Principals Update

 Key Events - Term 4

Term 4, Week 1

• Thursday 9th October - Kingston Division Athletics (selected students)

Term 4, Week 2

• Tuesday 14th of October - Fete Meeting at 7pm in the new staffroom.
• Friday 17th October - Wine and Chocolate Drive for school fete. Whole school Assembly @ 2.45pm

Term 4, Week 3

• Thursday 23rd October -  Reconciliation Family night, 7pm - 8pm
• Friday 24th October - Japanese Incursion/Festival

Dear SJV Families,

Welcome back to the final school term of the year. I hope you all had the chance to relax and enjoy some downtime during the holidays. The sunshine and warm weather some of the time certainly made for some beautiful days and I hope your children got outside and enjoyed the fresh air. Congratulations to all of the Lions supporters on their team winning the premiership. It certainly was a great win by them.

We have another busy term coming up with a variety of events such as  the Year 3/4 camp, Graduation, Reconciliation, school reports, Prep orientation 2026, school fete and Christmas Carols evening, just to name a few. It promises to be another exciting term with many opportunities offered to all of our wonderful students.

This term, we also welcome the Chernitsky family who have joined our SJV community. Helena will be in 1/2KK and Tomi will be in Prep CO. Both have all started the term extremely well and we hope that they enjoy the number of learning experiences that we offer here at SJV.  I am sure that you will all make them feel welcomed. 

• The next newsletter will be shared with families on Thursday 23rd of October

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

Building Update

As we prepare for the exciting next phase of our building project, staff were incredibly busy at the end of last term packing up and decluttering key areas of the school — including classrooms, the Atrium, the Art Room, the office, and various learning spaces. Their hard work has ensured we are well prepared for the work to commence in the coming weeks.

Over the school holidays, a number of changes took place. Additional storage has been created in the Year 3 & 4 area using repurposed cabinetry from the Atrium. All Maths, STEM, and Religious Education resources that were previously housed in the Atrium are now stored here. We’ve also re-organised the MPR space to store board games and LEGO resources.

As the Atrium and office/admin area is scheduled for demolition in the coming weeks, please note the following changes to specialist music lessons:

• Music lessons will now be held in the MPR on Mondays and the Art Room on Tuesdays.

   

A big thank you to the amazing staff who generously gave their time during the school holidays to move resources from the current administration and staff areas into the newly installed modular buildings.

New Office, Administration & Staff Facilities

As you communicated earlier on in the week, we have begun operating from our new modular admin and staffroom space, which includes the First Aid area for students. 

Please note that the current administration area will now be locked.

Parents and students will no longer be able to enter the school through this area. Instead, please use the gates next to the temporary admin buildings for entry. A keypad lock will be installed on this gate shortly, and I will share instructions on how to use it once in place.

Signing students in or out will now be done via the new temporary admin space. Please remember that parents are not permitted to enter classrooms or school grounds between 8:55am and 3:30pm. Signage has been installed to help direct families to the correct entry points.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we settle into these new spaces.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to get in touch or come and see me directly.

Exciting Next Steps

As mentioned in a previous correspondence, we are pleased to announce that Amity Building Group has been appointed as the head contractor for our building works. They will officially take possession of the site from Monday, 20th October, with temporary fencing to be installed on Friday, 17th October (to be confirmed).

The first stage of the works includes the demolition of the Atrium and the current administration area. The PE shed and PFA shed will remain in place for now and are scheduled to be redeveloped as part of the second stage in 2026, following the expected completion of Stage One in mid-to-late July 2026.

We will continue to keep families informed with regular updates as the project progresses.

Thank you for your ongoing support and flexibility during this transition. We’re looking forward to seeing the transformation of our school unfold in the months ahead.

Staffing Update

We’re delighted to share some wonderful news with our school community — Laura Heiberg is expecting a baby!

We know you’ll join us in congratulating Laura on this exciting new chapter. 

At the end of the year, Catherine Weekes who is currently the Performing Arts teacher will not be returning to SJV in 2026.

Fiona Lee who currently teaches in Prep OL will also not be returning to SJV in 2026 as her days have been increased at her other school that she teaches at. 

We will farewell them both appropriately towards the end of the year.

AFL Play Coming to SJV

In exciting news AFL play is coming to SJV next term. Students can join in the program which will take place straight after school at 3.40pm. PARENTS DO NOT NEED TO COLLECT THEIR CHILD FROM THE CLASSROOM AND TAKE THEM TO THE OVAL FOR AFL PLAY. Staff from SJV and the AFL will meet the students on the oval. Please see below for further details and how to register

Family Sex Education Program  

The Family Sex Education Program for Schools is coming. Students from Years 3 - 6 and their parents are invited to participate in the Family Program, a sexuality education program on Wednesday 15th October 2025. The program will be delivered by experienced presenter and mother of 4, Cathrine McCallig, over 2 sessions.

• Session 1: 6pm - 7pm    FAMILIES, BODIES AND BABIES
• Session 2:   7.15pm - 8.15pm  PUBERTY - GROWING & CHANGING 

Costs : $25 per family for one session OR $30 for both sessions. Please see the flyer below for further details. Bookings via the TRYBooking link below.

https://www.trybooking.com/DFKOZ

Japanese Day

Term Letters 

The term letter for your child’s year level was sent via email on Tuesday. It details plans for the term. Please make sure you take the time to read it so you are aware of what is happening in your child’s class.

Pupil Free Days

There will be no school for students on Friday 31st of October and Monday, 3rd November, the day before the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday. 

End of School Year 

School will finish for students at 12:00pm on Tuesday, 16th December.

Classes for 2026

As we begin the process of planning ahead for 2026 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

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.

SJV Fete

Please make sure that you check out the Fete page in the newsletter for further information on ways we require all parents to assist.

Please note the following dates for donations for the fete:

Term 4

• Wine & Chocolate drive - Friday the 17th of October 
• Lucky Jars & Lolly Hunt - Friday the 7th of November

Stall Co-Ordinator's Needed

1. Kids books and toys -  All items for the stall are donated by SJV families. Organisers only need to set up the stall on Thursday/Friday and finds helpers to run the stall at the fete
2. Games/Carnival Co-Ordinator’s (2-3 organisers) – we have received an amazing donation of toys ready for this stall. We just need a few volunteers to work together to come up with some fun carnival games the kids can play to win prizes (We already have a lucky spinning wheel)
3. Flower Stall – previously we worked with a local florist to get a collection of flowers at bulk fair prices. Then on the day of the fete these need to be collected and put into either decorated jars or just wrapped and bundled ready for selling
4. Lolly Hunt – Lollies for this stall are donated by SJV families. You just need to organise bags for the kids to collect lollies, work with the committee to organise a bale of hay and then volunteers to run the stall on the day. The lolly hunt tent is set up by volunteers at the working bee the day before the fete
5. Handball Competition – Kids handball to a target and a score is collated and the winner at the end gets a prize. All participants get a lolly (eg mentos) for completing.

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

Prep 2026 Parent Information Evening

We are excitedly preparing to welcome our 2026 Prep families and students for their Orientation program. This program continues to be a highlight of the year, as these children take their first big steps into school life. While some students already have a sibling at SJV, we cannot underestimate how this can still be quite an overwhelming experience as the children transition away from a very small Kinder/Early Learning Centre setting into a significantly larger one. For our new (and not so new) Prep parents, we look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday 29th October at 7.00pm in the MPR. This information evening is a wonderful opportunity to meet new families and teachers who will work with your children.  

Our Prep 2026 Orientation Sessions are as follows:

• Friday 14th November 9:15am-10:45am

• Wednesday 3rd December 9.15-10.45am

2026  Enrolments 

Our requests for School Tours are continuing with many booking times to come and visit our wonderful school. Enrolments for Prep 2026 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 (Limited places available).   

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 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.

• The next Newsletter will be shared on Thursday 23r October.

Regards

Mick Schinck

Principal