Dear Parents/Caregivers,

We have had a very pleasing start to the school year at St John’s. I have been most impressed by the way that the students have been positively engaged with their learning and in their interactions with their peers. I have had the opportunity to visit each classroom and it has been obvious to see that effective routines and structures have already been established to assist in creating positive and safe learning spaces. One student said to me that she loves being at St John’s because it is just like a second home. What more could we ask for!

This connects well with the Gospel reading that will be used this Sunday. It is the well known verse from Mathew’s Gospel which has the following:

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’ The children are certainly shining their light in the way they have begun the school year.

Tomorrow, our Kindergarten students formally begin their schooling journey. After what must have seemed like such a long wait for them, they can now finally say they are at ‘big school!’ I pray that they will enjoy all that school has to offer.

For those of you who get to attend some of our morning assemblies, you will notice a slight change. Following feedback from the staff who indicated that the assemblies can get very long for the students and impact on learning time in the classroom. In order to find a balance between coming together as a community and ensuring learning is not disrupted too much, we are trialling using our Monday, Wednesday and Friday assemblies to cover such things as prayer, singing our National Anthem, providing an Acknowledgement to Country, celebrating birthdays, distributing Good Samaritan Awards and providing important reminders about upcoming events. The assemblies on Tuesday and Thursday will thus be shorter in length.

You will have received notification via Compass this week of ‘Meet and Greet’ meetings being held next week for Years 1-6. I encourage you all to take advantage of this opportunity meet with your child’s teacher to assist in supporting your child’s growth and development.

Wishing you a safe and happy week,

Paul Moroney
Principal