St. John's Primary Mullumbimby

02/09/2026

📍 Learning on Country: Kindergarten & Stage 1 Excursion! ☀️🌊

Our Kindergarten and Stage 1 students had the most wonderful day at Walgun (Cape Byron Lighthouse) for their Jarjum excursion!

Surrounded by breathtaking sea views, our young learners stepped into a living classroom to discover the rich culture and heritage of the Arakwal Bundjalung People.

Guided through traditional stories of Country, the children had a fantastic time:
🗣️ Learning Bundjalung language words and sharing local history.
🐋 Wildlife spotting out across the ocean and coast (keeping their eyes peeled for Wajung the dolphin and Miwing the sea eagle!).
🌿 Discovering Country and gaining a deeper understanding of how the Traditional Custodians have cared for the land, sea, and animals for thousands of years.

It was a day full of curiosity, connection, and big smiles! A huge thank you to our cultural guides, teachers, and parent helpers for making this special learning adventure possible for our jarjums.

31/08/2026

📱 Taking the pressure off smartphones — together.

As parents, deciding when our kids get personal smartphones can feel like a tough balancing act. We want to protect their mental health and real-world connections, but we also don't want them to feel left out.

That’s why St John's is encouraging families to join WaitMate.org!

What is the WaitMate pledge?
It’s a simple initiative that allows parents to pledge together to delay giving children personal smartphones and social media until at least Year 7.

🤝 Strength in numbers: Knowing other families in your child's class are waiting makes it far easier to say "not yet."

⚽ Protecting real childhood: Keep the focus on learning, play, and face-to-face friendships without online distraction or pressure.

⌚ Safety stays intact: Basic feature phones or smartwatches without web access/apps for safety and contact are still fully supported!

Let’s build a supportive environment for our kids as a community.

👉 Join the pledge: Visit WaitMate.org, search for St John's, or click on the link below and add your pledge for your child's year group.

https://www.waitmate.org.au/st-johns-primary-school-nsw-2482

31/08/2026

🎒 Is your little one ready for big school?

Welcome to Junior Johnnies—the St. John’s Primary School transition to primary school program! Designed to help your child feel confident, excited, and ready for Kindergarten, our 5-session series gives future students a gentle and fun taste of primary school life.

🗓 Program Details:

Dates: Fridays — Oct 16, Oct 23, Oct 30, Nov 6, & Nov 13

Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Location: St. John’s Primary School (11 Murwillumbah Rd, Mullumbimby)

✨ What Your Child Will Experience:

🤝 Building Lasting Friendships: Meet future classmates and play together

🎨 Story Time & Art Fun: Cultivate a love for stories and creative expression

🏃‍♂️ Gross Motor Skills: Enjoy playground activities and active play

🏫 Guided Routines: Meet our welcoming teachers and explore classroom life

🎟 Bookings are essential! Space is limited, so scan the QR code on the poster or click the link below to register your child today:

👉 Register Here: https://forms.gle/X7kCUc4JeZgFK5e39

📞 Questions? Reach out to our office:

Phone: 02 6684 2386

Email: [email protected]

We are delighted to extend a warm invitation to you and your child to participate in our "Junior Johnnies" Kindergarten Orientation Program for the 2027 school year. At St. John's Primary School, we believe that a smooth and happy start to school is essential for every child. Our orientation program...

24/08/2026

📚 LAUNCHED FOR BOOK WEEK: Our New Peer Reading Initiative! 📚

To kick off Book Week, St John’s is excited to launch a brand-new initiative that brings our school community even closer together: Peer Reading Mondays! 🌟

Every Monday, our older students will pair up with our younger learners for dedicated shared reading time. Today, our classrooms were filled with wonderful conversations, big smiles, and fantastic storytelling! 📖✨

Why Peer Reading? The Science Behind the Strategy 🧠💡

Cross-age peer reading isn't just fun; it’s supported by strong educational research:

- For Younger Students (Tutees): Hearing older peers read models fluent, expressive reading and builds vocabulary. Studies show it accelerates reading progress and boosts confidence when tackling new words.

- For Older Students (Tutors): Re-reading and guiding younger peers reinforces their own literacy comprehension, while building leadership skills, empathy, and self-esteem.

- For Our School Community: Research highlights that peer-tutoring fosters positive inter-grade relationships, creating a safer, more connected whole-school environment.

Check out the photos below to see our amazing readers in action today! 👇📸

What book did your child enjoy reading today? Let us know in the comments! 💬👇

08/08/2026

🌿 Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 🌿

Today, 8 August, we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first saint and a woman whose life continues to inspire generations of Australians.

Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph, whose mission was centred on providing education and care, particularly for children and communities who needed it most.

Today holds a particularly special significance for our St John’s community. ❤️

In 1910, the Sisters of St Joseph arrived in Mullumbimby, with three Sisters beginning their ministry by teaching 28 children in a room adjoining the old brick church.

For more than a century, the spirit and legacy of the Josephite Sisters has been woven into the story of our school and our community.

As we celebrate St Mary MacKillop today, we give thanks for the generations of Sisters, teachers, students, families and parishioners who have helped build St John’s into the community it is today.

Mary’s simple message to “Never see a need without doing something about it” continues to challenge and inspire us.

May we continue to live that spirit through our own words and actions; by being inspiring, creative and caring, and by looking for opportunities to serve others in our school, our parish and our wider community.

🙏 St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.

07/08/2026

🎨 What a brilliant day of faith, fun, and colour! 🌈

Today, our community came together to celebrate St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Feast Day and honour our proud Josephite heritage.

Here is a look back at our wonderful day:

🙏 Feast Day Liturgy

We began our morning gathered in prayer, reflecting on St Mary MacKillop's timeless legacy of kindness, courage, and service. Thank you to all the parents, carers, and parish members who joined us in the hall!

🧩 Faith & Fun Rotations

Throughout the day, students rotated through fantastic hands-on activities, including making Rosary beads, tile painting, creating Lego stop motion animations, and testing their knowledge with interactive Kahoot trivia.

🏃‍♀️ Charity Colour Run

Putting St Mary's motto "Never see a need without doing something about it" into action, our students capped off the afternoon with an epic Colour Run! The school oval was filled with laughter, energy, and plenty of bright powder, all while raising money for Mary MacKillop’s ongoing charity work.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, students, and families for making today such a memorable celebration of our school identity!

06/08/2026

🌱 At St John’s, floating high expectations and deep empathy go hand-in-hand! 🌱

Creating an environment where every single child feels safe, valued, and understood isn't just a goal; it’s our shared daily priority. Our holistic learning ecosystem weaves together behavioral clarity, emotional intelligence, and the bridge of trust between home and school. 🤝💙

Here’s how we make it happen every day:

🥾 PB4L & The 'HIKE' Framework: Led by Johnny the Hiker, our Positive Behaviour for Learning model sets clear, positive expectations: Have Respect, Inspire Others, Keeping Safe, and Effort Always - whether we’re learning, playing, gathering, or moving!

🧠 The Resilience Project (TRP): We empower students with real emotional literacy through GEM (Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness), giving them the tools and vocabulary to express their feelings without judgment.

🏡🏫 The Home-School Partnership: Our dedicated teachers invest up to 30 hours a week guiding student growth, while parents act as essential co-educators, reinforcing HIKE values at home and sharing in the single most impactful daily habit: reading together!

When our support systems align, our children thrive. Take a look at the infographic below to see how our St John's ecosystem comes together! 👇✨

💬 Parents: What’s one way your family practices GEM (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness) at home during the week? Drop your thoughts below! 👇

19/07/2026

📚 Welcome Back to Term 3! 💙🩵

We hope all of our St John’s families have enjoyed a restful and refreshing holiday break.

A friendly reminder that Term 3 officially begins tomorrow, however Monday is a Pupil Free Day for staff professional learning.

✨ Students return to school on Tuesday 21 July, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back for another exciting term of learning, growth and community.

We look forward to seeing all of our students on Tuesday morning, ready for a fantastic Term 3!

09/07/2026

Celebrating NAIDOC Week at St John’s Primary School 💛❤️🖤

Last week, our students came together to celebrate NAIDOC Week through a range of engaging, hands-on cultural experiences that honoured the rich histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Throughout the day, students enjoyed making soap infused with coastal wattle, creating hand art paintings, having their faces painted, and participating in traditional Indigenous games. These meaningful activities provided wonderful opportunities to learn, connect and celebrate Australia’s First Nations cultures.

A heartfelt thank you to our Aboriginal Education Worker, Aliya King, and our Indigenous students for sharing their knowledge, culture and leadership with our school community. Your generosity helped make the day a memorable and enriching experience for everyone.

At St John’s, we are proud to continue fostering respect, understanding and appreciation for the world’s oldest living culture.

03/07/2026

✨ AND THAT’S A WRAP ON SEMESTER 1! ✨

What an incredible final two weeks of term we’ve had at St John’s! From spiritual milestone journeys to deep cultural learning, our students have wrapped up the first half of 2026 on an absolute high. 🌟

🖤💛❤️ NAIDOC Week: Our classrooms have been buzzing with deep respect and curiosity as students engaged in activities honouring the rich history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

🎒 Celebration of Learning: It was wonderful welcoming families into our open classrooms last Friday to showcase student progress.

🎒 LOOKING AHEAD TO TERM 3
Enjoy the winter holidays! Please note these important dates for the return to school:

🗓️ Monday 20th July: Staff Professional Learning Day (No school for students). Our staff are excited to join colleagues from Alstonville, Woodburn, and Lismore for an inspiring development day led by renowned Catholic education leader and author, Dr. Dan White!

🗓️ Tuesday 21st July: Term 3 commences—we can’t wait to welcome all of our students back on campus!

Thank you to our dedicated staff and wonderful families for an amazing Semester 1. Have a safe, happy, and restful winter break! ❄️☃️