Principal Report

Vision for Engagement 

The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - Vision for Engagement was launched on June 11 at the Immigration Museum in central Melbourne. The launch has been featured in the media at both the state and National Levels. It will focus on fostering a whole-school culture where every student feels a strong sense of belonging, motivation, and connection to their learning. Engagement is more than just participation; it is about enabling each student to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally through consistent, respectful relationships and meaningful learning experiences. Over the next six months, we will develop our 2026 Annual Action Plan to establish the key goals and strategies that will bring this Vision for Engagement to life.  I include the following forward by the Director of MACS to outline how the Vision for Engagement will enable all learners at St John’s to flourish.

MACS Vision for Engagement - Dr Edward Simons, Executive Director MACS

The MACS Vision for Engagement is our faith-inspired and evidence-informed system-wide commitment to nurturing calm, respectful, and inclusive learning environments where students are best supported to thrive academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.

Developed as a companion to the MACS Vision for Instruction, it represents another leap towards delivering the Flourishing Learners ambition set out in our MACS 2030 strategy. 

Firmly anchored in our Catholic faith and guided by contemporary educational research, the MACS Vision for Engagement focuses on upholding the dignity of every child in our care and reflects our enduring dedication to forming lives to enrich the world.

Motivated by the expectations of our parents and staff, MACS is harnessing international best practice to foster learning environments that are calm, settled and focused. Evidence shows that learning improves when students feel safe and expectations are clear. Respectful behaviour, consistent routines, and shared expectations contribute to better student engagement while enabling our staff to perform at their best. With 17,000 staff reinforcing the same high standards, all students are able to receive the care, attention and support they need. 

Vision for Engagement is an authentically Catholic model of equity in action, where excellence is not just reserved for some, but expected for all. In a world of rising complexity and declining attention spans, MACS is intentionally treating student engagement as a core developmental focus. Behavioural norms and routines will be embedded like literacy and numeracy skills, through explicit teaching, consistent reinforcement and shared expectations. 

In this context, our approach to classroom technology and device use is constantly evolving in the best interests of our students. Schools are already limiting unnecessary screen time to improve focus, reduce anxiety and restore the dignity of human connection. Especially in the early primary years, young and still forming minds require more screens to go down and more eyes to go up. 

With the release of Vision for Engagement, MACS is focused on developing and deploying system-wide professional learning support, expanded resources, policy changes, and monitoring so that our teachers and leaders can create environments where students and staff feel safe, respected and empowered to flourish. 

I commend the extensive research, consultation and care underpinning this work, and thank all our staff committed to embedding continual improvement across our system of nearly 300 Catholic schools.

Celebrating ACU Step-Up Program Graduates

We are proud to congratulate the following Year 12 students who graduated from the Australian Catholic University’s Step-Up Program on Wednesday, 5 June 2025:

• Marnath M
• Tiana M
• Vanessa W
• Kenneth F
• Katrina A 

The Step-Up Program, coordinated by ACU’s Equity and Inclusion team, supports senior secondary students in engaging with university-level learning and pathways. The graduation ceremony was held in the St Teresa of Kolkata Building at ACU’s Fitzroy campus and recognised the achievements of students across the 2024–2025 program.

I commend our students for their dedication, initiative, and commitment to their learning. Their participation in this program reflects their courage to step forward into new challenges and their determination to reach their aspirations. I congratulate them and their very proud families on this outstanding achievement.

Supporting MND

In support of our much-admired former staff member, Ms. Carolina Laing, who continues to face Motor Neurone Disease (MND) with courage and dignity, our school community once again joined the Big Freeze campaign in 2025 by proudly wearing the iconic blue beanies.

The Big Freeze, now in its 11th year, was initiated by AFL legend Neale Daniher and has become a national movement to raise awareness and fund vital research into finding a cure for MND. These beanies are more than just a winter accessory—they are a powerful symbol of hope, solidarity, and action.

This year alone, more than 2,000 Australians are expected to be living with MND, with nearly two people diagnosed every day. There is still no cure. 

To make a difference in the lives of those living with MND, including our own Ms. Laing, we encourage you to contribute to the cause by visiting FightMND.org.au.

Enrolment Interviews for 2025

Over the past week, our senior leadership team has had the pleasure of meeting many prospective Year 7 students and their families during enrolment interviews for 2026. It's especially pleasing to welcome back parents who attended our school and are now choosing St John’s for their children — a reflection of the strong reputation our College continues to build across the local community.

We invite families considering enrolment for 2026 or 2027 to come along and experience first-hand the excellent facilities, vibrant learning environment, and diverse programs that St John’s offers. Weekly school tours are held every Thursday morning, and our next weekend enrolment session will take place on Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 a.m.

To book a tour or find out more about the enrolment process, please visit our website or contact our Enrolment Registrar, Ms Helen Phillips, through the College office on 8793 2000.