Season of Easter

During the school holidays, we celebrated the most important event of the Church year—Easter, the joyful triumph of Jesus’ resurrection. This sacred time reminds us of God’s great love and the promise of new life. Now, as we continue journeying through the Easter season, we are called to live as people of hope, sharing the light of the risen Christ in our words and actions each day. May this season inspire us all to be signs of joy and faith in our school and wider community.

Sacrament of Confirmation

The preparation program for the Sacrament of Confirmation has now begun, marking an important step in the faith journey of our students. This is a special time of learning, reflection, and spiritual growth as the children come to understand more deeply the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their role as committed members of the Church. We keep all those enrolled in the program in our prayers, asking that the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen them as they prepare to receive this sacred sacrament.

Project Compassion Thank You

I recently received this letter thanking us for our support of Project Compassion that I wanted to share with our school community. In this heartfelt letter, Toefuata’iga shares how access to clean water has changed her life - and she thanks the students across Australia who have walked, fundraised and stood in solidarity with her. 

Bishop Brian reading "The Parable of the Lost Sheep"

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) warmly invites all families to join Bishop Brian Mascord in a very special online reading of the classic Bible story ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’.

This unique online event, organised as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope, will take place on Tuesday 27 May from 7.00 pm to 7.30 pm. 

Corpus Christi Event 2025

The Parish of Our Lady Help of Christians invites you to join us for the Corpus Christi Event! If you're seeking a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and the origins of the Mass or want to deepen your faith, then this day is for you! You will never celebrate Mass again the same way! Join us Sunday, 22 June (10 am to 3:30 pm) at Our Lady Help of Christians, St. Joachim Hall (adjacent to the Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School) (80A Demetrius Rd, Rosemeadow). Please note: We welcome all adults over 18. Any person under the age of 18 must attend with a parent or legal guardian. Due to the content and nature of the material, the minimum age of attendees is 14 years. For more information on the day and to register, please use the QR code provided above.

2025 Jubilee Year ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.

As we continue on the sacred Jubilee journey, we do so with hearts full of both hope and remembrance following the recent passing of Pope Francis. His leadership and unwavering commitment to mercy, justice, and care for all people touched lives across the globe. The Jubilee theme he gave us, Pilgrims of Hope, now resonates more deeply than ever, calling us to walk forward in faith and unity, inspired by his example. As a school community, we honour his memory by living out this call—bringing hope, compassion, and love to those around us.

Father in heaven, 
May the faith you have given us in your Son, Jesus Christ, our brother, 
and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, 
renew our commitment to a life as joyful and humble pilgrims of hope. 

May the grace of the Jubilee strengthen in us the spirit of faith, 
so that our works may always be rooted in you. 

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Intentions

We pray for all families in our school community who are in need of our prayers.
We pray for the needs of our country and our world. 

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.
St John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Kylie Stephens
Religious Education Coordinator

The St John the Evangelist Parish and St John's Catholic Parish Primary school community is celebrating Fr Francis’ 30th Anniversary of Ordination on Saturday 28th of June. Mass will be celebrated at 11am with a community lunch to follow. RSVP is necessary for catering purposes. There is no cost for this event. We look forward to celebrating this great occasion with you all. See the details below and the invitation.

St John's Parish Council warmly invite you to join us as we celebrate Fr Francis' 30th Anniversary of Ordination with a Thanksgiving Mass followed by lunch.

Date: 28 June 2025

Time: 11am Mass – Followed by Lunch

Location: St John the Evangelist - 24 Jerematta St Dapto, NSW, 2530

A luncheon will follow at under the COLA at St John’s School.

Come and give thanks with us for Fr. Francis’ 30 years of faithful service to God and His people.

For catering purposes, please RSVP by 6 June 2025 to dapto@dow.org.au or 4261 1315

We look forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with you.

St John’s Parish Council

Dates for Term 2

• 6 May — Diocesan Cross Country Carnival - POSTPONED
• 27 May — Diocesan Cross Country Carnival
• 24 June — Athletics Carnival (K-6)
  
  

Dates for Term 3 

• 12 August — South Coast Athletics Carnival
• 19 August — Diocesan Athletics Selection Trials
• 29 August — South Coast Soccer Gala Day (B/U 5/9/25) (Years 3-6)
• 18 September — Basketball Junior Boys & Girls (Years 3 & 4)
• 19 September — Basketball Senior Girls & Boys (Years 5 & 6)
  
  

Term 2 Athletics

This term, students across the school will be participating in a variety of Athletics activities during their PE lessons and Friday Sport sessions. These lessons are designed to help students practise and develop key fundamental movement skills including sprinting, jumping, leaping, and throwing.

Students in Kindergarten and Year 1 will focus on building these foundational skills through age-appropriate activities. Students in Years 2 to 6 will have the opportunity to participate in either competitive or non-competitive Athletics events during their lessons.

Field events such as long jump, high jump, shot put, and discus will be held at school for all students in the Junior (8, 9, 10 years), 11 Years, and Senior (12, 13 years) categories during the term. Track events—80m, 100m, 200m, and 800m races—will take place at our Athletics Carnival at Beaton Park on Monday, 24 June.

Further details and a Compass permission will be sent home in the coming weeks. We warmly invite families to join us for this exciting event.

Event Details & Recognition:

Sprint races (for ages 5–12) will be run in age groups at Beaton Park. The top four finishers in each age group will receive ribbons for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place.

For field events, students in the Junior, 11 Years, and Senior categories will also receive ribbons for the top four places.

Age Champion Medallions will be awarded in each category (Junior, 11 Years, and Senior) based on overall performance across both track and field events.

We’re looking forward to a fun and active term of Athletics and celebrating all students’ efforts and achievements.

Representative Sport

Congratulations to Ethan S, who has been selected in the Primary Wollongong Rugby League team. He will now represent the Diocese of Wollongong at the NSW Mackillop Rugby League selections to be held on Friday, 9 May in Canberra. St John’s wishes Ethan good luck at this event. 

Congratulations to Harper B, who has been selected in the 2025 Primary Wollongong Football team. She will now represent the Diocese of Wollongong at the NSW MacKillop Football Trials to take place in Sydney on Friday, 30 May. St John’s wishes Harper good luck at this event.

Primary Girls Rugby 7's Pathway

Please find information below about Primary Girls Rugby 7’s Pathway — Catholic Schools.

NSWCPS — Girls Rugby Selections (MacKillop)

Date: Friday 16 May (Term 2 - Week 3) 

Time: 8:30am – 3:30pm

Venue: Santa Sabina College, Strathfield

Nomination process: Students nominate individually through the CSNSW Sport website/portal - register for a sport (https://csnsw.sport/)

Eligibility: students must be turning 11 or 12 in the year of competition (NO EXEMPTIONS).

Nominations Close: 7 May 

Michelle Atkins
Sports Coordinator

On Tuesday, 8 April, the St John’s community participated in an ANZAC Day liturgy of remembrance and gratitude. We remembered those Australian men and women who have died or suffered in the great tragedy of war, those who served and those currently serving. The liturgy also assisted the students in understanding that on ANZAC Day, we do not celebrate war, but rather we celebrate peace and freedom.

A heartfelt thank you to our distinguished guests and to everyone who joined us for the liturgy. We extend our gratitude to our Year 6 students for leading the service with such reverence, and to the Year 5 and 6 students who thoughtfully shared wartime artefacts with the school community afterwards. We also sincerely thank their families for allowing us to experience these treasured items.

Year 5 and 6 Shine at the Regional da Vinci Decathlon

Last week, our talented Year 5 and 6 students represented our school at the Regional da Vinci Decathlon—a dynamic academic competition that celebrates creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving across disciplines such as engineering, code-breaking, maths, art and poetry, science, and more.

Our students embraced the challenge with great enthusiasm, working collaboratively to tackle a variety of complex tasks. Their perseverance, curiosity, and team spirit were evident throughout the day, and we are incredibly proud of the way they represented our school with integrity and enthusiasm.

Congratulations to all involved for their fantastic efforts and for embracing the opportunity to extend their learning in such an exciting and inspiring way!

At St John’s, we are committed to fostering a culture of restorative justice, where students are encouraged to reflect on their behaviour and take responsibility for their actions. Through guided reflection and conversations, students will develop a deeper understanding of respect, empathy, and accountability. Students will visit the library during Break 2 under the supervision of a member of the leadership team if they display high-level behaviour on the playground that constitutes physical aggression, repeated disrespect, defiance, or unsafe conduct. This reflective process provides students with the opportunity to consider the impact of their actions and supports them in making more positive choices moving forward.

We are excited to announce that the NRMA Science and Road Safety Program will be visiting our school on Wednesday, 14 May. This engaging and educational initiative helps teach our students important lessons about staying safe on the road. In the lead-up to the visit, road safety will be a key focus across the school. We encourage all parents, grandparents, and carers to support this important message by modelling safe road behaviour around the school. Please have a discussion with your children about the NRMA Science and Road Safety show and be part of our shared commitment to keeping our children safe.

On Monday, 18th April, our staff participated in a valuable professional learning day focused on our school’s Annual Improvement Plan goal: All students will achieve relevant learning growth in Mathematics. The day centred around deepening our understanding of the new Mathematics syllabus and refining our planning through a ‘Backwards by Design’ approach. 

Teachers explored the key mathematical concepts within each outcome, examined the working mathematically elaborations, and collaborated to design purposeful learning experiences. The staff also worked on developing rich, concept-based problems to strengthen students’ mathematical understanding and promote deeper engagement in the classroom. This ongoing professional learning ensures that our teaching remains targeted, responsive, and aligned with student needs.

Throughout the year, teachers have access to a variety of quality professional development opportunities. Casual teachers are employed to cover classes with the teacher ensuring the teaching program and routines are followed. Please see below for upcoming teacher professional learning.

“Those who dare to teach, never cease to learn”
John Cotton-Dana

A huge thank you to our amazing Parents and Friends Association for generously funding our brand-new soccer goals! The students are already enjoying them during playtime and sport, and they have brought a new level of excitement and teamwork to our playground. We are so grateful for your continued support in helping us provide engaging and active experiences for our children.

Mother's Day Liturgy — 9 May

Dear Mothers and Grandmothers

You're invited to a special Mother’s Day Liturgy at the Church at 12:30 pm.

After the service, choose between:

• A picnic lunch (bring your own) with your children or grandchildren, or
• A delightful Afternoon Tea in the Hall for adults only.
  
  

Following the picnic lunch or afternoon tea, we’ll reunite with the children in their classrooms for a heartwarming visit.

We look forward to celebrating this special day with you!

Friday 9th May

Throughout this year, we will celebrate and acknowledge many events within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education, including National Sorry Day, Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. As a school, we come together with families and elders to respect and share our culture. 

We proudly start each morning with Yulunga as a way of acknowledging the Dharawal people, who are the traditional custodians of the land we gather on at St John’s. 

With the support of Mark Mongta and Jo Ball, our students will once again participate in the Careways Koonawarra Community Reconciliation Walk at Lakeside Reserve on Thursday, 22 May from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm.

This is a community event, everyone is welcome to participate.

Mrs McEntee

It’s time to get our wonderful students' creativity buzzing as Koori Kids are delighted to announce this year’s exciting initiative, the “2025 NAIDOC Week School Initiatives”.

The judging of entries will be adjudicated by a panel including delegates from Koori Kids, community Elders and some council delegates. Please ensure that all entries are handed into your class teacher by Friday, 20 June.

Some entries will be displayed during NAIDOC Week in some council chambers, libraries and a selection of winning entries will be displayed at Parliament House.

IMPORTANT — Students with a serious illness or Injury

If your child has had a serious illness or injury that has required medical treatment or hospitalisation, you will need to have a return to school meeting with a member of our Leadership Team BEFORE your child returns to school.  This includes all fractures/broken bones/hospital stays. The meeting is to plan any adjustments necessary for the safety and wellbeing of your child and to discuss the date of their return to school.  In certain circumstances, personnel from the Catholic Education Office may also be involved. Your child may also require a medical clearance certificate from the doctor, when seeing a Dr or being discharged from hospital please can you request a clearance note for your child to return to school. 

Please contact the school office by phone or email to arrange a return to school meeting time. 

Thank you for your support in helping us to prioritise the safety and care of all our students.

IMPORTANT - Students requiring medication at school

If your child needs to take any type of medication at school you are required to complete a Consent to Dispense Medication form.  If the medication is prescribed by a Dr, we will require a copy of the script/label from the medication confirming details of dosage etc.  If the medication is not prescribed (for example clarityn or panadol) the form will need to be signed by a pharmacist.  Please contact the office should your child require any medication to be dispensed during school hours.
If there have been any changes to your child's medical condition please email the school office as soon as possible providing details. 
If you have received an email or call about medication that has expired, please provide the new medication as soon as possible or email the office to advise if it is no longer required. 

School Office Procedures — Communication Reminders

With over 600 students at the school, I am sure you can imagine the office is an extremely busy place! In order to be as efficient as possible, we would greatly appreciate your support in following these simple procedures.

Change to pick up arrangements — If your child needs to travel home a different way from what was communicated to them in the morning, please email or phone the school office before 2pm.

Absence — If your child is sick, please respond to the Compass message that is sent out on the day of the absence.  You do not need to call the office, unless your child is going to be absent for more than 3 days or you are going on a holiday. If your child is going to be absent for more than 5 school days, please contact the office for a Notification of Extended Absence Form.

Late arrivals/Early leavers — if your child is being picked up early or arriving late to school, please do not enter this partial absence onto Compass.  We will do this when you come into the office. 

Early Leavers on a Friday afternoon — please note that assembly commences at 1.50pm.  If you are collecting your child early on a Friday please endeavour to let us know prior to  1.45pm so we can arrange for them to come and wait at the office.  We have no way to get hold of staff during assembly to send children up to the office. 

Similarly if you are collecting your child during the school day, please be mindful of recess and lunch times as it can be a challenge to locate children on the playground.  Recess is 10:30am - 11:00am and lunch is 1.10pm - 140pm. 

Change of details — if any of your contact details change eg email, phone numbers or postal address, please update this in Compass or email the school office.

Emergency contacts — If your child needs to be picked up during school hours, the person collecting your child must be on the emergency contact list on Compass.  If they are not on the list we will need your written permission for your child to go home with that person.
 

Register for our free 45-minute parent webinar, exploring the online experiences of boys and young men, to understand the impact of social media, gaming, and influencers on attitudes, behaviours and sense of identity 
 
Listen to ABC, Fran Kelly and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant unpack the themes of Adolescence, including toxic masculinity and the online manosphere
 
Listen to ABC Big Ideas! to hear eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant and other experts in their fields discuss how parents can better support young people to navigate the risks and threats online
 
Read our blog about how eSafety is shining a light on the dark forces manipulating our teenagers
 
Read eSafety's young men online research series which explores young men's experiences and how they can be supported to develop healthy and positive masculinities 
 
For the young person in your life: explore our resources for young people. 

Thank you to parents and carers for the care you take to ensure that your child is in the correct school uniform. During the first two weeks of Term 2, parents and carers can decide if the summer or winter school uniform is suitable for your child to wear, depending on the weather. The formal changeover date for students to wear their winter uniform is Monday, 12th May.

To the following students who will celebrate their birthday in May — we wish you a very happy birthday and hope you have a great day.

The Parents and Friends Association have formed a Fundraising Committee and would like to thank Maddison P, Jodie Mc, Renee H, Kelly G, Kristy S and Rebecca A for joining the Parents and Friends Association Fundraising Committee. The committee members have met and have organised a draft fundraising event timetable for the 2025 school year.

Term Two — Athletics Carnival BBQ, Trivia Night for Parents and Carers.

Term Three — Father's Day Stall and School Disco.

Term Four — Family Movie Night.

The St John's Food and Ride Night will be replaced this year by the Family Movie Night. 

Further details will be shared by the Parents and Friends Association Fundraising Committee. 

Thank you to all parents and carers for your ongoing support.

Mrs Jodie Maloney
Parents and Friends Association President

As a school community we value school events that celebrate faith, learning and wellbeing and there are a number of events planned for Term Two. Please find below an overview of some key events for the school community. Please note that this overview will be updated regularly and will be shared with parents and carers via the fortnightly newsletter and via the Compass online platform.

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) warmly invites all families to join Bishop Brian Mascord in a very special online reading of the classic Bible story ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’.

This unique online event, organised as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope, will take place on Tuesday, 27 May from 7.00 pm to 7.30 pm.

Action: Schools are asked to promote the event with parents and carers via your usual channels.

The first 100 registrations for the reading will be posted a free copy of the book to read along with Bishop Brian!

A link to Bishop Brian’s statement on the passing of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is also available here.

Enrollments for the Term 2 Italian course are still open!

8-week course
Starting: Monday, 5th of May
Ending: Monday, 30th of June
Limited places available

For more information or to enrol, please contact Chiara at 0431 420 378.

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