Principal's News

Dear Families,

A Prayer for Ascension Sunday 

Loving God, 

You call us to climb the mountains of courage, kindness and hope. 

Help us to make space for you amidst the busyness of everyday life. 

Guide our school community to live with compassion, justice and care for others as we share your message in the world. 

May we trust that you are always with us, leading us towards what truly matters. 

Amen.

National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to recommit ourselves to reconciliation and justice for First Nations peoples.

The 2026 theme, “All In”, is a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every day.

At St John’s, students will participate in learning experiences that deepen their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and perspectives, and explore how we can build a more inclusive and respectful community.

As part of this important week, some of our student leaders will join Wurundjeri Elders, the community from Barrbunin Beek Aboriginal Gathering Place, and the broader Banyule community on Tuesday 26 May from 1.00pm – 2.30pm at Malahang Reserve. Together, they will participate in a collective healing ceremony.

This significant event will include a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, flag lowering and dance performance. It acknowledges the ongoing impacts of the Stolen Generation on Aboriginal families and highlights the importance of truth-telling, healing and reconciliation.

We will have our Sorry Day Assembly on Monday 25th May. All are welcome

Canberra Camp 

Our Year 5 and Year 6 students recently attended camp in Canberra and represented St John’s with pride. Throughout the camp, students demonstrated excellent behaviour, respect and responsibility while participating in a range of educational experiences and visiting many important national sites. They should be commended for the way they supported one another, embraced new experiences and represented our school community so positively.

Thank you also to the families who took the time to email staff and share feedback about how much their children enjoyed the experience. It was wonderful to hear how positively the camp impacted students and the memories they brought home from the week.

A sincere thank you to the staff who attended camp and cared for our students throughout the week. Camps require a significant commitment, including time away from their own families, and we are very grateful for the care, support and dedication they showed to ensure the students had such a valuable and memorable experience.

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 families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount 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.

6G Canberra Camp Assembly Presentation

This week year 6G presented all the wonderful things Year 5 and Year 6 experienced on camp. I thought you all would be interested in their recount.

Gio: In this presentation we will share with you some of the interesting things we have been learning about in Humanities this year. 

Chloe L: On January the 1st in 1901, the six colonies of Australia joined together to become one as a nation. The people needed stronger defense groups and wanted to have their own separate identity from the British. This was called Federation.

Sirat: The Australian  Constitution is a set of rules on how the nation would run. This made Australia a safer and easier country to look after. Even though this made us one whole nation, some specific groups of people struggled. These groups were the Aboriginal people, Women and immigrants.

Nicole: Last Tuesday we arrived at school at 5:45am ready to depart for Canberra Camp! The first place we visited once we were in Canberra was Parliament house. At Parliament House, we visited the two houses of Parliament - the House of Representatives and the Senate. Did you know that the house of Senates is the only place where the EXIT sign can be red?

James: In Parliament House, there are over 2.700 clocks. Clocks are very important in Parliament House because it is very important that they get to meetings in time. Under the clocks there are two lights, a green light and a red light. When those lights flash, the members of parliament only have 4 minutes to get to their seats in Parliament. Later during our visit, we saw a lego diagram of Parliament House. 

Xavier: There we met Kate Thwaites,who is our local member of Parliament. She told us about her role in Parliament, and that your first member's statement is very important.

Sienna - Another site we visited was the Australian War Memorial. While we were visiting, we learnt about the wall of Poppies, The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldiers,  a Model of the Battle Fields and the harsh conditions the soldiers had faced. 

Stella - We learnt about all of the heroic stories of the brave soldiers who went to war for our country. We also learned about the jobs the women did in the war too. They worked as nurses and helped to transport the sick and injured soldiers. Over 130,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers lost their lives in WW1 and WW2.

Mia: We also explored the National Gallery of Australia. First we saw the Aboriginal painted memorial poles. This artwork was made for protest in an art form. Then we were invited to plan our own protest of art. 

Zoe R: Next, we saw lots of art work ranging from painting to sculptures. 

Then we did another group activity inspired by an art piece. We were asked to think and share what has been passed down to us from our ancestors. For example, my grandmother and mum passed down a necklace to me as I wear it everyday.

 Lastly, we saw the  Ned Kelly Series by Sidney Nolan. Which looked like a comic like it was synced together.

Zoe G: One place in the national triangle is MOAD. MOAD stands for Museum of Australian Democracy. MOAD is actually the site of the Old Parliament House. When we were there, we went to the old House Of Representatives and even got to sit in the seats! It was interesting how smaller it is compared to the new Parliament House. They also showed us the yellow uniform that the speaker wore.

Spencer: We also went to an interactive museum where we got into groups and went around trying to find facts and complete these activities about Australian Democracy. We started by choosing a team name and chose a picture. My group chose the visionaries as our name. 

Evie: Sydney and Melbourne couldn't decide which city should be the capital city of Australia, so they picked a brand-new spot in the middle to keep everyone happy. This is how our Capital City, Canberra, was first created after Federation.

 At the National Capital Exhibition, we learnt about the history of Canberra and how it was created. We saw a birds-eye view model of Canberra, and learnt about how it was named and how it’s design was chosen. 

Angie: Walter and Marion Griffin entered the Federal Capital Design Competition as husband and wife in May 1912 and came first place. Despite Walter’s protests, Marion insisted on omitting her name from the entry, fearing the judges wouldn't take a woman's work seriously. Today, history has corrected this, and Marion is celebrated worldwide as the artistic genius whose stunning drawings made Canberra a reality.

Lilla: We also got to explore the giant mansion of the Governor General’s house, Government House. You may be wondering what the Governor General does, well their job is to represent the King in Australia and plays a vital role in how the country is run. They sign papers and important documents on behalf of the king like when a new law is coming into place.

Sophia: Did you know that the Governor General isn't allowed to drive a car! Also the most expensive car she owns is a Rolls Royce which is worth up to $250,000 depending on the condition. The house also includes a pool, tennis court and a massive lake. They didn't even allow us to step on the grass.

We also visited the Canberra Museum and Gallery. One of the exhibitions we viewed was called Hop in! This was about turning a familiar home inside out. This exhibition was all about looking at the world from a kid’s perspective. 

Sean: A highlight of our camp trip was Questacon. Questacon is the National Science and Technology Centre. At Questacon, we participated in different activities all related to science. My favourite activity was the Free Fall, which involved putting on a suit and holding on to a bar on top of a big slide and then you would drop and slide down. 

Another fun activity was the Earthquake Simulation. It was when you went into a house and it would start shaking like an earthquake. One of our instructors also did a science experiment with vinegar, bicarb soda and food colouring. When you mixed the bicarb soda and food colouring, it would make a colour and then when you add the vinegar it would explode. It might not seem like it, but the less vinegar the bigger explosion. 

Gus: The last thing we did in Canberra was visit the AIS, the Australian Institute of sport. This is where athletes train and prepare for the Olympics and other sporting competitions. At the AIS, we went to the sportex which is an interactive place where you can try all types of sport including a basketball cage, soccer penalty shootout and simulated skiing slopes. 

Then we got a tour of the rest of the AIS including the volleyball courts, the swimming pool, the gymnasium and the gym. Did you know that Patrick Johnson holds the record for the fastest 100m sprint in Australia's history with a time of 9.93 seconds set in Mito, Japan, in 2003?

We had a wonderful time.

Child safety reminder

A reminder that, as part of our Code of Conduct, parents and carers are asked to refrain from speaking directly to students at offsite school events unless a staff member is present.

We understand that parents may at times wish to support or assist in situations involving children; however, it is important that any concerns, directions, or conversations with students are managed by staff to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and fairness of all involved.

If a concern arises at an event, please seek assistance from a teacher or staff member, who will address the matter appropriately. 

Thank you for your cooperation and support in helping us maintain a safe and respectful environment for all students and families.

Refurbishment 

We are excited to share that the refurbishment of our intervention/extension and meeting spaces is now in its final stages, with the refreshed areas soon ready for students, staff and families to enjoy. Here are some photos highlighting the progress of the refurbishment.

Thank you to our school community for your patience, flexibility and understanding throughout these important works, especially as the library has been closed. 

We look forward to using these new spaces in the coming weeks and seeing the many ways they will enhance learning and community engagement at St John’s.

Thank you to Paul from Harry the Hirer for donating some furniture to the school to help make these spaces special.

Gardening Club

Budding gardeners from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 are welcome to join the St John’s gardening club with Mrs Mears and the Sustainability team. 

• Monday at second lunch
• Garden gloves provided
• Odd Weeks: Tasks include garden maintenance, watering, mulching, raising seeds, weeding, sweeping and tending to the compost
• Even Weeks: Fun garden related activities inclduing colouring and games

• Any parents with WWCC are welcome to join us.

   

We are looking for donations of seedlings if anyone has some.

Thank you

Better Buddy Day  - 1 June

This Better Buddies Day students are invited to add the red/yellow/black/green/blue as colours for Reconciliation Week to their school uniform. 

Upcoming School Disco

Time to get those dancing shoes on and buy a ticket to our school Disco! Tickets can be purchased by going to this link -http://st-johns-pic.square.site/ 

School Performance - 13/14 August - Important Information

We’re excited to let you know that auditions for our upcoming school performance will begin in the next couple of weeks. 

This is always a special time for our students to explore their creativity and build confidence, and we encourage everyone who is interested to get involved. To help make the experience as positive and successful as possible for all students, we kindly ask families to consider any planned travel. 

If your child will be away on a family holiday between Week 6 of Term 2 and Week 5 of Term 3, they won’t be able to audition for a main role. As you would understand, lead roles require consistent attendance at rehearsals during this time, as students work closely together to learn lines, develop scenes, and build the performance as a team. Missing these key rehearsals can be challenging for both the individual student and the group. 

We completely understand that family time is important, and there will still be opportunities for students to be involved in other ways. Thank you for your support and understanding as we work together to create a rewarding experience for everyone.

Feedback - SAC

Feedback about how we do things at St John's is always welcome. We would love some feedback on our House Athletics day. Did your children enjoy it? Were you able to help out and be part of it? How can we improve it?

Please provide feedback to myself - principal@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au or email a SAC member.

Prep - Leon Stavrou - prepsac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Junior - Aidan Depetro - year12sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Middle - Mel Mahady - year34sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Senior - Mary Molloy - year56sac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Additional Parish School members - parishrepsac@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au

Laurette Kairouz, Wendy Hernandez

Have a great week

Alison