Last Sunday’s Gospel…

Jesus headed to Jerusalem and the story has important messages for those of us who claim to want to follow Him. Two people who told Him they would come had things to do first and Jesus was quite dismissive of them. It was because he could see that they weren’t sincere. It’s completely up to us whether or not we follow Him but it takes courage, just as it took courage for Jesus to go to Jerusalem where He knew the Jewish leaders were very unhappy with Him. Jesus never promised it would be easy. You may have seen the Australian family on the news this week in Rome who lost three of their children when they were hit by a car along with their cousin. Their message of forgiveness to the driver of that car is a perfect example of following Jesus and it would have taken great courage to do so. We received the gift of courage at our Confirmation just as the apostles and Mary did at Pentecost. God gives us what we need even at times of greatest trial. We have to try to remember that He does and always walks with us.

From the Principal...

Parent teacher interviews have been ongoing this week and we very much appreciate how many of you have been able to come and talk about your child’s learning. It has been pleasing that we have had a relatively smooth year so far although staff shortages have made things challenging at times. For your information, our Catholic Education Office has put on hold all professional development for teachers when they are required to be out of the school due to the lack of casual teachers. This has eased the burden on classes and we are finding creative ways to continually support teachers become better so they can have greater impact on student learning.

We are also busy preparing to celebrate 40 years of Holy Family on Friday with you all. I look forward to seeing you then!

Confirmation classes have started. We had the first session on Wednesday night with the next one the Monday after the break. Please remember that Monday 18th July is our Staff Spirituality Day and no-one will be onsite at school that day.

As you are aware members of the Independent Education Union are stopping work this Thursday. Supervision will be provided at school for those of you who need to send your children but no usual classes will be held. If you had parent teacher interviews booked that day, they should have been rescheduled by now. If you have any questions about that, please make contact with the office.

I hope the holidays give you plenty of time to do all you want to do with your children free of restrictions. Take advantage of the time to make lots of memories with your children. Looking back now with my adult sons, it is often holiday times we talk about when we have a series of “Do you remember?” conversations. We did learn some valuable lessons in Covid. The times together do not need to be expensive or flashy. The walks and bike rides, puzzles and board games are all important. So have fun, and we’ll see you all again safely back next term!

God Bless,

Mrs Michelle Rolfe

Principal