God of compassion,

God of all people, we praise you for your servant, Mary MacKillop,

who gave her life to serve you in the poor and oppressed.

As she is honoured in our world, may we continue to learn to share her vision.

Help us to recognise, as she did, that the poor of our time will hear the gospel in the way we serve them.

Be with us as we strive to follow her and carry out our mission of service and care.

Amen

Dear Families,

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop on August 8, we reflect on the life and legacy of a remarkable Australian woman whose deep faith and tireless dedication helped shape Catholic education across our country.

At St John's, we share a special connection to Mary MacKillop, as she once attended Mass at our very own parish church. Her inspiring words, “Never see a need without doing something about it,” continue to guide and challenge us today.

We see her spirit lived out every day—in our classrooms and in the yard—through the kindness, compassion, and willingness to help, shown by our students and staff.

As we approach her feast day, may we take a moment to reflect on how we can live out her example in our own lives—by responding with compassion, standing strong in our faith, and bringing hope to those around us.

School Review Feedback

We have now officially completed our School Review — covering all areas of the School Improvement Framework, Child Safety, and VRQA requirements.

The feedback we received was truly affirming and recognised the dedication and collective efforts of everyone in our community to make our school a special place to be each day. Paul, our VRQA assessor declared "it was one of the best Reviews he has been part of". High-quality learning and teaching, a strong sense of community, and a deep commitment to faith formation were all acknowledged as significant strengths.

We will share the full findings with the SAC team at our next meeting, where we’ll also begin discussing our priorities for the next couple of years.

A warm welcome to new students joining our school, Mia- Prep W, Lili - Year 3H and Mia - Year 5M. We look forward to getting to know these students and their families as they join our community.

Congratulations to our Semester Two SRC Students

Thank you to all the students that put themselves forward as candidates for Semester Two Student Representative Council members. We thank these students for the care and effort that they put into preparing and presenting speeches.

Congratulations to Tara, Sam, William, Stella, Emilia, Ella, Alexander, Alessandra, Harriet , Julian, Evaan, Valentina, Giovanni, Sirat, Emilia and Anastasia.

We look forward to supporting these students as we further develop student voice and student leadership at St John’s.

NAPLAN 2025

We recently received the results of this year’s NAPLAN assessments, which were conducted in Term 1. We are very pleased with the results which reflect the combined efforts of our students, teachers and families. It is always encouraging to see positive growth and achievement, and we will continue to use the data to inform our teaching and support learning for all students.

Preps Celebrate 100 Days of School

We congratulate our Prep students and parents as they celebrate 100 Days of School. This magnificent milestone highlights the wonderful learning of our students and important partnerships that parents, teachers and school staff share in the growth and development of our Prep students. Thank you to our Prep Team - Chantelle Wegner, Marianne DiFabio, Lara Beltrame, Learning Support Officers, parents and carers for all that they did to make the 100 Day Celebration so special for our students.

Crazy Hair Day Celebrations

Our Deepest Condolences to the Damiano Family

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Damiano family on the passing of Angela Damiano, a beloved mother to Johnny, Linda, and Melissa, and a cherished grandmother to Alessandra 3C, Christian 1M, Stella PW, Javier 3H, Selena PD, Catalena 3C, and Lolita OLMC.

During this time of sorrow, we hold the Damiano family close in our hearts. May you find comfort in the love that surrounds you and strength in the memories that will never fade.

MACSEYE update

Thank you for your continued patience and support as I continue to advocate for improvements to our Out of School Hours Care - MACSEYE service, based on the valuable feedback shared by families.

In my recent communication with MACS and MACSEYE, I outlined three key priority areas: communication, costing, and furniture. I’m pleased to share that, in the interim, the school has provided temporary chairs and tables to support the service until MACEYES new furniture arrives on August 13.

We hope this support helps enable more engaging and comfortable activities for your children during their time in OSHC.

Staff Professional Development Day - School Closre Day - 25 August

On Monday, 25 August, our staff will be engaged in a full day of professional learning, focusing on Vision for Instruction and reading, with a particular emphasis on St John’s AAP goal: to improve academic outcomes in Reading, especially inferential comprehension. We will also explore the new English Curriculum 2.0. Please note, this will be a school closure day for students.

Father's Day Celebrations at St John's

Friday, 29 August — Father’s and Special Person’s Day Stall Students will have the opportunity to purchase a small gift for their dad or special person. If you’re available to help with the stall on the day, please let PIC know— we’d love your support!

Friday,5 September— Father’s and Special Person’s Day Breakfast We warmly invite all fathers and special people to join us for a breakfast celebration on Friday 6 September at 7:45am-8:30am. This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time together as a school community.

18 Septmeber -Father's Night out 7:30pm

Keep the date free Dad's!

St John's FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

It is with great excitement that I cordially invite parents and carers to attend the St John’s Festival of the Arts 3 September from 4:00-6:30 pm.

The afternoon is a celebration of the Visual Arts learning and teaching at St John’s. St John’s will transform into a gallery and student’s art will adorn classrooms and hallways. As with any gallery, students are asked to stay with their parents or guardians throughout the gallery walk. Gold Coin donation on entry.

Your support and assistance in order to help set up for the Art Show would be greatly appreciated by staff and students. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

We are looking for students and adults who would like to busk by playing an instrument or singing as part of our Festival of the Arts. Each performance will be approximately 15 minutes performed at different locations around the school.

If you or a group (maybe even a family or sibling act!) would like to share your talents, please email Maria Buttifant to express your interest. mbuttifant@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

PARENTS' NIGHT OUT

St John's Jackpot Raffle is HERE!

St John’s JACKPOT RAFFLE is HERE!

Our biggest fundraiser of the year has officially launched!

Dear Parents

We’re excited to launch St John’s Jackpot Raffle and we’d love your support to help make it a huge success!

Spread the word far and wide!

Share the flyer on your socials, send it to your workmates, pass it on to family and friends, every share brings us closer to reaching our fundraising goals!

Got a local club or workplace noticeboard?

We’ve got printed flyers and counter stands ready to go! Swing by the school office and grab a few to display at your sports club, office lunchroom, café counter, anywhere people will see it.

Let’s rally together and make this raffle one to remember!

The raffle will be drawn out at the Parents' night out at 9pm.

Principal Conference – Week Beginning August 18

During the week beginning Monday, August 18, I will be attending the 2025 National Catholic Education Conference, joining over 1,500 Catholic educators, leaders, clergy, parents, and members of the broader Church involved in Catholic education.

With the theme “Hope, Anchored in Faith,” the conference will explore the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education across three key areas – Faith, Excellence, and Access.

It promises to be a rich opportunity to reflect, be inspired, and collaborate on ways we can continue to strengthen and grow Catholic education in Australia.

While I am excited for this opportunity, I am particularly disappointed that I will miss our Grandparents/Special Person’s Day and Book Week – a much-loved event in our school calendar. I know they will be joyful celebrations, and I look forward to hearing all about them on my return. If you have any celebrations or concerns during this time please see Ms Elizabeth Whiting.

God Bless

Alison Dean

Happy Birthday