St Johns Newsletter - 30 January 2025

Principals Report

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On behalf of the entire staff at St John’s I extend a warm welcome back to our students and families for the start of a new and exciting school year! We are thrilled to see familiar faces and eager to welcome our newest members to the school community.

The first week of school is always a special time filled with renewed energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of anticipation for the year ahead. During these initial days, we will focus on building a strong and supportive classroom environment, establishing routines and expectations, and getting to know each student's individual learning needs.

We encourage you to partner with us in your child's education. Please take the time to review school policies, support our Friends of St John’s, and stay connected with our school community through our website, apps, social media page, and school newsletters.

We look forward to a successful and rewarding year of learning and growth for all our students.

Congratulations to Isla Hughes and Harley Stivey upon receiving a Koo Wee Rup Junior Citizen Award on Australia Day. We are all very proud.

On Monday 3rd February we have our Swimming Trials for students in Grades 3-6 followed by our House Swimming Sports for Grades 1-6, these events will be held at the Koo Wee Rup Swimming Pool, please refer to your PAM account for full details - select School Activities under your child's profile, then the appropriate event.  Please Note: In the event of extreme weather conditions, the sports may be cut short or cancelled on that day - notification of any changes will be advised via the Schoolzine App. 

On Friday 7th February, we have a combined Opening Liturgy and Assembly at 9:15am in the church. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate as part of the St John’s community. The children always look forward to seeing you there. Our Yr 6 students will be presented with their Year 2025 tops.

Friends of St John’s Welcome Picnic: Families are invited to our Welcome Picnic on Friday 7th February, see further information below. 

Grade 5/6 Camp: On Monday 10th February our 5 & 6 students headed off on camp to Forest Lodge Farm. They will spend the 3 days enjoying activities such as bush cooking, archery, bush art, flying fox, giant swing and ropes courses as well as a visit to Wilsons Promontory National Park. I am away on camp with the grade 5/6 students,  Mrs Alycia Matthews will be the Acting Principal in my absence.

We understand that maintaining strong communication between home and school is essential for your child's success. To ensure that all communications are effective and respectful of both parents’ and teachers' time, we’ve outlined the best ways to contact teachers.

1. Preferred Communication Methods

•       Email is the most effective and preferred method for communicating with teachers. It allows for a written record of your inquiry and is often the most convenient for teachers to respond to. The email addresses of class teachers are below.
•       If you prefer to speak with a teacher by phone, please contact the school office on 5997 1653 to leave a message. Teachers will return calls as soon as they are available.
•       Parent/Teacher meetings are scheduled twice a year and offer a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. You will receive notification through PAM when you can organise a time.
•       A quick catch up before or after school is a great way to touch base with teachers. However, if you would like to discuss a concern it is more beneficial to contact the teacher by email or phone to organise a meeting. This allows time for a considered conversation in a private space.

1. What to include in Your Communication

When contacting teachers, please include:

•       Your name and your child’s name.
•       A brief description of the concern or question.
•       Your preferred method of contact and if you need a response.

This helps the teacher quickly address your needs and respond appropriately.

1. Be Mindful of Timing

Teachers have busy schedules and may not always be able to respond immediately. We ask that you please allow up to 1-2 school days for a response. If you have an urgent matter, please indicate the urgency in your message, and the teacher will do their best to prioritize it.

1. When to Escalate an Issue

If your concern is not resolved after reaching out to your child's teacher, please feel free to contact the school principal or deputy principal for further assistance. They are available to help support you in resolving any ongoing issues.

Please refer to the school website https://www.stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au/ for our Complaints and Grievances Management Policy and our Complaint Handling Procedure.

1. Tips for Effective Communication

•       Be respectful and courteous in your emails or phone calls.
•       Keep your communication clear and concise.
•       Focus on solutions and collaboration for your child’s success.
•       Allow teachers time to respond—teachers may be with students or in meetings during the day.

Contact Details: 

Principal - Chris Dortmans principal@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

Deputy Principal - Jacki Taylor jtaylor@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

Admin - Di O’Hehir & Nancy Rintoule office@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

Emailing your child’s teacher: 

Did you know you can email your child’s teacher (grade teachers or specialist teachers) via PAM, just access your child’s profile in PAM, in the profile menu select email staff, select the person or people you wish to email, complete the message box and hit send. 

Don’t forget, if your child's class has two teachers please send emails to both teachers.

Regards 

Chris Dortmas, Principal

Religious Education News

Welcome back to a new school year at St John’s, and a special welcome to all the new families joining our school community in 2025! We are excited to embark on another year of faith, learning, and growth together. This term, our Religious Education program will focus on the theme of Prayer through the topic "Let's Talk," encouraging students to explore prayer as a personal and meaningful conversation with God. Throughout the term, students will reflect on how prayer connects us to our faith, strengthens relationships, and supports us in living a Christ-centred life.

In Term 1 we are excited for many opportunities to join with our Parish. Each grade will participate in a class Mass, where all are welcome to celebrate with us. Our Year 4 students will prepare for the Sacrament of Eucharist, marking a significant step in their spiritual journey. We will commemorate Ash Wednesday as a school to begin the Lenten season and journey together toward Easter. The term will conclude with our Easter Play, retelling the story of Jesus' passion and resurrection.

This term also sees the launch of our first social justice initiative, Project Compassion, where we will raise funds for CARITAS to support those in need around the world. Additionally, we are delighted that our Parish Priest, Fr Avinash, will be visiting classrooms to welcome students and engage them in meaningful discussions about their Religious Education learning. It promises to be a great term of prayer, reflection, and action.

Upcoming Dates

13/2: Grade 3/4 Class Mass @9:15am

18/2: Sacramental Information Night at St James Nar Nar Goon @5:30pm (all families with students undertaking a Sacrament this year)

Pray Together

Friends of St Johns Welcome Picnic - Friday 7 February

CANTEEN / NEW CDFpay App - action required

Our canteen will operate on Mondays & Thursdays this year commencing Thursday 6th February

St Johns will now use CDFpay powered by Flexischools for all canteen ordering and all fundraising/event purchases.  Please ensure you delete your old link to the CDFpay site and download the new App (instructions below) to ensure you are set up as soon as possible.  

Uniform Shop - ordering from Beleza

Uniform Shop 

A reminder that our onsite uniform shop has closed and all uniform ordering is now available via Beleza in Pakenham (both instore & online).

Please see attached information (this has also been emailed to all families).

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events shows events for the next 4 weeks, for events further ahead please see the calendar in PAM. 

Koo Wee Rup Catholic Parishes in Partnership