Principal's News

Dear Families and Carers,

Last Sunday we celebrated the first Sunday in Advent, lighting the first candle on our Advent Wreaths. The first candle, which is purple, symbolises hope. Hope reminds us of the assurance we have that God will fulfil all his promises through the birth of Jesus. This week I invite members of our community to be people of hope, thinking about those in our community that may need support, be heard and empowered. Please reach out to others and share St John’s hope through offering welcome and sense of belonging, opening your hearts and through your actions show God’s love to all.

Notifications on the nForma App

I have received feedback from several families that they are not receiving school notifications. I am sorry for this inconvenience.  If this is the case...

1. Check your settings and make sure you have enabled notifications

2. Uninstall and reinstall the app. When you reinstall the app, please look for the prompt asking whether you allow notifications for this app - you need to accept this.

If you are still experiencing difficulty with the app or require support, please do not hesitate to contact me principal@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au or Frank Cotela fcotela@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au 

Student Led Conferences

Congratulations to all St John’s students who came together in their classrooms with their parents and carers to share their Semester Two learning in their Student Led Conferences. These meetings led by students were a wonderful celebration of the growth our students have made as learners throughout the 2024 school year. This learning also provides the students with an opportunity to present to an audience.

St John’s Prep 2025 meet their Buddies

On Thursday 28 November, our 2025 Preps attended their final transition session at St John’s. This session ended with the 2025 Preps and families meeting their Year 6 buddies. I thank our Prep teachers Chantelle Wegner, Rebecca Georgiou and Marianne DiFabio who worked in partnership with our Year 5 teachers, Sue LewKee and Penny Baynes to bring the students together.  It was wonderful to see the new families welcomed by the Year 5 students (Year 6 2025).

St John’s Leadership Planning Day

On Friday, 29 November St John’s 2025 Leadership Team came together to review our 2024 actions and to plan ahead for the 2025 school year.  

Our work was guided by our 2022 - 2025 School Improvement Plan and St John’s Strategic Intent St John’s uses evidence-informed pedagogical practices to optimise student outcomes and enhance school community partnerships, reflecting our Catholic Identity and our school priorities;

Priority 1 - Enhance Catholic Identity

Priority 2 - Embed consistent whole school approaches to learning and teaching

Priority 3 - Lead data informed instructional approaches

Priority 4 - Student enhanced learning and wellbeing

As we went about our work it was clearly evident the gains that have been made as we work towards our School Improvement Plan.  We look forward to participating in our school review in Term 2 , 2025.

I am very pleased to announce the Leadership team for 2025

• Principal - Alison Dean
• Deputy Principal and Learning and Teaching Leader - Elizabeth Whiting
• Life and Faith Leader  and Literacy Mentor Leader - Connie Bandiera 
• Literacy Leader - Penny Baynes
• Learning Diversity Leader - Judy Doupe
• Mathematics Leader - Paul Tarabay
• Wellbeing Leader - Brooke Davis 
• eLearning Leader - Frank Cotela

St John's Feast Day and End of Year Mass

On Thursday 12th December at 12:30pm the whole shcool will come together to  honour our patron saint St John, Apostle & Evangelist ( whose feast day is on December 27) and to also give thanks for the blessings of this year. At the conclusion of mass, we will come together for a school picnic at approximately 1.40pm. 

Families are welcome to join our students for Mass and picnic.

Transition Morning: Preparing for 2024-2025

On Thursday 12 December, students will participate in their 2024-2025 transition morning. This special session offers an opportunity for students to meet their new teacher and classmates, helping them familiarise themselves with the next year level. Teachers will guide an engaging "Getting to Know You" activity to begin building relationships and a sense of community.

As your child/ren prepare for this transition, I encourage parents and carers to have open conversations about the mix of emotions that can arise during times of change. Students may feel excitement about new beginnings and friendships, but it’s also normal to experience some apprehension. Discussing  the changes that will occur in a positive way can help them approach this milestone with confidence and curiosity.

As you could imagine a huge amount of time and consideration has gone into class groupings. These are now finalised.

Healthy Options for Christmas Gifts

It has been heartwarming to see our thoughtful and caring students spreading joy with cards and gifts during this festive season. I’d like to take this opportunity to kindly remind everyone to consider healthy options when choosing gifts to share. While candy canes and other sugary treats are popular, many families at St. John’s have expressed concerns about the high sugar content in birthday bags and festive goodies.

As we embrace the spirit of the season, I encourage you to think creatively about ways to share your Christmas wishes without relying on sugary treats.

We are also sourcing sugar free icypoles when planning icypole days.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us promote healthy habits for our students.  Your efforts will be greatly appreciated, by all families.

St John’s SAC 2024 / 2025

I formally thank St John’s parents, carers, staff and parish leadership for their engagement as members of SAC in 2024. I particularly thank Pietro Sciotto for his time and commitment as Chairperson and Silvana Micallef for her detailed minute taking as Secretary. Pietro’s Chairperson Report will be published in our 2024 Annual Report to the Community, which is written in 2025. We look forward to welcoming some new members onto our SAC for 2025 as we have a vacancy in Prep and a general member, who is an active participant in the Parish life of St John's.

This year, the SAC team has played a pivotal role in guiding several key initiatives and helping inform decisions for our school. Their contributions included but was not limited to:

• Providing input on the  implementation of the MACS 2030 Vision for Instruction  in our Junior Literacy and whole school Maths programs e.g Daily Reviews
•  Providing insights on our Master Plan
• Advising on school performance and ticket allocations
• Exploring the opportunity to increase our class numbers from 14 to 15 classes in 2025
• Reviewing the Respectful Relationships curriculum
• Developing a strategic plan for purchasing interactive TVs for classrooms
• Gathering feedback from community members to inform decision-making
• Guidance in implementing the new newsletter format and streamlin the communication Apps

We deeply appreciate their thoughtful guidance and ongoing support in shaping the future of our school.

SAC (School Advisory Council) 2025

• Fr Vinh and Alison Dean
• Elizabeth Whiting and Staff Rep
• Prep - Vacant
• Year 1 and 2- Suzie Leahy
• Year 3 and 4 - Kate Ruddell
• Year 5 and 6 - Silvana Micallef
• Parent who is also an active member of the  St John's Parish (and has a child at the school) - Vacant

If anyone would like to apply for these positions please send me a written explanation as to why you feel you would be a suitable nomination. These nominations will close on Monday 16th December. I would love to hear from you.

St John’s PIC 2024 / 2025

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the 2024 PIC for their incredible work this year in fostering a strong and vibrant community. Your dedication and commitment have made a significant impact on our school and its families. A special thank you to our executive team - Jess Mc K, Megan, Carla S, Melinda S, and Denise - for their tireless efforts and unwavering support, we are most blessed for the gifts and talents that they share with our St John's Community. Jess, Carla and Melinda are stepping down after many years of dedicated volunteering, and their contributions will be greatly missed. Thank you again to our PIC for your commitment in building our community.

PIC 2025 (Partners In Community)

We thank and congratulate the following parents for joining our 2025 PIC executive. We look forward to continuing this important partnership between families and school.

• President - Megan Mallett
• Vice President - Margaret Francis
• Secretary - Mel Doherty 
• Treasurer - Mary Molloy

Prep 2024 Picnic Day

On Tuesday 17 December our Prep students will enjoy an end of year celebration day at Possum Hollow. Details will be shared shortly.

Year 6 Graduation, Final School Assembly and End of Year School Liturgy for 2024

The Year 6 Graduation Liturgy and Ceremony will be on Monday 16 December 6.30pm. We thank our Year 5 parents for their support during this evening through catering and serving food. 

I would also like to thank the Year 6 Year Book committee - Mel M, Mel D and Jean N for all the work they have done into creating a life long memory for these families. 

Our Final School Assembly will be Wednesday 18 December at 9:00am in the hall. During this assembly following our St John's tradition say farewell to families, students and staf who are leaving St John's.  We would love you to attend.

We will farewell our Year 6 students with a whole school guard of honour on Wednesday 18 December at approximately 3:10pm. All are welcome but please no poppers or streamers as we want to care for our environment.

Year 5/6 Camp 2025

Our Year 5/ 6 camp to Phillip Island will take place from Wendesday 7 May to Friday 9 May 2025. Please add these dates to your diary so your child doesn't miss out on such a valuable experieince.

Staffing for 2025

 I thank our staff for the care that they have shown our students as they grow as learners and people of faith. I congratulate our staff for their commitment to their ongoing professional learning, as we look to improve our practices in support of improved student learning outcomes.  

After 25 remarkable years at St. John’s, we bid farewell to Rebecca Georgiou with immense gratitude and admiration. Over the years, Rebecca has been an integral member of our community, enriching the lives of countless junior students and staff with her dedication, warmth, and passion for education. Her  commitment to fostering a nurturing and inspiring environment has left an indelible mark on our school. As Rebecca embarks on her next chapter, we thank her for her extraordinary contributions and wish her all the best for the future.

We also thank and  farewell  Christine Caripis, who is retiring after a remarkable career spanning several decades in Catholic education, including her years at St. John’s since 2018. Christine has been a shining example of faith-filled leadership, unwavering compassion, and a deep commitment to nurturing the growth of our students. As Christine embarks on this well-deserved new chapter, we thank her for her incredible service and wish her a retirement filled with joy and fulfillment.

We will also be farewelling several of our dedicated Learning Support Officers: Suzanne Bravo, Alyssa Lim, Chloe Livvy, Olivia Bottomley and Caitlin Demasi. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support, care, and commitment they have shown to our students and families. Thank you for being such an integral part of our community.

Many of our LSO’s are transitioning into their new roles as graduate teachers, we wish them every success as educators and hope they carry a piece of St. John’s with them as they embark on this exciting new chapter.

We warmly welcome the following staff to St John’s in 2025:

Alexia Marian  -  full time classroom teacher

Anna O'Grady  -  part time classroom teacher

As the year comes to an end I would like to share my thanks to our incredible staff for their trust, respect and support over the 2024 school year as I have led St John’s as Principal. I thank our staff for the care that they have shown our students as they grow as learners and people of faith.  A particular thank you to Elizabeth Whiting for helping the transition of a new principal be a smooth and positive one for the school community. I congratulate our staff for their commitment to their ongoing professional learning, as we look to improve our practices in support of improved student learning outcomes.  

Thank you to Fr Vinh Nguyen and Fr John for their pastoral leadership of our school as students celebrated sacraments and attended school and parish Masses. It has been wonderful to come together as a Pastoral Leadership Team and serve those in our care. 

School Commencement 2025 

The 2025 school year commences for St John’s staff on Tuesday 28 January with professional learning in Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL). PBL is a whole-school framework that promotes positive behaviour across a school and helps schools develop safe and supportive learning environments. 

We will then have testing for students A-L on Wednesday 29 January and Thursday 30 students M-Z, with Prep students testing on Wednesday 5, 12, 19, 26 February and 5 March. Communication regarding student testing days for Prep to Year 6 students will be provided on transition day. All students commence on Friday, 31 January, including Prep students. 

Finally, as this will be our last newsletter for the year I feel truly blessed to have led this incredible community, working in partnership with our students, staff and families. I sincerely thank all parents and carers for your unwavering support as we have worked together for the growth and development of our students. Your kindness, warm welcome, and active engagement—whether in classrooms, on excursions, or through the positivity and gratitude you share with our wonderful staff—truly enrich our community. Your contributions make St. John’s a place of respect, safety and belonging. For this, I am deeply grateful.

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, joyous and blessed Christmas filled with peace and love.

Warm regards

Alison Dean

Principal