St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

Tuesday July 16th 2024

Letter from the Principal, Kelli Johnston

Welcome back for Term 3.  We hope that all families enjoyed the break from routine and the opportunity to stay warm and do as much or as little as they liked throughout the two weeks.  The Term 2 holidays are always a great opportunity to stay indoors and not rush out into the cold, hang out in pyjamas, watch a movie, play some games, etc.  It is always nice to return to school with daylight hours starting to extend. 

We look forward to many exciting events throughout Term 3.  Our Year 4-6 students are most fortunate to be experiencing the productions of our feeder secondary colleges, Division Sports, Sacrament of Confirmation and/or excursions.  We wish all students wonderful times as they attend their respective events.

As we return to school for Term 3 great excitement starts to build as the biennial SJB School Production is now only 6 weeks away.  Throughout Term 2 students have been rehearsing for this year’s production “Pirates of the Curry Bean!” Over the weeks ahead the students will be refining their roles in preparation for the production evening.  We ask families to save Friday 23rd August for the SJB Production at the George Wood Theatre at Yarra Valley Grammar. We thank Mrs Sue Cahill and Mrs Renee Armstrong for the many hours of work that they continue to invest in supporting our students in their preparation for this year’s Production.

Tickets for the production will go on sale in the near future.  Further communication in regard to ticket sales will be communicated to all families. 

Year 3-6 Learning Celebration

Throughout Term 2 the students in Year 3-6 invested an enormous amount of effort to demonstrate their learning in Inquiry.  Throughout the term each level had a focus on the Humanities curriculum area of History. It was wonderful to have our Year 5/6 families and students visit to celebrate the wonderful work undertaken by the students.  The Year 3-6 work has been placed on display in the corridor area outside the Year 3/4 classes.  We encourage families to take time to look at the wonderful learning and work undertaken by our students. Congratulations to all students in Years 3-6 on your outstanding achievements. You should be incredibly proud of yourselves.

St John the Baptist Feast Day Celebration

On our last day of Term 2 it was terrific to be able to celebrate as a school and parish the Feast of St John the Baptist. As a school we commenced the day with a fun tabloid sports session with Kaboom Sports.  The session was a great interactive session where students and staff joined in the fun together. We were most fortunate to have a fine morning this year that enabled the session to occur outside.  Our students embraced the morning thoroughly engaging in and enjoying all activities.  A special thanks to the SJB staff who were great sports & relished in the opportunity to dance with the students. Congratulations to Mrs Lynch in taking out the title in the dance battle!!

After the morning session we joined with the parish community to celebrate the Feast of John the Baptist at 11am Mass.  The mass was a beautiful celebration for all. The participation and reverence demonstrated by all students was exemplary.  The students created a sense of joy and engagement in their celebration of the Nativity of St John the Baptist. 

To conclude the SJB Feast Day activities the students moved into their cross curriculum groups to complete art pieces based on an aspect of St John the Baptist’s life. We thank staff and students for embracing a wonderful day of celebration.  

Confirmation

Our Year 5 and 6 students are now preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Over the coming weeks we look forward to supporting and celebrating our senior students as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Year 5/6 families are asked to please be aware of the following dates:

Confirmation Family Evening - Wednesday 24th July 7pm (please bring your child's Baptism Certificate)

Confirmation Commitment Masses - Saturday 27th 6pm or Sunday 28th July 9am or 11am

Confirmation Reflection Day - Monday 26th August all day

Sacrament of Confirmation - Thursday 29th August 6pm

We ask that students preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation attend one Mass throughout the weekend of Saturday 27th or Sunday 28th July with their families.  Attending a Mass of Commitment provides the opportunity for the parish to celebrate our students preparing for their sacrament, as well as demonstrating their commitment to preparing for their Sacrament.

Anyone requiring stole embroidery, can contact Leanne Church on 0413 175 103 or leanne@technisew.com.au 

Term 3 Winter School Uniform

The students have been outstanding in the manner in which they are wearing the correct school uniform. We ask that students with the support of their families continue to wear the correct Winter School uniform at all times. This includes wearing sports uniform only on sports days and wearing the correct socks and school shoes at all times. Whilst we recognise that Year 6 students can start to outgrow uniform items, correct school uniform is a school expectation and is required to be worn accordingly. Wearing the correct uniform sends a strong message of school pride.

Prep 2025 - overdue now

We thank all families for submitting their enrolment forms for the 2025 school year. This is an exciting time for families as we start preparations for welcoming our new preps throughout Semester Two. 

Letters of acceptance have now been sent to all families who have enrolled their child for the 2025 school year. We ask families to return their acceptance letter no later than Wednesday July 24th. This will allow us to start forward planning early in Term 3.

We ask any families who have not yet submitted their enrolment forms to do so as soon as possible as places are limited.

Specialist Timetable Week 1

Chess Club

School Disco

This year’s school disco is booked for Friday 9th August. We look forward to students having an opportunity to dance the afternoon/evening away with their friends.

Welcome back for Term 3. It has been wonderful to welcome everyone back and to hear about their break.

Kelli Johnston

Term 3 Dates

July

17th - Emmaus School Production - Year 4 & 5 students

18th - Chess Club free incursion

23rd - Healesville Sanctuary Year 3/4 Excursion

24th - Confirmation Family Evening

26th - School Assembly - 1/2D

27th - Confirmation Commitment Masses

28th - Confirmation Commitment Masses

29th - Year 5/6 District Football

31st - Year 5/6 District Netball

31st - School Advisory Council - 7:00pm

August

1st - Year 5/6 Level Mass

1st - Mater Christi & St Joseph's Production Year 4 & 6

6th - AMC Maths Competition

7th - Prep 2025 Family Meetings

8th - Prep 2025 Family Meetings

9th - SJB School Disco

10th - Term 3 Working Bee

15th - Feast of the Assumption Mass

16th - Year 7 2026 Applications close

Uniform Shop News

The 2nd Hand Uniform Shop will be open again on Tuesday afternoons during Term 3. Please see image for most recent stocklist. Donations of clean, official SJB uniforms are most appreciated and can be left at the office. Thanks.

Canteen News

Open on Wednesdays & Fridays


Canteen orders can be placed via http://www.flexischools.com.au

Orders must be placed no later than 7.30am on the Wednesday or Friday.


Canteen Roster Term 3, 2024


Friday July 19th 

Leanne Gaunt

Claire Lewis

Carolyn Lonsing

Friday July 26th 

Cassie Croning

Nelson Serrao

Leanne Nugent


Community News

St John the Baptist Fundraising with Entertainment

Soccer at St John's

St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully