Hoping you all had an awesome summer, enjoyable break and relaxing Christmas with your friends and families. It’s hard to believe we are two weeks back in full swing of school life. It has been fantastic meeting the new Reception families during this period of time. It is going to take me a while to get to know all of your names, but please come up and introduce yourself if you see me on yard duty and we haven’t met yet.
“Thriving people, capable learners, leaders for the world God Desires.”
I read this message, each morning when I walk into my office. It’s a reminder of how we can LIVE, LEARN and LEAD together, as a St John the Apostle School Community.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
And Jesus said to them,
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-19, 21
In 2021, I strive to show the face of Jesus in all of my actions and interactions.
Green Adelaide Grant
At the end of last year, we applied for funding through the Grassroots Grant program offered by the Government of South Australia, Green Adelaide Board.
On behalf of the state government and the Green Adelaide Board, we received a letter from David Speirs MP, Minister for Environment and Water on January 20, congratulating us on securing funding of $2694.50 for our project, ‘St John the Apostle school Native Biodiversity Garden’.
At St Johns, we are extremely keen to develop the school yard by creating more environmentally friendly areas for the children to play and learn in and providing important habitat for local native animals.
Through this project, we plan to raise student and community awareness of local biodiversity and how to care for fragile environments by building a native garden. The 2021 Environmental Leaders are planning on planting appropriate native plants to promote biodiversity. This will be located near our new building. A lot of the original garden was destroyed during the build, so we would like to create a new native garden.
This would be an excellent place for the native garden as it will be very visible to parents and visitors from Carmichael Road when they drive past the school. This will provide teachers, students and families with an outdoor education space to be actively involved in. We are really enthusiastic about St John the Apostle School continuing on an exciting ecological journey.
Once we have selected our 2021 Environmental Leaders, we will finish the Native Garden and Frog Pond project from 2020, than start this exciting new project, working closely with Green Adelaide.
Class and Family Masses
We will be celebrating our Whole School Welcome Mass with Fr Dev on Tuesday 9 February.
Ash Wednesday Mass will be celebrated here at school on Wednesday 17 February and weekly class Masses will be commence in the school chapel from Tuesday 23 February.
Our Staff Commissioning Mass will be celebrated at St Luke’s Parish on Sunday 28 February, starting at 9am.
Unfortunately, due to covid restrictions, we are unable to invite families to school Masses. Once these restrictions have been lifted, families will be warmly invited back into the school to celebrate Mass with their children.
Family Masses will be returning in 2021 and will be celebrated at St Luke’s Parish at 9am on the dates listed below:
St John the Apostle St Dominic’s Day – Walk for Water
Late last year, we presented Annie O’Neill from Catholic Charities with a cheque for $2200. This was half of the $4400 raised for our St Johns Walk for Water earlier last year to celebrate our St Dominic’s Day.
Half the money raised was to be donated and presented to Catholic Charities and the Dominican Sisters during a 2020 school assembly. Due to covid restriction’s, this was unable to happen.
We are planning on presenting the remaining $2200 to the Dominican Sisters as part of the Opening Ceremony of our amazing new building, later this year.
God bless,
Jamie Mulcahy - Assistant Principal Identity and Missions