Dear Parents/Carers,

(A parent's prayer poem for their child starting school)

Fill their heart with peace, hold their hand today,

Help them feel secure and loved, be with them we pray.

May they smile and make new friends, paint and learn and play,

Bless the teaching staff who care for little ones today.

Lift my heart to trust that they'll be overseen by you,

Father God cover them on their first day of school.

Amen

It was very exciting for us to be able to welcome our Kindergarten students yesterday for their first day of school. They were full of wonder, nervousness, excitement and curiosity. There were very few tears, which is a testament to the preparation done by our staff and the parents during the Transition to School program in Term 4 last year. I pray that our new cohort of students thrive and grow in learning and faith during their time at St John's.

Meet & Greet sessions

An important aspect of ensuring we are meeting your child's needs is to maintain positive communication with you, as parents and carers. We are organising time for a 'Meet & Greet' session between yourselves and your child's classroom teacher next week (13-17 February). This will give you an opportunity to share with the teacher information about your child which would be valuable in knowing to support their learning and faith development. Details about booking a session will be made available via Compass. 

Whole School Beginning Year Mass

Next Tuesday 14 February our school will celebrate Mass under the COLA to ask God to bless our school year. Year 6 leaders will also be receiving their badges. Parents and friends are very welcome to attend - please bring a chair for yourself as the students will be using the chairs we have at school.

School Open Day for enrolments

You may have started to see promotions for a School Open Day on Wednesday 1 March. This is a day specifically for families seeking enrolment at St John's for 2023-2024. We are seeking support from existing parents in two ways:

1. Promoting the event with any family, friends and neighbours who would like to know more about our school

2. Helping on the day with meeting prospective families and assisting with morning tea. Please let the office know if you are able to help.

Parish Welcome Mass

All of our new families are invited to the parish Mass on Sunday 5 March at 9.00am. This will be a wonderful opportunity for Fr John and the parish to welcome you to the broader St John's parish community. At the Mass, Fr John likes to bless the children with their school bag - a symbol of belonging to, and going on a journey with, the parish.

End of Term 1

Please note that the last day of Term 1 for students will be Wednesday 5 April. The following day is an allocated Staff Professional Development Day. 

Wishing you a safe and blessed week,

Paul Moroney
Principal