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Last Sunday’s Gospel…
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” It is only through Him that we get what we really need. I think that in this seemingly dark time we are able to learn that. How much more do we appreciate that connection with loved ones – or miss it if we can’t have it. We take opportunities to be kind and look after each other gaining for ourselves the satisfaction and reward of doing so. These are the things that Jesus wants us to learn about. He wants us to separate what we really need and work for that rather than what we think we need. So we pray that He guides us and helps us use this time for some good amidst all the many challenges. We can’t do it without Him.
From the Principal...
Our very great loss of Fr Peter has dominated our thoughts and prayers over the last few days. I have made contact with the Bishop’s office and Fr Sean to see how we can be part of Fr Peter’s Requiem Mass if possible. We are also planning our own online prayer and will let you know about both these events. It feels particularly sad that we can’t all be together physically to say thank you and send him on his way together. The work and love he has given to this community for two generations at least is remarkable. He certainly brought Jesus to us all in a very real way. This is what Bishop Brian had to say in a follow up message through our staff diocesan newsletter…
Fr Peter had an unfailing commitment to Jesus Christ and his Church, and to his role as a priest, especially his love for celebrating the Mass and other sacraments. As detailed in the parish’s 50th-anniversary celebration book: “When we watch him celebrate the Eucharist, there can be no doubt in our mind that a miracle has taken place as the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. If he never did anything else but that, he would have fulfilled his vocation as a priest!”
Due to COVD-19 restrictions, there will be a private funeral for Fr Peter. Once details of the funeral have been finalised, we will provide any information as to online participation if this is a possibility.
We pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Peter Caruana and offer our condolences and prays to the Caruana family, as well as Fr Peter’s friends, parishioners, and priestly colleagues.
May he rest in peace.
Bishop Brian Mascord
To share a little light – I have had some time to look at all the wonderful work the students have been posting this week. I must say you are all doing a great job as remote teachers as well! I have listened to reading and watched presentations, seen foil sculptures and reproductions of famous portraits, families doing the sport activities all together – what a great idea, worked out Maths quizzes, engaged in a treasure hunt via Zoom, read some amazing stories, taken advantage of some of the mindfulness activities myself and prayed with classes, just to name a few. I sincerely thank you all for being so actively involved in your child’s education. I do know it is a challenge and we all very much appreciate your efforts! The experiences the teachers are planning are getting more sophisticated because the staff are actively engaging in a process of analysis of tasks and student responses to see how well an experience is teaching the students what they planned for it to teach them. We all know we are in this for a long time yet, so staff are actively engaged in making this the best quality experience possible.
In another piece of good news, thanks to our P&F we have taken delivery of some Lego robotics kits that will enhance our STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, teaching and learning experiences for the students, Kindergarten through to Year 6. Half of them have arrived so far. It will give the students something very exciting to look forward to when they come back to school. The kits are completely rebuildable with a variety of models which can then be programmed. So as well as the students learning about mechanical aspects such as levers, pulleys and gears and associated ratios and problem solving, they will be able to use computer coding to program the ‘robots’. We wouldn’t have been able to acquire these resources without the support of the P&F and your support in paying the P&F levy each year – thank you.
Stay safe and please keep letting us know how we can support you.
God Bless
Michelle Rolfe
Principal
Religious Education Report with Mrs Deanna David
St Mary of the Cross
Mary MacKillop Feast Day is held every August 8th, in honour of the revered Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
She was the first Saint of Australia, and her influence in the country has spread far and wide. She is recognised for her commitment to the poor, helping those who needed it the most in any way she could.
If you are interested in learning about Mary Mackillop, here are two short youtube links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOqGWciHi70
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxbYpuxzPik
On Monday the 9th of August we will celebrate Mary Mackillop’s Feast Day and 200 years of Catholic Schooling. We encourage your children to dress up like someone from school 200 years ago and share a photo with your child’s teacher.
We also encourage you to talk to any loved ones or elderly neighbours (over the phone or on Facetime - not Face to Face) about their school life - what was it like when they were students.
This week’s Gospel(from Liturgyhelp) Reflection for Children
Matthew 6:25-34
Sunday’s gospel is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. This excerpt is about getting our priorities right. Perhaps talk to your children: What are the things we worry about or are distracted by? Do we focus too much on things which are not important and ignore things which really matter?
Sacrament Update:
As you would be aware, all Sacraments are currently on hold. Once students return to school and Churches allowed to re-open, I am sure we will hear something from Fr Sean about our Sacramental programmes for this year.
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.
Do you yearn to have a moment of stillness or inspiration?
Have you listened to one of the CEO Ripples Podcasts?
Weekly Mass Online:
Many parishes are providing a live streaming of Sunday Mass so that we may all participate in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Bishop Brian and other clergy are live streaming Mass every Sunday. If you are interested, go to their Facebook page:
Catholic Diocese of Wollongong - Hom
Some ideas for families that don’t involve going too far:
Last week classroom teachers shared a GoogleForm with students asking for their input and suggestions regarding new names for house colours. Staff will now look at the names and a short list will be compiled. In the next newsletter we will send home a shortlist for you to vote for your favourite ones.
Thank you to all 90 students who completed the GoogleForm. I can see that a lot of research and discussion was put into your suggested names so thank you for all suggestions. There were also very creative ways for students to earn house points and I can’t wait to get this up and running.
When remote learning ends I will award stickers to all those students who completed the GoogleForm
Social and Emotional Learning
During remote learning students may experience high levels of stress due to the changes that are happening around them. Teachers have been sharing social and emotional activities with students daily.
As we currently navigate this most recent COVID challenge, Catholic Care has shared various prerecorded resources. It is pivotal to remember the importance of looking after and being kind to ourselves, whether it be watching these recordings, going for a bike ride with your children or something else that brings you joy.
- Mindfulness - Recording here.
- Mindfulness & Self Care - Recording here.
- Mindfulness & Sleep - Recording here.
- Mindfulness & Compassion - Recording here.
- Mindfulness & Worries - Recording here.
- Mindfulness & Gratitude - Recording here.
During these times of uncertainty it is helpful to focus on the aspects of our lives that we can control like caring for our physical health, safety and emotional wellbeing. The Infant Child Adolescent Mental Health Service provided a great resource outlining steps for self-care. It is important that we take the time to do things that bring us joy. I encourage all students and parents to reflect on the steps in the image below and select one to focus on each day.
Regards Miss Alana Stroligo
