St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

With the easing of restrictions I am delighted that we will be able to host our Annual General Meetings (AGM) for both our School Advisory Council (formally known as the Education Board) and our Parents & Friends Association. The School Advisory Council AGM is scheduled for Tuesday 16th November at 7.30pm and the Parents and Friends AGM is scheduled for Monday 22nd November at 7.00pm. Both meetings will be hosted in our staffroom. 

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL 

Expressions of Interest 

At the request of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) board, our governing body, St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is continuing to invite new members onto our School Advisory Council to support the Principal, Parish Priest and leadership team of the school.

No particular expertise is required except a desire to represent and give voice to the parent body in advising the principal about important matters particularly related to the school’s ongoing desire to provide the best possible education for our children.

Therefore we are calling on you to express your interest in being part of the School Advisory Council for 2022.   If you are a member of the parish or have children in the school, and wish to be part of this exciting development in our school, we would welcome your application via email cmason@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au by Monday 15th November, 2021. 

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School

PARENTS & FRIENDS ASSOCIATION

Expressions of Interest 

At our Parents and Friends AGM we are also looking for an enthusiastic parent who wishes to take on the role of President to lead our school with the support of the Principal and team of parents to coordinate both fundraising and friendraising events in the school community. If you have a passion for building community and creating a sense of belonging for all then we would love to see you at our P&F AGM. If you have an interest in taking on the role of President please let me know via email

cmason@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au prior to the meeting. 

Our children in Year 3/4 will receive Eucharist for the first time on Tuesday 23rd November, Wednesday 24th November and Thursday 25th November. Please keep these children in your prayers as they take this next step in their faith journey.

We are delighted that our P-2 Swimming Program will commence on Tuesday 16th November. The program will run each Tuesday until Tuesday 7th December

Tuesday the 14th of December will be a significant day at St John the Baptist as we farewell our Year 6 students. The order of events will be as follows:

Last day of school (Year 6) -  1.00pm finish

12.30pm: Whole school Year 6 assembly (delivered virtually at this stage).

12.45pm: Guard of honour (whole school socially distanced in class groupings); Year 6 parents wait under the sheltered area outside the main administration building. The guard of honour will conclude with the children coming through to their families.

5.00pm: Year 6 Graduation Mass. Neat casual dress - Families welcome. Density limits apply. 

6.00pm-8.00pm: Year 6 ‘Night Under the Stars’ Graduation Party - Students only - Outside gathering; games, dancing & dinner (all provided by the school/no cost to families.

8.00pm: Parents collect their children from the top carpark. 

On Wednesday 17th November the staff will be sharing in a staff professional development day where we will be planning for the 2022 school year.  There will be no school for the students on this day.

The government has updated their health guidelines regarding face masks for Victorian students. Face masks  are required for students in Year 3 to Year 6, only when indoors on school premises, unless an exception applies.  

Masks are no longer a requirement when outside for adults.  All adults entering school buildings are currently required to be in a mask according to the health guidelines.

If you are entering any school buildings it is a Victorian Government mandate that you check in via our QR code. We are limiting access to buildings for our families until we have further easing of restrictions. We are also asking families not to gather before or after school. Whilst this is hard as we enjoy being together hopefully our caution will keep everyone in our community safe and hopefully able to gather once more in the not too distant future. Thankyou for supporting us to implement our COVID safe plan by observing these protocols. 

Stay home when unwell 

The most important action our school community can take to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is to ensure that any unwell staff and students remain at home and get tested, even with the mildest of symptoms. 

Students with underlying conditions (such as hay fever or asthma)

If a student has persistent symptoms due to an underlying condition such as hay fever or asthma, the student should still be tested for COVID-19 if they develop symptoms that are different to or worse than their usual symptoms. Students whose symptoms are clearly typical for their underlying condition can continue to attend school. Parents/carers should also consider getting a medical certificate from the child’s treating GP to confirm that it is safe for them to attend school with persistent symptoms that may overlap with some of the symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough or runny nose. 

Young children with persistent mild symptoms

For younger children (in Prep to Year 2) who have had a negative COVID-19 test that was taken after they developed symptoms, the decision about return to school should be made in conjunction with the child’s treating GP. If the GP is satisfied the child has recovered from their acute illness, is otherwise well and does not need a repeat COVID-19 test, the child can return even if they are not completely free of symptoms. Any worsening of symptoms will require review and repeat COVID-19 testing, if considered appropriate by the doctor. Students with a negative COVID-19 test whose symptoms have completely resolved do not need a medical certificate to return to school.