misplaced over the winter months, we encourage you to buy a new one. Hats can be purchased from Rushfords in Werribee or directly from the School Office, for $15.
2025 ENROLMENT INTENTIONS
Planning for the 2025 school year has begun and this process is quite complex and reliant on accurate and up to date information. Families received an Operoo Notification during August regarding your child’s re enrolment for next year. We ask any families who are considering moving house or changing their child’s school in 2025, to contact the office. Please be assured that should your plans change, it will in no way affect your child’s placement for next year.