2024: Week 4, Term 1

Principal's Message

REFLECTION-THIS WEEKEND'S GOSPEL 

In the Old Testament reading, we see Yahweh, God, giving His Ten Commandments to His people. In our Gospel reading, we see Jesus showing us to practice our religion - our worship must be to give honour to God, our Father. Nothing must distract us from that. How often do we allow various things in our life to cause us not to honour God during our weekend? When we are at weekend Mass, do we try as well to “be in touch with God? Or are we content to just be present? Let us make The best effort we can.

The conclusion of this weekend’s Gospel invites us to look into our own hearts. Have we intended and tried to keep the commandments? Is the motivation to live a life for others, or to keep the rules? Are we able to admit where we fail, and more important, are we open to accept the healing and strength of Jesus?   

KINDERGARTEN 2024 WELCOME MASS  - THIS SUNDAY MARCH 3

We look forward to welcoming our Kinder families at our 10.00am Parish Mass this Sunday. Fr Dominic is very excited as we gather to celebrate as a community for the first time this year. 

LENTEN CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY               Smile at all you meet today.

TUESDAY              Pray for our Priests and Religious.

WEDNESDAY      Give up something you want today for the poor.

THURSDAY           Say Thank You to who who care for you  lovingly.

FRIDAY                   Go for a short walk and talk to God. 

IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERNS RE CARPARK

Recently concerns have been raised regarding the traffic and safety surrounding the school in the morning and afternoons. Parents are asked to pick their sons and daughters up from Gloucester Street in the afternoon to minimise congestion with the number of buses on Mount Street. Parents are not permitted to drive into the school to drop off or pick up their sons and daughters as there are a significant number of primary and secondary students walking around these areas. Cars cannot park or stop in the area between the driveways on Mount Street as this is a bus zone. Our  students access the bus from this area and cars parked in this No Stopping zone make it unsafe.

Any parents seeking access to the school via Mount Street for drop off and pick up must seek approval from the school. This carpark is a designated staff car park for both Freeman and JB and as such is often at capacity. We have had several instances of parents driving through the exit in an attempt to bypass the procedures we have in place. This is unsafe and poses a significant risk to staff, students and parents who have permission to be in the carpark. We ask for your cooperation and assistance in ensuring this does not happen and the safety of staff, students and parents is upheld. 

The Highway Patrol works closely with both schools to ensure the safety of everyone. They will be patrolling the area over the coming weeks so please ensure that all road signs are followed. A reminder that cars cannot make a U-turn near the pedestrian crossing on Mount Street.

Please be patient at Gloucester Street. Again, this is a very busy area with parents collecting their children from both John the Baptist and Freeman. We want to ensure that everyone is safe as they travel to and from school.

Mr O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

 Dear Parents, 

We have well and truly settled into the new school year. The students are buzzing with new knowledge and are excited to be back in a familiar routine. 

Staff Development Day

A reminder that our Staff Development Day is on Friday 8th March. There is NO school on this day for students. 

Undercover Toilets 

We have had a number of plumbing issues with our Undercover Toilets. As a result we are trialling something over the coming weeks. We will rename the toilets and switch the girls and boys bathrooms on the Undercover only. 

REMINDER: Important Traffic Management

We have again had a number of parents who are attempting to enter the school on Mount Street via the exit driveway or who are leaving the school via Gloucester Street and turning right. Both of these actions endanger the safety of our students and staff. 

Local area police have been notified and will be patrolling to ensure the safety of our students is maintained. 

The Gloucester Street car park is clearly labelled with a ‘No Right Turn’ sign. We appreciate your support in adhering to the road rules and your patience with the busy nature of our carpark. 

School Open Days

We look forward to welcoming new families to our John the Baptist community. We will host two open days this year and warmly invite any new families to join us. 

• Tuesday 12th March, 5.30-6.30pm
• Wednesday 13 March, 9.30-10.45am

You can register online via our school website 

https://jbbonnyrigg.syd.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/visit-our-school 

We look forward to a wonderful partnership this year, 

 Mrs Natali Tomic  Assistant Principal 

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 1  Week 4

Weekly Parent Gathering and CUPPA- Mondays in the demountable classroom. 

Coffee machine will be on early! 

Term 1 SPaR will be our own school Lenten group on Monday mornings from 9am-10am.

The Sydney archdiocese has put together a beautiful resource reflection booklet (you may have picked one up outside church) and we will follow this along on our journey to Easter. Each session we will read through the week’s reading and reflection, and follow up with a cuppa and chat. 

Please put your name down HERE.

 This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and enter a little more deeply into the Lenten experience. You can attend any number of the sessions or all!

NOTE: No group on Monday 11th March due to a meeting.

Children aged 0-5 years are welcome to join us at our JB Juniors Playtime Group on Wednesday mornings from 9-10 am. We meet in the demountable classroom on the top playground beside the church when the bell goes. 

There is prayer, song, story and craft followed by some playtime out on the school play equipment by the library.

This is a great place to meet other parents and to familiarise your child with the school.

Many of our JB juniors children begun Kinder this year so there are plenty of spaces available-Please register HERE

Parent Stations of the Cross Excursion- 19th March- this is a  Free event- 

Father Dominic is leading us!

Continuing our tradition- let’s get the most number of people from our own parish and school! Register for your family and friends also.

REGISTER HERE

Come along on Tuesday 19th March as we commemorate St Joseph’s Feast day and walk the Stations of the Cross. We will gather from 10.30 with the walk beginning at 11am (should be only about 45 minutes walking on the concrete paths) stopping at the beautiful marble statues depicting the Passion of our Lord.

All are welcome, and you may wish to bring a picnic lunch with you- remember your hat and sunscreen! Tea and coffee will be provided also. This is a network initiative and we will have several schools joining us in this beautiful tradition.

Reconciliation Sacramental Craft Sessions-

If you would still like to make the Reconciliation Good deed beads for your child please text me on 0439 492920 and we can arrange an alternative timeslot. There are still sessions on Wednesday 6th March available at 11am and 2pm. 

Parish Notices

Parish Newsletter Bulletins can be found here

Parish JORDAN Youth Group

The Jordan youth group will meet for the first time this year on Saturday 23rd March 3pm. Students in Years 5 and 6 should have received a note with registration form attached earlier this week. The group is also open to Year 7 students. If you have any queries please call the parish office on 9823 2572.

Community Care 

If you or someone you know is experiencing any kind of difficulty that the parish may be able to assist with financially or spiritually, please contact Father Dominic or the parish office on 9823 2572 in confidence.

Quote of the week:

‘Sometimes Lent can be less about what you GIVE UP and more about what you GIVE BACK.”

Pray- Fast- Give

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Literacy News

Literacy Corner Week 4 Term 1

Value of Reading

Reading is on of the most important skills you can give your child but also one of the most valuable gifts you can share. As a reader you get to travel the world without leaving home, you build empathy as you experience the joys and challenges with your favourite character. 

Parents often ask how I can help my child with their learning at home. The best answer is READ. Read with your child daily. Reading each day exposes your child to vocabulary that they may not use in their everyday conversations. Reading each day helps your child to understand and write more complex sentences. Research shows that reading each day has a positive impact on student results in standardised tests.

READ! READ! READ!

Melanie Moore  Literacy Coordinator

Diverse Learning News

Information on NCCD for families. This letter may answer any questions you have about NCCD and how this supports schools.

Julia Tiberio  Diverse Learning Coordinator

Sports News

Tennis News

We congratulate Clara Smolcic who has been selected to represent John The Baptist at the PSSA Tennis Trials.  This is a sensational accomplishment and we wish Clara all the best!

Primary Athletics Carnival

Our Primary Athletics Carnival for students in years 3-6 will take place on Tuesday 9th April at Campbelltown Athletics Stadium.  More information will be sent home to families soon.

Little Athletics Day

Our Little Athletics Day for students in years K-2 will take place on Friday 12th April at the John The Baptist Playing Field.  More information will be sent home to families soon.

Kindergarten 2025 Enrolment Information

Enrolments are now open for our school for Kindergarten 2025 and will close in late March. Start your younger child’s application now at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/enrol-now.

Enrolments are also now open for Year 7 2026 for applications from Year 5 parents. Open Day times are available at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/visit-a-school. Please share these links with family, friends or on social media for anyone interested in enrolment in our school or at any Sydney Catholic School.

Our Catholic Secondary Schools are high-performing and incredibly popular. The vast majority of SCS Secondary Schools will fill all their places for Year 7 2026 in this enrolment period.

If you would like your child to attend an SCS Secondary school we recommend applying now. 

Important information - Enrolment for Year 7 2026

Dear Parents, 

Enrolments are now open for current year 5 students for Catholic Secondary Schools for Year 7 2026 and will close in late March. 

Catholic School Open Day times are available at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/visit-a-school 

Start your child’s application for Year 7 now at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/enrol-now. 

Our Catholic Secondary Schools are high-performing and incredibly popular. The vast majority of SCS Secondary Schools will fill all their places for Year 7 2026 in this enrolment period. If you would like your child to attend an SCS Secondary school we recommend applying now.

Enrolments are now also welcome at John the Baptist Catholic Primary School for kindergarten 2025.

Kind regards, 
Melanie Pietrantonio
Enrolment Officer 

Notes from the Office

Dear Parents and Carers,
 

As previously advised, from time to time, we are required to provide student details and background data to Government agencies, particularly during Census time. Our school will be undertaking these processes during February and March. For more information regarding this, please refer to the attached notice from the Australian Government and the SCS Privacy Policy and Standard Collection Notice. If they have any concerns or queries regarding the collection, you may contact the Australian Government through the contact details provided in the notice. 

Kindly note, you are not required to do anything for these collections, however, it is important that your personal records are correct and up to date. For your convenience, the Personal Details Form is available in your Compass Portal - Favourites, anytime changes occur and the school is to be informed.
 

We thank you for your support in ensuring current personal details are maintained throughout your child’s/rens enrolment.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Parents, as we warmly welcome you and your child/ren back for a new year, a gentle reminder regarding the importance of informing our school of any changes that may have occurred during the holiday break 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 2024 school fee statements have now 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 CompassPay, BPay, Cash, Eftpos or Centrepay.

Your co-operation is greatly appreciated!

CANTEEN

Please contact the school office 9823 5042 for any communication with the Canteen. 

LOST PROPERTY

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

Please ensure ALL of your children's items are labelled including drink bottles, lunch boxes and containers as we have numerous lost property items collected everyday which remain unclaimed and ultimately have to be thrown away. 

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.

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. 

The clothing pool welcomes donations of school uniforms. Please ensure that all items are clean and in good condition (no rips or stains as we have no washing facilities). Only official school uniform items are accepted and please note we cannot accept socks or stockings.

Freeman Catholic College Open Day

Good Samiritan Catholic College Open Day

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember