Newsletter - Wednesday 24 May
Principals Report
Dear Parents/Carers,
It is very important for unwell students to stay at home until they are better. If your child has any symptoms of a cold or flu, then they should stay home until the symptoms have ceased. A general rule of thumb about whether you should send your child to school or not.
- If your child has a hard cough, constant runny nose, sore throat, or swollen glands THEY SHOULD NOT BE AT SCHOOL
- If you have given them Panadol or Nurofen in the morning to get them “through the day” THEN THEY SHOULD NOT COME TO SCHOOL
- If your child has vomiting and/or diarrhoea that day, THEY SHOULD NOT COME TO SCHOOL for 48 hours AFTER SYMPTOMS HAVE RESOLVED
Please do not send your child to school if they are still unwell or recovering from an illness. Students who are unwell will be sent to the Sick Bay and if necessary, parents will be called to collect them.
If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 it is recommended they:
- stay home and isolate for 5 days,
- should not attend school after 5 days if still symptomatic,
St John the Baptist Feast Day: We will celebrate St John the Baptist Feast Day on Thursday 22 June with a Whole School Mass at 9:15am. A sausage sizzle lunch will be provided for students. Please note: The canteen will be closed on this day.
School Disco: The Friends of St Johns are running our annual School Disco on Thursday 22 June, tickets are available via CDFpay - please see flyer below for full details.
End of Term: A reminder that Term finishes on Thursday 22 June at 3:10pm. Friday 23 June is a student free day for the purpose of staff Professional Development.
Staffing from the start of Term 3: I would like to welcome Miss Jessamy Gridley into the Gr3/4D classroom 3 days a week and as our PE teacher for 2 days a week. Jess currently teaches at St Laurence’s Leongatha and is excited to make the move to St John’s. Jess’s families have ties with the Koo Wee Rup community and with St John’s itself. I would also like to thank Mrs Bianca Deane, Ms Raelee Browning and Mrs Leonie Hester for their support this term whilst we looked for the best person to fill this position.
Last Thursday as part of our ‘Reconciliation Week’ focus, the choir from St Francis Xavier College joined with us at our Reflection Liturgy. The Cantabile (choir) had taken the time to learn a couple of the songs that our children love to sing and led us with a couple of new songs. Huge thank you to Carlos and the Cantabile for their genuine enthusiasm and sharing of their time and talents.
Camps: With the introduction of the new enterprise agreement for school staff last year, provisions now need to be made to allow ‘Time in Lieu’ for staff performing duties outside their allotted hours. This greatly impacts how we staff and calculate the costing of school camps and out of school hour events. In an effort to keep camp costs down, and to still provide the rich experience of an overnight stay, the School Board would like me to put forward our proposed plan as an example.
2024 - No Camp (Musical Year) - Long Day excursions for Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6 in place of camps - Examples of these may be, Adventure Day at Cowes, City excursion/Musical & dinner. Whole school excursions to Healesville Sanctuary, Science works or the like.
2025 - Camp Year - 5 Days of Camp - Mon - Wed Gr 3 & 4 (2 night), Wed - Fri Gr 5 & 6 (2 night) - These may be in the same week at the same venue or may be split depending on availability. Camp options/suggestions - Urban/City Camp, Sovereign Hill/Narambool Farm, Adventure Camp similar to previous Gr 5/6 Camps.
2026 - Repeat of 2024
2027 - Repeat of 2025 and so on ....
We believe this plan gives balance, both providing the experience we want for our children and allowing for staff requirements.
On Tuesday, Jo and her team from Bunnings Pakenham East came and installed our new veggie garden beds. The children, especially the Gr 3&4s, were very excited to see the team at work. We even had a couple of students inspect the works in progress, give a few suggestions and ensure the work was up to standard. Bunnings kindly donated all the timber and their time for this project. Their generosity and support are greatly appreciated and we look forward to working with them on future projects.
I will be taking leave for the last week of this term. Mrs Jacki Taylor will be Acting Principal in my absence. I therefore wish you all a safe and restful mid-year holiday break.
Regards
Chris Dortmans, Principal
Bunnings Garden Installation
Religious Education News
Last week we marked Reconciliation Week with a beautiful Liturgy. We were fortunate to have had the St Francis Xavier College Cantabile play and sing the music, which was very special. We hope to have them back later in the year for more celebrations. Each student in the school contributed to this Liturgy by making a ‘Tracking Foot’ - a cutout of their footprint with a personal message written on it about reconciliation. Each footprint will be displayed in the church until the end of term. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us.
In the classrooms we are continuing our learning on the topic of ‘Celebrations’. In many classes students have been learning about the Sacraments and other special Catholic celebrations. Our Grade 3/4 students had the opportunity to participate in a reenactment of the Last Supper, where Jesus shared his final meal with his Disciples. The students sat in groups of 13 to signify Jesus and his 12 Disciples, and shared a meal together. This was a great way to get students actively involved in their learning in an engaging way, and they had a great time!
Alycia Matthews, Religious Education Leader
Upcoming events
Sunday 18/6: First Communion @9:30am
Thursday 22/6: St John the Baptist Feast Day Liturgy @9:15am
Pray Together
Friends of St Johns - Pie Drive
The Friends of St Johns Annual Pie Drive starts today, see full information below. All orders via CDFpay. Orders close Wed 7 June at 10am - late orders cannot be accepted.
Canteen - Closed from Mon 29 May to Fri 9 June due to Swimming Lessons.
Uniform Shop (Winter Uniform Term 2)
Uniform orders are processed on Monday & Thursday, orders must be placed by 2pm on these days via CDFpay (uniform shop is online only please follow the link above to access CDFpay).
For exchanges or general enquiries in regard to sizing, second hand uniform etc please email Belinda:
uniform@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au
Exchanges: After emailing the details of your exchange requirements please drop the item at the office with your name attached, exchanges will be processed on the next uniform shop day.
Please note: All items being exchanged MUST be unwashed with tags still attached.
As we are a ‘Sun Smart School’ we also require the children to wear a school hat from September to April with the ‘No Hat-No Play’ policy strictly enforced during 1st and 4th terms.
School uniform guidelines are in the process of being updated and will be available shortly.
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:
Alternatively you can visit them in the hall before or after school to enquire.
Koo Wee Rup Catholic Parishes in Partnership
