2022: Week 10, Term 1

Principal's Message

Dear John the Baptist Parents & Carers

Our Lenten journey continues this week and moves into the celebration of Holy Week. I encourage families to support their children’s deep understanding of their faith by attending mass this Sunday (Palm Sunday), Holy Thursday evening (Last Supper), Friday (Stations of the Cross) and/or the Easter Weekend (Resurrection of Jesus).

Our children have prepared for the coming of Holy Week through special reenactments of the events. These concluded today in the church. Thanks to those who were able to attend. Photos have been posted on our Facebook page. 

Congratulations to all of our students, most of whom are in Year 4, who received the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) for the first time last week. We thank Fr Dominic and the Sacramental Co-ordinators of the parish (along with Mrs Dunn) for facilitating the celebration. 

RETURN TO SCHOOL IN TERM 2 REMINDERS

A reminder that school resumes for students on WEDNESDAY APRIL 27. There is a public holiday on Monday April 25 (ANZAC Day), while on Tuesday April 26, staff will be engaged in a professional learning day. This is a PUPIL FREE DAY. 

When students return to school, they have the option of continuing to wear their FULL SUMMER UNIFORM, or may begin to wear their FULL WINTER UNIFORM. This choice will continue for two weeks only. By Monday Week 3, all students must be in FULL WINTER UNIFORM. 

Wishing all families of the JB community every blessing over the Easter season. We look forward to another exciting term here at John the Baptist, after enjoying a well deserved break! Thanks to all of our wonderful JB staff who have worked so hard this term, under challenging circumstances. 

Mr O’Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

Dear Parents, 

Anti - Bullying Policy

John the Baptist Primary School the Gospel values are lived therefore we believe that all members of the community have the right to a learning environment free from intimidation, humiliation and hurt. We all share responsibility to create a culture of caring which will not tolerate bullying or behaviour that is deliberate in intent and mean on purpose.

John the Baptist Bonnyrigg is committed to providing a safe and secure community for all of its members and will therefore not tolerate any action that undermines a person’s rights in relation to this.  The school will take whatever steps are necessary to prevent, or intervene in, such behaviour. Every member of the school community has the right to be free from bullying.  Therefore all members of the school community have a responsibility to actively discourage bullying behaviours.

A link to the Sydney Catholic School Anti Bullying Policy is on our website and can be found here for your reference. We thank you for taking the time to reinforce positive behaviours with your children and to maintain a regular conversation with them about mutual respect and kindness for all members of our community. 

Reminder: We are a NUT free school 

A reminder to parents that we are nut free school. This means that any products that are nuts or contain nuts (e.g. sauces, pasta, rice, muesli bars, chocolates, cakes and biscuits etc) are not permitted to be on the school premises at all. 

This is to ensure the safety of all of our students, especially those who have a diagnosed allergy to nuts and nut products. 

COVID Update - Isolation 

There has been an update to COVID Isolation guidelines to state that if your child has tested positive to COVID in the last 12 weeks - they are now exempt from isolating as a household contact within that period. This was previously only 8 weeks and has now been extended to 12 weeks. 

Facebook

Be sure to like our school Facebook Page - we will be regularly posting some of the exciting things taking place at JB. 

https://www.facebook.com/jbbonnyrigg

Reminder: Family Support Worker

We are very excited to share that we now have a dedicated Family Support Worker for our community here at JB. We welcome Lisa Harris from Catholic Care as a part of our team. 

Lisa is able to offer free confidential support for families going through challenging times. She can help you and your family with issues you may be facing, including some of the following:

• Child behaviour concerns
• Domestic and family violence
• Advocacy and referrals
• Financial hardship
• NDIS
• Traumatic events
• Housing stress

Lisa is available every Friday and can be contacted directly on - 0419 223 677 or via email - lisa.harris@catholiccare.org. 

Please feel free to contact Lisa directly for further information or to make an appointment. 

Once again, thank you for your continued support and partnership. 

Natali Tomic  Assistant Principal

2023 Kindergarten Enrolments

A reminder Kindergarten Enrolments for siblings and new families close this Friday 8th April.

If you have a child to commence Kindergarten in 2023, please complete your application by following the online process for EXISTING FAMILY below. If you or a family member/friend are having trouble completing this via Compass, please call the office or email our info@jbbbonnyrigg.catholic.edu.au and we will send a paper application home with your eldest child.

We ask all applications to be submitted online or returned to the office no later than Friday 8th April, in order for your child to be considered for placement in 2023 at John the Baptist Catholic Primary School.

Thank you for your prompt attention and please do not hesitate to contact the office on 9823-5042 if you  have any questions.

EXISTING FAMILY : Please submit your application online via your Compass Parent Portal by going to your Settings (top right hand corner) & scroll down to 'Family & Enrolments'.  You begin the process by selecting 'Create a new student profile' for your Kinder child. After completing this section and your review, you must continue to finalise your application by selecting the 'Create an application' to enter your child's enrolment grade, commencement year, your declaration and finally, conclude with 'Submit'.

NEW FAMILY : Any new families may also lodge their Enrolment Application online by visiting our website https://www.jbbonnyrigg.catholic.edu.au/ or Sydney Catholic Schools website  https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/ and selecting the ‘Enrol Now’ button

Please note, KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS CLOSE 8th APRIL, 2022 and applications are to be submitted by this date.

Family Educator News

Parent SPaR and JB JUNIORS playtime group resuming again in 2022!!!

With great excitement I extend an invitation to all parents and carers to please come long to our first face to face SPaR for 2022.

MONDAY 2nd May in the GALLERY at 8.45 am

We will meet each Monday morning this term at 8.45am  in the gallery for a quick 10 minute reflection-we might watch a short clip and relate it to our faith and everyday lives- followed by a cuppa (this usually takes as long as you wish to chat!).

Just let the teacher on gate duty know you are entering the school for a parent event. You can access via Mount street or Gloucester street. 

Come along and meet some other parents- it has been a while since we all were face to face!

Our first SPaR will be Mother’s Day themed! I strongly recommend this to our parents in Kindy to Year 2 as we have had few opportunities to connect with each other since you began at JB. I would love to meet many more of you.

BUT WAIT- THERE’S MORE…

 JB JUNIORS resumes in the demountable classroom on Tuesday 3rd May at 8.45 am.  

This JB Juniors playtime group runs usually on Tuesday mornings 9am-10.15am on a fortnightly basis and is open to children aged 0-5 years. We begin with prayer, share a story and usually create something crafty- as well as playing and having FUN.

This is a great way to make friends- not just for the children, but for parents also.

Our first meeting for the year will be Tuesday 3rd May and will be Mother's Day themed! 

 To ensure we have enough resources it is ESSENTIAL that you please 

REGISTER HERE 

Please feel free to call me with enquiries- Mon- Fri 0439 492920. Please let staff know you are attending this event to gain entry to the school.

THANK YOU!!

Thank you to the many families and staff members who have so generously donated to the TONGA school supplies appeal. We have sent many goodies to our head office for dispatch along with personal notes of encouragement and good will.

Thank you also to the many families who came along to the church working bee. Father Dominic was most appreciative.

JOURNEY THROUGH EASTER- Look out for Easter invite

This week you will receive a little invitation outlining parish events and inviting you to continue on your family John the Baptist Easter Journey through the most holiest of days in our Catholic calendar.

The events of the next week will be detailed with Mass times and opportunities for YOUR FAMILY involvement.

Decorate your doors and homes with Palms this coming Sunday.

The Stations of the Cross walk travels through our school grounds on Good Friday at 10am and children may dress as the people of Jerusalem or Roman soldiers. Think a simple outfit of a belted tunic for boys or head covering and dress for the girls- toy swords and spears!

The star students of Freeman will portray the events of that fateful day as Jesus is judged and walks to Calvary. Our students are encouraged to participate too.

COME AND LAY your BURDENS down on Good Friday at the 3pm passion- Bring along a small pebble or flower to lay at the foot of the Cross during the Veneration. Think about what you most need to bring to the foot of the Cross.

LOOK out for the invitation and information.

EASTER Holy water and blessings will be distributed at the Saturday Vigil of Light and Easter Sunday Masses.

Wishing you a Happy and Blessed Easter.

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Literacy News

Literacy Corner Week 10 Term 1 2022

Research suggests that fostering a love of reading at home has lifelong benefits.  Creating a home environment in which reading is valued sets the tone for how children perceive this activity.  Fear, anxiety, stress and humiliation have no place in the reading experience.  Reading has to be an activity that excites our children.  When reading together is the best time of your children's day and the best time of your day, it is worth turning up.  The right book infused with fun, laughter and love goes a long way in creating lifelong readers who in thirty years’ time recall with joy being snuggled on the lounge with you and their favourite book.

This week we will be sending home our ‘JB Easter Reading Challenge.’  Here at John the Baptist, children enjoy participating in our holiday reading challenges in order to further practise their reading skills and create wonderful entries for our competition.  Early in Term 2, we will be judging all the entries and there are lots of class prizes and individual prizes to be won.  Why not relax and unwind these holidays by completing some of the exciting activities on our Easter Holiday Reading Challenge!  

Happy Reading Everyone!

READ! READ! READ!

Teresa Wojtowicz  Literacy Coordinator

Writing News

Year 3 Writing Spotlight

In Year 3, students have been learning how to write an exposition text to persuade our readers.  We have been focusing on lots of different ways to hook our readers, such as rhetorical questions, as well as using modal adverbs to convince our readers! Expositions include a title, statement of opinion, paragraphs about reasons or arguments and a concluding statement. 

Here is an example from Noah in 3 Gold which includes modal adverbs, thinking verbs and time connectives. To elaborate our paragraphs we like to use the PEEL strategy.

Harmony Day News

Harmony Day!

The JB school community celebrated Harmony day Last Friday 25th March. Thank you to all who participated by wearing their splash of orange, and bringing cultural food for lunch! We all had a blast celebrating the diversity of our school.

We are pleased to announce the finalists for the Harmony Day Poster Competition. Congratulations to all the students who participated - it was amazing to see the talent across all our grades! The finalists have now been forwarded to the state competition. We wish them all the very best of luck!

Harmony Day Photos

Bebras Competition

Over the last few weeks, teams of Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and 6 students participated in round one of the Bebras Challenge. This is a challenge conducted by the CSIRO to promote computational thinking skills in a way that highlights student abilities. It provides students with the opportunity to engage in collaborative, creative, and critical thinking.

The results for the challenge as well as certificates for the students that participated will be presented early next term. Congratulations to all those students that participated! 

A special thank you to Miss Buedo for assisting with the running of the challenge.

Mrs Francine Bushby  Newman Facilitator

Bebras Photos

Library News

If you received a notice regarding overdue library books, please search for these books over the school holidays. If found, place them in your child's bag to return after the holidays.

Thank you!

Natalie Fedrigo  Teacher/Librarian

Sports News

Soccer

We congratulate Lukas Curjak who will represent John The Baptist at the Archdiocesan Soccer Trials.  Well done and good luck!

Primary Athletics Carnival

Our Primary Athletics Carnival for students in Years 3-6 will now take place on Friday 29th April.

Cross Country

The following students will represent John The Baptist at the upcoming Sydney Catholic Schools Cross Country Championship.  Good luck Patrick Brcic, Oliver Komadina, Benyamin Audisho,    Luca Corvelo, Chloe Davino, Alana Tripodina, Liana Vukasin, Emilia Bruzzese, Antoni Curjak, Alessandro Rafoo, Rocco Vaccari, Antony Rakvin, Talia Cavicchia, Martina Brcic, Clara Smolcic, Daniella Orlando, Ava Callipari, Santana Rodi, Julya Gilo, Cilicia Nama, Hagob Tatian, Andre Lalic, Adam Brcic, Kristian Komadina, Lukas Curjak, Valentino Sanfilippo, Liam Bushby, Ethan Polistina and Addisyn Blanda.

Train hard over the holidays!

Pastoral Care Diverse Learning News

Hi John the Baptist families,                                                                                                   
As part of our school's commitment to educating the whole child we have engaged with an organisation called BE YOU. BE YOU aims to transform Australia’s approach to supporting children’s and young people’s mental health in early learning services and schools. Its vision is that every learning community is positive, inclusive and resilient – a place where every child, young person, educator and family can achieve their best possible mental health.

To assist our school's planning with Social Emotional Learning for our community I invite parents to complete a survey from Be You. All responses areanonymous and it will only take 10 -15 mins. Please click on the link below to begin the survey.

https://beyou.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BrqyFHxHoJ4DXv?survey_id=11558399674

Thank you for the families who have completed the survey from BE YOU about Wellbeing.A reminder about the important survey, it will still be open for another week.

Thank you for your support of Wellbeing at John the Baptist.

Chris McInerney  Pastoral Care Coordinator

Notes from the Office

CLOTHING POOL SALE!

 We are pleased to be able to hold a Clothing Pool Sale next term, on Thursday 28th April (week 1).  This is an opportunity to view and purchase good quality, second hand school uniforms such as shorts, shirts, dresses, track pants, jumpers & jackets for $5 and winter Anoraks for $20.

The sale will be held in the Activity / Diverse Learning rooms, within the Kindergarten block, from 8 am to 8:45 am and continue following our Easter Mass, from 10 am to 11 am.

Parents will be asked to QR code in/out, sanitise and be mindful to adhere to social distance measures.

A reminder, clothing pool items are available to be purchased all year round by completing this form via your Compass parent portal and you will receive a text message when your order is ready for collection for the office.

We wish to thank our parent volunteers for their time and efforts in coordinating and providing this service to our school community.

FAMILY HEALTH INFORMATION

Parents, as you are aware, the process of updating important health information regarding your child/children’s health has been completed via the Family Health Information Form all families were asked to return.  

In the safety and best interests of your child/children, it is imperative that the school is notified of any changes or major events relating to your child’s condition, medications, etc.  For children with Anaphylaxis &/or Asthma, this includes an ASCIA Action Plan to be completed by your Doctor annually, or as necessary. 

Should your child develop any medical condition that may affect and impact them whilst in our care, the school must be notified and a doctor's report is to be provided in order for your child to receive the best possible care whilst at school.  

We thank you for your attention and ongoing support in this important matter. 

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember