Reflection

This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs.

The Holy Father, Lenten Message (2025) 

This message, gifted to us from Pope Francis, has been guiding me in these early weeks of Lent.

What do I need to change in my life to become more like Christ? 

For me, the answer lies in Pope Francis’ Lenten message, so this Lent I will continuously examine whether in my life, in my family, in my work place and where I spend my time, if I am capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of my own needs. This may be something you’d like to consider doing too.

Learning and Wellbeing

It is the mission of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong to create vibrant Catholic school communities where every student finds meaning and purpose in their life through experiencing continual growth in faith and improvement in learning.

We know that positive wellbeing is linked to improved learning, so this year, part of our wellbeing strategy is implementing The Resilience Project. This project aims to build resilience through gratitude, empathy and mindfulness and is underpinned by building emotional literacy.  We are implementing this program through our Catholic lens and believe that by animating the program using our faith, it will enrich the experience for us all.

Gratitude:

1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

• Gratitude is about paying attention to and being thankful for the things we have, such as our faith, our families and our school. Our students will be given opportunities to practice gratitude in order to look for the good things God has given them and to be grateful for them, even if there are times when things aren’t going well.

Empathy:

John 13: 34 - 35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

• Empathy is about understanding others’ feelings and perspectives and being kind to others. Our students will practice living with empathy with and for each other.

Mindfulness:

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God”

• Mindfulness is about bringing our attention to the present moment and being aware of our thoughts, emotions and surroundings, this is so we can be ready for prayer, learning and interacting with others. Our students will be experiencing Christian meditation as well as developing other meditative skills.

Emotional Literacy:

• Research on emotional literacy consistently highlights its critical role in personal wellbeing, social relationships, and overall success. Emotional literacy—often defined as the ability to recognise, understand, express, and regulate emotions—has been linked to a range of positive outcomes across various domains of life. Emotional Literacy is about labelling our emotions as we experience them and increasing our emotional vocabulary. 

We are looking forward to hosting parent workshops regarding this important area of school life, and as always if you have any questions, please contact me via the office.

In all things at Holy Family, Give Thanks.