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,

Car Park/End of Day Procedures: With the completion of our building project we now have more space available in the car park and can return to pre-covid end of day procedures commencing Tuesday 14 June, please note the following in order to make the end of day smooth and safe for all concerned: 

• There will no longer be an Operoo form to advise of picking up from the car park, all children will be dismissed from the classroom at 3:10pm. 

• Please remind your children of their end of day movements each morning i.e.: meet mum at the car park, going to OSHC etc (Have a backup plan that your child is aware of - if the car park is full you may park elsewhere and meet them at the hall gate).  

• Car park gates will not open until 3pm on any given day - please remember the car park is part of our school grounds and a sporting area that classes may be using at the end of the school day and will not  be made accessible to parents before this time. 

• Please do not create an extended lineup on Salmon street or beyond for the car park - this impedes our buses, local traffic etc - if you are early please utilise the parking spaces behind the hall or park in neighbouring streets. 

• We understand that congestion is frustrating at the end of the school day however this is common for all schools and we do not have the space to create off street parking for a large number of vehicles for what is a very short period of the day. Please be patient and consider your options to help reduce this congestion and keep the end of day pick up safe for everyone.

• Please be mindful of last minute phone calls to school regarding pick up arrangements  - we understand some circumstances necessitate this (ie: held up in road works, family emergency  etc). Our preference is for messages advising a change of arrangements for end of day to be done via phone call to the office prior to 2pm - this avoids unnecessary disruption to classrooms at the end of the day. 

New Building: This week we have started to move furniture and resources from the portable classrooms into the new building. There are still some finishing touches and connections to be completed. The hired portables are scheduled to be removed next week (weather permitting) and works on the outdoor rotunda, reflection area and landscaping can commence. 

School Uniforms: We understand that with the colder weather students are wanting to wear coats and beanies.  We encourage students to wear a blue coat in keeping with our school colours and if they wish to wear a beanie, it be the school beanie which is available from the uniform shop.  We are currently investigating coat alternatives for our uniform list.

Cross-country: Congratulations to students who participated in the Division Cross Country last week in their respective age categories - Melina Briganti (15th), Tony Butera (15th), Lucy Banks (18th), Corey Miller (19th) and Annika Miller (24th).   

School Photos: A reminder that school photos can still be ordered via the Schoolpix website, if you have misplaced your order form please use the search function to find your child or contact the office for your order codes. Photos ordered after 7 June will incur a shipping fee. 

Friends of St John's Pie Drive: Pie Drive orders closed today, the delivery date has been changed to Friday 17 June - all orders must be collected between 2:45 - 3:45 pm on this day from the rear of the hall. 

School Disco: Our school Disco will be held on Thursday 23 June from 4 - 6pm, tickets can be purchased via CDFpay, see flyer below for full details.  Please note that this event is for St John's students only. 

RSL Colouring Competition: Congratulations to the following winners of the recent colouring competition run by the Koo Wee Rup RSL in celebration of its 101st Anniversary: 

Luca Chapman, Peyton Crowley, Lily Noble, Mackenna Barker, William Wheller, Ranit Timothy, Ned Flood, Ruby McEwan, Charlea Wright, Jackson Henning, Lachlan Chapman, Liam Peters, Jacinta Ventura, Myla Radivo, River Price, Evie McCauley and Piper Thorp.

Awards will be presented at our next Assembly. 

Rapid Antigen Tests: A further supply of Rapid Antigen Test Kits will be sent home this week. As advised previously, regular testing is no longer required however you are asked to test your child if they show COVID symptoms.

Regards 

Chris Dortmans, Principal

A well deserved congratulations to all Junior students who participated in School Swimming lessons over the last fortnight! Your resilience throughout the lessons and respectful behaviour outside of school is to be commended. The Foundation Students had their first bus excursion experience and did amazingly well adapting to the change in routine.

Grade 1/2H has a very exciting move to the new building this week. After a long stay in the portables we hope they enjoy their fresh new classroom. Once all classes are settled and moved in all Junior students will be able to tour the new facilities, including the exciting new library with some very special features for the children to enjoy! We look forward to parents being able to check out the building!

In the classroom students continue to read poems, discussing and identifying common features including rhyme and repetition across different texts. Foundation students are becoming experts at finding rhyming word families such as -at, -an, -ab, -ad, -ag, -ap. Whilst grade 1 students are looking for repetitive poems as they work their way through ‘The Big Book of Rhymes’.

A new maths unit on Money has begun for the next 3 weeks. It is a great topic to practise at home, looking at identifying different coins and notes. Some activities include ordering by value (Smallest to Largest & Largest to Smallest), counting money and playing pretend shop!

We can tick swimming off the list! Well done to all students for your resilience and flexibility during our alternative timetable for swimming. We are lucky to have these opportunities through school and we are pleased to see our students make the most of them. 

The big move to our new building is happening as we speak for our Grade 4/5/6 classes. This is very exciting and we are extremely grateful to have brand new facilities to learn and collaborate in. 

In the classroom we continue to read and write a range of poetry. It has been lovely to see students engage in some traditional Australian Ballads through the works of Banjo Paterson (Waltzing Matilda, The Man from Snowy River and Mulga Bill’s Bicycle to name a few). Poetry ties in nicely with our exploration of Psalms in Religion. In mathematics we will be working on Money and Time.

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.