Week 8 Term 3

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 8
Wednesday 11th September -Year 5 Gold Masonic Village Visit                                                              Thursday 12th September - Debating SJP vs St Laurence's at SJP                                                                  Friday 13th September - RU OK? Day Family Picnic 1.30pm - 2.00pm, Bring a picnic to have with your children.

WEEK 9
Monday 16th September - Staff Retreat (Pupil Free Day)                                                                            Tuesday 17th-Thursday 19th September - Life Education Van Visit                                                              Thursday 19th - Friday 20th September - Year 4 Zoo Snooze Excursion

• School Start and finishing times - School begins promptly at 8.50am, supervision for students begins at 8.20am. Please ensure children are not dropped off prior to 8.20am to ensure the safety of all students. The last bell of the day is at 3.00pm. Parents are asked to please collect children promptly after school unless they are catching a school bus.
• Morning Drop off - Morning drop off inside the school grounds (drop off /pick up area) is a no parking area and you must not leave your car unattended. If you intend to walk your child into the school grounds you must park off site.
• Afternoon pick up -The parking situation on Sheraton Road is often a problem. The afternoon pick up procedure is a time when patience is required. As cars enter the school grounds it is expected that the cars will move to stop along the posted ‘pick up’ zone. The teacher on duty will be located near the large orange bollards at the pick up shelter. This is the location from which the children are to be collected. Please do not call students over to you if you are parked on the curve area. Pick up signs should be placed on car dash so teachers can identify who is being picked up.
• Staff Car Park - Parents are asked not use the Staff Car Park in the morning or afternoon when dropping off or picking up.
• Change in Daily Arrangements - Parents are asked to please be aware that any change in your child’s arrangements (e.g. pick up or bus) notify the school office, where possible, before 2:00pm. If messages are received after this time, every effort will be made but no guarantee can be given that the message reaches your child by the end of the school day.
• Up to Date Contact Information - Please ensure all of your contact information details are kept up to date. This includes telephone numbers, mobile phone, email addresses, emergency contacts and If you have a change of employment.

Welcome to Week 8
What a wonderful day we had on Sunday with so many members of our school community coming together with our Parish community for Mass. Thank you to all of our students who gave their voices to the choir. It was a very special day.

This week we are wishing our debating team all the best in the next round of the competition as they debate St Laurence’s Primary School. The team has been well prepared by Mrs Therese Jones and Mrs King. It has been a pleasure to see how much confidence the students have developed in the area of public speaking and working as a team to prepare. Well done! 

Upcoming Staff Retreat
Week 9, Monday 16th of September, our staff, along with the staff of St Michael’s Dunedoo, will be coming together for our annual Religious Education Retreat Day. This day is a pupil free day.

We will be spending the day learning from Rev Dr Elio Capra. Reverend Dr Elio Capra SDB is a lecturer at Catholic Theological College and is a member of the Department of Systematic Theology and the Department of Pastoral and General Studies. He lectures in Liturgy and Sacramental Theology. Father Elio has a passion for teaching about Art in relation to our faith. 

R U OK Day?                                                                                                                                             This Friday SJP will be recognising R U OK? Day. We will be welcoming our parents to school to enjoy a picnic (Please bring your lunch picnic) at 1.30pm. This is simply a time to pause, enjoy the sunshine and company of friends and to check in. Please see below some of the advice from R U OK?

Ask R U OK? Any Day Life serves up challenges that can sometimes make us feel overwhelmed, unsure, or unsettled. When that happens it’s comforting to know there is someone we can talk to who can share the load and help us through. The people in your world won’t always tell you if something’s troubling them, so it’s important for you to consider what’s going on in their lives and be on the lookout for any changes in the way they behave. Are they having relationship difficulties? Are they experiencing increased levels of stress or constant stress? Are they in financial trouble? Have there been major changes at work or home? Have they experienced the loss of someone or something they care about? Do they have health concerns? These are tough circumstances for anyone to manage on their own but by asking, ‘are you OK?’ and having a meaningful conversation you can help those you care about through life’s ups and downs.  

More information and help can be found by visiting the link below.

Exciting News
We have had some amazing news about some of our ex students. Our 2021 School Captain, Lily Sampson and her sister Eva competed in the 14th IDBF Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championship 3/8 September 2024 in Ravenna Italy. Lily captained the boat to win the 2km race and gain the gold medal, while Eva came 4th in her first ever representative race. Well done!

Masonic Village Visit
SJP were once again able to appreciate and take pride in the truly inclusive school that we are, when our Indian Cultural Group performed for the residents of the Masonic Village.

The residents were absolutely delighted that our girls dressed in their cultural outfits, and performed an Indian Bollywood Dance for them. Well done Sanaya, Ishana, Ridhima, Adelaide, Veera, Saaya, Maddie and Diya and of course Mrs Soniya Lakhani who pours so much time and effort into making these events happen.

Connecting with the Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 - Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.[a] 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Family Connection                                                                                                          Today’s Gospel invites us to consider how we witness the healing presence of Christ in our care for and ministry to those who are sick. We notice that the deaf man is brought to Jesus for healing by his friends. These people beg Jesus to lay his hands on this deaf man so that he might be healed. Jesus’ healing power is shown in his opening of the man’s ears and the restoring of his speech. When family members care for one another when they are sick, they bring Christ’s healing presence. When we pray for those who are ill, we ask God to show his healing power. When health is restored, we share that good news with others.

As you gather as a family, recall a time when a family member was ill. What steps were taken to help restore this family member to health? Talk about what it feels like to care for a person who is ill, and about how it feels to be the sick person being cared for. In today’s Gospel, we hear about a time when Jesus healed a man who was deaf. Read today’s Gospel, Mark 7:31-37. Notice how the man who was cured and his friends could not honor Jesus’ request to keep quiet about Jesus’ power to heal. We continue to celebrate Jesus’ healing presence in our lives by giving thanks to God for the gift of healing and health.

God bless and have a wonderful week                                                                                                          Anthony O’Leary

Thankyou! To all of the families who supported our school at yesterday’s Meeting 4 Mass, as well as our First Communicants from Year 3 - thankyou. We truly appreciate you giving of your time to come along and be with teachers and parishioners, as we all embrace the opportunity to be nourished in our Catholic faith.

St. Brigid’s Parish Prayer for our First Communicants as we congratulate them on making their First Holy Communion recently

Lord Jesus Christ, bless the children coming forward to receive Holy Communion for the first time.          May this day be the step toward a life-long love of the Eucharist.

Give them a hunger for this sacred food so that they turn to you for comfort, guidance, and wisdom as they grow into full discipleship.

Thank you for their innocence and goodness.

May their hands, extended in anticipation of your body and blood, inspire all of us to cherish this sacred Sacrament.

Amen

Enrolment for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Parents of Catholic students in Year 2, please be aware that enrolment Masses will begin this coming weekend and continue the following weekend. Enrolling your child in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is different to registering interest in the sacrament which occurred at the beginning of the year at the Information for Parents session. All children wishing to receive this sacrament must attend an enrolment Mass. If you have not yet received information from Rosie Hosking - St. Brigid’s Sacramental Coordinator, please contact her on sacraments.dubbo@cdob.org.au, so you can receive all of the necessary information for your child to receive this sacrament.

Masonic Village Visit
This coming Wednesday, the residents from the Masonic Village will be visited by 5 Gold who will engage in games with them. We trust 5G will enjoy this outing and look forward to hearing all about the connections they make with the residents of the Masonic Village.

St. Brigid’s Picnic
On Sunday 22nd September, St. Brigid’s Parish are holding a family Picnic Day after 9am Mass on the Church grounds between 9-12. Many activities have been planned for the picnic which include, face painting and a jumping castle. We look forward to seeing many families from the SJP community attend the picnic after the 9am Mass. Please see the next page for more details.

Staff Retreat Day
Next Monday, September 16th, SJP Staff will spend the day with Fr Elio Capra. Fr Elio will lead our staff in development of our Knowledge of Catholic Faith and our Catholic School Mission. The day will also have focuses on prayer and reflection. We are very much looking forward to spending the day with Fr Elio who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in all areas of Liturgy and Theology.

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

Parishioners, please note: evening Masses have now returned to 6pm at St. Brigid’s Church.

Enjoy your week!                                                                                                                                                Paula Clifford                                                                                                                                                      Religious Education Coordinator

SPB4L
Our SPB4L focus this fortnight is ‘wearing our school uniform correctly and with pride’. During our assembly, we discussed how our school uniform develops a sense of belonging as we are all the same and do not need to worry about what others think of us because of what we wear. We also talked about how our uniform is used to represent our school within the wider community, at sporting events, extra curricular activities and on excursions. Over, the next two weeks teachers will be conducting uniform checks to ensure students are wearing the appropriate uniform.

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. 

Kindness Challenge                                                                                                                                  We also started a ‘21 Day Kindness Challenge’ on Friday which aims to promote kind interactions between students. Each morning, students will find out the new challenge for the day. Our challenges for the past week have been: 

1. Sit next to someone you do not usually sit next to
2. Tell your parents or family members why you love them
3. Give someone a compliment
4. Help your teacher or parents with some jobs
5. Encourage someone that you see is struggling

Important Wellbeing Dates for Term 3

• R U Ok Day? - Students can wear a yellow accessory/ies to raise awareness. Families are warmly invited to bring a picnic recess to have with their child on this day. The picnic will be held from 1.30 - 2.00. This will be held on 13th September (Friday Week 8). 
• Life Ed Van (Healthy Harold) will be visiting in Week 9. Students from Kindergarten - Year 4 will be attending at various times on either the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.