Mt St John's Primary School Dorrigo eNewsletter

Principal's Message

Welcome to our Week 6 newsletter. The students have been very excited this week, eagerly anticipating the Dorrigo Show and their chance to ride, show off their cooking and creating skills, explore, and have fun.

Last week, we all attended the Farm Safety Day, which was a big hit! Students (and staff!) learnt about chemical safety, tying down loads, safely working around animals, and staying safe around water. A huge thank you to all the local organisations who worked so hard to get this event off the ground. It is one more way our community is coming together to keep our kids safe.

Next Friday is our highly anticipated Centenary Celebration. We would love to have all our familes join us as we celebrate 100 years of continuous Catholic education on the plateau. There will be an opening Liturgy celebrated by Father Paul in the Church, a photo display, guest speakers and the burial of our time capsule. If you have an old uniform, photos, memorabilia or something you would like included in the capsule, please bring it along on the day. Bring a picnic lunch to share with your children!

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss this or anything else.

Take care,

Deb

Farm Safety Day

Centenary Celebrations

Writing Medal of Excellence - Hunter Gibson

A massive CONGRATULATIONS to Hunter for being one of only 25 students in the state to receive a Medal of Excellence for his writing in the 2024 NAIDOC competition. A panel of Elders, politicians and community leaders selected Hunter's entry to receive this impressive award. We are incredibly proud of you, Hunter!

Community Carols - Sunday 15th December

The annual Carols on the Hill will be held again this year on Sunday 15th December at St Stephen's Anglican Church. A free sausage sizzle will begin at 5pm, folowed by carols at 6pm. All welcome!

Parent Webinars

These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills, and tools to support their children in having safe online experiences.

Supporting healthy tech use as your child transitions into high school. This webinar explores the social pressures, peer influences and technological challenges young people face as they transition into high school. It also offers practical strategies for navigating online friendships and connections to help minimise negative experiences.

It is suitable for parents and carers of children in upper primary school (ages 11 to 12) and Year 7.

Tuesday, 29 October, 12.30 pm
Thursday, 28 November, 12.30 pm
Registration link

eSafety 101: how eSafety can help you. An overview of The eSafety Commissioner and supporting programs and resources for parents and carers, children, and young people.

It is suitable for parents and carers of children and young people in primary and secondary school.

Thursday, 24 October, 12.30pm
Wednesday, 4 December, 12.30pm
Registration link

UNE Science Discovery visits

On Wednesday 4th December, UNE Discovery Voyager will be bringing hands-on science to our school. The team of enthusiastic science facilitators will be presenting three sessions to our students; The Magic of Physics, Crime Scene Investigation and Creative Chemistry.

All of the activities are curriculum aligned, but they are also fascinating, fun and play-based.

The activities run for 45 minutes each, and the team of science educators will run the activities in parallel sessions for groups of students, who rotate through.

Enrolling Now!

We are currently conducting enrolment interviews for 2025. If you know of any families considering Mt St John's, please encourage them to reach out and organise a school tour. Spread the word!

Friendships and Feelings

Mini Mounties Transition Program/ Kindy Enrolments

Our Mini Mounties Program for 2024 continues in Term 4. Mini Mounties is open to all students who are enrolled at MSJ for Kindergarten in 2025. Mini Mounties is an opportunity for preschool students to come to Mt St John's, participate in classes and playground activities, meet some staff, see what Mt St John's has to offer, and most of all, have fun! Parents have the opportunity to socialise and meet new parents. Staff also conduct information sessions for parents to learn vital information about school readiness and are available to chat with parents to address any concerns or answer questions.

Dorrigo Preschool beautifully supports our transition; however, if you know of any other children who would benefit from joining Mini Mounties, please pass this information on!

What's On - Term 4

After positive feedback last term, we have published a 'What's On' for Term 4. This document is designed to help you plan ahead for Term 4. Please be aware that changes may (and probably will!) happen. We will continue to keep you updated via Compass. Here is the LINK.

Whole School Focus

At Mt. St John's, we have four core values that guide our behaviour: Respect, (Self) Responsibility, Safety, and Effort. These four expectations are our behaviour norms.

Our whole school focus this fortnight is on RESPECT and EMPATHY. We are reminding each other to use kind words that lift each other up, not put others down. Our teachers and student leaders look for students demonstrating these skills and give out GEM Awards to celebrate.

Class Awards

Congratulations to all our award-winners for Weeks 5 & 6.

Principal's Award	Zahli Bailey	For having the courage to speak up when something is wrong.
Kindergarten	Sam Garnock	For being an amazing part in our class conversations and sharing your ideas.
Stage 1	Larney Francis	For being a great class helper when organising the computers.
Stage 1	Abby Thomas	For great mathematical thinking when working with centimetres.
Stage 2	Oliver Hunter	For being able to integrate a variety of complex language features when creating poems and setting the scene for narratives.
Stage 2	Ivy Jackson	Being able to gather data and transfer it correctly onto grid paper.
Stage 3	Tom Beaumont	For your effort using descriptive language to write a fantastic sequenced paragraph during English.
	Hayley Munro	For showing focus and effort during our Spell-X lessons.
	Jinky Ware	For your fantastic attention to detail during Geography tasks.
	Finn Moffatt	For showing teamwork, fairness and excellent sportsmanship during PDHPE lessons.

Term 4 School Fees

Term 4 fees are now due, unless you are paying by regular direct debit or BPay amounts.

1 student - $318

2 students - $556.50

3 students - $715.50

Payment options are:

BPay - on your most recent school fee statement, there are instructions on how to make a payment using BPay. This is our preferred payment method.
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 at school
EFTPOS at school

Remember, if you feel you will be unable to finalise your Term 3 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!

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.

Mt St John's Primary School, Dorrigo Facebook

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.

Dorrigo Swim Club

Children's Book Reading @ Dorrigo & Beyond

Community Notices

GLUE & Messy Church

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.

Last session for 2024 (which is the Christmas Party!) is on Wednesday 4th December.

The final Messy Church for 2024 will be held on Sunday 1st December, with a theme of Messy Celebrations.

School Bus Travel

Applications are now open for 2025 School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) travel.

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.

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.

Transport for NSW

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.

School Drive Subsidy

Term 4 - Week 6, 2024