St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

Tuesday October 25th 2022

Letter from the Acting Principal

We had a fabulous Working Bee on Saturday with 18 families attending.  

We moved classroom supplies into the bottom building which will be a dedicated Art and Science/Sustainability space next year.  

New toppings donated by the Leishman Family have been put down in the Veggie patch and the path next to the hall has been gravelled.  The painting and carpet are now finished in the portables with the cabinetry not far away.  These rooms will be our 5/6 classrooms next year.  

All cupboard door hinges have been repaired and the sports cupboard, take home book room and all games cupboards have been sorted.  

Look out for our new sign at the front of our school which recognises the traditional owners of the land we are on and also a beautiful possum house that has been put up in a tree.  

Lots of gardening has been done and patching and painting of our Admin building has also been completed.

A very big thank you to all those families that were able to attend - it’s amazing what was achieved in a day!

Davies, Mills, Bonner, Nelsen, Burns, Conway, Gabbett, Gee, Langmead, Trimble, Jones, Dow, Rhodes, Leishman, Heywood, Thomson, Semenow, Pereira & Brightwell

Staffing 2023

We welcome Andi Hayman who will be working as our new Admin Officer and will begin her handover from Jo on November 3rd.  

We are also very excited to announce that we will be launching our new Visual Arts Specialist Program which will be taught by Renee Armstrong for 2023. 

An increase in  enrolments means we will be growing from 9 classrooms to 11 classrooms with an extra Year 1/2 class and an extra 3/4 class for 2023 and we will also be saying farewell to Molly Brown as she moves to Canberra.  As a result we welcome Karen Joustra, Wayne Daniell and Melissa Davey as our new classroom teachers in 2023.

Welcome John Mitchell who will be replacing Tess (PE) who will begin her maternity Leave at the end of this year

We had our second Prep transition session today.  I am delighted to announce that our Prep 2023 team will be  Laura Bulmer, Deborah Butler and Marialisa Mandarino.  

Our Prep Information evening will be held on November 9th at 7pm where our children will find out their class teacher.  All other classes will meet their new teachers on 14th December.

Carpark Drop off and Go Zone

Please be aware that our drop off and go area is not for parking.  If you wish to walk your children up to the classrooms in the morning, please use the parking bays.

Long Weekend

We wish all families a wonderful long weekend break.  The school will be closed next Monday 31st October for report writing and Tuesday 1st November for Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday.

Please Note:

There will be no newsletter during Cup Week.  Our next newsletter will be Tuesday 8th November.

School Closure Day

Just a reminder that there will be no school for the children on the following day in Term 4:

Tuesday 15th November : Staff Professional Development Day/Planning for 2023

Hats off to teachers on World Teachers’ Day - Friday 28th October

Friday 28 October is World Teachers’ Day in Australia and this year's theme is “Hats off to Teachers”.

We are so fortunate at our school to have such a  dedicated and expert teaching team. It is this expertise of our teachers and Learning Support Officers  that help our students succeed. World Teachers’ Day is important because it encourages us to stop to recognise and celebrate the incredible role they play in shaping the future of our students.

Remembrance Day Paraliturgy

There will be a whole school prayer service on Friday 11th November for Remembrance Day at 10:20am under the flagpole.  This service will be led by our Year 6 School Leaders.  All families are welcome to attend.

Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal 2022

Students/families are able to purchase items from the office in support of the RSL Poppy Appeal.

Badges - $1.00, $2.00 & $5.00

Wrist Bands - $3.00

Keys Chain - $4.00

Bag Tags - $4.00

Pens - $5.00

New Sports Equipment

A very big thank you to everyone for your support of our fundraising events.  As a result, the P&F have purchased more basketballs, netballs, soccer balls and down balls for our students to use during break times.

Make sure you take note of our current fundraising under the P&F section below


Thank you!

We thank Mark for his recent donation of $500 which will be used to purchase some equipment.

Can you help please.....

Dear St John the Baptist Community,

As you all know, the recent floods in Victoria, especially up north have been devastating for many families and businesses. I have a work colleague, who lives a short drive from Rochester, and is looking to collect donations of items that are needed.  She will drop them off this coming weekend directly to the relief centre to be distributed to the families affected. They are looking for cleaning items such as

Spray and wipe type cleaning products

Disinfectant

Mops (particularly the squeegee kind)

Cleaning cloths

Gloves

Insect repellents like aeroguard/bushmans as mozzies becoming a problem

Gumboots

 If you would like to help out with a donation of any of these items, or any other cleaning products, or you have some gumboots lying around that you don’t need, I will put a box in the office tomorrow morning where you can drop them off.  I will collect it Friday morning to pass onto my work friend.

 Thank you 

Pre-paid Levies for 2023/Booklist Arrangements

Information regarding next year's levies and book list arrangements has been sent home with your child today.  Also attached below for your information.

Levy Document

Download

Running Club Change

Running Club is back for Term 4 and it has been wonderful to see students enjoying themselves. Moving forward, Running Club will be completed at school with students supervised as they run laps of the oval. 

All students are invited to attend Running Club; however, junior students (P - 2) must be accompanied by a parent. All students (P - 6) must bring a completed permission slip (see the attached document) before being allowed to attend any sessions (if you have previously returned a permission slip, there is no need to complete another one). Running Club will set out from the office at 8am, please don't forget to sign in using the book inside the office.

In the case of inclement weather, fitness work and exercises will be held in the school hall.

Parents are welcome to attend if they wish to enjoy a morning walk/run. 

If you have any questions about Running Club please contact Tess Farry. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Ellie H who came 2nd in Regional Athletics in long jump.  Ellie is now through to the State Championships.  Well done Ellie, good luck!

Star Warts - Get your Download Recording Now!

You might have heard about the exciting news that’s created a buzz around the school this week….our Production video has finally arrived and we’ve really enjoyed watching ourselves on ‘the big screen’! Who knows how many SJB students may end up on the stage as their full time career!!!

If you’d like to relive our stage spectacular, and haven’t as yet ordered your own personal download of SJB’s Star Warts, the team at School Memories Captured are happy to accept any further orders, before they send out the copies to you in the coming days.

Head here:  https://schoolmemoriescaptured.com.au/order/

and use the code STJOHN22 to access the ordering process. 

I hope you enjoy watching your children as much as we enjoyed seeing them react to seeing themselves singing and dancing on stage! I guarantee you will get more than your money’s worth out of the recording over the holidays, as they watch themselves on the TV over and over again!!  

Student Awards

Prep M

Alice G - for being an excellent student and always caring for her peers.

Bethany B - for all of her hard work in reading and always trying her best when reading texts in class.

Prep S

Rory McC - for your amazing efforts during writing! You have been working so hard, well done! You are a star, Rory!

Amelia B - for her wonderful efforts in her writing and for always being a wonderful student and friend to her peers. You are a star, Amelia!

Year 1/2BC

Charlie P - for demonstrating the school values at all times and showing persistence in all areas of the curriculum this term. You make our classroom a wonderful place to be!

Mya C - for demonstrating persistence in writing this term and demonstrating a wonderful ethic in all that she does! We are so proud of you!

Year 1/2BE

Jacob N - for making excellent progress in Maths to solve Subtraction equations. Keep up the great work!

Ella O'C - for making excellent progress in class discussions to discuss in detail connections you have made to stories and topics. Keep up the great work!

Leo N - for making excellent progress in Guided Reading sessions to recognise sight words and have a go at tricky words. Keep up the great work!

Alexis R-L - for making excellent progress in reading to make connections in stories and expressing your ideas in class discussions. Keep up the great work!

Year 1/2BR

Lucy G - for your willingness to give things a go. I have watched as you have tried your best to stay focused and on task in all areas of learning and I am very impressed with your work ethic. Well done Lucy.

Harrison C - for your wonderful persistence in mathematics - you have been displaying a really wonderful work ethic and working so hard to trial different strategies to help you work out each maths problem. I am very proud of you.

Zac C - for your excellent work in regards to your writing - you have been working so hard on your handwriting and working to increase the amount of writing you are presenting to me each day. Well done on your hard work.

Ruby E - for your seamless transition into 1/2BR at St John the Baptist. You have done such an amazing job and I am very impressed with your work ethic and willingness to give everything a go. Well done!

Cillian McD - for excellent participation in class discussions and trying your best to be so focused on the floor. Keep up the great work!

Year 3/4KC

Marcus vdP - for showing courage in standing up for what is right, and for respecting school property.

Isabella H - for being an inspirational role model in our class, and to younger students, because of her consistently respectful attitude to others.

Year 3/4SM

Madeleine S - for always working to prioritise her own learning. Maddie consistently strives to develop her thinking and improve in all areas of her learning, demonstrating great motivation in her maths and writing.

Cooper K - for showing enthusiasm and creative imagination in his writing and for sharing his ideas and thinking deeply during class discussions. Congratulations, you are so talented.

Patrick C - for demonstrating good sportsmanship towards others and being genuinely happy for their successes. You are a positive role-model. Thank you for your generosity of spirit and enthusiastic joy. Congratulations. You are amazing!

Year 5/6FJ

Matilda H - for being self driven in the area of Maths this term. You have identified personal goals and are working hard to achieve success. You should be commended for your efforts. Go girl!

Dallas D - for working with more attention to details this term, especially in the area of writing. Keep focussing on the goal ahead and you can achieve anything Dallas.

Year 5/6RJ

Violet G - showing greater persistence and effort with all of your learning. Displaying excellent teamwork in Softball for Summer Sport.  Well done Violet.

Maryann S - for being more focussed coming into Term 4, showing persistence and effort with all of your learning. Well done Maryann.

Parents and Friends of St John the Baptist School

Mango Fundraiser

Thank you for ordering your mango trays! We raised over $400 and sold 83 trays.  We will advise pick up date as soon as we know.

They will be available for collection at pick up time in front of the office.

Dad's and Kid's Camping

Please return your forms and complete payments no later than Thursday this week so that we can confirm our booking. You will be sent home a camping info list on Friday.

This is a wonderful experience for those newbies and seasoned professionals alike.  You will be sure to have lots of fun. There will be lots of campers to help you put up tents and roast marshmallows!

AGM P&F Meeting 2022 November 21st 7.00pm

Please come along to our final meeting for the year, our AGM, when we will be reflecting and reporting on the year past and plan for an exciting 2023! What did you love, what could be better, what needs tweaking, what should we add? We welcome all input and ideas, so if you have any thoughts for events, fundraisers and social connections please let us know.  You can email us at - 

parentsandfriends@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au 

or come along to our meeting!

Parents and Friends Vision and Mission

Vision: To create a positive community supported by the school leadership group through social engagement and fundraising events that enhance and enrich our children's time at St John the Baptist.

Mission: To embrace, encourage, include, connect and grow all members of our school parish community.

Canteen News

Canteen Helpers Roster


Wednesday October 26th 

Jessie Stephens

Friday October 28th

Laura Langmead

Alyson Whitnall

Cassandra Croning


Wednesday November 2nd

Ros Davies

Friday November 4th 

Caroline Walsh

Anna Kristof

Amanda Hobba


Canteen Price List 2022

Download

Uniform Shop News

Parish News

Community Notices

St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully