St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

It has been terrific to see our students and families return to SJB for the 2026 school year.  We thank all families for booking Learning Interview times for our students.  The opportunity to have a 30 minute learning interview allows staff and students to get to know each other on a personal level, as well as gaining an insight into where students will commence the year as learners.

It has been wonderful to see students return to school with smiles on their faces looking forward to their year ahead.  Our students are to be congratulated for the manner in which they have commenced their school year. The students have started the school year with a sense of excitement, anticipation and calm.  All of which sets the scene for a productive and most enjoyable year for all.

It has been great to see staff and students getting to know each other and building positive relationships throughout their first week. We look forward to strengthening these relationships at the upcoming Meet and Greet sessions.

Welcome to the 2026 school year. A wonderful year awaits.

Congratulations to our Preps who commenced on Wednesday.  You were outstanding!!  Starting school is a big step. It was terrific to see our Preps in their uniforms and meeting their teachers and classmates on their first day of the year. It was also the first day of Prep for our SJB Prep teachers this year. We wish Chantelle, Jill and Karen a wonderful year in Prep with our gorgeous students. Congratulations to our mums and dads too on continuing to smile as you dropped your precious babies off on their first day of school! Starting school is a big step for all family members!! We wish you all the best for a wonderful start to school at St John’s and look forward to seeing our Preps grow, flourish and shine throughout their seven years at SJB.

 A friendly reminder that the following Wednesdays are ‘Rest Days’ for our Preps. Wednesday 4th February, Wednesday 11th February, Wednesday 18th February and Wednesday 25th February.

Our Preps will commence full time at school from Monday 2nd March.

Prep families are asked to book their child in for a learning interview on one of the rest days via the School Interviews platform.

These can be booked via this link - https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/nfhsx

Yesterday we came together as a community to celebrate the 90th anniversary of our parish school. We were most fortunate to be joined by the Presentation Sisters, Sister Una - Principal of SJB between 1989-1993 and Sister Francis.

St John the Baptist Parish enjoys a rich and proud history. In 1936, the Presentation Sisters commenced St John the Baptist School, providing the opportunity for a Catholic education to children in the local area. Children travelled from Bayswater to Gembrook to attend school at St John the Baptist. The school began with just 37 students and grew quickly—reaching 220 students by 1944 and 300 by 1946. Today, we proudly have an enrolment of 229 students, a strong partnership between parish and school, and a vibrant, faith-filled community.

We warmly welcomed Sister Una and Sister Francis, two of the seven living Presentation Sisters who form an important part of St John the Baptist’s history. We were deeply grateful for the ongoing support of the Presentation Sisters and the legacy they have given our community. We were also proud to have Olivia H one of the most recent recipients of the Presentation Sisters Bursary Award, recognised for demonstrating the Presentation Core Values.

We look forward to celebrating our rich history and 90 years as a parish school throughout the year, and we thank everyone who gathered to celebrate this special occasion.

Please see the Specialist Timetable for Weeks 2-5. We have moved Prep specialist lessons to Tuesday and Thursday while Preps have rest days on Wednesdays. Once Preps start school on Wednesdays we will share the timetable again.

We invite all families to join us for the Beginning of School Year mass to be celebrated on Thursday 12th February, at 9:15am. The Beginning of School Year mass is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community of faith to commence a new year. 

Over the holiday period Operoo closed its application.  As a school we are most fortunate to have nForma offer an application with very similar functionality.  We ask that all families install the nForma app to receive permission forms and communication in the same format that Operoo previously shared. 

Moving to nForma is supporting the school to streamline applications and provide a central portal. SJB now uses nForma for reporting, first aid, the roll, communication, permission forms and more.

Support for families experiencing financial hardship is available via the School Fees Concessional Program.

It is available to families that meet one of the following criteria:-

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage
• Holders of Department of Human Services Health Care Card
• Holders of Department of Veteran Affairs Gold Card
• Holders of a Department of Home Affairs Proof of Identity Card (ImmiCard)
• Experiencing genuine financial hardship

If you believe you are eligible, please complete the form below or call into the office to obtain a copy.

Please return the completed form to the school office ASAP.

As we commence school for 2026 all students are now required to transition to navy shorts, pants and socks. The move to navy across the board has been an 18 month transition from mid 2024. Students are now required to have fully transitioned to the change in items.

Students are to wear their regular school uniform on days where they do not have a PE or sport lessons, this includes black school shoes. Sports uniform and runners are to be worn strictly on days when students have PE and sport lessons only. Level Newsletters will outline the day/s in which children are able to wear sports uniform.

We have clarified with Beleza that the skort is a PE uniform item only. Students can choose either the school dress or polo top and tailored shorts for their regular uniform.

Uniform purchasing can be made at Beleza uniforms in Boronia or through the SJB Second Hand Uniform shop.  Families may enquire at the office in regard to second hand uniform purchases. 

In the coming weeks the SJB Second Hand Uniform shop will commence.  The second hand uniform shop will provide the opportunity for families to purchase school uniform items that are in good condition.

In 2026 the 2nd Hand Uniform Shop will be open on Tuesday afternoons, at the usual time of 2:45pm - 3:15pm. For families new to the school, the 2nd Hand Uniform Shop is located in the meeting room to the left of the Office. Thank you to the families who donated items at the end of last year to help re-stock the shelves. I will publish a stock list in the coming weeks. All items $5.00 - cash only.  

Janice

We look forward to another year of terrific community building events. If you would like to be a member of the Parents and Friends Committee please email the office: office@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au Parents and Friends meetings run every second month on a Monday evening.

We look forward to welcoming our community to the annual Twilight on the Green event on the school oval on Friday 6th February commencing from 5:30pm.  Bring along your picnic blankets, chairs, nibbles, dinner and spend a fun evening with our SJB community.  This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect as a community, as well as, welcome our new families to SJB.

On the night Kelly Sports will be leading a range of activities for students between 5:45-7:45pm on the oval, a coffee van for parents who may like to purchase a hot drink and icy-poles for the students.

This year we will be operating a cashless system for families to pay via Flexischools.  Families are asked to purchase their $15 family ticket through Flexischools. Families will then have their attendance marked on arrival on the evening by our P & F team. Flexischool payments will be open until 2pm on Friday 6th February.

Families may park in the parking bays on Selman Ave and surrounding streets on the evening.

The evening commences at 5:30pm and concludes at 8:30pm.  This is a family and community event that is strictly alcohol free.

We invite families to join us on Friday 6th February at 2:30pm for our Year 6 Leadership Assembly. 

The Year 6 students will be presented with their Year 6 jackets and badges on Friday afternoon.

School assemblies will be held throughout the school year. Assemblies will be held on Friday afternoons at 2:45pm in the school hall.  Each class will have the opportunity to lead the school in assembly and share their learning throughout the year.  We welcome families to join us at St John’s for school assemblies.

At the conclusion of each day when students will be dismissed by their class teachers, students are to meet their designated family member who they are going home with, move to the car park for Kiss and Go or move to OHSC. Once the bell for the end of the day has been signaled families may enter the school buildings to collect students and/or touch base with their child’s teacher should this be required.

Families are welcome to continue to socialise after school on the oval. When moving to the oval students are required to be accompanied by their family members and safely moved across the car park to the oval. The Ga-Ga pit is strictly closed after school and is not open for student access. 

We ask families to please place the dates for this year’s Sacraments in your calendars. Sacraments are important milestones and celebrations in our students' faith journey.

Swimming squad training is scheduled to commence Tuesday 10th February at St Joseph’s Secondary College.  The dates for squad swimming are Tuesday 10th, 17th, 24th February and the 3rd and 10th  March from 7:45am - 8:30am. Additional dates may become available should student engagement remain high. Further information about swimming squad will be communicated by our PE teacher Mr John Mitchell in the coming days.

It was terrific to see such a great attendance of families at Friday’s morning cuppa. It was wonderful to see families coming together to reconnect after the holiday period and to see new families being welcomed to our St John the Baptist community.  It is always lovely to be able to gather, catch up and share holiday adventures as we return for another year.

 A big thank you to our Parents and Friends Committee and Mrs Tracey Walker for extending a warm welcome and preparing the morning cuppa.  

Wishing all our students and families a wonderful week.

Kelli Johnston

February

4th - Prep Rest Day

6th - School Assembly Year 6 Leadership presentation - School Hall 2:30pm

6th - Twilight on the Green - 5:30 - 8:30pm

10th - Term 1 Level Newsletters shared with families

10th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am (Year 3-6)

10th - Meet & Greet Meetings - 3:30 - 6:00pm

11th - MACS Board of Directors AGM at SJB

11th-  Prep Rest Day

11th - Meet and Greet - 3:30-5:30pm

12th - Beginning of School Year Mass - 9:15am

12th - Reconciliation Family Evening - 7pm

14th - First Reconciliation Commitment Mass

15th - First Reconciliation Commitment Mass

17th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am (Year 3-6)

17th - Shrove Tuesday

18th - Ash Wednesday - Lent begins

18th - Ash Wednesday Mass - 9:15am

18th - Prep Rest Day

18th - Year 5/6 Camp to Portsea

18th - School Advisory Council Meeting

20th - Year 5/6 Camp returns from Portsea

24th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am

24th - Prep Information Evening

25th - Prep Rest Day

27th - District Swimming

March

2nd - Preps commence Fulltime 

3rd - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am (Year 3-6)

3rd - Carley McGauran Managing Big Feelings online session @ 7:30pm

6th - School Closure Day

9th - Labour Day - School Closed

10th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am (Year 3-6)

10th - Division Swimming

11th - Open Day #1 - Tours @ 9am, 10am, 4pm & 5pm

11th - NAPLAN commences

12th - Division Swimming

14th - Term 1 Working Bee

16th - P & F Meeting -  SJB Staffroom at 7pm

17th - Open Day #2 - Tours @ 9am, 10am, 4pm & 5pm

19th - MACS School Advisory Council dinner

20th - Harmony Day celebration

20th - St Patrick’s Day Schools Mass

27th - SJB Family Weekend away @ Warburton

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

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

Friday February 6th

Nelson Serrao

Tim Grimshaw

Friday February 13th

Amy Chan

Kellie Brooks

Friday February 20th

Belinda Davies

Anna Kristof

Cassy Croning