Principal's Report 

Happy Mothers Day  

There are many reasons why we love and cherish our mothers and the role they have or do play in our lives. It is not an easy job but it is where we first learn about, and experience, unconditional love.  This allows us to understand God's commitment to love us all until the end of time. This beautiful prayer, provided by our Director of Faith Mission Mission – Mr Rhynehart, speaks to the challenges of motherhood and what we learn from our mothers. 

 A Prayer for Mothers.   

To the Mums who are struggling, to those filled with incandescent joy. To the Mums who are remembering children who have died, and pregnancies that miscarried.  To the Mums who decided other parents were the best choice for their babies, to the Mums who adopted those kids and loved them fierce.  To those experiencing frustration or desperation in infertility.  To those who mothered colleagues, mentees, neighborhood kids, and anyone who needed it.  To those remembering Mums no longer with us.  Sunday is a day to honour the unyielding love and care for others we call 'Motherhood,' wherever we have found it and in whatever ways we have found to cultivate it within ourselves.  Amen. 

Paul Wade Cup 

On Monday May 8 our third annual Paul Wade Cup was held at St John’s Regional College. Over two hundred primary school students from St Mary’s, Dandenong; St Paul Apostle North and South, Endeavour Hills; St Francis De Sales', Lynbrook; Holy Family, Doveton; St Gerard’s, Dandenong North and St Kevin’s,  Hampton Park gathered at St John’s for the right to playoff in the grand final. The gala soccer day is named after Paul Wade, an ex-student of St John’s and a former Captain of the Australian Socceroos. This year we were lucky to call upon another ex-student, Majack Mawith who has played for South Sudan at World Cup Level, to present the Cup to the winning school. In a wonderful match St Kevin’s overcame their loss in last year’s final to narrowly defeat St Gerard’s, Dandenong North to take out the Paul Wade Cup for 2023 and St Francis de Sales narrowly defeated St Paul Apostle North in the playoff for third place. Our primary schools are eagerly looking forward to returning next year to contest the 2024 Paul Wade Cup. 

I thank our St John’s Football program partner, Dandenong City Soccer Club and our VET Sport & Recreation and SJRC Football program students who facilitated the refereeing and coaching on the day as part of their coaching and training requirements. I also thank the St John’s Staff:  Ms Fraraccio, Mr Tyler Hall-Ferguson, Mr Alexander  and Ms Beus as well as the Administration, ICT and Maintenance teams for staging a wonderful tournament. 

Founders Day  

Next Tuesday our Community will stop to celebrate the lives of our founders St John Baptist de La Salle and the Venerable Nano Nagle. The day will begin with a whole school Mass celebrated by Fr Luke Bulley, C.P. followed by a range of fun activities arranged by each House and then the annual SJRC talent quest in the afternoon. 

The day will also have a fundraising focus as we launch our MAD (Make a Difference) Day initiatives which conclude with a whole school walkathon on the last day of Term 2.  All funds raised through MAD Day initiatives this term will go to our partnered Lasallian school in Pakistan and the Wellsprings Foundation in Dandenong.  

All families are invited to the Annual Talent Quest which will commence at 1.50 pm and can do so by completing the following trybooking link:   https://www.trybooking.com/CIHUH

SIS Division B Swimming Carnival 

I congratulate our SIS Swimming Team who finished fourth overall in the SIS Division B Swimming Championships held at MSAC in recent weeks. We had some wonderful performances on the day and I congratulate Michaellah Ganiquem-Puspus, Murray Congues and Emma Jorissen for their outstanding efforts against high level competition. The low average age of our team is a good sign for the future given they were able to compete so well against the older competition. I thank the following staff who attended early morning coaching sessions throughout Term 1 to diligently prepare our swimmers: Sport Co-ordinator, Mr Mark Alexander, Mr Nigel Adkin, Mr Aaron Bailey, Ms Ash Fraraccio,  Ms Marina Kintzel and Ms Deb Sherrard. 

InterHouse Volleyball Competition 

Good to see the House Volleyball competition starting up over the last two weeks. The lunch time competition gives the opportunity for each Homeroom to playoff for the title over Terms 2 and 3, generating House Spirit and an enjoyable time with the members of their Homeroom. I thank our Sport Co-ordinator, Mr Mark Alexander, sports assistant, Mr Tyler Hall-Ferguson and all Learning Mentors for their support of this activity which builds connections and engagement with our school community. 

Student Free Day – Monday 29 May   

St John's will close on Monday May 29 to allow staff to participate in a professional learning day with a focus on building literacy skills in our students. Over the last 18 months staff at St John's have been working with Leon Furze, an international consultant and author who specializes in whole school approaches, to develop practical reading strategies for students.  

Reading and comprehension is the foundation for student learning and equips our students with the skills to successfully engage across all subject areas. On the professional Learning Day, staff from all the key learning areas will have the opportunity to work with Leon Furze and share the practices that have been successful in the classroom to date. 

I thank you for your support of Professional Learning days like these, which are important as we support staff in the development of their skills and professional capacity to enhance the learning outcomes of our students.  

Enrolments 2024 & 2025 - Open Evening May 17 

This term, alongside our weekly enrolment tours at 9.15am on a Thursday, we will be conducting an evening enrolment tour on May 17 at 6pm. Parents will have the opportunity to learn about our History, Curriculum programs and future plans for St John’s in a session that incorporates a tour through our facilities. Parents can book a place for these tours and our weekly tour by contacting our College reception on (03) 8793 2000 or through Try Booking via the Enrolment tab on our school website https://www.sjrc.vic.edu.au.