Week 7 Term 2

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 7

Monday 10th June - Kings Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 11th June - Kindy Sibling Interviews 
Tuesday 11th June -  Year 3-6 Choir Eisteddfod performance 10am
Tuesday 11th June - P & F Meeting SJP - 6pm light tea meeting 6.30pm (sorry no children)
Wednesday 12th June - Kindy Sibling Interviews
Wednesday 12th June - Year 3-6 choir Masonic Village visit 2pm
Wednesday 12th June - 12:15 pm Mass at St. Brigid’s = Year 5 - Families welcome to attend

WEEK 8

Monday 17th June - Eisteddfod SJP Hall
Tuesday 18th June - Eisteddfod SJP Hall
Wednesday 19th June - Eisteddfod DRTCC
Thursday 20th June - School Photos Full Winter Uniform - Siblings photos 8.15 - 8.50 Hall

Welcome to Week 7

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend and are feeling refreshed for another exciting week. This past weekend we had a number of Year 6 students, join their friends from the previous week, in  making the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is indeed a special and significant milestone in their spiritual journey. It is our sincere hope that the connection with the Church will continue to grow.

Today our growing choir performed at the City of Dubbo Eisteddfod. Mrs King has been working tirelessly across the broad scope of Eisteddfod categories, from speech, nursery rhythms and the choir and we thank her for all that she does in the performing arts. Thank you also to Mrs Clifford for her talents on the piano and working with the choir. The choir will also be visiting the Masonic Village on Wednesday to showcase their amazing talents. I am pleased to announce that our choir gained 1st Place. (see CAPA news for photos)

This week the Kindergarten 2025 sibling interviews are continuing. It has been an absolute pleasure to meet the new students and families. If you have friends or family wanting to join our school community, get them to contact the office to secure an enrolment pack.

Staff Professional Development Day

You are reminded that our next Staff Professional Development Day is being held Friday 5th of July. Students do not attend school on this day.

On this day our staff will be focussing our professional learning on the work that we are doing on our strategic goal of Wellbeing for all. The staff will be working with BeYou materials and staff from the Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst, Blair Windsor. The staff will be enhancing their skills in areas such as social and emotional learning, promoting inclusion, early intervention and responding to critical incidents.

Semester One (Mid-Year)  Reports                                                                                                Students are working hard in their classrooms and teachers are continuing to  assess students on recent work prior to moderating and grading students for their Semester One Report. Parents and carers will receive their child’s report card live via COMPASS on Wednesday the 3rd of July.

Whole Day Absences via Parent Portal

If your child is absent from school for a whole day or longer, please submit details of the absence via the Parent Portal. This should be completed within 7 days of the absence. There is no need to adjust times for whole day absences.

If your child will only be absent for a partial day, the absence will be recorded as your child is signed in or out via the kiosk at the front office. You do not need to add an early pick up or late drop off via the Parent Portal.

Unexplained absences for your child will be displayed on your homepage when you log in to Parent Portal.

Why do I need to be careful?

Once you share something online it is very difficult to take it back.So it is important to stop and think first.Are you about to share some information that you should keep private, or a photo or video that may hurt someone's feelings?

Keeping my personal information private

Personal information is as precious as the keys to your house. Giving these keys to the wrong people, even by accident, can be like allowing a stranger into your house without you even knowing.

If someone has lots of personal information about you, they could pretend to be you, find out where you live, or even use your personal information to buy things. 

How can I protect my personal information?

• Avoid using your full name online — choose a screen name that does not include your real first or last name or use a nickname instead. 
• Don’t lie about your age — lots of social media apps have a minimum age rating of 13. This is because some of the content may not be safe for kids. 
• Only friend or follow people you know — if you receive a friend request from someone you don’t know it is best to delete their request.
• Keep your email and phone number private — your email address might contain your name and you don’t want to get unwanted texts, calls or emails. 
• Don’t fill in all the fields on forms — if you sign up for something online, like a competition or quiz, only fill out the fields that are marked with an asterisk (this symbol *).

Tips for sharing photos and videos

1. Ask before sharing — if you take a photo or video with someone else in it, ask if it’s OK to share.
   If they say no, then respect their decision.
2. Think carefully before you share an image or video — once you share something online it is very difficult to take it back.
   It could be shared or copied by someone else. 
3. Don’t share anything you wouldn’t want people to see in 5 years — that video of you singing or dancing like crazy is cool now, but will it be cool in 5 years?
4. Check what you are sharing — check if a photo or video has anything in it that could show where you live or the school you go to. Does it show the front of your house or street? Are you in your school uniform?
5. Take it down — if you have shared a photo or video and the person asked you to take it down, do it!
6. Don’t share or forward something embarrassing — if someone sends you a photo or video that you know would be embarrassing for the person in it, don’t forward it on or share it with other kids.

More information about e-safety can be found by visiting https://www.esafety.gov.au/ 

God bless and have a wonderful week.

Anthony O’Leary

Sacrament of First Holy Communion/Eucharist:

Parents of Catholic students, wishing to receive this sacrament are asked to save one of the upcoming dates to attend Mass at St. Brigid’s Church to enrol your child in preparation for this sacrament. Enrolment Masses will be held at all 3 Masses over the weekends of the 22nd/23rd and on the 28th/29th June.

 Confirmation:

To all of the remaining Year 6 students who received their confirmation over the weekend - we would like to share this prayer with you:

Lord, You send out Your Spirit to touch the hearts of all

people, so that they may believe in You and in Jesus whom You sent.

Look kindly on all candidates for Confirmation as they listen to Your voice.

Open their hearts to Your Spirit and bring to fulfillment the good work that You have begun in them.

As we prepare these children for Confirmation, make each of us an instrument of Your love.

Teach us to appreciate what is holy in others, and to be patient with what we do not understand.

Deepen our faith in the Gospel and help us to pass it on by our example.

We pray that You will continue to guide us and sustain us.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Visit to Masonic Village:

This coming Wednesday, our Grades 3-6 Choir will visit the Masonic Village and perform their 2 Eisteddfod songs. We have no doubt that the residents will appreciate the beautiful sounds of our choir!

Grade Masses:

This Wednesday, Year 5 will attend Mass at St. Brigid’s at 12:15pm. All parents of Year 5 students are more than welcome to attend the Mass.

Mass at St. Brigid’s Church: 

Saturday - 5:00pm, Sunday - 9:00am and Sunday - 5:00pm

Due to heating issues in St Brigid’s, all weekday Masses will be held at St. Laurence’s Church throughout June, July, August.

Enjoy your week!

Paula Clifford

Religious Education Coordinator

Just a reminder that ordering for our 2024 School Photos close on Monday 17th June with photos taking place on Thursday 20th June.

Any orders made after this date may incur a late order fee.

Sibling photos will take place starting 8.15am - 8.50am. Parents are asked to please bring your children to the school hall durning this time for family photos. 

No family photos will be taken outside this time frame.

If you have any questions please contact MSP photographers direct on 6360 2008.

Dubbo Eisteddfod First Place!

We are thrilled to announce the incredible success of our Primary 3-6 Choir! A huge thank you to our dedicated and committed students who have worked tirelessly to achieve this remarkable accomplishment. Your hard work truly paid off!

Our adjudicator was impressed, noting how attentively the choir watched their conductor, Mrs. King. The choir's facial expressions beautifully reflected the stories of the songs, showcasing their deep understanding and connection to the music. Additionally, the adjudicator praised the choir's excellent diction and beautifully blended vowels, something we have been focusing on during rehearsals. It was heartening for the students to receive such positive feedback.

Thank you to Mrs.Clifford for her time and expertise in accompanying the choir. Your talent as a musician is invaluable, and we are so grateful for your contribution.

Well done to everyone involved! 

SPB4L

This week we will continue focusing on our SPB4L focus, which is ‘keeping our playground clean’. Students have been focusing on the following behaviours to ensure that they are ableto meet this SPB4L focus: 

• Putting rubbish in the bin
• Walking around the gardens

We have beautiful school grounds and through this SPB4L focus itwill continue to encourage students to look after our school community. 

BeYou 

Below is an extract of information from the BeYou website about how nutrition and mental health are linked. More information can be found using the following link https://beyou.edu.au/fact-sheets/wellbeing/physical-activity-and-mental-health 

Extract from BeYou website: 

Physical activity and mental health

Regular physical activity is great for children and young people’s health development and helps prevent and relieve mental health issues.

How does exercise affect mental health and wellbeing?

Physical activity promotes many aspects of child and adolescent development, including social and emotional skills, as well as physical development of motor skills.

It also supports mental wellbeing. We know that high levels of inactivity can lead to a greater risk of both physical and mental health problems. 

Physical activity:  

• can increase levels of serotonin and endorphins; the neurotransmitters involved in regulating and improving mood
• promotes sleep – which also helps regulate moods, increase energy levels and improve memory and learning
• increases the connections between the brain neurons, which improves memory and learning capacity 
• pumps blood to the brain to boost mood, concentration and alertness 
• promotes relaxation by reducing skeletal muscle tension 
• provides children and young people with an outlet for excess energy and frustration, which relieves tension
• provides an opportunity for children and young to socialise and meet new people, reducing loneliness and isolation
• improves motor and cognitive skills, which boosts self-esteem 
• distracts children and young people from negative thoughts.