Term 2, Week 8 - 2025
- Principal's Message
- MSJ Spelling Bee
- Athletics Carnival
- Student Awards
- Winter Warmers Hot Dog & PJ Day
- Stage 3 Excursion Fundraisers
- Our Shining Light Award
- Goori Group News
- What's On in Term 2
- 2025 Premier's Reading Challenge
- 2025 School Fees
- School Bus Travel
- School Drive Subsidy
- Dorrigo Dramatic Club - Young Drama
- Coffs Harbour NAIDOC Basketball Event
- GLUE & Messy Church
Principal's Message
Hi everyone,
Athletics Carnival
Thank you to all the parents and friends who joined us for our Athletics Carnival – your support helped make the day fantastic! A special thank you to Dorrigo High School for generously sharing their facilities with us. We are incredibly lucky to live in a community where everyone works together to support our local kids, regardless of which school they attend. How good is Dorrigo?!
Spelling Bee
We’d also like to invite all families to our School Spelling Bee, which will be held this Monday at 2pm here at school. The Spelling Bee is a great way to celebrate student learning and gives parents a valuable window into what we’re doing in the classroom. It also supports our Engaged Communities SAIP goal of enabling parents to be actively involved in their child’s learning. We look forward to seeing you here!
Winter Warmers - PJ & Hot Dog Day
Don’t forget our Winter Warmer Day next Friday! Students are invited to wear their cosy pyjamas to school and enjoy a hot dog lunch. It’s a fun way to keep warm and enjoy the winter season together. Orders for hot dogs need to be in by Wednesday – we hope everyone gets involved!
Mini Mounties
We are excited to announce that we are now advertising and accepting enrolments for our Mini Mounties Transition Program.
This program is designed to support children as they prepare for Kindergarten, offering a gentle and engaging introduction to school life. If you or someone you know has a child starting school in 2026, we encourage you to get in touch with the office for more information or to secure a place. Everyone is welcome - come and see what Mt St John's has to offer!
Kind regards,
Deb
School Annual Improvement Plan (SAIP)
As part of our ongoing School Improvement journey and our focus on Enlivened Catholic Identity, the staff have been working together to realign and refine our whole-school approach to pastoral care and behaviour management. This work is grounded in our core school values of Respect, Kindness, and Learning, ensuring that every aspect of student wellbeing and behaviour support reflects the kind of community we strive to be.
We are currently refining our framework to support positive behaviour and nurture each child’s sense of belonging and responsibility. Early next term, we will share a draft version of this new approach with families and invite your feedback. Your voice is important in shaping a shared vision for how we support all students to flourish, both personally and as learners.
MSJ Spelling Bee
As part of our School Improvement goal to strengthen teaching and learning, we’re focusing on spelling this semester—and launching our very first Spelling Bee!
Classroom rounds took place this week, with the top four students from each class progressing to the finals.
Join us for the Spelling Bee Finals on 📅 Monday, 23rd June, 🕑 2:00 pm
Families are warmly invited to cheer on our finalists and celebrate the power of words!
Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to all our students for a great effort last Friday at our annual Athletics Carnival, which was held at Dorrigo High School. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and we particularly loved seeing all the friends and family come out to cheers the students.
Good luck to our team of athletes who will represnt our school at the Zone Athletics Carnival in Coffs on Wednesday 2nd July - Rokko, Tom, Piper, Reuben, Valentino, Ember, Aria, Samo, Jules, Hunter, Eden, Ahlia, Seth, Natalie, Matilda, Abby M, Ruby, Ethan, Darcy, Lucie and Aurora.
A reminder that permission for this event must be given in Compass.
Student Awards
Congratulations to this fortnight's Award winners!
| Principal's Award | Jinky Ware | In recognition of her ongoing leadership and exceptional work ethic in all areas. |
| Junior Mounties | Henry McGrath | For a great effort in learning tricky words and the "bossy e" rule. |
| Phoebe Sheridan | For using prepositions, pronouns and proper nouns accurately in her writing. | |
| Max Menzies | For making a great start at his new school. | |
| Stage 2 | Ahlia Haley | For taking time and care in joining your letters for cursive writing. |
| Genevieve Jackson | For using onomatopoeia effectively when writing short poems. | |
| Aurora Williams | For accurate work in estimating and measuring the capacity of different containers. | |
| Abby Menzies | For using the five senses as inspiration for imagery in your writing. | |
| Year 5 | James Beaumont | For being able to identify and convert measurements from mL to L using decimal notation. Your ability to convert fractions to decimals to tenths, hundredths and thousandths is very good! |
| Ivy Charles | For setting out your mathematical thinking clearly when answering measurement word problems. | |
| Samo Floridan | For your ability to set out your mathematical thinking and being able to solve and convert problems from mL to L using decimal notation. | |
| Oliver Hunter | For your enthusiasm and willingness to practise challenging words in our class Spelling Bee competition. | |
| Bailey Marks | For a detailed storyboard to assist you in being able to create your storybook | |
| Ruby Menzies | For your great effort in our class Spelling Bee competition. | |
| Year 6 | Aria Dimarco | For your exceptional effort at our Athetics Carnival. You are a humble and skiled athlete! |
| Seth Haley | For your consistent effort in class, always showing wisdom, maturity and self control. | |
| Hayley Munro | For planning and creating a detailed story about a little bird and his nest. | |
| Jinky Ware | For showing bravery and persistence at our school athletics carnival. |
Winter Warmers Hot Dog & PJ Day
To raise money for missions, we will be having a Pyjama Day next Friday 27th June. For a gold coin donation, students and staff may come to school wearing their pyjamas for the day!
There will also be hot dogs available for lunch on this day. Hot dogs are $5 each and can be ordered via the Compass Canteen module. Money raised from hot dog sales will go to the Stage 3 excursion fundraiser.
Stage 3 Excursion Fundraisers
To raise money for the upcoming Stage 3 excursion to Sydney and Canberra, the school is holding a few different fundraisers. Thank you for supporting us in these efforts!
Mega Lamb Raffle, which will be drawn on Thursday 3rd July. Tickets are on sale at school for $5 each or 5 for $20.
1st prize - 1 whole cut up lamb
2nd prize - 1 whole cut up lamb
3rd-6th prize - 1/2 cut up lamb
Our huge thanks go to the local businesses who have made this raffle possible:
Lamb donated by Maxwellton Angus (Bill & Jenny Maxwell) and Angus & Jess Watters
Slaughtering & Processing generously covered by Harley & Jade Gibson
Chilled transport to Dorrigo Butchery donated by VBS Mechanical
Expert butchering services donated by Ben & the team at Dorrigo Butchery
Our Shining Light Award
This year, we introduced a new award: the MSJ Shining Light Award. Nano Nagle, the Lady of the Lantern and founder of the Presentation Sisters, inspires this award. We recognise students who actively live out the values we promote at Mount St John's: kindness, respect, courage, empathy, and excellence.
Congratulations to Matilda McCoy - Matilda is a shining light at Mt St John's. She works hard, never gives up, and consistently shows kindness; she inspires others with her positive attitude and determination.
Goori Group News
Recently we were asked to perform at the NAIDOC on the Plateau ceremony, and the kids have been working hard on their dance titled "Hunters and Gatherers". The girls are doing amazingly and we are working hard with the boys to incorporate their individual dances into the routine.
The boys enjoyed having a go at the didge and they were all naturals, with great breathing and sound production. They also had a go at throwing the boomerang around.
We went through our numbers in Gumbaynggirr 1-10 and are now starting to learn Head, Shoulders in Language.
Aunty Shanara
What's On in Term 2
Week 9
| Monday 23rd June | 2:00 pm - Mt St John's Spelling Bee |
| Friday 27th June | Winter Warmers PJ and Hot Dog Day Reports go to Home |
Week 10
| Wednesday 2nd July | Zone Athletics Carnival (Coffs Harbour) |
| Thursday 3rd July | Last day of Term 2 for Students |
| Friday 5th July | STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY (Staff only) |
2025 Premier's Reading Challenge
The Premier's Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 9, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools. You must read a certain number of books to complete the Challenge. The Challenge closes for students on Friday August 22, 2025.
Congratulations to Jack M, Larney F, Tate M-T, Lucca L & Conrad G, who have completed this year's Premier's Reading Challenge!
2025 School Fees
Please be advised that the amount owing for the whole of 2025 will be now showing in your Compass account. Statements are issued at the end of each month which will include your BPAY details, and these will also provide you with your nominated payment plan.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
In 2025, annual school fees are as follows:
1 student - $1396 (includes $60 resource fee per student)
2 students - $2458 (includes $60 resource fee per student)
3 students - $3186 (includes $60 resource fee per student)
Payment options are:
- BPay—Instructions on how to make a payment using BPay are on your most recent school fee statement. 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 school fees by the due 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. Alternatively, you can call the Office to discuss your individual circumstances with the Principal.
Financial Assistance
We recognise the financial pressures that families may face and strive to offer flexible payment options to accommodate different circumstances. For enquiries about fee assistance, please contact the Diocesan Fee Support Team at feeassist@lism.catholic.edu.au
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.
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.
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 – click on the link below to apply.
Dorrigo Dramatic Club - Young Drama
The Dorrigo Dramatic Club is excited to be running a Young Drama program from Term 3, 2025. The weekly program will be offered to primary school aged children and will focus on developing skills for the stage through a variety of activities and games. Lodge your interest for the program using the link below, and we will be in touch in the coming weeks with further information and so you can confirm your child's involvement.
Young Drama will run on Monday afternoons after school. Families will need to be members of the Dorrigo Dramatic Club in order for their child to participate. To become a member, or renew membership, please email membershipddc@gmail.com
Coffs Harbour NAIDOC Basketball Event
Celebrating NAIDOC these school holidays in Coffs Harbour, with a fun inclusive FREE school holiday basketball 3x3 event for everyone!
Coffs Harbour’s NAIDOC DEADLY MOB 3x3 Basketball Gala is back this July! 
"3X3 Duumbay Guja Girrwaawa" – Let’s Play Ball Together!
Join us for a fun-filled, inclusive day celebrating the spirit of NAIDOC through basketball! Whether you’re a baller or just starting out, this event is for everyone — all ages, skill levels and cultures welcome.
What’s On:
Skills sessions for kids aged 5–10 3x3 basketball tournaments in these divisions:
- Under 12s (Born 2014–2016)
- Under 14s (Born 2012–2013)
- Under 16s (Born 2010–2011)
- Opens (Born 2009 & earlier) Shooting comps & mini-games Live music, entertainment, food, and deadly prizes!
Event Details:
Saturday, 12 July 2025
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Sportz Central, 74a Bray Street, Coffs Harbour
Registrations close 4pm on 11 July 2025
Register your team now: https://bnsw.info/
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.
MOVIE SCREENING - There will be a movie afternoon showing The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe at St Stephen's Anglican Church Hall on Saturday 28th June, 2pm. Familes are welcome to come along and enjoy a movie, food and friendship.