St John’s College has every reason to be proud this year; the VCE student performances are proof of their hard work and their teachers’ dedication, especially in Modern Greek.

More than 50 per cent of St John’s students achieved a score of over 45.

“Our focus in 2023 will be taking St John’s College from good to great! Building on the successes and achievements of the last three years and continuing our learning and growth to achieve greater things in 2023,” newly appointed principal Andrew Ponsford says. Mr Ponsford is a highly experienced P-12 independent schools Principal with over 30 years experience in Melbourne’s leading grammar schools.

“As I commence my time as Principal of SJC I cannot help but be impressed by the friendliness and community mindedness of the school; the warm and supportive manner in which I have been embraced has been truly overwhelming,” Mr Ponsford added.

“It is indeed an enormous privilege to join such a committed, motivated and supportive group of people who have as their primary focus the welfare and success of the students in their care… I look forward to working with the Board, staff, students and parents and carers to ensure that this journey continues in the strongest possible fashion and that these practices are built to last and will serve our students well beyond the final days of school.”

Photo: Supplied

Specifically, the past three years have seen a complete review of the curriculum as well as of the teaching and learning practices to maximize student engagement, with an updated vision and success for all and high personal standards of achievement. According to the school’s principal, the individual programming that is occurring together with the best that technology can provide to support community access, connectivity and student learning needs is a feature of the recent work that has occurred.

St John’s College Preston has welcomed another promising new addition to its Greek language teaching program.

Kristian Raspa will be joining the faculty as a leading leacher with a community engagement portfolio and Head of Greek Language and Culture. An alumni of St John’s College Preston himself, Mr Raspa is excited to return to his alma mater to share his passion for teaching with the next generation of students. With over a decade of experience in the field, Mr Raspa brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to St John’s.

In addition to his masters degree in teaching secondary with a specialisation in teaching languages, Mr Raspa has a long history of community service and involvement. As the Leading Teacher for community engagement, Mr Raspa will be responsible for developing and implementing programs and initiatives that will aim to strengthen our connections with the local community and promote civic engagement amongst our students.

“We are thrilled to have Kristian join our team and look forward to the positive impact he will have on our students and community,” Mr Ponsford added.