"There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter!"

(Barack Obama)

"Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities begin to show up in the polls."

(Peggy Noonan)

Dear St John the Apostle families,

Have you voted yet? A number of us have and a large number are still yet to.

The opportunity to vote for who will lead, care for and support us in government is such a privilege in our country and one of the greatest civic responsibilities and opportunities we have.

"Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world".

Your vote matters in the ACT election. It carries great weight. It sends a message about what you are wanting from our local government, about what you need and about what you believe we should aspire to as a community.

Decisions are made by those who show up, so when you vote this year I encourage you to make sure your vote really expresses your needs and your aspirations by being as informed as you possibly can about each of the candidates.

An important consideration is how each of the various candidates and parties prioritise and support our Catholic Education system as a valuable part of the ACT schooling landscape. How they value the Catholic Education system impacts our school and your child. Attached below is a brief letter from our Director, Mr Ross Fox, to inform you how each party has expressed their commitment to Catholic Education. It can help you know a little more information about one of the issues that impacts your family as you consider your vote.

Out of Hours School Care Tender

After three years of partnering with Camp Australia as our provider of Outside Hours Care, our school is undertaking a tender process to enter into a contract with an appropriate provider for the next three years, beginning 2021. The contract will include before and after school care as well as a holiday program. 

It's important to undertake a tender process periodically to ensure that we always receive the best possible service for our families. The process will be completed by the end of October and an announcement about the successful partner will be made in November.

Congratulations for a number of staff

Congratulations to our Inclusion Assistant, Mr Jack Biilmann, on his recent engagement to his partner Jodi. Our students and staff were very happy for him.

After a year on exchange, Mr Jack Gibson and Mrs Melanie Monaghan will continue to teach at St Francis Xavier College on a permanent basis from 2021. They have both been loved and valued members of our community and their chapter in our school story is full of great memories. We wish them the very best and know that many of our current students look forward to seeing them when they enter Year 7.

I would like to congratulate Ms Charlie McIver and Ms Ashleigh van Kemenade on their appointments to return to St John the Apostle next year. It's wonderful to have such a settled, collaborative and skilled staff as we plan for the 2021 school year.

After a short break at the end of last term it is wonderful to be back and touching base with everyone. Thank you for the wonderful work of Ms Rebekah Brown as Acting Principal and Ms Stephanie Stewart as Acting Assistant Principal, who led our school with great skill, understanding and compassion during those times. We are very blessed to have an outstanding school team here at St John the Apostle.

Have a lovely weekend....happy voting!

Matthew Garton

Principal