Term 1 - Week 4, 2024

Principal's Message

Welcome! It is difficult to believe it is already the end of Week 4. The community of Mt St John's and Dorrigo as a whole has been so incredibly welcoming, and I feel very at home. We have all been enjoying the sunshine on the playground over the last few days, and the students have been very helpful in spreading the new delivery of softfall around the play equipment (don't you love it when children see jobs as games!)

Lent

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” MT 19:14

On Sunday, we enter the second week of Lent. We are speaking with the children about 3 of the core pillars of Lent; Fasting (Giving something AWAY),  Alms-Giving (Giving TO those in need) and Prayer.

Welcome Night

Thank you to everyone who attended our Welcome Night last Tuesday. It was wonderful to meet so many of you. A special thank you to Kerry Miller for her catering and to our Mt St John's staff for their thoughtful preparation.

Canteen - Now WEDNESDAY

Based on feedback from parents about the disruption that changing canteen days has on families, we have nominated WEDNESDAY as our Canteen day. Looking at the school calendar, it seems less likely that events will be on mid-week and avoids any issues with sport. You can safely assume that Canteen will be on each Wednesday unless you are notified.

If we haven't had an opportunity to meet yet, please pop in and say hi!

Warm regards,

Deborah Bailey

Principal

The Resilience Project

At Mt St John's, we are committed to promoting positive mental health. Our core resource is The Resilience Project, which supports teaching positive mental health strategies to prevent mental ill-health and build young people’s capacity to deal with adversity. You may have heard of the Resilience Project founder, Hugh van Cuylenburg and his podcast 'The Imperfects'.

In 2024, teachers and students will engage in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM), and Emotional Literacy to build resilience.

Check out their website for more information:

The Resilience Project

And check out TRP@HOME; a place filled with inspiration and activities for the whole family, to help improve your wellbeing and build resilience.

TRP@HOME

Mission

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 is 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

Leader of School Evangelisation and Catechesis

GEM Awards

Congratulations to our GEM Award winners for Weeks 3 and 4.

Pastoral Care

A new initiative at Mt St John's this year is Breakfast Club ALL WEEK! From 8:30 am, students can grab a little something to get them started for a full day of learning, growing and celebrating together. This week's special on Thursday was Banana Smoothies - safe to say they were a hit!

Community News

Congratulations to Tommy Beaumont, who last week competed in the Glenn Innes Show Draft and won Junior Champion Bull!

It's great to see our Mt St John's students thriving!

Sport

Dylan Edwards Bellingen Valley Legends Gala Day

Some of our students will be participating in the Dylan Edwards Bellingen Valley Legends Gala Day next Wednesday 28th February in Bellingen. We are fielding one team for tackle league and two mixed tag teams. 

To enable the students to play tackle league safely, Garry Stevenson came to our school yesterday to conduct a "Tackle Ready" clinic . He worked with the tackle league team to ensure they know and practise safe and correct tackling skills. Thank you, Garry!

Permission for this event must be given using the Compass parent portal.

What to bring on Thursday if you are attending the Gala Day: 

• mouthguard (compulsory)
• headgear (optional)  
• water
• recess & lunch

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 & 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.

The first Messy Church for 2024 will be held on Sunday 10th March, 4-6pm.

Messy church is a free community event for families and children on a Christian theme with free dinner provided. 

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. 

Dorrigo Rangers Open Day

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. 

Service NSW Mobile Service Centre

The Service NSW Mobile Service Centre is coming to Dorrigo and Bellingen in March:

They will be set up at 51 Hickory Street on Tuesday, 5 March 2024 from 10am - 3pm

They will be set up at Cnr Hyde & Ford Streets on Wednesday, 6 March 2024 from 9am - 3pm

 To compliment the Bus in Bellingen we are also hosting a Service Stalls Day - 9am-3pm approx.  – Flyer attached.

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.