Key Dates & Reminders
IMPORTANT TERM 3, 2023 DATES
Below is a list of some of the main dates on the school calendar for Term 3, 2023. Families need to be aware that events which involve organisations outside of St John’s, such as the St Andrew’s Parish, may at times need to be rescheduled. Please be aware that these changes are beyond our control.
TERM 3
Monday 7th August - 100 Days of Prep Celebration
Friday 11th August - Subway Fun Lunch - orders close 5pm Wed 9th August
Friday 11th August - Sacrament of Confirmation @ 7:00 pm at St Andrew’s Church
Monday 21st August - Year 5 & 6 Camp Information Meeting @ 4:00pm @ School
Tuesday 22nd August - School Advisory Board Meeting, 7pm @ School
Friday 25th August - Subway Fun Lunch - orders close 5pm Wed 23rd August
Friday 8th September - Subway Fun Lunch - orders close 5pm Wed 6th September
Friday 15th September - End of Term early finish 12:30pm
TERM 4
Monday 2nd October - Term 4 Commences
Friday 13th October - Student Free Day
ALTERATIONS TO CALENDAR DATES
NEW TERM 4 COMMENCEMENT DATE
Students NOW return to school for Term 4 on Monday 2nd October
Our Year 5 and 6 Camp was booked a year ago for Tuesday and Wednesday, 3rd & 4th October. In order to allow the school a day to make sure students and families are packed and ready for this camp, we have decided to relocate the Staff Professional development day to Friday, 13th October. This gives us Monday, 2nd October to ensure everything is ready for camp the following day.
NEW END OF YEAR DATE
End of Year for students is NOW Friday, 15th December at 12:30pm
Recently the new agreement for school staff was ratified and has now come into effect. Under the new award, staff are entitled to time in lieu for any meetings held out of school hours, such as attending overnight camp, evening meetings and weekend school celebrations. To provide this time to teachers, MACS has recommended that the end of term finishing dates change for students.
100 DAYS OF PREP
On Monday the 7th of August, we are celebrating the Prep students completing 100 days of school. We are asking that students dress up as if they are 100 years old! Some dress up ideas may be grey hair spray, hair rollers, old shirts, glasses, walking sticks or suspenders etc.
The day will consist of a parade at 9:30 which we invite parents to join us for. For working parents we will live stream the parade and send the link out via Operoo. If you miss the live stream it will be available for viewing on our Vimeo channel.
After the parade the students will enjoy a day of fun activities to celebrate all their hard work at school so far. If you have any questions please speak to your child's teacher.
YEAR 5 & 6 CAMP
The Year 5 & 6 teachers are in the final stages of organising Camp, which will take place in the first week of Term 4. This year the students will be participating in an Urban Camp. Several staff have attended camp at this city venue at their previous schools and highly recommended this location.
We will be holding a Parent Information Session on Monday 21st August @ 4:00 in Miss Browne’s learning space. At this meeting, we will outline the camp itinerary and discuss items students will need to pack. We ask families to mark this date in your calendar. As we will be travelling by train into the city, it is very important that students attend this meeting with a parent, so families have a clear understanding of the drop off and pick up procedures required for the camp.
2023 CAMP PAYMENTS
The office will be sending home Camp Invoices to families this week. We are asking families to cover the first $200 of the camp costs, with the school covering any costs above this. Current Health Care Card holders may be eligible for support with the cost of school excursions and camps (CSEF). Families with money still available in their CSEF account will have a reduced payment amount on their Camp Invoice. All payments are due by the 15th September.
KABOOM SPORTS DAY
We will be holding a fun sports day for all students, on Monday 14th August, weather permitting. Our Year 6 students will work with staff from Kaboom and act as leaders for the various tabloid sports stations.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION INFORMATION
Sacrament of Confirmation
Friday 11th August
7:00pm @ St Andrew’s Church Werribee
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated next week on Friday 11th August. Last week the candidates attended the Sacramental of Reconciliation in preparation for receiving their Confirmation. Thank you to Fr Anton and Fr Huy for celebrating this sacrament with the students. Please keep the Year 6 students who will be making their Confirmation in your prayers.
YEAR 5 REMINDER - THOMAS CARR ENROLMENTS
A reminder to Year 5 families that enrolments to Thomas Carr for Year 7 2025 close in August.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD'S INDIGENOUS
The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9th August each year. This event recognises the achievements and contributions that indigenous people have made throughout the world. This day provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions made by indigenous Australians. You may know some of the people listed below but others may be less familiar to you:
Neville Bonner was the first Aboriginal person to sit in the Commonwealth parliament, and was a respected commentator on Indigenous issues. He was a senator for Queensland from 1971 to 1983.
Tennis champion Evonne Goolagong was the first Indigenous Australian woman to achieve international sporting fame. A member of the Wiradjuri people, she grew up in the small town of Barellan, New South Wales. Evonne was named Australian of the Year in 1971 .
Albert Namatjira is one of Australia’s great artists, and perhaps the best known Aboriginal painter. He is known for his landscapes, particularly of outback Australia. Albert’s first exhibition, held in Melbourne in 1938, was a sell out.
David Unaipon, was an Aboriginal Australian preacher, inventor and author. He is featured on the Australian $50 note in commemoration of his work. Unaipon invented a shearing machine that was used in woolsheds across Australia in the early 1900s.
Eddie Betts is a renowned Aboriginal AFL player, known for his speed, agility and goal scoring ability. This year he launched his new foundation, dedicated to helping First Nations children.The Eddie Betts Foundation provides financial assistance, mentorship and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.
SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL 2023 DATES
The remaining scheduled meeting dates for the year are:
- Tuesday 22nd August at 7pm
- Tuesday, 17th October at 7pm