St John the Baptist Ferntree Gully Newsletter

As a school we welcome feedback from our students, staff and parents to help us to identify our strengths and areas for improvement.  In the last three weeks of this Term (Monday 29 August to Friday 16 September) we will be inviting members of our community to participate in the School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS).  MACSSIS is a purpose-built, context specific tool for Catholic school data collection.  It is just one source in a key range of data for informing the  improvement work happening in our school.  There are three surveys (students, staff and parents) and each are different.

All students from Year 4-6 will be invited to access the survey with teachers on hand to help in supervised sessions during school.  Students will be asked to reflect on their sense of belonging in the school, their catholic identity, their engagement in learning and the health of the relationships they have with students and staff.

All staff will be invited to participate via an emailed code that is valid for the three week window.  Staff are asked to reflect on staff and leadership relationships, student safety, catholic identity, school climate and staff collaboration. 

We will invite families to participate via an email invitation that is valid anytime across the three week window.  Participating families will be emailed a code and PIN.  Families will be asked to reflect on student safety, catholic identity, communication, school climate and family engagement.

We look forward to hearing your feedback so that we can build from our strengths and continue to improve as a school.

We have been very fortunate in being able to secure a presentation by ThinkUKnow on Thursday 25th August at 7pm and all parents and carers are encouraged to attend.  The session will conclude at 8:30pm however there will be opportunity after the session to ask any questions you may have.

ThinkUKnow Australia is an evidence based education program delivered nationally to prevent online child sexual exploitation.  ThinkUKnow Australia is a partnership between the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. 

The presentation will be delivered by David Stevens who is a member of the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The presentation is pro-technology and addresses topics including self-generated child abuse material, online grooming, image-based abuse, sexual extortion, and importantly encourages help seeking behaviour.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about young people and the online environment, and how you can help them to be safe and responsible users of technology.

For more information, you can visit www.thinkuknow.org.au.

This session is for parents and carers only and therefore it is not appropriate for your children to attend with you. 

Attendance slip is attached below, please return ASAP.

Come and join us for an egg and bacon roll on Thursday September 1st at 7.30am in the School Hall.

If you have not already done so, please RSVP today, as we require final numbers for catering.

Please sign up and help us on the day, Saturday September 3rd.  Click on the link below and choose your time slot.

https://signup.com/go/HuOjzPE

We are locked in for our Trivia night on Saturday October 15th.  We have engaged Quizzame, they will make our night lots of fun.  Tickets will go on sale next week, look out for the link in the newsletter.  The evening will be in the school hall from 6.30 for games starting at 7pm.  BYO drinks and nibbles.  Please come along for a great night of trivia and socialising.

We understand that information is digested differently these days so please add any parents of the school to the closed Facebook group as we post helpful info and it's a great forum for keeping up to date, finding lost jumpers and prompts for permission slips!