Thank you for assisting your child to settle back in to school this week.

I had the opportunity to visit all classes to personally deliver the Term 3 End of Term awards. Students all appeared to be very happy to return to school and their friends.

Teachers all noted that students have been able to settle back into routines very quickly though they sometimes need a little break as they build up their stamina again to get through the day.

Thank you everyone for working together to help our pick up process be as smooth as possible. We did have some lovely feedback from an SFX parent who contacted us during the week. She rang to say thank you to all the St John’s families who are so considerate every afternoon and let the SFX families in – in the busy afternoon traffic. She said it was not just one family but every car from St John’s lets them in and they are very grateful for their consideration.

Punctuality

This week we have been very punctual about closing the student entry gates at 8.50am when the lining up music finishes. This means that anyone not in the gates before they are closed must go through the front office and be signed in by a parent/guardian.

We know that for some individual students and families this may feel a little inconvenient. We're doing it for several reasons.

Firstly, operating and supervising three different entry points each morning demands more from staff. The staff have classes and students to get to first thing in the morning and so they need to close the gate fairly quickly so that their students are not standing around waiting for them as they wait for people wandering in.

Secondly, school starts at 8.50am. Transitioning into the school day smoothly with the teacher and class helps students to settle in and be ready to learn. In a child care centre and pre-school students can wander into the room at any time and relax into the day with some activities. That works well for small centres and younger children. School isn't like that. We have morning routines that build student independence, connection and engagement. Together classes have fruit break, take the roll, talk through what the day looks like, share stories and pray. Doing this together helps all students to feel they belong to the class. It helps even the sleepiest child to tune into learning for the day. Being late for this means that students miss all of these important habits and connections.

Lastly, school is important. It impacts a student's future. We value what we do with our students and how we help them grow and learn. We know that you value it too. Giving the message to students to be on time helps them to understand that school is important. What they are doing at school is important. That it is valued. It is worth being on time for.

We know that every one has the occasional day where they accidentally sleep in or unexpected occurrences happen in the morning. My own kids have lost things, spilled things and argued with each other and this has meant that getting out of the door on time is a challenge. We fully expect that to happen on occasion to everyone, including ourselves.

So if you have to sign your child in every once in a while, we understand, we apologise for the inconvenience, we just need to get started with the day for all the students that are here.

If it happens nearly every day then have a chat with us. Let us know if it's a challenge to get out the door and we'll help where we can. There are lots of little strategies and incentives that can help children get ready in the morning. If it is just a matter of leaving the house five minutes earlier than you ordinarily do then I encourage you to give it a go and get the children involved in monitoring the clock. Your children will probably be very happy to be able to play with friends for a few minutes before school starts.

Staffing news update

Last week I listed the staffing news for St John the Apostle for 2022. I would like to add a congratulations to Ms Ashleigh van Kemenade who will be taking up a teaching position in Orange in 2022. Ms van Kemenade has been a wonderful addition to the staff and school over the last two years. We thank her for her work in Year 3, particularly in supporting students who are celebrating Reconciliation and First Eucharist. We wish her the very best in this next chapter in her teaching career.

Congratulations to Mrs Beth Fear and husband Liam on the birth of Remy last Friday  5 November. Remy is a big brother to Louis. Everyone is doing well!

Class placements for 2022

At this time of the year I welcome parent communication regarding any specific needs they would like considered when placing their child in a class group next year. Parents wishing to communicate this are asked to email me directly (not the classroom teacher) with the considerations they would like kept in mind as part of the class creation process. These will be treated confidentially and viewed only by me. Specific teacher requests will not be considered. The cut off for communicating these considerations will be Friday 19 November.

Thank you all for being such a fantastic community to belong to.

God Bless