Principal's Report 

Year 12 Retreat - Dromana

The Year 12 retreat is a wonderful opportunity for our students to step away from the pressures of VCE study for three days to reflect on the key moments and events that have shaped their lives and share a little of their hopes and aspirations for the future. As the student leaders of our community, we expect a lot from our year 12 students in setting the standards for the way we treat all members of our community with dignity and respect and we were very pleased with the way our senior students engaged in all the activities. The retreat was conducted by the Lasallian Retreat Team at the Don Bosco Camp in Dromana  and I  wish to thank them and our Director of Faith & Mission – Mr John Rhynehart ,  Camp Organiser Ms Ash Fraraccio and all the other staff who gave up time with family and friends to provide a memorable experience for our young people in this their final year of school.

Wellsprings For Women

The Presentation Inspired Wellsprings for Women group in Dandenong is launching its Cultural Cuisines “ Food truck “ on the 17th of March in Dandenong and all are invited to attend along with the MP for Dandenong, the Honorable Gabrielle Williams. The Wellsprings centre has been providing education and hospitality courses for migrant and refugee women in the Dandenong area for a number of years now, and the Food truck is a natural extension of their  desire to develop business , entrepreneurial skills and sustainable income for the  members of our local community. We hope to have the Cultural Cuisines Food Truck available for our students on our Harmony Day celebrations later this term.

Parent Forum February 28th 

On Tuesday night of this week , Deputy Principal, Mr Greg Van Es and School Advisory Committee representative, Ms Cathy Pascal, conducted the first parent forum for 2023. With over 30 families attending the online session , the forums, which occur once each term, give an opportunity for parents to hear about the operations of the school, future programs and initiatives and raise questions and ideas  for the improvement of our school. I thank Mr Van Es and all those who attended and encourage more parents to participate in the next forum to be held on  May 23rd in term 2.

Secondary Schools Invitational 

St John’s Regional College will host the first Secondary Schools Invitational Football Tournament on Wednesday the 8th of March. This will involve several schools from around Melbourne who will enter both boys and girls' teams on the day. Our partner in the St John’s Football Program, Dandenong City Soccer Club, in conjunction with Football Technique Australia, will host the tournament with assistance from our VET Sport and Recreation students. Parents of students involved in the tournament are welcome to attend on the day.

Staffing 

I advise that Mr Russell Bryant who commenced at the start of 2023, has resigned for health reasons and we wish him a speedy recovery. Interviewing is currently underway to replace Mr Bryant in the area of PE and Science.

Congratulations

I congratulate staff member Leana Bailey on the birth of her son Benson Bailey. All are going well and we look forward to welcoming the Bailey family back to St John’s in the near future.

Student Leadership Dinner

On Wednesday  the 8th of March ,  our new Student Leaders for 2023 will gather to celebrate their investiture and to begin their journey of servant leadership for 2023. They will have the  opportunity to work with Jeremy Nyerenyere, an ex-student leader from St John’s,  who is running leadership courses for young people in the City of Casey. The skill based workshop includes topics such as public speaking, leadership, youth voice and also gives are student leaders the opportunity to consider the goals they want to achieve for this year. All members of the Student Representative Council from Year 7 to Year 12 will be  present , giving our senior students the opportunity to lead and allowing our younger students to experience the positive role modelling which will assist and guide them throughout the year.

I thank Mr Van Es ,  Chef Van Der Laan and the Hospitality team for their preparation of the night, and our staff who will act as Leadership Mentors and work closely with our Student Leaders throughout the year.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Our Parent Teacher interviews will take place on the 5th and 6th of  April , the last two days of term 1. The Wednesday evening session of parent teacher interviews will be held face to face in the Br Leo Scollen Stadium at St John’s to give teachers and parents the opportunity to meet in person to discuss student learning . The Thursday session will be held online through the Microsoft teams platform. Details on bookings will be forwarded to parents in the coming weeks.