Term 2 - Week 7, 2024
Principal's Message
Welcome to our Week 7 Newsletter.
We have had a wonderful two weeks here at Mt St John's, blessed with gorgeous winter sunshine (for the most part)! Last week we were lucky enough to be visited by renowned author Claire Saxby. We use Claire's books frequently in our English lessons, so it was a real honour to have her visit Mt St John's.
Staffing News
As mentioned in a News Feed earlier in the week, I am thrilled to welcome Ms Indiana Mulzer to the Mt St John’s team as Stage 3 teacher for Terms 3 and 4.
Indiana is looking for a self-contained granny flat or share house for the next 6 months, so please let me know if you know of anywhere!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly.
St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal - Soup & PJ Day
To raise money for St Vincent de Paul's Winter Appeal, we are having a Soup and Pyjama Day next Tuesday 18th June.
Students and staff may DONATE (either a gold coin or warm items for Vinnies) to wear your PJs to school for the day!
For $5 we are serving a cup of home-made soup (Pumpkin or Chicken Noodle) and a cheese toastie at lunch. Please order your lunch using the Compass canteen module.
Athletics Carnival
Our Athletics Carnival is on Friday 28th June, at Dorrigo High School, and we are looking for parent volunteers to help us on the day. Please call, message or email the front office if you are able to help, even for just a few hours. There will be a sausage sizzle for lunch on the day - you can order using the Compass canteen module.
Please navigate to the Compass parent portal for more information about the Athletics Carnival and to give permission for your child to attend this event.
The Resilience Project - Connected Parenting Webinar
A big thank you to all the parents who braved the cold and joined us for our Connected Parenting webinar. Kerry's curry and mince warmed us all up nicely before the session began - thanks Kerry!
NAIDOC on the Plateau
All school students on the Plateau have been invited to participate in the 2024 NAIDOC celebrations at Dorrigo High School (DHS) on Wednesday 3rd July. The 2024 NAIDOC theme is Keep the Fire Burning. The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture - with fire a symbol of connection to Country and to each other. This day sees all school students from within the area come together to celebrate Indigenous Australian culture, both past and present. Students will engage in a variety of activities including language awareness, canvas painting and craft.
Students will need to bring recess, lunch and a bottle of water. DHS will also provide some fruit for recess.
Please navigate to the Compass parent portal for more information about NAIDOC Day and to give permission for your child to attend this event.
What's On - Term 2
At the end of Term 1, we published a comprehensive What's On for Term 2. Here is a LINK in case you missed it.
Have a lovely weekend,
Deb
Deborah Bailey
Principal
Whole School Focus
Our whole school focus this fortnight builds on our focus from the previous fortnight. This week we are learning to say PLEASE and THANKYOU. This is the second time this has been our focus, but it is an important one! Often, students aren't being intentionally rude when they neglect to use their manners, so we are just reminding them about this important social skill! 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 Week 6 and Week 7.
| Week 6 | ||
| Principal's Award | Lucca Laughlin | For her resilient, positive attitude. Lucca is a role model for all of us! |
| Kindy | ||
| Stage 1 | Vasja Floridan | For his ideas and improvements in writing. |
| Larney Francis | For great work in sequencing numbers in Mathematics. | |
| Stage 2 | Ivy Jackson | For settling in well in your new class and being focused in all Maths tasks. |
| River Mackie | For the effort and enthusiasm you have demonstrated when completing your RE research task. | |
| Stage 3 | Mia Gilbert | For bringing enthusiasm and reliability to our leadership initiatives. |
| Week 7 | ||
| Kindy | Phoebe Sheridan | For your awesome reading skills and reading your very first book. |
| Zahli Bailey | For your awesome skills when playing the Boomwhackers. | |
| Stage 1 | Tyler Munro | For his effort in constructing good quality sentences about Chinstrap penguins. |
| Elle Williams | For her ability to write interesting facts about Chinstrap penguins. | |
| Stage 2 | Samo Floridan | For committment to reading tasks and and striving to improve your reading fluency. |
| Ollie H | For displaying competent multiplication strategies when multiplying 2-digit numbers. | |
| Stage 3 | Bass Frederiksen | For detailed drawing and reflective thinking in Religion. |
| Cooper Harrison | For a very well-written sonnet on Maquarie Island | |
GEM Awards
Congratulations to our GEM Award winners
| Week 5 | |
| Whole School | Hayley Munro |
| Kindy | Phoebe Sheridan |
| Stage 1 | Brianna Bosshard-Guest |
| Stage 2 | Ivy Jackson |
| Stage 3 | Malachi Fell |
Term 2 School Fees
Term 2 school fees have been billed to each family. Term 2 fees are due today, unless you are paying by regular direct debit amounts.
1 student - $318
2 students - $556.50
Payment options are:
- 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 or cheque at school
- direct deposit to the school's bank account (see instructions below)
When using Internet banking, please use your child’s surname as a reference.
Banancoast Community Credit Union
BSB no. 533-000
Account no. 3282 0430
Name: Mt St John’s Primary School
Remember, if you feel you will be unable to finalise your Term 2 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.
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.
Also the next Messy church is this coming Sunday 16th June from 4-6pm. A free dinner is provided.
Kids on Stage 2024
Dorrigo Drama Club's Kids on Stage is starting up agan from Monday 17th June. The next production will be Santa Claus: The Panto.
See flyer below for more information or call Dina on 6657 2243.
NSWCPS Girls 7s Rugby
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.
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.
