8th December 2024

Term 4-Week 9

• Monday 9th December 2024
  
  • Assembly & Advent Liturgy @9am (cup of tea in the hall from 8:30am) led by Mrs Baird
  • Combined Band Rehearsal (Final for 2024) @11.40am-All band students to bring their instruments
  • Combined Band- End of Year Pizza Lunch
• Tuesday 10th December 2024
  • PR Meeting with Mrs Tavares @11.10am
• Wednesday 11th December 2024
  
  • Guitar Group @11:00-11:40am (Recess in Classrooms at 10:50)
  • Didgeridoo Group @1:40pm
• Thursday 12th December 2024
• • Closing School and Graduation Mass @10am- All Welcome
  • Family Night for all students and families-Picnic from 5pm. Formalities from 6pm
• Friday 13th December 2024
  
  • 2025 Classes announced @9am
  • Transition Day sessions with 2025 teachers @9.30am 

Term 4-Week 10

• Monday 16th December 2024
  
  • Gratitude and Farewell Assembly & Advent Liturgy @9am (cup of tea in the hall from 8:30am)
  • Yr 6 Pantomine @2pm- All Welcome 
  • Year 6 Farewell Dinner (Yr 6 students, their parents and staff)
• Tuesday 17th December 2024
  • Last day of school for Students
  • Student assessment reports released on COMPASS
  • Yr 6 Activity Day Excursion 
• Wednesday 18th December 2024
  
  • Pupil Free Day- Staff Development
    

Important Dates

More important dates listed here 

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

From the Principal

The images below celebrate a snapshot of learning and success over the past two weeks: John demonstrating Ukulele to Year 1, our Premier’s Reading Challenge award recipients, our successful Edgell Jog Junior school winners, Mini Vinnies presenting their snack packs to the St Vincent de Paul Food Van and the Year 4 enrichment presentations. What isn’t captured below though, is the everyday learning that happens each day in every single classroom; explicit instruction of reading and numeracy, the study of rich texts, the development of critical thinking and questioning skills in Science…our school days at Cathedral are full of so much meaningful learning!

Over the past year our students have been focusing their attention to practising gratitude. Taking time to notice what we have instead of always looking to what we want. This is a special time of the year when we as school take stock of what we have. We have the most amazing students who are eager to learn, willing to help and find purpose in supporting one another. We have families who are their children’s champions, who walk alongside their children in all that they do. We have staff who make adjustments, work with families and meet children where they are at. We have the most amazing community who support our school. They bring a real world focus to our learning and they place our children at the centre of it. 

This Thursday night, we come together for Family Night and although we will be unable to replicate every piece of learning and every success; we invite you to join us. In the presentation of each grade item, we recognise every child in our school. We celebrate the fact that our children are why we are here.  

We also celebrate the accomplishments of our students and in particular those in Year 6. 

Finally, we look to 2025, acknowledging our Year 5 students who will take on the leadership of our school.  

We look forward to celebrating with you on Thursday and thank you for journeying with us over 2024. 

Camille Tavares   | Principal

Staffing 2025

In 2025 we welcome Mrs Kathy Wilkinson and Miss Paige Ryan onto our teaching staff. Final staffing will be messaged to parents in our final newsletter next week as recruitment still continues. 

Students will move to their 2025 classrooms on Friday morning and where possible will meet their new teachers. We will also welcome new students from Years 1-6 who will be joining us next year. 

As some of our staff complete their temporary contracts at the conclusion of the year and some of our staff look towards retirement, we will take the time to say thank you to these staff members at next Monday morning’s assembly. We invite families to join with our students for this special celebration.

End of Year Celebrations

Each year we gather to celebrate and give thanks for the year that was. Below is a brief outline of our end of year events.

Family Night 2024

As listed above, all students are involved in grade performances on Family Night to celebrate the end of our wonderful year and the Advent/Christmas season. 

The evening begins with a picnic dinner at 5pm. If you are not joining us for a picnic, we ask all students and families to be at school by 5.50pm on Thursday 12th December as the formalities and performances will be commencing at 6pm. The night is expected to conclude by approximately 8.30pm. Families are most welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the school grounds.  Can we please ask that all rubbish is taken home at the end of the night, Thank you. 

**Note: Students will need their dinner before the 5.50pm start time. 

Any student that is in the band or guitar group should be at school by 4.45pm to provide entertainment prior to the formal part of the evening.

This year the staff have asked all students to wear the following items for their performance: 

• Kindergarten - Christmas themed t-shirt and red Santa hat
• Year 1 - Year 6 - Christmas themed t-shirt

It is always a joyful night to see the huge smiles, bop along to the songs and celebrate the students’ achievements from across the year, particularly with our special End of Year Awards.

School Representative Uniform Items

We ask that all school representative items be returned to school this week. Items such as football, soccer, netball, band uniforms and any other items that may have been loaned out throughout the year. These can be returned to the front office so that they can be used by students in 2025. 

Teaching and Learning

As we approach the end of the school year, it’s a time to reflect on our progress, celebrate our achievements and successes. Thank you for your continued support of our school community, where we strive to ensure that every student feels valued as a member of our school and faith community.  Thank you to all of our school staff for the impact that you have on our students, staff and families.

Sustainability, Equity and Streamlined Resources for 2025  
We greatly appreciate the feedback provided by parents on student resources, including workbooks and stationery. This input has been instrumental in shaping our plans for 2025, with a focus on sustainability, equity and making processes easier for families. Inspired by Pope Francis’ *Laudato Si’*, we are introducing several thoughtful changes:  

-Reduced exercise books to reflect trends in education and support sustainability.  
- Students increasingly showcase their learning through complementary forms, including  digital platforms, projects and other creative outputs instead of relying solely on traditional exercise books.  
- A single, consolidated list of personal resources will streamline the process for families and reduce unnecessary purchases.  
These adjustments represent a practical step toward environmentally responsible and equitable resource provision. 

Student Leadership
Our Year 5 students have embraced opportunities to develop their leadership skills, preparing for their roles in 2025. Guided by the SPB4L framework—focusing on Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and Kind behaviours.
These initiatives have helped students understand the responsibilities of leadership while fostering collaboration and service within our school community.  

Recognising Student Achievement  
As the year draws to a close, it is important to acknowledge the many achievements of our students across academics, the arts, sport and service. While individual accomplishments are commendable and are celebrated at our Masses, Family Night and every day within our learning spaces, the ongoing success of our school is built on our  collective efforts and shared commitment to building a supportive, vibrant community.  

 End-of-Term Focus and Transitions  
In these final weeks of term, we remain focused on finishing the year with intention and purpose. This Friday students will spend time in their 2025 learning spaces and have an opportunity to share goals with their teachers.

Thank you
On a personal note, I would like to sincerely thank you for your support during my time as Acting Assistant Principal. It has been a privilege to work alongside others in this capacity. As we prepare for 2025, we are excited to welcome back  Mrs. O’Neill to her role as Assistant Principal.  

Thank you for your ongoing support as we conclude the year and look forward to the opportunities ahead in 2025.  

Ashley Boylan   | Acting Assistant Principal

Religious Education & Catholic Life

All people shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:1-6)

CLOSING SCHOOL & YEAR 6 GRADUATION MASS

We warmly invite all parents and families to join us for our Closing School Mass, which also serves as our Year 6 Graduation Mass, on Thursday, 12th December, at 10:00am.

This special celebration provides a meaningful opportunity to reflect on and give thanks for the blessings of the past year, embrace the spirit of Advent, and honour our wonderful Year 6 students as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their journey in high school.

We look forward to sharing this significant occasion with our school community.

GRATITUDE & FAREWELL ASSEMBLY

This year, we are excited to introduce a special addition to our annual End-of-Year celebrations—a Gratitude & Farewell Assembly. This meaningful event provides an opportunity to reflect on the blessings of the year, express our gratitude, and bid farewell to staff members who are either completing their contracts or will not be returning in 2025.

We are truly blessed with an incredible team of teachers and staff who wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to our school community. Their passion, care, and commitment enrich Cathedral School, making it a vibrant, faith-filled community rooted in our school motto - Faith, Values, Excellence.

We warmly invite all parents and families to join us for this significant event: Monday, 16th December at 9:00am in the Mother Ignatius Croke Centre (School Hall)

Let us come together to celebrate the year, show our appreciation, and honour those who have played a vital role in our shared journey. We hope to see you there!

Up Coming School Events:

Please make sure that you are also aware of all the events listed on the School Calendar. 

IN OUR PARISH
We are proud to be an important part of the Cathedral Parish of Ss Michael & John.   For information about our parish please click here. This includes Mass Times, Ministries, Sacraments and current edition and archived stories from the Catholic Observer and Parish Bulletin.

Parish Christmas Mass Times

Please find below the times regarding the planned Masses to celebrate Christmas in our Parish. 

Julia Baird for Ashley Boylan  | Acting Assistant Principal

Awards

Library

There is no more borrowing for this year. Please return all Library books to the Library. 

The Bathurst City Library is running a Summer Reading Club. Join the challenge, get the kids to log ANY reading they do over the summer and earn tickets into a great prize draw.

FREE to join, FREE to read. Join here https://bathurstlibrary.beanstack.org/reader365

Visit their website for more info on WHY your kids should join the challenge today.

https://library.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/.../Summer-Reading-Club

Merryn Sadler   | Teacher Librarian

Award Criteria End of Year - 2024

Ashley Boylan  | Acting Assistant Principal

Mini Vinnies

Last Thursday 5th December, Mr Keith Dowling and Mrs Marina Gray from the St Vincent De Paul Society, visited Cathedral with the Vinnies Food Van. They thanked Cathedral School for being so very generous once again and for making almost 160 snack packs for the needy. It was so lovely to see the Mini Vinnies students help packing the van with all the snack packs made and hearing about how the Van will be in Bathurst more frequently from early next year! Congratulations to all Mini Vinnies students for your excellent work on this project and to the school for all your generous contributions.

Genevieve Avinash | Mini Vinnies Coordinator

Wellbeing

The Resilience Project Parent and Carer Hub

At Cathedral School parents/carers have access to a Hub which includes information about The Resilience Project’s key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy, along with the benefits of regularly practising these. Additionally, it offers activities that families can practise at home to support their wellbeing. 

Accessing the Hub

The Hub can be accessed via the secure link below, with no account setup or login required:

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-1/

Merryn Sadler   | Wellbeing Coordinator

Sports

Thank you 2024!

Thank you parents for your continued support of the students of Cathedral School in pursuing their sporting endeavours during 2024. Your commitment to these pursuits is very much valued by both your children and the Cathedral School community. We look forward to working together with you in 2025.

Swimming Carnival 2025

Parents please be aware that nominations for the Cathedral School Swimming carnival to be held on Friday 7th February 2025, will be available via email this week. We ask that you complete the linked Google nomination form for the grade your child will be in, in 2025 ASAP. All students in Year 3-Year 6 2025 including non swimmers, are to complete the form. Year 2 2025 will be confident swimmers only. This is to help with the time-consuming task of entering all nominations into our swimming programme. Should you have any issues please contact Miss Toole at cathedral@bth.catholic.edu.au   Thank you for your help with this task.

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

Louise Condon   | Sports Coordinator

Counsellor

It’s that time of year again- another school year comes to a close!

Holidays can take students away from friends and their usual support network…

The end of school can mark relief for young people and families, and the summer break will hopefully provide some rest and relaxation, however, for some it may come as a challenge or lead to an increase in worry.

Changes to routine can cause some young people to feel stressed, isolated and alone. Parent support is very important at this time. Below is some information to help you support young people to stay in a healthy headspace in school holidays. There is also some information that may help you to identify when your young person might need some extra support and where to go for help.

Make time for Family Time

Most of us are busier than ever, with work, school, social activities and a growing to-do list. Sometimes this can mean important activities such as quality family time can be neglected and pushed to the back of the agenda. However, the benefits of spending time as a family are hard to ignore, which is why it’s crucial to make the time as often as you can. Not only can it have a positive effect on your child’s mental health but make a real difference in their general wellbeing and academic performance. Family time also provides the opportunity for children to learn how to deal with all kinds of life situations, and where they learn innumerable lessons. It is encouraged that family time is prioritised and scheduled into our busy lives!

Encourage them to stay connected

Social relationships are important to your young person’s general wellbeing. It is okay if they take time out for themselves at times, but encourage them to keep in contact with friends over the holidays. Friends can provide both play and support, and spending time with friends is also important for keeping and building on existing friendships. If your young person is not feeling up to going out, even a phone call, email, text message or Facebook message can help them to feel connected to friends and family.

Encourage them to stay involved

Encourage involvement with volunteer work, hobbies, clubs or committees, or sports – these can help young people feel connected to their wider community. Participate with them when you can. Involve them in decisions and give them responsibility at home (e.g. deciding what to eat for dinner and helping to prepare it). Help them to identify and set realistic goals. Setting and achieving realistic goals can be incredibly motivating and can help build self-confidence.

Encourage physical activity

Physical activity is important for everyone’s health and wellbeing. If your young person is feeling down or finding things are difficult, physical activity may be the last thing they feel like doing. But even small activities, like walking around the block, can help relieve stress and frustration, provide a good distraction from worrying thoughts, improve concentration and improve mood. If your young person is struggling to get active, find a physical activity that you both enjoy and can do together (e.g. swimming, playing sports with friends or cycling) and make a plan to do it regularly.

Encourage a regular routine

Getting a good night’s sleep helps young people to feel energised, focused and motivated. Adolescence is a time when a number of changes to the “body clock” impact on sleeping patterns and young people are more likely to have problems with sleep. Developing a sleeping routine can help. Encourage your young person to wake up around the same time each day, get out of bed when they wake up, and go to bed around the same time each night. Avoiding caffeine after lunchtime, having a quiet, dark and uncluttered bedroom and shutting down electronic devices before bed can also help them to get a good night’s sleep.

Encourage healthy eating habits

Eating well doesn’t only reduce the risk of physical health problems, like heart disease and diabetes, but it can also help with sleeping patterns, energy levels, mood, and general health and wellbeing. A good balanced diet with less junk food/ lots of sugars and more vegies, fruit, whole grains and plenty of water will ensure your young person has all of the vitamins and minerals to help their body and brain function well.

Encourage play!

Devoting time to just having fun can help to recharge your young person’s battery, revitalise their social networks and reduce stress and anxiety.

 Tips to help you support your young person 

• Recognise their distress or concerning behaviour
• Ask them about it (e.g. “I’ve noticed you seem to be sad”)
• Acknowledge their feelings (e.g. “That seems like a really hard place to be in/ I can understand why you are upset about that”)
• Get appropriate support and encourage healthy coping strategies (e.g. “Do you need some help in handling this”)
• Check-in a short time afterwards to see how they are going

 Support Service Options 

• Kids Helpline is a 24-hour telephone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 – kidshelpline.com.au 1800 55 1800
• Beyond Blue offers telephone or online support with a trained mental health professional ny time of the day or night – 1300 22 4636
• Lifeline is a 24-hour telephone counselling service – lifeline.org.au 13 11 14
• headspace centres provide support, information and advice to young people aged 12 to 25 – headspace.org.au
• eheadspace provides online counselling and telephone support to young people aged 12 to 25 – eheadspace.org.au 1800 650 890
• Parentline 1300 301 300
• ReachOut.com for information about well-being.

Credits/Resources
Headspace- supporting your young person during the holidays

Sharnie Willis   | Counsellor

Uniform

We ask that families support the school in presenting a positive image to our community by encouraging the wearing of the correct school uniform. 

Shoes

This week we ask families to ensure that their children are wearing the correct shoes. 

• Joggers may be worn on your child’s sport day only. 
• On all other days, we ask that students wear covered in black leather shoes. Black joggers are not suitable on these days nor are other joggers.
• If students are wearing boots, we ask that they do not wear boots with a reinforced toe. If students wear boots with a reinforced toe, we will need to request that they sit out of games throughout the day as these pose a safety risk to other students. 

If at any time you are experiencing financial difficulty and this is a barrier to providing your child with the correct uniform we ask that you contact the office so that we can assist you.  Our school uniform expectations are clearly set out upon enrolment and so we ask that you please adhere to these.

Parents and Friends

SCHOOL BACKPACKS have arrived!

The school backpacks can be ordered on FlexiSchools for $65 – click on shop, then your child’s name, then uniform shop. The back pack will be delivered to your child’s classroom along with the lunch orders so you can select a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday for delivery, then select school back pack and finalise your order. 

BAGS CAN ALSO BE BOUGHT THROUGH THE FRONT OFFICE

We have attached the flyer about the back pack here for your reference.

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

Year 2 Instrument Testing- Please feel free to contact Mr Dove if you have any further questions regarding your child participating in the Music Enrichment program in 2025.  All information has now been sent home with your children.

Choir with Mrs Sadler Tuesday @ 8.45am

Guitar Group with BAM Wednesday @ 11am

Senior Band with Mr Dove Thursday @ 7.50am

Junior Band with Mr Dove Thursday @ 11am

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

OSHC

Cathedral OSHC is looking forward to a busy term with several community projects. This term, the children will be organising our annual Christmas Food Drive for The Little Pantry Bathurst. Please support their efforts with non-perishable, and/or long dated food item donations to assist families in need this Christmas season. Cathedral OSHC will be accepting donations in the OSHC room all December until 19/12/24 (and we won't turn away early birds!). Our children are also holding a design competition to decorate a giant "gingerbread" house as part of O'Connell Public's Competition. You'll be able to view their work, and hopefully hundreds of others, lining the streets of O'Connell Avenue with Christmas cheer later this year. 
If you'd like to express your interest for a 2025 enrolment, or have a sibling to enrol, please contact our Coordinator at cathedraloshc@centacarebathurst.com.au. 

Canteen

   Canteen Roster Term 4 2024 - Week 9

The Canteen is open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Canteen will be open for Lunch orders on Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th December

we will have a limited menu and you can order online via flexischools

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