Principal's Report
Dear parents and carers,
Almighty God,
We give you our school.
We give you all the teachers and staff who work here.
We give you all the children who learn and play here.
We pray our school would be place of great discovery, adventure and creativity.
May it be a place where we love to learn and where we learn to love.
A place where every one is respected and all are deeply valued.
We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Welcome back to a new term. I trust that the two week break for your children helped to refresh their minds and bodies. Hopefully you were able to find some time away from the normal routines of a busy family life and enjoy some 'Sabbath' time.
My prayer for this new term is that the children continue to prosper and grow in their learning, their connection with God and in their relationships.
Staff Development Day
As we have been reminding you for several weeks now, this Friday 14 October, our staff will be engaged in a Spiritual Formation Day at an external venue. This means that it is a pupil-free day and there will be no staff on site.
The focus of our day is on Educating with a Mission Lens. This helps us as to focus on the fact that all our staff have made a deliberate choice to work in a Catholic school. It is incumbent on us to ensure we come to a deep understanding of the mission of Jesus and how we can bring it life in all that we do.
School Cyclic Review - request for parent involvement
Our school is currently going through a Cyclic Review that is run by the Catholic Education Office. It is a review of the school's strategic planning and to assist in setting future planning goals. These reviews are normally held every five years, however due to the interruption of the pandemic, it has been six years since St John's last review. As part of this review, next Wednesday 19 October, a panel will visit our school to engage in conversations with staff about the goals we have been working toward, with a specific focus on Religious Education and faith development, learning, pastoral care and well-being.
The panel would like to engage with a small group of parents between 10.00am-10.30am. Please let the office know if you would like to be a part of this process.
End of 2022 school year
There is quite an unusual end to our school year for 2022. The last day of opening for schools is Tuesday 20 December. In the past we were able to have two staff planning days at the end of the year, whereas we now only have one. Therefore, the last day for students is allocated as Monday 19 December.
Planning for 2023
As we make plans for next year, you are asked to inform the office if you know that your child will not be attending St John's beyond this year.
Wishing you all a happy and safe week.
Paul Moroney
Principal