Week 9 Term 2 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 9
Tuesday 1st April - Paul Kelly Cup (selected Yrs 5 & 6)
Wednesday 2 April - Project Compassion: Big Water Walk
Thursday 3rd April - SJP Cross Country Running (Yrs 3 - 6) 9am - 10.50am
Thursday 3rd April - K-2 Fun Run 10.15am
Friday 4th April - St Matthew's Mudgee Netball Gala Day (selected Yrs 3 - 6 Girls)
Friday 4th April - Isaah Yeo League Stars Gala Day (selected Yrs 5 - 6 Boys)

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

Welcome to Week 9

Dear Families,

As we journey through Week 9, we are reminded of the energy, growth, and joy that fills our school each day. There is much to celebrate across learning, faith and sport at St John’s!

This week, we continue to strengthen our partnership with parents as part of our commitment to personalised learning for every student.

Over the past two weeks, our Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) have been thoughtfully designed, focusing on both academic and cultural goals. I’d like to sincerely acknowledge the leadership of Mr Fernando and Mrs Green for their outstanding coordination in bringing together students, families and teachers in this important process.

This week, we also welcome families to our Parent/Teacher Interviews, which will take place each day. Thank you to all parents who have booked their sessions via Compass. I’m incredibly proud of our dynamic and dedicated staff for the planning and preparation they’ve undertaken to ensure these conversations are meaningful and goal-focused — celebrating achievements and setting strong directions for each student.

Thank you again for your continued support and partnership in your child’s learning journey.

Attendance Success – Let’s Keep It Up!

We’re thrilled to share some fantastic news with our school community!

During Weeks 7 and 8, our student attendance exceeded our target of 90%, demonstrating a strong commitment to learning from both students and families. This is a wonderful achievement and a testament to the shared efforts of our dedicated staff and families who are working together to prioritise daily school attendance. Congratulations and thank you to all our students, parents, and staff for making attendance a priority and supporting one another in this important aspect of school life.

In our Catholic diocesan system, an attendance rate between 90–100% is considered regular and essential for your child’s academic, social, and spiritual development. It’s also important to note that when attendance is calculated, we include lost learning time due to late arrivals and early departures. Children who are at school for the entire day benefit from consistent routines, uninterrupted access to learning, and full participation in classroom experiences.

We kindly remind families to notify the school of any absences. If your child is away for three or more consecutive days without explanation, we are required to follow up with you. In addition, if your child’s attendance rate drops below 90%, one of our staff members may contact you to offer support and discuss any challenges that may be affecting regular attendance. Let’s keep the momentum going as we now strive for our next milestone: 95% attendance! Every day at school truly counts—and together, we can make it happen.

Maths Magic with Anita Chin
Last Thursday and Friday, we were thrilled to welcome the incredible Anita Chin to work with every class from Kindergarten to Year 6. Anita’s sessions focused on dynamic warm-ups to start maths lessons, energising students and building confidence in mathematical thinking. Thank you, Anita, for your inspiring work – we look forward to your next visit as we continue to grow our teaching of maths across the school.

Project Compassion – Big Water Walk
This Wednesday, April 2, our students will take part in Project Compassion’s Big Water Walk. This special activity is designed to help our students develop empathy and awareness for those in our world who must walk long distances to access clean water. It’s a powerful opportunity during Lent to walk in solidarity and reflect on how we can make a difference.

Good Luck – Paul Kelly Cup!
We wish our talented AFL players all the best as they head to the Paul Kelly Cup on Tuesday, April 1. Play hard, play fair, and represent SJP with pride!

Cross Country – Thursday, April 3
Our School Cross Country will be held here on College  grounds this Thursday. Students are encouraged to wear their house colours and come ready to give their best effort. Parents are welcome to join us and cheer on our runners!

Big Week in Sport – Friday, April 4
Friday will be a huge day of sport for our students!

Our netballers will travel to Mudgee for the Netball Gala Day, while our rugby league players head to Dubbo for the Isaah Yeo Cup.

Good luck to all our teams – we’re proud of your dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship!

Lenten Reflection: A Journey of Return 
As we reach the halfway point of the Lenten season, it’s a meaningful opportunity to pause and reflect—not just on how we are going, but why we take this journey in the first place.

Jesus never promised His disciples a life of ease or constant comfort. Instead, he invited them (and us) into something far deeper: an abundant life through connection with him, and a letting go of the distractions and burdens of the world—things like wealth, pride, comfort and even routine.

Lent calls us to return—to realign our hearts, to strip back what is unnecessary and to make space for God’s grace. If you’ve stumbled or fallen short in your Lenten intentions, don’t lose heart. Lent is not a race—it’s a journey of renewal. God’s mercy is always waiting to lift us up and guide us forward.

May your heart be open, your spirit steady, and your hope renewed as we move closer to the joy of Easter

A Lenten Prayer
Hear my prayer, Lord, as I walk this Lenten journey with You.

Help me to be honest with myself,
to recognise the moments I have turned away from Your love.

With humility, I seek Your mercy and return to Your embrace.
May I live each day more fully in the light of Your grace,
growing in compassion, courage, and faith.

Amen.

Staff Development Day / Pupil Free Day - Monday 28th April
Staff will return to school on Monday, 28 April for a focused day of professional learning.

We are pleased to welcome back Kristi Ryan, our K–12 English Consultant, who will continue leading our team through the implementation of the new NSW English syllabus. This session will specifically focus on Part B: Using Quality Texts.

Part B of the syllabus emphasises the central role of quality texts in developing students' literacy, language, and literary knowledge. This component supports teachers in selecting and using rich, engaging, and diverse texts that deepen students’ comprehension, encourage critical thinking, and foster a love of reading and writing.

This day will be a valuable opportunity to explore evidence-based strategies aligned with syllabus expectations and to ensure consistency in programming across our school.

We look forward to another productive and inspiring day of professional learning together.

Wishing you a wonderful week.
Mr O'Leary

The Lenten Season
This week we have learnt about Irene who is a 25-year-old single mother of two boys living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After her father died in a war, Irene along with her mother and siblings were displaced and faced many difficulties. Irene persevered to attend school for as long as she could, however, at a young age, she became pregnant and was left to raise a baby. Rene’s lack of education and in turn, limited job opportunities, further complicated her ability to support her family’s basic needs. Thanks to Caritas Australia’s partners, Caritas Kongolo, Irene was able to join a program and access resources that gave her a second chance to forge a brighter future for herself and her family. She took up a sewing course offered by Caritas Kongolo, who also provided sewing machines and fabrics for sewing. In addition to this, Caritas Kongolo ran agricultural training sessions so that she could grow and produce food for her family.

As Project Compassion draws to a close, I trust that the stories of Irene, Lam and Toefuata'iga, (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) have depicted the very real struggles of many people around our world. It is sometimes easy to forget how living in Australia can be such a blessing. Our lives are so different. We are so privileged. 

As you read the following statistic provided by Caritas Australia, can I ask that your family takes the time to ponder your generous giving to this program and finalise your family’s donation to Project Compassion.

“Did you know…?

Currently, 292 million people spend more than 30 minutes walking to collect water.”

Please show your compassion for those living in poverty this Lent and help provide clean, safe water to communities in need.

SJP’s Big Water Walk
This Wednesday, all students will emulate what it is like to walk in the shoes of those children who have to walk to collect water every day, by conducting a 15-20 minute walk while carrying water bottles. For our older students, some of the bottles will be heavy. Classes will discuss the statistic above with the intention that all students understand the hardships of others around collecting water, sometime only having access to dirty water, and all of the risks associated with these issues. We know that this activity motivates students to make final donations to their Project Compassion boxes before returning them to school.

On behalf of Caritas Australia, St. John’s Primary School thank our parent community for your kind donations and support of Project Compassion. It is now time to return your family’s Project Compassion Box with a donation placed inside. 

We ask that all 300 Project Compassion boxes are returned to school no later than Monday 10th April.

Once again, thankyou in advance for your generous giving and your support of this great program.

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

Launch of new website - www.CathEvents.org.au

This new website has more than one hundred opportunities to participate in prayer gatherings, formation days, parish renewal training, Caminos, professional development and more. 

Now available on Australia’s Catholic events hub, CathEvents. Find online and in-person events to help connect with God and your fellow Catholics!

SPB4L
Our SPB4L focus is on ‘moving safely around the playground’. We discussed how we can be safe on the playground for ourselves and others. Below are some ways as a school we can demonstrate safe behaviours on the playground: 

• Walking on paved/concrete surfaces
• Walking between areas to get to another play area
• Watching where we are walking to reduce bumping into someone

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!

Overdue Books
Students have recently received  notices about their overdue books. Thank you to those students  who have promptly returned them. If you are unable to find the book at home, please contact me at school. 

02 6882 2677 or l.whale@bth.catholic.edu.au

There is NO COST for lost books at the moment, however unless I am notified, the book remains on the system. We will begin charging for non returned books at a later date, so please advise if you cannot locate the book.

Library Bags
K-3 Students need a library bag to borrow. This ensures that our book are well looked after. No bag, no borrowing. 

Years 4-6 are also encouraged to bring a bag for borrowing.

Library Times
Odd Weeks: 1G.1B, KB, 2B, 4G, 6G, KG, 6B
Even Weeks: 3G, 4B, 2G, 3B, 5B, 5G

Bathurst Winter Trials
The Bathurst Winter Trials were held in Bathurst last Friday. The trials covered a range of sports including; netball, rugby league (11’s and 12’s), hockey and soccer.

We would like to congratulate the following students on being selected into the Diocesan team for their respective sports:

Lucy  - Netball

Nixon  - Rugby League (U11’s)

Ryder - Rugby League (U12’s)

Manaia - Girls Soccer 

We wish them all the best at the Polding Carnival on the 2nd of May in Bathurst.

Week 9 Sport
It’s a busy week for Sport, please check Compass for further information:

• Tuesday 1st of April - AFL Paul Kelly Cup. Years 5 and 6 boys and girls at Bob Dowling Oval. Bus to and from event.
• Thursday 3rd of April - St John’s Primary Cross Country Carnival (3-6). K-2 fun run. 
• Friday 3rd of April  -
  • St Matthew’s  Mudgee Netball Gala Day. Girls from years 3,4,5 and 6. Bus to and from event
  • Issah Yeo League Gala Day - Years 5 and 6 boys. Katrina Gibbs Fields, Dubbo. Bus to and from event.

The St John’s Primary annual Cross Country Running Carnival will be held this coming Thursday 3rd April. The Cross Country Carnival will be held on the back ovals of St John’s College from 9 - 10.50am.  

Students will compete in the following age groups:

Please note – (Yr 2 students that turn 8 in 2025 are eligible to compete in the 8/9 yr old race over the 2km but this is a matter of personal choice). For students in yr 3 – 6 participation at the carnival is for all students.

Races will be run one after the other.

• Race 1 12/13yr old girls over 3km            
• Race 2 12/13yr old boys over 3km
• Race 3 11ys old girls over 3km
• Race 4 11yr old boys over 3km     
• Race 5 8/9yr old girls over 2km              
• Race 6 8/9yr old boys over 2km
• Race 7 10yr old girls over 2km
• Race 8 10yr old boys over 2km        

At the conclusion of all of the races after the school first break (10.50 – 11.30am) age champions and placegetters will be announced along with the winning House for 2025.

K-2 Fun run                                                                                                                                                        Also occurring this coming Thursday, students in Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two will be taking part in a fun run around the school oval in area 5 (at the back of the school). Parents and guardians are welcome to come and cheer on their child/ren. Approximately 10.15am start.

WESTERN PLAINS CULTURAL CENTRE HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES