Principal's Report 

Opening College Assembly – February 22

Our opening College Assembly will be held next Tuesday on the 22nd of February.  This event will be held on the outdoor basketball court undercover as a preventative COVID measure.  We are looking forward to bringing our students and staff to celebrate the beginning of the year and being back together as one community.  We look forward to celebrating our 2021 High Achievers including Maria Hinen who will deliver her speech as the Dux of St John’s.  The investiture of our student leaders for 2022 will also take place and our new Years 7 students will be formally blessed and welcomed to the St John’s Community.

Year 7 Camp

Our Year 7 students enjoyed a wonderful three days at Adanac Camp near Yarra Junction before  returning to St John’s on Friday afternoon.  We have been very blessed over the last few years in that our Year 7 camp has not been impacted by the COVID restrictions and this year’s students have also enjoyed the wonderful opportunity to get away and enjoy the company of their new classmates and staff.  The weather was warm one day and cool the next but this did not stop our students enjoying a range of activities including indoor hockey , water slides and archery to name a few.  The camp is a wonderful transition for our new students into St John’s, allowing them to make new friends and meet their teachers in a relaxed and fun-filled environment.  I acknowledge the wonderful work of camp organiser Ms Phillip-Kemp and the staff who made these three days a brilliant start to the year for our students.

Valentine’s Day Fundraising

One of the signs of getting back to normal in our school community is the buzz of fundraising in the central courtyard.  The build-up to Valentine's was particularly exciting for our students, and a number of the student leaders from each house were involved in fundraising for Caritas through the selling of flowers and chocolates.  The proceeds of $512 will go towards Caritas, the Catholic Organisation that works alongside the most vulnerable in the world whose lack of power often sees them sidelined in the decision making that impacts their lives.  Caritas will also be the focus of our fundraising later this term when we begin Project Compassion on Ash Wednesday.  I thanks Ms Kintzel and all the House Leaders and student leaders for initiating our fundraising efforts this year.

St John’s Football Program

It is pleasing to announce that St John’s Regional College has formally entered a partnership with Football Technique Australia and Dandenong City Soccer Club to provide an educational and sporting pathway for our students.  Under the leadership of Ljuban Palinic the Director of Football Technique Australia and Football Director of Dandenong SC, students enrolled in the Football program will receive multiple training sessions per week including strength and conditioning, on-field training and in-classroom learning.  We are very excited about this new opportunity for our students and the pathways it will provide them into a range of careers in the sporting industry. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

We are currently surveying parents through the Operoo Platform as to their preference for the mode of parent teacher interviews for Term 1. One of the positives of Covid has been the use of technology to conduct remote parent teachers interviews which have proven to be a time saver and efficient process.  One of the negatives to this over the last year has been that many parents have not met face to face with our teachers nor been on campus for any activities since their children have been enrolled.  This presents a challenge to building a welcoming and inclusive community.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods of conducting parent teacher interviews and we will consider your feedback before we put the final parent interview structure in place for Term 1. 

Victorian Certificate of Applied learning 

Our Year 12 VCAL students were involved with some grassroots marketing with company Carpet Court and their representatives this week.  Carpet Court is exploring the reasons behind the lack of young people taking up opportunities for employment in the flooring industry.  Like many industries at present staff shortages are a concern. Through engaging with our Senior Students, Carpet Court are aiming to gain an understanding of the barriers that prevent young people from moving into this industry and develop strategies that will improve future access for them.  As part of the workshop students were able to complete Literacy outcomes for their VCAL course by developing a marketing brief with its aim of exploring the best ways to engage and inform young people via social media.  I thank Applied Learning Co-ordinator Miss Wills for providing this engaging learning opportunity for our students.

ICT Information Evening 

On Monday the 28th of February an ICT information session will be held online via TEAMS for all interested members of our community.  This session will have a particular focus for the families of Year 7 students and new families to our school this year and introduce them to our Learning Management System SEQTA and its array of functions.  An SMS invitation will be sent on Monday of next week to all families for the 6pm session which will be conducted by our ICT Systems Leader Ms Nasioulas and Deputy Principal Dr Biggin together with ICT Technical support available on the night from our IT Department.  Parents should also note that they can email our IT department on helpdesk@stjohns.vic.edu.au for assistance with their school provided devices. 

St John’s Regional College 

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Expressions of Interest

As advised in 2021 the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) board, our governing body has established a School Advisory Council to support the Principal, Parish Priest and Leadership Team of the school.

While no particular expertise is required, the school seeks a range of diverse skills sets to best advise the principal, united by a desire to provide the best possible education for our students.  Some of the ongoing areas of business that members of the School Advisory Council are involved include :

• Finance 
• Parents and Friends 
• Marketing 
• Master Planning 

A balanced membership with parent voice on the School Advisory Council is well placed to advise the principal about important matters particularly related to the school’s mission and the students’ success.

The needs of the council will be given priority in terms of ensuring a balance of gender, cultural diversity and skill sets.  If you would like further information about our School Advisory Council go to the relevant section on our website at https://www.sjrc.vic.edu.au/our-college/college-board/

As we begin the school year, we are calling on you to express your interest in being part of the School Advisory Council.   If you are a member of the parish or have children in the school and wish to be part of this important advisory role in our school, we would welcome your application in writing to Tim Hogan, Principal of St John’s Regional College, by Friday the 4th of March. Email applications can be sent to principal@sjrc.vic.edu.au