Time In Lieu Day – Monday April 24

As advised by letter last week, Monday 24 April has been designated as a time in lieu day for teachers and learning support staff .

Time in lieu occurs for teaching staff and support staff where they work hours in addition or outside of their normal attendance or hours of work. This includes activities such as school camps, opening School Masses and parent teacher interviews, all of which have taken place outside of school hours in Term 1 of this year.

The new industrial agreement which will be signed off next term also provides for the accrual and acquittal of time in lieu to ensure that teachers and education support class employees are properly recognised for the work they are required to undertake in addition to normal hours of attendance.

As a result of the time in lieu hours that staff have accrued over Term 1, Monday 24 April has been declared a time in lieu day for the acquittal of hours worked in excess of the 38 hour week. Hence, Monday 24 April will be a student free day and classes will resume on Wednesday 26 April after the ANZAC day Public Holiday.

Harmony Day

On Thursday 23 March, St John’s celebrated Harmony Day as a part of the broader state-wide celebration of Cultural Diversity. It was also wonderful to have on Harmony Day for the first time a guest representing our nation's first peoples to help us learn a little more about the world’s oldest living culture. Our guest, Ganga Giri, is a descendant of the Palawa people of Tasmania and shared a cultural expression of his music at the whole school assembly. Ganga’s performance on the didgeridoo innovator, which fused the unique sound of this ancient instrument with electronic production and vocals, was outstanding and well received.

Other highlights of the day included the sharing of cultural foods through the Wellsprings Community Food Van and our Year 11 Vocational Major Students plus the annual cultural fashion parade . Over $500 has been raised for CARITAS and I thank all of the staff and our students for their celebration of St John’s as a community where everyone belongs.

Year 10 Catholic Action Program

Our Year 10 Students involved in the Catholic Action Program completed an overnight retreat at St John’s as part of their curriculum which centers on the faith and the traditions of the Catholic Church. Staff members, Eamonn Farrelly, Lynn Cemeljic, Jess Edwards and Fr Luke Bulley from the Parish of Endeavour Hills, worked through a range of activities including the meaning and symbolism of a liturgy so that the students could prepare and lead their own experience of liturgy focusing on an encounter with their personal God.

SIS Big Night : Performing Arts Concert

Southern Independent Schools (SIS) held its Big Night performing arts concert at the Drum Theatre last Tuesday night. The concert staged by the 16 members of the Southern Independent Schools Association is one of the most joy filled nights on the school calendar. To see a range of students collaborating from different schools together through music, song and dance ensured that the packed audience received a night of magic at the Drum Theatre!

I congratulate our students whose performances included Contemporary Dance ensembles, Guitar ensembles, St John’s Choir and an all-schools choir led by our own Mr Michael Almery.

St Paul Apostle Athletics Carnivals at St John’s

Next Tuesday, April 3, St Paul Apostle North will stage their athletics carnival at St John's from 3:00 p.m. till 7:00 p.m. All families connected to St Paul Apostle North are welcome to attend the carnival at St John's and parking will be available on Power Street next to the athletics track.

It is wonderful to see our families from the local Parish Primary schools utilising the facilities of St John’s, a Regional Catholic Secondary College which is owned by the local Parishes.

Parent Teacher Interviews

I look forward to seeing many of our parents at our Parent Teacher Interviews which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I encourage all parents to bring their children to Parent Teacher Interviews conducted in the face to face environment and online. These are important sessions for our students to attend with parents as they can contribute to the discussion by giving their own understandings of where they are performing well and the areas they could improve on. This allows them to take ownership of their studies which is an important step in them becoming a lifelong learner and the foundation for their future success. Parent Teacher Interviews begin on Wednesday 5 April at 3.30 pm in the Br Leo Scollen Stadium.

CLC Open for Business these School Holidays.

Our Contemporary Learning Centre will remain open from 9 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. on each day of the school holidays except for the Easter public holidays. This service is open to all students wishing to complete homework or assignments for Term 2.

Happy Easter

I wish all members of our community a safe and holy Easter Holiday with family and friends over the coming break. I look forward to seeing our students on their safe return on Wednesday 26 April.

Deputy Principal - Student Wellbeing

Greg Van Es