2023: Week 8, Term 1

Principal's Message

REFLECTION - GOSPEL 

Over three Sundays - Jesus 'meets' three people, all of whom had a great need of him. The woman at Jacob’s Well, the Blind Man, and this week, his dear friend Lazarus. Jesus waits to meets us every day of our lives. Every Single Day. If we do not recognise Him, is it us that is not looking in the right place? In this week's Gospel Jesus raised Lazarus from Death to life. He ordered the bystanders to UNBIND him. Jesus tells us that he wishes to 'unbind us' set us free, totally. How can I help my neighbour, so as to unbind and free him? What things are 'binding me', and keeping me unable to breathe, live and run in the freedom of Jesus?

YEAR 3 PARISH MASS THIS SUNDAY

We look forward to welcoming families of Year 3 students (and their brothers and sisters of course!) to our 10.00am Mass this Sunday. All students will rewceive a special blessing from Father. Naturally, all families regardless of what school year they are in are welcome to join. 

2024 KINDER ENROLMENTS

We are now well into our enrolment period. Thank you to those families who have already submitted their enrolment for children starting Kinder in 2024. If you have not done so, can you please submit an online enrolment by the end of next week, Week 9. We have already received a large number of applications from families who will be new to JB in 2024. Make sure you don't miss out!

JB BUILDING PROJECT

Work on our back playground/grandstand will officially begin on Monday. Work on our Top Playground will begin in Week 10. From this Friday, fencing will be erected around the construction spaces. This will create some disruption, particularly on the Gloucester St carpark, where we will lose approximately 18 car spaces for the duration of Term 1 and all of Term 2. There will also be a change of drop off point in the morning. We appreciate your flexibility and ask for your patience as we also make adjustments that ensure everyone is safe during this time. 

SCHOOL UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS

I have noticed lately that students have been coming to school with uniforms that do not meet our expectations. Please ensure your child comes to school in their correct uniform daily. Shoes and school socks are of particular concern. Your child will have a note sent home as a reminder if they regularly wear shoes and socks that are not part of the school uniform. 

I believe it is very important for our boys to have high standards as well. This means something as simple as arriving at school with their shirt tucked in. Each day I ask boys to present themselves appropriately, even as they are stepping out of their cars! Your support is very much appreciated - let's be consistent in ensuring our boys in particular are wearing their uniform correctly each day. 

AMADEUS PROGRAM

Our new music program is up and running, and we look forward to hearing wonderful music from our students in the not-too-distant future! It is important for the students to remember to bring their instruments on their day so they don't miss out on important learning. Please make sure it a part of your regular packing routine on Monday (Years 3-4) and Friday (Years 5-6). 

With my best wishes for the week ahead. 

Mr O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

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

 Mrs Natali Tomic  Assistant Principal

Religion News

Jersey Day for Project Compassion

On Tuesday 14th March the SRC organised ‘Jersey Day’ to raise funds for Project Compassion. It was a really fun and colourful day and together, we raised $1,456.10. A big thank you to the parents and staff who supported the children and enabled them to generously support the work of Caritas. 

Our Lenten journey continues for another few weeks and we are committed to raising as much as we can, to help others. Thank you.

Jersey Day

Stations of the Cross 

Years 4, 5 & 6 together with teachers, parents and parishioners, prayed the Stations of the Cross on Thursday. Father Ben and the Year 6 students led the prayers and reflections. It was a wonderful opportunity to stop during the season of Lent and spend time reflecting on the passion and suffering of Jesus.  

Stations of the Cross

Project Compassion

After almost 6 weeks of Lent, we have as a school raised $2654.85 for Caritas. Thank you parents, teachers and children for your continued support of this organisation. Let us work together and see if we can get to $3000/- by the end of term. 

God Bless. 

Mrs Jansen  Religious Education Coordinator 

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 1 Week 8

Remember to keep checking the calendar for Masses and events so you don’t miss out on anything.

Mondays- from 8.45 am Coffee and SPaR (Stop, Pray and Reflect) 

SPaR will start again in Week 2 of Term 2. Come along for a cuppa in the demountable classroom.

PARENT LIBRARY-

There is a small collection of parent books in the demountable that you are most welcome to browse and borrow- these are to assist you in certain areas such as how to speak to your child about bereavement, divorce, bullying etc. 

There are also some on nutrition and various topics you might find of interest. Please feel free to pop in on a Monday morning (when SPaR is on!) have a cuppa and browse the shelves.

LAST CHANCE - REGISTER FOR  NEXT WEEK!!!!

COME join Father Ben at Stations of the Cross

Parent Excursion 30th March to BRINGELLY

Please consider coming along  to attend a parent excursion to walk the Stations of the Cross, followed by a picnic lunch on the grounds at St Joseph’s Conference Centre, Bringelly. Father Ben will lead us on our way around the beautiful statues as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

The Stations are life sized marble and the path is concreted and easily accessible for prams etc.

Some of our neighbouring schools will be joining us also- the more the merrier. Preschoolers are welcome.

Register your interest HERE

Put in the JPEG of INFO

Wednesdays- 9am-10am JB Juniors Playgroup for 0-5 years

Thank you to those who have begun attending the playgroup on Wednesdays at 9am. The group is currently at capacity. If we are able to find an alternative time that suits I will advertise again through the newsletter. Dates remaining this term are-

March 29 and April 5

 LAST WEEK of the CRAFT SESSIONS-

Reconciliation/Lenten Craft- The Good Deed Beads of St Therese-

The beads may be used to count the good deeds you do or the choices you make during Lent. Simple and quick to make- you can keep them in your pocket/give them to your children. Cost $5 only for materials and information sheet.

If you are interested in doing this craft (even if your child is not making the sacrament)  please contact me on 0439492920 or send  a note via the office. There are various session times.

NEEDED- the PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM for STATIONS OF THE CROSS!!

Good Friday

If your family is attending the Stations of the Cross here in the parish on Good Friday morning- you are invited to dress your child up as a citizen of Jerusalem or a soldier and join in the procession around the grounds. Each year this is re-enacted by our Freeman students but we need some supporting actors! 

God bless.

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Parish Matters- because it does!

Bulletins can be found here

Youth Group for those in Years 5,6,7 begins this week in the Parish Hall on Saturday 25th March at 3pm. Parents must sign in their children. Lots of Fun for all. If you are interested in assisting with the running of this group please stop and speak to the beautiful parents who have organised this important ministry for the last several years.

Have you considered exploring your Faith a little more? WOW- what a great first session in February- thank you for coming along!

Father Ben is conducting a group called  “GLUE”- GOD-LIFE-UNIVERSE-EVERYTHING-

The next Meeting date is on Tuesday 28th March- two sessions-9am and 7pm- Please call the parish for more details.

CHURCH WORKING BEE SATURDAY 1st APRIL 9.30am -1pm

 FAMILIES WELCOME 

 It is time for us to work together to prepare the Church and grounds for Easter . There is also decoration with palms for Palm Sunday. We need as many people as possible to clean the church and assist with gardening etc . Please come along with any equipment that you have available . We will be here from 9.30am-1pm and would appreciate any support you can give whether it is for the whole morning or just an hour of your day . If you can assist in any way please contact Grant Dunn on 0409 958 744 (morning tea will be provided to thank all of our volunteers).

Literacy News

Week 8 Term 1 Literacy Corner 2023

Word Mania

It’s time to sharpen those word-building skills! All students in Years 2-6 have begun practising their skills and exercising their brains by participating in our practice rounds of Word Mania.

In week 2 of Term 2, all students in years 2-6 will be participating in a world wide online competition called WORD MANIA!

Word Mania is a fun online competition that’s designed to test the word-building skills of students. Word Mania boosts students’ word building skills, improving their knowledge of phonemes, morphemes, affixes and plurals, as well as spelling and word recognition. Word building is a great challenge for developing complex literacy skills and is fun for students of all ages and levels.

All students in years 2-6 should have received their logins by now and are encouraged to begin practising their word-building skills. The more they do, the better prepared they will be for the competition round! Why not join in the fun and play together as a family at home and see how much enjoyment words can bring.

Word Mania

Home Reading Workshop

Do you find it difficult to make reading ‘fun’ at home? Do you find your child is reluctant to read out loud? Do you find your child finishes the book quickly and wants to move on to something else? Do you want to help your child develop better reading skills? Do you struggle with ideas of how to help your child at home? 

If you answered ‘YES’ to any of our questions, we have a FREE workshop specifically designed to assist you. Why not come along to one of our home reader workshops and discover the wonderful world of reading at home!

These workshops are full of practical ideas and strategies that you can use to help your child read and develop a love of reading!

Monday 27th March - 9.00am

Tuesday 28th March - 4.45pm

KIDS LIT QUIZ

Did you know that reading is a sport too? The Kids' Lit Quiz is an annual literature quiz for students aged 10 - 13 years. The quiz was founded by New Zealand quizmaster Wayne Mills, who reads enough books to write several thousand questions each year. The questions are grouped into 10 categories from topics such as Greek Mythology, Harry Potter, Classic Novels and many more.

Quizzes are held in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and the USA.

Students have expressed interest in joining our teams and teams will be finalised by the end of term 1. Students will undertake training by senior students at Freeman twice a week beginning in Week 1 of Term 2. Further information to follow.

Early Bird Reading Stars

Early Bird Reading is held in the library every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 8:20am.  We have senior students from Freeman that have been specially trained in strategies to help our students with their reading.  The library is full of lots of excited children in the morning, enjoying one of our fantastic books.  This term we have been so impressed with our children that we will be choosing our ‘Early Bird Reading Superstars’ and presenting them with awards at assembly.  Congratulations to all the students who visit regularly and ‘start their day, the reading way’.  Stay tuned for our Term 1 superstars!

Teresa Wojtowicz & Francine Bushby  Literacy Coordinators

Numeracy News

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Last week kindergarten students were learning to make and describe models. Some objects stacked, some objects rolled and some objects slid. Kindergarten loved exploring different objects and predicting the stacking capabilities of various three-dimensional objects.

Check out some of these great robots made from 3D objects! 

Michael Hobson & Daniella Kokkinis  Mathematics Coordinators

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Sports News

Sports News

Infants Athletics Day

Our K-2 students will participate in our Infants Athletics Day on Friday 31st March.  Parents are warmly invited to attend the event.  If you wish to purchase food from the canteen on the day, please place an order through the Canteen App or through your child's lunch tub on the day of the event. 

Primary Athletics Carnival

Our 3-6 carnival will take place on the 24th April, the first day of term 2.  If your child would like to participate in the 800m event, please click the following link. 800m Event.

Entries will close this Friday.

We look forward to seeing you there on the day.

Cross Country Trials

Students competed in our cross country trials over the last few weeks.  Our 8-10 year olds ran a tiring 2km, while our 11 and 12 years olds had to run a grueling 3km. 

Congratulations to all the students who took on the challenge.  The following students will participate in the Conference Cross Country Trials in May.

8/9 Years: Emilia Bruzzese, Imogen Siciliano, Ariana Sculli, Katrina Nguyen, Giuseppe Brunetta, Luca Corvelo, Mateo Sculli, Gabriel Hanas

10 Years: Chloe Davino, Alana Tripodina, Gabriella Bonaventura, Oriana Bazil, Lucas Abdal, Oliver Komadina, Noah Naamo, Christian Sultana

11 Years: Martina Brcic, Talia Cavicchia, Clara Smolcic, Daniella Orlando, Rocco Vaccari, Antony Rakvin, Gianluca Liberatore, Benjamin Willcocks

12 Years: Ava Callipari, Giulietta Nemet, Eva Govic, Andre Lalic, Fabian Kesten, Dario Odak, Nicholas Zamprogno

Good luck team!

Frances Oliverio  Sports Coordinator

Cross Country Trials

Harmony Day

Share your culture, share your time, share your story. 

On Tuesday, 28th of March, JB will celebrate Harmony Day. Parents are invited to join in the celebrations which will commence at 12:30pm with a K-6 Harmony Day assembly, where the JB Choir will perform for the school. Following this, a picnic lunch will be held from 1pm to 1:40pm. After the picnic lunch, parents and students will complete a Harmony Day craft activity in their child's classroom. 

We look forward to celebrating Harmony Day with you.

EAL/D Team

Amadeus Reminder

Please remind your children to bring their instruments on their specified day.  Many children are leaving their instruments at home.

Notes from the Office

APPLICATIONS FOR EXTENDED LEAVE – TRAVEL

Any families planning or considering family travel for 10 school days or more must apply with an Application for Extended Leave – Travel, at least 4 weeks in advance of your child/ren’s intended leave. This application must also be accompanied by copies of travel documentation. 

Application forms are available from the office. For your convenience, please feel free to call or email us on info@jbbonnyrigg.catholic.edu.au and we will be happy to send this home with your eldest child.

Of particular importance, any family intending to take leave from June and NOT returning to school By Friday 4th August, 2023 must complete this process as a high priority.  Please forward your application by Friday 2nd June, 2023.

We thank you for your prompt co-operation.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Parents, a gentle reminder regarding the importance of informing our school of any changes that may occur to your family’s personal details such as an address, mobile numbers, emails, emergency contacts, etc. For your convenience, these details may be updated via the Personal Details Form available on your Compass Favourites links.

Of equal importance and in the best interests of your child/ren, we ask if there has been a new event or update in relation to your child’s health, once again, we ask this information be provided at the earliest. A Student Health Information Form is also available on your Compass Favourites link, to assist you in this process.

SCHOOL FEES

Your 2023 school fee statements have now been emailed to you. Please contact the office if you have not received your statement as yet. It would be appreciated if your payments are made by the scheduled dates as listed on your statement.

Payments can be made by CompassPay, BPay, Cash, Eftpos or Centrepay.

Your co-operation is greatly appreciated!

CLOTHING POOL 

Parents, should you wish to make a purchase of good quality second-hand clothing at any time, a reminder you may do so via your Compass Favourites link via the Clothing Pool Order Form.

Freeman Catholic College Enrolments Year 7 2025

ENROLMENTS FOR YEAR 7 2025

REMINDER TO ALL FAMILIES IF YOU HAVE A CHILD IN YEAR 5

Enrolments for Freeman Catholic College need to be completed either
online or a paper copy can be handed into the Freeman Catholic College
Administration office.

CLOSING DATE IS THURSDAY 6 th APRIL, 2023 @ 12noon

Any enrolments after this day will be considered as a late enrolment.

School Crossing Supervisor Vacancies

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember