RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REPORT with Mrs Deanna  David  

Greetings and many blessings to you all. Here are some updates and resources that I feel will be of benefit to you.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

It is not too late to donate an item to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Thank you for being so kind and generous with your donations. If you would like to donate an item, please do so by Friday 4th of December. 

Religious Education knowledge: (RE SENSE)

I have been visiting every class in the school as part of our focus on building knowledge in Religious Education.  I wonder if you and your children are able to answer these questions?

• What is the start of the Church year (I’ll give you a clue - it's coming soon!)
• What do the symbols mean on this CANDLE LABEL?

Sunday’s Gospel Reading

Mrs Rolfe has been discussing the Sunday Gospel readings, so I thought I would focus on the child’s response activity to the Gospel reading. This Sunday at Mass we will hear about John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus by telling people to turn back to God and baptising them.

Perhaps you might discuss some of the questions with your child/dren (taken from LiturgyHelp):

John the Baptist told people they must be sorry for the things they had done wrong so they could be ready to meet Jesus.

What things do we need to be sorry for?

How can we change our ways so that we can be ready to meet Jesus?

Have you listened to one of the CEO Ripples Podcasts? 

Podcast: Ripples Ripples is a PODCAST developed for staff and parents on-going spiritual formation. It seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation. See the link - you can either download the files as podcasts or listen to them directly from the website (https://ripples.dow.catholic.edu.au/) 

Scan the QR code to access the podcasts and download onto your phone. 

Activate Day Recounts

Eva: Games

On Wednesday the 4th of November we had an Activate day, with the whole of year 6 and both the teachers. We played a few games which were so much fun. Some games we played were scissors paper rock and when you win that person follows behind you, and the aim of the game is to make your line of kids longer until the whole grade is following behind you. I loved this game in particular because I won and it was really cool how the whole grade was following behind me. Another game we played was charades, we had to get a partner, one person would face the screen and the other would face their back to the screen. A sign will appear in the screen and you had to act out. It was really fun and pretty confusing. We also had a chance to get up and dance. At the end of the day I felt spiritually closer to God and I felt like I have achieved something so big.

A.J.: Ownership

Ownership is a little like driving a car. You can be in the passenger seat or in the driver's seat. When you are in the passenger seat someone is guiding you through your faith. But after confirmation, you are in the driver's seat and you are in control of your faith, you don’t need someone to tell you when to pray or when to go to church. If you don’t keep your faith it dwindles away, so if you keep praying you will be strengthened in faith.

Stephen: Feelings

We had lots of fun and we also came really close to God and after that day I felt spiritually closer to God. I also feel like I can talk to him whenever I need to because of Activate fire day and from Confirmation.

                                    

We use the canteen at the correct times and place all rubbish in the bin:

• Order our lunch online or bring in a lunch order
• Before school between  8.15am and 8.40am
• Break 1 between 10.55 - 11.15am
• Break 2 between 1.25pm - 1.50pm 
• Place all rubbish in the bin

We did lots of jumping at Flip Out before going to Event Cinemas to see a new release movie called “Dragon Rider”. Everyone had an absolute ball. 

Maroun: “We had so much fun and it was nice being together”. 

Krina: “I liked us being out of the school. I also got stuck in the Foam Pit. It was pretty funny”. 

Campbell: The fun day was a success. It was full of positive energy. I think everyone would agree that Mr Leibrandt and Mrs David put lots of time into making this a great day

        

Year Five Camp - Teen Ranch, Cobbity

When we all arrived at school, there were many smiles on our faces. We were all so excited to finally be able to go to camp after isolation, COVID-19 and camp being cancelled heaps of times. 

Plenty of people over-packed, but that was a part of the fun and the experience. Walking to the bus was definitely a challenge for some people, but when we finally got there, we were all so excited. 

On the bus, there was thankfully space for luggage and an aircon. The bus ride was a painful 40 minutes, but when we got there it was all worth it. We unpacked and met the camp counsellor, Sarina. After she told us all the rules, we chomped, chewed and munched our way to finish off the cookies, apples and mandarins. 

Canoeing was very fun, but difficult for some people, so it took a while to get used to the water. But when we learnt, it was all worth it. Next was bush skills. We had to make a shelter from sticks. We also made damper and had maple syrup with it. 

The next day, we had archery. We all learnt how to shoot arrows with a longbow. Brayden Croke even hit a balloon! 

The food there was awesome. We had pancakes for breakfast and chicken schnitzel for dinner, which was cooked to perfection. 

Overall, teen ranch was a very fun place. Especially the giant swing, which was very scary. Camp was an experience that was worth all the trouble.

FINALISING SCHOOL FEES

All school fees need to be finalised by Friday, 11 December 2020. Outstanding school fee balances are now listed under the billing  tab in the Compass Portal.

Payments can also be made by using the Compass Portal

FULL DAY & PARTIAL ABSENCES

It is your responsibility to notify the school, through Compass, if your child will not be attending school for the full day. Partial absences and Holiday leave are not to be entered this way. (This will be completed by the office staff)

Holy Family Christmas Concert - 2020

On Monday, December 14th, we are recording our Christmas Concert. Students are invited to wear Christmas colours, clothes, shirts (no singlet tops) to school for the whole day (Christmas hats and antlers are also allowed!). Please ensure that all students wear closed in shoes and have a proper hat for break times.

We look forward to sharing our concert with you all via Youtube!

As our 2020 Kindergarten students get ready for Year 1, they are very proud of their                                                          'Art Work"                                                          

Car Park Gates

There are some cars entering the EXIT ONLY gate. Cars are doing this because they see the gate opening as a car is leaving. Please do not do this. We need everybody doing the right thing to ensure the car park is a safe place. In addition, if the gate damages your car, or you damage the gate while using this entrance incorrectly, the parish will not be liable for any costs. Please park in Pardelote Street to pick up your children from OOSH after 4pm.

Smoking on Parish Grounds

Please note that smoking is not permitted on parish grounds. This includes the whole site – church, school, parish/school hall and in the car park. This is actually a common rule across the diocese and not unique to our parish.