Week 3 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 3
Wednesday 30th October - Diwali celebrations 1.00pm
Friday 1st November - All Saints Day Mass - 10am School Hall

WEEK 4
Monday 4th November - All Souls Liturgy 1.00pm  School Hall
Thursday 6th November - ICY CUP THURSDAY
Friday 7th November - SOCKTOBER - Sunnies and Socks (gold coin donation)

Welcome to Week 3 of Term 4!
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our staff and students on the fantastic start we’ve had to the term. The energy, enthusiasm, and dedication I’ve seen both in the classrooms and around the school have been truly inspiring.

As we enter the final term of the school year, it’s wonderful to witness the hard work and commitment from our students, supported by our dedicated staff, who continue to provide such a rich and engaging learning environment. Term 4 is always a busy and exciting time, with many events and milestones ahead, and I am confident that together, we will finish the year strong.

2025
Over the coming weeks, we will be organising our class groupings for 2025. We dedicate a great deal of time and effort to carefully consider and create balanced classes. If there is any recent information about your child that the school may not be aware of, please provide it in writing to me by Monday, 4th November.

Please note, this is not an invitation to request specific teachers or classmates, and we will not be able to accommodate such requests. We trust that you will have confidence in us to make the best decisions for all children. Our approach to developing classes focuses on helping students build new skills, form relationships, and develop resilience in a happy and safe environment.

Also, if your child is not returning to SJP in 2025, please inform us as soon as possible, as we have waiting lists for most year levels.

Parents and Friends
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful P&F for organising and hosting the Trivia Night on Friday, 25th October. It was a fantastic event and your hard work and dedication ensured its success. It was a great night for all who attended! Thank you to all of the business for their support with the many prizes.

However, I must also note that the last P&F meeting held last week had a very low turnout, and unfortunately, we did not have enough attendees to reach a quorum. The P&F is such a valuable part of our school community, but its success depends on the input and involvement of our parents.

The next P&F meeting will be held in the school staffroom on Tuesday, 26th November. I encourage you all to come along, share your ideas, and support the incredible work that benefits our school and our students. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.

Kinder 2025 
I am delighted to invite the parents of our 2025 Kindergarten students to our Parent Information Evening on Thursday, 14th November, commencing at 6.00pm in the school hall. This is an important evening where you will have the opportunity to meet our 2025 Kindergarten teachers and hear about the exciting journey your child will embark on next year.

During the evening, the Kindergarten team will share valuable information about the transition to school, what to expect in the first year of learning, and how we foster a nurturing and supportive environment for our youngest learners. We will also cover key details regarding the curriculum, routines, and how we work together with families to ensure a positive start to your child’s school experience.

This is a wonderful opportunity to ask any questions and connect with other families in the 2025 cohort. We look forward to seeing you there and welcoming you to the St John’s Primary School community!

All Saints Day
As we approach All Saints Day, we are reminded of the incredible examples of faith, courage, and love that the saints have shown throughout history. This special day is an opportunity for us as a Catholic community to reflect on their lives and be inspired by their deep commitment to God.

To celebrate All Saints Day, we will be holding a school Mass in the SJP Hall on Friday, 1st November commencing at 10.00am, and I warmly invite all parents and friends to join us. This is a beautiful occasion to come together in prayer and to remember those who have lived their lives in the service of God and others.

Our students have been learning about different saints in their Religious Education classes, and this Mass will be a wonderful way for them to honour the saints and their teachings. It’s also a great opportunity for us as a school community to celebrate our faith and to share this meaningful event with one another. We look forward to welcoming you at the Mass and sharing this special day of reflection and celebration.

Diwali, the Festival of Lights
At St John's Primary School, we are proud to celebrate the many cultures that make up our vibrant school community. This Wednesday, 30th October, we will be celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights, a significant event for many of our families.

I would like to extend a special thank you to Mrs. Lakhani for her hard work in organizing the beautiful sand art, a traditional Diwali activity, as well as the exciting dance performance and other engaging activities that will help our students learn about and appreciate this important cultural celebration.

We are looking forward to a joyful day of celebration, filled with learning, fun, and a deep respect for the diverse cultures that enrich our school family. What a wonderful opportunity for our students to join in the spirit of the day and celebrate the light, hope, and happiness that Diwali represents. I would like to thank Rams International Grocery for their kind donation of clay lamps for Year 3 and 4.

Gospel and Reflection: Mark 10:46-52 Jesus restores sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Family Connection                                                                                                                                  Today’s Gospel offers us a powerful example of faith and persistence in prayer. Those around him rebuked Bartimaeus for his efforts to attract Jesus’ attention. When silenced by the crowd, however, Bartimaeus called out all the more. He is persistent and bold in his confidence that Jesus will show mercy on him and do what he asks. His persistence and great confidence that Jesus would help him reminds us of the confidence with which our children bring to us their needs. In their faith and trust we can find an example of the attitude with which we might approach God in prayer.

As a family, recall a request that has been made repeatedly by one family member to another. Talk about why the request continues to be made if the answer continues to be no. Then read together today’s Gospel, Mark 10:46-52. After reading the Gospel, pose questions such as these to your family: Why must Bartimaeus be persistent in calling out to Jesus? (Some people in the crowd are telling him to be quiet.) What does Bartimaeus do when some try to stop him? (He calls out to Jesus all the more.) When Jesus stops and calls for him, what does Jesus do and say? (He restores Bartimaeus’s sight; Jesus tells Bartimaeus his faith has saved him.) When we pray, God wants us to be so confident he will help us that we don’t permit anyone to keep us from bringing our needs to God in prayer.

God bless and have a wonderful week                                                                                                          Anthony O’Leary

Diwali Festival
This coming Wednesday, SJP will hold their very first celebration of the Indian ‘Festival of Lights/Diwali’  between 1-2pm. This special event promises to be a vibrant and colourful celebration of culture and community. 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.

All Saints Mass
This coming Friday, 1st November is a special day for the Catholic Church. All Saints Day is held every year on this date and commemorates people who have devoted their life to God and the teachings of Jesus. We will celebrate this day together with a Mass in our school hall. All members of the SJP community are warmly welcome to attend the Mass with us which will begin at 10am.

Enrolment for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
This week our Year 2 students who are Catholic will continue to attend preparation sessions for this sacrament. The sessions will continue to be offered 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

SUNDAY 10AM, TUESDAY 6:15PM, WEDNESDAY 4:30 PM                                                                          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

Socktober in November
Due to the already busy start to Term 4, SJP’s Socktober fundraiser will be held in November this year. Whoops! It will be kept very simple for our students this year. They will be encouraged to  wear crazy socks and sunnies on Friday of Week 5. In the past we have  invited our students to wear crazy hair however this often becomes an issue when trying to wear a school hat. Therefore in 2024, the Socktober theme is Crazy Socks AND Sunnies! Students are asked to donate $1 to Catholic Mission on this day. Please see the poster that follows for more details.

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

Enjoy your week!                                                                                                                                                Paula Clifford                                                                                                                                                Religious Education Coordinator

SPB4L

This week we will continue with our fortnightly SPB4L focus of ‘be seen, be safe and do the right thing’. We have been discussing 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.

NSWPSSA Athletics Championships!

On Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th October, Molly, Georgia, Ava and Amahli represented Polding and SJP at the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships. We are all so very proud of the girls and their achievements! SJP were very excited to cheer along in the classrooms via livestream, making us feel like we were really there.

Thank you to the parents for accompanying the girls to Sydney to compete, and taking them to training each week.

Amahli placed 4th in her 9 years girls 100m dash heat with a time of 15.31 allowing her to progress into the semi-finals. She then placed 6th, coming away as the 9th fastest 9 year old girl in the state. 

The junior girls had a extremely tough field to compete against, with five heats in their section. They came away with 6th place in their heat, and saying ‘that was the fastest I have ever run!’

Congratulations Molly, Georgia, Ava and Amahli!