St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

Tuesday February 11th 2025

Letter from the Principal, Kelli Johnston

Dear Families,

What a wonderful evening was had by all at Friday’s annual Twilight on the Green event. We were blessed with lovely weather and conditions.  It was terrific to see such a great attendance of SJB families. The annual Twilight on the Green event is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together as families and a community to enjoy each other’s company. To see parents, grandparents, past students and toddlers with our current students was truly wonderful.

 We thank the Parent and Friends Committee for their work that went into preparing such a welcoming and wonderful event for the St John’s school community. 

The introduction of a coffee van and Kelly Sports were great initiatives that further enhanced an already well established wonderful event. It was great to see students of all ages getting involved in the Kelly Sports activities, as well as our parents enjoying the coffee van.

Thank you to everyone for once again making Twilight on the Green such a wonderful sense of community at SJB. 

Year 6 Assembly

On Friday our Year 6 leaders led their first assembly for the year, as well as receiving their memorial jackets and badges. Our students are to be congratulated on the manner in which they led the assembly and presented themselves to the SJB community.

Over the coming weeks the Year 6 leaders will participate in a weekly workshop with Mrs Ursula DeCorrado and myself. We will explore the qualities of leadership, set goals as leaders, as well as seek student voice from our leaders in a number of aspects across the school and their roles.

Kiss and Go

It is great to see ‘Kiss & Go’ working well on our return to school.  Given the smooth nature of ‘Kiss & Go’ we will return to a 3:15pm finish as of Monday 17th February.

A friendly reminder to all users of ‘Kiss & Go’ that to ensure the smooth operation of after school pick that it is a left turn only onto Forest Road.

Year 5/6 Camp

Exciting times await our Year 5/6 students as they prepare for camp. Our year 5/6 students are heading to PGL Campaspe Downs camp in Tylden. The students will be at camp from Monday 17th - Wednesday 19th February. 

We wish our Year 5/6 students and camp team a wonderful 3 days away.

Prep Rest Days

Prep rest days: A friendly reminder that the following Wednesdays are ‘Rest Days’ for our Preps. Wednesday 5th February, Wednesday 12th February, Wednesday 19th February and Wednesday 26th February.

Our Preps will commence full time at school from Monday 3rd March.

Open Days for 2026 Prep Children

St John the Baptist Open Days for 2026 Prep Children

Let your neighbours, friends and relatives know St John’s School Open Days are set for March.

School Open Days will be held on:

Thursday 6th March

Wednesday 12th March

Tuesday 25th March

Thursday 1st May

Alternatively families can book tours by phoning the office, through the school website or the QR Code. Every day is Open Day at St John the Baptist School!! Please come and see us in action.

We request that parents already with children in the school enrol as early as possible.

Beginning of the School Year Mass

We invite all families to join us for the Beginning of School Year mass to be celebrated on Thursday  13th 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. 

School Closure Days 2025

To assist families with planning throughout the year we ask families to please place in their calendars the following School Closure Days for the 2025 school year.

Friday 7th March

Friday 6th June

Monday 18th August           

Monday 3rd November

Monday 17th November

Prep Information Evening

Our Preps have commenced school brilliantly. It is terrific to see them settle so well. To provide families with an insight into daily life in a Prep classroom and an insight into Learning and Teaching in Prep, we would like to invite you to an Information Evening. Please see the following information:

Prep Information Evening

           When: Tuesday 25th February @ 7pm

     Where: Prep classrooms

Choir Club is starting up soon!

When: Starting Monday 24th February

Who: Offered to grade 3-6 students

Where: Art room

Time: First break

We will have lots of fun singing contemporary songs, learning to use our voices correctly, practising great team work and preparing for performances.

Commitment will be necessary every Monday. You are welcome to come along for a couple of weeks to see if you like it before committing.

Hope to see many of you there!

 

Mrs Russell (Etta and Pippy’s Mum)

Tuckshop Begins

Our terrific Tuckshop Co-ordinator, Mrs Tracey Walker is taking a period of Long Service Leave for the first weeks of Term 1. Tracey will return to SJB in Week 7 of this term.

Tuckshop will commence on Wednesday 12th March.  The tuckshop will operate on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuckshop orders can be placed via 

www.flexischools.com.au

Hats and Sunscreen in Term 1

Term 1 and Term 4 of each school year are ‘Hats On’ terms. The safety of all students and staff is paramount.  Students are required to wear hats at all recess times and when outdoors in both Term 1 and Term 4.  Should students not have a hat during recess they are required to play in the shaded area located near the St John the Baptist mosaic. Students will not be permitted to play on the oval without a hat .  A friendly reminder to families to apply sunscreen prior to coming to school.  Students are welcome to keep a small bottle of sunscreen in their school bags and re-apply prior to going out at lunch time.

On days of significant heat a 'Hot Weather' policy will be applied with recess occurring indoors.

Swimming Squad Training

Swimming squad training is scheduled to commence Wednesday 5th February at St Joseph’s Secondary College.  The dates for swimming squad are Wednesday 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th February 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.

Teacher Meet & Greet - Years Prep to 6

It has been wonderful to see our Meet and Greet sessions well attended by our SJB families. 

This is an opportunity to commence our home/school partnership for the year. As a school the strong partnerships we form with our families and insights we gain into our students plays a pivotal role in setting our students up to thrive and succeed.

We look forward to continuing to build our partnerships with all of our SJB families.

  • Please note 3/4 KS & RS Meet & Greet meetings will occur in the main school building.

School Advisory Council

The St John the Baptist School Advisory Council (SAC) will meet throughout 2025 to reflect on and gain feedback on a number aspects of SJB school.  We look forward to working in partnership with the SAC members to reflect and discuss important aspects of St John the Baptist. We have been most fortunate to have a full SAC with parent representation across school year levels.

School Advisory Council evenings are scheduled for Wednesday evenings commencing at 7:00pm in the St John the Baptist staffroom.  The following dates below outline the SAC meetings for the 2025 school year.

19th February

26th March

14th May

30th July

3rd September

22nd October

25th November - SAC & P & F Thank you dinner

Sacramental Calendar 2025

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.

SacramentImportant Dates

Reconciliation

Year 3 students only

Family Evening - 20th February 7-8pm

Commitment Mass - Attend 1 mass over the weekend Saturday 22nd at  6pm or Sunday 23rd February at either 9am or 11am

Sacrament of First Reconciliation - Wednesday 26th March 5pm

First Eucharist

Year 4 students

only

Family Evening - Wednesday 30th April 7-8pm

Commitment Mass - Saturday 3rd at 6pm or Sunday 4th May at either 9am or 11am

First Eucharist Reflection Day 16th June

Sacrament of First Eucharist Sunday 22nd June at 11am 

Are you eligible to receive the Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund/School Fee Concessional Program?

CSEF (Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund)

Do you hold a Services Australia Health Care Card/Concession Card, or are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander? Then you may be elibible to receive the SESF and/or School Fees Concessional Program.

Please complete the attached forms and return to the school office ASAP, along with a copy of your current Centrelink Pension Concession Card.

If you received the CSEF last year, and are still eligible, you do not need to complete a new form.

CSEF Application Form


Download

School Fee Concessional Program

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 a Department of Human Services Health Care Card

·        Holders of a Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card

·        Holders of a Department of Home Affairs Proof of Identity Card (ImmiCard)

·        Refugees, where the child has attended a school within Australia for less than five years

·        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.

 

School Fees Concessional Program Form


Download

Medical / Contact Details

Forms are coming home today with your eldest child. These forms contain information regarding your child's medical details and contacts. Please check the forms, amend if necessary, then sign and return to the school office.

School Fees 2025

Fee Statements are coming home today with your eldest child.

Please refer below for the 2025 Fee/Levy Schedule, which provides families with an overview  for the year along with various payment methods.

Please be aware that if you pre-paid levies last year they will not appear listed on the statement as a receipt, but will show under the 'Opening Balance' (top right) as a credit from last year.

Please note - if you have applied for the CSEF and/or Fee Concession Program, you will receive your statement at a later date. Concessions can only be applied after we receive the funding from the government, sometime in March.

Automatic Credit Card Payment Form


Download

Uniform Purchases

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. Beleza have confirmed there is a wait on new Sports Polos. These are due to be in store in the next fortnight. Apologies for the delay.

Second Hand Uniforms

The Second Hand Uniform Shop will be open on Wednesday afternoons from 2:45pm.  Families may purchase second hand items for $5 per item. 

Families donating items are asked to ensure that items are delivered washed and good condition.

Inquiries in regards to second hand items may be sent to

uniform@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au 

Parents and Friends Committee

We were most fortunate to have a terrific attendance of new and existing parents attend our first Parents and Friends meeting on Monday 3rd February.  Our team of parents collaboratively reflected and suggested ideas for a number of events at SJB for 2025.  

We currently have a number of teams formed to plan and organise a variety of events for Terms 1 and 2.  An exciting time ahead awaits for us at SJB.

We warmly welcome all parents wishing to assist or join the Parents and Friends committee at anytime.

Child Safe Practices - Working with Children Checks

St John’s 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.

Please refer to the following site for details on accessing a WWCC.

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

Audiri App

Audiri app is a simple and effective way to communicate school information with families.

As a school we will use the Audiri app to communicate reminders and events occurring throughout the school.

Conveniently, parents can also use the Audiri app to advise student absences when required.

We ask that families install the Audiri app on their phones and then add St John the Baptist School. Information on how to add the Audiri app and St John the Baptist School can be found at the end of the newsletter.

Wishing all our students and families a wonderful week.

Kelli Johnston

Term 1 Dates

February

11th - Meet & Greet Meetings - 3:30 - 6:00pm

12th - Prep Rest Day - 1 to 1 Learning Interviews

12th - Meet and Greet - 3:30-5:30pm

12th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am (Year 3-6)

13th - Beginning of School Year Mass - 9:15am

17th - Year 5/6 Camp to Campaspe Downs

19th - Year 5/6 Camp returns from Campaspe Downs

19th - Prep Rest Day

19th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am

20th - First Reconciliation Family Evening 7:00pm

22nd - First Reconciliation Commitment Mass

23rd - First Reconciliation Commitment Mass

26th - Prep Rest Day

26th - Swimming Squad St Joseph’s Secondary College 7:45am - 8:30am

28th - District Swimming

March

3rd - Halogen Leadership Day - School Captains

4th - Shrove Tuesday

5th - 9 :15am Ash Wednesday Mass - Lent Begins

6th - Open Day No. 1

7th - School Closure Day

10th - Labour Day - School Closed

12th - Open Day No. 2

12th - Tuck shop commences for 2025

12th - NAPLAN commences

15th - Working Bee 1.30-4.00pm - Amended Date

17th - Division Swimming

17th - P & F Meeting -  SJB Staffroom at 7pm

21st - Regional Swimming

21st - St Patrick’s Day  Schools Mass

24th - SJB Athletics Day

25th - Open Day No. 3

26th - Sacrament of Reconciliation - 5.00pm

26th - School Advisory Council Meeting at 7.00pm

Chess Club

Uniform Shop

Thank you to everyone who supported the 2nd Hand Uniform last year, whether by donating items or purchasing.The 2nd Hand Uniform Shop will be open on Wednesdays this year 2:45pm - 3:15pm, starting from 5th February. For new families: the 2nd Hand Uniform Shop is located in the library.

Canteen News

Open on Wednesdays & Fridays

Please note - There will be a later start to the Canteen in 2025 - First day will be Wednesday March 12th


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.


Parish News

Community News

Soccer Program

Australian Girls Choir

St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully