Principals Update

 Key Events - Term 4

Week 7

• Thursday 20th November - PSG Meetings & Open Water program for Year 5/6 students

Week 8

• Tuesday 25th November - PSG Meetings
• Wednesday 26th November - DRI Program with selected Year 6 students. School Advisory Council Meeting at 7pm in the Staffroom
• Thursday 27th November - PSG Meetings & Open Water program for Year 5/6 students
• Friday 28th November - School Closure (Planning and Preparation for 2026).  Their Care Program will be operating on this day

Week 9

• Monday 1st December - Whole school Advent Liturgy in the MPR, 8.50am. Protective Behaviours Program
• Wednesday 3rd December - Prep 2026 Transition Session, 9.15am - 10.45am 
• Thursday 4th December - Year 3/4 Camp. Year 1/2 Toys Incursion. Protective Behaviours Program
• Friday 5th December - Year 3/4 Camp. Year 6 Big Day Out

Dear SJV Families,

One More sleep!!

Tomorrow is the big day — our much-anticipated SJV Fete kicks off at 3:30pm and runs through to 8:00pm. The Fete Committee has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to create an exciting and memorable event for our whole community.

Let’s come together to make this year’s Fete truly special — a celebration filled with fun, laughter, and moments our children will remember for years to come. 

Don't forget that students can wear casual clothes to school tomorrow.

We are still in need of volunteers to help set up stalls this afternoon between 4:30pm and 7:30pm, as well as to assist with clean-up on Saturday from 9:00am onwards. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Please ensure you take a moment to read the latest Fete News for important information about classroom hampers, food donations, the cake stall, and more.

We look forward to seeing you there!

• The next newsletter will be shared with families on Thursday 4th of December

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

Swimming Program

Our recent Prep to Year 4 swimming program at Aquastar was a tremendous success. Throughout the program, students showed enthusiasm, resilience, and wonderful progress in building their water confidence and swimming skills.

We have received very positive feedback from both families, staff and instructors, who praised the students’ engagement, behaviour, and willingness to learn. It was fantastic to see our students growing in confidence each lesson and enjoying such an important life skill in a supportive environment.

A big thank you to the Aquastar team for their professionalism and expertise, and to our staff and families for their ongoing encouragement.

Remembrance Day Service - Mentone RSL

Last Tuesday,  our Year 6 leaders represented the SJV community at the Remembrance Day Service at the Mentone RSL. It was a beautiful service and our Year 6 leaders enjoyed the experience, especially the morning tea afterwards! We also had a beautiful service here at school led by some of our amazing students in Year 3/4.

Building Update

We would like to inform our school community that demolition of the building is scheduled to begin sometime next week. This is an exciting step forward in our ongoing development plans.

Safety remains our top priority. All demolition work will be carried out by accredited professionals, and appropriate safety measures will be in place throughout the entire process.

We will continue to keep families updated as the project progresses. Thank you for your understanding and support during this phase of improvement for our school.

AFL Victoria

We are thrilled to share that our recent AFL after-school program was a great success! Students participated with enthusiasm, teamwork, and a fantastic sense of sportsmanship throughout the program.

It was wonderful to see so many students developing their skills, growing in confidence, and enjoying the opportunity to stay active and have fun with their peers. The positive energy on the field each week was a real highlight.

Congratulations to all students involved for their commitment and effort. A big thank you also goes to the AFL Game Development Officers and families who supported the program and helped make it such an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

The AFL were most impressed with the talent!!

School Closure /End of School Year 

Please note that the next School Closure Day for Term 4 is:

• Friday 28th November - (Planning and Preparation for 2026). 
• 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

Christmas Carols

We look forward to hosting our SJV Christmas Carols on Monday 8th of December 6.00pm. Please come wearing a touch of Christmas and be ready to singalong with some traditional carols as well as some fun new ones too!

2026 Class Formation

We are so excited to see how word of mouth, the work of our teachers and the deep sense of community at SJV have all assisted in building the reputation of our school over the last 4 years.   Our numbers have increased from the mid 130's in 2021 to 191 students in 2026. This growth is very exciting and very positive for SJV.  

The School Structure for 2026 will be:

• Foundation (Prep) - There will be 2 classes of 18 students. Total 36
• Year 1 & 2 - There will be 2 classes of 21 students and one class of  20. Total 62
• Year 3 & 4 - There will be 1 class of 22 and one of  23 students. Total of 45
• Year 5 & 6 - There will be 2 classes of 24 students. Total 48
• Total number of students, 2026 - 191 students

This structure keeps all class sizes below 25 for Years 3-6 and below 22  for Prep to Year 2. It allows us to fill positions if more enrolments come and benefits the teachers/LSO workload as the numbers are more manageable.

Classes 2026 

Organisation of classes at St John Vianney's follows these steps. 

1.  Students name 5 fellow students that they believe they will work well with. 
2. Teachers then create classes for next year taking into consideration

• Separations recommended by previous teachers 
• Separations recommended by current teachers 
• Balance of boys and girls 
• Balance of academic abilities with particular focus on spread of children with specific learning needs 
• Balance of different personalities
• Students choices 

1. Once these classes are created they are checked by our Leadership Team against the data they have on the students to ensure academic balance. 
2. The class lists are then checked by the classroom teachers to ensure an equal balance across all areas.
3. The completed lists are then provided to Jill Hannan and I for a final check.

As you can see this is a long detailed process that takes a number of weeks. The process does not have a place for parents to request specific teachers, student pairings, student separations or for parents to request changes once classes are decided. I hope this gives background for the detailed process that we follow here at SJV.

Our commitment is to always put the students in the best learning environment possible. While friendships are relevant they are the final consideration when creating classes. Ultimately parents choose St John Vianney's because they believe in all we provide and that our commitment to our students will always be our focus.

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

Prep 2026 

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. 

Our next Prep 2026 Orientation Sessions will take place on:

• Wednesday 3rd December 9.15-10.45am

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.

See you all at the Fete tomorrow night!!

Regards

Mick Schinck

Principal