Principal's Page

Principal's Updates

What an incredible couple of weeks it has been at St John’s Mitcham. Our vibrant school community has truly shone through recent celebrations, community events and official milestones.

School Review Success

Last week, we welcomed our reviewer, Paul Ledwidge, for our formal School Review, that occurs every 4 years. I am thrilled to share that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The reviewer highlighted a powerful, consistent message across all stakeholders. Students, staff and parents all spoke with one voice about our supportive environment, high academic standards, strong wellbeing approach and welcoming community spirit. This alignment proves that we are living our values every single day. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their insights.

Congratulations, Ms Maio!

We are proud to announce that our very own Clorinda Maio has received one of the Best Teacher Awards. This recognition is richly deserved. Ms Maio pours her heart into her teaching, inspiring her students and supporting her peers daily. Her dedication embodies the excellence we strive for at St John’s. It was wonderful to see her on the front page of the V Weekend section in the Herald Sun. Please join us in congratulating her next time you see her! (You can see the full article on Australia's Best Teacher's Page of this newsletter)

Bush Dance Highlights

Last Friday night was an absolute triumph. Our community Bush Dance brought families together for a night packed with music, laughter and high-energy dancing. It was wonderful to see students, parents and teachers kicking up their heels together, enjoying the 'heel and toe' and a waltz. Thank you to everyone who attended for making it such a fun, memorable evening. I look forward to continuing this momentum as we head into the rest of the term.

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student at St John's.

Last Chance to Book Your Tickets for the St John's Primary School Trivia Night - 15 August 

There are only a couple of tables left for our Trivia Night this Saturday.

We are all getting set for our Biggest Trivia Night Yet. The Theme is 'We Are 90s', and there will be lots of questions, laughter, games, dancing and more. 

Grab your friends and arrange a table of 10, or just book tickets and we can add you to a table in your child's Year Level.

To purchase your entry and $1000 raffle prize tickets, please book via the CDFpay app

Trivia Night Auction

These works of Art could be yours to own. Created by each year level, students have worked hard to add their own artistic touch to each of these artworks. Be sure to come along to the Trivia Night to place your bid on these beautiful masterpieces.

Bunnings BBQ Thankyou

We were very fortunate to have a second Bunnings BBQ on the weekend as a fundraiser for the school. Thankyou to the many parents who were able to volunteer on the day and especially to Nick and Joelle McKay for coordinating this event for us. It was lovely to see so many families drop by also. Thankyou to everyone for your support!

Twilight Working Bee - Friday 28 August

Join us for our upcoming Twilight Working Bee on Friday, 28 August, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM! We invite all families and kids to come along and lend a helping hand to keep our school grounds looking fantastic. Our main tasks for the afternoon will be moving mulch and weeding the garden beds, so please feel free to bring your own gloves, shovels, wheelbarrows, or gardening equipment if you have them, no experience necessary! To thank you for your hard work, a delicious sausage sizzle dinner will be provided for everyone afterwards. Additionally, any families who have not yet attended a working bee this year are eligible for a $50 Maintenance Levy discount.

We look forward to seeing you there for a productive and fun afternoon together. Please email principal@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au if you are able to attend and if you have any dietary requirements.

2027 Year 6 Jumpers - Order by 21 August

Year 5 families can now order Year 6 jumpers for 2027online here. Please note that orders must be placed before 5pm, Friday 21 August.

Sample sizes are available to try at the office before or after school. We ask that parents please come with your child so you can select the most appropriate size as no refunds or exchanges are permitted with personalised Year 6 jumpers.

Students will not be permitted to sample the jumpers by themselves.

All orders need to be processed via the Spartan website. For more information, please refer to the below flyer from Spartan.

FIRE Rescue Victoria Lithium-ion Battery Safety

As the school year continues, many students are using devices such as laptops, tablets, phones, e-bikes and e-scooters. Most of these devices contain lithium-ion batteries, which have become part of everyday life, but need to be used safely. 

Fire services are responding to an increasing number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, often caused by incorrect charging or leaving devices  unattended.

That’s why fire safety at home is especially important during the school year. 

You can help reduce the risk by: 

• Only using the charger and battery designed for each device 

• Unplugging devices once fully charged 

• Never charging devices on soft surfaces like beds or couches 

• Not charging devices overnight, or when no one is home 

• Charging larger devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters away from living spaces and keeping them clear of exits 

• Regularly checking devices and stopping use if a battery looks damaged, swollen or overheats 

•  

You can watch Fire Rescue Victoria’s safety video here 

It’s also important to make sure smoke alarms are working and tested every month.  Fire Rescue Victoria recommends installing smoke alarms in bedrooms, living rooms and near areas where devices are charged—because working smoke alarms save lives. 

For more tips on lithium-ion battery safety, visit:

 https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/battery-safety

A few simple habits can help protect your home and your loved ones. 

School Closure Day - 1 September

A reminder that our next School Closure Day will be held on Tuesday, 1 September. This day will provide our staff with valuable time for professional learning and development in positive behaviour for learning management and data collection. It will also give staff time to review the current behaviour expectation matrix and make some minor changes. MACSEYE will be running a full day program at school so be sure to book in if you need care for your child on that day.

Riddle of the Week

Have a fantastic week and please reach out if I can support you or your family in any way.

Warm regards,

Verona Gridley

St John's Primary School Principal

principal@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au