Week 3 Term 1 2025

Welcome to the 2025 school year. It is fantastic to observe all the children settling into their new classes. It is a wonderful time of the year for new friendships to blossom and children to begin nurturing new relationships, outside their existing friendship circle.

A big thank you to the families that braved the heat to attend our Welcome Night. Families who could not attend, a copy of your child’s class newsletter will be sent home.

The demolition and construction of our new courtyard is well underway. Over the past few weeks, we have been navigating how we can best operate with normality with the heart of our school out of action. With many tweaks, we feel we are well underway managing the disruption until the expected completion date in May this year.

We are encouraging children to enter the school grounds, place their school bag on their bag rack and then head out to the oval until the 8:45am beginning of school bell rings. Our Year 5-6 and 3-4 children are entering their learning environments from the back doors to avoid congestion around the work site. We have two teachers on duty on the oval to supervise the children and ensure they get to class on time. I encourage families to come out to the oval and assist in maintaining our strong sense of community.

You may have noticed our classrooms are remaining closed until 8:45am each morning. This is in alignment with the face-to-face contact hours outlined in the CESA Enterprise Agreement. We thank you for your understanding with this. Teachers are available after school to connect with, and share how your child’s day went. You are always welcomed to come into your child’s classroom and peruse their learning. If you would like to discuss a topic at length, please make an appointment with your child’s teacher, at a mutually convenient time.

OSHC/Vacation Care

We are thrilled to announce that Mirella has applied to increase the number of children that can attend each session. We have been notified that we have been granted a licence to have 60 children attend each session from Monday 17th February 2025. If you would like to book your child/ren into a session permanently or casually please contact Mirella. mirella.tsimikilis@sjb.catholic.edu.au

Pupil Free Day

Care is available for children on our upcoming Pupil Free Day on Friday March 7th. A cost of $55.00 per child for the day applies. Please contact our OSHC Director Mirella if you require care for your child/ren.

Chess

Chess Mate returns to St John Bosco School in 2025, Tuesday afternoons, 3:15pm to 4:00pm in our library. Weekly classes of chess assists developing many skills including problem solving, creativity, concentration, teamwork, decision making and general aptitude for learning. Book now at https://chessmates.com.au/ to secure your child’s position.

Forms

Have you returned your child’s Student Update Form and their Seesaw permission form? The Student Update Form is vital for the school to ensure all personal details are current in our system. Granting permission for your child to be included in Seesaw provides you the opportunity to be kept informed about the happenings in your child’s class.

School Board

This week the community gathered for our Annual General Meeting (AGM). The School Board Reports, outlining the 2024 school year are now available on our school website for you to read.

We gladly accepted the nomination of Alida Parente to join the School Board for at least the next two years. We look forward to Alida joining our meetings, sharing her thoughts and wisdom. It is not too late to join the School Board, if you are interested please contact me.

I will be on leave next week Monday 17th February to Friday 21st February. I will be travelling to Brisbane to cheer on my two daughters who are taking part in the PacificAus Netball Series. In my absence Leah Bellifemini will be leading the community, please reach out to Leah if you require assistance.

Enjoy the cooler weather.

Kate Turner

Year of Jubilee – Pilgrims of Hope 

This year, we are blessed to be part of the 2025 Jubilee Year, a special time in the Church dedicated to renewal, reflection, and hope. The theme for this Jubilee is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, reminding us that we are all on a journey of faith, guided by God’s love and grace. 

A Jubilee Year is a sacred tradition in the Catholic Church, celebrated every 25 years. It is a time for spiritual growth, prayer, and acts of kindness. Pope Francis has invited us all to embrace this Jubilee with open hearts, spreading hope in our school, families, and community. 

As Pilgrims of Hope, we are encouraged to: 
✨ Pray – Spend time with God through prayer and reflection. 
✨ Learn – Grow in our understanding of faith and the teachings of Jesus. 
✨ Care – Show kindness and help those in need. 
✨ Celebrate – Come together as a community to share our faith and joy. 

Throughout the year, our school will take part in special activities and celebrations to deepen our faith and live out the message of hope. We look forward to walking this journey together, embracing the spirit of the Jubilee with joy and compassion. 

May we all be Pilgrims of Hope in 2025! 

Welcome Mass/St John Bosco Feast Day 

Our school community came together in faith and celebration for our 2025 Welcome Mass and the Feast of St John Bosco. It was a beautiful way to begin the new school year, gathering as children, staff, and families to reflect on our shared values and the example set by our patron saint. The Mass was reverently led by 5/6J, who guided us through thoughtful readings and prayers. Their leadership helped set a spiritual tone for the year ahead, reminding us of St John Bosco’s message of kindness, perseverance, and the importance of nurturing young minds with love and encouragement. After lunch, the children enjoyed a refreshing Calippo. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special occasion. May the year ahead be filled with learning, friendship, and faith as we follow in the footsteps of St John Bosco! 

Celebrating Our Future Leaders! 

Exciting times are ahead as our children step into leadership roles for 2025! Last Friday, our Year 6s received their senior tops, designed by Lily from 5/6J. This special design represents their final year at primary school and will be worn with pride throughout 2025. On Monday, 17th February, our Year 6 children will present their House Captain speeches to their respective Houses. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to demonstrate their leadership skills, confidence, and commitment to their school community. Meanwhile, our aspiring Fitness Leaders have submitted their applications, which are currently being reviewed. These children will play an important role in promoting health and well-being across the school. We are also pleased to announce that our Student Voice representatives for each class have been selected. These children will be the voice of their peers, ensuring everyone has a say in school matters. We would like to congratulate the following children: 

RG Charlotte & Cecilia 

RR Jayden & Nyidier  

1M Jasper & Zoe 

1AN Ryder & Agamjot  

2K Luciano & Lia  

2C Elijah & Malachi  

3/4R Aedan & Stephanie  

3/4S Zac & Milly  

3/4H Allison & Zidane  

5/6DM Harry & Terry  

5/6J Matt & Alexis  

All student leaders will be officially recognised at our assembly on Friday, 21st February, at 9:00 am, where they will be presented with their leadership badges. Families are warmly invited to attend this special occasion. We are incredibly proud of all our children who have put themselves forward for leadership roles. Their enthusiasm and dedication help make our school a wonderful place to learn and grow! 

Year 6 Retreat 

On Thursday, February 27th, our Year 6 children will participate in their Year 6 Retreat, an important part of their final year of primary school and our Religious Education curriculum. Held at Southern Cultural Immersion, the retreat will focus on the theme ‘Called to Serve’, aligning with our school’s value of Service and St John Bosco’s teachings. Children will engage in personal growth, self-reflection, and faith development through a variety of activities. This retreat is a valuable opportunity for our Year 6 children to pause, reflect, and embrace their leadership role as they prepare for their final year of primary school. 

Leah Bellifemini

After a well-deserved break, 2C have returned to the classroom ready for a year of learning, excitement, and celebrations!

The first few weeks have been filled with smiles as children reunited with old friends, made new friends, and settled into a new classroom in a new area of the school. We have had opportunities to connect to our classroom, creating displays, tray labels and belonging dolls to signify each child’s connection to our school community.

We have been focusing on establishing strong classroom routines and setting rules and expectations within our learning space to ensure we create a positive and respectful learning environment.

Some of the expectations, as set by the children, include:

Don’t go where they are working – Ugo
Keep your bubbles when you are walking in the line – Markus
Respect and listen to the teacher – Jugaad and Kiansh
Don’t walk on the tables – Jude

We have had many exciting learning opportunities within the first few weeks, including starting our Playberry lessons in English, OCHRE lessons in Mathematics, exploring the Visual Arts Curriculum and engaging in our Specialist lessons.

Thank you to all the children and parents for your support in transitioning back to school. It is going to be a fantastic year filled with growth, learning, and fun!

Our children again have the opportunity in 2025 to be involved in the Children's University (CU) program. The CU program aims to encourage high quality, out-of-school activities and experiences for children aged between 5-14 years. 

Led by the University of Adelaide, CU nurtures aspirations and helps develop a love of learning. The most important principles of CU are that participation is voluntary and that activities must take place outside of normal school hours. All CU learning is designed to inspire children to pursue their interests and to think about their futures.

Registration is via an online form which can be easily accessed using the attached QR code (printed QR codes are also available in the Front Office). The annual fee for 2025 is $38.50 (incl GST) or $16.50 (incl GST) for School Card holders. Payment is to be made to the school via Qkr.

Please speak to me or contact me via Seesaw or email if you have any questions.

Louise Marshall (CU Coordinator)

louise.marshall@sjb.catholic.edu.au

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

Some parents have been asking, “What can I do to support my child?” Children are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best.

Some familiarisation and explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help children understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests. Teachers are ensuring that children are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and are providing appropriate support and guidance.

ACARA does not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN or the use of services by coaching providers.

Below is the schedule of NAPLAN tests which start in week 7.

Niicki Sharrad

Leader of Learning