Principals Update

Key Events - Term 1

Term 1, Week 9

• Monday 23rd March - Naplan Catch up Test (Selected students)
• Tuesday 24th March - Whole school Mass @ 9.15am. PSG Meetings.
• Wednesday 25th March - PSG Meetings
• Thursday 26th March - PSG Meetings. Earth Hour - 2.30pm - 3.30pm. Assembly @ 3pm
• Friday 27th March - Year 6 Halogen leadership day

Term 1, Week 10

• Monday 30th March - Year 5/6 Camp (Portsea)
• Tuesday 31st March - Year 5/6 Camp (Portsea)
• Wednesday 1st April - Year 5/6 Camp (Portsea)
• Thursday 2nd of April (Holy Thursday) -  School Tour at 9.15am. Easter Paraliturgy @ 12pm in the MPR. Assembly / Easter Egg Raffle, 2.40pm - 3.15pm. STUDENTS CONCLUDE AT 3.30PM

Dear SJV Families,

Welcome to Catholic Education Week. This year’s theme, “Christ Beside Me: Walking in the Footsteps of Saint Patrick,” invites us to reflect on how we live out our faith in our daily lives.

This theme, alongside our 2026 school focus, “Use Your Gifts for Good,” highlights our St Vianney’s value of Excellence and encourages us all to lead by example, just as Jesus did.

As we have asked our students to consider how they can use their gifts for good, we also invite you, as parents, to reflect on how you might do the same in your own lives.

On Tuesday this week, our whole school community took part in the BIG Water Walk, raising awareness of the daily journey many people in Africa, Asia and the Pacific undertake to access clean water. Students and staff walked continuously throughout the day, carrying buckets of water around Walter Galt Reserve and the school oval, building both empathy and understanding. We are proud to share that, through this initiative, our community raised an outstanding $1,987 to support those in need. A special thanks to all in the community for donating and to Mrs Slater and Mrs Hannan for organising this wonderful initiative. Please refer to the Religious Education page for further details.

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

School Closure / Staff Professional Learning

My sincere thanks to the St John Vianney community for being so accommodating during our recent annual staff conference. This valuable professional learning opportunity supported our staff in meeting professional standards while also providing practical strategies for the classroom.

It was also a special opportunity for us to come together as a whole staff, which is not always possible throughout the year.

We participated with Professional Development in:

• Team-Teach Training - Team Teach Connect is a professional development program focused on positive behaviour support. This training provided our teachers with advanced skills to better understand the “why” behind student behaviours. By strengthening both verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, we are enhancing our ability to maintain calm, regulated and inclusive learning environments where every student feels safe and valued. This investment in our staff ensured we continue to lead with empathy and foster a classroom culture where learning and wellbeing go hand in hand.
• Bronwyn Ryrie Jones PD from the Flourishing Leaders Improvement network with a focus on assessment and responsive teaching. 

VACPSP Principal Conference

Next week (Tuesday to Friday), I will be attending a conference with all Catholic School Principals with a focus on strengthening key aspects of school leadership and community life. The conference will explore how we continue to embed our core virtues across all areas of school life—guiding decision-making, shaping respectful communication, and supporting student formation through both curriculum and pastoral care.

It will also highlight the importance of building a positive school culture, engaging meaningfully with our wider community, and approaching conflict with patience and compassion. A strong focus will be placed on ongoing professional growth and reflective practice to ensure continuous improvement for the benefit of all members of our school community.

In my absence, Jill Hannan will be Acting Principal.

I look forward to bringing back valuable insights to support our students, staff and families.

Year 5 / 6 Upcoming Portsea Camp

Our Year Five and Six students head to Portsea on Monday, 30th March and return on Wednesday 1st of March.  We wish them well and hope they enjoy a wonderful time away of learning and new experiences. A report will be shared in the next newsletter.

Student Mobile Phones / Smart Watches

We ask families to remind their children that all mobile phones and Smart Watches (i.e. any device with cellular capacity) are to be handed in to the office or classroom teacher at the beginning of each school day. This aligns with the Victorian State Government legislation. Thank you for your cooperation. Parents who need to contact their child can do so by contacting the school office.

Parents & Friends Association - Easter Egg Drive/ Hot Cross Bun Drive

Please support our Easter Egg drive. We are in the process of creating baskets full of wonderful prizes which will drawn in our raffle on the last day of term. We are seeking donations of eggs, chocolate, bunnies and chicks etc. Please send any of the donations to your child's classroom. 

Raffle tickets have also been sent home today as well as an order form to purchase your Hot Cross Buns.

Building Update

We are pleased to share that significant progress continues on our building works. Structural elements are now clearly taking shape, with steel framing in place and blockwork well underway. It is exciting to see the framework of the new spaces emerging and giving a real sense of the final design.

Work is continuing steadily on site, with construction teams focusing on completing the main structure before moving on to the next stages. We look forward to sharing further updates as the development progresses.

Winter Coat orders

Order forms to purchase a SJV winter coat have now been shared. We only do one order a year and our timeline is a short one. Orders will be placed on Monday 30th March and the coats should arrive at the start of term 2.  Sample sizes are available in the office. Coats are not compulsory but have been a very popular item since introduction.

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

Friday 20th March @ 1pm

Thursday 2nd April @ 9.15am

MACS Care

As mentioned in our previous newsletter, each month we will be placing information in about the Victorian Child Safe Standards, which are a set of 11 minimum requirements that all organisations working with children must meet.

For the month of March, our focus is Child Safe Standard 2: "Child Safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture."

School Advisory Council

It was wonderful to bring our School Advisory Council (SAC) together for our first meeting of 2026. School Advisory Councils are an essential part of the governance and operation of Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Melbourne, providing a valuable forum for consultation and collaboration between the parish and school communities.

These governance structures were developed through extensive consultation with priests, principals and parents, recognising the important leadership role of the Parish Priest and Principal in guiding the school’s mission, supported by the School Advisory Council.

The SAC is made up of parent members who are invited by the Parish Priest and Principal to serve in this role, with meetings held each term.

I would like to thank the following members of the School Advisory Council for 2026

Fr. Justin Ford - Parish Priest

Mick Schinck - Principal

Jill Hannan - Deputy Principal

Romesh Rodrigo - Chairperson & Parent Representative

Danielle Almiento - Parent Representative

Niki Kirkby - Parent Representative

Nathan Viviano - Parent Representative

Kirsty Zarifopoulos - Parent Representative

Michael Liujin- Parent Representative

Prashant Patel - Parent Representative

School Fees and Direct Debit Forms

All levies are due to be paid in full by tomorrow, Friday 20th March. The only exception to this is for families who have set up a Direct Debit through the office. 

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.

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 Thursday 26th of March @ 3pm in the MPR 

• 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