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/Carers, 

I hope you had an enjoyable long weekend with your families. With the busyness of fourth term and the end of the school year fast approaching, family life can be exceptionally tiring.  Keeping your children in a normal routine, as much as possible, throughout this time will be beneficial for them.

Madagascar Jr. the Musical: What a magnificent night we had last Thursday as our students displayed their many talents at our school musical. Their confidence and creative flair on stage was a remarkable sight. This was a great culmination of the hard work from all staff and many other members of our school community. Special mention to Rhiannon McFarlane (director/choreographer) , Sarah Manelski and Bill Van Diemen (set design), Dani Kemp (costumes) and Di O’Hehir, Belinda Scamporlino and Amber Dortmans (make-up). 

Madagascar Jr. Recording: Our performance of Madagascar Junior was recorded by Quantem Multimedia - USB's (HD MP4 file) of the recorded show are available for purchase via a link in Operoo. Orders close on 9 November - expected delivery is 25 November.

Confirmation: Congratulations to the eleven Grade 6 students who received the sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Greg Bennett on Saturday. We pray that they have the strength to respond to the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Grandparents Day: This Friday is Grandparents Day, one of the most enjoyable extra-curricular events on the St John’s calendar. Our students have been practising their marching and are looking forward to seeing their Grandparents, families and special friends join us for this special occasion. Please see the schedule of events and sausage sizzle ordering information below.  

Class Structures for 2023: Due to our overall enrollment numbers for 2023, we will need to drop from 10 classrooms to 9 for the 2023 school year as follows: 

Two x F/1

Two x 1/2

Two x 3/4

One x 4/5

Two x 5/6

Our specialist subjects are:  Sport/PE, Italian, Drama, Art, STEM 

Landscaping: Our landscaped areas are near complete.  A few finishing touches to the entrance reflection area, grass to grow around the rotunda at the back of the new build and the reinstallation of the junior play equipment and we will finally see the removal of the site fencing.  I thank you all for your patience as these works were carried out and hope you agree the wait was worth it.

Student Absence Reporting

Important things to remember if your child is absent from school: 

• All Student absences are required to be submitted via PAM prior to 9am on the day of absence - please ensure your PAM account is set up, bookmarked to your homescreen to allow easy access and used for submission of absences. 

• Absences submitted via PAM automatically add to the roll and negate the need for manual  input as is the case when Skoolbag is used. 

• The use of Skoolbag for absence reporting is being phased out and should only be used if PAM is unavailable due to technical issues. 

If you need assistance with setting up your PAM account or a lesson in how to use it effectively please see Di or Nancy at the office. 

Regards 

Chris Dortmans, Principal

A big congratulations in order to all Junior students on how well they participated in all the events of the last 2 weeks. Especially their performances in the Whole School Musical ‘Madagascar!’ Hopefully the long weekend has refreshed everyone for the second half of the Term.

In the classroom this week Junior students will be using the 3 remaining days to focus on completing literacy and numeracy e-assessments on computers using the PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests). They will also be revising place value skills around numbers of 2 digits. And applying their knowledge of writing and spelling to complete tasks in preparation for Grandparents Day. 

This past fortnight has flown past with so many extra-curricular events taking place and with this week being another short week we are focussing on the basics in the classroom. In English, spelling and handwriting. Maths, place value and revision. Religion will continue our inquiry into Catholic social teachings and in Science lessons, students will be delving further into the habitats of living things. In the coming weeks, teachers will begin to implement a variety of  assessment tasks in preparation for report writing.

The middle and senior teachers would like to congratulate our students on the way they have handled such a busy few weeks and we are full of pride at the continued excellence on display in the many facets of school life.  

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.