Week 3 Term 1 2025

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 

17th - 21st February Kindy Best Start Testing

Week 4

25th February - Northern Region Swimming - Gulgong                                                                                   26th February - Parent Information Evening

• 5:00 PM – Years 1 & 2
• 5:15 PM – Years 3 & 4
• 5:30 PM – Years 5 & 6
• 5:45 PM – Kindergarten

Welcome to Week 3!

A Joyful Start to the Year & Embracing the Jubilee Year of Hope
It has been such a pleasure to see our students enter the school with happy smiles, eagerly greeting their teachers and friends with enthusiasm. This joyful start to the year is a true testament to the supportive and caring culture at St John’s—a school where genuine care is constantly shown by students, staff, parents, and carers.

2025: The Jubilee Year of Hope
This year marks the Jubilee Year of Hope for the Catholic Church, offering us a profound opportunity to reflect on the role of Catholic schools as beacons of hope.

St. Thomas Aquinas describes hope as the desire for something good that is difficult but possible to attain. Hope is not just a personal aspiration—it is a journey taken with others, supported by those who encourage and uplift us. There is no clearer expression of this understanding of hope than within a Catholic school community.

As a Catholic school, St John’s is called to inspire students to seek purpose and make sense of the world. In the words of Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP, teaching is "a beautiful expression of our hope for the young. Teaching recognises the dignity of the young as truth-seekers [and] embodies our hope for their future."

Fanning the Flame of Hope
In the spirit of the Jubilee, we are encouraged to fan the flame of hope within our community. As Pope Francis (2024) reminds us, hope enables us to:
✨ Gain strength and certainty
✨ Look to the future with an open spirit
✨ Have a trusting heart and far-sighted vision

I look forward to celebrating this Jubilee Year of Hope with our St John’s community, as we continue to nurture a school environment filled with faith, purpose, and encouragement for the future.

Let’s make 2025 a year filled with hope and promise for all! 💙✨

We Need You!
Last week, the P&F held their Annual General Meeting (AGM). Unfortunately, a quorum was not formed, meaning that at this stage, our school may not have a P&F committee for 2025. This is certainly not what we want for our school community.

The P&F is a dedicated group that achieved a great deal in 2024. Some of their highlights include:
✅ Colour Run - Water Fun Day
✅ Trivia Night
✅ Mother’s Day Gift Organisation & Afternoon Teas
✅ Grandparents’ Day
✅ Cookie Dough Fundraising
✅ Participation in Teacher Interview Panels

Without a P&F committee, these wonderful events simply cannot happen—which would be a significant loss for our school community.

How Can You Help?
We are asking our parent community to consider joining the P&F and take on a role in ensuring these valuable initiatives continue.

📅 Meetings: Twice per term (Tuesday, Week 2 & Week 7)
⏳ Commitment: As little as one meeting per term

We urgently need volunteers for both executive and general committee roles. If you can give some time to support the school in this capacity, please email your nomination to:
📧 stjohnsprimarydubbo@bth.catholic.edu.au

We hope to form the committee by Week 6, allowing for an official vote in Week 7.

Best Start Kindergarten Assessments
Our newest and youngest learners have made a fantastic start to their journey at St John’s! Our Kindergarten students have settled in beautifully—making new friends, exploring their classrooms, and embracing new routines with enthusiasm.

From storytelling and hands-on activities to outdoor play, our Kindergarten students are already engaging in a rich learning environment that nurtures curiosity and confidence. Their excitement and eagerness to learn have been a joy for our dedicated teachers and staff to witness each day.

We are incredibly proud of our Kindergarten students and look forward to a wonderful year ahead, filled with learning, growth, and new experiences! 🌟🎉

This week, our Kindergarten students will be completing the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment.

What is the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment?
The Best Start Kindergarten Assessment is a state-wide initiative that helps teachers identify the literacy and numeracy skills each child brings to school. This assessment has been conducted in NSW public schools since 2010 and helps teachers plan effective learning programs tailored to each student’s needs.

🔹 No preparation or study is needed – this is not a test!
🔹 The assessment takes about 20 minutes per subject (literacy and numeracy).
🔹 It is conducted one-on-one by your child’s teacher, ensuring they feel comfortable.

What Does the Assessment Cover?

📖 Literacy Skills:
✔️ Word, sound, and letter recognition
✔️ Early writing abilities
✔️ Retelling stories

🔢 Numeracy Skills:
✔️ Number recognition & counting
✔️ Early addition & subtraction
✔️ Recognising patterns

These foundation skills are essential for success in Kindergarten and beyond.

Parent Information Nights – Save the Date!
Our 2025 Parent Information Sessions will be held on:

📅 Wednesday, 26th February
🕔 Schedule:

• 5:00 PM – Years 1 & 2
• 5:15 PM – Years 3 & 4
• 5:30 PM – Years 5 & 6
• 5:45 PM – Kindergarten

Why are these sessions important?

🔹 Learn about curriculum expectations for your child’s grade
🔹 Understand how we support student learning
🔹 Find out about school routines, events, and key programs
🔹 Meet your child’s teachers and school staff

We encourage all parents and caregivers to attend these sessions to gain valuable insights into their child’s learning journey.

Thank You for a Fantastic Swimming Carnival!
A huge thank you to our incredible staff, students, and volunteers for their resilience and commitment in making our Swimming Carnival a success last Thursday, despite the disruption caused by storms. Your patience and enthusiasm ensured we could still complete our carnival, and we truly appreciate everyone's efforts!

🏅 Congratulations to all our place winners—you should be very proud of your achievements! Your dedication and sportsmanship were outstanding.

The next step on the swimming pathway is the Northern Carnival, which will be held on Monday, 25th February in Gulgong. We wish all of our qualifying swimmers the best of luck as they represent our school at this next level of competition!

Once again, well done to all involved in making the day such a success. Go St. John’s! 🏊‍♂️👏

Gospel and Reflection:  Luke 6:17, 20-26 (NIV)

Jesus Heals and Teaches
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,

The Beatitudes and Woes
20 Looking at His disciples, He said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”

Family Connection

Today's Gospel offers a contrast to many of the messages we hear in our society today. If we were to accept uncritically the “get ahead” messages of our culture, we would think that happiness means having money, being successful, and having many possessions. In this way, we are not unlike the people who heard Jesus teach on the day that he taught the Beatitudes. They too associated happiness with possessions and success. The report of the Beatitudes in Luke's Gospel, however, takes things one step further. Not only will we not find happiness through the “get ahead” messages of the world, but relying upon these messages will cause us harm. The warnings spoken are particularly challenging because they suggest that our way of life must change if we are to gain the lasting happiness of eternal life.

Talk together as a family about what society tells us makes a person successful. Make a list of the traits that you associate with a successful person. Then read together today's Gospel, Luke 6:17,20-26. Reflect on Jesus' description of blessedness in the Kingdom of God. 

School Pick-Up Zones – Safety & Efficiency
Our car line pick-up system provides a convenient and safe way for families to drop off and collect students. To ensure the smooth and safe operation of this system, we ask all parents and carers to follow road rules and school procedures, which have been carefully designed with safety as the top priority.

Important Reminders for Families Using the Car Line:
🚗 Display your family name upon approach – ideally on the sunshade for easy visibility.
🚦 Follow the directions of staff at all times.
➡️ Move to the furthest point in the designated drop-off and pick-up zone.
🚫 Do not queue in a way that blocks traffic flow on surrounding streets or roundabouts.

School Zone Compliance & Safety
📍 Sheraton Road and surrounding areas are regularly patrolled by police to ensure compliance with school zone regulations. Please be aware that failing to follow signage and road rules could result in substantial fines.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe and traffic flowing smoothly. 🚘💙

God bless and have a wonderful week

Mr. O’Leary

Sacramental Meetings for Parents:                                                                                                                For our Year 2, 3 and 6 children who will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion or Confirmation later on this year please add one of the following dates to your diary. 

All Sacraments for 2025 will be discussed at the Information Night for Parents to be held at one of the following times: Parent Information Meetings for Sacraments will be held: Sunday 23rd February at 10am, Tuesday 25th February at 6:15pm, Sunday 2nd March at 10am. All meetings will be held at St Brigid’s Church. Can I please stress the importance of your attendance at one of these meetings, as the details of all three sacraments will be given at these evenings. 

How do I know if my child is receiving this sacrament? If your child is baptised Catholic, they are invited to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation in Year 2, First Holy Communion in Year 3 and Confirmation in Year 6. If you would like anymore details on the sacraments, please feel free to contact myself or Rosalie Hosking - Sacramental Coordinator at St. Brigid’s Church: sacraments.dubbo@cdob.org.au

Introducing our School Leadership Team for 2025: Our Year 6 captains have officially been inducted into their leadership positions for 2025. We trust they will lead our school responsibly throughout the year and have no doubt they will appreciate the opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Congratulations to:

School Captains: Isabelle Edwards and Jackoby Hanson

School Vice-Captains: Hannah Hardy and Hunter Sunderland

Lennon Sport Captains: Sienna Grant and Franz Caliba

McAuley Sport Captains: Zahlia Fisher and Ryder Emery

La Salle Sport Captains: Dimity Kerr and Abby Horsfall

Moore Sport Captains: Isla Alexander and Manaia Pereira

Band Captain: Dinuki Herath-Pathirathnage

String Ensemble Captain: Savannah Milliken

Choir Captains: Carys King and Logan Nankivell

Become a Catechist!

We are looking for volunteers to help with teaching scripture to the kids in the state schools. 

If you are interested and would like to know more please contact Sue Oldfield

sboldfield@live.com

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

St. Laurence’s Church: Sunday -7:30am and Wednesday 9.30am

Take care,                                                                                                                                                        Paula Clifford                                                                                                                                                    Religious Education Coordinator

Welcome to our new families joining SJP this year and welcome back to our existing families.

The 2025 statements/invoices will be emailed to families 28 February 2025. On the statement will be Compass and BPAY details and also term payment amounts for those families wishing to pay their fees in Terms 1, 2 & 3.

For existing families that have an additional student join SJP this year you may need to adjust your payment plan accordingly. Please contact me to discuss your account.

For new families who wish to start a regular payment plan via Direct Debit, BPAY, Credit Card or Compass please contact me to discuss details and payment options.

Please note all fees on a payment plan are due by 30 November 2025.

If you wish to discuss your account please contact the Fees Office on 6884 8505 or email m.lew@bth.catholic.edu.au.

Kind Regards 

Maryann Lew                                                                                                                                                                      Fees and Finance Administration