Principals Update

Key Events

Term 2, Week 9

• Friday 14th of June - SJV Whole School Athletics Day @ Mentone Athletic Track (Dolamore Athletics Track)

Term 2, Week 10

• Tuesday 18th of June - School Assembly @ 3pm
• Wednesday 19th of June - Kilbreda College Production - Year 5/6 students attending
• Thursday 20th June - Whole School Mass @ 9.15am
• Friday 21st of June - Interschool Sports (H) v's Parkdale. SJV School Musical Rehearsal

Term 2, Week 11

• Tuesday 18th of June - School Assembly @ 3pm
• Wednesday 26th of June - Reports shared digitally with parents 
• Friday 28th of June - Term 2 Concludes. Students finish at 1pm

Dear SJV Families,

I hope that you all enjoyed a relaxing long weekend with your family and friends and kept warm. It is hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner, however I know that both the students and staff are already feeling quite fatigued with the craziness of the term. 

Please continue to keep Stefania and the family in your thoughts and prayers after the sad passing of her husband Simon (a former SJV parent) from a traffic accident last Wednesday evening. As mentioned in previous communications, Simon is the father of Samuele (Year 5, 2023), Oscar (Prep 2023) and Sofia (pre school). The children finished at SJV at the end of last year and now attend school at St Patrick's Mentone. This news came as such a shock for everyone in both the SJV and St Pat's communities especially to those who knew him well. Funeral arrangements will be shared with everyone, once they have been confirmed. Members of the PFA from each class have also shared a link on how you can support the family.

For the final week of the term, I will be attending a Principal's conference in Darwin. As Jill Hannan is on LSL, Kerry Slater will be the Acting Principal for the week. I look forward to sharing more about the Principal's conference in Term 3.

The next newsletter/update will be shared on Thursday the 27th of June.

SJV Athletics Carnival - Tomorrow

Tomorrow, we are holding our annual SJV Athletics Carnival. The carnival will be held at: Mentone Athletic Track (Dolamore Athletics Track), Dolomore Reserve, Queen Street, Mentone. It will start at 9:30am and go through until 2pm.   All of the Students from Years Prep to Year 6 will be travelling by bus to and from the Athletics track. Our departure time will be at 9:10am from school. All students will return back to school by approximately 3pm.

If any parents are available to assist on the day, could you please contact Rachel McAllister-  rachel.mcallister@sjvparkdale.catholic.edu.au.

We will need at least two parent helpers from each class. Parents who can assist will need to meet at the track at 9:15am and stay until 2:30pm. Please make sure that you read through the information that was sent to you via a digital form on the 9th of May.

We ask that students come dressed in their house colours and sports uniform. All children are asked to bring a packed lunch with a water bottle and plenty of healthy snacks. We encourage hats, sunscreen, beanies and coats depending on the weather. If it is raining tomorrow and we have to postpone the day, we will send a text message to all families by 9.30am.

Children will be taking part in gender heats in age groups; 9/10, 11 and 12/13 in these proposed events:

Track

• 5/6 & 3/4 - 100m,  200m, 800m(optional), Hurdles
• 1/2 & Prep - 70m Buddy Race, Shuttle Relay

 Field

• 5/6 & 3/4 - Discuss, Shot Put, Long Jump, Triple Jump, HIgh Jump
• 1/2 & Prep - Long Jump, Vortex Throw, Hurdles

Novelty

Including, Sack Race, Hippity Hop Race, Egg and Spoon Race...

NOTE: From these events house points will be earned, ribbons awarded and the results will form a basis for selecting the Cheltenham District Athletics Team (Year 3-6 students only).  Children who have only turned 8 this year are unable to progress to District level, this is a rule set by the district.  

We are looking forward to a great day. Let's hope the weather gods smile upon us!!!!

Congratulations

A special congratulations to Eliza Loadman for representing SJV and finishing 23rd in the Regional Cross Country championships.  This is an exceptional effort considering over 75 schools were represented. This is a great reward for Eliza who had been training hard and prepared extremely well for this event.  Well done Eliza, a future Olympian in the making!!

First Communion - Congratulations

On Sunday the 2nd of June some students from St John Vianney’s received the Eucharist for the first time. Congratulations to Christian Almiento, Cooper Barrett, Blair Bryla, Max Crompton, Summer Dela Cruz, Lenny Harris, Benjamin Hodgson, Lily Hodgson, Rylan McGaw, Abbey McKay, Jacob Murray, Fabian Naiken, Joaquin Ortega, Joshua Rodrigo, Sophie Ruska, Xavier Scott and Lucy Vieceli.

Thank you to Kerry Slater, Taigan Evans, Luke Brownhill, Fr. Justin, the parents and the children for making the First Communion such a special day and to the many staff who attended. 

Confirmation

The Confirmation candidates are in the process of preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.On Thursday the 18th of July, all of the Confirmation candidates are expected to attend the family workshop presented by Fr Elio Capra in the MPR. It begins at 7pm and concludes by 8pm. The Commitment Mass will take place on Sunday the 21st of July.

Stomp Program

Last Tuesday, the STOMP concert and disco was a great event with just about every child in the school in attendance. Thank you to Michaela from STOMP for the way she taught the program and arranged the concert with such energy and passion. I was very impressed with the disco moves of all of our students and some of our staff members as well. 

Staff Professional Learning Day

Last Friday, the staff came together and reflected on the MACS 2030 Vision with a particular focus on Vision for Instruction, Explicit Instruction and the Science of Reading. We discussed what we have in place already and then focused on where we are wanting to go next. The staff also spent some time learning about and familiarising themselves further with Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction. It was a successful and productive day with a great deal of learning by all. 

Reports

The staff here at SJV are busy writing reports at the moment. All families will receive their child/s report digitally on Wednesday 26th of June. More information will be sent closer to the time instructing you on how to open and read your child’s report.

 MPR (Multi Purpose Room) Refurbishment

Over the school holidays, we will be having some work done in the MPR. The old evaporative coolers will be removed, the ceiling tiles repaired and will cover the entire roof space, cabinetry moved, area for chairs to be stored will be created, painting works, new carpet and a new sound system. Work will begin in the second week of the school holidays and will hopefully be completed by the end of Week 2 Term 3. In Week 1 of Term 3, I may need some parental assistance to move the stage and pin boards. I will communicate this closer to the time.

As these works are commencing in the holidays, there will be NO Holiday program with Their Care. The holiday program will commence in the September holidays. I apologies in advance for any inconvenience.

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

PFA

Thank you to Jess Viviani and her PFA team for the great work that they are doing for our community. We had many parents attend the meeting last Monday evening with many wonderful events planned. Please note the following save the dates:

Just a reminder that we have the SJV Pizza day coming up on Tuesday the 11th of June.

2025 Prep 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.

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

NCCD

Please make sure that you take the time to read the following information regarding the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) On School Students with Disability.

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 will be shared on Thursday 13th of June.

SJV Car Park / Crossing

I have had a number of parents contact me with concerns about students crossing the road etc. I have been in contact with the Council earlier this term and asked for a crossing to put in to assist with students crossing the road. I have also suggested that speed humps be placed in the street and for larger signage. We have yet to hear back from the council regarding these suggestions/requests. The School Advisory Council will discuss this at the next meeting and will send a formal letter. 

Teachers on yard duty especially at the end of the day will be present at the entrance / exit gate to monitor the students crossing the road.  I would like to thank those parents who have been assisting me with this process. 

Regards

Mick Schinck

Principal