Dear Families,

I hope you have had an enjoyable week.

Last week Connie Bandiera and myself had the privilege of attending the MACS Religious Education Symposium, joining with 1000 Catholic educators to reflect on the important role faith formation plays in our schools.

The day provided opportunities for prayer, reflection and professional learning, with a strong focus on nurturing Catholic identity and ensuring Religious Education is lived through our words, actions and relationships.

A key message I will bring back to St John's is the importance of creating opportunities for our students to deepen their understanding of faith, act out the message of Eucharist- to Serve others and experience God's love through our school community.

I look forward to continuing to work with our staff to strengthen our Religious Education practices and support our students to grow as people of faith, hope and love.

Prayer for Mary Mikillop Feast Day 8 August

Loving God,

Thank You for the example of Saint Mary MacKillop. Help us to follow her example by showing kindness, courage and compassion each day. May we recognise the needs of others and respond with generous hearts.

We ask Saint Mary MacKillop to pray for our school community and guide us to always live with faith, hope and love.

Amen

Term Overviews to Families

Each term, during Week 2, families receive a Term Overview outlining the key learning that will take place across all curriculum areas throughout the term. This overview provides valuable insight into what your child will be exploring in the classroom and the skills and knowledge they will be developing. Please look out for it on Nforma/Seesaw.

We encourage you to read the overview together with your child and use it as a conversation starter at home. Asking questions about what they are learning, discussing upcoming topics, and celebrating their achievements helps reinforce learning and demonstrates your interest in their education. Strong partnerships between home and school play an important role in supporting every child's success.

Annual Report to the Community

The 2025 Annual Report to the Community has now been published on our school website. As the report is prepared in the following year, it provides a comprehensive overview of our school's achievements, initiatives and performance throughout 2025.

When you have some time, I encourage you to have a read and celebrate all that our school community achieved together.

Exciting Baby News in our Community

Harriet (Prep M) and Joel (Prep W) are beaming with pride as their families celebrate the arrival of their new baby brothers. We extend our congratulations and warmest wishes to the Walhan and Allender families on this special occasion.

We know our St John's community will join us in celebrating this wonderful news and sending our best wishes to both families. We look forward to meeting our newest little members of the St John's family in the near future!

100 Days of Prep – A Super Celebration!

Today, we celebrated 100 Days of Prep—a wonderful milestone in the educational journey of our super learners. This special occasion recognised the incredible growth, learning, resilience and confidence our Prep students have shown throughout their first 100 days of school.

Students came dressed as superheroes with their Super Learning Powers, proudly showcasing the qualities that help them learn and grow every day. From perseverance and curiosity to collaboration, responsibility, and reflection, our Prep students demonstrated that the greatest superpowers are the ones that help us become lifelong learners.

A sincere thank you to our wonderful Prep teachers: Megan, Clare, Cristina and Chantelle for their dedication, enthusiasm, and care in creating such a positive and engaging start to school for our students. We also thank our Prep families for their ongoing support and partnership during this important first year of schooling.

Congratulations to all of our Prep students on reaching this fantastic milestone. We are so proud of everything you have achieved in your first 100 days at St John's and look forward to watching you continue to grow and flourish throughout the year!

Year 3 Reconciliation Preparation

Congratulations to our Year 3 students who made their commitment to their First Reconciliation on Thursday.

This is an important step in their faith journey as they prepare to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We ask our St John's community to keep these students in their prayers as they continue to reflect on God's love, forgiveness and the importance of showing kindness and compassion towards others.

We wish them every blessing as they prepare for this special celebration. Please note a time change for the Sacrament of Reconciliation - It now starts at 7pm.

Congratulations Semester Two SRC Students

Congratulations to all of the Semester Two students who have been elected as their class Student Representative Council (SRC) representatives.

We are incredibly proud of each student who nominated and congratulate those who have been elected by their classmates. We look forward to seeing our new SRC members demonstrate leadership and make a positive contribution to our school community throughout the semester.

School Performance Ticket Update

We are looking forward to welcoming our families to this year's School Performance on the 13/14 August!

Tickets for the evening performances are nearly sold out.

Any remaining tickets will then be available for general sale, with no limit on the number of tickets families can purchase from Friday- Tickets are $20 each.

Tickets can be purchased via TryBooking:https://www.trybooking.com/DNLLL

Please read all the important information about the performances, including arrival times, venue details and ticketing, in the School Performance section of this week's newsletter.

Congratulations on our 'Paint Outside the Lines' artists

And the winner is...... Edie (3 B)

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.

📚 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!

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.

Great New Sandpit and Sports Equipment

Thanks to the incredible support of our families and the success of your fundraising efforts, St John's has been able to purchase almost $6,000 worth of new sports equipment and sandpit resources for our students.

On behalf of our students and staff, thank you to PIC for their ongoing support, generosity and commitment to our school community. We know our students will enjoy these new resources for many years to come.

Footy Colour Day BBQ- 18 September

Our annual Footy Colour Day is fast approaching, and we are looking for parent volunteers to help organise and run the BBQ.

At the moment, we do not have any volunteers. Unfortunately, if we are unable to secure enough helpers and organisers, the BBQ will not be able to go ahead.

If you are able to spare some time to assist(10-12:30pm), we would greatly appreciate your support.

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.

Preservice Teacher Placement at St John's

Next week, we are delighted to welcome Miss Mosele to St John's. Claudia is currently studying her Bachelor of Education at Australian Catholic University (ACU) and will be joining our school as part of her professional placement.

Throughout her placement, Claudia will have the opportunity to work alongside Mrs Porthouse, develop her teaching skills, and gain valuable classroom experience while building positive relationships with our Year 5 students.

St John's Multicultural Day-Grandparent/Special Person Day

This year, on 19 October we are excited to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures within our St John's community through our St John's Multicultural Day. This will also be our Grandparent/special person day.

We would love to involve as many families as possible in making this a memorable celebration. If you, a family member or a friend would like to contribute, we would be delighted to hear from you. There are many ways you can be involved, including:

sharing traditional cooking or running a cooking demonstration
being a guest speaker and sharing your cultural experiences
teaching or demonstrating traditional cultural dances, music or games
displaying traditional clothing, artefacts or artwork
running a cultural activity or craft
or sharing any other ideas that celebrate your culture.

Every contribution, big or small, will help make this a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about and appreciate the many cultures that make up our St John's community. If you would like to be involved, please email Alison. I look forward to hearing your ideas and working together to make this a truly special event.

Have a great week and it is lovely to have you all back at school.

God Bless

Alison Dean

School Calendar