St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

On Sunday we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, one of the great feasts of the Catholic Church.

The Feast of Pentecost is about God’s presence with us. In the story of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit entering each one of them and then drawing them together.

On that day, the first Christian community was born: a community of forgiveness, cultural diversity, sharing, equality, mutual support and benefit, and understanding and trust.

Pentecost is an invitation to us to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit living in us and in the world around us.

Wednesday 26th May is the annual National Sorry Day of commemoration and remembrance of all those Aboriginal people who have been impacted by the government policies of forcible removal that have resulted in the stolen generations. We were planning to commemorate this day, however, due to the new coronavirus restrictions, we are now unable to gather as a whole school. We will run the service through our PA system. Children will remain in their class groupings. Students are invited to wear casual dress with a touch of red, yellow and black and make a gold coin donation.                            

This week a letter came home outlining our reporting process for mid-year reports and interviews. As our interviews run for 20 minutes per student we will hold the interviews over the following days to accommodate the length of time:

Tuesday 15th June: 3.30pm-6.00pm

Wednesday 16th June: 3.30pm-6.00pm

Thursday 17th June: 2.00pm-8.00pm 

(School will finish for the students at 1.00pm on Thursday 17th June)

Bookings will go live on Monday 7th June and can be made using our SOBS online system using the following URL P/T Online Booking Link.  This link will not be available until the 7th June at 8.00am.

We would appreciate all families booking an interview time. It is vital for positive learning outcomes for your child that we have strong communication between home and school regarding their growth as learners. Reports will come home to families on Friday 11th June. 

Congratulations to the Cross Country team who participated in the District Cross Country at Crystal Brook Park, Cardinia Reservoir on Friday 21st May.

Our team consisted of 32 enthusiastic students who showed great determination to compete to the very best of their ability in perfect conditions.

We were extremely proud of each student who represented St John the Baptist school so well. They were all great sports who encouraged and motivated each other.

Thank you to the parents who assisted in marshalling duties and thank you to all the parents who came to support the team.

Congratulations to Riley F who finished in the top three placings for his age groups and received a medal.

Congratulations to the following students who have progressed through to the Division Cross Country held at Yarra Glen Racecourse on the 1st June.

Riley F

Lorelei C 

Kahsha W

Isabelle N

Please join the SJB Parents & Friends Facebook page -

SJB P&F Facebook Link

or search 'SJB Parish Primary School'