A Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle school, St John Vianney Primary is located in a semi-rural setting in the heart of the township of Morisset, gateway to the south-western side of Lake Macquarie.
St John Vianney is a Catholic community in which everyone shows respect, forgives others, values honesty and grows through learning.
We achieve our mission by encouraging all to show respect for each other, forgive one another, be honest in all our communication and always encourage and challenge the children to do their best in all areas of learning. These core values form the basis of our Positive Behaviours Support Program, which has had a significant impact on the culture of our school.
Student welfare is considered the responsibility of the whole school community and we strive to promote self-discipline, desirable behaviours and Christian attitudes at St John Vianney, within a caring and pastoral environment. One of the unique features of our school is that we are very much family-oriented, so all children know and care for each other. Kindergarten children are buddied by the Year 5 students, so they have their support for the initial two years. Our playgroup each week provides an opportunity for younger siblings and potential students to play together while parents build community.
The school plays an important role in the wider community by supporting the Parish Sacramental Program and having a representative on the Parish Coordinating Message from the Principals Team. As the church is adjacent to the school, we have regular class and whole-school Masses and liturgies. Our Mini Vinnies group organises fun days to raise money for our local community, as well as those in the mission fields overseas.
We participate in competitions held by the wider community, support programs at the public library and visit the elderly. St John Vianney has a strong environmental focus including recycling programs and vegetable gardens in which the children are very much involved. The school community has a strong focus on protecting the waterways of Lake Macquarie. In 2012 we were the winning school in the Lake Macquarie Environmental Awards.
While the school provides innovative educational programs, there is an emphasis on Literacy and Numeracy. These significant areas of learning are supported by a focus on ICT. All classes are equipped with SMART Boards or TV’s and computers in all classrooms, laptops available for all students in Years 5 and 6, and iPads shared around the school.
Children can also access support for Reading and Maths programs. Laptops are provided for every child whilst working in the Learning Hub. These programs cater for every student.
While the school has a strong sporting culture, we strongly promote Creative Arts with dance, drama and music taught by specialists, as well as a performance every year.
St John Vianney is a small, happy, peaceful school with a real community spirit.
God bless,
Simon Devlin & Freda Pascoe
Principals
