A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers,

It has been wonderful to be back at school after a short period of long service leave. Since returning, it has been very busy with 2027 budget planning, annual staff review meetings, and community events.

Last night, our Year 3 children who are preparing for the Sacrament of Holy Communion were joined by their families at Christ the King Primary School as we explored the significance and meaning behind the sacrament. A big thank you to Taryn, Lucy, and Fr Edgar, who led our evening and generously shared their expertise.

Tomorrow, as a school community, we celebrate St Mary MacKillop's feast day in recognition of the Sisters of St Joseph, who opened St John's Primary School in 1922.

After receiving a request from Amelia in 1 Hub, our gold coin donation for tomorrow will go towards the Cancer Council Daffodil Day Appeal.  While we request a gold coin donation we are happy to collect 'larger donations' towards this very worthy cause.

See below for more information around what is happening tomorrow.

• Casual Clothes
• Gold coin donation towards Daffodil Day Appeal
• 10:15am Prayer Gathering to celebrate Mary MacKillop led by Year 6. All families are welcome to join us
• Subway lunch for children who placed an order
• Children will participate in activities in their House groups
• Disco in Joan's Yard

Congratulations to Mairead and Ryan who have announced they are expecting a baby early 2027. We are very excited for both of you and can't wait to welcome a new member to the St John's family. 

While I was away, families of children in Year 3 and Year 5 received their child’s NAPLAN reports. Although our team have not yet had the opportunity to do a deep dive into the overall data, I have spent time analysing the growth achieved by our Year 5 children since their 2024 Year 3 assessments.

I am thrilled by the progress across all assessed areas, particularly in Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy. These areas have been key priorities in recent years, and it is incredibly rewarding to see the direct impact this focus has had on our children's learning outcomes.

Our educators' deep understanding of every child in their hub—both academically and emotionally—alongside their commitment to continuous professional growth, is what makes these results possible. I would like to specifically recognise our 2024 and 2025 Year 3/4 educators: Alicia, Kelly and Jordan, as well as Thushari, Michele and Amy. They have worked tirelessly to meet the needs of these children through explicit instruction during mini-lessons, targeted groups, intervention, and reinforcement sessions.

Finally, I want to commend all the children who participated in NAPLAN for remaining calm and giving it their best effort. Undertaking formal assessments can be daunting when it differs so much from a normal school day, and we are so proud of their resilience.

Below I have shared a graphic showing the percentage of children who received a proficiency level of 'strong' and 'exceeding' in Year 3 and Year 5 across each of the areas. There is a lot to celebrate as a school with the growth experienced by children as well as what they achieved as a proficiency level.

Last week, Amy sent out a request to our Year 5/6 families asking them to let us know if their child brings a phone to school so we can ensure it is stored in a safe place during the day. We would like to invite families from all other year levels to do the same, as we have since learnt that some of our Year 3 children also carry a phone as a safety precaution for their journey to and from school.

If your child brings a phone to school, please click the link below to complete the form or email Amy - Mobile Phone Form

Bunnings BBQ Volunteers:

On Sunday, 13 September, we are hosting our Bunnings BBQ at the West Footscray store! The P&F team is looking for volunteers to lend a hand for a two-hour shift during the day.

If you are able to assist with cooking or serving, please complete the Google Form via the link below to let us know your availability. If you can't volunteer, we would still love to see you there—come down and grab a sausage and a drink to support our school!

Click here to complete the Volunteer Form

Message from our governing body MACS: 

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

From the Social Justice Leaders: 

The donation drive will finish on our Mary Mackillop Feast Day TOMORROW, August 7th, with members from Big Group Hug attending our liturgy, who will gratefully receive our donations. You can drop off donations to each hub. 

Thanks Ava, Frankie & Marcus 

Warm wishes

Emily

What's coming up:

• 7 Aug: Mary MacKillop Feast Day Celebration
• 21 Aug: Book Week Parade
• 24 - 27 Aug: 5/6 Camp and Rest Day
• 31 Aug to 18 Sept: MACSSIS Survey
• 4 Sept: Father's Day Breakfast and Stall

Calling for Volunteers

🌱 Farm Working Bee Volunteers Needed! 🌱

If you're available, we'd love your help at our upcoming Farm Working Bee days! Please pop these dates in your calendar and come along if you can.

All you'll need is:

• 👟 A pair of sturdy shoes
• 🧤 Gardening gloves
• 😊 A happy disposition and willingness to lend a hand!

Many hands make light work, and every little bit of help makes a big difference to our school farm.

Thanks so much in advance for your support – I look forward to seeing you there!

Mish

Upcoming road works: Summerhill Road which may increase traffic around St. John's

Upcoming road works: Leander Street

Reminders:

• Sustainability Initiative: Children are invited to bring their own lunch box for DT Fuzions lunch orders. Lunch boxes must be clearly labelled and an appropriate size to fit the order.

   

OUR IMAGE OF THE CHILD

‘At St. John’s, we strongly believe that children are at the centre when given authentic and meaningful experiences. They flourish when their passions and interests are acknowledged and valued. Children are empowered when they take ownership for their learning. They have a right to develop autonomy through discovery.’

(St. John’s Staff, 2018)

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation as the owners of the land on which we live, play and learn at St John's Primary School, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

All students attending St. John's Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.