2023: Week 10, Term 2

Principal's Message

Dear JB Parents & Carers

REFLECTION - GOSPEL

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me”. Christ looks at us from the eyes of men, women and children with whom we live, work and rest. For Christians there can be no “forgiveness”. By welcoming each other, welcome Christ, and welcome each other.

LIFE’S TRIALS

Lord, when the hands are blistered, You make them harder…..Lord, when the muscles are aching, You make them stronger…..Lord, when the mind is confused, You make it clearer…..Lord, when the heart is distressed, You make it calmer…..Lord, when the body is in pain, You make it bearable…..Lord, when pain becomes unbearable, You take us from it…..Please Lord, help me to realise that the trials of my life are meticulously managed by you and help me to fulfil your glorious plans…… AMEN

As we reach the end of another hectic term, we offer our thanks to the staff and community for the many blessings we have received. Some of the highlights of the Term include:

• First Holy Communion for our Year 4
• Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod performances
• NAPLAN achievement (parents to receive 2023 NAPLAN results early Term 3)
  
• Building project (we're almost there!)
• John the Baptist Feast Day
• Exciting excursions and incursions
• Amazing classroom work and results

Over the course of the school term we have worked very hard to establish a clear expectation of behaviour for all of our students here at JB. The three words your children hear each day are SAFE, RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE. As parents, you have an expectation that you send your child to school to learn, grow and play in a happy and safe environment. As teachers, we expect students to demonstrate excellent behaviour, manners and respect to teachers and students. We thank you for your support (although at times it is difficult to hear that your child has not followed the school's Code of Conduct) and look forward to that continued cooperation in Term 3.  It is vital that students display appropriate behaviours at all times, and this can only happen when school and home work together in partnership. 

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY - PUPIL FREE

An important message to announce that July 31 (MONDAY WEEK 3) will be a Pupil Free Day for all students. Staff will collaborate with local Network schools to develop deeper understandings of the new NSW Mathematics Syllabus to begin implelmentation in 2024. 

STAFFING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Today we farewell Mrs Emma Agostino and Mrs Marissa Ussia who will be saying goodbye to the JB community. Both teachers have contributed so much to our school and we will miss them dearly. We send our best wishes, prayers and love to each of these teachers and their familes. 

CLASS UPDATES (BEGINNING TERM 3)

There are some staff changes that will take place in Term 3. I am pleased to announce  placements for the following classes:

2 Ruby: Mr Hobson and Mrs Bushby (Mr Ellis will replace Mrs Bushby in Wks 1-4)

3 Emerald: Mrs Lemaic (Buedo)  and Mrs Azzi 

4 Gold: Mr McInerney and Mr Ellis - beginning Week 5

6 Silver: Mrs Chiappazzo 

We thank these teachers for accepting these placements and we can assure all parents there will be a smooth transition into the next term. 

SCHOOL CENSUS - Friday 4th August

Parents, please be aware that from time to time, we are required to provide student details and background data provided through the school enrolment form to government agencies.

For our Visa student families, we ask if there has been any changes to your Visa circumstances or have recently become an Australian Citizen, to please immediately advise the office. 

In preparation of this important process, we kindly ask all families to ensure their child/ren’s date of birth and personal details are accurately recorded in the Compass Parent Portal, in addition to parent’s personal details and emergency contacts, etc.  If necessary, please promptly contact the office so that discrepancies may be rectified.

Parents and guardians are able to access information regarding this process via the attached AGDoE 2023 Census Privacy Notice and the following linked notices:  SCS Privacy Policy, SCS Standard Collection Notice

Further details are provided in our 'Office Updates' section of our newsletter. 

Thank you to the wonderful JB staff for their efforts over the term, and to all of our families for your continued support. It is very much appreciated. Enjoy a well deserved break - we look forward to seeing you on Monday July 17. 

With thanks,

Mr O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

Dear Parents, 

Wow - what a busy and exciting term it has been. It has been a joy to see the excitement on the students' faces daily and to feel the buzz around the school where they celebrated their achievements and commitment to learning through the reporting and interview process. We look forward to Term 3 and all that it has in store for our students and community - especially with our new playgrounds!  

Term 3 will see our students engage in dedicated Drama lessons. This will take the place of our Public Speaking lessons that students engaged in throughout Semester 1. We will welcome the Sydney Theatre Company who will work alongside Mrs Audisho and Mrs Kokkinis as they deliver exciting Drama lessons to our students. 

Term 3 SMILe Days

We have had a change to Term 3 SMILe Days

Week A: Monday (Year 6), Tuesday (Year 2), Wednesday (Year 4), Thursday (Kinder)

Week B: Tuesday (Year 1), Wednesday (Year 3), Thursday (Year 5)

Sport Uniform Days - Term 3: PLease note a change to allow for Sport lessons with Mrs Oliverio as well as Gymnastics and Dance lessons with Zing (previously - Dancefever). 

Monday - Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 5 

Tuesday - Year 3, Year 6

Wednesday - Year 2, Year 4, Year 5

Thursday - Year 2, Year 4, Year 6 

Friday - Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 3, Year 6

Pyjama Day 

Change of Date - due to a clash with our Grandparents Day celebrations, Pyjama Day will now take place on Wednesday 2nd August (Week 3). A reminder that students need to wear closed sneakers and not slippers on this day. A gold coin donation towards our Year 6 fundraiser is appreciated on this day.  

Staff Development Days for 2023

Please note the following dates in your calendar for our proposed Staff Development Days. Any changes will be communicated to you via Compass. 

Monday 31st July 

Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd September 

Monday 9th October (to be confirmed)

I pray that you are able to enjoy the holiday break with your family and friends. May it be a safe and relaxing time for you all. 

Facebook & Instagram 

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

https://www.facebook.com/jbbonnyrigg

https://www.instagram.com/johnthebaptistbonnyrigg/ 

With thanks, 

Mrs Natali Tomic  Assistant Principal

Religion News

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Congratulations to all the students who made their First Holy Communion over the last few weeks. Each Eucharistic celebration was a beautiful and very special moment for each of you, as you welcomed Jesus into your heart for the very first time. A big ‘Thank you’ to Mrs Vellla, the parents, group leaders, the Sacramental Coordinators and the core group who prepared the children for this very special moment in their lives. Thank you also to the many staff who came to share in these sacred celebrations with the children and their families.   

YEAR 6 CONFIRMATION

A package with key details and important information was sent out this week to all Year 6 students. 

VINNIES WINTER APPEAL

Thank you to the staff, students and their families for their thoughtful and generous donations over the last fortnight. Many of the items donated have already made their way into homes and to those sleeping rough. God Bless you for your kind response to the call to care for those around us in need. 

FEAST DAY - JOHN THE BAPTIST 

John the Baptist school and Parish together, celebrated the feast of our patron saint on Friday 23rd, with Mass. Thank you to the Music teachers of Amadeus and Mrs Dunn who played at the Mass. The wonderful music made it an extra special celebration for both the school and the parishioners.

John the Baptist Feast Day

Confirmation News

Confirmation for John the Baptist Parish will be held on 17th September 2023 at
St Mary’s Cathedral.

A parent meeting will be held on Tuesday 25th July commencing at 7.00pm in the Church with enrolment to follow.

Enrolment forms are available from the Parish Office. If you have any questions please do
not hesitate to contact Linda on 0409 914 083.

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 2 Week 10

Remember to keep checking the COMPASS 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 continue in Term 3 from our first day back. Come along for a cuppa and catch up in the demountable classroom. This is a great chance to make some friends and connect with other parents.

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

Playgroup is on each Wednesday, first thing in the morning after the bell goes! I look forward to seeing you all!. We pray, sing and play and usually have fun making something- for all ages! This will resume from Week 1.

Vinnies WINTER APPEAL THANK YOU! 

An Opportunity to further assist in our local Vinnies Office

A big thank you to all those who donated to our annual Vinnies Winter Appeal- there were so many warm blankets, sleeping bags, gloves, scarves, hats!!! It was a beautiful gesture of generosity- thank you so much!

We have made several trips to the local mount Pritchard Centre and in doing so I have spoken with the manager there- she would love to have some more VOLUNTEERS to assist in the office and also any DONATIONS OF FOOD ITEMS such as chips, cereals, noodles, sandwich spreads etc. They can be left in the office NEXTDOOR to the shop. Ring the bell.

Winter School holidays means hungry children at home and some families are doing it very tough in our local area. Some of our items have already been distributed to families in need. Contact Mrs Tricia Foggarty on 98231222 if you are able to assist in volunteering.

Secrets of St Mary’s Parent Excursion

On Thursday 15th June thirty parents from JB joined with another forty parents from our neighbouring network schools and toured St Mary’s Cathedral, including the crypts below.

It was a beautiful day in the city, and we all learned something about the Secrets of St Mary’s cathedral-(including where the closest coffee shop is.)

 I strongly recommend an outing if you have not visited for a while- there are sometimes tours of the upper cathedral and the crypts on weekends- perhaps this could be a school holiday activity??

We are already discussing where to go in Term 3- so let me know if you have any suggestions to throw into the mix!

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe winter holiday. 

God Bless

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Secrets of St Mary's Parent Excursion

 JB Spring Fair 

Several parents have told me they are already booked in for the FAIR to volunteer, or with different stands or cultural foods to share- What about YOU??

BARISTA wanted -parishioners or local businesses??

 We need volunteers - One or two hours of your time to volunteer would be greatly appreciated.

 Any entertainers out there? Please contact Fr Dom

 Our Marketing Stalls are slowly coming together. We have Gloria Lorlina Floral & Gifts, Maria handbags and Wattle Lane Designs. We need more! Hurry secure your spot! 

International Food stalls are run by our parishioners - Holland, Italy, Indian, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia. We need more parishioners to come forward to showcase their country of origin. Spots provided are Free of Charge. 

JB Spring Fair Committee is happy to welcome a new member, Amanda Newell. Any enquiries please contact: Josie 0407203593

Bulletins can be found here

Literacy News

Literacy Corner Week 10 Term 2

Early Bird Reading

Our Early Bird Reading Program has run successfully for another term! Many students visit the library before class in the morning to read with teachers, friends and our buddies - Freeman Catholic College Senior Students.  Congratulations to all students who have come along and made our program such a success. We look forward to another successful term of Early Bird Reading next term.

Winter Reading Challenge

The students should have received a copy of the Winter Holiday Reading challenge this week.  The students at JB have worked hard this term in building their reading skills and as always, holidays provide us with a great opportunity to practise and consolidate those skills.  The JB Reading Challenge gives you many ideas for how to make reading fun.  Remember, there are lots of fantastic prizes to be won, including individual student prizes, overall major prizes and class prizes.   Good luck everyone and happy reading! 

2023 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge NOW ON! Student entries must be in by Friday 18 August!

The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge is well underway! Students in K-2 have been participating in the challenge throughout Term 2 during class time and will receive a participation certificate at the end of the year.

Students in Years 3-6 all have the option of participating in the challenge. In order to be eligible, students must read 20 books. These can be a selection of at least 10 books from any of the K-6 PRC lists, and a maximum of 10 personal choice books. Students will log books they have read directly onto the site as they read them. Remember, any book that appears on the PRC list can be included. For a list of books on the challenge, please visit https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html

Remember everyone: READ! READ! READ!

Teresa Wojtowicz/Francine Bushby  Literacy Coordinators

Writing News

WRITING NEWS

WRITE ON Competition

In Week 6, all students from Years 1 to 6 competed in the WriteOn Competition conducted by the Education Standards Authority. WriteOn is an annual writing competition open to all NSW primary students in Years 1 to 6. Students were provided with a stimulus (pictured below) and under test conditions, needed to write an imaginative piece ie. story, poem, or letter. The EAL/D team had the pleasure of reading all the entries and were extremely impressed with the creativity, quality and talent of the JB students.

Listed below are the finalists from each class and the overall stage winners whose entries have been submitted to the WriteOn 2023 Competition. 

We congratulate all the students below for winning the in school competition and further congratulations to Olivia Chiaravalle (2E), Gorya Narungsiya (4E) and Jonathan Hakim (6E) whose entries have been submitted to the Education Standards Authority.

For more information about the competition, please visit the link.

OVERALL STAGE WINNERS

Please note: The stage winners have been submitted to the Write On Competition with the Education Standards Authority. 

Holiday Writing Workshops

Story Factory is a local based not for profit creative writing centre for children aged 7 to 17. They have a holiday workshop for primary school children. If you are interested, please visit the website, https://www.storyfactory.org.au/

The EAL/D Team

WriteOn Competition

Amadeus Reminder

Please remind your children to bring their instruments on their specified day. 

Many children are leaving their instruments at home.

Unfortunately, moving forward we will no longer be able to accept forgotten instruments for students on their Amadeus Day. 

Reminder Amadeus Classes

Mondays: Year 3 & Year 4 
Friday: Year 5 & Year 6

Thank you for your understanding.

Lost School Uniforms

Dear Parents,

We have numerous items of clothing collected everyday, they are placed in our lost property basket in the office.  Each day, all labelled items are returned to the child's classroom.  Items which  which are unlabelled go to the clothing pool.  

Please ensure over the holidays you re-label any clothing your child is able to remove at school as markings can fade over time.  

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.

Alternatively, you can call the office and place an order via telephone, email info@jbbonnyrigg.catholic.edu.au or complete the form below and return it to the office with your child.  

Notes from the Office

APPLICATIONS FOR EXTENDED LEAVE – TRAVEL

Parents, kindly note Sydney Catholic Schools has updated the Application for Extended Leave requirement to now 5 days or more, which supersedes the previous 10 days or more policy. Any families planning or considering family travel for 5 school days or more must apply with an Application for Extended Leave – Travel, 4 weeks in advance of your child/ren’s intended leave wherever possible. This application must also be accompanied by copies of travel documentation, if applicable. 

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.

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!

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember