Term 1 - Week 8, 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Friends,
Welcome to our Week 8 newsletter. It has been heart-warming to see the enthusiasm of our students as we focus on charity throughout Lent. We have been able to fundraise for Caritas and Catholic Mission through our St Patrick's Day dress-up and our Easter Egg raffle. To date, we have raised over $160, which equates to providing a family in Malawi with a safe toilet to eliminate cholera during rainy months and cyclone season. The students were amazed to learn that some places do not have safe sanitation and the impact that has on people's health.
School Improvement Update
As part of our ongoing commitment to whole school improvement and ensuring that every student in our care receives the very best education and can achieve the fullness of life (John 10:10), staff have set 3 goals for 2024:
Mission of Jesus Christ: All students and staff will develop a shared understanding of our history and identity as a Catholic School.
Learning and Teaching: All students will experience higher than expected growth in mathematics and reading.
Pastoral Care: All students will feel safe at school and connected to our school community.
Over the following 2 newsletters, we will unpack these goals and our actions to achieve them.
Library Update
Great news! The library's roof has been fixed, and we are now waiting for the results of air quality testing to ensure no mould is present. Hopefully, we should have results by the end of the term, and we can use this beautiful space again in Term 2.
What's On
There are many events coming up over the next few weeks, so please add these to your calendar:
Week 9
Monday, March 25th: Cross Country @ The Dorrigo Golf Course. This will start at approximately 9:15 am, and we anticipate finishing by 11:00 am. Spectators are welcome to attend.
Thursday, 28th March: Easter Liturgy @ 1:45 pm. The whole school will present a Liturgy based on the events on Holy Week, with each class reenacting a particular event. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, we will draw our Easter raffle.
Friday, 29th March: Good Friday Public Holiday
Week 10
Monday, 1st April: Easter Monday Public Holiday
Week 11
Thursday, 11th April: Catholic Education Week event and final day of Term 1 for students.
9:30 am - 10:30 am - Open Classroom Sessions
10:30 am - Whole school games on the field
11:00 am - Morning tea
A reminder that school resumes for students on Tuesday, 30th April.
As always, please give me a call or email if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a lovely weekend,
Deborah Bailey
Principal
Staff Development Days
Please be advised that our school is having the following days as Staff Development Days. Students are not required to attend school on these days.
Friday 12th April
Monday 29th April
The Resilience Project
Empathy
Working on empathy helps us to identify, understand and feel what another person is feeling. When we show empathy, or we do something kind for someone else, our brain releases oxytocin. This leads to increasing our self-esteem/confidence, energy levels, positivity and overall happiness.
Whole Family Activity: Neighbourhood Kindness Challenge
As a family, choose an act of kindness from the list below that you would like to do for a neighbour or family friend. Each family member can select one to commit to, or you can choose to do one together.
Cook them something delicious like a cake, hot bread or biscuits.
Write a note to put in their letterbox thanking them for being a great neighbour or friend.
Design them a Thank You card.
Pick or buy some flowers to deliver to them.
Choose a little plant from your garden to give them.
Make them a gift from things around your house.
Offer to do a job for them, like wash their car or water their garden.
Offer to take their pets for a walk.
Invite them over for afternoon tea.
Invite them on a walk.
Recommend one of your favourite books to borrow and read.
Ask them if they need anything from the shops next time you buy groceries.
Say hello next time you see them, and ask them how their day is going.
Feel free to do more than one and spread the kindness even further!
Report back to each other in one week and share how your acts of kindness were received, and how doing them made you feel.
Family Habit Builder:
Every night at dinner, have each person thank another family member for something they’ve done or said today, or give another family member a compliment.
GEM Awards
Congratulations to our GEM Award winners for Week 6.
| Week 8 | |
| Whole School | Henry |
| Kindy | Zoe |
| Stage 1 | Abby |
| Stage 2 | Aurora |
| Stage 3 | Ethan |
Enrolment Changes
Our school is moving from paper-based enrolment applications to online enrolments using Compass. As an existing user of Compass, you will find a new tile in the Compass app called Family and Enrolments, found under the “More” icon in the Compass app or under the Cog icon in your preferred browser.
Now the family and enrolments module has gone live, as a parent you can update your contact details at any time. We strongly encourage you to log in to confirm your details. If you update your details, they will update across all schools where you have a child enrolled.
Applications for 2025 can be completed from June 2024.
See our website for more details on how to enrol and where to get assistance if you need it.
Term 1 School Fees
Term 1 school fees are now due, unless you are paying by regular direct debit amounts. Please note that Term 1 fees include a $55 resource fee per student.
1 student - $373
2 students - $666.50
Payment options are:
- using the Compass app - You can check your school fee balance and pay fees through the Compass app. Select more - school fees - next - and enter your credit card details. You have the option to pay in full or pay a portion of your fees.
- cash or cheque at school
- direct deposit to the school's bank account (see instructions below)
When using Internet banking, please use your child’s surname as a reference.
Banancoast Community Credit Union
BSB no. 533-000
Account no. 3282 0430
Name: Mt St John’s Primary School
Remember, if you feel you will be unable to finalise your Term 1 school fees by this date, some financial assistance may be available from St Vincent de Paul - to make an appointment with them, call 0472 718862. You will need to take your school fee statement with you to your appointment.
Thank you!
Community News
ANZAC Day March
The ANZAC Day Dawn Service will commence at 5.30am at the Dorrigo Monument and breakfast will be served in the Dorrigo Memorial RSL Club after the Service.
Our school will be marching as a school group in the Dorrigo ANZAC Day March and Wreath-Laying Service on Thursday 25th April. Students are to wear full school uniform, including school hat, and assemble at 10:40am at the Dorrigo Memorial RSL Club. The March & Wreath-Laying Service will commence at 11.00am.
As with last year, the Order of March will have the Dorrigo School contingents near the head of the march, and the Schools will end up in Cudgery Street behind the Veterans Group near the bus shelter.
For further information contact Phillip Corlis on 0408 033141 or email phillipcorlis@bigpond.com
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.
How to Cancel a Canteen Order
If you need to, you can cancel canteen orders before 9am on canteen day. 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.
Community Notices
GLUE
GLUE God Loves Us Eternally KidsClub is held each Wednesday during school term time from 3-5pm at the Anglican Church 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.
Dorrigo Rangers Rugby
Bellingen Bulldogs AFL
Bellingen Bulldog's Junior AFL offers programs for boys and girls aged from 5 years old to 17 years of age, starting with an Auskick program for younger children and competitive teams for boys and girls starting from under 10's up to under 17's.
Information on how to register for the club along with contact information for parents is below.
School Bus Travel
Students who need a School Opal card or travel pass for 2024 can apply here. A new application will need to be submitted if they are applying for the first time, or if they are requesting additional travel entitlement because of new shared parental arrangement (e.g. joint custody).
If a student’s distance eligibility has changed based on their grade (i.e. grade two to grade three), the system will automatically update their entitlement if they meet the new criteria. If they do not meet the new eligibility criteria, an expiry notification will be sent via email.
Students who have an entitlement approved under a medical condition that is due to expire will receive a notification advising them to re-apply.
Term Bus Pass holders will receive a notification to re-apply.
Students living in rural and regional (R&R) areas should receive their travel pass at the start of the new school year from their nominated transport operator. It may come via the school or be sent directly to them at home. Note: some R&R operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.
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.
Vaping Information for Primary School Parents
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.
