A message from Emily

 Dear parents and carers,

It's been another fantastic fortnight at St John's. Lot's of fun community events to share in this edition.

Today we celebrated Michele Hayes as she finishes not only her time at St John's but the end of her working life as she transitions into retirement. There were so many lovely messages from people who are or have been a part of our St John's community who sent in beautiful videos and photos of their memories of Michele. Two past St John's children also attended because of their love for Michele and the positive impact that she had on their lives.

We also had parents and special guests including Michele's mum Annette, sister Janine, daughter-in-law Jacinta, and her pride and joys—her grandchildren, Marcus and Johnathan. We hope Michele leaves St John's feeling as special as she is, and we will miss her humour and storytelling around the staffroom table and in the hubs. We wish Michele all the very best for this new and exciting chapter in her life. We also hope that she comes to visit us soon.

Last week the PFA met to reflect on last term's fundraisers and plan for this term. We will continue with our Thursday Treats. Today we decided not to sell Zooper Doopers due to the cold weather. We felt the temperature needed to be at least in the double figures if we are selling something frozen.

Our plan for the cooler weather is to sell packets of Cobs Popcorn for $1 during Term 2. Depending on the temperature next week, we will sell either Zooper Doopers or popcorn.

Our major fundraiser for this term will be Billy G's Gourmet Cookie Dough. Information around this fundraiser will be shared with the community in the coming weeks. Families will be able to share a link for this fundraiser with extended families and friends with no need for you to collect money or pay on their behalf. Once orders are finalised, the cookie dough tubs will be delivered to school for families to collect.

Last week we received our preliminary NAPLAN results for 2026. We are so excited to see the growth for the Year 5s over the last two years. It is a testament to the hard work of these children and their 3/4 educators. We are also really happy with our Year 3 results, which are a reflection of their first three years of school from Prep to Year 2. Whilst we don't have the full results and are unable to do a deep dive into individual results, our school results are affirming that the priorities we have been focusing on over the last few years are having a positive impact on the children's learning. Parents of children in Year 3 and Year 5 will receive their child's NAPLAN report at the beginning of Term 3.

Our Winter Interschool Sports program has also begun this term. This week St John's takes on Footscray PS. We wish the children all the best as they represent our school with a positive attitude and sportspersonship. The final scores don't matter as long as fun and a positive community spirit are felt by everyone.

I have also updated the Child Safety page to Standard 4 — Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing. Please check this out. I have also put links to the past three standards' newsletters for your convenience. Each month I will continue to share a new Child Safety Standard with the community as part of MACS '11 months, 11 standards

Mother's Day Celebrations: 

We invite all mothers and significant women in the lives of our children to join us for our Mother’s Day morning on Friday 8th May starting at 8:00 am. A coffee van will be onsite, offering a complimentary coffee to all our mums. Please make sure you get your coffee token as you arrive. As there is a large number of orders that need to be taken and made we request no orders are made for children. This ensures none of our mums miss out. We will also be hosting a special prayer gathering beginning at 9 am.

Due to the cold, wet weather that has been predicted for tomorrow morning, the Arts space will be opened up for mums to gather out of the weather to enjoy their warm drink and something yummy to eat. We also invite all our mums and special guests to join a hub for the special prayer gathering prepared by the 2 Hub. Mums with children in multiple hubs are welcome to have all their children join them in the hub of their choice.

We look forward to celebrating all our mums and special women in the lives of the children tomorrow.

We will also have our Mother's Day stall for children to purchase a special gift. Children will need no more than $10

Hall Update: As mentioned in our previous newsletter, we have a plan from Jemena that I have approved for the electrical upgrade. This invoice was paid this week, so I am hoping to hear back from Jemena with a date for when these works will begin in the near future. I have also been in communication with MACS to ensure we are ready for the next stage of building. There is a new member of the MACS team who is supporting me with this process, whom I have invited out for a site visit. They are coming on Monday so I can show them what has happened so far and ensure we remain a top priority within the MACS Infrastructure and Planning Team.

Important Parent Webinar: Raising Kids in a Digital World Webinar: Presented by Inform and Empower's Martin McGauran - Thursday 14 May

As advertised in last fortnight's newsletter this is not an event to miss even if you have attended one before in the past. Marty will provide some insightful knowledge and strategies to support you and your family navigating the digital world. 

Registration link for parents and carers: bit.ly/14may2026

We recommend parents and carers register for the webinar even if you are unable to attend as your registration will ensure you are emailed a link to the recording.

Last week, a Wellbeing and Digital Learning newsletter was sent out to the community (I have attached this newsletter below for your convenience). 

Following on from this, we want to highlight some important information regarding Cyber Safety as we continue to navigate online resources. 

In partnership with Linewize, we are able to streamline, filter and monitor usage through our school accounts. This builds a protection for our children as online users. At St. John’s we value this partnership as a way to strengthen children’s knowledge and understanding for being safe online. 

• A strong recommendation is for children to use their school account when accessing a device outside of school hours - the filters continue to stay in place which adds a layer of protection. 
• It is important to use your email linked to St John’s when signing up with Qustodio, so the various platforms communicate with each other effectively and with accuracy. 

The St John’s Online Safety Hub contains a range of resources for parents and carers, including a link for how to sign up for the Qustodio Parent App. 

You can access this through the St John’s website under ‘Quick Links’ or here. 

This app provides parents and carers insights about the best way to navigate social media, online platforms, tools and supports. 

More information about this free resource for our families, as part of our partnership with Linewize, will be emailed next week. Feel free to contact Bess, Michella, or myself if you have any questions or need support accessing this invaluable resource.

Athletics Day

Last week we held our second Athletics Day with huge success due to the planning and organisation of Michelle Graham and the wonderful team of volunteers. This day could not happen without community support with scoring, judging, and helping the children with the techniques for each event. There was a great sense of community spirit with children giving everything a go and cheering each other on.

Congratulations to Team Flora, who won the day with a score of 1676. Michelle will let the children in Years 3–6 know if they have qualified for the District Athletics Day, where they will compete against children from other local schools in August.

Nude Food Mondays

Nude Food Day is an opportunity to teach children about how their actions can impact the environment and their health. We want everyone to be empowered to choose healthy, rubbish-free food for their snacks and lunch. At St John's, we’re working hard to reduce the amount of waste in our schoolyard, which in turn reduces the amount of rubbish going to landfill. Our first whole-school Nude Food Day is Monday next week.

To all the mums and special women in the lives of our children, staff, and community, I hope you have a special day on Sunday filled with love and gratitude for all you are.

God Bless,

Emily

Save the Date:

We have a date locked in for a St John's Bunnings BBQ fundraiser. Make sure you put Sunday 13th September into your calendar as a reminder! We will be looking for volunteers to help on the day but also plenty of customers to come and buy a sausage to help raise funds for our school.

What's coming up:

• Prep 2027 Enrolment Interviews 
• Raising Kids in a Digital World Webinar - Thursday 14 May

Reminders:

• Log into PAM an review and update all areas including Connect Fields and Connect Surveys
• 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.
• Complete the form to let us know if you would like to support the PFA via donations, time or skills : https://forms.gle/nP8qUdxtAUyVuSfq8 

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.