Term 4 - Week 3, 2023

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a blessing to see the rain and cloud coming over the mountain and plateau. We had to cancel yesterday’s swimming lessons, but no-one’s complaining. 

Our 2nd Kindergarten 2024 Orientation day will be held on Tuesday 31st October from 9am. At the same time we will have a parent meeting outlining how to prepare for ‘big school’ so we have a smooth start next year. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available plus a chance to meet your fellow travellers.  

One of the school’s core responsibilities is to ensure every child improves in English and Maths. One of the ways we do this is by closely monitoring progress through standardised tests. This week many children were tested in order for us to see who has improved and what more needs to be done, so we can modify learning programs to fit an individual's needs. This helps us in our quest to ensure every child gets the ‘basics’ as they are extremely important for the future in every field.

We will shortly send out via email and post on the website the new Parent Handbook, which contains important information about school. A printed version is available on request but I’d rather keep it digital so we can update it easily as things change. If you have any questions about procedures, don’t hesitate to ask. 

Note: Grandparents' Day will be held from 9am on Friday 3rd November. Everyone is welcome to attend and morning tea will be provided after a liturgy of thanks. If grandparents cannot attend, feel free to invite a significant friend or relative who fulfils this role.

Have a great weekend. Send ‘er down Huey!

Peter Watts,

Principal

Weekly Awards

Congratulations to the following students, who received learning awards this week:

Darcy R - For a smooth start to being back at Mt St John's. We love having you back!

River M - For a smooth start at his new school. Welcome to Mt St John's!

Eden G, Colby G, Ruby F & Cormac O - For showing excellent leadership skills in our Tuesday afternoon groups.

Jinky W, Seth H & Eden G - For persistence in your ability to complete a mystery image by plotting points on a Cartesian plane.

Reid G - For being able to avoid distractions and doing excellent work in drawing 3D constructions using isometric dot paper.

Cormac O - For displaying a thorough understanding of how to utilise a number line to solve problems with positive & negative numbers.

GEM (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness) awards went to:

Tyson T - For making others feel welcome at our school by being friendly.

Rory O - For trying his best to be a good friend to others.

Clay B - For Citizenship. Clay is thoughtful and caring to junior students.

Grandparents' Day

Next Friday 3rd November we will be celebrating Grandparents' Day. The day will begin with a Liturgy at 9am. Children with grandparents present can take them on a guided tour of the school and morning tea will be provided for our guests.

If grandparents cannot attend, please feel free to invite a significant friend or relative who fulfils this role in your child's life.

Child Safeguarding Website

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL) has launched a Child Safeguarding website as part of our commitment to implementing the Child Safe Standards. It contains information on Child Safe Standards, our Commitment Statement, a contact form for concerns or inquiries, and other useful links and resources.

The website can also be accessed through the "Parent Information" tab on our school website. We encourage you to visit the website to understand our commitment to building a school where every child feels valued, heard, and protected.

Canteen on THURSDAYS for the Remainder of Term 4

We have decided to change our canteen day to THURSDAY each week until the end of Term 4, as it will clash less with some school events that are coming up. This will mean canteen orders will need to be in by Wednesday mornings at 9am (no late orders can be accepted in future). A reminder will be sent via the Compass app each Tuesday afternoon. If you need to cancel your order, please do so before 9am on Thursday.

Term 4 Swimming Lessons each Thursday

Our Term 1 swimming program has commenced for all students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Swimming is a compulsory part of the PDHPE curriculum. 

Students will need to bring swimmers, a towel, goggles, caps (the school can provide swimming caps for those students who don't own one, but if you do own one you are encouraged to bring it), and sun shirts to school each Thursday for their lesson. There is no extra cost for swimming lessons, as the school covers the pool entry fees and payments to the swim teachers. 

Students will walk to and from the pool. Please note, K - 1 students are to be collected from the pool at the end of the day each Thursday as their lesson will finish at 3:05pm. Kinder & Year 1 students catching buses will do so from Dorrigo Public School, supervised by our staff. 

Swimming lessons will take place each Thursday in Term 4 (weather permitting) at the following times:
Years 4/5/6 at 1pm
Years 2/3 at 1.40pm
K/1 at 2.20pm

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

2024 school travel applications are now open                                                                                  

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).

Students who change address, school, campus location, have repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for their school travel entitlement should renew or update their details before the end of Term 4. This will ensure that schools can endorse applications, and entitlements remain valid for the start of the 2024 school year. School Opal card holders will have the changes applied to their existing card.

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. 

Dorrigo Cricket Club Registration

Dorrigo Cricket Club is looking for players for the 2023/24 season. We will be entering an U16s,U12s and a Blast program for children aged 6 to 10.

Under 16s play on Friday nights, Under 12s on Saturday morning. The Blast program for children aged 6-10 will be held down at the Dorrigo Stadium on a weekday yet to be decided. There will also be a senior team playing on Saturday afternoons.

If you are interested in playing, please register at https://www.playhq.com, then search Dorrigo Cricket Club, then go to register.

If you have any questions, please call Justin on 0447 575308.

Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival

The Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival is a three day celebration of local, national and international acoustic folk, bluegrass and old-time music. The festival is a boutique, family friendly event with concerts, workshops, dance and jam sessions. Patrons have opportunities to perform and learn from the best traditional, contemporary and exploratory acoustic music exponents of these genres. 

With the festival now recognised across the globe, it attracts artists from the USA, Canada, UK and NZ  and Australia, presenting a full program from 6pm Friday evening through to 5pm Sunday. It is the longest-running folk festival on the Mid North Coast. All venues are alcohol, drug and smoke free zones. Environmental sustainability is actively promoted. There are workshops across the weekend to cater for young and old, including a full program of children’s workshops and activities including the much loved Pitts Family Circus. 

You can book tickets and camping or find out more at: https://www.dorrigofolkbluegrass.com.au/

The Dorrigo Old-Time Music School takes place before the festival. Three full days of workshops emphasize the cultural heritage that informs the music and how it sounds.  Tutors in 2023 are Foghorn Stringband (USA/CAN), Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones (USA),  and Ian Alexander (AUS),  collectively representing a wealth of knowledge, tradition and exceptional skills as acknowledged exponents of the genre. This year's Old-Time Music School is currently fully booked and we are accepting prospective participants to our waitlist.

Student Art Dorrigo Show

Road Safety Message

Service NSW in Dorrigo

The Service NSW Mobile Service Centre is returning to Dorrigo. They will be set up at 51 Hickory Street on Tuesday, 21 November 2023 from 10am - 3pm.

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.