30 April 2024

Upcoming Events

Term 2 - Week 1

• Monday 29th April 2024
  • Pupil Free Day - Staff Development Day
    
    
• Tuesday 30th April 2024
  • Welcome Back! Students return to school for Term 2
  • Prayer & Short Assembly @9:00am led by Mr Boylan and Mrs Tavares
    
  • PR Committee with Mrs Tavares @Recess

• Wednesday 1st May 2024
  • Stage 3 Spelling Bee School Final | Years 5 & 6 @10:00am
  • Guitar Group @Recess

• Thursday 2nd  May 2024
  • Senior Band @7:50-8:50am
  • Junior Band @Recess
  • Kids Lit
  • Environment Committee with Mr Boylan @Recess
  • Parish Alpha Course commences - All families are welcome @12:00pm

• Friday 3rd May 2024
  • Stage 2 Spelling Bee School Final Years 3 & 4 @9:15am
  • Agriculture Club with Mrs Angelucci @Recess

• Sunday 5th May 2024
  • Catholic School Week Mass @10:00am

2024 Important Dates

• Monday 29th April 2024
  • Pupil Free Day - Staff Development Day
    
    
• Tuesday 30th April 2024
  • Welcome to the first day of Term 2 - Winter Uniform

More important dates listed here Website Calendar Link

For those with a Google Account the calendar can be added to your Google calendars for
easy access on your phone or device Google School Calendar Link

From the Principal

You are invited!
We invite all parents, grandparents and carers to join us for a season of Alpha commencing this Thursday, 2nd May at 12pm in the Mother Ignatius Croke Hall (school hall). Entry for Alpha can be made via the hall door closest to the church car park or through the front George St gate.

Registration is via the link/QR code below https://forms.gle/kQVatXBB9YEgNUUBA.

What should I expect?
Alpha is an environment for anyone and everyone who wants to explore life and the Christian faith, ask questions, and share their point of view. Alpha is free and everyone is welcome. This season of Alpha will run for 10 sessions (each Thursday at 12pm).

Alpha begins by sharing a meal together (lunch will be provided free of charge).

After lunch participants watch a brief clip about Christianity.

After the clip we have some time to share our point of view in a small group.

Do I have to be Catholic or Christian to attend? No

Do I have to attend Mass regularly to attend? No

If I have small children can they come too? Yes

Do I have to attend every week? 
No. It is ideal if you can attend every week, however we understand that you may not be able to make it each week or you may want to attend the first session to see if you will enjoy Alpha and that is perfectly fine. 

Alpha is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others. The Cathedral Parish has already run two seasons of Alpha and our Cathedral staff participated in Alpha last year. This is a combined effort with our Cathedral Parish and caters for those who would prefer a day time event. The Parish will continue to run future seasons of Alpha with further evening options. 

If you are interested but would like to find out more about the sessions, have a chat with one of our staff members.

Camille da Silva Tavares   | Principal

ANZAC Commemorations

We thank all of our students who represented Cathedral and a number of community organisations in the ANZAC Day services in Bathurst and surrounds last Thursday. We were honoured to have our school consultant from Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst, Mr Vince Connor march alongside Cathedral. Along with the many students marching with our school we had a number of students in the community RSL Band and marching with the Girl Guides and Scouts. We also extend our congratulations to the school band led by Mr Chris Dove and Cathedral alumni Harry Lawson for leading us so beautifully in our ANZAC school service.

Buildings and Maintenance

Our new fencing is almost complete at the front of the school. Until the new entrance gate has been completed we will continue to use the front electric gate. Once it is complete then we will be able to keep the front gate open with visitors able to walk the length of the path before entering via the pedestrian  gate.

Access for afternoon pick up on George St will be via the first gate to the left of the path. This gate will be opened at 2:45pm and families are encouraged to wait on the grassed area inside this gate. The path should be left clear for students walking out to buses led by the teacher.

The purpose of the new fencing is to provide additional safety to the front of the school, remove the safety concerns around the large moving gate and provide a more welcoming entrance with a clear line of sight to the front office upon entering the school.

Staffing

We are pleased to announce that Miss Reece Ryan will commence this term as our Aboriginal Education Officer. Reece will spend the first weeks introducing herself to our community and getting to know our students.

 We welcome back Mrs Carolyn Wood this term and thank Mrs Naomi Dubojski for teaching 4W and Mrs Merryn Sadler for teaching Music whilst Mrs Wood was on leave.

Our two maternity leave positions are currently being advertised for Mrs Jerdin Jenkins and Mrs Abbie Bowman who will begin maternity leave at the conclusion of this term. If you know any amazing teachers (or if you are one), we encourage you to share the advertisement link.

School Shoes

Families are reminded that joggers should only be worn on designated sport days. On all other days students should be wearing black leather shoes. If you are unable to provide the correct shoes for your child because you are experiencing financial difficulties then please contact our office so that assistance may be provided.

Winter Uniform

Cathedral Winter Uniform
Winter uniforms can be purchased from Marietta’s or Lowes.
Optional school jacket can be purchased through the flexi schools app.

GIRLS                                                                              BOYS

Maroon tunic with navy stockings or               Long grey trousers
Maroon trousers with white socks                     Blue long sleeve shirt
Fawn long sleeve blouse                                         Grey knitted woollen jumper
Maroon knitted woollen jumper                         School Tie   
School Tie                                                                     Grey Socks, Black Shoes
Black Shoes      

Hair that is longer than shoulder length should be tied back.
Hair accessories should be school colours (maroon or navy/royal blue on sport days).
One small pair of stud earrings may be worn. For safety, no other jewellery should be worn.

Students may wear the school winter jacket or a navy/maroon jacket for extra warmth.

Lollies and Chewing Gum at School

We remind students that lollies and chewing gum should not be brought to school. We encourage families to always consider packing healthy foods and snacks for school and to keep lollies and sweet treats for special occasions. While we understand that some dental specialists encourage the use of chewing gum, we ask that this takes place outside of school hours as it is too difficult to remove from carpets and furniture.

Cuppa After Assembly

You are invited to join us for a cuppa after assembly each Monday morning.
Bring your coffee from Cafe Viva or make yourself a cuppa in the hall kitchen.
All are very welcome.

Pedestrian Safety

We ask that any families using the George St entrance/exit to please use the pedestrian crossing.
It is unsafe to cross in the middle of the road as this is the bus bay area. We also ask that parents please hold their child’s hand when exiting the school gate and walking to their vehicles.

Afternoon Walkers

Parents are reminded that the afternoon walkers duty is intended for students walking home or to workplaces only. For those families picking up children, we ask that you walk into the school grounds
on George St for collection or for a quicker pick up approach the gate at William St. We understand that this is a busy time of the day and there is congestion around the streets however it is important that our procedures are followed so that we can provide a safe exit for students.

If there is extreme weather at pick up time (heavy rain, lightning etc) then students who are walking will be supervised on George St until they can be collected from the school or can safely walk.

Student Representative Council (SRC)

Enrolments

Enrolments for 2025 are now open. We thank all those families who have already submitted Kindergarten enrolment forms and we ask those wishing to enrol their child for 2025 to do so as soon as possible. It has been wonderful to meet with so many siblings and new families already.

We look forward to beginning the important process of transition to big school for 2025!

Teaching and Learning

Professional Learning for Teachers - Monday, 29th April
As part of our focus on School Improvement, yesterday our teachers were engaged in a series of sessions to refocus on assessment processes as part of curriculum reform. Teachers discussed critical aspects of assessment design, its relation to the teaching and learning process and methods for achieving consistency in the allocation of grades through collaboration and the use of common grade scales. Teachers are feeling empowered to use assessment to provide students with learning opportunities as well as building the capacity of our students to peer assess and self-assess their work against given criteria. We thank Wendy Murphy, NESA Liaison Officer for sharing her expert knowledge with us during the introductory session of the day. 

Public Speaking
Following our Cathedral Public Speaking Competiton held at the end of last term, we acknowledge and congratulate the winners who will go on to represent Cathedral School at the CWA Public Speaking Competition in Orange in the last week of May. The venue will be the CWA Rooms in Robertson Park, Byng Street Orange.

Cathedral Representatives are detailed below:

The  list of entrants  and their speaking times in each Grade Competition will be forwarded to schools after all entries have been received and at least 7 days before the 27th May 2024. Each Grade will be broken into smaller groups and allocated a time for their section with the first group commencing at 9am. All contestants are asked to be at the venue at least 30 minutes before their nominated time. 

Spelling Bee
Stage 2 and Stage 3 students will battle it out this week for a place at the Diocesan Spelling Bee to be held in Wellington on Thursday, 30th May. Two students from each Stage will be chosen to represent Cathedral School at this event.

The Stage 3 Spelling Bee will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10 am in the school hall. The finalists competing at this Stage are Christian (6BG), Kyle (5A), Stella (6T), Lily (5C)  and Lily (6T).

The Stage 2 Spelling Bee will be held on Friday at 9.15 am in the school hall. The finalists competing at this Stage are Laurence (3G), Trisha (3G), Zaccheous (4W), Jacob (4W) and Aubree (4BR).

Parents are invited to join us for these exciting events this week.

Catherine O’Neill   | Assistant Principal

Religious Education & Catholic Life

Welcome back!  Please see below a prayer that we shared as a school community during our weekly assembly.

Catholic Schools’ Week
Next week we join many  faith communities across Australia in celebrating Catholic Schools  (Sunday 5th May - Sunday 12th May)The theme  this year is Experience the Spirit of Community’.

Families and students are invited to a special Catholic Schools’ Week Mass this Sunday at 10am at the Cathedral Church. Wewould love to see as many of our school community members as possible. We will be represented in som eo the ministries by our student leaders, staff and students. There will be a small morning tea after Mass.

Alpha Sessions
The Cathedral Parish invites families to another series of Alpha. We are excited to host these upcoming sessions in our school hall. Sessions commence on Thursday 12th May at 12pm. Entrance is via the church car park entry. Registration is by calling the Parish Office on 63313066 and leaving your details or via the LINK.

The Parish Pastoral Council would also like to welcome anyone interested in hearing more about Alpha and invite all  who have now completed recent Parish Alpha Courses to a sausage sizzle after 10.00 a.m. Mass on Sunday 5th May.

Sacramental Program: 
Information on First Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation and how the parish based, but school supported, Sacramental Program will function  this year was provided last term via grade overviews, school and parish information sessions and through classroom teachers.

This was for families  not just in the grades where Sacramental Units are taught (Years 2, 3 and 5) but  also if your child has previously been in one of these grades but hasn’t had the opportunity to make one or more of these sacraments as yet. Please speak to your child’s teacher or myself if you require further information about registrations, particularly as all school preparation requirements have been met

Monday Liturgy & Assembly:  Please join us each week between 9:00 and 9:30 am as we pray together and acknowledge the achievements of those in our school community. Classes, Grades and Committees each take responsibility for this important event weekly.

Coming up:

Ashley Boylan   | Religious Education Coordinator

Library

Several Cathedral students visited the Bathurst Library in the holidays to attend workshops with author Jacqueline Harvey. We have many Jacqueline Harvey books in the Library - Kensy and Maz, the Clementine Rose series and the Alice Miranda series.

Merryn Sadler   | Teacher Librarian

SPB4L

Welcome back to Term 2. This week classes will be focussing on reviewing and re establishing our shared expectations that apply across all settings and activities as part of our learning and extra curricular activities at Cathedral School.

We kindly ask families to take a small amount of time each day this week to discuss with their children what this looks / feels and sounds like when we are at home, school and in the broader community.

Thank you to our families who were able to undertake the various activities provided at the end of Term 1 to support our priorities in the areas of adequate sleep, limiting device time and healthy nutrition.  It has been exciting to hear about the positive discussions and exciting additions to family routines, practices (and colourful fridge additions both inside and out) during the school holidays.

Ashley Boylan   | SPB4L Committee

Wellbeing

Part 4: Mindfulness

Today’s presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is our ability to be present at any given moment. We practise this by using intentional awareness and concentrating on what you are doing when you are doing it.

Thousands of studies into Mindfulness indicate that with regular practise, Mindfulness can lead to benefits such as; reduced stress, reduced rumination, increased memory, increased cognitive function and physical health benefits through improved immunity.

View Part 4 of the series here:

Part 4 - Mindfulness: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/

Mindfulness can be practised through meditation, yoga, flow-states and daily activities such as cooking.

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

We are so excited to be the recipients of the Federal Government's Student Wellbeing Boost Grant. After conducting student surveys last year we found that more than half of our students are not eating breakfast each day of the week. With studies showing the importance of breakfast on both wellbeing and academic success, we have decided to use this money to establish our Cathedral Breakfast Program.

 Each morning cheese toasties and fruit will be available from 8:30am-9:00am from the school canteen free of charge. Not only are we hoping to provide food for students but also a sense of community over a warm morning meal. Students are welcome to visit the canteen each morning or occasionally and the only thing they will need to bring in return are their beautiful manners. 

We would like to thank Coles, Woolworths, Q Office Furniture and the McMahon family for further sponsoring this project with their generous donations. Our hope is to continue this project into the future and would welcome any further donations of food or money to support the project. 

This program is voluntary and only students presenting to the canteen will be given breakfast. Please contact the school if you would like to opt your child out of this program as all students who present to the canteen will be given breakfast unless instructed otherwise.

Alice Gallagher and Abbie Bowman   | Wellbeing Teacher/Primary Coordinator 

Mini Vinnies Club

Sports

Success at PSSA Swimming
The PSSA Swimming Carnival was held last term at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Thursday 11th April. Max represented Cathedral School as part of the Polding team and swam early that morning. There were three heats in his age group with ten swimmers per heat. He came third in his heat and qualified for the finals that afternoon! Max then swam again and came sixth overall in his age group. This is a huge achievement and we are so proud of Max for his amazing success in the pool! 

Polding Winter Sports Trials 
We wish Liam and Archie the best of luck in Tamworth this Friday 3rd May as they compete in the Diocesan Soccer team to trial for a spot in the Polding team. Go boys! 

Coolah Cross Country
On Tuesday 7th May, Cathedral will be represented by 32 students that will be competing in the Diocesan Cross Country Carnival in Coolah. We wish all these students the best with their race and thank their parents for making the journey over to support them. We also thank Mrs Condon for attending this event. 

Peachey Richardson Gala Day 
Stage 3 students have nominated today to put their name down to participate in the Peachey Richardson Rugby League Gala day in Bathurst on Wednesday 8th May. Compass notes with additional details will be sent home to families today. We will be looking for parents to assist with coaching the students so if you are interested please indicate on the note or email Mrs Bowman.

Rugby 7’s Training and Gala Day
Stage 3 students will have a training session on Thursday 2nd May at 8am to prepare for the Rugby 7’s gala day. This gala day was postponed last term due to heavy rainfall and is rescheduled for Tuesday 14th May (Term 2 Week 3). We would like to say a huge thank you to our parent volunteers, Peter Rohr and Barry Froebel, who have been giving up their time to train our students. We are very lucky to have such amazing expertise and support for our students.

Infants Gymnastics Sessions
We are very excited to have Aspire Gymnastics come to school this term to teach our infants classes. These sessions will be taking place in Week 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this term on a Friday. This will mean that infants sports day will change from Thursday to Friday for these weeks only. Students are asked to wear their sports uniform on Thursday’s and Friday’s for these weeks. 

Community Sport Site
Our Diocesan sports coordinator Mr Steve Maguire has created a Community Sport Site (has reports from events) for parents, families & teachers which can be accessed to assist with Diocesan Sports pathways. You may like to bookmark this site for reference: https://sites.google.com/bth.catholic.edu.au/cedbsportcommunity/home

Abbie Bowman   | Primary Coordinator

Parents and Friends

Next P&F Meeting: Wednesday 1st May 5:30pm - School Library

Everyone is invited to attend our monthly P&F meetings, which are held on the first Wednesday of each school month at 5:30pm in the Library.

There is NO PRESSURE to attend every meeting or volunteer bucketloads of time - the P&F is a great resource to keep track of what’s happening at school and connect with other parents, caregivers and school staff.  

For those who cannot attend in person, we have a zoom link, if you would like to join from home!
https://bthcatholic.zoom.us/j62675200979?pwd=duYyV3M2MvdoTVVjclRKZE5jdnlMdzo9
ID:62675200979@zmau.us  
Password: 106688

MOTHER’S DAY
Thursday 9th 7.30am-9am- Breakfast
Please come and enjoy breakfast with your children from 7.30am 

Friday 10th- Gift stall  
Ordering for Mother’s Day Gifts are now available in the “Events” section on Flexischools

 Breakfast and Gift Stall Volunteers Needed
Any help would be greatly appreciated. 
Please email which day your available to help cathedralpandf@gmail.com
Thursday 9th May 7am-9.30am 
Friday 10th May 9am-12pm

OPTIONAL School Jackets- Are you ready for a cold snap?
The Cathedral School logo is embroidered on the chest, the jackets are lightweight, windproof and water-resistant perfect for the cold weather. These optional school jackets are available to try on at the school office and ready to order via Flexischools under shop.

Please note: The optional jacket is NOT compulsory - All maroon/navy/black school jackets are also acceptable.

If you have any enquiries about our projects or would like to get involved, please email us at cathedralpandf@gmail.com

  Melissa Bray   | P & F Publicity

Music

Cathedral School Ensemble Times & Days:

• School Choir Tuesdays at Recess
• Guitar Group Wednesdays at Recess
• Concert Band Thursdays at 7:50am
• Junior Band Thursdays at Recess

 If your child is interested in participating in any of these groups please feel free to contact me chris_dove_trumpet@hotmail.com

Chris Dove   | Band Director

School Calendar Handy Hints

For those who are not familiar with Google Calendar an easy way to keep up to date with the school calendar is to check the school website. Here is the link that will take you straight to the Calendar section of the site where the calendar can be displayed by month. If you click on the event more details (if confirmed) will be available for the event. 

Most end of year events and special celebrations have already been added to the calendar and all
other events appear as soon as we can confirm the details.  Website Calendar Link

For those with a Google Account the calendar can be added to your Google calendars for easy access
on your phone or device. Google School Calendar Link

Update your Details

Update your email, phone number, address, your child’s medical details or emergency contacts by emailing the information to cathedral@bth.catholic.edu.au

Canteen

   Canteen Roster Term 2 2024

The Canteen is open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

We are in need of helpers in the Canteen on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. 
For the canteen to run smoothly 3 volunteers are essential.

Please contact Alana Watson on 0417 044 116 if you would like to be included in the canteen roster,
any time offered is welcomed.

Thank you to all our friends and family for all your ongoing support of the Cathedral Canteen.

Community Notices

Bathurst Bus Lines - School Bus Tracking App
The school bus tracking app is available for parents to download on their phone and track their child's bus in real time.  This might alleviate some of the anxiety related to putting students on the bus. Please see instructions below.

Parents requiring any bus pass or general bus travel information are welcome to contact our office and we will be able to discuss their needs accordingly.

If you have any queries please contact us on 6331 2744

Kind regards,

Carolyn
Bathurst Bus Lines