Principal's Page

Principal's Updates

As the weather warms up, our school community is bursting with life, color and excitement—and the timing couldn't be better for this week’s Art Show! It has been lovely to see our students enjoying the clearer skies and longer days, filling the playground with bright smiles and enthusiasm. With the warmer weather well and truly here, a gentle reminder to ensure all students have their school hats, water bottles and sunscreen ready each day so they can play comfortably and safely.

The excitement around St John’s reaches a highlight this week as we host our highly anticipated Art Show. Our students and dedicated staff, especially Beth Neason our Art Teacher, have been working tirelessly over past terms to prepare a magnificent showcase of creativity, color and talent. From detailed sketches and expressive paintings to unique sculptures, every piece on display represents the individual imagination and hard work of our young artists.

We warmly invite all families, friends and community members to join us in celebrating our students' creative journeys on Thursday afternoon and evening. Stepping through the exhibition is always a proud moment for our school, highlighting not only the artistic skills of our children but also their courage to express themselves. This event is our biggest for the Year and we don't want anyone to miss out so be sure to get your tickets.

Thank you to our amazing art team and everyone who helped bring this event together. We look forward to seeing many of you there to celebrate our vibrant school community!

Staffing Updates

As we look toward the end of the school year, our hearts are full of both deep gratitude and a little sadness as we prepare to say goodbye to two cherished members of our St John’s staff, Julie Carroll and Sue Walmsley.

After an incredible 19 years of dedicated service as a Learning Support Officer (LSO), Julie is stepping into a well-deserved retirement. Over nearly two decades, Julie’s gentle patience, warm encouragement and unwavering care have guided countless children through their learning journeys. She has been a reassuring presence in our classrooms and a true blessing to generations of St John’s families.

We are also bidding a heartfelt farewell to Sue, who is retiring after 20 wonderful years serving as an LSO in our school classrooms, office and our library. Sue has made our library a magical, welcoming sanctuary where students have learned to love reading and researching. Whether helping a child discover their next favourite book or ensuring our library remains a quiet, comforting place, Sue’s dedication and creativity have left a lasting mark on our school culture.

To both Julie and Sue: thank you for the heart, passion and kindness you have poured into St John’s over the years. You leave behind a legacy of care that will be remembered long after you step out of our gates. We wish you every happiness, health and joy as you begin this wonderful new chapter of retirement!

St John's Fete - Chocolates, Lollies and Raffles

Get Ready for the St John’s School Fete! The countdown is officially on for our upcoming School Fete and excitement is building right across the school. To make this event a success, we need a little help from our wonderful community to help us gear up for two of our most popular stalls and the Major Raffle.

Lolly & Chocolate Donations Needed! 🍫🍬

We are calling on all families for donations of blocks of chocolate and bags of lollies (wrapped and commercially sealed, please!) These will be used for our famous 'Lob a Choc' Stall and 'Lolly Stall,' which are always a massive hit with the kids. Every sweet donation is greatly appreciated so please drop your items into the collection baskets in the front office starting this week.

Fete Raffle Tickets – Time to Sell! 🎟️

Raffle ticket books have been sent home with students last week! We kindly ask every family to do their best to sell their book to family, friends and neighbours. There are some fantastic prizes up for grabs and 75% of every ticket sold goes directly toward supporting our St John's school's programs and facilities.

Please return all completed ticket stubs and money (or any unsold books so we can reallocate them) to the office by 30 October. Additionally, for any whole ticket books sold and returned by Friday 23 October, you will go into the draw for a $50 EFTPOS gift card!

Thank you so much for your generosity, enthusiasm and support in making this year's Fete our best one yet!

Thursday Night Art Show 🎨🖼️🧑‍🎨

It’s Art Show Week! Join Us This Thursday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, we warmly invite all St John’s families, friends, and community members to step into our school hall and experience our 2026 Annual Art Show.

Our talented young artists have poured so much heart, imagination, and effort into creating an extraordinary collection of works this year. From bold paintings and intricate sketches to colorful sculptures, the entire hall will be transformed into a vibrant gallery celebrating the creativity and self-expression of every student at St John’s.

Whether you drop in right after pickup or swing by later in the evening, we would love to see you there!

• When: This Thursday, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• Where: School Hall
• Who: All St John’s families, grandparents, and friends welcome!
• Tickets: Can be purchased on the night or pre-sold for families through CDFpay until 12pm Wednesday - pre-sale tickets come with an exclusive door prize entry, keepsake brochure and raffle ticket entry!

Come along, take a wander through the exhibits, and help us celebrate the incredible artistic achievements of our children. We can’t wait to share this wonderful evening with you!

• Opening ceremony — a special celebration of the Arts and our talented St John’s students.
• Interactive art activities — inclusive, hands-on experiences for all ages, led by our Years 4–6 Art Show Leaders. Enjoy face painting, potion making, colouring, collage and painting.
• Live performances — enjoy our school choir, alongside individual students and groups singing, dancing, reading poetry and sharing their talents on the main stage.
• An incredible raffle — win amazing collaborative artworks created by our students, beautiful hampers and wonderful prizes donated by our generous sponsors. You can choose which prize you would like your raffle tickets to go towards!
• Food trucks — enjoy delicious food while soaking up the atmosphere.
• Community connection — an opportunity to come together, celebrate the Arts and share in the achievements of our students.

Playground Closed After School This Thursday 

Due to Art Show setup on Thursday, the playground will be closed after school. Families staying for the Art Show are kindly asked to collect students promptly and wait on the grass soccer oval for the official opening. Thank you for your cooperation!

Scholastic Book Club

The latest issue of the Scholastic Book Club is out now!

Each order will earn books and teaching materials for our classrooms at St John's.

CLOSING DATE: please place your orders at scholastic.com.au/LOOP by Monday, 26th October, 2026.

Unfortunately no cash or late orders can be processed.

For queries: Jessica Kruisheer - 0407 837 924.

Thank you for supporting our school.

St John's School Fees for 2027

We know that every family budget is feeling the pinch right now, which is why we never take decisions about school fees lightly. To ensure we can continue providing the warm, high-quality, faith-filled environment your children thrive in, MACS school fees will see a 7% adjustment. This small increase directly supports our wonderful teachers and staff, helps manage rising running costs and allows us to keep upgrading classroom resources and school facilities. Most importantly, our commitment to your family remains unchanged: no child will ever miss out on a Catholic education due to financial hardship. If this adjustment creates any difficulty for your household, please reach out to us—we are always here to support you with flexible payment options and fee relief in complete confidence. The School Advisory Council has approved new fee structure for 2027 which is attached below. Thank you for your continued partnership, trust and shared commitment to our school community.

WWCC Changes

Starting today, 19 October 2026, Victoria is introducing WWC Connect along with mandatory online child safety training as part of the Working with Children Check application and renewal process.

Here is what you need to know:

• New Applicants & Renewals: Anyone applying for or renewing their Working with Children Clearance must complete the new mandatory online child safety training as part of the process. You can read more about the requirements via the Mandatory Child Safety Training Guide.
• Existing Clearance Holders: If you already hold a valid Working with Children Clearance, you do not need to do anything now—you will only complete the training when it is time to renew.
• VIT Registration: Teacher-registered (VIT) workers are exempt, unless their child-related work falls outside their standard VIT role.

CDFpay Fee Changes

From 1 October, alongside the removal of card payment surcharges on Visa, Mastercard and PayPal transactions, you will also see that the minimum top-up in the CDFpay app is $10. This isn't a minimum spend, and you can still order meals, or items that cost under $10. Any leftover money stays in your account balance to use next time.

Riddle of the Week

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing partnership, support and dedication to our St John's school community. Please reach out if I can support you and your family in any way.

Warm regards,

Verona Gridley

St John's Primary School Principal

principal@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au