News

SACPSSA Swimming Carnival Champions
On Tuesday the 25th of March our 36 competitive swimmers ventured to the George Bolton Swimming Centre in Burnside for our annual SACPSSA Carnival. As a squad we didn’t know what to expect after being promoted to Section 2 for this years event. Our very first event really set the tone for the day with the ‘Boys Open Medley Team’ winning by nearly half a lap in that first race. Congratulations to the following Year 4 girls: Olivia (4G), Winne (4G), Elsie (4G), Scarlett (4G) and Stella (4PC) who were awarded with a pennant for Year Level Champions. Also, congratulations to Ethan Beresford who became an Age Group Champion for the third time throughout his primary school years. All of the swimmers that attended on the day did an excellent job and really represented our school extremely well with their sportsmanship and overall behaviour. A huge thanks to the parent volunteers on the day and to all of the parents that were present to support their child/ren on the day. On reflection, I thought it was really quite nice to be outside enjoying the carnival as a school.
Bridging the Gap
Our Intergenerational Playgroup features in this month's Southern Cross. To view the full article, please click here.
Mary, a previous staff member visits weekly with 4 other older people (50+) who mingle with our 0-4 aged playgroup children. Our older visitors participate in a collection of activity packs, books, games, crafts and snacks!
If you would like to participate as an elderly volunteer you can register via email on intergen@mealsonwheels.org.au

Open Morning - 90 Year Celebration
We warmly invite all past and present students, families and staff to join us for an open morning on Sunday 23rd February between 11.30am and 1.00pm.
Rediscover familiar classrooms while exploring exciting new spaces and grounds that reflect how we’ve grown over 90 years.

Playgroup SA Awards Night
Mr LaForgia and Mrs Overall attended a reception at Government House to celebrate Playgroup SA's 50th Anniversary. During the evening, the Playgroup SA Excellence Award winners were announced, and we are delighted to share that our Play to Grow Playgroup received an award for Excellence in Intergenerational Play and Practise. Mrs Overall accepted the award from the Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC. Congratulations to Karina and everyone who supports our wonderful playgroup!

Catholic Schools Open Week
Catholic Schools Open Week runs from the 19th to 25th August. It is a good time to come and visit our school and see what we offer . We have a tour on Tuesday 20th August at 9.30am. Please phone 8218 3300 to book!
We also feature in an article about our school and Parish relationship in the South Australian Catholic Schools Magazine which was in the Advertiser on Saturday 10th August. It featured our Principal, Mr LaForgia, Parish Priest, Fr Denis and students Gracie, Mila and Ollie!

Catholic Education South Australia Awards
The annual Catholic Education awards were held last night at the Hilton Hotel and St John the Baptist Catholic School and Parish Office were the recipients of ‘Innovative Program’ Award category. The award recognises the deep interactions and collaboration between the school and parish staff and the positive impact on the wider school community. Fr Dennis and Todd accepted this award on behalf of the school and parish. It was a wonderful night with representation of the parish and staff in attendance.

Car Park and Oval Development
We are excited to announce that the redevelopment of the carpark and additional green space is now complete. This increase in the school’s footprint along Anzac Highway will provide additional car parking facilities for the school and parish community and further play space for the students.

Year 6 Leaders Day
On Friday 16th February our Year 6 students participated in a Leaders Day at Plympton Oval. In the morning session, the students reflected on servant leadership and what it means to think of others and lead by example. The students then participated in a Rock and Water session led by David Hilliard before concluding the day with an exploration of the skills the students will bring to leadership roles within the school community during 2024.

New Parent Dinner
On Saturday evening, the Year 1 parents hosted a Greek inspired dinner welcoming new parents to the St John the Baptist Catholic School community. This was a great night of connection for our parent community. A huge thank you is extended to Simon Herald and Jennie Piccoli for their commitment in coordinating the event, to the team of Year 1 parents who ably assisted on the night and to the staff who were in attendance.

School Building Wins Two Architectural Awards
We are pleased to announce that our recent school building project received international commendation at the Architecture and Design Collection Awards and the ArchFrame Design Awards at the end of 2023. Two awards were won - Platinum Winner for Educational Facilities (Architecture & Design Collection Awards) and Gold Winner for Education Built (ArchFrame Design Awards).
