2022: Week 4, Term 4

Principal's Message

REFLECTION- GOSPEL

Our Faith tells us that our God is the creation of all things, and of all of us. Now God does not create in order to destroy. Death without Resurrection would be a pointless exercise in creation. God is a God of the living, not of the dead. After our human death, we are born to a new and everlasting life - hopefully in a union with our God. Our death is not the end - only the end of human life as we know it. We will be born to a never-ending spiritual life. Our God is a God, always, of the living. LATE FATHER JOHN LANGTRY 

A BLESSING

May the blessing of Almighty God be with us. May the Love of the Father be  forever a part of our life. May the Joy of the Son of Jesus Christ be a gift that we share with each other. And may the Grace of the Holy Spirit be constant in our lives. AMEN

IMPORTANT END OF YEAR DATES

School will finish at the end of the term on THURSDAY DEC 15. This will be the FINAL DAY FOR STUDENTS FOR 2022. 

JOHN THE BAPTIST/FREEMAN CAROLS NIGHT!

Save the date - Friday December 2! The annual JB Carols Night will return this year for a wonderful community event. There will be performances from JB and Freeman students as well as parishioners. The flyer for the event is featured in this week's newsletter. 

AMADEUS PROGRAM 2023

As I previously mentioned in a newsletter, the Amadeus Music Education Program will be offered here at JB for all students in Year 3-6, commencing in Term 1, 2023. 

What will be involved

The program will consist of three elements:

• Whole-class music lessons taught by specialist Music teachers for up to 1 hour per week (K-8)
• Students in groups of five to seven, will spend 30 minutes per week learning to play on a String, Woodwind or Brass instrument (Year 3 - 7)
• Students will play their instrument in a String Ensemble or Concert Band (whole of class) for up to 1 hour per week (Yr 3-7)

Cost of program

All students in Years 3 to 6 will be provided with an instrument (String, Woodwind or Brass). The total cost is $200 per year, this covers the hire of the instrument, maintenance/servicing, book hire and participation in ensembles and tutorials. Please note, if you are currently on a bursary, this will also apply to this cost. 

Details of the choices of instrument your child will receive will be provided to your directly via COMPASS in the coming days. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.  

GROOMING CONCERNS

A number of boys are coming to school with haircuts that are not permitted as part of our Uniform Policy. Please be advised of the following:

• No boy should have the back or sides (or both) shaved to a No. 1 (fade). Please restrict cuts to a No. 2 or higher
• Lines, of any sort, shaved into the skull are strictly not permitted
• Hair below the collar is not permitted
• Hair below the eyeline is not permitted

Students who arrive at school with cuts that are inappropriate will be sent to the office and parents will be contacted. We must continue to set a standard for grooming that befits the standards we aim to continuially work towards her at JB. 

CLASS PLACEMENTS

Each year the school provides the opportunity for parents to express any special considerations for the class placements for their children. On occasions, certain children clash, work well together, become too dependent on others, etc. If you feel you need to make such a request, please remember, if you continually take obstacles away from your child, then they will never learn to jump. They will more than likely go into adult life without the skills of managing conflict, respecting those who have different opinions or moving forward when things are uncomfortable.

If, after consideration, you have such requests please do so in writing to Mr O'Connor by Friday 11^th November.

Arranging class groupings is a very complex task and your information may help make those decisions however, there is no guarantee that your hopes will be accommodated.

Please only write if there are significant issues that need to be considered. This is not an opportunity to 'teacher shop’ as teachers are not assigned to classes until the end of term.

Mr Brendan O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your support with ensuring your children have the correct uniform at school. We take great pride in our students and their uniform and remind parents that part of our uniform is correct footwear. 

Students should wear black leather shoes with their uniform and low cut sneakers with their sports uniform. Plain white socks should be worn on sports days and these should be above the ankle. 

Entering absences on compass

A reminder to all parents that if your child is away for any reason, please record the reason for their absence in Compass as soon as possible. It is important that accurate records are maintained for each child's attendance at school. 

Kinder Orientations 

It was wonderful to welcome some of our new Kinder families to JB in Week 2. This week, we will have final Orientation sessions before we begin our School Readiness Program in Week 5. This readiness program will see external providers visit JB each Friday and work with our Kinder students for 2023 on important skills like writing their name, letter identification and fine motor skills. We look forward to sharing some pictures from these sessions in the coming weeks. 

Freeman Orientation - Year 7 2023

Please note the following dates for Freeman Orientation for students commencing Year 7 in 2023. 

Acceptance Information Meeting will be on Tuesday 15th November, 2022 commencing at 6.30pm 

Year 7 2023, Orientation day is on Wednesday 23rd November, 2022.

Reminder: Family Support Worker

Lisa (Our Family Support Worker) 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

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

Family Educator News

Remember in November SPaR- CHURCH MONDAY 7th NOVEMBER 8.50am

All parents and friends are welcome.

Come along to share a short reflection as we remember our loved ones this Month.

In the Church you will find a cross swathed in fabric. Simply write the name of your lost loved ones on the hearts provided and pin it to the fabric. We will pray for all the Faithful departed in November.💜  

JB Juniors- See dates below! Lots of fun in Term 4   

All preschoolers are welcome to join  our playtime group from the start of school day (about 8.50am) on Tuesday in Weeks 4,6,8,10.  There is story and music time followed by craft. This term our focus will be on Advent and Christmas Crafts, so lots of fun!

Great for parents and carers to make some friends too! We usually finish by about 10am.

Dates Coming up this term:

Tuesdays

November 15th and 29th

December 13th 

Wednesdays

November 9th and 23rd

December 7th

Grade masses each Friday

Don’t forget to keep checking the calendar for grade masses on Fridays- you are most welcome to join us  at Mass (bring grandparents too!) and stay for a cuppa afterwards. This is at 9am in the church.

Mass is also held at 8am on Tuesday morning if you and the children are early- a great start to the day. This mass usually runs about twenty minutes. 

Thought for the Week:

Remembering those we love in November is a beautiful Catholic tradition. We are called to pray for all the Faithful Departed but particularly for those Holy Souls in Purgatory who need some extra grace and prayers to make it into the eternal paradise of heaven.

As a community we have lost many beautiful souls this year. Let it give us pause to thank God for the gift they were to us in their lifetime and to be grateful for all the blessings we have received in our lives thanks to those who are no longer with us.

We will meet again one day- there is a place for each of us in our Father’s house.

Crazy Sock day TOMORROW  - Gold Coin Donation for Catholic Mission

A reminder that tomorrow is CRAZY SOCK DAY and students are invited to wear their most colourful, crazy, cheerful or even mismatched socks! Start digging in that box of lone socks in the laundry!

Socks may be worn on their feet, around their wrists or tied into their hair- all in return for a gold coin donation to Catholic Mission to assist communities, especially children, in Ethiopia. School uniform and proper footwear must still be worn.

Thank you in anticipation of your generous support.

Remember-
"God loves a cheerful giver."-2 Cor 9:8

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT!!!

An amazing night of fun and community- celebrate 2022 and the coming Christmas season.Food trucks from 5pm and Carols from 7pm- bring your singing voice with you!!!

 Find the latest John the Baptist church bulletin  HERE

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Literacy News

Literacy Corner Week 4 Term 4

I would like to thank all the students and parents for their continued patience and support regarding our reading initiatives.  This week we announced all the class winners of the Spring Reading Challenge.  Congratulations to all students who entered and completed the challenge.  The following students are the class champions:

The winning class with the most number of entries was 3 Ruby.  Congratulations 3R, you have a fantastic class prize reward coming your way soon!

All Lexile winners and major prize winners will be announced at the next assembly and published in the next newsletter.

Keep up all the amazing reading efforts everyone!!!

Remember: READ! READ! READ!

Teresa Wojtowicz  Literacy Coordinator

Newman News

UNSW Australian Schools Competition

We are still waiting on the final certificates to be delivered. Once all certificates are received, we will award these results and certificates at our assembly. 

Thank you for your patience!

Newman Symposium - Tuesday, 30th November - 10.45am - 1.00pm

In celebration of all of our learning success over the year, John the Baptist is holding its annual Newman Symposium on Tuesday, 30th November. The day will begin at 10.45am with a picnic lunch, before a range of learning experiences are showcased. We can’t wait to share our learning with you and look forward to seeing you there!

JB Sporting Event Photos

As part of the Newman Symposium this year, the Film Club are working on collating a short film of all the students who have represented JB at sporting events throughout 2022.

If your child has represented JB at any sporting event this year, please complete the form and include photos of your child at the event. https://forms.gle/KQ16d3WC3RPewnsX8

In order for your photos to be included, please ensure you have completed the form by Monday 7th November, 2023.

Sydney Catholic Schools Christmas Story Art Competition

We congratulate the following students on entering their Christmas Story Art into the the Sydney Catholic Schools Art Competition: 

Year 5 - Ezel Mansour, Victoria Silaphet

Year 6 - Jemma Talquenca, Martin Nguyen, Lazarous Balyoz, Cilicia Namo

Mrs Francine Bushby  Newman Facilitator/Gifted Coordinator

Christmas Story Art Competition Photos

Library News

Book Fair Thank you!

I would like to thank our families for the support of our annual Book Fair. Over the week, we sold over $12,400 worth of books! We will use our commission to purchase new resources for our students.

Library Overdue Notices

Library overdue notices are currently being sent home to all grades. Please have a thorough look at home for any outstanding loans, (on bookshelves and under beds) and return them as soon as possible. Payments for lost books can be made at the JB school office.

Thank you!

Natalie Fedrigo  Teacher/Librarian

Sport News

Parramatta Eels South League Tag 7’s Carnival

Our Year 5 and Year 6 students will have the opportunity to participate in a free Touch gala day on Wednesday 9th November 2022. 

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival

Our Primary Swimming Carnival will take place on Thursday 10th November 2022.  

JB Colour Fun Day Challenge

Our major fundraiser for this year will take place on Friday 18th November 2022.  This will be an opportunity for all students to participate in a range of fun activities while trying to earn money for the school and points for their class.  Please ensure the students start collecting sponsors!

Frances Oliverio  Sports Coordinator

Notes from The Office

LEAVING STUDENTS 

As we are in our final term, we request any family that may be leaving JB at the end of the school year, to kindly advise the office at the earliest.  A Cessation of Enrolment form will be required to be completed and returned to the office by week 4. Please call or email the office on info@jbbonnyrigg.catholic.edu.au to inform us if your family is in this position.

SICK CHILDREN 

We ask for your ongoing assistance to please keep child/ren home if they are showing any signs of illness. It is also important to remind your child/ren to practice good hygiene habits, particularly while at school.

Thank you for your understanding & support in this matter.

OTHER REMINDERS

Parents, a gentle reminder; should you wish to make a Clothing Pool purchase or need to update any of your / emergency contacts personal details or child's health information at any time in the future, you may do so via your Compass Parent Portal, Star – School Favourites. Here you will find our links to the Clothing Pool Order Form, Change of Personal Details Form and the Student Health Information Form, for your convenience. 

2022 SCHOOL FEES

Dear Parents,

As you are aware, your 2022 School Fee Statements have been emailed to you. It would be appreciated if your payments are made by the scheduled dates as listed on your statement.

Payments can be made by BPAY, Compass Parent Portal, Cash, Eftpos or Centrepay.

Please contact the office if you did not receive your statement, or have any queries in relation to your fees.

Your co-operation is greatly appreciated.

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember