2025: Week 6, Term 1

Principal's Message

Dear JB Parents and Carers

REFLECTION - THIS WEEKEND'S GOSPEL 

We are preparing to celebrate the Passion and Death of Jesus again. If we do so, we provide ourselves the opportunity to share in the Joy and Glory of Easter. This weekend, we will hear of Jesus “being seen in His Glory” by His Apostles. If we climb our 'mountain of life' follow Jesus, make our sacrifices willingly, we too will find ourselves covered with His Glory - our glory and joy, in His Kingdom.

The Gospel today invites us to 'listen to God' as we move through our busy week. As well as listening through prayer, can we also listen through the experience of our every day? How is God speaking to us through the voices of the members of our family, or the poor, and marginalised? Project Compassion endeavours to listen and respond to the needs of those whose voices are crying out for justice. By giving to Project Compassion we can join in that listening and response to the wider Body of Christ. We are on this journey together.

Ongoing School Issues

In this week's newsletter, Mr Wassef explains the situation we currently experience with our toilets. We continuously work with our students to remind them of the need to be respectful and responsible in our toilets, to ensure they are safe and can be as clean as they can possibly be. We have spoken to a number of families about the behaviour of some students in the toilets, and will continue to do so. 

In the meantime, we understand and appreciate the current situation with the quality of our toilets to ensure they are hygenic at all times. Our school is now approaching an age where some of our facilities are showing their age, and we are working with Sydney Catholic Schools to request upgrades in this area. This includes stand-up urinals in all boys toilets. 

In the meantime, we try to encourage our boys to learn how to use the toilets correctly to ensure they remain clean. One of these strategies is to ensure the boys lift the lid before use when appropriate. This small strategy can make the world of difference - it may be useful to support your boys to do this at home as well. Thanks for your support. 

Beginning Teachers and Leaders Mass - St Mary's Cathedral

It was a pleasure to be in attendance at the Beginning Teachers and Leaders Mass yesterday evening at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. The Mass was led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, and he spoke of the joy and responsibility that comes through the vocation of teaching. Congratulations to Ms Paiano, Ms Arabuza, Ms Bui and Ms McKenzie who were all commissioned at the Mass, as well as Mr Hobson in his role as Religious Education Coordinator.

Brendan O'Connor  Principal

Assistant Principal News

Dear Parents,

We have had much to celebrate over the past two weeks, with open classrooms and a great start to our fundraising efforts with Caritas. It has also been wonderful to see our Year 3 and 5 students so settled with the start of their NAPLAN Assessments. 

What is NAPLAN?

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Observing Road Signs around our school

To help children stay safe, No Stopping signs are located around our school. No Stopping signs mean that in the area in the direction of the arrow, you must not stop your vehicle at any point on the road or kerb unless there is a medical or other emergency. They also mean that cars cannot park or drop off/pick up children at all or, in some instances, during the hours specified on the sign.  It may seem convenient to park or stop in these areas, but it may also endanger the lives of children, especially small children, who cross the road or walk through this area to the school.  

There is also a very clear ‘no right turn’ sign from our Gloucester Street Carpark onto Gloucester Street. Parents are once again reminded that they should not be turning right here. 

Police will be patrolling the area in the coming weeks to ensure that all road and safety rules are being followed. 

Disabled Parking in the Gloucester Street Carpark

There will be additional ‘disabled’ car spots added to our Gloucester Street Carpark. These spots are reserved for those in our community with a valid disabled parking pass. They should not be used by any parents without this pass clearly displayed in their car window.

Entering Absences on Compass

It is important that parents are entering valid reasons for student absence as soon as possible after the absence date. 

 If you require assistance in entering absences via compass, please read the attached instructions. 

 If your child brings home an unexplained absence notice from the school you can either:

1. enter the absence details via compass and discard the notice
2. complete the notice, providing reason for absence and return this to your child's classroom teacher

The Resilience Project

‘GEM’ Chats to try at home with your children: 

• What is something you enjoy doing? How does it make you feel?
• What is your favourite song? What emotion does it make you feel and why?
• Close your eyes and listen for 30 seconds. Did you hear something you hadn’t noticed before? 

With thanks, 

Mrs Natali Tomic  Assistant Principal

Religion News

Religious Education Week 6

During this time of Lent in preparation for the most holy time in the Christian Calendar, We are reminded of the true meaning of penance by the words of Pope Francis.

Lenten Prayer of Pope Francis

Fast from hurting words and say kind words.

Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.

Fast from anger and be filled with patience.

Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.

Fast from worries and trust in God.

Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.

Fast from pressures and be prayerful

Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.

Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.

Fast from grudges and be reconciled.

Fast from words and be silent so you can listen. 

The Big Walk For Water

A big thank you to all parents, teachers and students for your participation in raising funds for the Project Compassion through our Big Walk for Water. It was a wonderful experience to all share together as we raised awareness for the daily struggle faced by millions of people around the world who must walk long distances to access clean water. 

The Big Walk for Water

Sacrament of Reconciliation 

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 

Sacrament of First Holy Communion

26 and 27 April Communion Commitment Mass 

Children should attend one of the parish masses during this weekend. 

Mass is on Saturday at 5.30pm or Sunday 8am, 10am and 5.30pm 

 Week of  28 April Communion Lessons Commence: 

Lesson 1: Week of 28 April

Lesson 2: Week of 5 May

Lesson 3: Week of 12 May

Lesson 4: Week of 19 May

Lesson 5: Week of 26 May

(During the 5th lesson there will also be a Communion Mass Rehearsal with the Children)

1 June Communion Retreat Day

 Communion Masses:

Will commence long weekend in June 7th-8th and weekend following

Times TBC

God Bless,

Michael Hobson  Religious Education Coordinator 

Family Educator News

Family Educator  Term 1  Week 6

Lenten Group/Parent Cuppa and Chat too!

We will meet on Monday mornings and follow aloong the beautiful Lenten programme put together by the Archdiocese of Sydney- “Let Your will be Done, not mine”

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. 

No need to attend all sessions- you are welcome to any.

Come along to the demountable classroom on the top playground when the bell rings.

March 17th: Weeks 2 and 3 unpacked

March 24rd: Week 4 Lenten readings unpacked

March 31st: Stations of the Cross Parent Excursion  (we will meet at Bringelly)

April 7th: Week 6 Palm Sunday/Easter and beyond.

Calling all PARENTS/ GRANDPARENTS AND FRIENDS

You are Invited!!!

Bringelly Parent/ParishionerPilgrimage to Stations of the Cross

 on Monday 31st March 

Please join with fellow parents and Family Educators of the South West Netowrk to walk this beautiful Lenten devotion that is the Stations of the Cross, at Bringelly St Joseph Conference Centre. 

The path is winding but concrete and easy to walk, and the life size statues are beautiful! Pram and wheelchair friendly too! All booklets etc provided on the morning.

We will meet at 10am and gather in the undercover picnic area beside the Stations which will commence at 10.30am.

Tea, coffee and light morning tea will be provided before we walk. The walk should be approximately 45 minutes at most around the Statues. It is hoped we will have a priest or two to offer personal Reconciliation afterwards. This will be confirmed closer to the date.

You are then welcome to stay for a BYO picnic lunch with friends (perhaps making some new friends!)

Register HERE and watch out for more details

Year 5 You are Invited to Parish Family Mass on Sunday 23rd March 10am!! 

JB Juniors  

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- Wednesday March 12th- Noah’s Ark Storytime

Do you want to make the Good Deed Beads?? 

- open to Reconciliation parents and anyone else who would like to come along!

Any parents who are interested in making the Good Deed Beads in the tradition of St therese, Please join me on Monday 24/3 from 1pm-3pm in the demountable classroom. Please enter via office and sign in.

Register you interest with a text message to 0439 492920

Parish Matters

40th Anniversary!

DID you KNOW - Our parish and church is celebrating 40 years this year?

There will be some exciting events coming up throughout 2025.

Keep the date : Sunday May 4th Special Anniversary Mass and Family Picnic

More to follow as details, dates and venues are confirmed.

Have you got a special memory of your time here at the parish? SHARE YOUR STORY OR PHOTOS HERE

Or send photos and stories to Father at the parish-

info@johnthebaptist.org.au

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

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

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross will be held in the Church every Friday during Lent at 7:00pm. On the first Friday of the month 4th April Stations will be held at 6:00pm.

Consider attending the Parent and Parishioner pilgrimage to Bringelly on March 31st.

Beautiful books on sale at Church March 30th- make great gifts for Easter!!

Anthony Salame is a father, husband, comedian, Catholic and has been a member of the St. John the Baptist parish for many years. In recent years, he’s beautifully combined his love for his faith with a passion for storytelling. Creating Catholic children’s books that inspire kids and teach lessons about faith, family, forgiveness and God’s love. Through his books, Anthony hopes to share the joy of faith with young readers, helping them grow in love for God and understanding of the rich traditions of the Catholic Church. Anthony will be selling his books following the 10am Mass on Sunday 30th March.

Well Being News

Dear Parents and Carers, 

 I'm writing to you about a serious concern that requires our combined attention:

The condition of our school toilets. 

While we are committed to fostering a positive and respectful school culture through our Schoolwide Positive Behaviour for Learning framework, we would appreciate your active partnership in addressing these challenges effectively. SPBL emphasises safety, responsibility and respect, but it requires consistent reinforcement at home to translate into meaningful change.

The current state of our toilets presents an apparent health and safety risk, including:

• Hazardous Wet Floors: Persistent wet floors create a slip-and-fall hazard, putting our students at risk of injury..

• General Uncleanliness: The lack of respect for these shared spaces is unacceptable.

This is not merely a maintenance issue; it reflects a lack of respect for shared spaces and a disregard for the health and safety of others.

Our Shared Responsibility: Immediate Action Required

We must work together to instill in our students the importance of proper hygiene, safety, and respect. I urge you to:

• Engage in a direct conversation with your child today. Emphasise the dangers of wet floors and the importance of leaving the toilets clean and dry.

• Please reinforce proper toilet etiquette and hygiene practices at home. This includes flushing, handwashing, adequate waste disposal, and drying hands thoroughly.

• Stress the importance of reporting spills or leaks. Encourage your child to inform a teacher or staff member immediately if they notice a wet floor or any other maintenance issue.

• Emphasise respect for school property and the safety of others. Explain that our school facilities are shared spaces and must be treated carefully.

• Please reinforce personal hygiene habits. Good hygiene habits at home will transfer to the school environment.

Our Commitment

At school, we are taking the following steps:

• Increasing supervision and monitoring of toilet facilities.

• Reinforcing SPBL expectations related to respect, responsibility, and safety.

• Implementing more frequent cleaning schedules.

• Providing additional hygiene education to students.

However, our efforts will be much more effective with your active participation.

We need your immediate support to ensure our school remains a safe, clean, and healthy learning environment for all students.

Thank you for your urgent attention to this important matter.

Peace and Blessings,

Frank Wassef  Wellbeing Coordinator

Harmony Day

Harmony Day 2025 

 Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect 

 and a sense of belonging for everyone.

On Wednesday 2nd of April John the Baptist will be celebrating Harmony Day. Harmony Day is a celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all cultural backgrounds. ​​To celebrate the day students are encouraged to wear a splash of orange along with their sports uniform (hair tie, socks, hat, t-shirt, wrist band etc). In the morning we will begin the day with a whole school assembly featuring a performance by the Infant and Primary JB Choir. The assembly will commence at 8:50am on the Top Playground. Parents are welcome to attend. 

We look forward to celebrating Harmony Day as a school community. 

Warm regards,

EAL/D Team 

Sports News

Our talented athletes have once again done John The Baptist proud at the Cluster Trials over the last couple of weeks.

We congratulate Lucas Abdal, Patrick Brcic, Emilia Bruzzese, Luca Corvelo, Chloe Davino, Rosario Patronaggio, Liana Romeo and Mateo Sculli who will represent John The Baptist at the upcoming Sydney Soccer Trials. 

We also congratulate Daniel Uli who will represent John The Baptist in the upcoming Sydney Rugby League Trials. 

We wish these amazing students the best of luck!

Frances Oliverio  Sports Coordinator

School Photo Day

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 NOT able to accept forgotten instruments for students on their Amadeus Day. 

Thank you for your understanding.

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 have 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 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.  

School student travel information for parents and students

School Travel Passes

Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass but have not yet applied need to apply or update their details as soon as possible.

In the Opal network, students should travel with a Child/Youth Opal card until they receive their valid School Opal card. If outside Greater Sydney, parents should contact their local bus operator to discuss their travel needs.

Students living in rural and regional areas will receive their travel pass from their nominated transport operator. It may be issued via their school or be sent directly to them at home. Note: some rural and regional operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.

Terms of Use

Students using School Opal cards must tap on and tap off in line with the Opal terms of use.

This includes travel within the approved times between 6.30am and 7.00pm from Monday to Friday on school days only. Students must use their Child/Youth Opal card for any travel outside these times.

All students are required to comply with the Student code of conduct. The code of conduct aims to ensure the safety and well-being of school children and other passengers. It is important that parents ensure their child is aware of this, as failure to comply with the code of conduct can result in a suspension from travel.

Mail sent from the Stakeholder Liaison Team, Customers Systems and Operations.

Further information can be found at transportnsw.info/school-students

Enquiries can be submitted at transportnsw.info/passes-concessions-feedback

Awards

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their badges:

Dates to Remember