Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope

Lord, bless all mothers today and every day. Grant them strength, patience, and overflowing joy in their roles as caregivers. Father, we lift up all mothers, including the remarkable grandmothers and significant female figures among us. We celebrate their wisdom, their strength, and the unconditional love they pour into our lives.

Dear Families,

Schools are more than just places where lessons are taught, and assessment are taken—they are vibrant faith filled communities where students and families come together to learn, grow and support one another. 

Your child’s time at school is brief, but the impact of a strong school community lasts a lifetime. Here’s why being an active part of your school community can pave the way for the road to success for your child—and for you! 

For students, feeling like they belong is crucial to their overall development. Being part of a vibrant school community provides them with a network of peers, teachers, and mentors who care about their progress, as well as their mental health and emotional wellbeing. When students feel seen and valued, they are more likely to engage in learning, participate in extracurricular activities, and strive for their personal best.

When parents and families also become involved in the school community, research shows that it leads to better outcomes for students. A study by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth found that parent engagement is associated with significant academic achievement and behavioural improvement for students of all ages. 

We are a thriving school community at St John the Apostle where we actively celebrate diversity, and we continue to work to ensure everyone feels included. Schools that promote inclusivity, create safe spaces where students, families and staff from all backgrounds and abilities feel respected and valued.

For students themselves, this can mean opportunities to learn about different cultures, perspectives, and experiences, which helps build empathy and understanding.

This week we have seen an abundance of community engagement. It was great to see our parents who attended the Cross-Country cheer on all students. Thanks to our “Dad Squad” who were at SJA at the crack of dawn to turn a sausage or 2… last count 500!

We have had a number of responses to our request to help at our Working Bee, however, we will need many more volunteers to get the big jobs done on our playground and in our gardens.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

Thank you to the mother’s, grandma’s and nans, aunties and special women in our children's lives, who attended our Mother’s Day Breakfast and classroom visit this morning. It was wonderful to see all of you enjoying a wonderful breakfast together. The classrooms were buzzing with children showing their loved ones their learning, some of our new facilities and it was great to hear the laughter and see the proud smiles on our children’s faces. Enjoy the beautiful action photos of the day!

‘You are far more precious than jewels’ Proverbs 31:10

‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all’ Proverbs 31:30

Blessings for a lovely weekend.

Jo Reed

Principal

Cross Country Carnival

Well done to all of our children that competed in the Cross Country Carnival on Thursday 8^th May. The weather was perfect for running! A big thank you to our PE Teacher Ryan Spencer and K-2 Teachers for organsing such a wonderful event. A shout out and thumbs up to our wonderful parents helping both in the canteen and supervising the course.

We will organise a Sports Assembly soon to celebrate the winners from both the Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals.

Saturday 17^th   May– SJA Working Bee in collabaration with the Community Council 

All Welcome. The Working Bee will begin at 8.30am – 12.30pm. There are slots that you can sign up for or even help out for longer. There is BBQ cooking for hungry workers (and kids), weeding garden beds, cleaning up the vegie patch, pruning, mulch patrol, sand pit and playground. Can you bring your own tools – shovels, pruners, rakes etc. A COMPASS note will be sent out, you will be able to sign up on this platform or contact our Office.

Thank you again for all of your continued support and I look forward to catching up with all of you at our upcoming community engagement events.

Friendly Reminders

 Enrolment 2026

2026 Enrolment Period is the month of May.

Enrolment period is now upon us. If you have a little one ready for school in 2026 or know of anyone interested in looking at our fantastic school for their children, please let them know to contact us. We are opened for individual or group tours.

Notes some key dates here:

School Uniform – Winter Term Reminders

From Week 3, all students are expected to be in full winter uniform. Thank you to all families for your efforts!

A few reminders:

• Formal black leather shoes must be worn (no black runners, Lynx shoes, or canvas shoes).
• Navy gloves, scarves, and coats are appropriate during winter.
• Jewellery is restricted to plain small studs/sleepers and a watch (no dangles, loops, or bracelets).
• A parent note is required if uniform deviations occur while sourcing correct items.

Our uniform promotes pride in appearance, a sense of belonging, and the spirit of our school community.

Uniforms are available through our fabulous SJA Uniform Shop.

Opening hours: Friday 16th May 8:30am - 9:30am

If you have any questions or concerns please email the uniform shop on stjohnsclothingpool@gmail.com

Term Dates

This term will finish for students on Thursday 3rd July. Friday 4th July will be a Staff Professional Learning Day.

Illness

If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school. If your child becomes unwell during the day, we will phone you and ask you to kindly make swift arrangement to collect them. Children who are unwell are unable to remain at school for extended periods of time in the sick bay as they will spread their illness to others. Thank you for your understanding with this matter.