Dear St John the Apostle Community,

While we've had a very settled start to the school term, today was a sad day for many of us in our community. Today a number of our staff and families attended the funeral of Bella Duggan, 2018 graduate of St John the Apostle Primary School.

Bella was well known by many of our students. She was a bright, bubbly and generous person. She was a conscientious learner and happy to help and support many others. A very pragmatic peer leader, she would easily help younger students in the playground by mediating any conflict. She had a very quick wit and when you spoke with her she was always very 'present' with you. She was a loved big buddy for a number of our younger students. It has been a joy to have Bella be part of our school story and a privilege for our school to have been part of her story.

Today was a beautiful farewell. Her family and close friends remain in our prayers and thoughts over the coming weeks and months as they learn to continue living without her by their side. Her spirit will leave a lasting impact on many for the longest time.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

 

Emergency notification system

Yesterday we closed the school due to contaminated water that was the result of a local issue. It was an excellent test of our system for emergency notification to families. Many parents responded quickly. Thank you.

We did have to make many phone calls to specific parents as well. In the end, it took three hours for all of the students to be picked up. This was not ideal and should there have been a more pressing emergency we are concerned that a larger than expected number of parents and carers are going to be difficult to contact.

There are a number of ways that you can really make sure that the notifications get through to you in a timely manner:

1. Download the SZapp on your phone. Simply search 'SZapp' in the App Store or Google Play and you will find the free app for you to download.

2. In the app itself make sure you register and include an email address you want emergency notifications sent to. Make sure it is also correct. This means that should you not have access to your phone you will also receive an email.

3. In the app, go to the 'Manage' section and make sure Push Notifications are on and that the correct Year levels and other categories are selected as well. This will ensure you receive the alert and/or email notifications for your target groups and not notifications that are irrelevant to you.

Teachers yesterday needed to contact some parents through SeeSaw. SeeSaw is wonderful for sharing learning but is not our preferred system for a broad, focussed sweep of emergency communication, especially in a hurry.

Please help us to help you. Follow the above three instructions and you will have much more reliable communication from St John the Apostle Primary School.

Enrolment Period

The enrolment period for those children seeking a placement in our 2020 cohort will commence next Monday and continue for the following three weeks. Our school will hold three Open Days (Wednesday 8 May, Friday 10 May and Wednesday 15 May) during this period. Please encourage any relatives, friends or neighbours who are considering enrolling their child to attend an Open Day and approach our Front Office regarding the enrolment.

Have a peaceful weekend everyone.

Matthew Garton (Principal)