Principal's News
Alison Dean
Dear Families,
I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend! For those who follow the races, I hope you backed a winner and had a little extra reason to celebrate.
As we move further into our final term of the school year, St John's continues to be a hive of activity! There is much to celebrate, plenty of exciting events on the horizon and lots of preparation underway as we look ahead to 2027.
Our teachers and students are busy completing assessments and preparing school reports, capturing the learning, progress and achievements of each child. Next week, bookings will open for our upcoming Student-Led Conferences on 24 November, providing families with a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from their children and see the learning, growth, and achievements of which they are so proud.
We have also received the results from our recent MACSSIS survey, which have reinforced that St John's is a wonderful school community where students feel safe, welcomed and a strong sense of belonging. This is something we can all be very proud of and reflects the collective efforts of our staff, students and families in creating such a positive and inclusive environment.
Celebrating 175 years as a Parish and School Community
For generations, St John’s has been a place of faith, learning, friendship and belonging. We are proud of our rich history and grateful to all the students, families, parishioners and staff who have helped shape our wonderful community.
To finish the special celebrations, we are looking forward to a special 175th Anniversary Weekend on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November 2026.
The celebrations will include:
- Saturday 21 November – 175th Anniversary High Tea: Join us from 2:30–4:00pm in the Parish Hall for a special afternoon of celebration. $65 per person
- Sunday 22 November – Past and Present Students Reunion: Beginning with 10:30am Mass, followed by school tours, morning tea, a display of photographs and memorabilia, and fun activities for children.
- Bishop Thinh celebrating mass on both Saturday and Sunday.
Come along, reconnect and celebrate our shared history!
Please pass this onto families and friends who have attended St John's over the years. We would love to have them back.
If anyone has any St John's memorabilia please let the office know, e.g., old uniforms, school reports, class photos etc.
We would love to present these in the library for all to see over the weekend.
Students are invited to sing, read a prayer of the faithful, or be an altar server during Mass on Sunday, 22 November.
We are also inviting volunteers to be part of our special Anniversary Mass on Sunday 22 November. If your child/ children would like to sing, read a Prayer of the Faithful or serve as an altar server, we would love to hear from you!
Please email adean@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au it would be wonderful to have members of our St John’s community contribute to this special celebration.
PIC AGM Meeting
Events at St John's could not happen without volunteers. We are searching for families to help us. The PIC will be holding our AGM on Tuesday, the 24th of November at 6:30pm in the Staff Room.
We encourage as many people to attend as possible. If you have been involved in any events this year, please join. If you haven’t had a chance to get involved yet but are interested in finding out more of what we do and how you can help, please come along.
This is a very important AGM as we will nominate and vote for next year’s PIC Executive. The existing exec, Megan, Margaret and Mel are all finishing up their two year terms in their roles, so we will need a new executive in place to ensure we can continue to have a PIC and run these amazing events next year and beyond.
We are looking for a new President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Please consider getting involved, and come along to the AGM. If you have any questions about the PIC roles, reach out to any of the exec members for clarity.
Your support is very much appreciated.
St John's Christmas Carols – Christmas Stall Information 2026
Our annual St John’s Christmas Carol Celebration is just around the corner, Tuesday 1 December. We are excited to offer our students and families the opportunity to host Christmas stalls, and we extend a huge thank you to the Partners In Community (PIC) for their leadership in bringing this initiative to life.
To ensure a safe, well-organised, and memorable festive event, the school will directly oversee the coordination and provide guidance for all participating student stallholders. It is essential that the school ensures a safe and respectful environment for the Christmas stalls, in line with MACS Code of Conduct, OHS, and Child Safety Policies.
Families that would like to hold a Christmas Stall are invited to read the guidelines and complete an online application https://forms.gle/2c8AEErUpSaPbK3fA published via nForma Wednesday 21 October.
Trivia Night
A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise, supported and attended our Trivia Night!
What an incredible evening! Our community came together for a night filled with laughter, fun, friendly competition and wonderful energy. It was fantastic to see so many families, friends and staff getting involved, enjoying themselves and making the night such a success.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed their time, generosity and enthusiasm. Events like these are a wonderful reminder of what makes the St John’s community so special.
A heartfelt thank you once again to everyone who helped make the night such a wonderful celebration of our St John's community. A special thank you to Penny, Jim and their dedicated team, who did a marvellous job organising and bringing everything together. Your time, generosity and efforts were greatly appreciated and helped make the event such a success.
We have already been able to put this year's fundraising to great use! We have ordered new classroom furniture for six classrooms, engaged NOVcon Builders to create an exciting boat for the top playground and our much-anticipated soccer goals are one step closer to being purchased.
None of this would have been possible without your incredible support, generosity and fundraising efforts.
2026 Yearbook for Graduating Grade 6 Class Now on sale!
Orders for the Class of 2026 yearbook are now open - please purchase via the following link:
Orders for the year MUST CLOSE on Friday 6 November. Please remember to add the name of your student in the notes section when ordering.
Congratulations Zoe
A huge congratulations to Zoe, who proudly represented St John's at the State Athletics Championships!
Zoe achieved another personal best in the shot put, finishing an impressive 4th. She also ran well in the 100m, competing in a very challenging field of talented athletes.
We are incredibly proud of Zoe's determination, perseverance and sportsmanship. She gave both events her very best and demonstrated what it means to be a true learner and competitor. Well done, Zoe! You have made St John's very proud!
School Fees- 2027
We are pleased to share that the 2027 school fee information is now available. Please note "Extra Curricular activities" include sports, excursions, incursions, special performance/guest speakers, lunchtime clubs, sacraments etc.
We encourage families to review this paperwork carefully and begin planning early. Setting up a direct debit arrangement now is an excellent way to maintain consistent payments across the coming year and avoid end-of-year stress.
Louise and Bec are more than happy to guide you through the process, and you are welcome to establish direct debit payments straight away, continuing through the upcoming school break, to get ahead on your 2027 accounts.
School Structure for 2027
We are pleased to confirm that St John's will continue with straight classes across all year levels in 2027.
Our class structure will be:
- Prep: 2 classes
- Year 1: 2 classes
- Year 2: 2 classes
- Year 3: 2 classes
- Year 4: 2 classes
- Year 5: 2 classes
- Year 6: 2 classes
Prep enrolments for 2028
Enrolments for Prep 2028 are now open! We encourage all interested families to visit the St John’s website and submit their online enrolment applications.
Important Dates – Start of the 2027 School Year
- Wednesday 27 January 2027: Staff return
- Thursday 28 January 2027: Student Assessment Day A - K unless your letter states a different date
- Friday 29 January 2027: Student Assessment Day L- Z unless your letter states a different date
- Monday 1 February 2027: First day of school for all students
Have a great week.
God Bless.
Alison Dean