Dear St John the Apostle community,

Congratulations on a successful last week of the year.

Today our teachers spent time finalising administration for the year and began planning for 2023. Having participated in One-Up Day on Wednesday afternoon, where students gather in their classes for next year and meet their teacher, our teachers are excited to plan new learning opportunities for our students. We are building upon the successes of the High Impact Teaching Practices introduced in the last two years to develop a challenging and knowledge rich program for all of our students in 2023.

Teachers have also spent the last three days in handover meetings. These meetings are designed to provide the opportunity for the 2023 teacher of each student to learn about the needs, interests and background of each student from their 2022 teacher. Thank you to our Inclusion Teacher, Ms Rebecca Neiberding, who organised and sat in on every meeting for three days. With approximately 100 students on Personal Plans it was an excellent opportunity to ensure a smooth start for every student in the new school year.

Playground Update

Finally the equipment itself began being installed this week. Our youngest students have enjoyed going out each recess and lunch to see what else had been added. They sometimes looked at the installation instructions laying next to the fence and provided a little advice to the installers about what to do next!.

The equipment will be ready in time for the beginning of the new year. I recognise that our Year 6 students will have missed an opportunity to enjoy the equipment. I hope to hold a 'Year 6 2022' picnic at school in the new year for those who missed the opportunity and would like to come and have a little play before heading off to high school.

School Fees 2023

Last week I outlined the school fee structure for 2023 and some of the small increases or changes that will occur. Follow the link below to see the full School Fees for 2023. The School Fees are also available on our school website.

In Semester 2 of 2023 our school is due to transition to a new finance system as part of system wide Finance Transformation project. Some of the options for payment of fees will change, including moving to options other than Direct Debit and using regular BPay arrangements. If you would like to begin the year in a way that will reduce change for you mid year then please consider this. More information will be available in the new year.

Travelling in 2023?

In these post pandemic times we've seen many families take the opportunity to travel again, particularly to visit family overseas that they have not seen for quite some time. It's wonderful to have that opportunity again.

If you find yourself planning a longer than usual trip in 2023 and your children will miss more than 25 days of school (including part days), but less than 12 months, then please complete the form below and drop it into the Front Office as soon as your arrangements have been finalised.

Application for Extended Leave from School (ACT)

Application for Extended Leave from School (ACT) 316.93 KB

School Captains 2023

At our Cornerstone Ceremony on Monday morning, a ceremony where Year 6 students handover their leadership responsibilities to Year 5 students, we announced the School Captains for 2023. This year, after students presented speeches, peers voted and staff considered further, we will have three School Captains. Congratulations to Uasi, Matilda and Jessie. We know they will be outstanding student leaders and set a great example for their peers. The remaining student leadership roles will be announced next year.

Uasi	Matilda	Jessie

Thank you everyone for a wonderful year. Thank you to our fantastic staff for their positivity and commitment to students and families and their strong collaboration. Thank you to parents and carers for their continued support for their children and the school. Thank you to the Community Council who go above and beyond to help make our school a strong community. Lastly thank you to our students for the times they worked hard, were kind to others and participated in new challenges.

I hope everyone has the most joy filled Christmas and peace break. I look forward to seeing everyone in the new year. School resumes on Tuesday 31st January.

Matthew Garton

Principal

Happy birthday to Anabelle-Louise T, Abbey W, Daven M, and Charlotte H who all celebrated a birthday over the last week.

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

Congratulations to the following students who received 20 brag tags during the term.

Transport Canberra bus timetable changes for Term 1, 2023

Improvements to the bus network and timetable will be implemented from Monday 30 January 2023 (aligning with the start of the school term). This includes refinements to a number of schools services based on school and community feedback.

The improvements ensure reliable services across the network which take into account construction associated with raising London Circuit in the city, the temporary Woden bus interchange and ongoing construction in the Woden town centre.

Light rail is continuing to run to a normal frequency.

School packs and timetables

Updated school packs and timetables are now available online to view and download. If your child is catching the bus to school, we recommend familiarising them with their school route so they know which stop the bus will pick them up from in the morning and where to get off at the end of the day.

https://www.transport.act.gov.au/getting-around/timetables2/School_Updates?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZmaWxlcy50cmFuc3BvcnQuYWN0Lmdvdi5hdSUyRmF1dG9UVCUyRlNlcnZpY2VfRnV0dXJlJTJGc2Nob29sc19heiUyRnN0X2pvaG5fYXBvc3RsZV9zY2hvb2wucGRmJmFsbD0x

School route changes for St John the Apostle Primary School

• Route 1042 – Removed. Route now covered by route 46 ‘s’ trip.
• Route 1045 – Route now includes stop for Copland College and only travels to/from Spence.
• Route 1037 – New route that will cover Nicholls, Ngunnawal to Gungahlin

For more information on school route changes, updated school packs and to view regular bus timetables visit the Transport Canberra website.

Fete - Volunteer Sign Up, Pre-Orders and Donations

Our School Fete is taking place on Friday 10th February (Week 2, Term 1). Thank you so much to the families who have already donated items to the Fete. We are now asking for community members to volunteer their time on the day of the Fete. There are 12 stalls that we need volunteer support for on the day. They are as follows:

• Cake stall
• Tombola
• BBQ
• Chocolate Toss
• Curries and Pastas
• Drinks
• Fairy Floss and Popcorn
• Pizza
• Wine Fridge
• Second Hand Book Stall
• Gelato
• Show bags

There are also time slots to help with set up and pack up. All we ask is if you could volunteer one hour of your time on a stall through out the evening! Please click the below link to sign up:

Fete Volunteer Sign Up

Donations via QKR
We understand that it is a busy time of year for everyone. We have now set up an option for families who wish to make a donation to the Fete via QKR instead of going out and purchasing the suggested items. The Fete Committee will use the money to purchase items such as chocolate blocks for the Chocolate Toss. You can find this option in QKR under the heading School Fete. 

Pre-Orders 2023

All pre-orders are now avaiable on QKR!

Fete Four – Your child can get a sausage sandwich, drink, zooper dooper and coloured hairspray without having to carry around any money!

Ride Wristband – Enjoy unlimited rides on the Storm   Ride, Teacups, Giant Slide and beat your friends at Mini Golf or Soccer Shoot Out!

 Lucky Lock – Purchase a key (or several!) for chance to win a esky full of wine and beer – valued over $1000!

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Orders must be placed via Qkr by WEDNESDAY 8 FEBRUARY

• Orders may be placed for students, adults, family, and friends.
• If you wish to pay in cash, volunteers will be selling pre-order items before school in the week leading up to the fete.
• Prepaid fete fours will be sent home with the eldest child prior to the fete.
• Prepaid ride wrist bands may be collected from the ride operators on the oval on fete day.
• Ride wristbands purchased on the day will be $30 each or $6 per ride.