Our Community

St John XXIII Primary School Thomastown East

“I am who I am because of who we are” (African Philosophy ~ Ubuntu)

When schools and families work together, children do better, schools improve and communities flourish. At St John XXIII Primary School, we actively seek opportunities to build and sustain partnerships between school, home, parish and the wider community. We provide extensive opportunities for families to be both involved in school life as well as engaged in their child’s learning. We seek to empower families to recognise themselves as their child’s first teacher as we continue to build on the foundation of learning that has been provided in the home environment prior to your child entering formal schooling.

Family Engagement in Learning

Catholic schools honour the role of parents as the first and ongoing nurturers and educators of their child. In partnering with families, this life-giving relationship transforms the possibilities for each child and promotes optimal engagement, achievement and wellbeing (Catholic Education Melbourne, 2017. Horizons of Hope Wellbeing Statement, p.8).

At St John XXIII we understand the importance of partnering with parents and understand that parents are the first educators of their children. We value the unique knowledge held by parents and seek to authentically engage in partnership with you.

We acknowledge that:

Parents are the primary educators of their child
Shared dialogue between parents and school enables, enhances and empowers deep learning for all
Strong relationships between teachers, children and families provide the foundation of successful learning
Student growth is positively impacted when families and school work together

Family Involvement at St John XXIII

At St John XXIII we encourage families to become involved in school life. Becoming involved in the school community builds social connectedness for your child and your family. Family involvement opportunities include:

Joining the Parent’s Association
Working Bees
Helping in the canteen
Volunteering in the classrooms
Supporting fundraising and school events

Child Safety

Please follow the link to access our child friendly child safety statement which has been developed in conjunction with our student leaders.

Child Friendly Child Safety Policy

Annual Report to the Community

Community Engagement in Learning

St John XXIII Primary School students and staff engage with the wider community to provide rich and authentic opportunities to enhance student learning and engagement. Community engagement for learning opportunities include:

Partnership with Darebin Creek Management Community
Connection with St Monica’s and Parade College
Mini Vinnie’s Social Justice Group
Maths partnership with Monash University
Partnerships with local kinders
Partnership with St Luke’s Parish
Nursing home visits

TheirCare

TheirCare Information

OSHClub

Newsletters

Term 1

Newsletter Week 9

Newsletter

Term 2

Newsletter

Term 3

Newsletter

Term 4

Newsletter

Communication

Strong family school partnerships are supported by effective communication. This is an essential component of building relationships. We have many forms of communication which allow us to share learning and connect with families. Please take a moment to review the purpose of each form of communication offered.

At St John XXIII Primary School we use Seesaw to communicate student learning, based on the Victorian Curriculum, with parents and guardians. Teachers communicate with parents on a regular basis to inform them of what their child is learning by sharing learning intentions and success criteria at the beginning of a new unit of work. Teachers regularly share Literacy, Maths and Religious Education posts to inform parents on their child's progression in those areas, based on learning intentions and success criteria. Parents and guardians are also able to comment on their child's learning using Seesaw which is visible to their child's teacher.

Skoolbag is used to communicate updates and events happening within the school and which you may need to act upon. These things will include the weekly newsletter, student absence notification, school closure days, excursions, excursion permission eforms, reminders and a calendar of events. The SkoolBag app is able to be downloaded in the Apple Store or Google Play Store, free of charge. We ask that all families download this app prior to commencing orientations.

Our school Facebook page promotes our school and activities to our local and global community and celebrates the learning and teaching taking place at St John XXIII. We often share images of our students and their amazing learning to our Facebook page, ensuring their privacy is maintained at all times by not including any personal information such as names in the posts. Following our page is a great way to keep up to date with exciting news and events at St John XXIII. The page is accessible at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnxxiiips/ We invite all family and friends to ‘like’ our page.