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

I would like to extend a welcome to all our families especially those who have joined our school community for the first time.

Welcome to our new staff members Miss Raelee Browning (Gr1/2) and Mrs Megan Briganti in the Library, together with Mrs Sarah Manelski (Gr3/4) who returns from leave. We also welcome Fr Avinash George who has spent the last couple of years in Bairnsdale. We look forward to getting to know him and celebrating Masses with him throughout the term.

Congratulations to Mrs Brooke Baker and her husband Clint who are expecting their first child during second term. 

COVID Requirements

Thank you for supporting the arrangements implemented for the start of the year to meet COVID requirements. We understand that this is not the ideal way to transition back to school and hope that the limited access to school is only for a short period. Some things to note: 

• Please remember that all parents/carers are asked to wear a mask when on school grounds and not to enter the classrooms.

• Signing in of late students/out of early students must be done through the office and your child will be sent from the classroom. 

• All visitors must report to the office. 

This year we have 10 classrooms with a total student population of 224. We are again able to offer a diverse range of Specialist classes to deliver a comprehensive curriculum, and dedicated support staff to help meet individual student needs.

Canteen will commence next week (Mon 7th February). Lunch orders will be available Mondays and Thursdays via CDF Pay only, please note orders close at 8:45am on canteen days. No over the counter purchases.

School Leadership Positions

Over the next couple of weeks, the Grade 6 students will be vying for various school leadership positions. Students will prepare a speech to present to their peers and those nominating for school captain will sit an interview with me. We are so proud of all those who accept the challenge of leadership.

RAT kits for students

Rapid Antigen Tests have been distributed to families. You are asked to test your child/ren twice weekly. (Days are not specified). In situations where a child has tested positive to COVID-19 within the last 30 days, their participation in twice-weekly Rapid Antigen Test will not be required, as positive COVID-19 results may be returned. 

I also ask that you re-read the parent letter COVID SAFE MEASURES FOR SCHOOLS Information for parents, guardians and carers that was sent out last week Copy attached for your reference.

Teacher contact

As detailed in our recent letter the preferred method of contact with teachers whilst parents are not permitted on site is via email - please be mindful that teachers priority during the school day is the children and teaching and emails can not be answered immediately. Alternatively please call the office for general messages in regard to bus, end of day etc and all matters of an urgent nature. 

Emails by Class: 

FD - Miss Chantelle Davies cdavies@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

FW - Miss Georgia Williamson gwilliamson@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

1/2B - Mrs Brooke Baker bbaker@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au  & Miss Raelee Browning rbrowning@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

1/2H - Mrs Bernadette Hance bhance@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au & Mrs Anna Hughes ahughes@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

1/2O - Ms Olivia Hunt ohunt@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

3/4K - Mrs Jodi Kennedy jkennedy@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au & Miss Danielle Kemp 

3/4M - Mrs Sarah Manelski smanelski@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au & Mrs Rebecca Taylor rtaylor@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

4/5M - Mrs Rhiannon McFarlane rmcfarlane@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au & Mrs Jacqui Dennis jdennis@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

5/6M - Mrs Alycia Matthews amatthews@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

5/6S - Mr Daniel Stark dstark@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

Swimming Trials

Our Swimming Trials have been moved to Thursday 17 February and will now be for Grades 3-6 only due to current COVID constraints, further details and permission requests will be provided via Operoo next week. 

Congratulations to Indy Brady and Luke Pugsley upon receiving a Koo Wee Rup Junior Citizen Award on Australia Day. We are all very proud.

During the break, Grade 2 student Joshua Cox was diagnosed with leukemia. He will be undergoing weekly treatment for the next month and then the long journey of ongoing treatments. Please keep Josh and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

A reminder that all students are required to wear the correct summer uniform and must wear a hat when playing or doing activities outdoors. All hair accessories need to be of the school colours (yellow, navy or white). If your child needs to be out of uniform for any reason, a written note to their teacher is required. Please see Uniform shop section below for details in regard to ordering uniform. 

Regards 

Chris Dortmans, Principal

Welcome to the Junior Learning Community for 2022. It is going to be a fabulous year  filled with excitement, fun and lots of learning.

This week your child will be coming home with a reader pouch containing important start of year information such as home learning expectations, their reading diary, class Show and Share roster and specialist class information. Please ensure you check their bags regularly so you do not miss this important information.

We are excited for so many fun events this year starting off with our PMP program, beginning Friday the 11th of February. Junior students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities with their class each Friday to develop their gross motor skills and coordination. Activities will practise skills like balance, throwing, aiming, ball skills and skipping. For PMP students will be required to remove their shoes and socks independently to avoid slipping on equipment, so this might be something to practise at home in preparation.

Each class will also be recapping our whole school expectations The WALK; We are Respectful, Responsible, Resilient, We Learn Together and We Keep Safe. Be sure to speak to your child regularly about how they can use the WALK both at school and at home! Remember to communicate with your classroom teacher in regards to and questions or concerns you may have. Your best method of communication is your classroom teacher's email.

Welcome to the Senior School for 2022! We are so happy to be back in the classroom and there’s plenty of excitement ahead. 

The first extra-curricular event for the senior students is swimming, beginning with trials in the coming weeks. All senior students have the opportunity to trial for District and possibly move on to Division swimming events. For those who are less confident in the water and don’t wish to trial, there is still plenty of opportunity to get wet at the House swimming sports. 

Our Grade Six students will also have the opportunity to go for a student leadership position at St. John’s in the coming weeks, be it School Captain, House Captain or Social Justice Leader. More information will be given out in the classroom about the roles and responsibilities for each position. 

The Grade 3/4s will be starting Kitchen/Garden next week. We have a limited supply of gardening gloves and aprons at school but please feel free to bring in your own from home if you’d prefer. 

Inside the classroom we have some engaging learning planned for each of the senior year levels including the maths topics of ‘Number and Place Value’ and ‘Shape’. In English we will explore reading through book study. Our writing topic is ‘Recount Writing’ and ‘Soundwaves’ spelling will resume. In Religion we will be inquiring about ‘The Beatitudes’ of Luke’s gospel. As well as reminding all students how we WALK with St John in being respectful, resilient and responsible class members as we learn together once again. 

We look forward to partnering with families again this year. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns as they arise. Email remains the preferred method of communication.

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. Avinash  Ph: 03 5997 1510   Fax: 03 5997 2220 Mob: 0451 997 904

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.