Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers

What a wonderful beginning to Spring we have had.  Isaiah 35:1 tells us ‘The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose.’  It is great to see our students enjoying the change of season.  I hope that you spend this weekend celebrating the first week of September with your family.

Parent Satisfaction Survey

The school has just received the Annual School Satisfaction Survey that was sent out to the whole community last term.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Your considered opinions are important in our school’s strategic planning. I especially appreciate the courteous, polite manner in which all opinions were expressed; it speaks volumes about the quality of our school community.

Feedback is given to schools in an easy traffic light system, red signifies an area that needs immediate attention, amber for areas that need to be developed and green for areas that are doing well. The school constantly monitors feedback from parents and even areas in the green, can be areas that are prioritised by the school.  Forty-eight percent of the community responded to the survey, which is deemed a very-high response rate.

The school scored in the green area for all but one question (hovering between the yellow and green domain) which discussed the reporting process and its connection to understanding a student’s progress.  Interestingly, staff are currently reviewing this area.

Students would overwhelmingly recommend their school to other children and acknowledge that their teachers care for them and help them set learning goals. They are concerned about homework. 

The staff at SJV overwhelmingly feel that there is a high level of job satisfaction working here, that we celebrate student achievements and manage behaviour well.  They believe that we could communicate our improvement agenda to the whole community in a more productive manner. 

Once again thank you for your support with this tool that helps us with our future direction.

Acting AP and Mrs DeRosa's last day
Yesterday I emailed the community to inform you of who will be moving into the Acting AP role at SJV for 2020/21. 

I would like to announce that Catholic Education has appointed Mrs Judy Egan, Assistant Principal of St Thomas the Apostle, Kambah into the acting Assistant Principal role for Term 4 at St John Vianney’s Waramanga. 

In 2021, for terms one through to the end of term three, Mrs Jo Reed has been appointed as the acting Assistant Principal. 

We of course wish Nina all the best for the near arrival of her baby boy.  I am sure that you will keep her and her husband Claude in your thoughts and prayers over the next three to four weeks.  Nina thanks everyone for all the kind wishes that have come in from our community already.

Contact details

Could you please make sure that you are receiving emails and newsletters from the school.  Some email addresses have bounced back to the Front Office, indicating that your contact details have changed.  If this is the case, can you please contact the school with your current information so we can ensure a good line of communication.   

Afternoon Pick-Up

I would like to thank people for social distancing at afternoon pick-up.  However, your adherence to good practice has had an inadvertent side effect.  With most people standing outside the fence line, children come out to parents and are too close to moving cars.  When parents are picking their children up, could you please take them by the hands to walk them to your cars.  It would also help if more parents spaced themselves out, over near the artificial turf area.  This may also help alleviate the problem.

Could I also ask that parents accompany their children across the marked crossing points if these areas are being used.  Sometimes drivers find children difficult to see and a taller adult accompanying students usually solves this problem.

Children who are being picked up in the drop off/pick up zone will be asked to wait at the far end of the steps.  They will be instructed to look for their parents and when they see their car coming, they can move off to the specified zone to be picked up. 

Year 6 Confirmation

I would like to congratulate the children on their beautiful Confirmation that was celebrated yesterday afternoon by Fr Michael.  Whilst this was not a usual celebration, with a full church, a 90-minute ceremony and a Bishop in attendance, it was very prayerful and targeted specifically to our community.  I would like to thank all the 5/6 teachers involved for preparing the children in a very short time frame.  I would especially like to single out Mrs Thomas, our REC, who has organised 3 sacraments in 8 weeks.  All the Sacarments have been beautiful occasions, which point to the preparation and thought that went into these services.  

Father’s Day – Friday 4^th September

Just a reminder that teachers will be celebrating our Father’s tomorrow for all they do for their families.  Breakfasts will be served in a drive-through manner, in the same way as they were for Mother’s Day.  If you are not picking your order up in the morning, it will be ready for you in the afternoon.  Happy Father’s day dads!

Stay safe and God bless.

Peter Rodda

Principal