St John's
Dapto
Dapto
A Catholic Parish Primary School
Enrolments for the 2026 school year will open in February/March 2025.
— Jocelyn, St John's Dapto parent
Select one of the options below to get started.
Enrolments are accepted all year round, but the best time to enrol your child is at the beginning of the year (Term 1) – the year before your child is due to commence school.
Enrolment interviews are held in May and June (Term 2). You will receive a letter or phone call informing you of a time for you and your child to come in and meet with the principal or member of the school leadership team. Written offers of placement will follow in July.
St John's Catholic Parish Primary School is a vibrant Catholic co-educational primary school committed to every student finding meaning and purpose through continual growth in faith and improvement in learning.
Our vision and core values always remain at the forefront of our decisions. We ensure our students are provided with learning that is child-centred, contemporary and innovative – catering for the needs of each individual in a supportive and inclusive environment that challenges them to reach their full potential.
At St John's, you and your child can expect a school community focused on:
Please see our What We Offer page or Contact Us for more information.
Our school is proud to provide 21st-century learning environments for our children.
We have modern air-conditioned learning spaces, with learning technology resources available for students including access to iPads and laptop computers, and LCD TVs in our classrooms. Read more about Learning Technologies at St John's.
Our school playground provides beautiful open spaces for children to play and learn outdoors.
Our open day provides a perfect opportunity to learn more about St John’s, and to experience the difference a Catholic education offers in the quality of partnerships between families, school and parishes, and the strong sense of inclusion and community.
Open days also provide an opportunity for your child to begin familiarising themselves with the big school environment to lessen any worries about starting a new school.
Our school open days will be published on our social media pages, our school newsletter and our website. In the meantime, take a look at our Buildings and Facilities page.
Our office opening hours are Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm.
Our school bell times are as follows:
|
Morning Bell |
8:30 am |
|
Recess |
10:30 am – 11:00 am |
|
Lunch |
1:00 pm – 01:40 pm |
|
Dismissal |
2:40 pm |
Morning:
Supervision of students in the school grounds begins at 8:00 am each morning. It is an expectation that children do not arrive at school prior to this time.
Afternoon:
The school day concludes at 2:40 pm and parents/carers are expected to collect their children as soon as possible after this time.
Car Line Pickup:
Please note, our staff offer families a car line service to pickup their child/ren at 2:40 pm, without having to turn park, disembark and turn off their car.
Please see our Term Dates and Bell Times page for more information.
There are many co-curricular activities on offer at St John's!
Children have the opportunity to try out for MacKillop and Diocesan representative teams in several different sports, numerous Diocesan Gala Days and locally-based sporting events.
St John’s competes in the Da Vinci Decathlon, public speaking and Wollongong Diocesan Christmas Art competitions and Wollongong University Science Fair. We have a Student Representative Council, Mini Vinnies, a school choir and a bi-annual School Musical Production.
Students also have opportunities to engage in Enrichment Learning Teams from K-6, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and coding.
Find out more about the co-curricular activities available for students at our Co-Curricular Opportunities page.
St John's is a Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L) school and an eSmart School.
At St John's, we believe that all members of the community have the right to a learning and working environment free from intimidation, humiliation and harm. We all share a responsibility to create a culture of caring that will not tolerate bullying. We believe that bullying must be taken seriously and is not acceptable in any form. In witnessing Christian values we reject ideas, beliefs and behaviours, which marginalise or victimise people.
Our Behaviour Management Policy and Anti-Bullying Procedures, ensures clear processes are followed and that all members of our school community are aware of the school behaviour expectations. Please also refer to the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) Student Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Policy.
You can also find further anti-bullying, wellbeing and online safety resources on our Resources page.
Students are able to catch one of the Premier Illawarra school buses operating in Dapto, Horsley, Kembla Grange, Koonawarra, Avondale, Kanahooka and Wongawilli. See our school bus routes and timetables here (under 'St Johns Primary School').
Note: The School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) gives eligible school students free or subsidised travel between home and school on NSW public transport, including buses and trains.
Free travel is available for children attending Kindergarten to Year 2, irrespective of the distance from home to school. For children in Years 3–6, they must live 1.6 km or more from the school to receive a free Opal bus pass. Parents are required to complete the bus application form and it will be verified by the school office before your child can be issued with an Opal Card. Those students not eligible for free travel are able to purchase an Opal Card directly. Please refer to the Opal website.
For more information on the School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) and to apply for a school travel pass for your child, click here.
Yes, we offer high-quality organised before and after school care for our students through PEAK Sports and Learning.
PEAK offer a safe learning environment to build students' social, emotional and life skills and offer a range of learning experiences and activities.
The school canteen is available five days a week — Monday to Friday. Students can order their lunch as well as purchase recess and other food at lunchtime. Lunch orders can be placed via the flexischools app available on App Store and Google Play.
See our canteen menu and find out more information about our canteen operations on our Canteen page.
School uniform items are available from Lowes (Dapto Mall) or from Poppets Direct (1/31 Montague Street, Fairy Meadow.
For more information on the St John's school uniform, visit our Uniform page.
School fees are set by the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) and signed off on by the Bishop. These will change slightly each year. There is also a Resource Fee per child, which covers books, stationery, excursions and incursions. This varies from year to year depending on the needs of the grade.
School fee statements are sent to parents at the beginning of Terms 1, 2 and 3. Payments can be made in full or part using EFTPOS, BPAY, direct debit, or via Compass.
If you are experiencing financial hardship and are unable to pay fees, please discuss the situation with our principal. Your situation will be treated with care and confidentiality, and an appropriate arrangement may be made for you. No student will be refused enrolment because of a family’s genuine inability to pay fees.
Please see our Fees Information page for more information.
Parents and carers are encouraged to become actively engaged in their children’s education and many aspects of parish and school life at St John’s. We strive to be a connected and welcoming community and we value the engagement of parents and families in the school life in any way they can.
This could be as simple as being interested and informed about school events and activities, supporting and/or participating in community events, school assemblies and school liturgies.
If you are able, we also welcome and value your involvement in school activities. Parents (and grandparents!) can participate and contribute by:
Please note: Given our commitment to safeguarding children, volunteers will first need to complete our Working With Children Check (WWCC) process – information and forms can be found on the CEDoW website. The school can assist parent volunteers with this process.
All parents and families are also invited to become involved with our Parents and Friends (P&F) Association, who work collaboratively with the school and parish about matters that affect your child at school, as well as general issues about school life including social events, fundraising and community building.
For more information, please visit our Parent Engagement page.
If you have a concern or would like to raise any issue regarding your child’s learning and wellbeing, our staff welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your child.
We ask that you contact your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance. The best way to do this is by:
If the matter is urgent please, contact the school office on (02) 4261 4611.
We ask for your patience in response to your request as schools are busy places and the main priority of staff is the education, safety and wellbeing of the students in their care during school hours. Requests by parents for information and meetings will be responded to as quickly as possible.
If you need to speak to your child’s teacher, we ask that you do this by:
If the matter is urgent please, contact the school office on (02) 4261 4611.
We ask for your patience in response to your request as schools are busy places and the main priority of staff is the education, safety and wellbeing of the students in their care during school hours. Requests by parents for information and meetings will be responded to as quickly as possible.
The Lighting the Way Together Parent-School Partnership Framework outlines for parents and the school, the principles and expectations of the partnership that is formed when a child is enrolled in a Catholic systemic school in the Diocese of Wollongong such as St John's. It will be introduced and implemented in schools throughout the school year.
Download a copy of the Parent-School Partnership Framework and read more about this important partnership at www.dow.catholic.edu.au/partnershipframework
Parents and carers can access the St John's Compass Parent Portal here and log in using their login details.
For more information on Compass, view our Parent Information document here.
For further information or enquiries, please contact the school office.