Dear St John the Apostle Community,

We've had a great transition back this week. Thank you for supporting us during this time of change. We know that it has been a challenge for those with more than one child. This is why we kept it to one week rather than two. 

I was recently sent a letter of thanks by a parent that I am happy to share. Just like you, this parent did the tough yards of working with their children at home and at the same time saw how much work the staff put into providing the online learning to students over past months. Thank you to this parent, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Letter to teachers

I just wanted to send my thanks to our wonderful SJAPS teachers who have been working ridiculous hours to make sure our children have a set daily work program.

You may occasionally have heard grumblings across social media channels about parents complaining that they have to ‘home school’ their kids and that teachers are getting off easy, but please don’t pay attention to that noise, as there are also lots of parents out there who realise how much extra work that teachers have put in across this period. Please know that you are still much appreciated.

What those parents don’t see is that it can take 2-3 hours just to produce a single video clip after all the editing and hyperlinks. Looking at the daily package which usually has about 6-8 videos, that puts you at about 18 hours’ worth or prep-work and even split between two teachers for a year, that’s still 9 hours each. Then add on the class contact time and meetings, following up with children’s and parent questions and I’m wondering when do you sleep? I’m not surprised that I see the packages being loaded at midnight and 5am for the two classes I have visibility of. I even had to turn off notifications so I could get some sleep (LOL).

So thank you for going above and beyond during this time, thank you for using your own personal down time to learn new skills and make sure our children are properly educated, and thank you for being there to help out whenever one of our children reach out to you.

Yes as parents we have had to supervise, maybe even learn some new tech skills ourselves, and even done some home schooling (especially for the little ones), but we still get to relax after our child’s school day is over…while you are still working.

Please know you are truly valued and appreciated by the parents of SJAPS.

A thankful parent

A letter to parents

On that note I would like to write a letter to those of you who supported your children:

Dear parents and carers of the students of St John the Apostle Primary School,

Thank you for the many ways you supported us and your children during the time of remote learning that we all found ourselves in rather suddenly. You modeled how to be adaptable, patient and optimistic.

Thank you for when you recognised just how big a task we were undertaking and gave us the time and encouragement needed to keep going. You modeled understanding and empathy.

Thank you for the many times you sat with your child to check in with them or walk them through some of the tasks provided and help them feel a sense of accomplishment. You modeled responsibility, organisation and mentoring.

Thank you for allowing us to enter into your homes via online means and keep building that important teacher/assistant/student face to face relationship.You modeled the value of good communication, relationship and belonging.

Thank you for learning new technological skills and knowledge alongside us and your child. Thank you for when you just 'tried again' when things wouldn't work the first time. You modeled patience and perseverance in the face of a challenge.

Thank you for the times you cooked with your child, cut and glued with them, collected objects for counting and science experiments or recorded them telling a story. You modeled that learning comes in many, many forms!

Thank you for the times you said something like "that's enough for today, let's go for a walk." You modeled the value of balance and moderation.

Thank you for the times you helped them share their learning with their teacher. You modeled partnership and collaboration.

Thank you for every time you showed and told your children that you value their education by supporting them in being involved. There are many students in other countries who would do anything to have that same opportunity. You modeled the importance of learning.

Lastly, thank you for working together in the most extraordinary of circumstances. We have been truly teaching your child together in the past weeks and months. We have a sense you know just how hard we have worked to provide you with this opportunity and we really do know how very challenging it has been for you to support your child at home.

Our community stays at its healthiest and strongest for your children when we work as one. I like to think this has been a great opportunity to show that. Thank you.

Matthew Garton, Principal

It's enrolment time!

Just a reminder that it is enrolment time for 2021! We already have a number of enrolments with a few new families looking to join the St John the Apostle Community. Just a reminder if you have a child looking to start Kindergarten in 2021 to jump on our website and complete an enrolment form. 

Please spread the good news about our school. The best marketing a school can do is through their current families. Word of mouth is very powerful when it comes to families choosing a school for their child. Please recommend us and basically, talk us up please. I will be starting to do personal zoom meetings with new families, taking them for a virtual tour and answering any questions they have. I am happy to do this for any new families’ wanting to know more about St John's. I can't talk enough about how great our school is. It's very easy for me to sell the school in the best light possible. 

A great way to share about us would be through our social media sites. Please click on the following to visit them.