Last Sunday’s Gospel...

Jesus, after taking some time to pray, went to meet His disciples who were out on a boat in the Sea of Galilee. Remarkably, he walked out to them on the water. Peter went to join Jesus and could also walk on the water until his focus on Jesus wavered and he became distracted and scared by the wind. Jesus responded by taking Peter’s hand to help him up. We too have to try to focus on the one who gives us hope and the things that uplift us when we are battered by bushfires, floods and pandemics. Jesus will always put out His hand to help us through. Sometimes we need to look for it to realise that we are never alone.

Did you know...

The Sea of Galilee is so big that storms and wind can create very dangerous waves on its surface even though it is quite landlocked.

From the Principal...

It has certainly been a blessing to have some rain. I hope it has not proved too much for you though and that the high winds haven’t caused you any damage. It seems we are being called to care for each other in many ways at the moment and I hope you are all well.

The school celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop on Friday. Our students and staff participated in prayer and various activities to commemorate and learn about this very significant Australian who also became Australia’s first saint. Her writings were a focus this year with staff and students looking at how relevant her words are to us today. Our country is very luck to have the patronage of both her and Our Lady – Help of Christians.

Our learning focus on Reading is continuing with teachers participating in professional development in their classes under the guidance of our Instructional Coach, Mrs Williamson. One of the good things to come out of Covid is that with less time away from school, Mrs Smith and I have been able to provide some extra reading assistance in some classes as well. It has been very exciting and rewarding to be part of the improvement. I could do it all day! Unfortunately, my meetings are starting again and my reliability has become sporadic but I have been able to employ Jacinta Vella four mornings a week to replace me. I’ll still be checking in when I can.

We are trying our first P&F meeting via Zoom this Friday. I am very much looking forward to having the opportunity to talk to you. I get to chat at the front gate but this will be a good opportunity for those of you who work. I have things to report as well as feedback I’d appreciate from you, and a few more ideas for improving our school. If you would like to join in, just send you email address to our info@hfidow.catholic.edu.au address and we’ll send you the link. It’s at 9am on Friday.

Our Feast Day, the Feast of St Benedict is coming up. Covid is certainly making us more creative in what we do so keep an eye out for what we plan to mark this special occasion.

We are hosting Fr Peter in the school this Friday to celebrate his Golden Jubilee and to say farewell. He will visit each class where he will experience what the students of that class have prepared with their teacher. In addition, each student has also made their own tribute to him and all 350 have been put together in a very large book for him as a keepsake. He will need a bit of energy after that so the staff are providing cake and a cuppa for him in a special morning tea. It is a shame we cannot all be together as a community but I am finding Fr Peter likes things very low key so he is quite happy even though we would have liked to give him a bigger celebration!

God Bless,

Michelle Rolfe

Principal

Father Peter began his Priestly work at Holy Family Ingleburn in 1984, fourteen years after his Ordination.  Father Peter was Ordained by the late Most Rev Bishop Thomas McCabe at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong on the Feast of the Assumption, 15 August 1970.    Father Peter has been a spiritual guide to the students and staff of Holy Family throughout this time, especially when the Sacramental Program became Parish-based. 

Father Peter had a warm welcome to the students in the car park, morning and afternoon.  We thank you Father for your dedication to your priestly life, congratulate you on your Golden Jubilee and wish you God's blessings as you begin your retirement.

Our Prayer of thanksgiving for Fr Peter:

Dear Lord, We ask that You give Father Peter this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in his heart, Your holiness in his soul, Your joy in his spirit. Amen

Our Term 3 Staff Development Day will be held on Friday 21 August, 2020. This will be a pupil free day.  Please note, there will not be any supervision at school as all staff will be offsite on this day.  Thank you for your co-operation.

OOSH will be available on this day and bookings can be made by contacting OOSH on 0417 482 787.

Each week we focus on a particular area of our school expectations. Students and staff collaborate on ways to support each other in meeting these expectations.

Our focus for Week 4 is: 'We use the 4 Step Plan to help us solve problems in class and on the playground.' This expectation had been selected as it supports students in developing confidence and resilience when dealing with minor teasing and annoying behaviours. 

Please take some time to read the plan below so that as parents, you have an understanding of what is expected of students this week.

Our focus for Week 5 is: 'We take care of all equipment.' This expectation had been selected as it supports students in taking care of class and school equipment so that it lasts longer and is able to be used by us all.

Thank you for your support, when we all work together, we achieve great things.

The Mini Vinnies group, in conjunction with Mr Dodds and Mrs Rolfe sincerely thank parents, students and staff for their massive contribution to the Vinnies Winter Appeal this year. The final donation count was 2702 items.  The top three donation classes were:

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, National Science Week takes an innovative twist this year, offering a smorgasbord of online events. Go to the National Science Week NSW page for some interesting online activities.

Dive into the science of the ocean for National Science Week 2020

An order will be placed for reusable lunch wallets next week.  These wallets are $7.00 each available in a variety of colours. They are designed to replace paper lunch bags when ordering from the canteen and are are easy to wipe clean 

Order due back Monday 17 August 2020

Sorry, no late orders accepted.

In the library, we have found that we have a larger than usual number of books missing. We are all out of routine with Covid so can you please have a good look at home with your children for school reading or library books? No-one will be 'in trouble'. We understand it can happen and just need the books back. Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.

Student Birthdays:
Thank you for your support with sending in prepackaged items for student birthdays. To clarify, please send in unopened and prepackaged items. This means that, at this time, lolly bag style birthday treats are unable to be brought in, regardless of whether they contain small, prepackaged items. This is due to the amount of contact needed to make up the lolly bags. We are aiming for these birthday treats to be as 'contactless' as possible during COVID.

Canteen:
Students are happy to have the canteen up and running again. Please note that breakfast items can be bought between 8.15am and 8.35am to ensure that everyone has enough time to eat or drink what has been purchased. Our canteen staff have commented on the beautiful manners of our students, so thank you for your work with your children!