St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

Welcome to Term 3.  We have much to look forward to this Term with Confirmation this Thursday and our School Production only 8 weeks away!  It was wonderful yesterday to see the happy faces of all the children as they came back to school so excited to see their teachers and friends again.  The Term ahead promises to be a fabulous one!

Last Term ended with a wonderful whole school Learning Expo where the children shared the terrific learning that they had done during the term in the area of Science.  For those of you lucky enough to be able to join us I am sure you were impressed by the children’s depth of knowledge, the high quality of work they had produced and their commitment and engagement in learning. 

We received some very exciting news over the holidays with Miss Brown announcing her engagement to Joe.  Congratulations to both of them and we look forward to hearing about all the big plans for their upcoming wedding!

Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools have advised that in response to the challenges of staff shortages and the disruption that this causes, there will be an additional Student Free Day in Term 3.  Please be advised that the school will be closed on Monday 5th September and Tuesday 9th August.  Staff will be involved in Professional Development on these days as ongoing professional development of our staff is vital in assuring that we continue to support the full flourishing of each of our students.

The refurbishment of the portables will be the focus of our Term 3 Working Bee. The nature of this work means that our working bee this term will look a little different.  We will still gather on the 13th of August for our usual working bee however there are some jobs that need to be completed prior.   If you feel that you are able to assist us with any of the tasks below could you please let me know. - 

 udecorrado@sjferntreegully.catholic.edu.au 

Holes in walls patched and plastered

Large Whiteboards removed from walls

Pin up boards recovered with felt 

Decking and ramps cleaned and stained

Outside decking railing painted

Painting of Internal walls 

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. 

For the last four weeks of Term 2, all students participated in a Soccer program with Giogi from Football Australia.

Students were able to access the program after a successful Sporting Schools Australia Grant application. 

The program saw students participate in a range of skill building activities and competitive games. Concentration was high as they attempted to master dribbling the ball, with Giogi's encouraging words ringing in their ears. 

It was fantastic to see students improve their understanding of and skill-set for soccer throughout the program. It was also wonderful to witness the enjoyment students clearly experienced.