Dear Families,

It was great to finally be able to have our Sports Day today - 3rd time lucky !! It was an exciting time for our students today! Congratulations to all our students for their participation, encouragement and sportsmanship!!!

This year our House Sports were won by Blue House - Lourdes! Our 400m Year 6 Sprint was won by (Girls) Winnyta and (Boys) Ted.

Great to have so many parents, grandparents and friends come and support! Our thanks to the wonderful Mrs Sullivan for organising and running our event!

More news and photos next week.

Thank you to our Grandparents Parents and Special Friends who were able to come to our special afternoon last Thursday. We hope that you enjoyed the Liturgy and Celebration of Learning. It was a lovely afternoon truly appreciated by our students and staff .

Foundation Orientation Days

Our third Orientation session was held on Monday and it was great to see our students enjoying the various activities and mixing with peers and staff.

Next Monday will be our final session. The Foundation Students will meet their teachers and buddies for 2023!

Monday 5th December - 9:15am - 11:00am

There have been some questions around second hand uniforms. If available, second hand uniform items will be on sale for $10.00 per item. Please come to the office to make enquiries.

Camp Australia - Holiday Program Survey

This Survey placed in the newsletter for the past few weeks closed on Monday. The survey results will assist us in determining the possibly of a Holiday Program being run onsite in 2024. Please note that the Summer Holiday Program run by Camp Australia will not be at St John Vianney's. There are many schools nearby that will run the Summer Holiday program and you can find out where by accessing the Camp Australia website.

Staffing for 2023

As we come to the end of our 2022 year, I wish to inform you of several staff changes.

Marg Klupacs will be taking LSL and retiring from St John Vianney’s after over 40 years in education and 20+ years of service to our school. She has been an outstanding educator. Marg has held many roles at SJV, including Classroom Teacher, Teacher Librarian, Special Education, Maths Leader, and most recently Deputy Principal and Learning & Teaching Leader. Marg’s knowledge of the curriculum is second to none and her ability to lead teachers is one of her many strengths. Over many years Marg has had a passion for the Library and Literature. As the Teacher Librarian for many years, Marg helped establish the Library as an important and valuable hub of learning at SJV – a great legacy .

As Deputy Principal Marg has been brilliant. She is trusted and so well respected by staff, students, parents and our wider parish community.

I have worked very closely with Marg over the past four years and I could not have asked for a better person to work alongside and assist in leading our teams and school.

We wish Marg well as she begins the next chapter in her life. We will certainly miss her sense of humour, her calm considered manner, her expertise and incredible skill!!

Belle Ithier began her time at SJV as a student teacher and then took on a full time position in 2001 teaching year 3-4. Belle has taught 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 in her time at SJV and has been an amazing teacher to all. After 21 years and with a heavy heart Belle has decided to move from SJV into Secondary Education! Belle thought that this move may take time to come to fruition, but unsurprisingly she was snapped up in a heartbeat! Belle has built deep connections with her students and nurtured them in their learning journey whether they be in the junior school or a student in the Senior school. Belle is well known for her creative skills in dance choreography and has produced some outstanding performances with the students, especially at Year 6 graduation. Belle has particularly enjoyed her time teaching 5-6 and has loved coaching sports teams and being able to spend time with students on camp. Belle has contributed greatly to the life of SJV over many years and will be truly missed by all. We wish her every success as she begins a new phase of her teaching career at Killester College!!

Anna Pallotta joined SJV in 2011 as a Learning Support Officer. Anna is one of our most experienced Learning Support Officers and has provided amazing support for many students over the years. Anna has worked across all levels of the school. Anna’s quiet manner has enabled students to grow in confidence and experience success in their learning. Anna has worked closely with teachers and helped to create a great learning environment for all students. We wish Anna every success in her future endeavours, her friendly manner will be indeed missed at SJV.

Jane Lancaster

Jane will be taking LWP in 2023. Jane began her teaching career at SJV in 2015. She has gained teaching experience in years 3-4 and Prep. Jane has done a great job on the Leadership team, leading the organisation of the many events that our students experience in Prep. Jane is enthusiastic in her work and students see her as always happy and calm. Jane has been a driving force in promoting sustainability at SJV and always participates in whole school celebrations. Jane is taking a break from teaching in Australia to spend time overseas and experience teaching and life in another country. We wish Jane all the best for the year ahead and hope that she enjoys her travels. We hope to see Jane back at SJV in 2024.

Nat Dib

We say farewell to Nat Dib. Nat started her time at SJV as a replacement teacher, working across all classes. Nat enjoyed SJV so much that she joined the staff in 2018 and has worked in a part time capacity. Nat took on teaching in the 1-2 level and has contributed so much to the learning of her students. Nat is passionate about teaching and has been a driving force in establishing the Science of reading approach in the Junior levels. Nat has accepted a position at Holy Family in Mt Waverley where she will take up a position as Literacy Leader and classroom teacher. We wish Nat well in her new role and no doubt she will share her expertise at Mt Waverley.

Tony Nguyen

Tony Nguyen has decided to travel overseas for a good part of next year. Tony joined the community of SJV as a graduate. He began as a replacement teacher and with a lot of persuasion from the then principal, Tony accepted a full time position in 2016. He is a great relationship builder and his ability to relate easily and well to everyone he meets makes him an asset to our school. Tony has taught across the middle and senior levels and has held the position of Level Leader. Tony connects with his students and creates a learning environment in which all students feel welcome and supported. SJV has been indeed blessed to have had Tony as part of the community. Tony’s sense of fun with both students and staff will be greatly missed. Tony is taking a break from full time teaching so he can travel and pursue other experiences in teaching. We hope to see Tony as a CRT in the early part of next year!!

Ru Lameijn

Ru has been appointed the Deputy Principal/ Religious Education Leader at Trinity Primary School Richmond. This is a great step in his career. Ru came to SJV in 2017 as an experienced teacher and worked in the Senior level both as a teacher and level leader. Ru, in recent times has been the Student Wellbeing leader, RE Leader & Family Engagement Leader. Ru’s passion for student voice has allowed initiatives such as the Student Representative Council and Mini Vinnies to flourish at the school. Ru has been a wonderful advocate for student led activities throughout his time at SJV. Ru has taken on the role of RE Leader and has been the driver of many of our school liturgies and Social Justice initiatives. Ru has made meaningful connections within the parent community and has liaised wonderfully with the P&F in the organisation of activities for our students and families. We wish Ru all the very best in his new role and thank him for what he has given to the SJV community over the years.

Paul Jones

Although Paul has been at SJV for a short time, he has become a valued member of our team. Paul’s quiet and supportive manner has been an asset in building strong connections with the 5-6 group of students. Paul has been involved in inter school sport, camps and all the events that go to making the Year 6 year special for our students. We are very sad that Paul’s time at SJV was short but understand that the opportunity to take on a PE role, is the direction that Paul has been hoping to take in his career. We wish Paul every success in the future.

We wish Violetta Poulter our Speech pathologist every blessing as she and her partner Michael await the birth of her first child in early February. Violetta plans to take Parental Leave in 2023. She has worked so closely with our students and staff particularly in the area of language development. Her skills and knowledge have benefitted us all!

We will welcome several new staff to our school. Jenny Willmott will join us as the Deputy Principal. We will have several new classroom teachers; Sarah Blakemore, Jesslyn Lin, Andrea Harvey, and Andrea Kinsella. We are very excited to announce that Rebecca Neofit who is a trained teacher but has worked as a Learning Support Officer at SJV will begin her teaching career in 2023 with her own class! Leah Whiting will join our team as a part time teacher. These teachers have joined our staff for planning days across this week and will meet their classes on Step up Morning at 10am on Friday 9th December.

A speech pathologist will be contracted to work on a part time basis each week in Violetta’s absence and we will detail this information to you as soon as possible. We will also detail new Learning Support Officers and who will take the roles of REL and Student Wellbeing in next week’s newsletter.

In our final newsletter of the year on Wednesday 14th December, I will document the SJV staffing; classes and roles.

I thank you for your ongoing support in partnering so well with us in support of your children.

Farewell Assembly / Prayer Service for Staff Leaving

We will be having an assembly/ prayer service with our students on Wednesday 14th December at 9:00am in the Performing Arts Area to acknowledge the staff who are leaving. Parents are welcome and will sit undercover outside on the grass area. The assembly will run for approximately 45 minutes.

School Carols

Wednesday 7th December. 5:45pm - 7pm on the Oval weather permitting. See details on Christmas Picnic and Carols Page.

2023 Starting Dates

The school year will begin for

Staff: Friday 27th January
Foundation Classes Monday 30th January: 8:45- 3:15pm
Students in Year 1-6 will begin fulltime on Wednesday 1st February.

Please note the following:

LITERACY & NUMERACY ASSESSMENTS

To assist us to begin our groupings and to personalise our learning

Students in Year 1 – 2 will be invited to come for Literacy & Numeracy Testing on either Monday 30th January or Tuesday 31st January. Parents will be asked to book in a time for about 40 minutes. The booking details will be sent to you soon.
ALL Students in Years 3 & 5 will be required for testing on MONDAY 30th January 8:45am - 11:00am
ALL Students in Years 4 & 6 will be required for testing on TUESDAY 31st January 8:45am - 11:00am
Foundation Students will have the Wednesdays off (rest Day) from February 1st until and including February 22nd. Individual students from Foundation may be called in to undertake some assessments for up to 40 minutes on these rest days.

Christmas Picnic & Carols

Wednesday 7th December - 5.45 pm to 7.00 pm