Dear Families,

We come to the end of another most successful and wonderful year at SJV! As this is our last newsletter, I wish to thank all our students for all their efforts to do their best with their work, to build and encourage friendships and to involve themselves passionately in the life of the school. To our parents, a huge thank you for all you do in support of your children, our staff and our community members. Finally my thanks to our staff for their ongoing dedication to providing quality education and care.

I’m sure there have been many wonderful highlights for your children and yourselves, amidst of course the challenges that school life presents. Through it all, I trust that we can look back and say what a wonderful year of learning and community spirit 2025 has provided.

Farewell to our Staff Leaving

As outlined in previous newsletters we have a few staff moving to new schools or retiring.

To Jason Kumar, Marg Klupacs and our LSO's Andrew Dimasi and Christina Dromi we wish you every blessing. We hope to see Marg as a CRT!

In an update our Rachael Gregory will take LWOP for 2026. We hope to see Rach back at SJV the following year.

Welcome to new Staff

We warmly welcome the following staff to our staff:

Ben Griffin -

Full time Class Teacher

Isabella Rosamilia -

Class Teacher Friday

Lucy Williams - LSO

Our Full list of our 2026 Staff is attached.

Step Up Day - classes for 2026

Students from Year 1-5 spent an 1hr with next years teacher(s) this morning!!

This went well and is an exciting time for our students. If a child is feeling a little anxious about their placement in 2026, it is important that you support them and know that they will be able to do well. Being 'Resilient' is an important character trait to be nurtured and developed. With both parents and staff positive support and encouragement we anticipate that all students will continue to flourish.

Please note that there is no change to class lists. As you are aware the formulation of Class Lists is a complex and thorough undertaking.

Farewell to our Year 6 students /others and families

Our Graduation Evening, celebrated last evening, was a beautiful reflective celebration honouring our Year 6 students and their families. We thank our Year six students for all they given to SJV across the past several years. They have contributed so well to school life and graduate with many wonderful long lasting memories. We wish each one of them every blessing as they move to the next phase of their educational journey at secondary college.

We thank the many families who are finishing their time here at SJV, a sincere thank you for all you have done to support and partner with our school. For some families, the partnership has been a very long one!! And again we hope that they keep the wonderful friendships and memories close to their heart.

To the few other students/ families who are moving from our area and going to a new school, we send with you our heartfelt best wishes and hope that you settle in well in 2026!

Grade 5 Leadership / Captains

The 2026 Student Captains will be announced to Year 5 students at the end of the day tomorrow.

The students from Year 5 & 4 voted for the Captains positions and staff also had input. Some students will be very excited about their Captains Role and some students will be disappointed that they did not get elected to a Captain's position. All 60 Year six students are seen as School Leaders (all will wear a Leaders badge) with around 20 Student Captains Roles.

In February next year there will be a badge ceremony for the Captains and Year 6's Leaders. The date will be Thursday 5th February at 9:15am. This will take place in the Performing Arts Area.

End of Year Mass

Tomorrow Morning we gather to celebrate and give thanks to God for our 2025 School Year. Our End of Year Mass will begin at 9am.

Mini Vinnies

This semester, our Mini Vinnies team helped coordinate both ‘Fair for Fairness Day’ and our recent 'Pyjama Day'. These events not only raised social awareness across the school but also supported the creation of 40 hampers for St Vincent de Paul. We are proud of our students for living out our Catholic identity with genuine empathy and putting their faith into meaningful action.

John Hannah House

The choir went to John Hannah House yesterday to sing some Christmas carols with the residents. What a lovely end to the year. This community partnership has been a big success!

Last Day of school in 2025

Please note that the last day of school for 2025 will be Tuesday 16th December. School will conclude at 1:00pm. The 'Year 6 Guard Of Honour' will take place from 12:30pm on the oval.

No Lunch is required on this day unless attending OSHC.

Camp Australia will operate from 1pm, but you must be booked in!

SRC Semester 2

Our Student Representative Council has been actively involved in strengthening our school community this term. They contributed thoughtful ideas on how to enhance our school environment and helped promote the Buddy Chair as a positive support for all students. The SRC also led informative sessions for ‘Day for Daniel’, focusing on child safety, proactive strategies, and helping students identify their trusted adults. Their leadership has made a meaningful impact across the school.

M City Christmas Tree Competition

SJV students created a beautiful Christmas Tree please vote so we have the opportunity to win $500

Voting: will go live on Monday after 12:00 PM. Please share the link below with your school community and encourage them to vote (after 12pm on Monday)

https://m-city.com.au/school-community-art-program

2026 Term Dates

Term 1:

Tuesday January 27 Staff Return

Wednesday January 28 Term 1

Year 3-6 at school full day - testing

Year 1-2 at school by appointment only for testing. (Appt bookings sent on 12th Jan)

Thursday January 29

All students at school

- Foundation Students Day 1 8:45am - 12pm

Friday January 30th

Foundation Students Day 2 8:45am - 12pm

Term 1 Concludes on Holy Thursday 2nd April

Term 2: Begins Monday April 20th

Concludes - Friday June 26th

Term 3: Begins Tuesday July 14th

Concludes Friday 18th September

Term 4: Begins Monday October 5th

Concludes for students Tuesday 15th December

2026 Camp Date

Year 5&6 Camp Phillip Island Adventure Camp

Monday May 18th - Wednesday 20th May

2026 School Closure Days

Monday April 27th (Facilitator available only on this date)

Monday 13th July (Day 1 of Term 2)

Friday October 16th (Day before Parish Fete)

Monday November 2nd (Day before Melb Cup)

Monday December 7th (Week 10 of Term 4 - Planning for 2027)

These days have been ratified by the School Advisory Council.

Christmas Fundraiser – Tarts for a Great Cause!

Get into the festive spirit and support our school! We’re selling delicious Lemon Tarts and Mince Tarts – perfect for Christmas entertaining or gifting.

Lemon Tarts – $12 per pack

Mince Tarts – $12 per pack

A big thank you to Bakers Delight, a wonderful supporter of our school over the year. All tarts will be delivered to school ready to pick up Friday 12th December.

All profits go directly back to our school programs – thank you for your support!

Literacy assessments, January 2026

Please see the 'Literacy news' page for details of assessment requirements for the beginning of 2026.

Oval & Play Grounds out of bounds after school for the rest of the Term.

As we have a few days left and a very busy end of year period, we have made the decision to keep the oval free from activity after school until the End of Term. We will review this in 2026. Parents & Students are not to play on the oval or playgrounds. Only Camp Australia and Kelly Sports can use these areas at these times.

Positive Behaviour for Learning