Principals Update

 Key Events - Term 1

Term 1, Week 4 

• Friday 20th February - Casual Clothes day - a touch of orange (Story Dogs Fundraiser - Gold coin donation). Swimming Training (Interschool swimming squad) - 7.15am-8am (Waves Leisure Centre). Year 4, 5/6 Interschool sports - St John Vianney's v Mordi Beach AWAY GAME. PFA Function Barefoot Bowls, 6pm - 9pm

Week 5 

• Monday 23rd February - District Swimming Carnival (Selected students from Years 4-6)
• Tuesday 24th February - School Tours @ 9.15am. PFA Meeting at 7pm in the staffroom
• Wednesday 25th February - Classroom Helpers Course @ 9am - 10am
• Thursday 26th February - Clean Up Australia Day 
• Friday 27th February - Assembly at 3pm in the MPR

Week 6 

• Wednesday 4th March - School Tour @ 9.15am. Newsletter. School Advisory Council Meeting @ 7pm in the staffroom
• Thursday 5th March - School Closure - Pupil Free Day
• Friday 6th March - School Closure - Pupil Free Day

Dear SJV Families,

Thank you for ensuring the smooth start for the students to the school year. The staff have been amazed at how confident our new Prep students have been saying good-bye to their parents from the line up areas and walking with a staff member or on their own to their classroom. This is a real credit to the way families have prepared their children.

We are coming into a very busy time with a number of activities taking place over the next two weeks, so please take the time to check what’s on and what is appropriate to you and your family. 

Please remember that the SJV Parent night is taking place tomorrow night. All parents are invited to attend Barefoot bowling at the Mordialloc Bowls Club. It begins at 6.00pm and concludes at 9.00pm. The cost is $20 per person (payment can be made at the school office) which includes Pizzas (Drinks are at bar prices). So make sure you come along, meet new parents from the SJV community and have loads of fun. 

School closure Days

The School will be closed on Thursday the 5th and Friday the 6th of March. The staff will be involved in professional learning days during this time with a program called Team Teach. Their Care will be available on these two school closure days. Please note the following Monday is the Labour day public holiday. 

Story Dogs / Casual Clothes Day

Tomorrow, is a casual clothes day ( a touch of orange) for all students.  All students who come in casual clothes are expected to bring in a $2 coin which will be donated to the Story Dogs program that we have here at SJV. Year 4- 6 students must wear their school sports uniform to school for interschool sports. They can then bring a change clothes and put them on once the interschool sports has been completed.

Building Update

The building works have now reached an exciting milestone, with concrete scheduled to be poured this coming Monday. Please note that traffic controllers will be on site, and there may be some temporary traffic disruptions.

Once the slab has been completed, construction of the main structure will commence. We are pleased to report that the building program remains on schedule.

Whole School - Start of the Year Mass

Last Tuesday we celebrated our opening year school Mass in the Church. It was a beautiful Mass where the Year 6 student leaders were presented with their leadership badges and staff were presented to the school community. Congratulations must go to all the students, especially the Preps who participated so respectfully during the Mass. A special thanks must go to Kerry Slater for all her hard work in organising the Mass, Drew Lane and our new Choir (38 students) for leading the singing and live music and to Fr Justin for celebrating such a special occasion.

Communication

Emails/Communication are always welcome, however, we find a brief exchange at drop-off or pick-up can often address any matters promptly. The priority for staff members at SJV is the welfare and education of all students at our school. Staff  are unable to respond to emails and telephone calls instantaneously. They will, however, ensure that they attend to all correspondence within a reasonable timeframe (between 8.30am - 5pm on a weekday or within a 24 hour to 48 hour turn around). Parents are also reminded that a response to communication should not be expected outside normal working hours, or during school holidays, unless it is an emergency. 

If you have a concern regarding your child and wish to discuss it further, please follow the process outlined below:

1. Contact the classroom teacher/s first and foremost.
2. If it is a Well-being issue contact the classroom teacher and the Wellbeing Leader, Catherine Osadnik. Contact the Deputy Principal or Principal if the concern is more serious.

Thank you for your support and understanding with these expectations

Nforma 

We use Nforma to communicate with our families. Everyone needs to have this downloaded on their phone. For new families- Search for Nforma for parents. Type in your registered email with me and then hit forgot password. You will then be directed to set up a new password. Please load all medical and contact details into your child's profile. We use nForma to send you permission forms for excursions, to send First aid notifications and to set up teacher meetings like the current Pastoral meetings that has been sent to you.

2027 Prep Enrolments 

Our Requests for School Tours have begun already! 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.  If you are not able to make these tours please note that you are also welcome to call to make a time that does work for you. 

SJV School Tour Dates

Tuesday 24th February @ 9.15am

Wednesday 4th March @ 9.15am

Thursday 12th March @ 9.15am

Tuesday 17th March @ 7pm

Friday 20th March @ 1pm

Thursday 2nd April @ 9.15am

CSEF

Please use the below link to obtain a CSEF application form. To be eligible you must hold a Health Card Card that was valid on 28th January 2026. Please forward your application to the school office by the end of February.  Families who received this payment last year do not need to reapply.

https://paduavic.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/CSEF-application-form-2026.pdf

School Fees and Direct Debit Forms

At the end of last year we sent home Direct Debit forms for School fees. This is a great way to stay on top of your fees for 2026. Please fill this form in if you would like to take up this payment method and drop it into the office. If you have misplaced it, please call in to collect a new one. Accounts will be issued next week. New families, please feel free to call in and collect a direct debit form. 

Lunch Orders

We have a partnership with Station Stop Cafe on Fridays which allows our families to order lunches. These orders need to be processed by Wednesdays to be delivered on Friday. We have now locked in another supplier for Wednesdays with another Sushi Supplier. Follow the instructions below to download the app and you can start ordering!

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.

Parents & Friends Association 

Tuesday 24th February - PFA Meeting @ 7pm in the Staff room. All are welcome to attend

PFA Event 2026 - Picnic in the Park

Last Friday evening the PFA hosted the first event for the school year, Picnic in the Park. It was a wonderful evening with over 30 families in attendance. Much fun was had by all.  A special thanks to Jess Viviani and other members of the PFA for their organisation of the event and for cooking the BBQ.

NAPLAN 2026

All Year 3 and 5 students will complete the NAPLAN tests  between the 11th of March and the 23rd of March. If any families in Year 3 or Year 5 have holidays booked during this time, could they please let the school office know, so we can factor this into our planning.  We use NAPLAN to provide us with feedback about how we can improve our teaching, whilst parents are provided with a snapshot of how their child is progressing. For us, it is one assessment that makes up a thorough Assessment Schedule and should not present any stress for students, as they are well versed at completing online assessments.

Our Naplan assessments will be held on:

Wednesday 11th March- Writing 

Thursday 12th March - Reading 

Friday 13th March -  Language Conventions

Monday 16th March- Numeracy

Catch up assessments will be completed for students who are absent on the day of a test between Tuesday 17th of March to Monday the 23rd of March.

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 27th of February @ 3pm in the MPR (Year 6 students will be presented with leadership certificates)

• 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