Dear Families

Last Friday, I had the honour of attending the Graduate Commissioning Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Peter Comensoli. This special ceremony recognised our recently graduated teachers, including Alexia Marian, our Year 5 teacher.

During the Mass, Archbishop Comensoli spoke about the missionary nature of teaching, highlighting the profound responsibility educators have in shaping not only knowledge but also values and character. He acknowledged that teaching extends far beyond

academics - teachers serve as mentors, role models, and builders of society. He affirmed that teaching is not merely a job but a true vocation, a calling to serve and uplift others.

We are delighted to have Alexia as part of our St John’s community and wish her every success and happiness in her teaching career.

This week, we are excited to welcome Ms. Lara Beltrame to St John’s. Lara will be

working alongside Chantelle Wegner in Prep W on Mondays. With many years of teaching experience, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our school.

We also warmly welcome our new Learning Support Officer, Alessia Koutoufides. We hope she enjoys being part of the St John’s community as much as we do!

Easter Raffle – Final Days!

There are only a couple more days until we draw the winners of our Easter Raffle! Don’t miss your chance to take home some fantastic prizes while supporting our school.

All funds raised will go towards improving the school and creating more opportunities for your children. Thank you for your generosity, and best of luck to everyone in the draw!

Thank you Marisa and the PIC for organising a great fundraiser.

Tickets for our annual Easter Raffle are now available on our square site. https://st-johns-pic.square.site/ Tickets are $2 each.

St John’s Parent Engagement 2025 requirements- final session

Education is a partnership between the school and the family. At St John’s, parent support is considered to be vital and we encourage parents to involve themselves as fully as possible in the life of the school.

Avenues for participation include:

Parents in Community (PIC)
School Advisory Council (SAC)
Class Representative
Sacramental preparation
School and parish liturgies
Sporting activities - coaching and organisation
Excursions
Classroom volunteers

One requirement to be involved is to have a current WWWC and attend the Parent Helpers/Volunteer Induction Session. Our final session will be held on Thursday 3 April at 9am. We look forward to seeing lots of parents and carers at our session.

Catholic Education Week

After a morning of reflection at the Mass of St. Patrick's for all MACS schools, the wet weather did not dampen the spirits of our two school captains and school leaders who attended. They had a wonderful time representing St. John's at the Mass and concert in the Treasury Gardens, celebrating the conclusion of Catholic Education Week. Well done Clara and Jack, our two celebrities who had their photo taken for the MACS media campaign.

Ride to School Day-A Huge Success!

Our recent Ride to School Day was a fantastic success, with the rain holding off to ensure a great turnout! A big thank you to all the families who took the time to walk, ride, or scooter to school. Your participation made the day special and highlighted the importance of active transportation. We encourage everyone to keep the momentum going by continuing to ride and scooter to school whenever possible. Remember, we have bike racks available to accommodate all bicycles/scooters, making it easy and convenient for students to join in the fun. Let’s keep promoting a healthy and active lifestyle together!

AFL Auskick Program at St John’s!

We are excited to announce that St John’s has been chosen to host an AFL Auskick program in Term 2! This fantastic opportunity will run for five weeks, providing students with a fun and engaging way to develop their football skills.

📅 Dates: May 14th – June 11th (Wednesdays)

⏰ Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm

📍 Location: St John’s Oval

👦👧 Who can join? Prep – Year 6 students

For a small fee, each participant will receive their very own Auskick pack, which includes a brand-new football and pump!

To book contact Alex Federico on 0499499956

Don’t miss out on this exciting program. Please note adult needs to be there to supervise their child as it is not run by St John's staff.

Better Buddy -Harmony Day

House Cross Country - Year 3-6

We are excited for our upcoming House Cross Country at Warringal Park on Friday! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to challenge themselves, show great sportsmanship, and enjoy a fun-filled day of running. We encourage all families to come along and support the students throughout the event. Students walk down to the park at 9am and return at 1pm. We would love help if anyone is available. Thank you to PIC for supplying icypoles to the runners.

Student Requirements as it is going to be very warm:

👕 Attire: Students must wear a t-shirt in their House colour, sports shorts, and appropriate running shoes.

☀️ Sun Protection: School hats must be worn at all times, except during races. Sunscreen should be applied before school and reapplied throughout the day. 💧 Hydration & Lunch: Students should bring their lunch and two water bottles to stay hydrated.

Important Reminder:

🚸 Students will not be dismissed from Warringal Park. All students will return to school before being dismissed.

We look forward to an exciting day of running, encouragement, and team spirit.

🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🎉

Holy Week Liturgy – Stations of the Cross

Our Holy Week Liturgy will be held on Friday, March 4th, at 12:00pm. This special Paraliturgy will guide us through the Stations of the Cross, a solemn reflection on Jesus’ journey to Calvary.

Some students from all year levels will participate, bringing each station to life through scripture, prayer, and reflection. As we walk with Jesus on His path of sacrifice and love, we are invited to pause, pray, and prepare our hearts for Easter.

We warmly invite all families to join us for this liturgy in the hall.

Remember every day counts - school attendance is important

As families may be beginning to think about upcoming holidays, please remember that "every day counts at school." While holidays can be wonderful experiences, taking your child out of school during the term may impact their learning. If you plan to take holidays during the school term, we kindly ask that you notify us in advance (thank you to those who already have). As the campaign states "Every day, every minute does count".

School Advisory Council (SAC) Feedback Form 2025

The SAC provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where the parent / guardian voice and perspective inform and support the decisions made by the principal and parish priest for the good of school and parish where the wellbeing and outcomes for students is paramount. The St John's SAC invites parent feedback, suggestions and constructive comments enabling a wide range of perspectives to be shared. Please see below for the link to your level Feedback email.

	SAC Parent Representative	Feedback email 2025
Prep	Aidan Depetro	prepsac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au
Junior - Year 1/2	Kate Ruddell	year12sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au
Middle -Year 3/ 4	Mel Mahady	year34sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au
Senior - Year 5/6	Silvana Micallef	year56sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au
General/Parish	Laurette Kairouz	parishrepsac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

School Fees

School Fees. Please refer to the School Information section of this newsletter for payment dates. It is important that all school fees from 2024 are paid and finalised asap.

End of Term

Please note the students are dismissed at 1pm on the last day of term.

Important dates for the start of Term 2.

Next term, students will be required to wear their Winter uniform. To ensure a smooth transition, they will have two weeks to adjust to the new attire. During this transition period, families can choose between the Summer or Winter uniform, allowing flexibility given the unpredictable Melbourne weather.

Please note that students must wear either the full summer uniform or the full winter uniform—mixing items from both is not permitted.

As part of the Winter uniform, boys are required to wear a long-sleeve shirt, not a short-sleeve shirt. They have the option of shorts or long pants.

Girls have the option to wear a winter tunic, School shorts, or pants as part of their Winter uniform.

A special thank you to Aisling in Year 6 for ensuring equality in uniform choices for both boys and girls.

House Athletics Day-Prep-Year 6

We are excited to announce that House Athletics Day will be held on Wednesday, April 23rd. All students from Prep-Year 6 will be encouraged to participate and should wear a t-shirt in their House colour to show their team spirit.

This year will be a little different as we would like to make it a whole school event, including a parent and sibling race!

We are also looking for parent volunteers to help make the day a success! If you’re available to assist, please mark the date in your diary and let Ben Friggi know-bfriggi@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps create a fun and engaging environment for our students.

Eucharist Faith Night-Year 4 Families

Families are warmly invited to attend a Faith Formation Night as their children prepare for the Eucharist. This important event will take place in the Year 6 classrooms on Wednesday, May 23rd, at 6:30pm.

We are fortunate to have Fr. Elio Capra facilitating the session, providing valuable insights and guidance for both parents and children. We encourage all families to participate in this enriching experience as we support our students on their spiritual journey. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mother's Day /Special Person Day

Mother's Day/Special Person Lunch

After a very successful outing last year, we are excited to announce the Mother’s Day lunch is back, to be held on Friday,16 of May. Please see the booking details in the PIC section of the newsletter.

Happy Easter

As this will be our final newsletter for the term, I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to each of you for your dedication and support throughout the past 10 weeks - It's hard to believe Term 1 is nearly over.

Wishing everyone a safe and Holy Easter filled with joy, reflection, and cherished moments with loved ones. May this special time bring peace and renewal to you all.

Warm regards,

Alison Dean

Happy Birthday