2024: Week 8, Term 2

Principal's Message

REFLECTION - GOSPEL

Jesus and His disciples set out for a night crossing of the Lake of Galilee. And there comes a violent storm, with all in danger of perishing. While Jesus  - well, He just sleeps on! And then, He commands the elements to gentle silence. 

Note - Jesus takes us (disciples) on the Journey of life. And tough times will always come. And He who invited seems far away. He is never far away. Either far away or asleep - in an instant He can rectify things. So we trust ourselves to make the Journey with Him.
Settle the argument. Keep the peace. Calm the nerves. Slow the pace. Know what is essential. Wake Jesus up, if He is asleep. He wants to be involved in our problems, crises, difficulties. 

Trust him, believe in Him - ALL WILL BE WELL.

MOUNT St CARPARK EXPECTATIONS

Ensuring the safety of all members of our community is a priority and responsibility for us all. As you know, our school is a very busy site, as we share the premises with Freeman Catholic College and Church and parish office, surrounded by very busy roads.

We encourage parents to collect their child from Gloucester Street in the afternoon. If using Mount St during the afternoon, parents are not permitted to drive into the school grounds to park their car to collect their children. With over 2000 students in both schools, pedestrian traffic, particularly in the driveway is busy. Many children each afternoon use this as pedestrian access and  walk out of these gates, either to catch a bus or to go home, so we must minimise cars entering the site. There are a small number of families who have passes which allows them to enter the staff carpark. All of these passes are currently being reviewed. 

The car park is to be used only by the staff at both schools and the parish. It is full to capacity and cannot accommodate additional cars, particularly in the morning and afternoon. We also cannot have children walking through the car park to parent's cars.

Also, a reminder that no car can enter via the exit driveway as this is quite dangerous.

We are aware that our traffic support person at the Mount St entrance is not in her position each day. When this happens this does not provide an opportunity for parents to take advantage and enter the carpark. As mentioned, it is at capacity each day from staff. 

Highway patrol have been contacted this week to maintain a presence around Gloucester St, Mount St, and surrounding roads. Please ensure that there are no U-turns made in either street, and the speed is kept to 40km per hour so we can ensure the safety of everyone. 

I really appreciate your support with this and caring for everyone in our community.

Mr O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

Assistant Principal Leave

I will be on leave from Wednesday 19/6 to Wednesday 7/8. During this leave period, Mr McInerney will be Acting Assistant Principal. 

I look forward to seeing everyone on my return. 

With thanks, 

Mrs Natali Tomic  Assistant Principal 

Religion News

Religious Education Newsletter Term 2 Week 8 

Praying the Rosary 

A beautiful tradition we carry out here at John the Baptist Primary School, is the praying of the Rosary. The Rosary is a special prayer where we reflect on the life of Jesus and Mary. Each Thursday students in Years 3 - 6 have the opportunity to join together in prayer during Recess to pray one decade of the Rosary. During this time students have the opportunity to foster a sense of peace and spiritual growth. It's a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together in prayer and support. I am always amazed by the children’s energy, faith and the enthusiastic way they approach the Rosary and I hope it is a prayer that will travel with them throughout their journey in life. We encourage families to explore this practice at home too. Together, let's embrace this meaningful journey of faith and unity.

Feel free to use this resource from the Archdiocese of Sydney to assist in praying the Rosary together at home https://library.sydneycatholic.org/library/2011/how-to-pray-the-rosary-99637/

God Bless, 

Mrs Felysha Knight  Acting Religious Education Coordinator 

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 2  Week 8

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

Coffee machine will be on early! Come along and share a short reflection which only lasts about ten minutes,  followed by a cuppa, chat and company for as long as YOU want to stay. Everyone is welcome. Just let the gate person know you are headed up to the room and they will let you enter.

 This is a great way to clear your head and start the week off the right way!

JB Juniors on every Wednesday

Children aged 0-5 years are welcome to join us at playgroup from 8.50am. 

Wednesday 26th June - read ‘Alpacas with Maracas’ and make  Music morning!

Wednesday 3rd July- ‘Thelma the Unicorn’ theme

We pray, sing and share a story together before a craft activity. All are welcome to attend and this is a great opportunity for parents to meet each other and the children to make friends before starting school, building friendships and connections with each other in a faith filled space.

WINTER APPEAL THANK YOU

Thank you  to all the families who have donated so many warm items to those in need. I have already taken over a car load of boxes filled with gloves and scarves and socks and blankets, and will take another big load this week to be distributed to those in need in our local area. The Manager at Mount Pritchard is very appreciative of our assistance and offers her heartfelt thanks also.

We will look at how else we might assist our local community later in the year also.

Parish Notices

Parish Newsletter Bulletins can be found here

JORDAN YOUTH GROUP Years 5, 6 and 7 students are welcome to join the Jordan Youth Group in our Parish on Saturday June 29th 2024 at 3-5pm in the Parish Hall. Afternoon Tea will be provided at no cost. Our aim is to encourage young people within our community to come together to socialise and learn about our Catholic faith. Children will participate in prayer, social activities, games, short films and group discussions. 

The Jordan Youth Group is run by a group of regular parishioners from our community who hold current Working with Children checks. 

To register complete the form at: https://www.trybooking.com/CQATW 

The parish Invites you to our June Men’s Group BBQ

Friday 21st June in the Church Hall at 7:30pm

We are called to walk together with our Lord, sharing our meals and nurturing our

spiritual life. All men are invited to this companionship!

7:30pm to 8.30pm - Gospel Reflection

8:30pm onwards BBQ

Together we empower each other to become Christ-like role models in our families

and community.

To join the men’s group or to find out more, email jbmg@johnthebaptist.org.au or

call/SMS Daniel on 0411 254 520

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.

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

CAPA News

We would like to congratulate our Choir Ensembles who recently took part in the Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod. Students from Years 1-6 represented John the Baptist in this competition and we celebrate all students involved in their dedication and hard work!

Junior Choir - Encouragement Award

Primary Choir - Encouragement Award

Last week, our Year 6 Bands represented John the Baptist in the Rock Band and Contemporary Ensemble categories of the Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod. These students showed their commitment and dedication by attending rehearsals each week after school and we are very proud to celebrate their achievements!

Rock Band - 2nd Place with a Highly Commended

Contemporary Ensemble - 1st Place

As a result of this wonderful news, our Contemporary Ensemble has been invited to perform at the Eisteddfod Showcase Evening. This will take place on July 3rd at Marist College, Eastwood. Tickets are available through the SCS TryBooking link. Entry for parents, friends, students and the general school community is complimentary by general admission. Please use the following link if you wish to book your tickets - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1238447 

Mrs Ristevska  Music Teacher

Music News

DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE JB BAND?

We are looking for students in Years 4 & 5 to join our band

Audition information:

Tuesday 23rd July (Term 3 Week 1)

RECESS in the MUSIC ROOM

Please listen out for announcements in the morning and bring any instruments/music with you on the day

REQUIREMENTS:

Instrumental tuition outside of school is needed as rehearsals will be used to put instruments together, not spent learning to play instruments. Amadeus tutors are not classified as external tutors and will not be able to assist your child to learn new music for the band. 

Mrs Ristevska  Music Teacher

Amadeus Reminder

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

Many children are leaving their instruments at home.

We are no longer able to accept forgotten instruments for students on their Amadeus Day. 

Thank you for your understanding.

Lost Property and 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 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. 

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. 

Thank you.

The Administration Team

Notes from the Office

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Parents, a gentle reminder regarding the importance of informing our school of any changes that may  occurr during the year 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.

CENSUS DAY  

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 August. For more information regarding this, please refer to the SCS Privacy Policy and Standard Collection Notice.

Kindly note, you are not required to do anything for these collections, however, it is important that your personal records are 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. 

VISA STUDENTS 

For our families from overseas, it is important that the school has details of your current residency status.  Please be sure to provide us with your new visa grant notice or Australian Citizenship documents if:

• There has been a change in your visa subclass or expiry date, or
• If you previously had a visa but have now become an Australian Citizen

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

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

CatholicCare

Alex from CatholicCare would like to offer his services for anyone who feels the need to chat and discuss Family Support in Schools and/or Child and Youth Services.

Alex Ferreira

 Case Worker

Family Support In Schools

Child and Youth Services

 T 02 8784 6222 – 02 8784 6208

M 0420 653 839

13 18 19 Ccareline

E alex.ferreira@catholiccare.org

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

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.

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember