We respectfully acknowledge, and pay our respects to the Elders of the Kulin Nation, both past and present, as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School is situated.

Dear Parents & Guardians

It is very difficult to comprehend that there are only two weeks left of the school year and Christmas is fast approaching! The decorations appearing around the community are a constant reminder though and the ads on television are about Black Friday and Christmas sales.

In the Christian Church, we have entered into the season of Advent a time of prayer and preparation towards the coming of Christ. Normally, everyone has an advent calendar to show how many days until Christmas. Children nearly always have chocolate in their advent calendar which you can buy from local supermarkets but that is not the true meaning of Advent. Advent prepares you for the birth of Christ.  Advent comes from the Latin word meaning “coming.” Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. 

Tinnies 4 Vinnies: This Advent, the St John’s community is focusing on collecting non-perishable food, Christmas and/or toiletry items to help local families and people in need this Christmas. Please see the flyer below for further details. 

2022 Intentions: As planning for the 2022 school year and grade structure is well under way it is important that we are advised as soon as possible of any students who will not be returning to St Johns for 2022. Please contact the office to advise and obtain a Transfer Form for completion. 

Free Dress Day - Fri 3 Dec: This year students have missed out on a number of dress up days so this Friday, 3 Dec, students can come to school dressed up. You can choose from any of the dress up themes we missed out on: Book Week, Footy day or themes we had on our ZOOMs (Beach, Sport, Fancy Dress, Superheroes). Please remember that fully enclosed shoes must be worn. 

St John’s House Athletics Carnival: On Wednesday 8 December commencing at 11:30am we are holding our whole school Athletics Carnival (weather permitting). Students will participate in a variety of athletic sports and an overall winner will be announced at the conclusion of the event. A sausage sizzle lunch will be provided for students.

Students are to wear their house colours in conjunction with their sports uniform and appropriate footwear for the day, hats must be worn. 

Parents/Family members are invited to attend.  Please note the restrictions/requirements below in relation to guests attending this event:

• Entry will be via the Yellow Office gate or Car Park gates only. 

• QR code check-ins required for anyone entering the school grounds to spectate at this event (proof of check in and double vaccination must be shown prior to entry, manual check in will be available)

• Spectators are reminded to observe social distancing requirements. 

• Face masks must be worn indoors unless an exemption applies ie. accessing the adult toilets in the staff room.

Graduation - Wednesday 8 December; Our Graduation Mass will be held next Wednesday at 7pm in the Church followed by the awards presentations.  Unfortunately, due to restrictions, the Grade 5’s will not be able to be part of the evening.  The Grade 6’s will hand over the ‘Light of Leadership’ to the Grade 5’s during a special student ceremony the following day.

Meet the Teacher Day - Monday 13 December: After recess students will find out who their 2022 teacher/s are and spend time with their 2022 classmates. 

Colour Run; To celebrate the end of the year and to farewell our wonderful Grade 6’s, we are holding  a Colour Run on Friday 10 December. The children, in their grade levels, will run through an obstacle course where teachers will spray Indian Holu colour powder on the children’s clothing.

(NB: This is not compulsory and children may opt for the NO colour run via the Operoo permission requested). 

Children participating are encouraged to wear eye protection (swimming goggles work well) and a white or light coloured t-shirt to show off the colours, fully enclosed shoes MUST be worn. 

The Hulu colour powder is non-toxic, non-flammable, skin safe, biodegradable and environmentally friendly,  made of cornstarch and food grade colours. An example can be watched:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyGDsS3DzWw&feature=emb_logo

Face Masks: A reminder that face masks are still required for students in grade 3 to 6, please ensure children have a supply of face masks for the week in their bags as many are forgetting these daily. 

Reports will go home with all students on Friday 10 December. This semester will again see a report that is different as determined by the VCAA (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority), the Victorian Department of Education and the CECV (Catholic Education Commission of Victoria). These directions are a result of the extraordinary circumstances during the semester. If you have any queries regarding your child’s report please make an appointment with their teacher to discuss.

Farewells/End of Year Mass: As we come to the end of year, we are always sorry to say goodbye to members of staff who are moving on.        

I would like to thank Mrs Kristy Telford, Mrs Claire Bird,Mrs Amber Ventura and Mrs Paula Pearce for their dedication and commitment to St John’s during their time with us. We will officially farewell them at our end of year Mass on Thursday 16 December - this Mass is for students only.  

We will also be saying farewell to Fr Peter as he moves into retirement.

Regards 

Chris Dortmans, Principal

We have made it to Week 9 and it’s hard to believe but this is the final newsletter for our Grade 6 students. The end of the year is traditionally a busy time and while this year is different in terms of restrictions, we are no less busy here at St John’s so keep an eye on that calendar! Dress up day, Athletics day, Grade 6 assembly, Graduation, Colour Run, Meet the Teacher Day and the whole school Zoo Excursion are just a taste of the events to look forward to in the coming weeks.

A special congratulations to those candidates who are finally able to celebrate various Sacraments. You have all been so patient and understanding and we are happy you can now celebrate these important, joyous events properly.

In the classroom we have enjoyed Film Study, speech presentations and exploring Soundwaves once again. We are moving into our final maths unit this week, developing our understanding of the Four Operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). We continue our Inquiry on various events throughout Australia’s history and continue to explore the much loved topic of Advent in Religion.

To start of this fortnight’s Junior news, the Junior teachers would love to say thank you to all the parents for your ongoing support this term. The Junior students have been so enthusiastic about their learning and all the activities we have been doing especially our film studies. Next week, on Thursday the 9th of December the students will be having a Teddy Bear Picnic during the school day.  In literacy we will be reading the story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen and completing a range of different literacy activities. We ask that on Thursday the 9th your child bring along their favourite Teddy or soft toy to the picnic.

In Inquiry this Term our learning focus has been all about History. The history of our families, the history of our First Nations people and learning about past versus the present. One big focus all students in the school have had is the importance of shared stories. Junior students explored The Dreaming of the Bunurong people, the First Nations people of our community. They studied Bunjil the Eagle, the Creator Spirit and his role in The Dreaming. Students became familiar with sharing the story and discussed a comparison to the Catholic Creation story.

Only a few weeks left before 2022 begins. We hope you and your families are getting into the Christmas spirit, please remember to think of families who struggle around Christmas time and to bring in Christmas non-perishable food items for our St. Vincent’s Christmas Appeal. All donations will be packaged for families locally who deserve a wonderful Christmas feast like we all enjoy.

Including the communities of:  St Joseph’s Iona,  St James Nar Nar Goon,  Holy Family Maryknoll,  St John’s Koo Wee Rup and St Mary’s, Lang Lang

Administrator:  Fr. Peter Kooloos  Ph: 03 5997 1510   Fax: 03 5997 2220 Mob: 0438 622 766

Baptism Enquiries: Carmelina De Cesari   Mob: 0401 911 092   carmelinadecesari@gmail.com

WEEKEND MASS TIMES: Masses have resumed in line with current guidelines. Please contact the Parish office on 5997 1510 for further confirmation of guidelines if required.