Principals Update

Key Events

Week 7

• Friday 30th August- Fathers Day breakfast, 7.45am - 8.45am.  SJV School Musical Rehearsal (students wear t-shirts)

Week 8

• Monday 2nd of September - PFA & Fete Meeting @ 7pm All Welcome to attend!!
• Tuesday 3rd September - District Athletics (Selected students), PSG Meetings
• Wednesday 4th September - PSG Meetings
• Thursday 5th September- Mass 9.15am. Whole school incursion - Book Week Play @ 2.30pm, PSG Meetings
• Friday 6th September- SEDA Footy Inflatables, Footy Dress Up Day, SJV School Musical Rehearsal (students wear t-shirts)

Week 9

• Tuesday 10th September - 5/6 Excursion to the MCG, PSG Meetings
• Wednesday 11th September - PSG Meetings
• Thursday 12th September- SJV  Whole school rehearsal at St Louis, SJV School Musical 7pm

Week 10

• Monday 16th September - Parent Teacher Interviews 3.45pm -4.45pm (Refer to Teaching and Learning Page)
• Wednesday 18th September - Year 3 / 4 Hoop Time Basketball
• Thursday 19th September- Parent Teacher Interviews 1.30pm onwards. Students finish @ 1pm. Casual Clothes Day / Fete Chocolate & Wine Drive
• Students Conclude for Term 3 @ 1pm

Dear SJV Families,

With three weeks to go of Term Three, there is plenty still happening here at SJV.

Over the coming weeks, our main focus will be on our whole School Musical, Once Upon a Fairytale Crisis and if you haven't booked tickets please do so as they are selling fast.

Please take note further below information regarding our school Fete which will take place on Friday the 15th of November. All parents are invited to attend a combine PFA & Fete meeting next Monday night at 7pm in the staff room.

Please keep staff members Vicki Dagher and Deb O''Shannessy in your thoughts and prayers after the sad passing of Vicki's mum and Deb's brother. May God grant them eternal rest.

Please make sure that you take the time to read the newsletter as there is much happening here at SJV.

“LEAVE THOSE TEACHERS ALONE” 

Friday’s Herald Sun included an article with this title. The article reported on new laws coming into effect on the 26th of August that protects the rights of staff to not be harassed or asked to respond to emails outside of business hours. The focus of the laws is a direction to employees not to expect staff to read or respond outside scheduled work times. The example given was of school parents and school principals emailing and expecting responses out of normal work hours. I thought it was a good opportunity to reinforce expectations at St John Vianney's. 

SJV staff access their work emails normally between 8.30 am-5.00 pm and will endeavour to respond to emails within 24-48 hours. However, staff are not expected to respond in this time frame during weekends, public holidays and term breaks. I cannot control when emails are sent but via this statement it is clear to all our families and school leaders that staff will not respond outside the hours of 8:30- 5:00pm and I have advised staff not to read or respond to any work emails from colleagues or parents outside these hours.

SJV School Musical - Once Upon a Fairytale Crisis

In the past few weeks the students of SJV have begun rehearsals for Once Upon a Fairytale Crisis, our full school concert for 2024.  The students are very excited to be learning the songs, dances and script and are already working hard!

Please make sure that you save the date for Once Upon a Fairytale Crisis - you definitely won’t want to miss this show!

Production T-Shirts

Students may wear their Production T-shirts every Friday until the show with track pants. Students will need to wear their t-shirt the day of production and again in the evening when coming to St Louis.

School Fees

This is just a reminder that we still have some outstanding school fees that need to be paid to the office asap. If you are experiencing any difficulties with making any of these payments, please make sure that you contact me on  principal@sjvparkdale.catholic.edu.au to organise a time to discuss. 

Their Care

In exciting news, Their Care will be introducing a Holiday program here at SJV during the September holidays. This is wonderful news as many of our families have had to use holiday programs at other schools. In order to sustain this program we need at least 10 children attending each day during the school holidays so if you are interested, please contact Their Care. They have planned many wonderful activities for this holiday program, even an excursion to Luna Park!!!

Please read flyer on the Outside School Hours Care page. 

SJV Fete

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15th @ 3:30pm.

Fete Meeting (Staff room) - Monday 2nd of September @ 7pm. All welcome to attend.

If you are new to the school and haven’t been a part of the SJV Fete - now is the time to get involved.  The SJV fete is famous in this area, has been running for over 50 years annually (excluding two crazy Covid years) and is the most wonderful community event.

As a parent, you will get the chance to learn new skills, hone skills you have, make new friends and enhance the enjoyment of your own child’s school experience. There are many jobs in the lead up, on the day and the day after.  All families need to be involved to make this a successful event.

There are, however, a couple of larger roles that we need filled ASAP.  They come with a handover, so you won’t be left wondering what to do.

Craft Stall Coordinator

This person organises crafts to be made and sold at the event, often hosting evenings/daytimes to make crafts together.  All parents/grandparents made.

 General Committee members

Assisting with marketing

Sourcing silent auction items

Supporting stall holders

Attending meetings

None of these tasks are onerous when we work as a team.  Thanks to those parents that have already stepped up to fill some roles.  It will be a wonderful experience.

Please contact Nate Viviani with any questions Nathan.Viviani@inchcape.com, the office or send an email to Jill Hannan, jillian.hannan@sjvparkdale.catholic.edu.au to put your name down to be a part of this great event. 

Kindest regards,

PFA Committee

Casual Clothes Day / Chocolate & Wine Donation 

On Thursday the 19th of September the students can wear casual clothes to school as a part of our Fete Chocolate and Wine Drive. 

The Choc Toss Stall is very popular at the fete, donating chocolate for the Stall is a great way to contribute to the fete and help generate profits. We kindly request your support in donating 2 blocks of chocolate per child on this day.

The Wine Stall which is also popular requires donations. Please note that students CANNOT bring the wine donation in to the office. This needs to be done by adults/parents and can be brought in to the office on this day.

Book Week Parade

The other week we celebrated Book Week with a dress up parade. The children and staff all looked amazing dressed up as their favourite book character on the day and thoroughly enjoyed participating in a variety of literature based activities. Thank you to Vicki Dagher for organising the book week activities and the dress up parade. The staff looked amazing dressed up as Reading is Magic!!

Father's Day Breakfast

The Father’s Day Breakfast will take place on Friday the 30th of August 7.45am -8.45am. We would like to see all dads and their child/children come along for a cuppa and bacon and egg breakfast. 

Footy Day / SEDA Inflatables 

Next Friday the 6th of September, students can wear their footy colours to school to celebrate the finals. On this day we will have our footy parade  at 9.00am in the MPR. Parents are welcome to attend.

Classes for 2025

As we begin the process of planning ahead for 2025 classes, I ask any families who know that they will not be returning to St. John Vianney's in 2025 please inform me as soon as possible. principal@sjvparkdale.catholic.edu.au

INCREASE IN COVID-19 ACTIVITY - HEALTH WARNING 

Issued by: Dr Clare Looker, Chief Health Officer Issued to: Health services, health professionals and the Victorian community Key messages 

• Victoria is currently experiencing increased COVID-19 activity in the community, resulting in an increase in people being hospitalised with COVID-19. 
• At the same time, we are seeing increasing cases of influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) as we head into winter. 
• During this time, it is especially important those at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are protected – this includes people aged 65 and above, people with a disability or chronic medical condition and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
• Younger children aged 6 months to 5 years and pregnant women are also at greater risk of influenza and RSV.

These six steps can help you stay ahead of COVID-19: 

• Wear a mask: a high-quality and well-fitted mask can protect you and others from the virus. 
• Get vaccinated: stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine. There are new monovalent vaccines available that are highly effective at preventing severe disease. You should get a booster if you are over 75 and haven't had one for 6 months. Other groups are also recommended to get a booster. Vaccines are available at your GP or local pharmacy. 
• Let fresh air in: open windows and doors when you can – it reduces the spread of the virus. Meet outside when possible. 
• Get tested: if you have symptoms, take a rapid antigen test. If you test positive and are eligible for antivirals, take them as soon as possible. 
• Stay at home if you are unwell: if you have COVID-19, you should stay at home for at least five days and until you have no symptoms. Speak to your GP if symptoms worsen. 
• Take antivirals if eligible: if you are at risk of falling very sick, you may be eligible for COVID-19 antiviral medicines. You must take these within 5 days of developing symptoms - the sooner the better. See your GP for more information. 
• If your child is experiencing any COVID like symptoms you are asked to give them a COVID test and if positive to stay home for five consecutive days

Google Review

We hope your experience with St John Vianney's Primary School Parkdale has been positive and enriching. If you have a moment, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share your thoughts and experiences by leaving us a Google business review. Your feedback not only helps us continue to improve and grow but also assists other families in making informed decisions about their children's education. Thank you for taking the time to support our school community!

To leave a review, simply click here.

SJV Facebook Page

2025 Enrolments 

Our Requests for School Tours are continuing with many booking times to come and visit our wonderful school! 

We are continuing the process of enrolling 2025 Prep students. If you know of anyone who is considering enrolling at the Foundation (Prep) level or any other year level, please encourage them to come and take a look and get in quick as places are filling fast. Families can book a school tour by contacting Nicole in our front office or scanning the QR code or book online on the SJV Website. Our enrolments are open to Catholic and non-Catholic students. Enrolment forms can also be downloaded from the school website or collected from the office.  We have been delighted with the highly encouraging response to the 2025 enrolment application process.

Reminders

• 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 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.
• The next newsletter/update will be shared on Thursday the 12th of August.

Regards

Mick Schinck

Principal