Term 1 Week 11

From the Principal

Easter Blessings
As a Catholic school community, Easter is a joyful and hope-filled time where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of new life. It is a season that reminds us of God’s love, the power of renewal, and the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and faith. Throughout Holy Week and Easter, our students have engaged thoughtfully in prayer, reflection, and celebration, deepening their understanding of this sacred time. May the hope and peace of the Risen Christ continue to guide us in our words and actions, and may this Easter season bring joy and renewal to all our families.

A heartfelt thank you to our Primary grade students and teachers for leading today’s Holy Week Liturgy with such reverence and care. Your thoughtful reflections, prayerful presence, and respectful participation helped us enter into the spirit of this sacred week. It was a beautiful and meaningful way to journey together toward Easter.

P&F Easter Raffle 

A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful P&F for organising this year’s Easter Egg Raffle—it was a fantastic success! We are so grateful to all the families who generously donated chocolates and Easter goodies. Your support helped create an abundance of prizes and brought so much excitement and joy to the students. It was a lot of fun drawing the winners and seeing so many happy faces. Thank you for making this a special end-of-term celebration for our school community!

Staffing at SJB from Term 2

As we prepare to begin Term 2, I would like to share some important staffing updates with our school community.

Firstly, from the commencement of Term 2 we will be farewelling two of our valued Learning Support Assistants, Belinda Sweeney and Aimee Roberts. Belinda will be transferring to St Aloysius, Chisholm, and Aimee to St Columban’s, Mayfield. We are deeply grateful for the care and commitment they have shown to our students, staff, and families, and we wish them all the very best in their new roles.

In Year 2, we are pleased to welcome Georgia Brimble for the remainder of the year. Georgia will continue to teach 2 Blue on Wednesday to Friday, alongside Laura Wells, who will teach on Mondays and Tuesdays. Both Laura and Georgia are passionate and dedicated educators, and I am confident this partnership will ensure a smooth and supportive learning experience for our students.

In Year 6, we are delighted to welcome back Mrs Sara Murdoch, who will teach 6 Blue with Mrs Stretton. Mrs Murdoch will also continue her work as Primary Coordinator and Specialist Teacher across the school.

I extend my sincere thanks to Mr Michael Tobin for his leadership in the Primary Coordinator role throughout Term 1. I would particularly like to acknowledge the great work he has done in the wellbeing space, including the implementation of whole-school wellbeing processes that are already having a positive impact on our school community and to Ms Laura Wells for her wonderful work in Year 6 White. Laura will continue in the Learning Support team and her new role in Year 2 from Term 2.

Safety in the driveway

The safety of our students, families, and staff is always our highest priority. We kindly ask all families to take extra care when entering and exiting the school driveway, particularly during drop-off and pick-up times.

We are currently working with the local council to explore additional safety measures, including reflective mirror that align with their regulations, and we will keep our community updated as this progresses. In the meantime, your caution and patience make a real difference.

Family Connections to ANZAC Day

We would like to take this opportunity to invite families to share if they have any relatives, past or present, who have served or are serving in the armed forces. Recognising the dedication and sacrifices made by these individuals is important to us, and we would love to honour them publicly for their service.

If you have a family member who has served, please let us know through this link (which can be completed multiple times fro multiple family members), so we can ensure they are acknowledged. Their bravery and commitment to our country deserves to be celebrated, and we are grateful for the opportunity to show our appreciation.

Smoking and Vaping on school grounds.

A friendly reminder that smoking and vaping are not permitted on school grounds at any time, including in the car park, directly outside the school fences and during school events.

We appreciate your support in keeping our school a safe and healthy environment for all students, staff, and families.

Thank you for your continual support throughout the term. I wish all our families a safe, restful break and a joyful, holy Easter filled with peace, love, and renewal.

Kate Ferguson

Fortnightly Frames

Primary Coordinator News

Grow Your Mind

We have been implementing the "Grow Your Mind" program this term—an initiative dedicated to nurturing mental wellbeing, resilience, and positive thinking in our students.The program teaches children about the different parts of the brain and how they contribute to emotional regulation, problem-solving, and resilience. Through playful, engaging lessons, students learn valuable skills to help manage their emotions, build strong relationships, and develop a growth mindset.Our aim is to create a supportive environment where children feel empowered to navigate challenges with confidence and kindness. Please take a look at this short video to introduce you to our recent focus on 'The Brain'. Students have been learning about different parts of the brain—the Wise Owl (prefrontal cortex), the Guard Dog (amygdala), the Elephant (hippocampus), and the Sifting Soaper (reticular activating system). By understanding their brains, students become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and actions, empowering them to navigate challenges with confidence and kindness. Families are encouraged to continue these conversations at home with your children.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/daTfpekObQ8?playlist=daTfpekObQ8&autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&loop=1&start=

My Underpants Rule

We continue our commitment to child safety through the book "My Underpants Rule". Classes across the school have reflected on the important message of My Underpants Rule this term. This book is about reinforcing the message of body safety and helping children understand what they need to do if they ever find themselves in an unsafe or difficult situation. It helps students understand personal boundaries, respect, and how to respond if they ever feel unsafe.We encourage families to reinforce this important message at home and for parents to continue these valuable conversations in a comfortable and supportive environment.Let's work together to keep our children safe, confident, and aware!

Fitness at SJB

Children across all grades have recently began participating in additional fitness time across the school week. There is overwhelming evidence that regular physical exercise improves our mental health and wellbeing and students are really enjoying the additional movement time to strengthen their body and mind! 

Religion News

As we approach the end of term and look ahead to the school holidays, we also prepare our hearts for the most sacred and joyful celebration in our Church’s calendar—Holy Week and Easter. 

Throughout Lent, our students have been journeying together and with Jesus. From Ash Wednesday to now, classrooms have been filled with prayer, reflection, and acts of kindness. In Holy Week, we remember the final days of Jesus’ life—his entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the sharing of the Last Supper, his suffering and crucifixion, and finally, the joy and hope of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. These are powerful moments for our students to encounter God’s love in a personal way. 

Even though we will not be at school during Holy Week and Easter this year, we encourage our families to continue this journey at home. Here are a few ideas to help keep Easter at the heart of your holidays: 

• ⛪ Attend the Easter Triduum services —especially the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Mass. See the details in this newsletter. 

• 🌸 Create a prayer space at home with a cross, a candle, and some Easter symbols. 

• 📖 Read the Gospel stories of Holy Week together as a family. 

• 💛 Share Easter joy by reaching out to a neighbour, sending a card, or doing something kind for someone in need. 

Easter reminds us that hope always rises, even after the darkest of days. May the light of the Risen Christ fill your homes with peace and joy this Easter. 

We wish all our families a safe, restful, and blessed holiday, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the joy of the Easter season! 

ANZAC Day & Carlo Acutis Mass 

As a school community, we look ahead to ANZAC Day during the holidays—a time for reflection, respect, and unity and the Carlo Acutis Parish Mass. If your family is able to attend the Maitland ANZAC March or the mass. Please complete this form.  

da Vinci Decathlon

Congratulations to Ethan Martin, who proudly represented our diocese in the Year 5 team at the 2025 da Vinci Decathlon on Thursday 3rd April at Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College. Competing across ten challenging disciplines, the team demonstrated outstanding problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork, achieving an impressive 1st place in Science.

Well done, Ethan!

Sporting News

Cross Country 2025 

Last week we held the K/1 and Year 2-6 Cross Country events. It was fantastic to see so many students participate and have a go. Students over 8, who placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in their age group and met the qualifying time will progress to the DIO Cross Country on Wednesday 14th May at Maitland Park. Information for this event will be posted on Compass.  

Touch Football Trials 

Congratulations to Mia, Ellie, Tilly, Ethan, Zac, Patrick and Cooper who attended the Regional Touch Football trials at Maitland this term. Well done to Ellie, Ethan and Cooper who progressed through to the DIO trials next term.  

Rugby League Trials 

Congratulations to Ethan who attended the DIO Rugby League trials. Ethan has been selected to represent Maitland-Newcastle at Polding next term at Bathurst.  

Australian Futsal  

We would like to wish Grace all the best as she heads to Malaysia to compete in the Under 11 girls Australian team in the holidays.  

NSWCCC Championships

Well done to Ellie, Ayla and Harry who competed at the Polding Swimming last week in Sydney. A huge congratulations to Ayla who placed 3rd in the 200m IM and will now compete at State next term.

Steamfest

Heading to Steam-Fest this year? Don’t miss the stunning artworks created by our talented Kindergarten and Year 3 students! Every child has contributed to these vibrant displays, showcasing their creativity and teamwork.

Well done to all our young artists!

Finance News

2025 School Fees Update

Your 2025 school fees are available on your Compass portal. If you are paying by instalments (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly), the first payment was due by 31 March 2025. If no payments have been made, you are considered to be in arrears. The fee instalment breakdown for weekly, fortnightly, or monthly payments is now available at the bottom of your fee statement. This will ensure your school fees are paid by the due date of 30 November 2025. Any extra payments will remain in your account and be credited toward your 2026 school fees. BPAY is the preferred payment method. Your BPAY details are located at the top right of your fee statement. To facilitate payments, we recommend using either BPAY or direct debit using this link  - https://myccf.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/02505-CDF_Direct-Debit-Form-04.pdf

Simply complete and return the form to our office for processing. 

For Year 5 and 6 fee payers, please note that full payment for your child’s overnight camp must be made before attendance. If you have any issues with this, please contact us. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance.

Thank you. 

Lesley Minter
Finance Officer

Class Awards

Congratulations to our class award winners for Week 10 & 11!

Kindergarten: Kaia M, Kayden C, Beau H, Maeve E, Daisy L, Liam M 

Year 1: Austin L, Pippa N, Harlow R, Amalia B, Milla S, Austyn G 

Year 2: Edie L, Jude S, Finn G, Madeline M, Chloe N, Mack H  

Year 3: Bella C, Arlo B, Kim B, Jaxon, Abigail, Ruby 

Year 4: Gage A, Sophie F, Nate V, Jack Mac, Josie F, Elsy B 

Year 5: Stella B, Lachlan C, Miranda H

Year 6: Emily T, Ollie H, Noah G, Cooper C, Grace L, Leo P