Term 2 Week 8 Newsletter 2025

Important Dates

Character Virtue:  J U S T I C E
What it looks like:  Justice is like being a referee in a game to make sure everyone plays by the same rules.  It means following rules and laws.
What it means:  Justice is making sure everyone is treated fairly.  It's about making sure nobody is treated better or worse because of who they are.
Why it is important:  Justice helps build trust in society. When everyone is treated fairly, it's easier for people to live together peacefully and work together.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Week 8. 

Thanks to Mrs Nuttall and her husband Mark, who organised the Western Zone Chess Challenge, which was held in our School Hall last Thursday. Ten local schools competed, with a total of 35 teams. Our chess team excelled once again and won their second competition in the last two weeks. Congratulations to all of our chess team.

Semester One Reports
Your child will receive a School Report at the end of this term on Thursday, 3rd July, outlining their progress throughout the first semester of the year. Student reports will be loaded onto your child’s Compass account.

Unexplained Absences
We currently have a number of students with a concerning number of unexplained absences. Under NSW Education guidelines, students are marked as unexplained absent ‘A’ after 7 days if there has been no explanation from parents. This cannot be changed later. Parents are asked to explain the absence ASAP on Compass when a child is absent from school.

Religious Education

Year 6 Religion Test
Every year, all Year 6 students across the diocese participate in a Year 6 Religious Education Test. This will take place on Wednesday, 18th June. 

2025 Sacraments
A reminder of important dates coming up for the 2025 Confirmation class: 
Confirmation enrolment Weekends are on the 18th/19th May and 24th/25th May. (Families need to attend one of the Masses over these weekends to enrol). 
Preparation Sessions are as follows. Families need to attend one session per week and are able to change times/days across the weeks.
These sessions are held at St. Brigid's Hall:

Week 1 - Tuesday 10th June @ 6.15pm, Wednesday 11th June @ 4.30pm or Sunday 15th June @ 10am 

Week 2 - Tuesday 17th June @ 6.15pm, Wenesday 18th June @ 4.30pm or Sunday 22nd June @ 10am

Week 3 - Tuesday 24th June @ 6.15pm, Wednesday 25th June @ 4.30pm or Sunday 29th June @ 10am 

Confirmation Practice is scheduled for Tuesday, 22nd July @ 6.15 pm at St. Brigid's Church. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Rosie Hosking (Sacramental Coordinator) or myself at;
Rosie - sacraments.dubbo@cdob.org.au
Tim - t.keady@bth.catholic.edu.au

ST. BRIGID'S PARISH - MASS TIMES: 
St Brigid's:  Saturday - 5pm, Sunday - 9am and Sunday - 5pm
St. Laurence's Church:  Sunday - 7.30am

Sport

CPS Cross Country
Several of our students competed at the CPS Cross Country Trials, which were held at the Sydney Equestrian Centre last Wednesday. Congratulations to Lexi, who came 6th in the 10-year girls and will now represent Polding at the PSSA Cross Country titles.

PSSA Basketball
Best of luck to Evie, who will represent Polding at this week’s PSSA Basketball Championships in Sutherland.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL - Monday, 23rd June
Our next major sporting event for 2025 will be our School Athletics Carnival.
It will involve all students from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Details as follows:

VENUE:   Barden Park, Dubbo.

DATE & TIME:  Monday, 23rd June — All students are to be at the oval by 8.45 am.  Parents will sign their child/ren in. The carnival will conclude at 3 pm for Year 3-6 students and 12 noon for Kinder-Year 2 students.

TRANSPORT:   Parents are asked to deliver their children to the oval by 8.45 am, and primary students need to be collected in the afternoon by 3.00 pm.  At noon, Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 students will return to school by bus for activities.  Buses DO NOT drop off or pick up from the oval for students in Years 3-6.

CLOTHING:   Warm clothing, sunscreen, hat, drinks, etc. Normal sports uniform, but students may wear T-shirts in House colours:

COST:   There is no Cost.  All students are expected to attend this carnival as it is part of their PDHPE curriculum, and all children will compete at their level of ability. A note from parents must be sent for non-attendance and non-participation.

CANTEEN:   A canteen will operate at the oval for snacks, drinks, and lunches. Students will have supervised visits to the canteen. Students may also bring their own lunch or morning tea.

SEATING/EXPECTATIONS:  Primary students will sit in their Houses, unless being marshalled. Infant students will sit in their grade area. Parents are welcome to join their child in their area. Sunscreen is recommended to be applied throughout the day.

FINALS:  There will be no finals except in the 100m events for primary students. For primary students, the three fastest qualifiers from the Finals will be eligible to compete in the Western Region Athletics Carnival in Dubbo at Barden Park on Tuesday, August 5. The Junior and Senior relay teams are selected from the fastest 100m times in the appropriate age divisions. Following the Western Region Carnival, children may be selected to compete in the Bathurst Diocesan Carnival as a representative of the Western Region. This Carnival will be held at Barden Park on Friday, 22nd August.

PARTICIPATION:  The aim of the day is participation and enjoyment. Winning is great, but going home feeling you have done your personal best is just as important.

Awards

HOUSE AWARDS:
Congratulations to the following students for gaining 10 points for
their Sports House for exemplary behaviour:

Attendance

School Fees

Community News

BIRTHDAYS:
Celebrating their birthday this week are:
Ryley, Trace, Finn, Georgie, Nathaniel, Annie and Thomas.
We hope you enjoy your birthday!

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Condolences - Our prayers and sympathy are extended to the Williams family (Harriet - 1B and Emmie - 5B) following the death of Alison's father.  May he rest in peace. 

Help Me Help My Teen - This 2-hour event, based on Maggie’s latest book, is a reassuring, practical guide for parents, carers, and educators to help teenagers navigate adolescence and grow into confident, capable adults.

Maggie will provide clear and compassionate ‘what to do’ advice for some of the most difficult, sensitive topics – such as technology use, sex, drugs and alcohol, dropped school grades, school refusal, mental health and identity – and shows us how we can provide a safe and supportive environment for all our teens.

NOTE: Sensitive topics are discussed. Teens 13+ can attend with their parent/s or carers at their discretion. All attendees require a ticket.          

Canteen

MunchMonitor - We encourage all families to use the MunchMonitor online program for lunch orders. 

We Are Allergy Aware

Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. We want to do our best to keep those at risk, as safe as possible. We have several children at our school who have allergies to peanuts and tree-nuts.
It is important for the safety of these children that we ask that you don't send any nuts or nut products to school.
This includes foods such as peanut butter, Nutella, hazelnut spreads, trail mix or muesli bars/biscuits that contain nuts.

Please help us maintain the health and well-being of all our students by considering this information when packing lunches for your child.

We appreciate your support.

The Clothing Pool