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,

On Monday 8th, we celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross, MacKillop.  Mary MacKillop founded the Josephine order of Nuns with the goal to provide education for the poor. By the 1900’s the sister had spread throughout much of Australia. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Josephine Sister, for it was them who first taught here at St John's to bring Catholic Education to Koo Wee Rup.  St John the Baptist Primary School was founded on August 9th, 1936. 

Thank you to Jordan Crugnale MP, the State member for Bass, for her kind donation of books for our library. The selection of books suit all age groups.

School Closure Day: Monday 15 August: Next Monday, staff are participating in de-escalation training.   De-escalation is the process of diffusing conflicts as they begin in order to prevent them from getting worse.  We will be looking at strategies that can be used to de-escalate conflicts in their earliest stages and stop small behavioural issues before they escalate.  The emphasis is on protecting and promoting positive relationships between staff, students, and all members of the school community, greatly supporting our “WALK” (Whole school approach to positive behaviours) program.

Rapid Antigen Tests: We have received a further supply of RATs this week and will send these out to families shortly. 

Parent Access Module (PAM): A reminder that a number of families are yet to sign up to PAM and complete their students' medical profiles. Please complete this at your earliest convenience, if you are unable to locate your email requesting you to sign up please try the following: 

• Use the following link: https://pam.stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au

• Select Forgot Password, enter your email address - this triggers an email with a link to reset your password (check your spam/junk if not received)

• Once you have reset your password you will receive another email requesting you to verify your email address

• Once you've done this you can access your child/childrens profile and complete their medical profile

If you are still having trouble please contact the office to check the email address you are using and we will assist you with completing the sign up. 

Student Absences Notification: A reminder that once you have signed up to PAM we request that all student absence notifications be submitted via PAM as this flows automatically through to our attendance roll. Please keep the notes in relation to absences submitted brief, if you need to explain further please follow up with a phone call or email to the office. 

Foundation Enrolments for 2023: If you have a child to enrol for Foundation next year please ensure enrolment paperwork is submitted as soon as possible. Available positions are filling quickly.  Please contact the office for an enrolment pack or email enrolments@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au 

Uniforms: Correct school uniform is required to be worn at all times - many children are wearing items that are not part of our uniform particularly on sports days. Any instance of a child being out of uniform requires a written note/email to their teacher and should not be an ongoing thing.

Cardinia Shire - Parking Rules: The Cardinia Shire will be sharing information each fortnight in regard to road rules that are often not adhered to around schools in order to bring awareness and make school the roads around our schools safer. Please see their first instalment below in regard to "NO PARKING" areas. 

Regards 

Chris Dortmans, Principal

100 Days in and 100 Days Smarter! Well done to the Foundation classes on this big milestone in their first year of school! The day was celebrated with lots of number 100 themed activities and the fun of dressing up like they were 100 years old (see pictures below). We look forward to seeing how you continue to grow in the next 100 days! 

Grades F-2 all participated in the House Athletics day, teachers saw great resilience and respect within all the activities and the students are to be congratulated on how well they participated. A huge Congratulations to Wood House on taking out the trophy!

Classes continue to practise their informative writing skills, Foundation students are ordering parts of procedure experiments, recipes and activities that they are performing in class and Grade 1/2  students have moved into information report writing with a link to finding out more about the Commonwealth Games.

Math's lessons cover a range of topics and strategies including addition and subtraction, place value skills for 1-3 digit numbers, Mass and Capacity. Students are engaged with place value and counting warm ups followed by teaching activities around their focused topics.

Another two weeks have flown by! 

Just like the recent Commonwealth Games, we have seen a lot of sporting prowess on display in the senior school with our Green and Gold Day, House Athletics (congratulations Wood House) and our first round of Winter Sport for the 5/6 students. As we have learned, these days are always all about giving our best and encouraging each other. Congratulations to those students who have qualified to compete at District Level later this month. 

In the classroom, we continue writing and practising our Lions Club speeches. In mathematics, strategies for addition and subtraction, as well as data, will be the focus. Starting this week, will be our MAI Place Value Groups across grades 3-6. Students may be with a different teacher during this time, working on a specific skill at their assessed level.

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.