History:
The first school in what is now the Mitcham parish was built on the site of the present St John's Church and was opened in 1872. It was named Ayr Hill Catholic School, after the name of the area. The early teachers were all lay teachers. The name was changed to St John's Catholic School in 1888.
This school closed in 1929 when the number of pupils was about 30. The pupils went to the local State School for three years before a new school was built further along Whitehorse Road on the eastern side of Mitcham Road. Two Mercy Sisters from Lilydale commuted by train daily to staff the school.
In 1955 the Sisters of St Joseph joined the parish and were accommodated in a newly built convent. The present school was built and opened in 1960. During the 1960s lay staff taught alongside the Sisters. The first lay principal was appointed in 1975 with a predominantly lay staff. The Sisters of St Joseph withdrew from the school in 1986. Thus the school became staffed completely by lay personnel.
Description:
St John's Parish School shares the same site as St John's Church, Mitcham. It is located on Whitehorse Road, Mitcham.
The school enrolment is approximately 190 students in eight classes: Prep, Grade 1/2, Grade 3/4 and Grade 5/6.
The school buildings form a horseshoe around an enclosed quadrangle. Recently a new resource area/library was added and the administration area was refurbished. Currently the old library is being transformed into a multipurpose room. The School Master Plan will see further refurbishment of the classrooms in 2007.
The play spaces for the children are the same in area as they were when there were almost 800 students in the early 1970s. There is a large tree-lined adventure playground, which is situated next to two tennis courts. While the children play on these during the day the children have tennis lessons after school. There is also a full-sized basketball court flanked by a rectangular grassed area used by the children for football, soccer, T Ball, and the like.
Features:
We have a very strong commitment to the partnership between parish and school. We encourage our parents to participate in the life of the school. Our teachers are committed to the provision of the best possible education for the children in our care, strongly guided by our School Vision, 'I have come that you may have life … to the full.' In all classrooms our teachers use the most up-to-date and effective educational practice. We aim to balance the social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of our students while aiming for academic excellence.