Dear Parents, Carers and St John’s Community Members,

Yesterday, we celebrated the Third Sunday of Advent, —a time that invites us to pause and rejoice as we draw closer to the celebration of Christ’s birth. The rose candle reminds us of joy, hope, and light, even as we continue our Advent journey.

As a school community, may we take this time to notice the moments of joy around us, show kindness to one another, and carry a spirit of gratitude and generosity into the final days of the term.

St John’s school vision—“An inclusive Catholic community, fostering a commitment to faith and nurturing a love of learning”—guides and inspires the work we undertake each day. This vision remains central to all that we do as we support the faith formation of our students and design engaging, meaningful learning opportunities.

My heartfelt thanks to our incredible staff for their trust, dedication and support throughout the 2025 school year. I am deeply grateful for the care they show our students as they grow as learners and as young people of faith. A particular thankyou goes to the St John’s Leadership Team for their ongoing commitment and guidance.

Thank you also to Fr Vinh and Fr Geo for their pastoral leadership of our school as our students celebrated the sacraments and participated in both school and parish Masses. It has been a blessing to come together as a Pastoral Leadership Team in service of our community.

Next year, I look forward to continuing our collaboration with Fr Vinh and Fr Geo as St John’s celebrates its remarkable milestone of 175 years. Please let me know if your family would like to be part of writing out the St John's Gospel.

BIG DAY OUT- Year 6 and Prep Students

It was with great excitement that our Year 6 and Prep students enjoyed their Big Day Out / Big Day In on Friday 12 December. This special day is always a highlight on the St John’s calendar, offering our oldest and youngest learners the chance to celebrate their year together in meaningful and memorable ways.

Our Year 6 students, accompanied by their teachers, school leaders, and LSOs, travelled to Funfields in Whittlesea where they enjoyed a day filled with adventure, teamwork, and well-earned fun. From water slides to rides, it was a wonderful opportunity for our graduates to celebrate their final weeks of primary school and strengthen the friendships they have built over their years at St John’s.

Year 6 Graduation Mass, Awards and Supper 2025

It has been an honour to work with our St John’s Year 6 students as they complete their final year of primary school. This year, our Year 6 cohort embraced their leadership roles with maturity and pride, supported their Prep Buddies with kindness, participated enthusiastically in Inter-School Sports, attended Camp and led our Colour Fun Run with great spirit.

I extend my sincere thanks to our School Captains, Clara and Jack, for their enthusiastic and inspiring leadership throughout the year. It has been a pleasure to see them represent our school so confidently and respectfully.

I trust that we have prepared our students well for Secondary School and that they will each go on to reach their full potential. I am confident they are ready to transition from the familiar faces and surroundings of primary school to the new routines, teachers and friendships that await them.

Good luck and best wishes to all our graduates.

Year 6 St John's School Award Winners

We congratulate the following students on receiving Year 6 awards at the Graduation Ceremony.

John Hickey

General Excellence Award

Love of Learning Award

Faith and Social Justice Award

Sport Award

School Captain 2025

William V

Emma B

Leo A

Olivia C

Harper R

Jack F

Clara H

Year 5 Parents continuing a tradition of St John’s Community Spirit in Action

We thank our Year 5 parents for continuing our community tradition of providing decorations and supper for the Year 6 Graduation. Their efforts ensured that students and guests enjoyed supper. This contribution was another wonderful example of the strong community spirit at St John’s.

2026 St John's Student Leaders

Senior school students at St John's are provided with an opportunity to learn about leadership and participate in leadership initiatives.

It was with great pleasure that I announced the 2026 St John's student leaders. We congratulate the following students and wish them every success in their role as school leader in 2026.

School Captain - Isobel B

School Captain - Miguel V

Faith and Social Justice - Louise M & William H

Student Wellbeing - Charlotte V & Frankie P

Environmental - Spencer D & Lucinda McK

Creative Arts - Stella W

Cultural Diversity - Moyo A & Victoria F

FIRE Carrier - James S

STEM - Samuel J & Anika Y

Roberts - Olivia A

Streeton - Ollie M

McCubbin - Sebastian M

Withers - Anja A

Staffing 2026

Classroom Teachers
Prep	Cristina Menegas Chantelle Wegner/Laura Ciavarella
Year One	Brooke Davis Lauren Wilkinson
Year Two	Elise Mears/Tracey James TBC
Year Three	Catherine Carrick Olivia Bottomley
Year Four	Angelique Barbuto/Paul Tarabay Marianne Di Fabio
Year Five	Sue Lew Kee Simone Porthouse
Year Six	Hollie Goad Shane Thompson Alexia Marian
Leadership Team
Principal	Alison Dean
Deputy Principal, Learning and Teaching Leader	Elizabeth Whiting
Education In Faith	Connie Bandiera
Vision for Instruction - Mathematics Leader	Angelique Barbuto
Vision for Instruction-Literacy leader	P-2 Tracey James, Yr 3-6 Elizabeth Whiting
Student Engagement -Learning Diversity Leader	Nicole Federico
Student Engagement - Wellbeing Leader	Brooke Davis
eLearning Leader	Frank Cotela

Specialist Teachers	Digital Technologies & STEM - Frank Cotela Languages - Italian - Marisa Veronese Performing Arts - Maria Buttifant Physical Education & Sports Coordinator - Ben Friggi Literacy Intervention - Connie Bandiera Maths intervention/Library Technician - Judy Doupe Maths extension- Paul Tarabay
Office Administration	Louise Verna, Julie Sparks
Learning Support Officers	Samantha Galea,, Liza Hyland, Madeleine McKeree, Sally Tan, Alessia Koutoufides, Ismene Metiz, Charlie Gravell, Charlotte James, Mari , Naina
School Chaplain/Pastoral Care	Victor Bizzotto

Our Final School Assembly

On Tuesday, 16 December at 9am, we will celebrate our Final School Assembly in the hall. During this time we will farewell the year 6 families and some staff members retiring and leaving - Mrs Ryan, Mrs Bradley, Mrs Halse and Miss Hales.

As is our tradition at St John’s, we will farewell our Year 6 students with a Whole School Guard of Honour at the end of the day on Tuesday 16, December at approximately 12:50pm. All are welcome but please no poppers or streamers as we want to care for our environment.

MACSEYE Summer Holiday Program

We’re pleased to advise that MACSEYE will offer a holiday program during the January school holidays at Mary Immaculate Ivanhoe for St John's families.

Theme: Summer Explorers

Program dates: 12-23 January

MACSEYE Christmas shutdown period: offices will be closed from 20 December and reopen on 5 January. Please contact MACSEYE if you would like to book your child/children into this service.

Commencement of Term 1 2026

Tuesday 27th January

Staff return Term 1 2026

Wednesday 28 January

Staff Professional Development - Student Free day

Thursday 29 January

A-L Assessment day Year 1-6

(check student letter sent home 11December may vary due to siblings)

Friday 30 January

M-Z Assessment day Year 1-6

(check student letter sent home 11December may vary due to siblings)

Monday 2 February

All year levels return to school

Farewell and Thank

We also take this opportunity to thank and farewell the following Year 6 families as they conclude their time at St John’s.

Ardesi, Botsaris, Chatora, Comito, Daly, Ferraro, Hodgson-Tan, Ivanov, Karlusic, Mahady, Mikhail, Nenert, Orlando, Ramani, Taouk, Tran, Wright, Curtis, Harris, Kelly, Kheissy, Liu, Lux, Metcalf, Mouat, O’Neil, Ramsay, Stewart, Stokhla, Velardi, Watts

We are deeply grateful for their contribution to both our school and parish community.

Over the years, these families have generously volunteered their time, supported school events, and worked in partnership with us to enrich their children’s education. Their presence, involvement and commitment have helped strengthen the vibrant, caring community we are so proud of at St John’s.

We wish each family every blessing as they begin the next chapter of their journey, and we hope they carry fond memories of their years with us.

Finally, thank you to each and every St John’s student, from Prep through to Year 6. It has been a privilege to witness your growth and development throughout the 2025 school year. Well done on a wonderful year and on the many achievements you have made—as learners, leaders, and friends.

St John’s is a very special place, made richer by your enthusiasm, your kindness, and the joy you bring to our community each day.

I wish you all a safe, holy and blessed Christmas. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Alison Dean

Community News