St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

Tuesday May 3rd 2022

Letter from the Acting Principal

Wishing all our wonderful Mums a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday and hope that many of you are able to celebrate with us this Thursday at 2:00pm for  Afternoon Tea. Our Prep students have been very busy preparing a little something to share with you and there will also be an opportunity to visit the other classes later in the afternoon.  For those that are unable to attend at 2:00pm you are more than welcome to come a little earlier for pick up (2:50pm) and visit your child/ren's rooms. 

If you have not already done so please RSVP for our Afternoon Tea by email to

office@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au

The weekend was a very special one for two of our students; Joshua (5/6 FJ) and Austin (3/4KC) who received the Sacrament of First Eucharist on Saturday.  We are grateful to their parents, teachers, Father Thomas and our Religious Education Leader, Marialisa Mandarino, who together worked hard to prepare them for this very special day on their journey of faith. 

Father Thomas on Holidays

We wish Father Thomas a wonderful holiday as he travels to visit his family overseas.  Father will be away from May 9th and return on June 16th.

Naplan

The Year 3 and 5 children will be completing their NAPLAN tests from 10th May - 17th May .  NAPLAN is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 and the students will complete the NAPLAN Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy tests on computers, excluding the Year 3 Writing test which will still be delivered using paper. 

To find out more information about NAPLAN Online, visit

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment

NAPLAN assessments provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for and students are not expected to do so. We prepare students by embedding the skills and knowledge required for NAPLAN in our teaching and learning unit plans. Students can see the types of questions and experience the types of skills both at school and home by visiting:

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

New Canteen Price List

We aim to keep the items in our canteen as affordable as possible and we have not had a price rise for a number of years, however, with the rise in the cost of groceries we have no choice but to increase our charges.  Please see the attached new price list for the canteen. 

Canteen Price List

Download

Student Teachers

We have two student teachers from the Australian Catholic University who will be completing their final placements at our school.  Welcome to Alexandra who will be teaching in Year 5/6 FJ with Kathryn and Emily and Laura who will be in Prep M working alongside Stephanie.  

Project Compassion - Caritas

Thank you to all the families who contributed to this year's CARITAS Australia, Project Compassion. We are very proud to announce that as a school community we raised $518.35.

During this Easter Season, we continue to reflect on the lives of people vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice and how we can respond through supporting Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion appeal. 

Your generosity is the pebble that allows Caritas Australia to create the ripples that will improve the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, supporting them to flourish and create opportunities for future generations to live to their full potential and thrive. 

Thank you!

Student Awards

Prep M

Aurelia G - Working hard to spell new words by sounding out the word and for showing kindness to her friends at play.

Sophie B - Always showing wonderful whole body listening when learning and for having a go at sharing her learning with the class with confidence.

Prep S

Mack L - Your positive approach to learning and for your improvement in your writing! You consistently make sure your writing is to the best of your ability and you are writing all of the sounds you hear in words. Keep up the wonderful work Mack!

Year 1/2BC

Mitch L - Working hard at school and home on your letter formation.

Amelia R - Making excellent contributions in class discussions. Keep up the great work!

Year 1/2BE

Liora F - Excellent progress in reading to identify nonfiction text features and make wonderful contributions to whole class discussions. Keep up the great work!

Anthony C - Making excellent progress in reading to identify sight words and for always trying your best. Keep up the great work!

Year 1/2BR

Eli C - Your willingness to give everything a go! Eli, you always have a smile on your face and I am so happy when I see you working hard and doing the best you can. Keep up the hard work!

Flynn B - Wonderful enthusiasm and kindness both in the classroom and on the playground. I always see you making sure everyone is included. I am very proud to get to watch you learn and grow.

Year 3/4KC

Archer C -Taking responsibility for his own learning especially in increasing his writing stamina.  You are a star, Archer!

Emily S - Putting maximum effort into every task, and showing inclusion and kindness to all, every day. You are a star, Emily!

Sebastian R - Consistently striving to excel in all academic areas and for being a truly inspirational role model in our class. You are a star Seb!

Max F - Making a great effort to improve his focus and effort in the classroom.  You are a star Max!

Year 3/4SM

Joseph W - Exceptional work in both Reading and Writing. Your initiative and enthusiastic approach to teamwork is contagious! CONGRATULATIONS! We think you are amazing!

Jillian R - Sharing her kindness and helpfulness with others and for being a wonderful friend and role model. CONGRATULATIONS! You are amazing!

Year 5/6FJ

Faustina T - Being the most convincing persuasive writer in the room. Your knowledge of different writing genres is superb and you should be commended for your writing talents. Keep it up Faustina, an excellent display of writing in the class.

Brody L - Showing persistence with challenging math tasks and wanting to work through independently before being given a clue. Your think aloud strategies are fantastic Brody, you should be proud of yourself.

Toby P - Your dedication to your drawing talent. You share your knowledge with others and strive to share your talents with others so that they may grow their talent also. You are such a thoughtful student to others.

Year 5/6RJ

Ashan A - Demonstrating a great attitude towards all your learning and showing excellent thinking in Maths when solving problems. Well done Ashan.

Ellie H - Being very focussed coming into Term 2, showing persistence and effort with all of your learning. Well done Ellie.

Niamh NiC - Coming into Term 2 very focussed, putting your best effort into your learning and persisting to do you best in all tasks. Well done Niamh.

Running Club

Running Club is held on Wednesday mornings. Please meet at the office ready to run at 8am. 

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.

During Running Club, students will use the bike/walk path that leads to Kings Park in Upper Ferntree Gully.  In the case of inclement weather, fitness work and exercises will be held in the school hall.

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

Running Club Permission Form

Download

Knox City Council - Workshops

Parents and Friends of St John the Baptist School

We have some Exciting News!!!

Our Fun Run is being held on Friday June 3rd.

Sign up information and details to follow.

Start spreading the word for your donations and all families welcome to come along and cheer on the day.

Mother's Day Stall & High Tea

Just a reminder - we are having a Mother's Day Stall this Thursday May 5th.  We are looking for some volunteer Dads for Thursday morning to run our stall!

Please send your child/ren with cash on the day and bags to take home gifts. 

Gifts are $5.00, there may be an opportunity to buy more than one gift.

Also, don't forget the Mother's Day High Tea this Thursday too.

Next Meeting

Our next P&F meeting is being held next Monday May 9th in the staffroom. Please come along and help us raise funds and build our wonderful community in our lovely school.

"Healthy Body, Healthy Minds" is our motivation this year so that we can enrich our children's playtime. Our sports leaders have a wish list and our efforts will hopefully fulfil this for them.

The Entertainment App is Back!!!

Click here to access our School Link

Canteen News

Canteen Helpers Roster



Wednesday May 4th

Belinda Hunt

Friday May 6th

Laura Langmead

Jessica Bagnoux

Alyson Whitnall


Wednesday May 11th

Claire Lewis

Friday May 13th

Mark Molan

Nelson Serrao

Rients Huitema


Uniform Shop News

Winter Uniform News

Community Notices

St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully