Principal Report

Founders Day – A Celebration of Faith and Community

On Thursday, 14 May, our college community celebrated Founders Day—a special occasion honouring the inspirational lives of St John Baptiste De La Salle and Venerable Nano Nagle, whose vision and values continue to shape and guide our mission today.

The Day began with a beautiful whole-school Mass, led by Fr. Brendan O'Connell, which set a reflective and faith-filled tone. In his homily, Fr Brendan invited us to reflect on the lives of our patrons—how they dedicated themselves to serving people experiencing poverty, provided hope and opportunity through education, and remained steadfast in their faith through adversity. He reminded us that it was through their service to others that they established a legacy that continues to inspire people worldwide. Fr Brendan posed a powerful question: What motivates us to make the world a better place? As we consider how we wish to be remembered, the lives of Nano Nagle and John Baptiste de La Salle offer rich examples for reflection.

The afternoon shifted into the annual celebration of creativity and community spirit, with a range of house-led activities and the always popular SJRC Talent Quest. This year's showcase highlighted the incredible talents of our performing arts students, featuring more than 20 performances including cultural dances, solo acts, martial arts demonstrations, drum duets, and—for the first time in several years—a Year 12 mashup performance.

Congratulations to Alexis Jackson (Year 11) for winning the 2025 Talent Quest with a stunning solo performance!

I am incredibly grateful to the many staff who worked behind the scenes to ensure the day's success, including Mr John Rhynehart (Director of Faith and Mission), Deputy Principal Mr Van Es, the House Leader Team, and the dedicated Talent Quest team led by Ms Anne Aldis, Ms Tamara Hughes, Mr Lorenzo Diab, and Ms Peri Espinoza. Special thanks to our engaging competitors, Mr Mark Alexandar and Mr Eammon Farelly, and our Maintenance, IT, Administration, and Business teams, for their invaluable support.

Founders Day was a wonderful celebration that reflected our college's heart, faith, service, community, and joy.

Paul Wade Cup

On Monday, 5 May, St John's Regional College proudly hosted the fifth annual Paul Wade Cup—a celebration of grassroots football and community spirit. Over 200 primary school students from St Mary's Dandenong, St Paul Apostle North and South (Endeavour Hills), St Francis de Sales (Lynbrook), Holy Family (Doveton), St Gerard's (Dandenong North), and St Kevin's (Hampton Park) converged on our college to compete for the coveted title.

Named in honour of Paul Wade—a St John's alumnus and former Captain of the Australian Socceroos—the tournament once again showcased remarkable talent and sportsmanship. This year, we were privileged to welcome special guest Gulcan Koca, former Melbourne Victory player and Turkish international, who presented the Cup to the champions. In a thrilling final, St Paul Apostle South successfully defended their title, overcoming St Kevin's Hampton Park to claim the Paul Wade Cup for 2025.

I extend my thanks to our Football Program partners at Dandenong City Soccer Club and our VET Sport & Recreation and Sports Academy students, who played a key role in officiating and coaching throughout the Day as part of their assessment tasks.

A special thank you to the St John's team led by Mr Ben McGee, Ms Emily Dias, Mr Paul Boswell, Mr Justin Chungue, Ms Kylie Box, Ms Shelley Iles, our Maintenance and Admin Teams, and Mr Luke Tabone, for bringing together such a successful event.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the 2026 Paul Wade Cup!

3-on-3 Basketball Competition 

Excitement is building as our 3-on-3 Basketball Competition, led by our VET Sport & Recreation and Sports Academy students, gets underway. Grading games are taking place this week, with the official competition set to begin next week.

Thank you to Mr Ben McGee (Sports Academy Leader) and Mr Chungue (Sports Assistant) for their planning and leadership of this initiative, which promotes student engagement, fitness, teamwork, and school spirit.

2025 Sports Academy Parent Information Evening

All parents of students currently enrolled in the 2025 Sports Academy are warmly invited to an information evening with Mr Ben McGee, Head of Sports Academy, to hear about our exciting vision for 2026/27 and future developments at St John's.

Topics will include:

• SJRC Coaching Philosophy
• Timetabling
• Matchplay and Competition
• Pathway Opportunities
• Q & A

We are also pleased to welcome special guest Mr Ben Robertson, National Wellbeing Manager at Tennis Australia, who will share expert insights into athlete development and wellbeing.

Date: Wednesday, 22 May

Time: 6:00 pm

Location: St Paul Apostle Centre, St John's Regional College

This is an excellent opportunity to connect with our Sports Academy team, ask questions, and help shape the next phase of our program.

Study Skills Webinar – Supporting Your Child's Learning

As the Exam periods begin, there is no better way to assist your children in their preparation than coming to our Study Skills Webinar on Tuesday, 20 May, from 6:30–7:30 pm via Microsoft Teams.

This informative session, open to all parents and guardians of students in Years 7–12, will be led by our Junior Programs Leader, Ms Nasioulas, VCE Programs Leader, Ms Bourne, and Deputy Principal of Learning and Teaching, Ms Bielinski, and will equip families with practical strategies to support effective study habits at home. Topics include:

• Understanding the adolescent brain and how learning works
• Building productive study routines and environments
• Time management, motivation, and avoiding procrastination
• Supporting emotional wellbeing and managing academic stress

I want to thank our dedicated Curriculum Leadership team for staging this important event to strengthen the home-school partnership in learning.

Reminder: Student-Free Day 

St John's will be closed on Monday, 19 May, for a whole-school Professional Learning Day. Staff will work with Teach Well's Katie Webster to strengthen teaching practices in line with our College and MACS Learning Visions. I appreciate your support.

Enrolments 2026 and 2027

I invite current and prospective parents to our upcoming Enrolment Information Session to get a closer look at St. John's vibrant learning community.

Wednesday, 20 May, at 6:00 pm.

These sessions will include student-led tours of our facilities, providing you with firsthand insights into our school's offerings. You will also hear from senior staff about the comprehensive academic programs available to students at St. John.

We welcome enrolments for 2026 and 2027, and we encourage you to book your place for this session by contacting our college reception at (03) 8793 2000 or by reserving your spot through TryBooking via the Enrolment tab on our school website: https://www.sjrc.vic.edu.au.