Week 5 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 5
Tuesday  4th March - Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)
Wednesday 5th March - Ash Wednesday Mass - St Brigid's Church with St Pius - all welcome

Week 6
Tuesday 11th March - Bathurst Dio Swimming Carnival - Dubbo Aquatic Centre
Wednesday 12th March - NAPLAN WRITING

Welcome to Week 5!
As we move further into the term, I want to extend a huge thank you to our school community for your ongoing support.

Staff Development Day – Thank You
Yesterday, our staff engaged in a highly valuable professional learning day with renowned Mathematics expert Anita Chin. This opportunity allowed our teachers to refine their strategies for delivering high-impact numeracy instruction to benefit all students. Thank you to our parents for supporting this important professional learning opportunity by accommodating the pupil-free day.

Parent-Teacher Information Sessions – A Great Success
Last week, we were delighted to see such a strong turnout for our Parent-Teacher Information Sessions. These sessions are invaluable in fostering strong partnerships between home and school. Thank you to all families who attended and engaged in discussions about their child's learning and well-being.

Ash Wednesday – 5th March
This Wednesday, 5th of March, we will join with St Pius X Primary for Ash Wednesday Mass at St Brigid’s Church.

Why is Ash Wednesday important?
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time of prayer, fasting, and reflection as we prepare for Easter. The ashes remind us to seek renewal, grow in faith, and focus on kindness and generosity.

Ash Wednesday Prayer
Heavenly Father,
As we begin this Lenten journey, help us to grow closer to You.
May we seek forgiveness, show kindness to others, and reflect on the love of Christ.
Guide us in our thoughts, words, and actions so that we may be a light to those around us.
Amen.

Parents are warmly invited to join us for this special Mass.

NAPLAN – Year 3 & 5 Students
Our Year 3 and Year 5 students continue their preparation for NAPLAN this week. On Thursday, they will complete practice tests in the online testing environment to familiarise themselves with the format.

📌 First NAPLAN Assessment – Writing
🗓 Date: Wednesday, 12th March
This will be the first official NAPLAN test, and we encourage students to approach it with confidence and a growth mindset.

Meeting for Mass – Sunday, 9th March
This Sunday, 9th of March, is our next ‘Meeting for Mass’ at St Brigid’s Church. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school and parish to come together in worship.

Our school choir will be singing, and our students will be actively involved in the Mass. We encourage all families to join us in strengthening our connection between school and parish life.

Everyone is welcome, and we look forward to celebrating with you!

Urgent Call for P&F Support – Can You Help?
We are still seeking significant support from our parent community to form a fully functioning P&F Committee and Executive. At this stage, we do not have enough members to continue the vital work of the P&F in supporting our school.

Can you help? Your involvement would make a meaningful difference, ensuring we can continue to provide exciting opportunities and resources for our students. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact the school office.

Gospel Reflection – Sunday, 2nd March
This Sunday’s Gospel from Luke 6:39-45 reminds us how important it is to look at ourselves first before judging others. Jesus uses the example of noticing a small splinter in someone else’s eye while ignoring the big plank in our own. He teaches us to focus on improving ourselves before we try to correct others.

Jesus also tells us that a good tree produces good fruit. This means that our words and actions show what is in our hearts. If we fill our hearts with kindness, patience, and love, we will share these with others through our actions.

As a family, we can think about:
🍎 How can we be kind and understanding towards others?
🍎 What "planks" do we need to remove from our own lives? (e.g., bad habits or unkind words)
🍎 How can we make sure our words and actions reflect God’s love?

Let’s pray this week that we focus on being our best selves and spread kindness, love, and forgiveness to those around us. Amen.

A Prayer for Pope Francis in His Time of Illness
Loving and Merciful God,

We lift up our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who carries the weight of his ministry while facing the challenges of illness. Grant him strength in body, mind, and spirit, and surround him with Your healing grace.

Lord, You are the Divine Healer. Ease his suffering, renew his energy, and bless the hands of those who care for him. We pray especially for the doctors, nurses, and caregivers tending to his needs—may they be guided by wisdom, compassion, and skill. In their service, may they find strength and comfort, knowing they are instruments of Your healing love.

We also remember all healthcare workers around the world, who tirelessly bring comfort and care to those in need. Bless them with endurance, protection, and peace as they dedicate themselves to the well-being of others.

As Pope Francis continues to guide Your Church with wisdom, humility, and love, sustain him with the peace that comes from You alone. May his witness of faith, even in weakness, inspire us to live with greater compassion, unity, and hope.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

God Bless and have a wonderful week

Mr. O’Leary

Pancake Tuesday
Pancake Tuesday will be enjoyed by all students and staff at school tomorrow. Historically Pancake Tuesday is called Shrove Tuesday, which is a festival celebrated by many Christians around the world. Pancake Tuesday is held the day before Ash Wednesday. During Lent, Christians are encouraged to give up luxuries to remember the days that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray. Our students who are ‘gluten free’ will also be able to join in with the celebration thanks to our Canteen staff who have ordered gluten free pancake mix.

Ash Wednesday
This Wednesday 5th March, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday. All students will attend Mass with St. Pius X Primary School and parishioners from St. Brigid’s parish at St. Brigid’s Church. At the Mass, students will receive ashes on their foreheads. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent - a very important time in the Liturgical Calendar. Parents are more than welcome to attend the Mass which will begin at 10am.

The Lenten Season
Lent is a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins with Ash Wednesday and finishes on Holy Thursday. At this time, the Easter Triduum begins, and Catholics enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s death before then rising on Easter Sunday. Lent is a time to reflect, repent and renew. Over the coming weeks throughout Lent, students will engage in a number of activities focussed on Caritas’ Project Compassion. These activities will offer our school community opportunities to continue to grow in faith together, and compassion for one another.

Meeting 4 Mass: 9th March
This coming Sunday 9th March, SJP will coordinate Mass at St. Brigid’s with our first Meeting 4 Mass for 2025. Meeting 4 Mass is an initiative that began several years ago and involves teachers inviting their students' families to attend Mass with the grade for the Sunday morning 9am Parish Mass at St. Brigid's Church. The '4' represents the children, parents, parish and teachers who all come together as a Catholic community to celebrate.

Students would have received invitations from class teachers recently. On the invite there is an opportunity for parents to select from one of the following: 

• My child is interested in carrying the gifts during the Offertory Procession. (Years K-3 students only)
• My child is interested in reading a prayer of the faithful (Years 4-6 students only)
• My child is interested in singing with the Choir (all students encouraged)

If your child is interested in being involved, please return your invite asap. Numbers will need to be finalised by no later than Wednesday 5th March.

If you did not receive the invitation, please find a copy on the following page of this newsletter.

We trust that Meeting 4 Mass invitations are well-received by parents, and look forward to seeing many of you join our teaching staff at Sunday morning Mass this term.

SPB4L
The focus for this fortnight’s SPB4L is demonstrating safe and respectful behaviours in Area 1. Over the past week, we have been discussing how these behaviours can be consistently applied throughout the school. Key examples include:

• Listening attentively to the teacher when using the microphone, by stopping what we are doing and giving our full attention.
• Respecting the playground environment by disposing of rubbish in the bins.
• Walking on the paths and participating in safe games.