2025: Week 2, Term 1

Principal's Message

Dear JB Parents & Carers

Welcome to the 2025 school year! We particularly welcome our Kinder families and those new to the school in other grades. We are a great community and we look forward to a wonderful year ahead. 

This year marks the Jubilee year in our Church across the world. This only happens once every 25 years. It is an opportunity for us to celebrate our faith. So what is Jubilee? Quoting the prophet Isaiah, the Gospel of Luke describes Jesus’ mission in this way: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,” (Luke 4:18-19; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus lives out these words in his daily life, in his encounters with others and in his relationships, all of which bring about liberation and conversion.

This year we are asked to see, do, act and live in the service and glory of God, being mindful to live life to the fullest and to 'give our all' in the service of God. 

Father in heaven, 

may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, 

reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. 

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos 

in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, 

when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. 

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, 

a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread 

the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. 

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. 

Amen. 

Boom Gates

Thank you for your patience as we finalise procedures for the effective operation of the entry and exit boom gates. We will have everything up and running within the week. A few reminders:

• The gates will be closed throughout the day, from approx 8.00am and will reopen at 4.00pm. This will allow for our before and after school families to access the driveway
• Families who need to pick up children throughout the day will still be able to park in the Mount St vicinity and walk into the school. Those families who have been contacted by the school (illness, injury etc) will be able to access the driveway via intercom, where the gate will be opened
• The gate will remain open on the weekend
  

Brendan O'Connor  Principal

Religion News

Religious Education

Sydney Catholic Schools System Theme 

“May we always seek what is good, true and beautiful”

Each year, Sydney Catholic Schools picks a theme based on Pope Francis’s message for youth and a Scripture passage for World Youth Day. For 2025, the Scripture reminds us that all baptised people are called to be witnesses in the world. This message is for everyone in the SCS community and it encourages us to seek what is good and beautiful in our world.

Sacrament of Reconciliation 

Commitment Mass: 

22 Feb or 23 Feb

Children attend one of the parish masses during this weekend (any of their choice). Mass is on Saturday at 5.30pm or Sunday 8am or 10am. 

Reminder: Parish mass at 5.30pm on Sunday on Feb 23rd is celebrated in the Tagalog language (4th Sunday of every month)

Reconciliation Lessons: 

Lesson 1: Week of 24 February

Lesson 2: Week of 3 March 

Lesson 3: Week of 10 March

Lesson 4: Week of 17 March

Sacrament of Reconciliation Night

Tuesday 25th March Reconciliation Liturgy 

God Bless,

Michael Hobson  Religious Education Coordinator 

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 1  Week 2

Parent SPaR or CPR for your Soul- COFFEE,PRAYER AND REFLECTION!

We will meet on Monday mornings for an informal coffee and catch up with a little bit of prayer and reflection thrown in! 

We can also discuss the possibility of a LENTEN group to commence in March after Ash Wednesday. 

This is a great way to start your week (after a hectic weekend) to share with other parents and build connections with your community and your faith.

Come along to the demountable classroom on the top playground when the bell rings on Monday mornings- coffee machine is ON and ready for YOU.

JB Juniors 

Starting again this Wednesday!!!

PLEASE REGISTER your Interest now -

Open to all children 0-5 years old, we meet in the demountable classroom on the top playground on Wednesday Mornings 8.45am-10am

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. 

Note- NO PLAYGROUP ON ASH WEDNESDAY MARCH 6th

JUBILEE- what does it mean? 

2025 is a special a Jubilee Year in our Catholic faith- a year designed for people to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation, and it originally involved the forgiveness of debts, the return of misappropriated land, and a fallow period for the fields- like a sabbath time! 

There have also been “extraordinary” Holy Years: for example, in 1933 Pope Pius XI chose to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the Redemption, and in 2015 Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of Mercy as an extraordinary jubilee on the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. 

We have some churches here in Sydney that have been specially designated as places of pilgrimage and if you pass through these open “doors of Mercy” and satisfy the requirements asked of you, a plenary indulgence will be granted. 

For more information see the Archdiocesan website  and look out in our newsletters for opportunities in our local area.

This year we are called to be Pilgrims of Hope!

“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision.” Pope Francis

Parish Matters:

Sacraments- Enrolments have now closed for Reconciliation and First Eucharist.

Lessons will commence in the week 24th February.

Youth Group- a monthly gathering open to Years 5 and 6 will resume on Saturday afternoons in the next few weeks. Look out for dates as they are confirmed.

This is a great chance to have some fun, explore their faith in an informal setting and build connections within their parish. 

Tina Dunn  Family Educator

Sports News

Cross Country Trials 2025

Dates:

• Tuesday 18th February- Students born in 2013
• Thursday 20th February- Students born in 2014
• Tuesday 25th February- Students born in 2015
• Thursday 27th February- Students born in 2016/2017

Time:

• Trials will start at 8am on the Playing Field. 
• Students MUST enter the school via the Gloucester St gates. 
• These gates will open at 7.50am.

Organisation of the Event/Expectations:

• This is not a compulsory event.  
• Students do not need to register.  They just need to turn up on the day of the trial.
• Students may wear their sports uniform to school on the day of their trial.
• Students will be allowed to run even if they wear their full school uniform.
• Students must arrive on time for their event.  As this is not a timed trial, students who are absent or late will not be able to trial at a later stage.
• Students born in 2015, 2016 and 2017 will run 2km. (Year 2 students are welcome to trial but will compete against the students turning 8 and 9 in years 3 and 4.
• Students born in 2014 and 2013 will run 3km.
• Top 4 males and females will make it through to the next round.

Primary Athletics Carnival

Our Primary Athletics Carnival will take place on Tuesday 8th April at Rosford St Reserve.  You will receive more information soon.

Infants Athletics Day

Our Infants Athletics Day will take place on Friday 11th April here at John The Baptist.  You will receive more information soon.

Frances Oliverio  Sports Coordinator

CAPA News

Dear Parents,

The Sydney Catholic Schools’ Eisteddfod is back again in 2025! This Eisteddfod showcases the talents of students across Sydney in Instrumental, Piano, Vocal, Dance and Drama categories. If your child takes part in dance, music or vocal lessons outside of school and is interested in representing JB at the Eisteddfod as a soloist, please send a note with your child to the Music Room and I will be in touch with further details. Please include your child’s name, class and what they are interested in participating in.  

Categories we are looking for:

• Piano solo (contemporary, jazz or classical)
• Instrumental solo (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, string solo, woodwind solo, brass solo, percussion solo)
• Vocal solo (classical, contemporary religious, contemporary, musical theatre)
• Dance solo (jazz, hip hop, lyrical contemporary, folk/cultural, classical ballet, tap)

If your child takes part in a folk/cultural dance group outside of school, we would also love to see how this could work as a school. Please send a note to the Music Room by Wednesday 19th February, as the cut off for ensemble registration is earlier. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mrs Ristevska  Music Teacher

Sacrament Photo Collection

Dear Parents,

All parents who are yet to collect Communion & Confirmation photos, these photos are available to be collected from the meeting room at the Church between 7pm and 8.30pm Tuesday, 18 February 2025.  

If you have any questions, please contact Maria on 0407 662 535.

Enrolment Information

Applications are now open in Compass for Kindergarten 2026 and Year 7 2027 enrolments (for current Year 5 students).

To apply, click the cog wheel on the top right-hand side of your existing parent Compass account and then “Family and Enrolments” in the drop-down. If you are applying for your currently enrolled child please click on their name in Student Profile, complete the profile to get to 100% and you will then be able to create an application. For new students (e.g. Kindergarten), please create a new student profile before submitting an application. You must select at least two school preferences to submit. Upon submission, you'll receive a confirmation email, and your Compass account will display the status as “submitted.” Please see below step-by-step guide if you need assistance.

Open days will be held in early Term 1 2025 (Monday 3 March 2025 at 6pm and Thursday 6 March 2025 at 9.15am), and final enrolment applications close on Friday 4 April 2025.  Feel free to share this information with friends, family, and community members who may be interested in enrolment.

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 2025 school fee statements will be emailed to you soon. 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 every day, they are placed in our lost property basket in the office.  All labelled items are returned to the child's classroom and 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 every day 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.

BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL CARE PROVIDERS

Parents will need to arrange before and after school care providers directly with the provider.  Camp Australia can be contacted on 1300 105 343 to arrange your child's enrolment with this service.  

Census Day and Address Collection

CENSUS DAY & ADDRESS DATA COLLECTION

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. For more information regarding this, please refer to brochure below.

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. 

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 Careline

E alex.ferreira@catholiccare.org

Dates to Remember