Principals Update

Key Events - Term 1

Term 1, Week 9

• Friday 28th of March -  House Cross Country, 9.05am - 11am

Term 1, Week 10

• Tuesday 1st April - PSG Meetings. FETE MEETING AT 7PM
• Wednesday 2nd April - PSG Meetings
• Thursday 3rd April - PSG Meetings. School Tour at 9.15am
• Friday 4th of April  - Interschool Sports vs St Mark's (away). Easter Paraliturgy / Assembly / Easter Egg Raffle, 1.30pm - 2.15pm. STUDENTS CONCLUDE AT 2.30PM

Term 2, Week 1

• Monday 21st April - Easter Monday (Public Holiday)
• Tuesday 22nd April - Term 2 Commences. Students return to school
• Thursday 24th April - Anzac Day Service @ 3pm in the MPR
• Friday 25th April - Anzac Day Public Holiday

Dear SJV Families,

It is hard to believe that we are heading into last week of Term 1. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the wonderful staff we have here at SJV. I am extremely proud of all the staff and their commitment to each and every student in the school, whether they work directly with them or not. The staff always ensure that our students continue to have the best opportunities possible, “Every Child, every Opportunity”. I am grateful for their generosity and positive mindset. The support they continue to show everyone in our school is amazing. As Principal and a colleague, I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful community.

As this is the last newsletter for the term, on behalf of all the staff here at SJV, I hope that all families have a very restful and safe Easter holiday and find time to reflect on the significance of this time to us as a Catholic Community.  

YEAR 5/6 CANBERRA EXPERIENCE

Last Monday the 17th of March at 6.30am, 28 Year 5/6 students and 5 staff headed off to Canberra on a bus for the week. Students from our school were participating in an educational tour of the national capital. They had the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The activities that the students participated in were: Australian War Memorial, Cycle Canberra Bike Ride, Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Australian Institute of Sport, The National Arboretum Canberra, Electoral Education Centre, Embassy Drive, Questacon – National Science & Technology Centre, Royal Mint, Parliament House, Mount Ainslie Lookout, National Gallery of Australia, and night activities – Night Walk,  Dinosaur Museum plus Zone Bowling Tuggeranong. It was an action-packed trip with many memorable experiences. Please click below to view a snapshot of the trip:

The students had an amazing time and learnt a great deal. They were also very well behaved with many compliments given by members of the general public especially on the day that they wore their school uniform to Parliament house and the War Memorial. Please click the link below to view the Last Post Ceremony of which some of our students participated in.

Camps like this cannot take place without the support and hard work of a number of people. I would like to publicly acknowledge and thank Laura Heiberg, John James, Phil Daidone and Jill Hannan who and attended the Year 5/6  camp in Canberra. I would also like to thank staff back at school for picking up extra duties and being so accommodating with staffing and timetable changes. As I explained to the Year 5 & 6 students at the Canberra camp, it takes an effort by the whole school to make a camp happen like this, not just the people who attend. Thank you also to Kerry Slater / Mary Moor who were the Acting Principal while I was in Canberra.

It is also important to recognise and thank the PFA here at SJV. The PFA through their fundraising efforts, generously donated $150 per student to attend the Canberra camp. This helped keep the costs down for families of students attending. As this Canberra camp will continue every two years, the PFA will continue to support this experience for the students financially.

It is also important to thank the Australian Government. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist our Year 5/6 families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $45 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the Excursion.

School Winter Uniforms

At the commencement of Term 2, students may wear either the FULL summer uniform or FULL winter uniform (please do not mix and match the uniforms) until the end of Week 2. From Monday 5th May, ALL student must be in FULL WINTER UNIFORM.  

Harmony Day

Congratulations to all the students who participated Harmony Day last Friday. Please check some photos of the activities that the children participated in.

SJV Parent Night - Barefoot Bowling

Thank you to Jess Viviani and other members of the PFA for organising the barefoot bowling evening last Friday at the Mordialloc Bowls Club. It was a great turn out with many of our new parents from Prep attending. A lot of fun was had by all.

Parents & Friends Association - Hot Cross Buns

If you would like to order some Hot Cross buns, please do so by Monday the 31st of March. The buns will be delivered to school on Friday the 4th of April. Please see the flyer for further details.

Parents & Friends Association - Easter Egg 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.

Parents & Friends Association - SJV Dads Group

Lunch Fox

This year lunch orders are available on a Monday and a Friday. Monday's suppliers are Zagu who will be providing Sushi and Fridays suppliers are Station Stop Cafe, who provide a variety of bakery items. To order you need to down load the Lunch Fox App, select our school and set up your profile. Please note that orders need to be placed 48 hours ahead.

2026 Prep Enrolments 

Our Requests for School Tours have begun already! Enrolments for Prep 2026 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. 

Upcoming SJV School Tour Dates

Thursday 3rd April @ 9.15am

nForma App for Parents

All parents are registered on nForma. If you haven't downloaded the app or you are new to the school this year, please do so now. Please make sure student medical details are up to date on this system as staff use this to access information when on excursions or if we need information in case of a medical emergency. 

SJV Facebook Page

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.

• The next Newsletter will be shared on Thursday 24th of April.

Regards

Mick Schinck

Principal