2024: Week 6, Term 1

Principal's Message

 Dear JB Parents & Carers

REFLECTION - THIS WEEKEND'S GOSPEL (March 16/17)

One of life’s hardest lessons is to believe that sacrifices made in the name of Jesus bring us much reward. Jesus likens sacrifice to a wheat grain. It must fall to the ground and die, to be able to produce a rich result. So, too, we must die ourselves, our failures, our sins, to have a full rewarding eternal life. It is a hard lesson, and a life-long lesson - but a worthwhile lesson.

We are all very used to planting seeds- and seeing results - fruit, flowers, vegetables - an abundance of further seeds. So, Jesus He compares himself to a Grain of Wheat. Jesus dies. And all of us can come tosalvation. Are we prepared to die a little, that we might produce good harvest, for ourselves, and for others? What one failure in myself would I like most to overcome? With the help of Jesus, let us do it.

LENTEN CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY            Pray for the sick children of the world.

TUESDAY           Spend a few minutes talking to God in your own words.

WEDNESDAY    Offer help to someone today.

THURSDAY        Thank God for your family and friends.

FRIDAY                Come to the stations of the Cross tonight.

LENTEN REFLECTIONS - WHAT TO GIVE UP

Give up complaining..............focus on gratitude

Give up harsh judgements.....think kindly thoughts

Give up worry............................trust in God

Give up bitterness………………..turn to forgiveness

Give up hatred……………………..return good for evil

Give up anger……………………….be more patient

Give up pettiness………………….become mature

Give up gloom………………………enjoy the beauty that is around you

Give up jealousy……………………pray for trust

Give up negativity…………………be positive

Give up giving up………………….hang in there!!!!!!!!!!!!

2025 ENROLMENTS HAVE BEGUN!

The enrolment period for Kinder 2025 is now open. We were privileged to meet new and current families during our two wonderful Open Days which took place this week. The response was overwhelming, and a clear demonstration that our school is a priority education destination for the families in our area. 

If you wish to enrol a sibling for 2025, it is important that you begin the process as soon as possible, so the school can begin organising interviews and determining final numbers. 

Mr O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

Dear Parents, 

Last week we held our school Open Days. They were so well attended by local families wanting to pursue an education for their child at John the Baptist. Many of the comments by new families spoke to the wonderful facilities and incredible learning opportunities we can provide for our students. The SRC, Sports Captains and JB Band did a fantastic job in showcasing all our school has 

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. 

Amadeus

A reminder for all students to please bring their instrument to school each Friday for Amadeus. The tutors are still in the process of allocating Year 3 instruments, however, this is being delayed as students are not bringing their instruments in for resizing - as the smaller instruments have to be reallocated to Year 3 and larger ones to our older students. We appreciate your support in ensuring your child remembers their instrument. 

We look forward to a wonderful partnership this year, 

Mrs Natali Tomic

Assistant Principal 

Religion News

Project Compassion 2024

During Lent, we partake in Caritas Australia's annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal, Project Compassion. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. The theme of Project Compassion 2024 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. 

Thank you to all who have contributed to project compassion, so far the school has received $843.90. What a huge difference this money will make to supporting those in need. We encourage you to continue to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion.  

Students can continue to bring their donations to school to place in their class’ Project Compassion box at any time throughout Lent. Collections will conclude on Thursday 28th March. 

Thank you for your support - In Giving, we Receive! 

Felysha Knight  Religious Education Coordinator

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 1  Week 6

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.It’s not too late if you wish to join us- we have two more sessions this term-

Monday 18th March where we will look at the events of Holy week and a catch up on Monday 8th April after Easter

Note : no SPaR on Monday 25th March

Reminder : 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 and their priests also joining us in this beautiful tradition.

JB Juniors Playgroup! Make a Resurrection GARDEN next Wednesday 20th March!

Come along and make an Easter garden with your preschooler.

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

The Sacrament of First Reconciliation- Next week! Please Pray for those Children who will receive the sacrament of Reconciliation next Tuesday evening.They have prepared over the last four weeks, attended masses and lessons and are about to receive the great gift and grace that is forgiveness.

Have you made your own personal Confession or reconciliation recently? This is perfect time to reconcile yourself with your God as we head toward HOLY week!

Parish Notices

Parish Newsletter Bulletins can be found here

Parish JORDAN Youth Group- Meets this week.

 Register HERE

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.

Thought for the week:

Holy week is just around the corner- what do you need to do, to walk in His footsteps?

Is there a relationship to mend, a behaviour to change, or a wrong to be forgiven? It’s time.

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Literacy News

Literacy Corner Week 6 Term 1

NAPLAN

Students in Year 3 and 5 have started NAPLAN for 2024. This week they have completed the Writing and Reading tests. Students have been working hard in the lead up to NAPLAN and are well prepared for the tests. We wish all our students all the best.

Reading Around the School

Our Kindergarten students have settled into the routines of school wonderfully and are learning lots about, letters, sounds and how to combine these to read words.

Students are engaging daily in independent tasks building their letter recognition skills.

Teachers are being very explicit in teaching the students what sound each letter makes and how to blend the sounds together when reading words.

We are very proud of our Kindergarten students, they are doing an amazing job and our teachers are working very hard to help them with their learning.

Melanie Moore  Literacy Coordinator

Harmony Day

Harmony Day 2024 

Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and 

a sense of belonging for everyone.

On Wednesday 3rd of April John the Baptist will be celebrating Harmony Day. To celebrate the day students can wear a splash of orange, along with their sports uniform (hair tie, socks, hat, t-shirt, wrist band etc.). Parents are invited to join our K-6 Harmony Day assembly, featuring performances by the Infant and Primary JB Choir. The  assembly will commence at 8:50am on the Top Playground. We look forward to celebrating Harmony Day as a school community. 

Warm regards,

EAL/D Team 

Sports News

Sports News 

On Thursday 7th March, our JB swimming team competed in the Conference 4 Swimming Championships at Prairiewood Leisure Centre. 

Congratulations Emilia Bruzzese, Yolanda Butrus, Talia Cavicchia, Luca De Boucherville, Marc De Boucherville, Joseph Gabara, Renata  Giuliani-Bruno, Lucas Gorgis, Luca Iannello, Eva Jekki, Grace Nguyen, Alexander Portelli, Melanie Romero, Savannah Sabbouh, Cove Trajcevski and Alana Tripodina.

We achieved the following results:

Renata-1st 100m Freestyle, 1st Senior girls relay, 1st Backstroke, 2nd IM and 4th 50m Freestyle and Butterfly

Melanie- 1st Backstroke, 1st Senior Girls Relay, 2nd Freestyle

Cove-3rd Junior Boys Relay, 1st Breaststroke, 4th Freestyle, 6th Backstroke

Marc- 3rd Junior Boys Relay

Lucas- 5th Freestyle, 3rd Junior Boys Relay

Alexander-3rd Junior Boys Relay

Talia-1st Senior girls relay

Alana- 1st Senior girls relay

Luca I- 2nd Backstroke

These students will now represent JB at the Sydney Championships.

Good luck team!!!

Cross Country News

You would have seen our amazing JB runners competing in our Cross Country Trials over the last two weeks.  We congratulate all competitors as they braved the 2 and 3 km runs.

We congratulate Elliano Abouna, Oleen Abouna, Frank Barilla, Gisele Blanda, Jonah Borg, Martina Brcic, Emilia Bruzzese, Andrea Carnovale, Emilia Cavicchia, Talia Cavicchia, Luca Corvelo, Chloe Davino, Tomas Horvat, Oliver Komadina, Gianluca Liberatore, Sophia Milczarek, Luca Milostic, Noah Naamo, Daniella Orlando, Rosario Patronaggio, Vincenzo Pelle, Jacob Pisani, Antony Rakvin, Ariana Sculli, Mateo Sculli, Imogen Sculli, Clara Smolcic, Alana Tripodina, Gianluigi Vaccari and Rocco Vaccari. 

These students will now represent John The Baptist at the Primary Cross Country Championships in May.  These students are asked to attend running club each Monday and Wednesday as we train hard for the event.

Frances Oliverio  Sports Coordinator 

Canteen News

Dear Parents, 

Please note the following information regarding ordering from the school canteen.

BREAKFAST ORDERS:
Breakfast orders are available from 7:30am - 8:20am from the CHURCH side window for parents and students.

After 8:20am only students can order via the TOP playground window.

LUNCH & RECESS ORDERS:
Online orders MUST be placed prior to 8am on the day your child requires lunch.
If you miss the 8am deadline, there are 2 options;

Option # 1 9 (preferred) Write your child's name on a paper bag/envelope, place the correct money (if possible), the child will then place the order in their class tub when they arrive in class.

Option # 2 Call the school office, we can transfer the call to the canteen to place your order. Please be mindful the canteen staff are busy and you may need to wait on the line.

Please note the bottom gate into the school closes at 8.45am
 
Thank you for your kind understanding.

Administration Staff

Kindergarten 2025 Enrolment Information

Enrolments are now open for our school for Kindergarten 2025 and will close on 8 April 2024. Start your younger child’s application NOW at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/enrol-now.

If there are any issues when trying to submit your application, please send an email with the new student's details including date of birth to info@jbbonnyrigg.catholic.edu.au and Mrs Pietrantonio (Enrolments Officer) will be in contact with you.

Kind regards,

Melanie Pietrantonio

Enrolments Officer 

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. 

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 

IMPORTANT - Information for driving & parking in and around school zones

Notes from the Office

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Parents, 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.

Student School Travel

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are fortunate that school students in NSW are afforded free public transport to and from school.  Opal data gathered by tapping on and off is used to determine the demand for bus services.  If Students do not tap on and tap off, services may be cancelled due to the lack of patronage.  Additionally, some bus services may become overcrowded as the bus companies do not have accurate data as to how many students are genuinely using a particular bus route.

With this in mind, we ask that parents remind their children that they must have their Opal cards with them every day and that they must tap on and off every time they use a bus.  This is one of the conditions of being granted a free student Opal card.  If students lose their Opal card they must apply for a new one, no student should be travelling on a bus without a valid Opal card.

Your support is appreciated and helps the bus companies ensure they provide the appropriate level of service to our students.

Freeman Catholic College Open Day

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember