Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope

Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,

look favorably on your servant Francis,

whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

grant, we pray, that by word and example

he may be of service to those over whom he presides

so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,

he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Dear Parents and Carers,

We finish the term with the children being involved in the Stations of the Cross. During Holy Week we focus on Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection. This is the pinnacle of our Church year – a time when the heart of our faith is celebrated. During Holy Week we are led from sadness and desperation to incredible joy and hope as we celebrate the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. Families are encouraged to join our Parish Family as our Priests and Parishioners gather to celebrate Holy Week and Easter.

As we approach the end of Term One, we have much to celebrate. The past ten weeks have seen the children settle beautifully into their 2025 classes and engage in learning with their teachers and their classmates. My gratitude to each member of St John the Apostle staff for the dedicated work, care and compassion offered daily to your children and our families. A well-deserved break to each of them.

We are always grateful to see our parents and carers join us along the way. When the children see the adults who care for them most valuing and supporting their school, the effect on their learning is incredibly positive. We have had great support for our Information Evening and Welcome BBQ, Athletics Carnival, Swimming Carnival, Reconciliation, Fete, Teddy Bears Picnic and with attendance at our Morning Prayer and Awards Assemblies during the term. We look forward to providing more opportunities for parent and family engagement during Term 2.  

Our Open Day was very successful and enrolments for 2026 are starting to gather interest in most grade levels especially Kindergarten. If you have a child ready for school next year or know of anyone who does, encourage them to reach out and begin the enrolment process or contact the Office to make an appointment for a Tour.

2026 Kinder Enrolments

2026 the Enrolment period is now open.

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, the enrolment packs are ready and we welcome you.  

Winter Uniform

It is time to get the winter uniforms out and dust them off and of course check to see if they fit. We will be wearing it when we return for Term 2 on Tuesday 29^th April. This year we will have the usual few weeks of change over, but students are expected to wear correct winter uniform.

In keeping with Cancer Council recommendations, school hats are still to be worn during April and May.

Term Dates

Term One ends for students on Thursday 10^th April, with Friday 11^th April being a Staff Professional Learning Day.

Term Two commences on Tuesday 29^th April for students, and Monday 28^th April for staff.

May each St John’s family welcome the joy, and hope offered this Easter into their lives. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.

Blessing

Jo Reed

Congratulations to the following students who received the End of Term Awards. 

What Students are Learning About

Stations of the Cross

This week students particpated in Stations  of the Cross. We used the artwork created by Mariana, a local artist, that usually hang in the chapel. Walking the stations, ties in with being Pilgrims of Hope.

Catholic Life and Reflection

Prayer for Holy Week

Lord, let everything I do in the coming Holy Week be inspired by You.

Help me to remember that nothing is important in my life unless it glorifies You in some way. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day of my life.

Help me to enter fully into your Passion through my Lenten promises and always be reminded that You went to the desert, the garden and the cross for me.

Amen

God bless, travel safely and enjoy the Easter season.

Stephanie Stewart

Religious Education Coordinator

The Athletics Carnivals were held at SFX and also on our oval. They were both such a great success.  It was wonderful to see the level of participation and support for one another as well as the amazing achievements in each event. It was great that so many parents/carers were able to attend and cheer our students on. Thank you to Mr Spencer and all of the Teachers that supported this event. 

Cross Country Change of Date - 

There has been a change of date for the SJA Cross Country - due to SFX Open Day and Kinder Excursion to the Zoo.

We will now hold the Cross Country on Thursday 8^th May.

More information to follow.

St John the Apostle is pleased to announce 

ACEN SORA (previously Overdrive) 

eBooks and Audiobooks  (Year 3-6) 

The ACEN (Australian Catholic Education Network) Sora eBook and audiobook service is available, at no charge, for access by students, staff and parents 24/7 from school, home or any location.  The CE pays the annual subscription to Sora for all schools. 

Sora includes a large collection of eBooks and audio-books for students of all year levels, as well as adults.  The collection includes fiction, as well as non-fiction titles related to Australian curriculum topics. The current collection includes over 10,000 eBooks and audiobooks, including ‘Read-a-long’ books.

Sora may be accessed from any tablet, laptop, mobile phone, desktop computer, or loaded onto eReaders for offline reading.   

Sora APP for iPads  - ACEN library Login Procedures

1. Search and install the Sora APP from the Apple Store or Google Play.
2. You are directed to a screen that will read “Find my School.”
3. Choose “ACEN Member Collection.”
4. Sign into the ACEN Member Collection using the student Network Login details and Password (the Diocese from the dropdown menu will be “Canberra-Goulburn”).
5. The Sora home screen appears with the borrower logged in.  A borrower's Account button is at the top of the screen to see current loans and open books that have been borrowed.

Sora ACEN Website

The ACEN Sora website is located at https://soraapp.com/welcome/login/202541. You will login using the above steps. 

Site Features

• Favorite titles will be displayed.  Click on a title to borrow it, or use the Search window to find a particular title or author’s books.
• Borrower’s title checkout limits and holds are displayed in your account. Titles are borrowed for 14 days and may be renewed.  Titles disappear following the borrowing period.
• Holds may be put on titles that are currently on loan to other borrowers.
• Titles may be read in the browser, or returned by clicking the Return button.
• After the title is opened on the screen, click at the bottom of the screen near the
• Other Advanced features are available for searching titles/groups of titles.  

Title Access Year Levels

Titles in the Sora collection have been given access year level ratings, so students will only be able to borrow titles rated for their level or below.  Students will see all available titles in Overdrive, but titles not able to be borrowed will be greyed out. Eg.  Year 3 students will not be able to borrow Adult level titles. Title are Juvenile (K-4), Young Adult (years 5-8) and Adult (Year 9 – Adult).

Parental Access to Sora

Parents may access Sora using their child’s computer network login details.  The child’s borrowing limit of 3 titles still applies.

Unfortunately, parents will not be able to borrow titles that are above their child’s access level.  Eg. If the child is a Year 6 student, parents will not be able to borrow Adult level books, only Young Adult or Juvenile level books.

Happy reading!

Ms Emma Alcock

Teacher Librarian  

Congraultations to the following students who will receive a Brag Tag Award - presented on Friday 2nd May, 8.50am (Week 1)

Happy Birthday to Ella Butler, Pearce Takeda, Jayden Pradhananga, Krzysztof Orzelek, Dhodrul Dolma, Grace Payne, Jeremiah French, Elspeth Stone, Euan Kim, Enrique Paz, Kate Barrett, Andreas Marassovich, Rinchen Ongmo, Lillah Johnson, Hugo Gabellone, Vincent Nolan, Margaret Fallon, Maisie Hudson, Hannah White, Cameron Broadhurst, Grace Riley, Lewys Candy, Wells Lomax, Fortune Odunuga, Bailey Da Silva, Arzoi Sehgal, Nizar Habeb, Oliver Wilson, Kudrat Kaur and Sophie Kosseck who all celebrate a Birthday in April.

Dear Parents,

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below or by returning the order envelope with your payment to our photographer on school photo day.

Two easy ways to purchase:

1. Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
2. Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day

Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: 21X CFH 6YT

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to St John The Apostle Primary School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at: www.advancedlife.com.au/contact

New Direct Debit Payment Option Coming Soon!

We are pleased to announce that St John the Apostle has recently introduced the BPoint Enterprise Solution to manage direct debit arrangements for the payment of school fees.

What is BPoint and What Do You Need to Do?

BPoint is a secure Commonwealth Bank payment processing platform designed to facilitate online payments, while ensuring the highest security standards. This system safeguards your financial information using industry-leading security measures.

Our new direct debit platform will allow you to pay school fees using either a bank account or a credit card (excluding AMEX). Please note that payments made via credit card will incur a 0.5% surcharge.

Establishing Direct Debits.

Next week, families will receive an email outlining estimated weekly, fortnightly, and monthly repayment options to ensure all fees are paid by the end of the year. These amounts will also include any outstanding 2024 balances. 

What next? 

You will receive an email that will provide a start date for direct debits and options for selecting your preferred payment frequency. Once a payment frequency is selected, you will be directed to enter your bank/credit card details. Once the information is entered, you will receive an email from no-reply@bpoint.com.au . The email will contain two links,

1.         The first link requires confirmation of the direct debit arrangement. Please note that the link will expire within 7 days.

2.         The second link provides a copy of the eDDRSA for your records.

While using the direct debit payment option is not compulsory, many families find it helpful in staying up to date with their financial obligations.

For any questions or further assistance, please contact our Finance Office - Finance.SJAPS@cg.catholic.edu.au

Opening Hours

From next Tuesday (8 April 2025), bus timetables and school packs will be available to download ahead of timetable improvements which begin from the start of school term two on Monday 28 April 2025.

Improvements for students include additional school services and refinements to bus routes to provide better coverage to surrounding suburbs. Some school services are also being adjusted to better align with bell times based on school community feedback. More broadly, the timetable improvements will deliver an additional 94 bus services per weekday including more AM and PM weekday peak services for key Rapid routes. There will be no changes to light rail frequencies.

School packs and timetables

Please find attached the updated school pack specific to your school to help distribute to your school community. Also attached is a social tile to help with your messaging.

Updated school packs and timetables will be made available to the broader community to view and download ahead of the school holidays next Tuesday 8 April 2025. Students and families will be encouraged to check their school packs and timetables at the Transport Canberra website to prepare for the new school term.

For parents, careers and guardians with children who catch the bus to school, we recommend familiarising them with any updated morning and afternoon pickup times.  Please be aware though, the Transport Canberra journey planner on the MyWay+ app and online will be updated with the new timetables in the week leading up to term two. 

Summary of school changes:

Route 1045 – Morning service begins 4 minutes earlier to better accommodate bell time.

Keep in touch

Stay up to date with important Transport Canberra news, including changes to services and the latest project and event information. Sign up to our weekly e-newsletter or you can like us on Facebook and follow us on X (formerly Twitter).

A friendly reminder that St Johns is a nut free school. Thank you.