Term 3 - Week 6, 2023
- Principal's Message
- Weekly Awards
- Prime Minister's Spelling Bee
- 2023 Book Week & Book Fair Events
- Fathers' Day Breakfast
- NRL Development Program
- Project Compassion
- How to Cancel a Canteen Order
- School Facebook Page
- Library Day - Wednesday
- School Bus Travel
- School Drive Subsidy
- Dorrigo Drama - Kids on Stage
- GLUE & Messy Church
- Dorrigo Lift The Lid Walk - Sunday 15th October 2023
- NSW Govt Mobile Service Centre
- Art as Therapy Exhibition
- North Coast Health Connect
- Games afternoon @Dorrigo Library
- 'Shark Cage' Womens Group
- Healthy Lunchbox Website
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
The Disco last night was great and I’m sure many children slept well after all that dancing. Thanks to the staff who prepared the event - they always make it a fun night for the kids.
On Monday we have our first Japanese Cultural day, where a visiting teacher, Mrs Janine Boyd, will expose the children to the language and customs of Japan. Janine is a specialist in this area and we are very fortunate to have her visit. Year 2-3 will have the morning session and K-1 after lunch. There will be some food tasting so if your child is on any special diet or has an allergy we don’t know about, please contact us. Hopefully you can quiz your child on Monday afternoon and they can teach you some Japanese language. Year 4-5-6 will participate for a longer session on Monday 4 September.
During this week and next we will be testing Year 3-6 students for reading progress using a standardised test. This is to check whether what we are doing is working and where we need our focus to be in the future. One of the great parts of MSJ is the funding we receive, allowing us to access staff to support various programs to aid student learning. Our mantra is progress for every child every day, regardless of ability - basically everyone must get better.
Don't forget the next Parent Gathering, which will be held on Thursday 31 August at 2pm, followed by an assembly. The meeting will be a chance to discuss initiatives, give feedback and learn more about a current school topic. This meeting the focus will be on Social Media for children - tips for navigating the online world.
Our Father’s Day breakfast will be held from 7.30am next Friday 1 September. Bacon and egg rolls for the adults, toast, cereal and fruit for the kids. It will be relaxed; however some of the children are wanting to challenge the old guys to a handball competition; no injuries please! All dads, grandads and men in the life of students are invited - but bring the whole family if you'd like.
Kind regards,
Peter Watts,
Principal
Weekly Awards
Congratulations to the following students, who received learning awards this week:
Archer D - For great writing about your family in their favourite place. Awesome effort!
Rokko B - For great work reading in our prayer assembly. Awesome effort!
Tyson T - For a great start at his new school. Welcome to Mt St John's!
Lakota M-T - For being a welcoming and inclusive member of our class. Thank you for being a positive member of our community!
Reuben C - For staying focused in Maths warm-up tasks and developing skills in adding one-digit and two-digit numbers.
Ivy M - For showing consideration for the younger students in your soccer team during the soccer gala day last Friday.
GEM (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness) awards went to:
Keira T - For being thoughtful and kind in her interactions with others.
Patrick M - For being encouraging and kind in his interactions with others
Clay B - For giving up play time to teach other younger students to play football.
Prime Minister's Spelling Bee
Congratulations to Jinky W, who received a mark of 28 out of 30 in the Spelling Bee School Round and is now advancing to the State/Territory Finals!
The State/Territory Finals will be held between Mon 28 August - Fri 1 September.
Good luck Jinky!
2023 Book Week & Book Fair Events
What a fantastic week it has been. Our Book Fair has been very successful, making $1339 (well over our goal of $1,000) - which means $400 worth of free books for our school library! Thank you to all those familes and friends who supportred us by purchasing something from our Book Fair.
On Tuesday our students went to the Dorrigo Library to participate in some Book Week activities - thanks to Tamar and Margaret for hosting us.
Then yesterday was one of our favourite days of the year.... the Book Character dress-up day! We had so much fun dressing up as characters from books and it was great to welcome so many family and friends to watch our parade in the morning.
Congratulations to the winners of our colouring-in competition, Evie J, Patrick M and Chloe T, who each won a $20 voucher to spend at the Fair.
Special thanks to Angela Jackson, Clare Beckett and Kerry Miller, who have helped with setting up and packing away the Fair.
Book Character Parade
Fathers' Day Breakfast
We are hosting a special Fathers' Day breakfast next Friday 1st September here at school, starting at 7:30am. All students and their fathers, grandfathers and father figures are welcome!
On the menu for our dads will be bacon and egg rolls, tea and coffee; and for students there will be our usual Friday breakfast of toast, fruit, cereal and milo.
NRL Development Program
As part of our sports program, Garry Stevenson (a development officer from the NRL) is coming to Mt St John's for skill development coaching. These 30 minute sessions will be run for each class group on Wednesday afternoons for approximately 8 weeks. We look forward to participating and learning new skills.
Project Compassion
We are continuing to collect toiletries such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, brushes, combs, sanitary items, shampoo, deodorant, washing powder and warm items like socks and beanies, all of which will be donated to Pete's Place in Coffs Harbour to help homeless people in our local area.
St Vincent de Paul are also looking for any 2nd-hand drink bottles such as kids' drink bottles (not plastic PET water bottles).
Please help if you can - there is a basket at the front office in which to place your donations.
Thank you!
Louise Sprowles - LOSEC
How to Cancel a Canteen Order
If you need to, you can cancel canteen orders before 9am on Friday mornings. If you know your child is going to be away you can go into Compass Canteen and select "cancel order".
The refunded money goes back into your Compass "wallet" so you can use it next time you order - when you get to the Confirm & pay screen, click on the down arrow and select Compass Credit.
School Facebook Page
Check out our school Facebook page! It is wonderful to be able to share the good news of our school with our families and community.
Library Day - Wednesday
Library day for all students is Wednesday - please make sure your child brings in his or her cloth library bag on this day. Each student may borrow four books per week.
School Bus Travel
Applications for student travel can be made online. Apply here
School Drive Subsidy
The School Drive Subsidy is available for eligible school students where there is no public transport available for all or part of the journey. If you have to drive your child more than 1.6km to a school bus stop, you may be eligible for this subsidy – go to the link below to apply.
Dorrigo Drama - Kids on Stage
Hello to all the keen kids aged 5-17 who are wanting the opportunity to get back on the stage with Dorrigo Drama. We have 2 plays that we are looking to put on in November.
Alice in DownUnder Land is a delightful, unique Australian story combining the timeless tales of Alice, Mary and Matilda.... who are they?
The Sword in the Stone is the story of a young Arthur before he became King, his half brother Kai who thinks he should be King, Merlin the magician and of course Guinevere.
For the moment rehearsing will be Mondays at 3.30pm at the Dorrigo Theatre in Hickory Street. If it turns out Monday isn't the best day for rehearsals then we will work out what is.
You can get in touch with Dina via email at dinalucid@gmail.
GLUE & Messy Church
GLUE God Loves Us Eternally KidsClub is held each Wednesday during school term time from 3-5pm at the Anglican Hall. Afternoon tea, games, fun worship and craft. All primary kids in Years 1-6 are welcome, as are newcomers. For more info, ring Gwenneth on 6657 2135.
The next Messy Church is on Sunday 10th September from 4-6pm - see flyer below.
Dorrigo Lift The Lid Walk - Sunday 15th October 2023
NSW Govt Mobile Service Centre
Art as Therapy Exhibition
Feeling a little “blue”? Art facilitates wellbeing and healing through expression.
You are invited to participate in this exhibition to be held at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre Exhibition Space, Dorrigo National Park, Dome Road, Dorrigo: 10 - 29 October 2023.
“Art as Therapy” is part of the Dorrigo Neighbourhood Centre’s Blue Tree Project, which aims to turn Dorrigo blue, with bunting, lighting, yarn-wrapped objects, etc. for the month of October (https://www.bluetreeproject.com.au/), in order to help spark difficult conversations and encourage people to speak up when battling mental health concerns: “By spreading the paint and spreading the message that "it’s OK to not be OK", we can help break down the stigma that’s still largely attached to mental health”.
The exhibition is open to residents of the Dorrigo Plateau and includes all people affected by mental health – either personally or as a support worker. There is no entry fee for this exhibition, with a limit of 2 artworks per artist.
If you are interested in participating, please reply to Chris Fahey (Cc’d), Curator, Rainforest Centre Exhibition Space: E: cfahey25@yahoo.com.au M: 0439 482 662
North Coast Health Connect
North Coast Health Connect is a free new service providing health support and advice from registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays. If you are a resident or visitor to the North Coast, you can speak or live chat with a nurse. The nurse will ask some questions to understand what’s troubling you and then provide advice on what your next step should be.
This may include self-care advice to help you to manage your health (or that of a loved one) from home, or the nurse may recommend a GP appointment or a consultation with a pharmacist. The nurses are able to book an appointment for you directly with a local general practice or pharmacy or if appropriate, can transfer you to a 24/7 GP telehealth service. If the nurse believes you need to attend an emergency department or see a different health service, they will let you know.
Visit the link below for more info and save as a contact for when you need it by visiting https://qrco.de/bdkiJm or by scanning the QR code below.
Games afternoon @Dorrigo Library
'Shark Cage' Womens Group
Healthy Lunchbox Website
Cancer Council’s Healthy Lunch Box website is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about packing a healthy lunch box. For recipes, information and health tips please visit the website below.
