Principal's News

Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through Term Three! What an exciting fortnight we have had, with our students embracing a wonderful range of learning opportunities and experiences.

Our students have been busy with both incursions and excursions. Some of our Year 5/6 students have proudly represented St John’s in soccer and football, while students have also enjoyed a range of engaging lunchtime experiences. In the classroom, students have been engaged in explicit Literacy and Maths teaching, RE lessons on the Feast of the Assumption, STEM activities including designing and creating rockets, and Mathematics extension and intervention programs.

As we head into the second half of the term, we look forward to many more wonderful learning opportunities. We are very excited to welcome our families to the St John’s School Performance, Paint Outside the Lines, at the OLMC Nalleijerring Centre on Yarra Street, Heidelberg. We wish our students all the very best as they take to the stage on Thursday and Friday!

"Paint Outside the Lines"  🎭

Thursday, 13 August (Evening Performance – 6:30 PM)

• Drop-off: 5:45 PM and Pick-up: approx 7:45 PM

Friday, 14 August (Matinee & Evening Performances – 1:30 PM & 5:30 PM)

• Drop-off: 4:45 PM and Pick-up: approx.7pm

Please read the following information carefully, as it contains important details about performance times, student supervision, drop-off and collection arrangements, what students need to bring and our child safety procedures.

Friday Matinee – Important Collection Information

To support our child safety procedures, students will not be dismissed from OLMC following the matinee performance.

• Students will return to St John’s under staff supervision.
• Students will be dismissed at the usual school dismissal time of 3:20pm from St John’s.

Tickets and Arrival procedures

• There are still a small number of tickets available for families who require additional tickets. Please contact the office.
• Doors will open 20 minutes before each performance.
• Please have your tickets ready to be presented at the door.
• Pram access at the venue is very limited.

Sign-In and Pick-Up Protocols on Thursday and Friday evening

For the Thursday and Friday evening performances parents and carers must sign students in at drop-off and out at dismissal for every performance.

Alternative Arrangements: If another family member or friend is collecting your child, you must notify their classroom teacher via email prior to the show. Students will not be released without written parent permission.

Student Packing List for Evening Performances

• To Bring: A disposable water bottle, a small labeled bag with a snack for each performance. (Parents have let me know this is easier than a plastic bag). Optional items may include a book, card games or colouring in books.

• Prohibited Items: Electronic games, Smart Watches, mobile phones and lollies/chewing gum are not permitted.

• Students are to come to OLMC in their base costumes.

   

  PLEASE NOTE: Students will have a food break before and after attending the rehearsal and Friday Performance during the school days but it is best if you feed them before the perfomance. 

Performance Videos Available for Purchase Online

To prevent disruptions and adhering to our student privacy policy, personal video recording and photography are strictly prohibited. 

USB video: Families can relive the magic of our 2026 Paint Outside the Lines Concert with a professionally filmed and edited USB recording capturing all the special moments from this wonderful celebration. From the excitement backstage to the incredible performances on stage, this is a beautiful keepsake for families to enjoy, watch together and share with grandparents, extended family and friends.

Order your USB copy presented in a beautiful crystal USB case with custom artwork — a special memento to treasure for years to come. $5 of every order goes to St John’s to support the future Arts programs.

Please use this link to order your USB-Performance 2026 USB ordering     

Naplan Results 2026

We are pleased to share the great learning progress at St John's as highlighted in our 2026 NAPLAN results, reflecting the positive impact of MACS Vision for Instruction and Vision for Engagement. By focusing on clear, step-by-step teaching instruction and using student data to guide our programs, we are building strong foundations in Literacy and Numeracy for students at our school. 

Pleasingly our NAPLAN results in Year 3 show, in writing, 100% of our Year 3 students achieved in the Strong or Exceeding bands, while over 85% reached these levels in reading and spelling. Our Year 3 average in Grammar and Punctuation was our highest in five years, and 94% achieved Strong or Exceeding in Mathematics.

In Year 5 our NAPLAN  results, in Reading, 80% of students achieved in the Strong or Exceeding Bands. Importantly, students who achieved Needing Additional Assistance in Year 3 2024 now sit in the Developing Band, this reflects the strong teaching and intervention that has supported this positive growth in learning from 2024 - 2026 for these students. Year 5 Grammar and Punctuation results show St John's Year 5 students sitting above the state mean and pleasing 96% of Year 5 students are sitting in the Strong and Exceeding Bands for Writing and 92% in Numeracy. 

Thank you to our hardworking staff, students, and families for partnering with us in this learning journey.  

Victorian Football Team

Congratulations to Olivia (Year 6) who has returned home after a wonderful week in Canberra competing at the National Competition. The Victorian girls were incredible, proudly representing their schools and state throughout the six-day competition. They lost just one game and finished the competition with an outstanding silver medal! Liv has made lifelong friendships and wonderful memories along the way, and her coaches described her as their “anchor”, recognising her commitment, leadership and reliability throughout the competition. We are incredibly proud of Liv and congratulate her on this fantastic achievement!

Congratulations to Spencer(Year 6), who has been recognised as Highly Commended in the 2026 Parliament Prize competition in the Grade 5–6 category. This year, a record 1,180 students from more than 180 schools across Victoria entered the competition, making Spencer’s achievement particularly impressive. His submission demonstrated enthusiasm and passion, earning him a place in the top 6% of students in his category. We are incredibly proud of Spencer and congratulate him on this wonderful achievement and recognition from the Parliament of Victoria.

School Closure Day Reminder

A reminder to families that Monday 17 August will be a pupil-free day at St John's.

On this day, staff will be participating in professional learning focused on Literacy, supporting our ongoing commitment to strengthening teaching and learning practices across the school.

We thank families for their support and understanding as our staff engage in this important professional development.

National Week of Action Against Bullying and Violence

This week, our school is recognising the National Week of Action Against Bullying and Violence. It is an important opportunity to remind our students that everyone has the right to be safe, to be respected and to learn. At St John’s, these rights underpin our commitment to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive school community. We encourage our students to show kindness, speak up, seek help and support others if they see or experience behaviour that is not respectful or inclusive. Together, we can ensure that every student feels safe, valued, respected and ready to learn.

📚 Book Week Celebration: Friday 21 August!

🎭 Morning Parade

• When: Start of the school day (concludes by 9:20 AM).
• Where: Bottom yard basketball court.
• Who: Parents, carers, and grandparents are warmly invited to attend!
• Costumes: Students are encouraged to dress up as their favorite book character or in line with this year's theme.

🧺 Daily Activities & Whole-School Picnic

Following the parade, students will enjoy Book Week activities in their classrooms. They will head out to lunch slightly early for a whole-school picnic on the basketball court.

🎨 Special Guest: Nicky Johnston

We are thrilled to welcome award-winning Australian author and illustrator Nicky Johnston (Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination, Amira’s Suitcase)! Students will attend sessions throughout the day to hear her speak and practice new drawing techniques.

We can't wait to see everyone's creative costumes!

Father's / Special Person Day Celebrations

As we look ahead to Father’s/Special Person's Day, we look forward to celebrating the wonderful fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, brothers and special people who play such an important role in the lives of our children. Our Father’s Day/Special Person Stall will be held on Friday 28 August, providing students with an opportunity to choose a special gift for someone they love. We will also come together for our Father’s Day Breakfast on Friday 4 September, where we can enjoy some time together as a school community. We look forward to celebrating and acknowledging all the wonderful men and special people who support, encourage and inspire our children each day.

Year 5 Fundraising Initiative 

Newsletter Calendar Trial

The School Advisory Council (SAC) has been listening to your feedback, and one of the suggestions we have received is to include a Google Calendar in our school newsletter. We know many families rely on digital calendars to stay organised, so we are excited to trial this feature over the next few newsletters.

Our hope is that this will make it easier for families to add important school events directly to their personal calendars and stay up to date with what's happening at St John's.

During the trial period, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please share your feedback with your School Advisory Council representative so we can understand what works best for our community.

Please provide feedback to myself - principal@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au or email a SAC member.

Prep - Leon Stavrou - prepsac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Junior - Aidan Depetro - year12sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Middle - Mel Mahady - year34sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Senior - Mary Molloy - year56sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Additional Parish School members - parishrepsac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Laurette Kairouz, Wendy Hernandez

Once the trial is complete, we will move to a single calendar format rather than continuing to publish both versions. Your feedback will help us determine which format families find the most useful and accessible.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and help us continue to improve our communication with our school community.

2027 School Year Planning

A reminder that communication was recently sent out requesting families to notify us via email if your child/ren will not be returning to St Johns in 2027. This information helps us forward-plan thoughtfully, ensuring class structures and student needs for 2027 are addressed with our students' best interests at heart.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS)

From 31 August to 18 September 2026, students, families and staff will be invited to participate in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS).

These confidential surveys provide valuable feedback about our school and help guide our ongoing improvement. The surveys are managed through a secure online platform operated by ORIMA Research Pty Ltd, which meets high privacy and security standards.

Students will complete the survey during a supervised session at school, while families will receive an email with a secure link and password to complete the survey at a time that suits them.

Your feedback plays an important role in helping us continue to provide the best possible learning environment for all students.

SUPPORTING OUR STAFF WHILE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff. We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases. We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

Keeping St Pius and St Peter and Paul's communities in your prayers

Many of you would be aware that St Pius X Primary School, West Heidelberg, and St Peter and Paul Primary School, East Doncaster, have announced that they will be closing at the end of this year. This is undoubtedly a very difficult and emotional time for the students, families and staff of these communities.

As a Catholic community, we are called to support one another, particularly during challenging times. We ask our St John’s community to keep the students, families, teachers and staff of both schools in our prayers as they navigate this transition and make decisions about the future.

We pray that they will feel supported and surrounded by care during this time, and that new opportunities and pathways will open for every student and family as they begin the next chapter of their journey. We also give thanks for the many years of faith, learning, friendship and community that have been nurtured within these schools.

Feast of the Assumption

A reminder that this weekend the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We encourage our families to take this opportunity to celebrate Mary’s life and her faith. Please see the Parish website for Mass times.

Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you at our performance.

God Bless

Alison Dean