Principals Update

 Key Events - Term 3

Term 3, Week 4

• Friday 7th August - School Closure (Their Care available)

Term 3, Week 5

• Monday 10th August - School Closure (Their Care available)
• Tuesday 11th August - Whole School Musical  Rehearsal (Sports uniform with the school musical T-shirt) 
• Wednesday 12th August - School Advisory Council Meeting @ 7pm in the new conference Room
• Thursday 13th August - Taekwondo lessons during PE in the MPR
• Friday 14th August - Taekwondo lessons during PE in the MPR. Assembly @ 3pm
• Sunday 16th of August - Sacrament of Confirmation

Term 3, Week 6

• Thursday 20th August - Taekwondo lessons during PE in the MPR. Newsletter. Parkdale Science Fair
• Friday 21st August - Wine & Chocolate drive for school Fete. Taekwondo lessons during PE in the MPR. Kilbreda and St Bede's 2027 Students (Yr 6's) 8:30-12:30

Dear SJV Families,

Over the past two weeks we have had many whole school activities which the students have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. Key events such as  Confirmation commitment Mass, Grandparents and special Friends morning, Book Fair, School Disco, Hoop Time Basketball, Whole school musical rehearsals,100 days of Prep celebrations and St John Feast Day celebrations. These are all very exciting and wonderful opportunities for our students. 

Please make sure you read through the whole newsletter especially the PFA/Fete page as much is happening next term.

Building Update

We are excited to share that our new basketball court is nearing completion (Early to mid September) and is looking fantastic!

Although the court surface has now been completed, there is still some finishing work to be carried out over the coming weeks. This includes the application of line markings, the addition of colour to the playing surface, landscaping and gardening works, and a number of other final touches. Most of this work will be completed outside of school hours to minimise disruption to students.

While we are all eager to begin using this wonderful new space, the building surveyor has instructed us to remain off the court until all works have been completed and final approval has been given. As a result, our current student arrival and dismissal arrangements will remain in place for the time being.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these final stages. We look forward to officially opening the court and seeing our students enjoying this fantastic new addition to our school in the very near future.

School Disco

Last Friday night many students from Prep to Year 6 had a wonderful night at the school disco. With many students in attendance, many danced the night away and had a great evening. A special thanks to members of the PFA for organising and running this event.

St John Vianney Feast Day, Grandparents and Special Friends Day

On Tuesday, our school community came together to celebrate two very special occasions—our annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day and the Feast Day of our patron saint, St John Vianney.

The day began with a beautiful Mass in the church, where students, grandparents, special friends and staff gathered to celebrate our faith and give thanks for the important role grandparents and special friends play in the lives of our students. We also celebrated the Feast Day of St John Vianney, whose life of faith, humility and service continues to inspire our school community. One of the highlights of the Mass was the outstanding singing by our students and the choir, which created a joyful and prayerful atmosphere.

Following the Mass, grandparents and special friends visited the classrooms to participate in a range of activities with their grandchildren. It was wonderful to see so many smiles and to witness the special bonds being celebrated throughout the morning.

Our sincere thanks go to Fr Justin for celebrating Mass with us, Mrs Hannan for coordinating the class activities and to Mrs Slater, our Religious Education Leader, for all of her hard work behind the scenes in preparing such a meaningful celebration. We also extend our thanks to the Parents and Friends Association (PFA) for providing a delicious morning tea, and to our staff for organising the classroom activities that made the day so special.

To mark the Feast Day of St John Vianney, every student enjoyed a special doughnut treat. A heartfelt thank you to Nicole Davies, Matt Spencer from the PFA (The Doughnut King) and Woolworths for their generosity in helping provide this delicious surprise for all of our students. They were certainly enjoyed by everyone!

These celebrations were a wonderful reminder of the strength of our school community and the important role that faith, family and friendship play in the life of our St John Vianney community. Please see more photos on the RE page of the newsletter.

School Musical - Westall 66

In the past few weeks the students of SJV have begun whole school rehearsals for Westall 66, our full school concert for 2026.  The students are very excited to have learnt the songs, dances and script and are working hard!

Please make sure that you save the date for Westall 66 - you definitely won’t want to miss this show!

A reminder that next Tuesday we have our second whole school rehearsal for our school production. On this day, Students can wear their School Musical T-shirt with their sports uniform.

Confirmation

The Confirmation candidates are in the process of preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday the 16th of August at 1pm in the St John Vianney Church.

Please keep these students in your prayers.

School Fete - FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20th @ 3:30pm.

Please note the following dates for donations for the fete:

Term 3

• Wine & Chocolate drive - Friday the 21st of August 
• Lucky Jars - Friday the 4th of September
• Lolly Hunt - Friday 18th September

Term 4

• Wine & Chocolate drive - Friday the 16th of October 
• Lucky Jars & Lolly Hunt - Friday the 6th of November

Please refer to the PFA Fete Page for further details.

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

School Closure Dates - Term 3

There will be two student free days this term:

• Friday 7th of August
• Monday 10th of August

Term 3 concludes on Friday 18th of September at 1pm (early time due to building works)

School Closure days / TIL

As tomorrow is a school closure day, staff will access a Time in Lieu (TIL) day. Under the Catholic Education Enterprise Agreement, staff accrue time in lieu for the many additional hours they work outside normal school hours at events such as school camps, sacramental celebrations, Parent–Teacher Interviews, Family Evenings, the School Fete, and other evening and weekend commitments.

Schools are required to provide opportunities for staff to access this accrued time, and pupil-free days are one way this can be achieved while also allowing time for professional learning.

Following consultation with our School Advisory Council at the end of last year, allocating a school closure day for TIL was identified as the most practical and cost-effective approach, avoiding the need for additional staffing costs that would ultimately impact families.

Following the Time in Lieu (TIL) day, all teaching staff will participate in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Formation Day on Monday. This important Religious Education professional learning will provide staff with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and spiritualities, and to reflect on how we can continue to authentically embed these perspectives within our Catholic identity, curriculum and school community.

We thank you for your ongoing understanding and support as we continue to invest in both the wellbeing of our staff and their professional growth. By supporting our staff in this way, we are ultimately enhancing the learning experiences and outcomes for all of our students.

MACS Care

As mentioned in our previous newsletters, each month we will be placing information in about the Victorian Child Safe Standards, which are a set of 11 minimum requirements that all organisations working with children must meet.

For the month of August, our focus is "Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused."

2027 Enrolments 

Our Requests for School Tours continue. Enrolments for Prep 2027 are now open and we encourage all families to submit their applications as soon as possible. If you have a child or you know someone wanting to tour schools for their child, please encourage them to book a school tour by contacting Nicole in our front office. 

Uniform Shop

Our Uniform shop is open every Monday at 3.15pm for sales. If you cant make it at that time, pop into the office and fill in an order form.

Second Hand Uniforms are coordinated by one of our parents, Sahara. Please log on to Brisbane Terrace SJV Secondhand Uniform on Facebook. Sahara will approve you joining the group and you can access second hand sales through this group.

Instagram- We now have an SJV Instagram page on social media. So please make sure you follow and share: @sjv_parkdale

Reminders

• The next school assembly will be on Friday 14th of August @ 3pm in the MPR 

• Dogs - Please note that for the safety and wellbeing of all members of our community, no dogs are permitted inside the school grounds and they must not be left unattended tied up at the gates. Adult supervision and holding of the leash is so important around vulnerable places such as schools.  We love dogs but we do have to take care of all members of our community.

• Bikes and Scooters - Please walk bikes and scooters when moving through the school grounds.

• Punctuality - It is expected that all students are to be at school by no later than 8.45am and not any time up to 9am. From 8.45am to 9am is crucial for students to get themselves organised, start the day with Meditation, prayer, take the roll and ready to commence their day promptly. Formal lessons begin at 9am. Any child who arrives at or after 9am is to be signed in at the office by a parent/guardian. I ask all parents to make sure that you adhere to these times.

Regards

Mick Schinck

Principal