Staff Farewell

From Georgie McLean...

To the families of St John Vianney's I want to say a huge thank you for all the kindness you have shown me over the past 5 years I have been part of this school. 

It has been an absolute privilege to have taught your children and watched them grow into amazing humans. You have all welcomed me so warmly and made me feel part of this very special family. 

I will always look back fondly on my time at SJV and will cherish the memories of being part of such a special community. 

From Michael.....

It’s been a pleasure to be part of the community here at SJV this year.  The staff have been so welcoming and the students really know how to make your day with their positive attitudes.  Given my professional background, I’ve always preferred to work with young adolescent teens, however my positive experience here has not made the decision to move to Mazenod easy.  I’ll definitely miss the students here, especially the banter and sometimes (backhanded) compliments they like to give.  I deeply appreciate the staff who have been extremely supportive, especially during one of the toughest periods of my life.  A big shout out to the LSO team, who are so close knit and have welcomed me to the family with big open arms.  Thank you to Mr. Mullaly and the leadership team for giving me the opportunity to be here.  I’ll definitely miss this place, and I look forward to supporting the grade 6 boys that will be coming through as year 7’s next year.  

Jane's 2023  Trip & Farewell...

To a very special school and community,  

Some little snippets of my adventure thus far include chasing the sun in Portugal and Spain, a London summer mixed with exploring many towns and cities around England over the past 7 months and visiting family from in Leeds and York. Seeing my last name, ‘Lancaster’ everywhere, visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh, campervanning and hiking in Wales (with an ankle brace), eating snail and frog legs and picnicking under the Eiffel Tower. Exploring Brussels, Ghent and Brugge, in Belgium, watching the Women's World Cup on the top of a mountain and experiencing public transport in Albania that lead to a road trip around Corfu, Greece. Spending time in Dublin, Ireland for a friend's 30th and to the most recent which will be forever up there as a favourite would be spending time in Tromso and Sommeroy, Norway with my best friend. Whale watching, chasing the Northern lights, dog sledding, midnight snow sledding, that turned into more dancing skies (Northern lights), reindeer feeding, Sami culture and many cold dips in the arctic waters (with a sauna in between)! Although it sounds like it's all been fun and games travelling, I have worked at many different schools across London prior to teaching Nursery at my current school, made lifelong friends and also had a special visit from our gorgeous Emma May!

Spring and Summer Adventures

Winter Adventures

London and England Adventures

As noted in the newsletter a few weeks ago I will not be returning to SJV next year.  I have been teaching a nursery class in London and will begin fulltime there in 2024.

SJV was my second family for 8 years. I must acknowledge time certainly does fly when you are having fun! SJV is where I began my teaching career. Initially spending two years teaching year 3-4’s following which I was asked if I would teach preps. While this seemed like a frightening proposition, spending six years with preps proved to be incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. I loved the energy and the love shown to me by the children and their beautiful families. I realised what an honour and privilege it is to work with children as they begin their school journey. The growth you see from the start of prep until the end really does warm the heart. I will never regret my choice of teaching as a career! 

Then there is the SJV staff. From the moment I was offered a position as a graduate to finishing up my 8th year in 2022, I have never for one moment regretted my decision to accept the position. I feel, with the incredible support I received, I have become the teacher I always wanted to be. This is a wonderful testament to the staff and community culture at SJV! 

As some of you were aware my father had a stroke in 2019, with the ongoing challenges of having a parent with a disability I reflect knowing a difficult time was made a little easier by the beautiful community at SJV. For this alone many of you hold a very special place in my heart! 

Who knows what the future holds for any of us but for the time being my gifts, talents and expertise are needed elsewhere. I wish each and every one of the SJV community a safe and happy Christmas! May you all be as blessed as I have been. 

It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later!

Jane Lancaster