Term 1, Week 8 2025

Feast Days
The Church calendar always has room for celebration, especially in commemorating the extraordinary lives of people gone before us, the Saints. This week has been eventful as there have been two saint feast days. St Patrick’s feast day was observed on Monday 17^th March and St Joseph’s on 19^th March.

St Patrick was known to be a missionary and bishop who was responsible for converting many people to the Catholic faith in the fifth century, while St Joseph is recognised as the protector and provider of Mary and Jesus, the Holy Family. Both days were observed with class liturgies as well as various activities set by classroom teachers.

Project Compassion
We are now into our second week of Lent, and we continue to partake in the giving element of this season. Our theme for Project Compassion this Lent is ‘Unite against Poverty’ which encourages us to stand in solidarity with all those who are less fortunate than us.

We will be holding a walk within our school grounds on Friday 4^th April to recognise that some people need to walk great distances to access clean water. We encourage everyone to donate to this walk for water through the donation boxes in classrooms or via the school’s fundraising page. Our goal is to reach $1000 by the end of the term, let us hope we can get there!

Thank you for your support and generosity with this initiative.

Harmony Day
On Friday we celebrate Harmony Day, celebrating all the different cultures within our country. Students are encouraged to wear a touch of orange to recognise that everybody belongs.

Reconciliation Preparation Session
After the Presentation Mass in February, this is the first session of the Sacramental Program. The preparation session for Reconciliation will be held next Wednesday 26^th March at 6pm in the John the Baptist Centre (School Hall).

Statement of Accounts – Instalments now due
School Fee statements were posted out earlier in the year, if you did not receive a copy, please email me and I can check the address we have on file and give you a copy. Thank you to all the families who have set up payment authorities or started making payments via Qkr!, online or at the office.  This is just a friendly reminder that Term 1 instalments are now due and payment options which should already have started and are: weekly x 42 payments, fortnightly x 22 payments, monthly x 10 payments, termly x 4 so that fees are completed by early Term 4.  You can divide your balance by the option you wish to choose and pay by Qkr!, Bpay or via the office.  If you wish to set up a direct debit, forms were sent out last year, but it’s not too late so please email me for a new one as soon as possible. 

School Card
This is for families, single parents, or businesses on a low income of around $74,189 last financial year.  Please follow the links below to apply for the 2025 School Card Scheme. These must be completed each school year:

Form A (Income Assessment)

https://online.forms.sa.edu.au/content/forms/af/public/application-for-school-card.html

Form B (hardship, change of circumstances or self-employed)

https://online.forms.sa.edu.au/content/forms/af/public/form-b-hardship-or-circumstance-or-self-employed.html

If accepted, this will allow us to reduce your tuition fees to the lower-income fee, so please apply as soon as possible as it can take 4-6 weeks for approval.

If you have any queries or if you are having trouble making payments please email me on accounts@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au , phone me on 8218 3304 or come in and see me Monday to Friday 8.00am to 4.00pm.

Jodie Veldhoen
Finance Officer

Dear St John’s Community,

This is the time of the year to be working outside. We are experiencing fresh mornings which develop into beautiful sunny days. It really is glorious being outside in such conditions, especially when the students arrive for their lessons with a positive mindset and are eager to do their best during Physical Education lessons.

The Year 5/6 girls have recently wrapped up their 4 week ‘Growing Girls for Cricket’ Program. I would like to thank Jess from SACA for providing fun, exciting and engaging sessions for the girls. From my observations there was certainly a good vibe around these sessions and the girls were having fun. I witnessed activities that tested individual skills and then there were some fantastic team games being played. Well done to all of the girls that gave it their best shot and gained some new skills from the experience.    

Recently we had Cail and his team from SANFL Game Development come to our school and run a ‘Footy Clinic’ for our students in Years 3-5. These students as well as our Year 6 students were given the opportunity to then sign up for the 2025 Gather Round School Football Competition. I am pleased to report that 26 of our students have taken up this offer and this week played their first match in the 4-week competition. Round 1 of this competition was fantastic, it was so good to see so many students smiling, being active and having fun. There were many parents supporting on the sidelines which was fantastic to see also. The students will play for 4 weeks straight and then will be involved in a special AFL Gather Round experience.

Last week we had 6 boys trial out for the SAPSASA Swimming Team. From those trials I am happy to report that 4 of these boys were successful in obtaining a spot in the SAPSASA Squad Team. These 4 boys will be representing our school at a SAPSASA level on Friday 4^th of April. We would like to wish: Ethan Beresford (6M), Riley Taylor (6M), Xavier Fontanot (5G) and Flynn Beresford (5G) all the very best for the upcoming SAPSASA Swimming State Championships.

Our SACPSSA Swimming Carnival will be taking place next Tuesday 25^th March at the George Bolton Swimming Centre in Burnside. We hope our 37 competitors are primed and are ready to represent our school with their best efforts. I am certainly looking forward to this carnival after being promoted to Section 2 for this year.

Have an outstanding end to your week everyone!

Yours in sport

Sam Putland
SPORTS COORDINATOR

Harmony Day is a day where we recognise cultural diversity and that everybody belongs. Students are encouraged to wear a touch of orange this Friday 21st March to acknowledge this special occasion.

We look forward to celebrating this special day, acknowledging the many cultures that make our community.

• School Colour Run - 11th April
• Mother's Day Stall - 8th & 9th May
• Father's Day Stall - 3rd & 4th September

If your child has lost their bike, one has been found at a nearby property.  If the bike belongs to you, please contact the front office.

All orders for both recess and lunch are to be ordered via our Qkr! app.   

Canteen orders close each canteen day (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) at 9.00am.

Healthy Canteen (Tuesday & Thursday) orders close on Mondays at 12pm.

Canteen Roster

Term 1

Friday 21st March - Jo & Emma Vivian

Monday 24th March - Julie

Tuesday 25th March - Jo

Wednesday 26th March - Julie

Thursday 27th March - Jo

Friday 28th March - Jo & Penny Raven

Monday 31st March - Julie

Tuesday 1st April - Jo

Wednesday 2nd April - Julie & Neeta Saldanha

Thursday 3rd April - Jo

Friday 4th April - Jo, Stacey Arnold & Tate Jarvis

Monday 7th April - Julie

Tuesday 8th April - Jo

Wednesday 9th April - Julie

Thursday 10th April - Jo

Friday 11th April - Jo, Toni Stevens & Karen Drury

Canteen Feedback

We would love your feedback regarding the canteen.

Is there anything that you would like to see on the menu that we may be able to consider adding on?

Please send your feedback to jfitzgerald@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au

Julie Henschke & Jo Fitzgerald

Scholastic Book Club

Last week you would have received your Issue 2 catalogue for the Book Club.

If you wish to order please do so by Week 9 Friday 28^th March.

Thank you

Maria French & the Library Team

St John the Baptist School provides a safe environment for all while valuing the partnership between school and home.

As a Catholic community, we welcome and value volunteers. To be able to volunteer, and/or attend at other times throughout the school year, we ask that you hold a current Catholic Police Check (parents/caregivers attending excursions, reading in class, helping in class, attending community events), a current Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect in Education and Care for Volunteers certificate and have completed the volunteers application package.

A Catholic Police Check for volunteers is free for our current parents and caregivers. Application Forms are available in our school office.

This process ensures we maintain a child safe environment. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you to apply for a Catholic Police Check through the school office as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the school office on 8218 3300 or email Julia Roy on jroy@stjohnpl.catholic.edu.au .

                                               

Insights may be discussed at future School Advisory Board meetings or you may be contacted personally for further follow up!

Please find link here for your suggestions.

$500 BUNNY BUCKS VOUCHER

As Easter is approaching, we would like to invite children between the ages of 4 and 7 years old and children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old to participate in our 'Colour to Win' colouring competition. Students could win and so could their school - YOUR SCHOOL!

Each student can enter the competition at their Newspower Newsagency. Each participating Newspower store has two Rabbit prizes to be won, but it gets even better!

Both store winners will automatically enter the National competition, where they have the chance to win a $100.00 Bunny Bucks voucher*.

Plus if you are the National winner in either the Infants or Primary category, your school will win a Bunny Bucks voucher* to the value of $500.00.  

Click here for entry form.

*Bunny Bucks is a voucher to be spent at the Newspower Newsagency where the entry was lodged.

Store locations can be found here.

We look forward to seeing your budding artist work of art in Newspower stores.

The links and information that are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only.  They do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by St John the Baptist Catholic School of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organisation or individual.  St John the Baptist Catholic School bears no responsibility for the accuracy legality or contact of the external site or for that of subsequent links.  Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.