St Johns College Dubbo Term 2, Week 2 2025

Principal

Dear St Johns Community

Welcome back to Term 2. There has been a positive start to the term at the College and students and staff have hit the ground running. The landscapers and concreters have left now and have mostly finished. It is planned that they will return in the next break just to finish the last little piece of our amazing new main quadrangle. Local company McNamara Landscapes did a wonderful job bringing the vision of the playground to a reality in such a quick time. This space has a multi-use dimension to it and it has been terrific to see so many students using the new spaces during break and classes using it during lessons. With the addition of a number of new trees this will provide more shaded areas during the hot summer months.

It was great to see so many families at the College this week. Firstly, with the visit of Justin Coulson as the guest speaker about device use for teenagers and associated risks on Monday evening and then again on Tuesday and Wednesday evening for our Parent Teacher Student Conferences. These conferences were very well supported and ran very smoothly. The conferences provide a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what has been going well with students' learning and look for ways to improve and maximise opportunities moving forward. They also provide the great opportunity to increase and enhance the connection between home and the College so that we can work together to get the best outcomes possible for our children.

On Wednesday the Executive Director of Schools, Mrs Christina Trimble, spent the day at the College. She had the opportunity to meet with students and staff and tour the site. Mrs Trimble was very impressed with the direction of the College and the dedication and commitment that is being demonstrated to continue to create a high quality, inspiring educational journey for all of our students.

Annual School Improvement surveys were distributed to parents and students on Thursday 8th May (Wk 2, Term 2). These surveys enable all members of the school community to have a voice. The data collected from the surveys provide highly valuable information that helps direct the school's future planning for continual improvement. 

On May 8, 2025, the first American pope was elected to lead the Catholic Church taking the name Pope Leo XIV. We pray as a community for the Lord’s guidance and support for our new Pope.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, 
give to your shepherd a spirit 
of courage and right judgement, a spirit 
of knowledge and love. By governing 
with fidelity those entrusted to his care, 
may he, as successor to the Apostle 
Peter and vicar of Christ, build your  
Church into a sacrament of unity, love, 
and peace for all the world.  

Amen. 

I would like to wish all the mothers and mother figures the happiest of Mothers Day on Sunday. I hope that you have a day filled with joy, relaxation, and the love of your family. 

God bless

Mr Justin McCarney
Principal

Faith and Mission

How wonderful to be able to start this newsletter instalment with news of our new Pope! The new Pope is Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Those who have worked with him and know him have called him ‘gracious’. He is also concerned about the poor. Some of Pope Leo’s first words as Pope were, “United and hand in hand with God, let us advance together.” I really like that he used the phrase ‘together’. He recognises that being Pope does not mean he does it all on his own. He relies on the Catholic people to keep moving the Church forward. We all have a part to play in the life of the Catholic Church. The St Johns College community - the school itself, the Bathurst Diocese, our students, our staff and our families - all of us have a role to play in bringing to life the teachings and ethos of the Catholic Church. 

It is quite timely that news of our new Pope comes just before Catholic Schools Week. The Bathurst Diocese celebrates Catholic Schools Week in Week 3. Whilst we are always aware of and thankful for Catholic schools, the week is an opportunity to really focus in on the point of difference that a Catholic school provides. I share with you what the Bathurst Diocese has said about Catholic Schools Week.

Catholic Schools Week is a time to celebrate the incredible value our schools bring to students, families, and the wider community. It’s a moment to reflect on our rich history and embrace the exciting journey ahead - a time for connection and celebration.

The combined theme for this year’s celebration embodies who we are and what you can expect from a Catholic school - Guided by Faith, Inspired by Hope, and Committed to Learning.

Guided by faith, Catholic schools instil core values that inspire young students to grow into compassionate and responsible individuals. Our students understand and take action to support others with care and respect, recognising their duty to protect and uplift those in need. Following Christ’s example, every student is supported and valued as part of a caring school community.

Inspired by hope and in honour of the 2025 Jubilee, we are called to reflect on challenges facing our world - war and conflict, the lasting effects of the pandemic, and the urgent need to address climate change. Hope is more than optimism; it’s a spiritual force that gives us the strength to endure, the courage to rebuild, and the resilience to address the challenges that we face. As Pope Francis reminded us, “Hope is a gift from God that fills our hearts with joy.” By embracing this gift, our school communities are beacons of positive transformation.

Committed to learning, our highly qualified and dedicated teachers nurture individual student gifts and potential, inspiring a love for learning that lasts a lifetime. Catholic Schools Week is a special time to celebrate this commitment - honouring our dedicated educators, the inspiring curiosity of our students, and the invaluable partnership of families who support learning as a lifelong endeavour.

I have taught at St Johns College for 25 years, and I was lucky enough to be a student here. I have had the privilege over my time here to witness the special educational experience a Catholic school provides. To know that we send young people out into the world who have been guided by the teachings of Jesus and surrounded by love makes me extremely proud. I know that my colleagues are proud to work at St Johns College. It is my hope that our students and families are equally as proud to be a part of this wonderful Catholic school. 

During Catholic Schools Week we will be celebrating in many different ways. Follow our socials for pictures and updates. 

In closing, I warmly invite you to Mass this Sunday night at 5pm (please note the change in time). The College is in charge of music and readings and it would be great to lots of St Johns College families there. 

Yours in faith

Mrs Elissa Burden
Leader of Faith and Mission

Teaching and Learning

Working towards your Grade Point Average

This time next term we will be presenting our Semester 1 Academic Excellence Awards for students in Year 7 - 11. 

At Monday’s assembly, students will reflect upon how their GPA is progressing, will look at GPA criteria for Academic Excellence and the best tools we can use to enhance our assessment results.

Academic Excellence at SJC is awarded to the students who achieve a GPA of 3.6 and above.

Every A = 4, B = 3, C = 2 and D = 1. A GPA of 3.6 is aspirational, and means that in most instances, a student has achieved 4 A grades, and performed consistently in every subject.

Students are awarded grades based on teacher judgement. Student achievement in formal assessment or SATs (Summative Assessment Tasks) are an important consideration for teachers in awarding grades. SATs have a culture around them - that they are an excellent opportunity for students to showcase what they know and can do.

Every SAT has a published rubric (with the exception of exams). Our rubrics have been created as developmental rubrics. This means they are a bit like a ladder, and students can examine what qualities are in the next rung to improve their performance. Here is an excerpt from a Year 8 Food Tech Rubric:

It’s easy to differentiate the qualities that separate the A and B response in this component. At the A, there is significant consideration of providing detailed consumer information, compared to the B which is more about marketing.

These rubrics work in the same way in every subject and task.

Academic Care - Goal Setting

Academic goal setting is a focus of many of our Academic Care lessons this term.

All year groups are undertaking a form of academic “check in” and completing planners that ask them to examine:

• What they are learning
• What they need help with
• What tasks they have coming up
• How they can organise these in priority order
• Feedback from previous tasks
• Other commitments that they need to accommodate like work and sport and family things
• How they can create a to do list
• Setting fortnightly goals

CANVAS for Parents 

Keeping track of Assessment using CANVAS

When you open your parent dashboard, there are two ways you can see what’s coming up.

1. The To Do List
2. In the left hand menu you will find the Calendar. Each entry links to the task.

Seeing Assessment Feedback

Teacher feedback and marks are in Canvas for Term 1 assessment.

Students and parents can see the mark, the marking rubrics and teacher comments. Also useful is Show all Details in the Marks menu of each subject, where you can find information that shows how a student is performing within the cohort. Like this:

Warm regards

Mrs Catherine Jones
Leader of Teaching and Learning

Literacy at SJC

Mr Keith Hill | Literacy

Chess

St. Johns College welcomed the Dubbo College South Campus Chess Team for Round 2 of the NSW Junior Chess League Competition - Western Region.

The St. Johns College Team, consisting of Sarayu, Callum, Archie and Dilan, started strongly with a win on Board 4 and were able to successfully pull off a win against the Dubbo College South Campus team players, consisting of Mahmoud, Lance, Lachlan and Miles. Our reserves, Jonah and Leanne, played a quiet game against each other to hone their board skills. 

It was a very enjoyable game and this places St. Johns in Round 3 of the competition, which may be played later this term.

Well done to our Team players.

Mrs Rhonda Bruce | Chess Team Leader

HSIE

Year 10 Elective HSIE - Archaeology Dig

Students of Year 10 Elective HSIE took part in an ‘Archaeological Dig’. In this activity, students created an archaeological dig with clear layers representing different historical periods. The items of the dig provided were; a dinosaur, a Roman coin, a WW1 soldier, and an astronaut. 

As a class, students analysed the objects within their assigned layers, identifying and categorising them according to their historical context. The dinosaur represented prehistoric times, the Roman coin symbolised ancient Rome, the WW1 soldier was linked to the early 20th century, and the astronaut was placed in the 1960s during the space race. Students then discussed how each item contributed to understanding the respective historical period.

Following their analysis, students took part in a field work exercise to show evidence of how the layers and objects were connected. This activity allowed them to apply their knowledge of history to interpret the past and understand the role of archaeology in reconstructing historical narratives.

Samantha Eddy | KLA Leader HSIE

Science

Year 8 Science having fun with Chemistry

At the end of Term 1, Year 8 Science students had the opportunity to observe and conduct experiments with the chemical reaction to produce Elephant's Toothpaste. The students enjoyed watching the foam eruptions in the Science lab and understanding Chemistry in real life!

Da Vinci Decathlon

The Da Vinci Decathlon is over for another year. Year 7 and Year 9 battled it out against more than 10 teams from schools around the Central West. Year 7 placed in several categories - an excellent debut for the team. Year 9 were a powerhouse, placing in all categories, including 3rd in Mathematics and Engineering, 2nd in Cartography, English and Ideation, and 1st in Code-breaking and Art and Poetry. The team tied for 2nd place with Macquarie Anglican Grammar, a hairs-breadth from qualifying for State! Congratulations to all our team members, and thanks to Mr Bourke for accompanying the team and providing much valued inspiration and support.

Chris Rollo | Assistant KLA English

Sport

Bill Turner Cup

Our Under-15 boys' soccer team put on a dominant display in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Bill Turner Cup in Mudgee!

• In Round 1, they cruised to a 5–0 victory over Mudgee High.
• Without missing a beat, they powered through Round 2, defeating last year’s champions, Dubbo College South Campus, 7–1 in a stunning performance!
• Special mention to Abe Jones and Joshua Fardell, who were unstoppable in front of the goal, bagging five goals each across the day! The team now progresses to Round 3. Well done, boys!
  

Mr Zac O'Leary | PDHPE Teacher/Wellbeing Assistant

Netball NSW Schools Cup Success!

On Tuesday 6th May, 80 of our students competed in the Netball NSW Schools Cup. All teams represented our school with pride, determination, and sportsmanship.

Outstanding Results
7/8 Boys 1 – Undefeated, 1st Place! (Coach: Mrs Cass McCarney)
7/8 Girls 1 – Undefeated, 1st Place! (Coach: Mrs Cass McCarney)
9/10 Boys 2 – Undefeated, 1st Place! (Coach: Miss Jesse Doran)
9/10 Girls 1 – 2nd Place! (Coach: Miss Tegan Douglas)

Special shout-out to the following teams who narrowly missed out on 2nd but still placed strongly in their divisions:
7/8 Boys 2 – 3rd Place (Coaches: Mr Zachary O’Leary)
7/8 Girls 2 – 3rd Place (Coaches: Miss Tegan Douglas & Mrs Ella McIntosh)
9/10 Girls 2 – 3rd Place (Coach: Mrs Ella McIntosh)
9/10 Boys 1 – 4th Place (Coach: Mr Zachary O’Leary)

A huge thank you to our dedicated coaches Mrs McCarney, Mr O’Leary, Mrs McIntosh & Miss Douglas and an even bigger thank you to our umpires—Jamie C, Amelia H, Millie J, Chloe R, Lilly M, Abbey S, Holly O, and Layla S!

Congratulations to all teams, especially those advancing to the next stage in Orange this September.

Miss Jesse Doran | Teacher

CCC Touch Football, Central Coast

Congratulations to the Under 15s boys who have won their grand final match today! Levi, Sam and Harrison have also been selected to play for the CCC team at the NSW All Schools Touch Football Carnival on 26-27 August. Incredible effort boys, the College is extremely proud of you all.

Interschools Catholic Cup 2025

The Interschools Catholic Cup began In Forbes last Friday with the College winning the opening round of events against Red Bend Catholic College.The Interschools Cup is a competition that involves the three largest Catholic Schools in the Bathurst Diocese. St Johns were successful in Volleyball, Girls and Boys Basketball, Netball, Debating, Theatre Sports, Engineering, Girls Touch Football and Boys Soccer. Draws were achieved in Girls Soccer, Boys Touch football and Chess. In Frisbee, League Tag and Rugby League, the College had defeats. Our second and final round will be held in Dubbo on Monday 16 June against James Sheahan Orange where a win would see St Johns regain the trophy. Thank you to all the coaches and managers who attended Forbes, giving their time to lead the teams.

Mr Dave McAlister | Sports Coordinator

Futsal State Championship Western Division Competition

Congratulations to the under 16s boys team who are the Western Region Champions winning gold 🥇and the under 14s boys team who were runners achieving silver 🥈.

Well done to the Opens Boys and Under 16s Girls. They had some very competitive teams in their competition and only narrowly missed out on a position in the finals.

It has been great to see the students of St John College shine in a competition they have not participated in. We look forward to the State Championship in Term 4 and going up against the winners of all the regions around NSW.

Mr Peter Maher | Leader of Wellbeing

Parent Webinars

The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) are providing a series of very pertinent free, one-hour webinars to support parent carers to be engaged with the schooling of their high school children. Please share this information.

• A Parents Roadmap to Careers and Pathways 4 June 7 – 8 pm. Register here

• Supporting your Child through the HSC 11 June 7 – 8 pm.  Register here

• Parenting Tweens: What kids need to know before the teen years 24 June 7 – 8 pm. Register here 

• Parenting Teens: Staying connected through the teen years 25 June 7 – 8 pm. Register here

Trivia Night

SJC YEAR 12 TRIVIA NIGHT - SUPPORTING ST VINCENT DE PAUL

Put your knowledge to the test and join us for a night of fun, helping our Year 12 cohort raise money for their chosen charity, St Vincent de Paul. There will be some amazing prizes, a silent auction and raffles throughout the evening.

Date: Friday 13th June 2025
Time: 6pm to 10pm
Location: St Johns College - Barbara Amos Hall
Cost: $100 per table (10 people). BYO picnic and drinks

Table bookings can be made via this link:https://www.123tix.com.au/.../48145/sjc-year-12-trivia-night
Bookings close Monday 9th June 2025

Resource Hub - Library

RESOURCE REVIEW

Attendance

Students are expected to have above a 95% school attendance rate because days missed can add up to years lost. That’s why making sure your child comes to school every single day (unless genuinely sick) is important. Maintaining a high school attendance rate, ideally above 95%, is crucial for a student’s academic success and overall development. Here are several reasons why consistent school attendance is important:

- Continuous Learning: Regular attendance ensures that students are consistently exposed to new information and lessons. This continuity is essential for effective learning, as concepts build upon each other over time.

- Development of Learning Skills: School attendance is not only about acquiring knowledge but also about developing essential learning skills. These skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, are honed through active participation in the learning process.

- Establishment of Routine: Consistent attendance helps students establish a routine, promoting organisational skills and time management. These skills are transferable to various aspects of life and contribute to overall success. Next week, you will get a notification if your child's attendance is sitting below 90%. We look forward to working with you to improve their attendance for Term 1.

Mrs Emma Chater | Assistant Principal

Reconcilation Week

School Fees

Dear Parents/Guardians 

School Fees - Term 2 Instalment Due 23 May 2025

Thank you to those families who have paid their College fees.

Families paying their fees by the term please note instalment 2 is due by 23 May 2025.

You can check your balance owing and make payments via the Compass App or BPAY.

For families making regular, weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments please ensure your payment plan is on track to have your College fees account finalised by 30 November 2025.

To ensure your College fees account is on track please note from this Friday 9 May 2025 there are 30 weeks, 15 fortnights or 7 months until fees are due. Contact the College Fees Office if you need to adjust your payment plan.

HSC fees are due by 31 October 2025.

If you wish to discuss your account please contact the College Fees Office on 6841 5142 or email m.carlow@bth.catholic.edu.au.

Kind Regards 

Maree Carlow
Administration Finance Leader

Important Dates

Term 2 2025

If you would like to add the St Johns College Calendar
to your google calendar please click on this link.

5th May - 9th May
Work Placement for VET Students

Monday 5th May
Justin Coulson Presentation at SJC Hall

Tuesday 6th May
2025 Fly Army STEM Experience
Netball Cup

Wednesday 7th May
Bill Turner Cup Mudgee

Thursday 8th May
Diocesan Cross Country
Yr 12 Careers Info Day at Senior Campus

Monday 12th May
Catholic Schools Week

Wednesday 14th May
Questacon Visit - Yr 7
Farming Future UNE Excursion - Armidale

Thursday 15th May
Questacon Visit - Yr 8
Farmining Future UNE Excursion - Armidale
DLH Student Day - James Sheahan

Tuesday 20th May
String Ensemble - Orana Gardens Visit

Wednesday 21st May - Friday 23rd May
Yr 11 Retreat

Saturday 24th May
Shape of You - Drama Excursion

Tuesday 27th May
Spelling Bee

Thursday 29th May
SJC Athletics Carnival, Barden Park

Friday 30th May & Saturday 31st May
Cattle Team - Dubbo Show

Wednesday 4th June
Yr 10 Vaccination and Yr 7 Catch ups

Tuesday 10th June
Pupil Free Day

Community Notices

University of Newcastle - Parents and Carers Information Session

If you have a child who is currently completing Year 12 we invite you to join us at our Parents and Carers Info Session on Wednesday 21 May at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo.

Parents and Carers will have the opportunity to hear from knowledgeable university staff and current students, covering a range of different topics to assist you in supporting your child through their transition from high school to university including:

• Everything you need to know about entry schemes and pathways to university, including our Early Entry Program
• How to best support your child through the HSC as well as tips for managing wellbeing and stress
• Have the chance to speak to current University of Newcastle Student Ambassadors about their first-hand experience transitioning from school to university, student life, support services and much more

You’ll also have the chance to speak one-on-one with our friendly teams to ensure you walk away feeling confident and informed.

When you 'Reserve a spot' - Confirmation and reminder emails will be sent directly to you.