A message from Emily

Dear parents and carers,

There have been so many exciting events happening across our school over the last two weeks, alongside plenty of upcoming activities to look forward to.

Feast Day & Community Giving 

We recently celebrated Mary MacKillop Feast Day, which began with a wonderful liturgy led by our Year 6 children, followed by house group activities, a disco in Joan's yard, and a Subway lunch. Thank you to Taryn for planning such a special day to celebrate as a school community and acknowledge St Mary MacKillop—the founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the order that opened our school over 100 years ago. Our liturgy honoured her life and her dedication to educating children in poverty and supporting the vulnerable.

During the celebrations, our dedicated Social Justice leaders presented our Winter Appeal donations to Big Group Hug. We sincerely thank you for these contributions, which will go a long way in helping families in need stay warm this winter.

Funds raised from our recent casual clothes day were donated to the Daffodil Day Appeal. Together, our community raised $297.65!

Thank you to Amelia, who wrote a letter requesting that we support the Cancer Council this year. Amelia's mum, Natalie, who works for the Cancer Council, visited our assembly last week to share the vital work they do, the impact of their ongoing research, and how our donation directly supports this life-saving cause. Thank you to all the families who donated to such a worthy effort.

I would also like to thank the parents who cam in and helped with the distribution of the Subway lunches. Many hands meant we could get lunches to the children quickly and helps days like this run smoothly.

Special AFL Visit

On Tuesday, we had a special visit from Riley Sanders, Jedd Busslinger, and Lachlan Smith—current AFL players for the Western Bulldogs. They came to speak with our 5/6 Hub, who were thrilled to welcome them. We are so fortunate to be located close to their training facilities and to share these experiences with our school community.

A big thank you to Michelle Graham for facilitating such an exciting opportunity for the children at St John's!

First Holy Communion

 This Saturday, our Year 3 children who have been preparing for the Sacrament of Eucharist will receive First Holy Communion. We wish them and their families all the very best for this special celebration.

A sincere thank you to Taryn, Alicia, Kelly, Erin, and the children's families for guiding them through their preparation for this Sacrament. Please join us in keeping these children in your prayers.

Heavenly Father,

We lift up the children of our parish community who are receiving their First Holy Communion. Thank You for bringing them to Your holy altar to share in the precious gift of the Eucharist.

We pray that they always feel the joy of Jesus' presence in their hearts. Guide them as they grow in faith, and bless their families as they nurture them in Your love. May our parish community always be a place of welcome, support, and good example for them as we walk this journey of faith together.

Through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

Building Update: 

Over the last fortnight, I met with a group of parents dedicated to supporting the progression of our hall redevelopment. The team sent letters to Dr Edward Simons, Executive Director of MACS, and Katie Hall MP, and subsequently received a response from MACS, as well as a follow-up phone call to Michael O'Sullivan and myself.

Yesterday morning, we also met with our allocated MACS Infrastructure Delivery Officer, giving the team an opportunity to ask questions and gain clarity around the process and next steps.

We have another meeting scheduled in a fortnight. The group will report back to the Parents and Friends Association and the School Advisory Board, and I will share further updates in our next newsletter.

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. We have received a couple of responses from parents who can help out but it would be great if we could have a couple more. 

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. I will be in touch next week with those who are able to help out. 

Click here to complete the Volunteer Form

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!

Camp Program: 

Next week, our 5/6 Hub heads off to camp in Anglesea! School camps are a wonderful way for children to build independence, participate in team-building activities, and overcome new challenges—like facing fears on the giant swing. We wish our 5/6 children all the best for their trip and look forward to hearing about their adventures.

Our camp program runs from Prep through to Year 6, developing progressively as children move through the school. Following family consultations and recent trials, Year 3 children now attend an extended long-day camp, while Year 4 children complete the overnight stay. Using the same campsite location across both Years 3 and 4 ensures children are comfortable with a familiar environment before their overnight stay in Year 4. This model proved to be a great success and will continue moving forward.

Camp Program Overview:

• Prep: Breakfast at school as part of the 100 Days Celebration.
• Year 1 & 2: After-school activities and dinner at school.
• Year 3: Long-day adventure camp at Lady Northcote Discovery Camp (Rowsley), returning to school after dinner at approximately 8:00 pm.
• Year 4: Overnight adventure camp at Lady Northcote Discovery Camp.
• Year 5 & 6: Two-night adventure camp, alternating between Anglesea and Campaspe Downs (near Tylden).

Reporting to Parents

All families should have received an email this week regarding our upcoming Learning Conversations on Monday, 7th September.

Our process for reporting to parents is staggered across the year:

• Late Term 1: Parents meet with an educator to discuss transition, friendships, learning goals, and key need-to-know information.
• End of Term 2: Families receive their child's Semester 1 Student Report.
• Late Term 3: Our second Learning Conversation takes place, offering an opportunity to discuss your child's growth, achievements, and focus areas for Term 4.
• End of Term 4: Families receive their child's Semester 2 Student Report, with the option to request a follow-up meeting with an educator if needed.

Note: Some families will be invited to book a PSG meeting in place of a Learning Conversation to discuss their child's PLP. If you have not received a PSG invitation, please ensure you book a time for a Learning Conversation. We look forward to meeting with all families to celebrate the wonderful growth our children have made across the last three terms!

NAPLAN Achievements

As mentioned in our last newsletter, we are thrilled with the achievements our Year 3 and Year 5 children demonstrated in their NAPLAN reports. Now that State and National data has been released, we are proud to share that St John's achieved higher mean scores across all test areas in both Year 3 and Year 5 compared to State and National averages!

This is such a rewarding outcome that reflects our school priorities over the last four to five years, as well as the tireless work of our educators and children across all year levels. We look forward to continuing this momentum to ensure every child at St John's flourishes.

Things coming up:

• Tomorrow is our BOOK WEEK PARADE. Families are welcome to join in as we enjoy dressing up and celebrating the characters authors bring alive through their storytelling. We will also be collecting a gold coin donation for ROOP.

• Today 50 children who qualified for the St John's athletics team are competing in the District Athletics day at Aberfeldie. We are so proud that so many children have been selected to participate in this event. 
• Last day of term will be a Footy/Sports Colours Day. As a special treat we are organising a Hot Dog Lunch for the children. More information will be sent home soon.
• Next term we will be holding Family Photos Fundraiser 10/11th October. More information will be sent asap

Illness & Morning Drop-Off Reminders

We have had a large number of children and staff affected by illness over the last fortnight. Thank you to the families who have kept their children home or come to collect them when unwell. We keep those who are still recovering in our prayers and wish them a quick recovery.

We also kindly ask that families do not drop children off unattended prior to 8:30 am. While Melinda and Leonie are happy to assist with an occasional early drop-off, this must be prearranged in advance to ensure supervision can be provided. Alternatively, MACSEYE is always able to accommodate children in the mornings should you require ongoing before-school care.

Warm wishes

Emily

What's coming up:

• 21 Aug: Book Week Parade (gold coin donation)
• 24 - 27 Aug: 5/6 Camp and Rest Day
• 31 Aug to 18 Sept: MACSSIS Survey
• 4 Sept: Father's Day Celebration and Stall

Calling for Volunteers

Register for Holiday Farm 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.