Farewells

As always at this time of the year we are fare welling our Year 6 students. Some of these students have been with us for the past seven years and we have formed beautiful relationships with them and their families. Throughout the years we have welcomed in new students who have relocated into our area and have also contributed to the St Oliver's learning community. We are very proud of our Year 6 cohort; we thank them for their contributions to St.OPPS and wish them nothing but the very best as they move on to high school. 

We thank departing families for their time and contributions to the school and wish you every success in your new setting. Farewell to the following families:

Year 6F

Bellino Family

Brennan Family

Falzon Family

Gerdes Family

Loprete Family

Mammoliti Family 

Muhar Family

Valentinis Family

Vitale Family

Year 6N

Calvi Family  

Coviello-Blinco Family

Gesualdi Family

Harris Family

Kariotakis Family

Kotsiris Family

Longo Family

Luppino Family

Sada Family

Tantaro Family

Tran Family

Worland Family

In addition to our Year 6 families who are leaving us we would like to also farewell the following families who have contributed so much to our school community: 

Baird Family

Korkliniewski Family

Mapperson Family

Farewell and Staff Update

We extend our sincere thanks to Sarah Nikolic for her seven years of dedicated service to our school community. Her commitment and contribution have been greatly valued, and we wish her every success as she takes up a new position at St Peter’s Keilor. We thank Sarah for all she has given to our students, staff and families and wish her well in this next chapter.

Dear families,

Gratitude and Thanks

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to our parent community and, in particular, our Parents & Friends for their unwavering support throughout the year. Your commitment and generosity have made a significant difference to our school, and I am deeply grateful. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Steph and Clare for their easy going support and hard work. Together, you’ve helped lay the foundation for what will undoubtedly be another successful P & F year ahead. As we look toward Term One of 2026, plans are already in motion. Events like our P& F coffee with the principal, Welcome BBQ, Pancake Tuesday and the Easter Raffle will keep our new team busy and I am excited to see the creativity and energy they will continue to bring to these cherished traditions.

I also want to thank our incredible staff for their unwavering dedication, professionalism, and creativity. Their commitment to the teaching, learning, and wellbeing of our students has been exemplary. 

At St Oliver’s, the child remains at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make is grounded in what is best for their learning, wellbeing, and safety. I thank our students for their enthusiasm, resilience, and joy – they inspire us every day and remind us why our work is so meaningful.

Looking ahead, 2026 promises to be an exciting year as we deepen our commitment to high-performance practices and begin preparing for our school review in 2026, next year marks the third year of our school improvement cycle. Together, we will continue to live out our vision and strive for excellence in all aspects of school life.

I wish you all a blessed and holy Christmas filled with joy, peace, and precious moments with your loved ones. I look forward to continuing this journey with you in 2026.

2026 Student Leaders

Our processes for selecting our student leaders is now completed.  The process once again highlighted the leadership quality of our students. Therefore I am delighted to inform you that these students have been offered leadership positions for 2026:

School Captains:   Georgette W and Mia C

School Vice Captains:  Allegra M and Eva C

Faith In Action Leaders:  Alexandra M, Ava F, Aydin P, Eva B, Ilaria G, Isabel M, Milly M, Olivia N, Sienna P, Vivaan R

House Captains:

Gold: Oliver N, Spencer R

Billie T (Vice Captain)

Green: Dante M, Mia A

Ruben M(Vice Captain)

Red: Ari K, Gabriella F

Evie J (Vice Captain)

Blue:  Alexa D, Joshua V

Danielle V (Vice Captain)

Creative Arts Leaders:  Amalia T, Ariana P, Florence M, Gabriella B, Jaida S, Lila V, Talia S

Wellbeing & Service Leaders:  Aliyah G, Eva K, Loretta S, Olivia H, Victoria D, Willow M

Learning Technologies Leaders:  Elizabeth L, Jack T, Julian S, Mia R, Samuel B, Valentino M

Sustainability Leaders: Adrian P, Emily G, Everly A, Mia D, Zayne A

Many congratulations to these students and we look forward to working with you next year. These students will be commissioned into their roles and presented with their badges at our First Whole School Assembly on Friday 6 February at the special time of 2:45pm

End of Year Mass and Farewells.

We would also like to invite all families to join us for our End of Year Mass tomorrow 16/12 at 10am. 

2026 Assessment Interviews

Each child in Year 1-6 is required to be booked into one assessment interview. The focus will be on reading comprehension.  This will take place on Wednesday 28 January ONLY. Students can wear their sport uniform and bring a snack, and a drink bottle. Assessment bookings can be made via Compass from Monday 15 December from 4pm.

A reminder that prep children are required to be booked into one assessment interview on one of the four Wednesdays below.

Prep Transition Days

We look forward to welcoming our newest addition to our school community next year. Our Prep students begin school on Wednesday 28 January at 8:45am and finish at 1pm. In Week One the students will attend school each day until 1pm. A reminder that our Preps have a rest day on the next four Wednesdays in Term One, 2026. These dates are:

• Wednesday 4 February

• Wednesday 11 February

• Wednesday 18 February

• Wednesday 25 February

From Monday 2 March our Prep students will be full time.

Transition Morning- Today

This morning’s transition session went very smoothly. Students had the opportunity to engage in fun get to know you activities with their new classmates and teachers. There was a positive buzz in the playground at recess. I remind parents to continue to keep the conversations about change positive by acknowledging your child’s feelings and engaging in optimistic self talk.

Staffing

Staffing for 2026 has now been finalised and as per the end of any school year we thank and farewell the following teachers for their contribution to our school. 

We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

• Lou Rae

• Hayley McNamara

• Helen Di Giuseppe

• Taryn Travanca

• Sarah Nikolic

We welcome the following teachers to our team in 2026.

• Alex Marcon

• Clare Denney

• Naomi Raffaele

• Natasha Ravenello

• Tayla De Sensi

• Samantha Calafiore

I am very excited to announce our starting line-up for 2026.

School Improvement Team:

Principal: Delfina Pieri

Deputy Principal Wellbeing and Engagement: Cecilia Garden

Deputy Principal Learning Excellence: Sara Belante-Tankard

Religious Education Lead: Gabrielle Lo Castro

Learning and Teaching Team: 

P-2 Learning Diversity and Learning Enhancement Leader: Rachel Hanna

3-6 Learning Diversity and Learning Enhancement Leader: Liz Finlayson

P-2 Learning Specialist: Meagan Warby

3-6 Learning Specialist: Tayla De Sensi

3-6 Enhancement Support Teacher: Melissa Mercuri

Classroom Teaching Team:

Year Prep: Naomi Raffaele, Meagan Warby/Rachel Hanna, Georgia Vassallo

Year One: Maria Barillaro, Alex Marcon, Clare Denney

Year Two: Niki Astuto, Jasmine Geen

Year Three: Alexandra Panas, Jessica Belante/Jane Lisina, Tayla De Sensi/Jane Lisina

Year Four: Anne De Cata, Beth Kett

Year Five: Rebecca Jarvis/Samantha Calafiore, Natasha Ravenello

Year Six: Michelle Fontana, David Nolan

Specialist Team:

PE: Gabriel Williams

STEM: Brett McCarthy

Italian: Elisa Genovese

Visual Art: Shan Marshall

Performing Arts: Alessia Dal Campo

LSO Team:

Rita Restifo-Olivera 

Alexandra Hatzivangelou

Dani Lepre

Laura Raffaele

Betty Tozoulis

Tash Zampogna

Anastasia Sotiralis

Diana Scarso 

Lily Styles

Sonia Pellizzer

Admin:

Business Manager: Florabelle Santiago

Student Reception/Bursar: Katherine Darmanin

Student Reception/Enrolments: Caroline Leone

Maintenance: Tony Gigliotti 

Student Requirements for 2026

Supplies:

• 2 x tissue boxes per student. Please have your child bring these to school at the beginning of the school year.

• Due to shared stationary from Prep - Year 6, students only require a small, soft pencil case for personal textas and coloured pencils provided by the school.

• Please keep personal pencil cases space-efficient; tub space is limited.

Organisation:

• Ensure all student belongings are clearly labelled (hats, jumpers, water bottles, etc.)

Uniform:

• You can obtain all your uniform needs from LOWES Airport West or online. Get in early to avoid any disappointment.

• Summer school uniform is mandatory in Term 1.

• School hat is essential for Sun Smart outdoor activities.

• Label your child's hat for easy identification.

• Children can begin to wear their sports uniform from Week 2 in Term 1- 2026.

Below is the list of days each year level is expected to wear their sport uniform for Physical Education & Performing Arts sessions.

Year Prep

Prep R: Monday (PE) and Thursday (PA)

Prep V: Monday (PE) and Thursday (PA)

Prep WH: Tuesday (PE) and Thursday (PA)

Year One

1B:  Wednesday (PA) & Thursday (PE)

1D:  Wednesday (PA) & Thursday (PE)

1M: Wednesday (PE) & (PA)

Year Two

2A: Wednesday (PE) & Thursday (PA)

2G: Wednesday (PE) & Thursday (PA)

Year Three

3DL: Tuesday (PA) & Wednesday (PE)

3JL: Tuesday (PA) & Wednesday (PA)

3P: Monday (PE) & Tuesday PA)

Year Four

4D:  Tuesday (PA) & Thursday (PE)

4KL:  Tuesday (PA) & Thursday (PE)

Year Five

5JC:  Tuesday (PE) & Wednesday (PA)

5R: Tuesday (PE) & Thursday (PA)

Year Six:

6F: Tuesday (PE) and Wednesday (PA)

6N: Tuesday (PE) and Wednesday (PA)

What's coming up in the last week of school..

Mon 15 Dec:  Moving Up Day

Mon 15 Dec:  2026 Prep Assessment Bookings Close

Mon 15 Dec:  2026 YR1 - YR6 Assessment Bookings open 4pm

Tue 16 Dec:  End of Year Mass - Whole School - 10 am parents welcome

Tue 16 Dec:  End of Year - 1pm Dismissal

Have a great week.

Delfina Pieri

Principal 

principal@sopascoevale.catholic.edu.au 

Term 1

Assessment Interview Day Yr 1-6 - Wednesday 28 January 

Yr Prep begin-  Wednesday 28 January gates open 8:35am 

Yr 1-6 begin- Thursday 28 January gates open 8:35am

Term 1

Thursday 29 January - Thursday 2 April- 1pm dismissal for students

Term 2

Monday 20 April- Friday 26 June- 1pm dismissal for students

Term 3

Monday 13 July- Friday 18 September- 1pm dismissal for students

 Term 4

Monday 5 October- Wednesday 16 December- 1pm dismissal for students

2026 Sacraments

Confirmation (Year 6)- Friday 27 March @ 5:30pm (Church)

First Eucharist (Year 4)- Sunday 31 May @ 3:30pm (Church)

Reconciliation (Year 3)- Wednesday 16 September @ 6:30pm (Church)

2026 School Closures

Friday 6 March: Professional Learning Day- No school for students

Friday 5 June: Professional Learning Day- No school for students

Friday 7 August: Professional Learning Day- No school for students

Friday 27 November: Professional Learning Day- No school for students

Public Holidays

Monday 9 March: Labour Day

Monday 8 June: King's Birthday

Tuesday 3 November: Melbourne Cup

Time In Lieu Days

Monday 2  November: School Closure for staff and students 

2026 Parent/Teacher Conferences

 Wednesday 11 February: Yr 1-6 Meet n Greet- Parent/Teacher Conferences 1pm finish for students

Tuesday 12 May: Yr Prep- Six Parent/Teacher Progress Meeting - 1pm finish for students

Thursday 29 October: Year Prep- Six Parent/Teacher Progress Meeting- 1pm finish for students

2026 Year 5-6 Camp

Monday 4 May - Wednesday 6 May

Week 1

Tue 27 Jan:  Teacher’s First Day- Pupil Free Day

Wed 28 Jan:  Preps First Day of School - 8:45am - 1:00pm

Wed 28 Jan:  Year 1 to 6 - Assessment Day - Session 1 - 8:45am - 10:45am

Wed 28 Jan:  Year 1 to 6 - Assessment Day - Session 3 - 11:15am - 1:15pm

Wed 28 Jan:  Year 1 to 6 - Assessment Day - Session 3 - 1:45pm - 3:45pm

Thur 29 Jan:  Year 1 to 6 First Day of Term 1

Thur 29 Jan:  Preps School Day  - 8:45am - 1:00pm

Fri 30 Jan:  Preps School Day  - 8:45am - 1:00pm

Week 2

Mon 2 Feb:  Preps Full Day of School Begins - 8:45am - 3:30pm (except Wednesdays)

Wed 4 Feb:  Preps - No School - Assessment Appointments

Wed 4 Feb:  SAC Meeting - 7:30pm members only

Wed 4 Feb: P& F Meeting- 6:30pm staffroom- ALL WELCOME

Thur 5 Feb:  Classroom Cuisine Lunch Orders & Canteen Window Sales Begin (Every Thursday and Friday)

Fri 6 Feb:  Assembly - 2:45pm Special Time- Year 6 Leaders commissioning parents welcome

Fri 6 Feb:  Welcome BBQ - 5:30pm- 7:30pm all welcome

Week 3

Tues 10 Feb:  2027 Prep - Open Day Session  - 9:15am

Wed 11 Feb:  Preps - No School - Assessment Appointments

Wed 11 Feb:  Year 1 to 6 Meet & Greet Parent/Teacher Interviews- 1pm finish for students

Fri 13 Feb:  Dental Van visit forms due

Week 4

Tue 17 Feb:  Shrove Tuesday - P&F Pancake Day

Wed 18 Feb:  Ash Wednesday Whole School Mass - 12pm - parents welcome

Wed 18 Feb:  Project Compassion Begins

Wed 18 Feb:  Preps - No School - Assessment Appointments

Fri 20 Feb:  Assembly - 3pm parents welcome

Week 5

Wed 25 Feb:  Preps - No School - Assessment Appointments

Thur 26 Feb:  2027 Prep - Twilight Open Evening Session - 6:15pm

Week 6

Mon 2 Mar:  Preps - full time (Mon to Fri  - 8:45am to 3:30pm)

Wed 4 Mar:  Year 6 Sacrament Of Confirmation Faith Family Night - 6:30 pm church

Thur 5 Mar:  Assembly - 3pm parents welcome

Friday 6 Mar:  Professional Learning Day- No school for students

Week 7

Mon 9 Mar:  Labour Day/International Women's Day - No school

Tue 10 Mar:  2027 Prep - Open Day Session  - 9:15am

Wed 11 Mar:  NAPLAN begins

Week 8: Catholic Education Week: Share your light, inspire others.

Mon 16 Mar:  Australian Dental Van visit

Tue 17 Mar:  School Photo Day

Wed 18 Mar:  SAC Meeting - 7pm members only

Fri 20 Mar:  Assembly - 3pm parents welcome

Week 9

Mon 23 Mar:  NAPLAN ends

Fri 27 Mar:  Year 6 Sacrament of Confirmation 5:30pm - St Oliver's Church

Week 10

Mon 30 Mar: Athletics Day- Coburg Athletics Track

Thur 2 Apr:  Holy Thursday - last day for Project Compassion

Thur 2 Apr:  Assembly - 9:15am parents welcome

Thur 2 Apr:  End of Term 1 - 1:00pm dismissal

Carol Leone/Katherine Darmanin

Office Administration 

Our School Community Notice Board acknowledges special Staff or School Family News. It allows us to be connected through prayer while we are apart and it is something I would really like to continue when we are back together again. If you have a particular event happening in your life e.g. birth or death and would like us to acknowledge this event please email me. We as a school community would love to offer prayers and thoughts to you during times of great joy or sadness.

principal@sopascoevale.catholic.edu.au