St Johns Newsletter - 23 July 2025

Principals Report

Welcome back everyone. Term holidays are a great time for students (and families) to reset after a long term at school. I know that our staff appreciated the time to rest, rejuvenate and reconnect and I hope that you were able to do the same. 

Some exciting news to start term 3, Alycia Matthews, and her husband Bryn have welcomed a beautiful baby boy - Patrick Leo Matthews. He arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning and both mum and bub are doing well.

I would also like to welcome Julie Veldman to our school. Julie will be taking different classes in order to provide teachers with leadership release.

There are a number of exciting events planned for Term 3: 

• Book Fair
• Book Week 
• Footy Day 
• Winter Sport for our seniors 
• Junior and Middle school excursions
• Junior Swimming 

It is important to refer to the Upcoming Events in the newsletter and access PAM regularly to ensure you are up to date and providing permissions as required.

Book Fair: Our annual Book Fair is next week, starting on Monday 28th July. There is a flyer further down in the newsletter that has all the information you need to know.

St Johns Athletics Day: On Tuesday 5th August we have our school Athletics day. Please refer to the flyer in the newsletter for information regarding this event.

School Report and Parent Teacher Meetings: On the last day of Term 2 school reports were sent home via PAM along with instructions on how to access your child’s report. Just a reminder to read through your child’s report before attending the Parent Teacher meetings and write down any questions or concerns that you would like to talk about. These meetings are an important vehicle for communication between school and home and a great chance to share the successes and challenges in your child’s learning.

If you have concerns that you want to discuss, be mindful that the meeting times are 15 minutes, so you may need to organise another meeting to fully discuss your concerns. 

If you have not yet booked a Parent Teacher Meeting information on how to do this is below for your reference.

Regards 

Jacki Taylor, Deputy Principal

Parent Teacher Interviews - Wednesday 30 July 12:30 - 7:00pm

Religious Education News

A big thank you to our wonderful community at St John’s for the generosity shown through our “Tinnies for Vinnies” Winter Appeal. The donations made will make a huge difference to those in our community who are finding it hard to make ends meet. When we give selflessly to others without the expectation of recognition or thanks, we are following the teachings of Jesus. There are numerous passages in the bible that highlight the importance of caring for the poor as a core aspect of Catholic faith and practice, none more so than Mathew 25:40:

“And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

This coming Sunday’s Gospel reading is from Luke chapter 11, where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus provides them with a model prayer, which we know as the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. This is one of the first prayers our children learn, whether at school or at home. They learn very quickly how to recite the words, but sometimes the meaning of the prayer is lost. The Our Father is a powerful prayer that encourages a relationship of dependence, trust, and love with God, while also prompting reflection on our own actions and attitudes towards others. It is a reminder that we are unconditionally loved by God and are challenged to share that same love with others.

Pray Together

The Resilience Project - Parent Hub & TRP@Home

TRP@Home - Scan the QR code below to access

Book Fair - Mon 28 to Thu 31 July

Our annual St Johns Book Fair is on next week - students will browse the Book Fair on Monday and complete "Wish Lists" to take home. There are a number of ways to purchase, these will be detailed on the reverse of your childs wish list. 

Parents are also invited to attend the Book Fair and purchase in person at the times detailed below. 

St Johns Athletics - Tuesday 5 August

Uniform Ordering

St Johns uniform is sold through Beleza both in their Pakenham store and online - see links below for online shop  or shop location/contact details. 

Upcoming Events

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

OSHC (Out of School Hours Care)

After School Hours Care operates out of the St Johns hall before and after school.

Please contact OSHC directly for all enquiries:

• 1300 946 337

To enrol in OSHC please use the online enrolment form below: 

Enrolment Form

For all other information in regard to OSHC please follow the link below to their website: 

Out of School Hours Care | Windermere

Alternatively you can visit them in the hall before or after school to enquire. 

Koo Wee Rup Catholic Parishes in Partnership

Community News