Week 10 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 10
Friday 11 April - Holy Week/Easter Liturgy 10.30am
Friday 11 April - Final day of Term 1

Term 2 - Week 1
Monday 28th April - Staff Development Day / Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 29th April - Students return
Tuesday 29th April - ANZAC Day Liturgy - 10.30am
Friday 2nd May - Polding winder Sport trials - Bathurst
Tuesday 6th May - Diocesan Cross Country - Coolah
Wednesday 7th May - P&F Mothers Day Stall - 11.30am-1.00pm
Friday 9th May - Mothers Day Liturgy - 1.00pm - St John's College Hall
Monday 12th May - Catholic Schools Week Liturgy - 10.30am
Thursday 15th May - Regional Final AFL Paul Kelly Cup - Girls team - Orange
Tuesday 20th May - School Photos Booked - Full Formal Winter Uniform
Sunday 25th May - Meeting for Mass
Monday 26th May - Kindergarten 2026 Sibling Interviews Commence
Tuesday 3rd June - Eisteddfod Choir
Monday 9th June - King's Birthday Long Weekend 
Wednesday 11th June - Polding Cross Country
Monday 16th June - Eisteddfod (Speech and Drama)
Tuesday 17th June - Eisteddfod (Speech and Drama)
Wednesday 18th June - Eisteddfod (Verse Speaking)
Thursday 19th June - Eisteddfod (Speech and Drama)
Wednesday 2nd July - Semester 1 Student Reports - Live of Compass
Tuesday 1st July - SJP Athletics Carnival
Friday 4th July - Final Day of Term 2

🌟 Week 10  – Wrapping Up a Wonderful Term
Welcome to Week 10 and the final week of Term 1. It has been a truly positive and productive start to the school year, filled with moments of joy, learning, connection, and community spirit.

✝️ Feast Day of St John Baptist de La Salle
Today marks a very special occasion in our Catholic calendar – the Feast Day of St John Baptist de La Salle, the patron saint of teachers and founder of the De La Salle Brothers. His legacy of service, compassion, and commitment to education continues to guide Catholic schools around the world.

At St John's, we are proud to walk in his footsteps – encouraging our students to grow in faith, love learning, and live with kindness each day.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parent/Teacher Interviews & PLPs – Thank You
A sincere thank you to all families who participated in our recent Parent/Teacher Interviews and Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs). The level of engagement and collaboration has been outstanding.

These meetings are such a vital opportunity to reflect on your child’s progress and set meaningful goals for the months ahead. We’re grateful for the time and dedication shown by our teaching staff to ensure each conversation was informative, supportive, and focused on the learning journey ahead.

🏊‍♂️ Swimming Success – Congratulations, Oliver!
We’re thrilled to share that Oliver Stevens represented our school with excellence at the Polding Swimming Carnival. His determination and sportsmanship were exceptional. Well done, Oliver – we are proud of you.

✝️ Easter Liturgy – Friday 11 April
This Friday, 11 April, we invite all students to take part in our Easter Liturgy, a time of reverence and reflection on the sacred story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As we approach the most important celebration in the Christian year, we pause to remember the message of hope, renewal, and unconditional love at the heart of Easter.

✝️ Palm Sunday – A Journey Begins
This coming Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most sacred time in the Church calendar, with the celebration of Palm Sunday.

On this day, we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble King, greeted by people who laid cloaks and palm branches on the road, shouting praises in joy and hope.

🌿 Gospel Reading – Mark 11:1–10
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them,

“Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.

If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’”

They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them,

“What are you doing, untying the colt?”

They told them what Jesus had said, and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.

Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”*

Palm Sunday reminds us of both hope and sacrifice. It is a day of joyful praise, yet it leads us into the solemn and powerful journey of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection. It calls us to prepare our hearts and walk beside Him through the events of Holy Week.

🙏 Reflection for Our School Community

As a school rooted in faith, Palm Sunday invites us to reflect deeply:

• Are we people of peace, like Jesus?
  
• Do we respond with kindness, even when it's hard?
  
• Can we carry our own ‘palm branches’—symbols of love, welcome, and service—in how we treat others each day?

Let us carry our palm branches not just in our hands, but in our hearts.
Let us walk into Holy Week with open hearts, willing hands, and faithful spirits—ready to learn, love, and grow in the light of Christ.

🎭 School Musical – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Excitement is growing as rehearsals are well underway for our school musical, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, which will take place in Week 2 of Term 3.

Our main cast of over 50 students – including former students from the College – have already shown amazing energy and talent. What makes our school musicals truly special is that every student from Kindergarten to Year 6 will appear on stage at some point, sharing in the magic of storytelling, movement and song.

Performance dates:
📅 Monday 28 July – Matinee & Evening Show
📅 Tuesday 29 July – Matinee & Evening Show

🎟️ Tickets will be sold via 123Tix and will be available very soon. Keep an eye out in early Term 2 for more details!

ANZAC Day – Lest We Forget
Although ANZAC Day falls during the school holidays this year, we warmly invite all students to join our school leaders and staff in the Dubbo ANZAC Day March on Thursday 25 April.

This is a wonderful tradition at St John’s – honouring those who served and sacrificed for our nation and giving students the chance to be part of a deeply meaningful civic event.

March Details:
📍 Meet at Brisbane Street, outside the Dubbo RSL (look for our school banner)
🕤 Gather from 9:45am | March begins at 10:00am
🎖️ Service at the Cenotaph, Victoria Park at 10:30am
👕 Uniform: Sports uniform, school hat, and a labelled drink bottle

We encourage as many students as possible to represent our school with pride and gratitude.

ANZAC Day, held on 25 April each year, is one of the most significant national days in Australia.

It marks the anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand soldiers—known as the ANZACs—on the shores of Gallipoli in 1915 during World War I. The conditions were incredibly harsh, and many young soldiers lost their lives or were wounded. Although the campaign did not achieve its military goals, the courage, endurance, and mateship shown by the ANZACs left a powerful legacy.

But ANZAC Day is about much more than one battle.

It is a day for all Australians to pause, reflect, and give thanks:

• For the courage and sacrifice of all those who have served in war, peacekeeping, or defence of our country
  
• For the peace and freedoms we enjoy today
  
• And for the spirit of resilience, courage, and unity that lives on in our communities
  The ANZAC spirit reminds us that in times of great challenge, we can come together, support one another, and rise with strength and compassion.

ANZAC Day unites us—whether we are young or old, from the city or the bush, new to Australia or born here. It’s a moment when we stand as one to remember the past, honour the present, and hope for a peaceful future.

Lest we forget

🧥 Winter Uniform – Term 2 Transition
When students return in Term 2 on Tuesday 29 April, the cooler weather will begin to settle in. To help with the seasonal transition:

• For the first three weeks of Term 2, students may wear either their sports uniform or full winter formal uniform each day.
  
  
• From Week 4, beginning with School Photo Day (Tuesday 20 May), all students will be required to wear the full winter formal uniform on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
  

This includes black shoes – either formal leather or plain black joggers.

🙏 Wishing You a Blessed Easter
As we close out Term 1, we thank our families for your continued support, encouragement and partnership in your child’s learning and faith development.

May the joy and peace of Easter fill your homes and hearts during the holiday break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term 2.

Warm regards,

Anthony  O'Leary

Our Big Water Walk: What a fantastic way to really understand how lucky we are to have running water in our homes!

As students carried heavy water bottles last week on our Big Water Walk, they were able to develop an insight into the daily chores of 292 million people (many of whom are children) around the world, who have to walk approx 30 minutes each day to collect water.

Once again, the students responses said it all:

“My arms are hurting.”
“This is so heavy.”
“This makes me realise how difficult some kids lives are.”
“We are so lucky to be able to just turn a tap on.”
“These people really need our money to help them get water to their homes.”

As a result of our Big Water Walk, the empathy our students developed was seen very powerfully in their final contributions to Project Compassion.

Thankyou SJP community for your support. The final amount raised will be communicated within the coming days.

Holy Week/Easter Liturgy
This coming Friday at 10:30 am, Year 6 will present the story of Holy Week and Easter which will include the very powerful scenes of Jesus’ death and resurrection. All SJP parents and friends are more than welcome to attend, however we particularly encourage our Year 6 parents (if available) to watch their children enact Jesus’ final days on Earth. The Liturgy will be held in the school hall.

A snapshot of the events of Holy Week 
Holy Week in the Christian year is the week immediately before Easter and the final week of Lent. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Other significant days in Holy Week include: 

• Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) 
• Good Friday (Holy Friday)

Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday) 
Palm Sunday is a Christian feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday includes a procession of worshippers carrying palms. This represents the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem.

Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday 
Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday recount events which occurred on the days between Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his Last Supper. 

Holy Monday: The anointing of Jesus at Bethany. 
Holy Tuesday: The foretelling of Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial of Jesus at the Last Supper. 
Holy Wednesday: The story of Judas arranging his betrayal of Jesus with the high priests.

Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) 
Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, commemorates the Maundy (foot washing) and Last Supper. The Mass, or service of worship, is held on the evening of Maundy Thursday and initiates the Easter Triduum. The Easter Triduum is the period which commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. It includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday and ends on the evening of Easter.

Good Friday 
Good Friday is a Christian religious holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening. These services can include solemn hymns, prayers of thanks, a message centred on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper.

Holy Saturday 
Holy Saturday, also known as the Great Sabbath, Black Saturday, Easter Eve or Easter Saturday, is the day after Good Friday. It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body lay in the tomb. On this day, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as Our Lady of Sorrows, is assigned the title – Our Lady of Solitude, referring to her solace and grief at the death of her son Jesus.

Easter Sunday 
Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, three days after he was executed. Jesus was crucified on the Friday and his body was taken down from the cross and buried in a cave tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman Soldiers and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no-one could steal the body. On the Sunday, Mary Magdalene visited the tomb and found that the stone had been moved and that Jesus' body had gone. Jesus was seen by many people for forty days afterwards and his followers realised that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Christians call this the Resurrection.

ANZAC Day - 25th April - Friday of the Second Week of School Break 
It is with great pride, that St. John’s Primary School join with many others from the community, to march at Dubbo’s annual ANZAC Day Parade. 

All students are encouraged to participate in the SJP March on ANZAC Day this year. It will be held on the last Friday of the school break, before Term 2 resumes.

Students are required to:

• Wear normal sports uniform
• Carry a bottle of water with them
• Wear their school hat
• Meet SJP teachers on Wingewarra St, near the front of the Dubbo Photo News building
• Arrive no later than 10am please

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.

Enjoy your week.

Paula Clifford

Religious Education Coordinator

2025 Dubbo City Eisteddfod SAVE THE DATE!!
We are thrilled to announce that St John’s Primary will once again be participating in the 2025 Dubbo City Eisteddfod! This prestigious event provides our students with an incredible opportunity to showcase their talents, build confidence and engage with the wider performing arts community.

We are pleased to confirm the scheduled weeks for our performances:

🎶 3-6 Primary Choir – Term 2, Week 6
🎭 Speech & Drama – Term 2, Week 8 (This includes all grades)

🎶 String Ensemble – Term 2, Week 8

We eagerly await the official program release and will share specific dates, times, venue details, and ticket information as soon as they become available.

A special thank you to the Dubbo City Eisteddfod Committee for their ongoing support and for partnering with us to host several performances in our very own SJP Hall. Their dedication helps make this invaluable performance experience possible for our students.

Stay tuned for further updates, and thank you for your continued support!

This term in CAPA, our students have been enthusiastically diving into the world of drama, developing not only performance skills but also essential life skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. Through imaginative play, role-play, and expressive storytelling, students have been learning how to use their voices and bodies to communicate with clarity and confidence. Whether collaborating in group scenes or performing poetry with expression and flair, each activity has been a step toward building stronger communication and creative thinking skills.

Speech and drama are powerful tools for personal development, helping students find their voice and grow in self-assurance. The ability to speak clearly, express ideas with confidence, and engage an audience are vital skills that extend far beyond the stage — from future presentations to everyday conversations. We're proud to see our students thriving as they explore these dynamic forms of expression, developing not only as performers but as confident, articulate young individuals ready to take on the world.

Paul Kelly AFL Cup
Our Year 5 and 6 students had an action packed day at the Paul Kelly AFL Cup last Tuesday. They played against many schools and with good enthusiasm and sportsmanship. 

A special shoutout goes to our Mixed Year 5/6 Girls team, who played with heart and skill, going undefeated in every match! Their hard work and teamwork have earned them a spot in the next level of the Paul Kelly Cup, which will take place in Orange during Term 2.

Polding Swimming Carnival
Last Wednesday, four of our superstar swimmers proudly represented our school and the Bathurst Diocese team at the CPS Swimming Championship. It was a fantastic experience for our swimmers. Each of our swimmers showed determination and gave it their all against other strong competitors. 

A huge congratulations to Mia and Oliver, who placed in their events and have officially qualified for the Polding Team to compete at the PSSA Swimming Championships! What an amazing achievement!

Cross Country Carnival
Our Cross Country Carnival was held last Thursday. Well done to all students on their participation and effort in completing the Cross Country track. 

The students who finished in the top 4 for their age group will go to the Bathurst Diocese Cross Country Carnival in Coolah on May 6th. 

A big thank you to staff and parent volunteers for helping to make our Cross Country Carnival run smoothly.

Winning House: McAuley

K-2 Fun Run
Students in K-2 classes completed a fun run around the school oval. Students participated with big smiles on their faces and gave their best in their run. Well done to all K-2 students for their huge running efforts.

Netball Gala Day
Last Friday, over 60 girls from years 3-6 attended the Mudgee Netball Gala Day. The sun was shining, spirits were high, and the girls were eager to play netball.

Each team contained mixed ability players, bringing together students with a wide range of experience in netball. Some players showcased their strong netball skills and knowledge of the game, while others took to the court for the very first time—learning the rules, improving their confidence, and discovering a new love for the sport.

What stood out most throughout the day was the incredible teamwork and encouragement on display. In each team, students supported each other, grew together as a team, and had fun along the way.

Well done to all our players for their enthusiasm on the day. A big thank-you to our parents who assisted on the day.

Isaah Yeo Gala Day
Our Year 5 and Year 6 Boys were buzzing with excitement and energy as they took the fields at the Isaah Yeo Rugby League Gala Day last Friday in Dubbo. The two experienced St John’s teams played really well and showed some good Rugby League skills.

The inexperienced team learnt the skills of playing Rugby League. Their confidence and skills improved throughout the day. 

Overall all the boys had a fabulous time working together as a team and creating a sense of mateship. Well done to all the boys.

Congratulations to Yuvi, Fletcher and Charlie for being Player’s Player for each team.

SPB4L
For our final week, our SPB4L focus is on ‘keeping our playground clean’. We have seen a reduction of rubbish on the playground and are aiming to reduce it even further. Students have been reminded to place rubbish in bins before going to play, use the ‘return and earn’ bins for bottles and picking up rubbish if we see it as we walk around the school.

Easter Egg Guessing Competition!

During Week 10, the Social Ministry will be holding an Easter Egg Guessing Competition. The guessing station will be open during first break each day. The last day of guessing will be Thursday of Week 10.  The winners will be announced during morning assembly on Friday 11 April. 

Each guess will be 50 cents and students are invited to guess as many times as they wish. The money raised through the Easter Egg Guessing Competition will go towards continuing to support Stephanie, SJP’s sponsor child.

Looking forward to some EGG-cellent estimating.
Good luck everyone!

OVERDUE BOOKS - Thank you! We have had many books returned! We still  have a number of students who have overdue books.  Please ask your children to look for library books at home and return them as soon as possible.

LIBRARY BAGS K-3 - Only students who have a library bag can borrow books to take home.  These bags need to be able to protect the books as they are transported home and returned.

LOST OR DAMAGED BOOKS - In the unfortunate event that a book is lost or damaged please contact us.

Wishing you a joyful Easter filled with peace, renewal, and a few chocolate eggs along the way. Besides eggs, I hope you find yourself enjoying the holiday and everything it brings.