*19th November- Polding Cricket

Trials.

*19th November-P&F Meeting

6.30pm. AGM 7.30pm

*22nd and 29th November-Kinder

Orientation.

*6th December-P&F Picnic and

Carols.

*12th December-End of Year Mass

11am.

*12th December-Year 6

Graduation Dinner.

*13th December-Year 6 Pool Party.

*17th December-P&F End of Year

Dinner.

18th December-Last Day of School

for 2013.

www.stjohnspprimarydubbo.catholic.edu.au

ST JOHNS PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

S c h o o l M a n a g e r F a t h e r M a r k M c G u i g a n S c h o o l C h a p l a i n F a t h e r G r e g B e l l a m y P r i n c i p a l - M r . O ’ L e a r y A s s i s t a n t P r i n c i p a l – M r . F o l e y R E C – M r . S c h w a g e r

Conta ct D eta i l s:

138 Sh erato n Roa d DUBB O NS W 2830

Ph.: 0268822677

stjohnsprimarydubbo@bth.catholic.edu.au

Welcome to Week 7.

The term is moving along at a tremendous pace and the teachers are working diligently

completing assessments and finalizing the student reports. I must commend all of students

and teachers for their continued enthusiasm and dedication to learning.

Before I discuss the upcoming week I must pass on my congratulations to Year 3 for

organizing the very moving Remembrance Day Liturgy last week. I was very privileged to

take our school leaders to the service at the Cenotaph. Sam, Dakota, Andy and Isobel

were once again excellent examples of leaders of our school.

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 6:30 the P&F will be holding their next

meeting followed by the AGM. I hope to see both of these meetings

well attended. The P&F do so much wonderful and dedicated work,

however, like most volunteer bodies, the greater the

involvement the greater the positive outcomes for our entire

community.

Families leaving St Johns Primary

As we begin our preparations for the 2014 school year, I ask that any families, who will be

leaving St John’s Primary School at the conclusion of this year, please inform the School

Office and the Combined Fees Office. We need this to occur as soon as possible as

teachers have begun preparing class lists for next year.

God’s Love is too deep for words to express - (1870) St Mary MacKillop

These words of Mary MacKillop say so much. They are present in the words ‘Where you

go, I will go too’ (Ruth 1:16). There are many times in our lives that we can see God

expressing His love for us through things that happen in our families and our daily lives.

For example when someone does something that is unexpected or our children give a hug

or kiss. But there are equally many times when we feel that God has left us and it is at

these times that He is carrying us through these difficult moments. It is important for us to

remember that God’s love for us runs so deep that it is hard to express in words.

Fundraising Night for the Philippines – I am sure you would join me in

praying for all of the thousands of people affected by the Typhoon in the

Philippines recently. Our school and St Brigid’s Parish community have

a number of families from the Philippines. Next Wednesday,

Tracy Hannah (Zumba with Tracy) and I have combined

18th November 2013

our fitness activities to put together a fundraising night for the Red Cross who are doing such an amazing job on the

ground. The night will kick off with a ‘Kids Zumba’ class at 6:00pm followed by an iKiFiT + Boxout class at 6:30 and

the night will conclude with an adults Zumba class. Tracy and I have been thrilled with the generosity of businesses

donating prizes for the night including vouchers from the Macquarie Inn and Milestone restaurants, Corrective Skin

Care, Rave Hair Design, Young St Boutique and others who I will acknowledge next week. It is our hope that you

and your family will join us for this fun night. Please feel very welcome to bring along as many friends and family

that you can. See the attached flyer. Hope to see you and your family in the hall on Wednesday.

Pet Barn / Bunnings Car park

We as a school community are fully aware of the congestion along Sheraton Road in the peak

afternoon periods. With 3 large schools in one precinct we need to continue to lobby for

improvements in traffic flow. This past week we have been contacted by a number of local

businesses that some of our students are not making the right choices with their behaviour while they are waiting

to be collected at the Pet Barn / Bunnings car park area. I appreciate that it is more efficient to collect children

from this area, but I would ask that if you are collecting your children from here, that you are prompt and collect

the children on time. We have had reports that the children are playing among parked cars and in the gardens. This

is not acceptable behaviour. Please assist your school in this matter.

Principals Award

Year 4 – Mackenzie Rooke – always willing to assist others and enthusiasm towards learning

Year 4 – Zane Foley – Being a caring and compassionate student

Year 5 – Oliver Armstrong – Sharing his insightful knowledge and making consistent improvement in all areas.

Year 5 – Colby Huckle – Making a huge effort to improve in all areas.

God Bless

Anthony

For your Diary:

End of Year Whole School Mass: Thursday 12th December 11am at St Brigid’s Church

Sacrament of Penance

Congratulations to our students who received the Sacrament of Penance for the first time last week. This is

an important Sacrament of Healing, (with the other being Anointing of the Sick).

A Reconciliation Prayer for Children

Jesus, Reconciliation is a big word.

It means when we do anything unjust,

to hurt other people,

we need to tell them that we are sorry,

that we will try not to hurt them again,

that we want to be friends with them always.

Thank you Jesus for the sacrament of Reconciliation,

which helps me to tell you that I’m sorry

when I have turned away from you.

Amen.

World Mission Month/ Socktober

With the conclusion of October, I would like to thank the school community for donating over $650.00 for

World Mission Month. It was great to watch so many children want to help after they learnt more about the

many underprivileged children in Mongolia.

Remembrance Day Liturgy

Some photos from our Remembrance day Liturgy last week. Well Done to Year 3 students and teachers for a

beautifully presented liturgy. Thank you to Wayne Cole for coming in to play the bagpipes for us it adds a

terrific atmosphere to the day.

BLAST 2013

Earlier this term, the Diocese of Bathurst held its annual BLAST weekend where students from Years 6 to 9 are invited to at-

tend a camp where they develop friendships and their catholic faith. This year, 2 of our Year 6 boys attended and here is their

recount of the weekend:

It Was A BLAST!!

In October, we attended the BLAST weekend at Ridgecrest Cabins at Burrendong Dam. Students from all across our diocese

came for this fun weekend. We were a bit nervous when we first arrived but everyone was so friendly, we soon relaxed.

The activities were great! We did things like stilt-walking, tug-o-war and water-balloon volleyball. We also got involved in

scripture, prayer and music, and we came together for a special Mass. Fr Greg was there with us.

It was terrific fun at night when we had hot chocolate and marshmallows around the campfire. Overall we had a real blast at

BLAST!, and we would recommend it to our Yr 6 students of the future.

By Michael Butler and Blake Harland Yr 6

Wishing you all a good week,

David Schwager (REC)

BLAST

The Diocesan Youth Festival for Years 6-9

Blast 2014 - November 21st -23rd

BLAST is a festival of faith for young people in the age range of year 6 to year 9. It is a celebration and experience

of an explosion of possibilities in their lives.

BLAST’s main reason for being is evangelisation. The festival provides an opportunity for young people to have a

powerful religious experience and either kick-start or renew their engagement with their faith. BLAST delivers the challenge to young people to claim the explosion of possibilities that living as part of the community

of faith offers. The festival also offers contact with peers who are connected with their faith journey on a personal level,

establishing a network of young people across the diocese and beyond. Participants are encouraged to continue their

participation in the life of the Church through groups in their local parish or school.

Lacey Phillips Hamish Burton Jessica McCarthy Archer O’Mally

Laughlin Wilshire Sam Parish Bryana Saffy Joshua Burton

Sarah Marsh Joe Pearson William Burden Charlotte Tattersall

Andrew Dickerson Luke Dunkley Robert Foster Makayla McKeown

Ellie Galea Ava Galea Jack Tudor Connor Hallford

Rithika Jose Charlotte Harper Madeline Gibson Kodi Seaton

Isobel Pearson Jada O’Keefe Thomas Hangan Lachlan Weir

Indina Boreham

Abby Osborne Raphael Galang Eilish Smith

Hannah Huffman Felicity Jeresano Noah Fardell

Makenzie

The Honour Boards which were at the

building in Bultje St have been installed in the

St John’s Primary Hall. The honour boards

some of which date back to 1969 are an

integral part of SJP history, linking

generations of students. A big thank you to

John and Nevara Minney for volunteering

their time to install the boards.

Clothing Pool OPEN AGAIN FIRST WEEK OF TERM 1.

The clothing pool welcomes quality donations.

Donations can be dropped to the office anytime.

Clothing pool is located inside the library; it is a volunteer service of

the P&F.

Prices vary: $2 for boys shirts, $3 for boys shorts, $2 for girls summer dresses.

All enquiries can be made to:

Cath Osborne 0407386789.

The St John’s Primary P&F will meet at 7.30pm this

Tuesday 19th November. The following positions will be

declared open and will need to be filled:

President: The President presides over the P&F meetings. Must act impartially

and in the best interests of the P&F. Liaise on behalf of the P&F with the school

Principal and Parish Priest.

Represent the P&F on Employment Interview Panels when required.

Vice President: In the absence of the President presides over the P&F

meetings. In general supports the President with their workload.

Secretary: Attend meetings and keep a record of all business conducted.

Treasurer: Receive all monies and keep accurate records of all such monies.

Items on the Agenda:

1. The possibility of changing the current Executive Term length from 2 years

to 3 years.

The P&F has an integral role in our school.

We work in close collaboration with the Parish, staff of St John’s and parents to

further the cause of Catholic Education.

Without a parent body, the parents have no voice! The P&F at St Johns Primary

would like to invite 2014 Kinder parents to join us for a

cup of tea and a chat.

Date: Friday 22nd November.

Time: 9.15am (after dropping children off for orientation).

Place: St John’s Primary School Library.

Please ensure hair longer than

shoulder length is secured

in a pony tail. Thank you.

TiTidbdbiitsts ofof ininffoorrmmaattiionon fforor

PPaarrenenttss!!

1.Remember: Only years 3-6

attend the SJP Swimming Carnival in Term

1 of 2014.

2.Kinder Orientation 22nd November: The

P&F invite parents to have a cup of tea in

the SJP School Library after dropping their

children to orientation. This is a terrific way

to chat with other parents.

3.The End of Year Carols and Picnic are on

6th December. We are opting for a bring

your own picnic dinner this year. The P&F

will be once again selling battery operated

tea light candles and cups to put them in.

The children had great fun last year deco-

rating the cups. The P&F will also have a

table of Fete leftovers for sale.

4. On the 17th December the P&F are

meeting at the Pastoral Hotel for an End of

Year Dinner. We would love to see lots of

parents there. If you have not been to a

meeting through the year then this would

be a great time to catch up and get to know

other parents. If you are able to make it

please contact Tracey Duncan on

0428457500. Thank you.

Canteen News Hi Everyone,

with only 4 weeks of term remaining

canteen will stop restocking items as

they run out - Chicken and Vegie pies

are the first item that will be unavail-

able. We will speak to children when

making replacements, but if possible

please write a 1st and 2nd choice on lunch

orders. Thanks, Cathy.

Ph: 0458550747

This weeks

lucky Friday helper is:

The wonderful and very

committed Mark Polley.

Please do not

walk with

your children

through the

carpark. Roads are for cars,

footpaths are for people.

Thank you for your

cooperation with this.

ST JOHN’S PRIMARY SWIMMING CARNIVAL

to be held on Wednesday 5th February 2014.

YEARS 3 – 6

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Please note that our 2014 swimming carnival will be held on Wednesday of week 2 in 2014. Due to the early date

that we have been allocated for the use of the Dubbo Aquatic and Leisure Centre we will need to do our preliminary

work for the carnival such as student entries now in 2013. This will allow the necessary time for these entries to be

sorted so that the carnival will be ready to run within a week of actually being back at school.

All students from years 3 – 6 are expected to attend the swimming carnival and compete in their 50m freestyle age

race. Students that are in year 2 in 2013 and will turn 8 are eligible to compete at the school carnival so long as they

are attending swimming squads or training.

Please fill out the entry form with your children indicating the events that they would like to go

in and return it to school by Monday 2nd December 2013.

Please see below for some information regarding next year’s carnival. (Please note that some things may change

between now and Feb 2014, this can be used as a guide only)

VENUE – Dubbo Aquatic Centre (opposite Dubbo Railway Station) in Talbragar Street.

TRANSPORT – Students are to make their own way to the pool in the morning between: 8.30 – 8:45am. In the afternoon students are to be

collected from the pool by parents at between 2:30 – 2:45pm. Buses DO NOT drop off or pick up from the pool.

UPON ARRIVAL AT POOL - Before the commencement of the carnival, all children will be assessed, graded and tagged according to their

water confidence and swimming ability.

CLOTHING – Swimming costumes, towel, sunscreen, hat, etc. Normal sports clothes or T-Shirt and shorts in House colours: La Salle- Yellow; McAuley – Red; Lennon – Green; Moore – Blue. No paper decorations are to be taken to the pool. Please make sure all clothing is clearly marked. COST – Pool entry is approximately $3.50 per student on carnival day and should be paid as students enter the pool. All students are ex-pected to attend this carnival as it is part of their PDHPE curriculum and all children will compete at their level of ability. Non swimming spec-

tators on the day will be charged $2 to enter the grounds of the Aquatic Centre.

CANTEEN – A canteen operates at the pool for snacks, drinks, and lunches. Students will have supervised visits to the canteen.

TIME – All students are to be at the pool between 8:30 – 8:45am. The carnival will conclude at 2.45pm. All students will sit in the stand in their respective sports houses, unless being marshalled. Parents are encouraged to have lunch in the stands with their children. It is recommended

that children apply sunscreen before leaving home in the morning and have sunscreen with them that can be applied throughout the day.

If you are taking your child home before the completion of the carnival, please notify the teacher in charge of the house.

FINALS – There will be no finals. Freestyle, open events and form strokes are all timed finals. The first, second and third placegetters will continue on to the Northern Region Carnival to be held in Gulgong at a date to be confirmed. The Junior and Senior relay teams are selected

from the fastest 50m times in the appropriate age divisions on the day.

MEDICATION – If a child has any medication it must be labelled and brought to the pool and given to the recording teachers. (Asthma, ADD, etc.)All students MUST leave the pool at the completion of the carnival at 2.45pm, as no teachers will be on duty after this time. .

Your children will be bringing home their Your children will be bringing home their

entry form soon.entry form soon.

MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS MASS – 6.00pm

ST BRIGID’S CHILDREN’S CHOIR AND PLAY – 6.00pm MASS CHRISTMAS EVE

An invitation is extended to ALL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN to join in either the CHOIR at the above Mass on Christmas Eve OR participate in the Christmas Play ‘THE INNKEEPER’

Practices will take place at school for the choir and also at the St Brigid’s Childrens’ Choir practice on Wednesdays at 5.00pm – 5.45pm. The dress rehearsal and final choir practice will be on SUNDAY 22ND December at 2.00pm SHARP in St Brigid’s. Practices for the Christmas Play will be on:

1st December after the 9.00am Mass in the CHURCH

8th December after 9.00am Mass in the HALL

15th December after 9.00am Mass in the HALL (This practice may not be needed)

Tear Off

PLEASE RETURN TO THE SECRETARY ASAP or put your child’s name on the board in the foyer of St Brigid’s

NAME OF CHILD/CHILDREN

22nd December at 2.00pm in the Church

THANKYOU PARENTS FOR ENCOURAGING YOUR CHILDREN TO BE PART OF THIS CHRISTMAS

CELEBRATION.

Marie Duffy

Mass

Morning

Tea

Dinner

On Friday 13th of December the school

grounds will be transformed into a

magical dining experience.

With entertainment by local band

Green River & Fundraiser Auctions.

Time: 6.30pm for Canapes for a sit down diner.

Dress: Cocktail Tickets: $65 per person. Group and single bookings available.

To purchase tickets please call: Miranda-0438792577 Erin-0409454797 Denise-0437990882