Week 2 Term 4

School Vision Statement: To change the world through our faith in Jesus who is our light.
Phone: 6882 2677 or 6882 2653
Email: stjohnsprimarydubbo@bth.catholic.edu.au                    
Principal: Mr. Anthony O’Leary
School Manager/Priest: Father Greg Kennedy           
P&F Meetings: 2nd & 7th Tuesday each term

Parents/guardians-Please note that photographs of students may be used in publication. Please advise the School Office if you do not approve of your child’s photo being used.

WEEK 2                                                                                                                                                           Tuesday 22nd October - P&F Meeting - 6.30pm South Dubbo Tavern
Friday  25th October - Grandparents Liturgy - 1.00pm, St John's College Hall, then afternoon tea at St John's Primary
Friday 25th October - St John's P&F Trivia Night - Club Dubbo - tickets 123tix ( see info in P & F News) WEEK 3                                                                                                                      Wednesday 30th October - Diwali celebrations 1.00pm
Friday 1st November - All Saints Day Mass - 10am School Hall

Welcome to Week 2
What a wonderful first week back we had last week, with the highlight being our celebration of St John the Apostle day that also incorporated our disco to support our sponsor child, Stephanie.

You are encouraged to keep an eye on our Dates to Remember section of the Newsletter to keep up to date with events that are taking place this term, especially our end of year events.

Term 4 is always busy with lots of events taking place at St John’s. 

Some of the key events include:

• Grandparents Day Liturgy - Friday 25th October
• All Saints Day Mass at 10.00am in our hall - Friday 1st November
• All Souls Liturgy - Monday 4th November
• Remembrance Day Liturgy - Monday 11th November
• The Colour Explosion will also take place on Friday 22nd November. This will be a great day with water activities galore!

This term we will also celebrate the liturgical season of Advent, leading up to Christmas from 1st December. We farewell our Year 6 cohort and wish them every success as they move into Secondary School. We hold our Kindergarten Orientation for 2025 Kindergarten students from Thursday 21st November. Year 5 have their Sydney excursion in Week 5  and also organise student leadership for next year.

It is going to be a fast paced term.

World Teachers' Day is on 25 October and is an opportunity to celebrate Australia’s teachers for their expert work in educating, inspiring and supporting children and young people.

Let’s celebrate Australia’s teachers for their skilled work in educating, inspiring and supporting our young people. Hats off to teachers this World Teachers’ Day! 

On this World Teachers’ Day, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude and pride in the remarkable staff at St John’s Dubbo. Our dedicated teachers exemplify the highest standards of professionalism and care, always placing the needs of our students at the forefront of everything they do. Their unwavering commitment to delivering quality education, along with their pastoral care, ensures that each child is nurtured and supported.

I am also deeply proud of our outstanding executive team, whose leadership and passion for the school improvement agenda continue to drive our progress. Together, we are fostering an environment of excellence, growth, and compassion. I am incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a talented and dedicated group of professionals.

Share a “hats off” selfie of you and your kids to celebrate teachers. Make sure to tell teachers what they mean to you. This is your chance to join Australia in celebrating teachers, with the focus of course of the amazing teachers here at SJP.

Get cards, selfie frames, gift tags and more on the website https://worldteachersday.edu.au/ 

On Friday 25 October, you can show your appreciation by posting a “hats off” selfie on social media, either on your own or with family or friends. Grab your hat – beret, beanie, bucket, bowler – and remember to tag #WorldTeachersDay2024 @aitsl 

Staffing Announcement                                                                                                      We are pleased to announce and congratulate Miss Kristy Isbester on being successful in gaining the teaching position at St Pius X Dubbo.

Kristy has been a quality Kindergarten teacher and Year 6 teacher during her time at SJP, demonstrating outstanding dedication to her students. Her ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, offer patient and compassionate support to students, and build strong, positive relationships with parents has truly made a difference in our school community.

We wish her all the best as she embarks on this exciting new chapter at St Pius X. We know she will continue to shine in her new role!

Good Luck team
This week our Junior relay team, made up of Molly, Georgia, Ava and Amahli will be competing at the NSW PSSA Athletics carnival. The team has performed exceptionally well so far and has put in many hours of training. We wish them all the best. Thank you to Miss Anderson for preparing the girls for this event.

THE ROSARY                                                                                        October has been set aside as a time for people to pray and meditate upon the Rosary, a popular devotion among Catholics. Over the centuries the Church has always honoured Mary, the Blessed Mother of God. Praying the Rosary is one of the many ways in which we do this. 

We encourage students to pray to our Our Lady, the Mother of God, and for any intentions they have. For more information about the Rosary please click on this link - https://www.therosary.online/

God bless and have a wonderful week                                                                                                              Anthony O’Leary

Grandparents Liturgy
SJP would like to invite all parents and grandparents to our Grandparents Liturgy this coming Friday 25th October @ 1pm at St. John’s College Hall. This is one of the most exciting days on our school calendar as it is lovely to see so many families attend school to visit their children and grandchildren. Afternoon Tea will once again be held on our school grounds after the Liturgy.

SJP’s Sponsor Child Stephanie
Due to the fabulous support of our Disco’s last week on St. John’s Celebration Day, we were able to raise $1250 to support Stephanie in her education. Our students thoroughly enjoy hearing about Stephanie and her progress, and it is really very heart warming to see their desire to help her as she grows and learns. WELL DONE SJP! Another fabulous example of your willingness to serve others.

Enrolment for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
This week will see the beginning of the Preparation Sessions for this sacrament for our Year 2 Catholic students. Students making this sacrament are required to attend one session each week for the next 3 weeks. Parents please note the slight change of dates below. The sessions will be offered at St. Brigid’s Hall at the following times. If you are yet to receive communication from Rosie Hosking (St.Brigid’s Sacramental Coordinator), please contact her asap on: sacraments.dubbo@cdob.org.au

Session 1 on Tuesday 22nd Oct, Wed  23rd Oct and Sunday 27th Oct

Session 2 on Tuesday 29th Oct, Wed 30th Oct and Sunday 3rd Nov

Session 3 on Tuesday 5th Nov, Wed 6th Nov and Sunday 10th Nov

Diwali Festival
SJP is excited to share with you that we will be holding a small celebration of the Indian ‘Festival of Lights - Diwali’ on Wednesday 30th October between 1-2pm. This special event promises to be a vibrant and colourful celebration of culture and community. A small group of students are currently preparing a dance to perform at the celebration and to add to the festive atmosphere, all students will be encouraged to wear either traditional cultural outfits or fun colourful clothing instead of their normal school uniform on that day. We warmly invite all parents to join us to watch this special performance and celebrate Diwali with our school community. To make the event even more special, we invite you to stay and enjoy a picnic lunch with your child after the performance between 1.30-2pm. Please see the poster attached.

Save the date!                                                                                                                  Parents please be aware that SJP will celebrate All Saints Day by hosting a Mass here in our school hall. All members of the SJP community are warmly welcome to attend the Mass with us. Friday 1st November @10am.

Mass at St. Brigid’s Church:                                                                                                              Saturday - 6:00pm, Sunday - 9:00am and Sunday - 6:00pm

Enjoy your week!
Paula Clifford
Religious Education Coordinator

Well done to the following students on their great results in the recent ICAS Digital Technologies Assessment.

Merits 

• Henoch Yr 4 
• Kareef Yr 6 

 Credits

• Inesh Yr 2 
• Ranumi Yr 3
• Skyli Yr 4 

Distinction 

• Viru Yr 2

Wellbeing News

SPB4L  Our SPB4L focus was introduced at our fortnightly assembly and the focus is ‘be seen, be safe and do the right thing’. We discussed ways that this SPB4L focus can be displayed which includes: 

• Playing in the correct play areas
• Playing wear a teacher in an orange vest can see you
• Play in the open spaces and not between buildings
• Moving safely around the playground

Breakfast Club                                                                                                                  Breakfast Club is now available at school between 8.20 - 8.40am Monday - Friday. Breakfast club will offer the following:

• A slice of toast with either vegemite or jam and a hot milo for $1
• Extra slice of toast is 50c

As this is a wellbeing initiative there is no provision for the use of Flexischools to order. This is a cash only purchase.