St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

Tuesday May 9th 2023

Letter from the Principal, Kelli Johnston

Introduction

Dear Families,

This Sunday 14th May we take the opportunity to celebrate and give thanks to our wonderful Mums and all that they bring to our lives.  To all our Mums we hope that you are thoroughly spoilt this Sunday!!

Playground Naturescape

Exciting times as the new playground and naturescape is set to open!!  The excitement amongst the students as they see it being ready to open is absolutely delightful to hear and see.

Yesterday the Year 5/6 students and Preps thoroughly enjoyed planting with Richard and the landscaping team.  We thank Richard and team for the fantastic job they have done in creating such a wonderful play space for the students at St John the Baptist.  

The naturescape provides students with many experiences with a variety of textures. Whether it be climbing, crawling through objects, weaving through the playground, sliding, moving up and down hills or accessing a variety of textures, there is absolutely something for everyone.

The wait for the naturescape has certainly been worthwhile.  The new naturescape will be a place of learning and play for the students of St John the Baptist for many years to come.

St John the Baptist Open Day for 2024 Prep Children

St John the Baptist Final Open Day for 2024 Prep Children

We have one final Open Day for this year: Thursday 11th May

Tours will run at 9am, 10am, 4pm and 5pm.

Families with siblings commencing school in 2024 are asked to submit enrolments as soon as possible to assist with

confirmation of student numbers.

Enrolment letters of acceptance will be distributed in the first week of June.

Family Eucharist Evening - Wednesday May 10th at 7.00pm

We look forward to welcoming our Year 3 and 4 students preparing for the Sacrament of Eucharist to our Family Evening on Wednesday 10th May at 7:00pm.  The First Eucharist Family Evening is an important part of our Sacramental Program and home school partnership in preparing students to receive their sacrament.

We thank Mrs Marialisa Mandarino and the Year 3/4 team for their work in preparing an engaging, informative and interactive evening.

Skoolbag App Rebrand

Skoolbag app has recently been rebranded as Audiri.

Families will notice a change in appearance of the app. Notifications will now come out via the Audiri app.

Parent Information and Helper Session

We were thrilled to see such a great response from our families attending the Parent Information and Classroom Helper sessions. It was great to see families showing a strong interest in supporting their children in their learning and an interest in being a classroom helper.

Classroom helper lists are located outside each classroom. Please feel free to write your name in a time and day that you are available to help in a classroom.   Students always enjoy having family members come in and assist in the classroom.  It is a great way to see the classroom and students in action, as well as, building a sense of community.

A friendly reminder that all helpers do require a current Working With Children Check.  WWCC are able to be applied for online. We ask that families present their WWCC to the office for record keeping and Child Safe purposes.

We thank Jo Stoica for preparing such professional and informative sessions for our families.

Term 2 Winter Uniform Transition

The weather has certainly changed to cooler days. We request that students transition to their winter uniform for the remainder of Term 2 and Term 3. Students are to be dressed in the correct uniform at all times, this includes the correct socks and shoes, along with sports uniform only being worn on designated days.

Mother's Day Afternoon Tea & Picnic - Friday May 12th at 2.00pm

We warmly welcome our Mums/Special Person to join us from 2:00pm for afternoon tea to celebrate the special role they play in our lives. Mums/Special friends will be joined by the students during the afternoon tea. Our Preps will present our Mums/Special Friends with a surprise as the finale to the afternoon.

Cross Country - Friday May 19th

The Year 3-6 students will participate in a school based Cross Country event at Kings Park, Upper Ferntree Gully on Friday 19th May, between 11:30am - 1:10pm. 

The Year 3/4 students will participate in a 2km course and the Year 5/6 students will participate in a 3km course.  Students finishing in the top 8 to 10 places will then have the opportunity to participate in this year’s District Cross Country event.

Permission forms and parent helper forms will be available through Operoo in the coming days. In order for the event to run, parent volunteers will be required.  Again a friendly reminder that all volunteers are required to have a current WWCC.

Community Thank You

We would like to thank the Albisser-Bennett family for their generous donation of funding the Phoenix Soar Basketball program for all Year 5/6 students to participate in. 

The Year 5/6 students will participate in 4 sessions over 4 weeks with staff from the South East Melbourne Phoenix Soar. This is a terrific opportunity for our students.  

We sincerely thank the Albisser-Bennett family for their very generous donation.

COVID 19 CECV Advice

As we head into the winter months we will no doubt experience COVID as part of the cold and flu season.  As a Catholic school we are required to work within the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria guidelines.  The last guidelines were updated in February of this year. Information that families should be aware of include the following:

  • Students (or their parents) should also report a positive result to their school.

  • Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.

  • The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home. 

  • Additionally, the Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19 for at least 7 days after a positive test when they need to leave home. 

  • Rapid Antigen Test are available for all Victorians from Council sites. People can get 2 free packs (10 tests) for themselves and 2 free packs (10 tests) for each of their household members.

Operoo

Operoo has arrived!! As a school we have undertaken professional learning in how to use Operoo. In Term 2 permission slips will now be moved online and will be paperless.  We ask that families follow the steps required to commence with Operoo.

How to get started?

  • When you receive an email from the SJB Operoo system asking you to sign up or create an account - please follow the step.
  • Follow the instructions to create your account - now you can respond to forms and receive messages from SJB on any device
  • Optional - Download Operoo Central App from Apple App Store of  Google Play
  • For further assistance families can access the Operoo site:

    Operoo - Introduction for Parents

    Child Safe Practices - Working with Children Checks

    St John the Baptist School is committed to providing a child safe environment and takes active steps to ensure any person authorised to conduct ‘child connected works’ does not pose a risk to their safety or welfare. To achieve this, the school implements screening processes, including Working With Children Checks (WWCC), to assess and verify their suitability. 

    St John’s School ensures that non-teaching staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors are of suitable character and do not have a relevant criminal record that poses an unjustifiable risk to children. 

    Teaching Staff & Casual Relief Teachers who are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) undergo criminal record checks via their annual registration.

    Volunteering to Assist with School Programs- WWCC

    Parents would be aware that to assist with any of our school programs that all volunteers, parents/guardians/family members are required to have a current Working With Children Check on our school records.

    Family members are to provide a copy of the WWCC to the school office.

    Term 2

    Wishing  everyone a fabulous week ahead.

    Kelli Johnston

    Parents & Friends News

    Mother's Day Stall

    Thank you to all the Dads who helped out with the Mother's Day Stall. The kids were so excited to see their Dads on duty and doing something nice for their Mums.

    Dirk Pinder, Justin Pellarini, Mark Molan, Chris Conway,

    Lionel Croning, Nelson Serrao

    Hopefully everyone received a present and there will be spare presents for those who didn't get to shop today.

    Bunnings Cake Stall

    Calling all Bakers - our cake stall is on Saturday May 13th at Scoresby Bunnings. We need all your delicious home made treats! Please see the attachment below to access a copy of the cake stall baker's form, return to school ASAP or email to parentsandfriends@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au

    Hard copies are also available at the office.

    We would love some volunteers for Friday for packaging and labelling as well as Saturday for selling and stocking at the cake stall at Bunnings Scoresby.

    Cake Stall Bakers Form

    Download

    EASY RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE TO TRY

    Please click the link to view all the recipes - Click here

    Parents and Friends Meeting

    Our next P&F Meeting will be held on Monday May 22nd at 1.30pm - venue TBC.

    Student Awards

    Prep B

    Rosie B - for doing an exceptional job with her reading at the First Friday Mass and continuing to develop her voice and gaining the confidence to share her wonderful ideas with the class. Super work Rosie!

    Will P - for facing challenges head on in the classroom and continuing to develop his growth mindset. Well done Will on having the grit and determination to keep trying and practicing in writing no matter what. Tremendous effort Will!

    Year PBM

    Isla L - for clear and confident reading during the Prep level Mass. Well done, Isla!

    Eric J - for having a go at writing time and writing the letter sounds you can hear. Keep trying Eric! We are proud of your efforts.

    Mabel N - for learning her SATPIN sounds and learning to build words with these sounds.

    Year 1/2B

    Gretta B - for making excellent progress in Guided Reading sessions to read sight words and answer questions about the text.

    Charlie P - for making excellent contributions during class story discussions and word work brainstorming sessions.

    Year 1/2D

    Bella E - for being an enthusiastic, caring class member! You are always thinking of your peers and going above and beyond to ensure the classroom is clean, safe and a great place to be! Awesome work Bella!

    Briar H - for the impressive determination and persistence you have shown when completing your learning tasks. You are working incredibly hard and making super progress. Super effort Briar!

    Georgia C - for the enthusiasm and positivity you show towards your learning. You always try your very best and complete your learning tasks with a smile. You should be very proud of your learning and the progress you have made. Well done Georgia!

    Year 1/2JM

    Claudia A - for your dedication to your work and kindness towards others. We are very impressed with your efforts Claudia!

    Archie L - for your focus during our mathematics lessons on expanding numbers. Well done Archie!

    Year 1/2KC

    Adrianna R - for making great progress with counting to 10, and for showing increased independence and confidence in the morning. You are a 1/2KC star, Adrianna!

    Keira M - for always looking for the best in others, and putting in a great effort during Maths lessons! You are a 1/2KC star, Keira!

    Anthony C - for working hard on writing, and for being a very helpful, responsible class member, as well as a very inclusive friend. You are a 1/2KC star, Anthony!

    Arabella S - for excellent word knowledge, and for working hard during Writing lessons. You are a 1/2KC star, Arabella!

    Year 3/4D

    Arthur B - for a fantastic poem about slime, using description to bring the images to life.

    Jenna G - for a thoughtful and evocative poem from the perspective of an ANZAC soldier. Well done Jenna!

    Year 3/4G

    Teague D - for extending your kindness to those around you and for actively contribuing to class discussions.

    Olly P - for always showing kindness to all your peers and for always being willing to give 'tricky' things your best efforts.

    Year 3/4SC

    Zara D - for her excellent display of leadership skills as an inclusive classmate, and the impressive amount of effort that she puts in to achieve her learning goals.

    Ezra McK - for the mature approach he demonstrates when completing his learning tasks, and the excellent example he is setting as a responsible leader in our classroom.

    Isabella H - for the dedication she brings to completing her learning tasks, and the calm approach she takes when attempting new challenges.

    Year 5/6FJ

    Millie B - for noticing and responding to your own learning. You have demonstrated a high level of commitment to your work and always seek feedback to ensure you always do the best you can and succeed in all that you do. You are a huge asset to our classroom.

    Aala D - for your dedication and positive attitude to your learning. You frequently contribute to classroom discussions and have much to offer. You have demonstrated reflective skills and have grown in your ability to build on other's thinking. A great start to the term Aala.

    Kushampreet G - for showing more settled learning behaviours in class. Kush you have demonstrated growth in your learning behaviours and as a result your classroom results are improving. Reach for the stars Kush, you are amazing.

    Term 2 Dates for the Diary

    May

    10th    First Eucharist Family Evening

    12th     Mother's Day Afternoon Tea

    14th     Mother's Day

    15th    Lighthouse Program - St Joseph's College & Year 6 boys

    17th     School Advisory Council Meeting

    19th     Year 3-6 Cross Country

    20th    Term 2 Working Bee

    22nd    Lighthouse Program - St Joseph's College & Year 6 boys

    24th     National Simultaneous Storytime

    26th     District Cross Country

    28th     Pentecost Sunday

    29th     Lighthouse Program - St Joseph's College & Year 6 boys

    June

    2nd     First Friday Mass - Year 5/6

    5th     First Eucharist Reflection Day

    6th     Division Cross Country

    8th     St Joseph's Lighthouse Program Presentation Evening

    12th     King's Birthday Holiday - School Closed

    13th     Regional Cross Country

    16th     Reports emailed to families

    17th     First Eucharist - 3.00pm Mass

    19th     P&F Meeting

    20th     Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

    21st    Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

    23rd    Feast of St John the Baptist Celebration Day

    23rd    Term 2 concludes

    Canteen News


    Canteen orders can be placed via www.flexischools.com.au

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

    Canteen Roster


    Wednesday May 10th Friday May 12th 

    Jessie Stephens

    Nat Conway

    Ros Davies

    Melinda Price

    Katrina Horne

    Carrie Canton


    Wednesday May 17th Friday May 19th 

    Jessie Stephens

    Jessica Bagnoux

    Mark Molan

    Troy Kristof

    Helper needed


    Uniform Shop News

    Parish News

    Community Notices

    St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully