Dear St John's families,

Thank you to our wonderful Community Council for providing the Hot Cross Buns Breakfast this morning. It was a lovely community event and great to see so many people present. I enjoyed chatting to people to find out about their plans for the Easter break. Lots are just keeping it simple. Sounds perfect!

Are you feeling connected with the school?

We've already had so many opportunities this term for families to connect with the school. Our recent fete was very well attended by our own families and the local community. Our recent Parent-Teacher Interviews were also an excellent opportunity to connect with teachers. There were a lot of family members at the Kindergarten Teddy Bears Picnic. It has all been fantastic.

One of the goals of our Community Council this year is help build connections between families through school events, just like this morning's Hot Cross Bun Breakfast.

Did you know that our very successful fete couldn't have happened at all without the assistance of the 50 SFX students that helped on stalls alongside the parents who volunteered. Without them, we just wouldn't have had enough parent volunteers to run the fete at all. In fact, three of my children (19, 21 and 24) who came to just visit the fete because they used to go to St John's, ended up jumping on stalls because there weren't enough parent volunteers. Two of them stayed until the end of pack up at 10.00pm alongside a small handful of tired but committed parents. My children were happy to help, even though it was no longer their responsibility.

I was so appreciative of every parent who volunteered, for any amount of time at the fete. I was also very, very appreciative of the SFX students and my own children who no longer attend the school but generously helped because they felt a deep sense of connection and appreciation to the school.

It did make me wonder....where have all our parents gone? I wonder why so few parents volunteered to help at the fete? I know they love being part of the school. I know they appreciate how hard the staff work. I wonder why we didn't have as many parent volunteers as we needed?

I have been Principal of St John the Apostle since 2017. One observation I would make is that prior to Covid, we would always get enough volunteers for events such as working bees, fetes, barbecues, etc. Since Covid, following all of that time being isolated and also not being able to gather or have parents in the school, we've had far less volunteers for events. I wonder whether we got into a habit of going to community events and forgetting that they actually need people like me to help a little so we can all enjoy them. I think I was a little guilty of that, I got a little comfortable in not helping until I realised we're all in this together.

What do you think? I'm really happy to hear your thoughts.

Schools are not just education providers. They are communities where students, staff and families belong. Creating a place for everyone to belong helps to ensure that it is a safe, happy and engaging place to learn. In fact, 

There is consistent evidence that parents’ encouragement, activities, interest at home, and participation at school affect their children’s achievement, even after students’ ability and family socio-economic status are taken into account. (Australian Parents Council, 2009, p. 13).

Of course, interest and engagement in children's learning at school is the first and most impactful role a parent can have. It's what we would always prefer people to do before anything else. It's great to see so many people coming to the Parent Reading Session next Tuesday evening (see more information later in this newsletter).

Children who also watch their families be involved in small ways at community events also learn to value the school they go to every day and how, in simple ways, one can help their community.

Volunteering and helping also has so many personal positive impacts as well. The more we give, the happier we feel. Volunteering increases self-confidence. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity.

I know we have a whole lot of families in our community that have a variety of skills and talents that, if asked, they would happily share. I know we have a variety of parents and family members who would love to help but perhaps feel that they don't have much to offer. I know that there are parents who who love to help but have little ones and that can be challenging. I've been there. So has everyone else. We're all in the same boat.

So, as part of building connections between families this year, you'll start to see a few announcements coming out next week about ways you can help with our community. Please consider them. We'd love to have lots of family involvement in our community events and in our school. We'll always be thankful.

Janitor/Groundsperson Job

Mr Sneesby, our long serving Janitor/Groundsperson, is retiring at the end of this term and we have advertised to recruit a new person to the role. If you know anyone that might be interested then please direct them to the following job advert. Applications close on 6 April. If anyone has any questions about the role they are welcome to contact me or catch me before then.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter break and I look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday!

Matthew Garton

Principal