Upcoming Events

*20-22nd August-Year 5 Excursion. *23rd August-Out of Uniform Day

*26th August-Father’s day Brekky.

*26th August- Father’s day Stall.

*26th August– Mufti Day for the fete.

*27-30th August-Year 6 Excursion.

* 29th August—8.15 Clothing Pool. *30th August-The Monster Who Ate Australia Musical at Dubbo Christian School.

*6th September-

St John’s Primary School Fete. * 11th September -Yr 1 excursion to RFDS. *12th September-Milo Blast Cricket. *17th September– P&F Meeting 7pm.

www.stjohnsprimarydubbo.catholic.edu.au

www.stjohnsprimarydubbo.catholic.edu.au

ST JOHNS PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

S c h o o l M a n a g e r F a t h e r M a r k M c G u i g a n S c h o o l C h a p l a i n F a t h e r G r e g B e l l a m y P r i n c i p a l - M r . O ’ L e a r y A s s i s t a n t P r i n c i p a l – M r . F o l e y R E C – M r . S c h w a g e r

Contact Detai ls :

138 Sheraton Road DUBBO NSW 2830

Ph. : 0268822677

stjohnsprimarydubbo@bth.cathol ic.edu.au

What a week it was. Last week saw St John’s involved in so many of the wonderful

events that make us such a strong community. And it took a community to make it happen. The amazing students who stepped up and took part fully in everything that was on offer, the staff who prepared for, planned and attended events such as our Masses. And of course our parents, particularly our dedicated P&F who are busy organizing the Father’s Day Breakfast and Fete. I am very grateful for your dedication and enthusiasm.

The Father’s Day breakfast is fast approaching. This year our Breakfast will be held on Monday, 26th of August. We have had some replies to the Breakfast order, however, it would be appreciated if these can come back to school a.s.a.p. so food orders can be finalized. I am sure that the breakfast, commencing at 7:00am will once again be well attended and a great opportunity for people to catch up over a coffee and bacon &eggs.

This week our wonderful Year 5 students will be heading off to Sydney and the northern beaches for their excursion. We wish them a safe and enjoyable trip. I know their teachers are excited. The students will be away from Tuesday to Thursday.

We have had a number of children (bordering on epidemic proportions!!) in sick bay

this week suffering coughs, colds, high fevers and upset tummies. This virus appears to be extremely contagious. If your child is unwell, please, please keep them at home rather that send them to school. Thank you, your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. We do not have the facilities to look after children out of class for any extended period of time.

The second reading from Sunday’s Mass (Hebrews 12: 1-4) is particularly thought provoking. It reminds us that when we run the race of our lives we have Jesus leading us every step of the way. ‘With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God's throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.’ This reading invites us all to be strong and to do our best to overcome our difficulties. With Jesus guiding us we can get through the difficult times. Our families, our school community and friends are there for these times – something we shouldn’t forget.

Congratulations to some of our younger students this week. Brianna Shuttle and Lila Neville receive the Principal’s Awards this week. They will be presented with their certificate at this week’s assembly on Friday at 2pm.

Have a great week

God Bless

Anthony O’Leary

19th August 2013

The Danger of Instagram and Kik MessengerThe Danger of Instagram and Kik Messenger Last week I had a discussion with a parent who had experienced the negative side of social media. I know myself as a parent of 2 teenage children how popular social media is as a method of communication, however it is not only teens that can find themselves in trouble with sharing information or images. I have included for our newsletter an article of the use of messaging services such as KIK that is being used by our children. The article came from a cyber-safety resource: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/technology/cybersafety

Sometimes it might feel overwhelming to keep up with the latest social trend for your kids, but it’s important to be up to date and in the know. Although we’ll be using a specific example today, this could happen using most any social network. In this particular example Instagram, a photo sharing social network and Kik Messenger, a messaging social app. The issue is that, like many social networks, it’s easy to follow a user from one to the other, either through integration, friend requests, or similar user names. In this case it involved a young teenager and a possible predator . Many teens post images to Instagram every day, using simple editing tools such as filters to give photos an “artsy” feel. Sometimes photos are of places they’ve been, things they want, food they’re eating, and sometimes of themselves. The problem here is that the photos are very publicly available and assigned to your user account (usually linked to Facebook in most cases). In Michael Sheehan’s case, a user asked to add his daughter’s friend on Kik messenger via Instagram, once the two were connected via Kik messenger, the user asked to see the girl’s privates (settings). The fine line is in privacy, how private is a social network. Most are very public, like Facebook, Instagram comments are public, probably even more so arguably. Kik messenger chats, on the other hand, are not, and this is where the danger lies. This girl went from posting non-sexual, innocent photos of herself on Instagram and was solicited and groomed by an adult male. It’s every parent’s night-mare, predators reaching out to their children, but have no fear, you can be a very good line of defense for your children against this. Here are some tips regarding Instagram and Kik, and other similar sites/apps:

Privacy on Instagram – Set privacy settings so only those you allow can see the pictures

Only allow followers you or your child knows and can verify

Do NOT allow Kik – private messaging systems are hard to monitor and easily exploited

Be picky about which photos make it online (pictures of yourself vs pets/food/etc.)

Turn off Geo-Tagging/Location-based services for Instagram

Have access to your child’s account (1/2 of all teens said they’d change their online behavior if a parent was watching)

Have on-going discussions with your child about online responsibility and be open to questions they may

have. Social Networking doesn’t have to be scary; although it is a place that can be exploited by people like pedophiles, it can easily be guarded against by following some of those tips above. Being involved in your child’s online lives is essential, but don’t impose too many restrictions either, make sure to facilitate a forum-esque attitude to online behavior so they can ask you questions and you and your child can have casual discussions about Internet safety.

How to build your child’s resilience

Children are much more likely to bounce back from a negative experience if they already have the

building blocks in place to help them cope.

Research shows children are more likely to develop coping skills if they:

Trust that the world is safe and caring people will help them.

Believe in their ability to do things for themselves.

Feel valued for who they are.

Feel optimistic; and can manage their feelings, thoughts and behaviors.

Try these strategies to help bolster your child’s ability to deal with emotionally-trying situations:

Arrange a fun child-friendly activity each week like a trip to the park, play date with a friend or

watching a favorite movie. Regular ‘ups’ provide a bank of positive emotions to buffer against life’s

‘downs’ that may involve disappointment or conflict.

Help your kids to think positively. If your child is frustrated by a difficult puzzle, say, "I know that puz-

zle was hard today, but yesterday I saw you get a hard puzzle out. You kept trying until you found the

right place to put the pieces."

If you have a disagreement with your child, the most important thing to do is to reconnect and repair

the relationship. Let your little one cool down then offer a hug or words of support. This has benefits

for your child’s mental health as well as their ability to deal with relationship

problems as they get older.

Go to https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families for more information.

Tidbits of information for Parents!

1.The Father’s Day Stall is next Monday; please send in the $5 for your children to

purchase a gift at the stall. The Stall is not only a wonderful P&F fundraiser, it is a

rewarding experience for the children.

2.Please encourage your children to order their lunch; the canteen supplies very limited hot food over the counter.

3.The Fete really needs the support and attendance of Parents and Grandparents to be a success. Make sure to see who in

the family can come along, They can perhaps have a Devonshire Tea and enjoy the Fete with their children/grandchildren.

4.Please make sure you read Mr O’leary’s article on Cyber Safety.

5.The Father’s Day breakfast is on next Monday, activeties for the day include: Mufti Day for the children, Breakfast for

our families and a Father’s Day Stall for our children.

For Your Diary:

Yr 6 Confirmation Discussion with Fr Greg: Today 19th August 9am

Reconciliation for Confirmation Candidates: Wednesday 21st August 5.30pm and 7.30pm.

Confirmation Practise: Thursday 22nd August at St Brigid’s Church 7pm (This is for St Brigid’s

candidates only)

Sacrament of Confirmation: At 4 Masses- Saturday 31st August 6pm (St Brigid’s),

Sunday 1st September 9am (St Brigid’s), 11am (St Laurence’s Church),

and 6pm(St Brigid’s).

Sacrament of Confirmation

Confirmation focuses on the Holy Spirit, the fullness of whose gifts are poured out in this

sacrament. That same Spirit who filled Jesus’ humanity and guided him in the fulfilment of

his ministry is given to the baptised Christian in confirmation.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit prepare us for our role in the Church and the world today, as we

carry on Jesus’ mission of proclaiming the Good News.

Both baptism and confirmation are said to confer a unique “character”. This is not some

some sort of indelible mark on the soul, as is sometimes claimed. Rather, it is the lasting

effect each sacrament has on the person who receives it.

This Wednesday night, our Year 6 candidates will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as

part of their final preparation for their Confirmation. The following night, Thursday,

candidates will attend St Brigid’s Church again, to practise the procedures for the

Confirmation Mass.

Year 5 Sydney Excursion

Tomorrow, Mrs Crosby, Mrs Jones and I will be taking 62 excited Year 5 students on their Stage 3

excursion to Sydney. As part of the itinerary, we will be visiting Mary MacKillop Place.

This Memorial Chapel and Museum is in a tranquil setting in the middle of busy Sydney, and is

where Australia’s first saint lived, died and is buried. Students often come away from this visit with

a renewed interest in, and devotion to, Mary of the Cross.

Wishing you all a good week,

David Schwager (REC)

Sports News

Congratulations to these children who are going with the Bathurst Diocesan

team to compete at the Polding Athletics Carnival in Newcastle:

Annabelle Whiteley, Makenna Polley, Kayla Strudwick, Jamison Auld,

Hayden Campbell.

On Friday 9th August a dedicated

team of Athletes travelled to Bathurst

to compete at the Diocesan Athletics

Carnival.

Well done to all the students for their

efforts and excellent behavior.

A big thank you to Mr Foley, Mrs Gain

and Miss Bolton for doing such a

terrific job of organizing the

excursion and caring for our children.

On Thursday St Johns participated in Round 2 of the Dubbo Catholic Primary Schools Debating

Competition at St Pius School. The topic was “ That a Fun Run is an Oxymoron”.

Our Pool A team argued the negative and came away with another win. St Pius put up a good fight.

Our Pool B team argued the affirmative and was very narrowly beaten by an enthusiastic St Pius team.

Well done Debating Teams.

Pool A Pool B

Tharusha Ediriweera Hannah McCarthy

Andrew Dickerson Laura Sewell

Michael Butler Ava Masters

Callum Etcell Jessica Lawrence

Congratulations to the Strings and Band students of St Johns Primary who represented our schoo l at the NSW Band and String Festival last Sunday 11th August.

The String section opened the festival and received a Silver award for their delightful performance.

Our beginner Band section followed and, although down in numbers, played with courage. They too, gained a Silver award for their efforts.

Next Friday 23rd August 2pm, these two music groups will perform at our next Assembly in our School Hall. All are invited to come along and support these ensembles and enjoy their performance.

Thank you for your support!

Regards Mrs Maggie Dunn

A very special highlight of our Term 3 Book Week Celebrations will be a visit from well known author/illustrator Michael Salmon. Some of Michael’s popular titles include: The Monster Who Ate Australia; The Monster Who Ate Canberra; The Laziest Crocodile in Australia; The Smartest Kangaroo in Australia; Lola the Dinosaur who couldn’t Sleep, a new title Pirate Gold and many more. Michael will present 2 sessions on Wednesday 28th August. In the course of each one hour session, Michael will show how he invents a book from early prototype stage to printed copy. Michael also offers that parents with small children are welcome to attend free of charge. He will have his books for sale on this day at 3pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to meet an author in person and learn more about the writing and illustration process.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

A reminder to children participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge that time is run-ning out to complete your reading. Please notify me by Wednesday 28th August so I can validate your reading records. Visit the PRC website for all details and updates. www.schools.nsw.edu.au/premiersreadingchallenge

Happy Reading!

Save the Date:

St Johns Primary School Fete

Friday 6th September 2013

Canteen News

Hi Everyone,

Have a great time in Sydney year 5,

see you back safe on Friday.

It feels like spring already and the

children are enjoying the Paddle Pop

lick-a-prize new flavour Dino Slime!

Remember our $3 Cheeseburger

special, ($4 with a drink).

Thanks, Cathy

0458550747

Friday helpers for this week are:

Trudy Bowden, Jo Crowley and Bridget Boreham.

ALL NEW CLASSES FOR Term 3

* Martial Arts Beginners starting during July for

the whole family – Wednesday 5:00pm

* Taekwondo * iKiFiT * Bully BuStErS

* Grappling

* Little Tigers Martial Arts for children each

Tuesday & Thursday 4pm

St Johns Primary School Hall

Sheraton Road

Come along and enjoy classes in a family friendly

atmosphere.

Phone Anthony – 0419 629 528

This is the last week to register.

The Dubbo Stampede is on 1st September at Taronga Western Plains Zoo

At St John’s we are encouraging teachers, parents, students and their family and friends of all ages to participate in the 5.5 km

Dingo Dash, the 10 km Cheetah Chase or the 21.1 km Zebra Zoom.

The School’s Challenge will see the awarding of a cash prize of $300 and a trophy to the school with the most participants.

For more information and to register visit www.dubbostampede.com.au

Please click on St Johns Primary when you are registering.

St John’s Primary is very proud of the achievements of Angus McDonald who as part of the NSW

PSSA team to compete at the National Swimming Championships to be held in Adelaide in September.

To assist in offsetting the costs involved, our school will hold an out of uniform day on Friday 23rd August. Students

who come to school in casual clothes are asked to bring a gold coin.

Angus will also be raffling a swimming sports pack which includes a Speedo bag, shorts, cap & goggles, a Nike drink

bottle and two super bounce handballs. He will be selling raffle tickets every day this week during recess and

lunchtime . Tickets are 50c each or 3 for $1. The lucky winner will be drawn on September 6th at our school Fete.

FETE ACTIVITIES

* Jumping Castle

* Fresh Popcorn

* Fresh Fairy Floss

* Guessing Competitions

* Chocolate Wheel

* Trash & Treasure

* Book Stall

* Bottle Stall

* Games

* Craft to do

* Lunch

* Laser Tag

* Gift Stall * Lucky Dips

* Zumba with Tracey

* Devonshire Tea

* Photo Booth

* Crazy Hair * Face Painting

* Resting Room

Mufti Day

Monday 26th August To enjoy the excitement of wearing neat & tidy Clothes;

You need to pay a penalty! Please bring along a gold coin donation or “something useful”

for the St John’s Primary Fete.

Something useful may be: Colored hair spray, or anything suitable for stall

prizes, lollies, gift vouchers etc.

Fete Donations can be left at the foyer of the

SJP hall when you are dropping your children

off to school.

If the hall happens to be locked simply leave

the donations by the door and we will take

them inside.

Many thanks for your generosity, it creates a

fantastic day for the children.

Saint John’s School Fete Week 8 Friday 6th September

One of the stalls that Year 4 will organise at the fete this year is a ‘Bottle Delights’ Stall. We would

like as many plastic bottles/containers of varying size and shape to be filled with ‘DELIGHTS’ of

your choice. These may include lollies, small toys, marbles, hair accessories, erasers, pencils, bath

salts, make up, buttons, beads, ribbons, lolly pops etc. All bottles can be sent straight to the Year 4

Classrooms.

With thanks Teachers and Students of Year 4

For $3 you can enter a bright and busy cake to the Year 1 SJP Fete Bake Off.

Place your delight on a silver foiled cardboard tray ready to impress the judges on

Friday 6th September.

A winner will be announced from each Stage Group:

Early Stage 1– Kindy.

Stage 1 - Year 1 and 2.

Stage 2 - Year 3 and 4.

Stage 3 - Year 5 and 6.

Let your imagination go!! Decorate the top with whatever you love, perhaps that may be: A

Sports theme, Barbie theme, Bike theme, Animal theme, Super Hero theme.

The cakes will be judged from beauty not taste!!!!!

After judging the cakes will be SOLD……….

Gift Stall

Donations welcome! Please drop any donations for the Gift Stall off to the SJP Hall when you drop off one

morning. Hand Made articles are always popular, jewelry or trinkets...

P&F News

The Fete is only 3 weeks away!

Things FAMILIES can help with:

1. Donate books for the book stall.

2. Donate items for the Trash and Treasure Stall.

3. Create craft items for the Gift Stall.

4. Put time aside to help on the day.

6. Donate small prizes for the chocolate wheel, games etc.

7. Help the children save their money to buy prepaid tickets in week 5.

8. Start potting up plants to sell.

9. Donate some lollies.

10. Offer to bake scones for the Devonshire tea stall.

11. Donate plastic jars for the bottle stall.

Please email any suggestions/offers of help to:

stjohnspandf@gmail.com

Here is a table of what stall your children’s classes are organising.

We really need your support to make our children's Fete great.

Class Stall Class Stall

K Blue Gift Stall 3 Gold Photo Booth

K Gold Fairy Floss, popcorn 4 Blue Bottle Stall, Cow 100 board, Match baby photo.

1 Blue Cake stall 4 Gold Bottle Stall, Cow 100 board, Match baby photo.

1 Gold Cake stall 5 Blue Laser Tag

2 Blue Games 5 Gold Book Stall

2 Gold Craft Stall 6 Blue Lunch, Free activities room.

3 Blue Trash and Treasure, Devonshire Tea.

6 Gold Lunch, Free activities room.

Join u

s for o

ur annual

Father’s

day B

rekky!

$3—Egg &

Bacon R

oll.

Plus D

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ill b

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collecte

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“Bla

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progra

m.

Monday 26th August -7 a.m.

Be sure to send the children’s Father’s Day

Stall money back to school A.S.A.P so they

are ready to shop at the “ST John’s Primary -

Father’s Day Stall”!

After the Father’s Day Brekky on

26th August.

Father’s Day Breakfast.

Egg a

nd B

acon

Roll $

3

Dad’s

Cake C

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petitio

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As a

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DA

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! 1.B

ake a

cake a

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2. E

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your:

“Occupatio

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3. W

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you

have

Bre

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May th

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win

……

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Cake Competition Entry

$3

Please

Tick

Dad’s Cake Competition—Entry Form

Name:_________________________________$3 Entry Fee Enclosed

Occupation Team:______________________________________________

(Please choose from the following occupations, please note you do not have to work in the field entered. Occupation teams:

Police, Principal’s, Farmers, Firefighter’s, Accountants, Tradies, Electricians, Ambulance, Media)

1. Cake must be entered at school by 7:30 a.m. on 26th August.

2. A list of ingredients must accompany the cake, find table below to print and put with cake.

3. Judging will be based on the “Cosmetic Appearance” of the cake.

4. Winning team members will receive a certificate for being the most awesome occupation team.

Their certificate will be printed in the newsletter as the winning occupation team!

5. Wooden spoons will be bandied around for those who are less fortunate than the winners!

————————————————————————————————————————————

Please complete this tear off and return to school so that we

can source the correct amount of food. Thank you, we look forward to

seeing you all.

The _________________________________________family

will require egg and bacon rolls at the Father’s Day Brekky on 26th August 2013.

Dad’s Name:_________________________________________ Occupation

Team:_________________________________________________

Please enter quantity in the box.

A Message from: St John’s College for our year 6 students

Orientation Day (Entrance Testing) Monday 2 September 2013

St Johns Primary students will walk to, and from, the College under the supervision of a teacher. On arrival at the College, students will meet outside the Barbara Amos Hall. We ask students that they arrive at 9.15 am so that the day can commence at 9.30 am. Supervision of students is not available prior to this time.

Students should attend in their school uniforms and may bring a packed recess or use the Canteen facilities provided at the College. During the day, students will be made aware of the requirements of the College and each student will receive a College Handbook.

The Handbook is to be taken home, read carefully and kept in a safe place, as it may need to be referred to from time to time.

Students will be sitting a series of Entrance Tests during the Orientation Day, which are conducted and assessed by the Australian Centre for Educational Research (ACER). The results of the Entrance Testing and feedback from your child’s school will assist us in organising class structures for 2014. Students will need to have B or 2B pencils, an eraser and a ruler.

Orientation Day will conclude at 1.15 pm, the children will walk back to St John’s Primary.

2 A Parent / Student Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 20 November 2013 at 7.00 pm in the Barbara Amos Hall at the College.

3 Second Orientation Day: Monday 16 December 2013 Students will be invited to the College for a final Orientation morning from 9.30am-11.00am, followed by morning tea at 11.00am-11.30am for staff, students and parents.

To assist students with their transition from primary to secondary schooling, the College will run a program called ‘Hit the Ground Running’. It will be presented by our College Counsellors, Mrs Kierath and Mrs Lindeman, who will visit schools on the following dates: 30 October & 6 November 2013

Further information will be made available regarding ‘Hit the Ground Running’ at a later date.

COMBINED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FEES AND FAMILY SUPPORT OFFICE

Term3 Invoice/Statements – will be posted end of first week September.

Direct deposits – there are still a large number of families who are not direct depositing correctly. If you do not reference correctly with your School Fee account number first the CDF will not know it is your money. Therefore if you have a direct deposit set up to come out automatically, could you please check that you have referenced correctly. If you do as a one off payment you also need to ensure it is referenced correctly.

New Staff Member – Please welcome Katie O’Dea to the Office. She is working as an Ad-ministration Assistant Monday – Friday 9.00am to 3.30pm from this term.

Karen Meredith

Manager

6882 6152

k.meredith@bth.catholic.edu.au

Kites and decorations available for $2 donation

When: Sunday 25th August 2013

Where: Bob Dowling Ovals (Brisbane Street)

Time: 11am—2pm