Dear Parents and Carers,

Hope that you have enjoyed a sensational couple of weeks.

Today we celebrated with Mass in the MD Hall the Feast of St Joseph. To mark the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis has proclaimed a “Year of St Joseph”, running from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021. Joseph's example to us is a father who was:

• Caring, gentle and giving
• Those life was centred on Mary and Jesus
• Courageous father and an example of love
• Who taught his Son the value, dignity and joy of work

"Do not lose hope: St Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the certainty that God never abandons us." - Pope Francis

Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work hard and selflessly to maintain it. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural background and united by a set of core Australian values. At our morning assembly on Monday we will acknowledge the importance of living in harmony with a clear focus and fundamental focus on inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all. For further information, please refer to the link https://www.harmony.gov.au

On Tuesday we held our first P&F meeting for 2021. On the agenda was the Annual General Meeting, where our P&F Executive were elected. Congratulations to Nicky Bishop, Rosie King, Kelly Saveski, Kirsten Immens, Sarah Foster and Pina Martelozzo for accepting and taking on the responsibilities associated in supporting our school community.

President: Nicky Bishop Vice Presidents: Sarah Foster and Pina Martelozzo

Secretaries: Kirsten Immens and Kelly Saveski Treasurer: Rosie King

We are looking forward to supporting the St Columbkille's Parish with our first Parent Sacramental Movie Evening for our Confirmation parents and /carers on  Wednesday 24 March commencing at the revised time of 6:30pm in the MD Hall. Choc-tops and popcorn will be provided.

Thank you to the following students, raising money for Project Compassion.  They have given up their time at recess and lunch to do this.  This week the Year 3 students have raised $88.85.  Well done to Chloe Copson, Abby Mannion, Ivy Powell, Khloe Jorgenson, Scarlett Raschilla and Eoin Vaughan.  We thank you for the support given to these students.

Enjoy the next couple of weeks in the countdown to Easter. 

Take care

Brad Colquhoun - Principal

Saints Feast Days

This week we have celebrated two Saints feast days. On Wednesday 17 March St Patrick was acknowledged in our classes. St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century.

Chloe Nightingale 6G                                                            Grace Docherty 6B

On Friday 19 March the whole school celebrated a mass in recognising St Joseph. Father Richard officiated at the mass in our Monsignor Downey Hall. Pope Francis has declared this year the “Year of St Joseph” (December 2020-December 2021). Joseph was a carpenter, a good and honest man, who God called to care for Mary and her baby Jesus. Joseph was a faithful and trusting servant of God who wanted to do what was asked of him. We can learn from Joseph to listen to what God asks of us and become faith-filled servants caring for those in need.

Annunciation of the Lord

The Annunciation is when Mary received news which changed the whole world. The Angel Gabriel came to her and said, “God has especially chosen you. He has a plan and needs you for it.” Of course, Mary was scared but still said “Yes”. Take some time to reflect on this thought:  You receive an SMS with the news: “Arriving Friday, 24.12, around midnight. Can someone come and pick me up? Thanks, Jesus.” What would you do? 

Project Compassion / Mini Vinnies 

Our Year 5 Mini Vinnies Group are holding a “longest coin line” fundraiser to help raise money for our Lenten appeal. Posters around the school are promoting this. If you or your child has any coins to spare, please bring in to fill the class Project Compassion boxes. Anything you can donate will certainly help.

Fifth Week of Lent

(school week beginning 22 March)

Halima is raising her two children in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, while caring for her mother who has a disability. Widowed at 21, Halima fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, arriving at the camp with nothing.

Caritas Australia, through Caritas Bangladesh, helped Halima with shelter, cooking equipment, hygiene and sanitation training. She took on the role of community trainer herself, organising of her family and the cleanliness of the camp community. the cleaning of washrooms, wells and toilets.  

Halima aspired to “Be More” and is proud that she is able to earn a small income, while maintaining the health 

• In the Cox’s Bazar district, women and children make up 78% of the total refugee population where 52% of children are aged 0-17. (UNHCR)

Watch a short film about Halima’s story here. 

 “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

Parent Sacramental Movie Evening

On Wednesday 24 March we welcome our Confirmation parents to the Monsignor Downey Hall. The evening is a short information session, followed by a movie and reflection. The movie is titled “The Shack” and a number of themes will be explored within it. We look forward to meeting with parents/carers at 6:30pm.

 

HOLY WEEK / EASTER MASSES

Congratulations to the following students:

Principal's Awards

1G - Amelie Andary, Maxwell Hammet, Archer Morrisey, Oliver Park, Xavier Switaj-Zwolinski

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Award 

1B - Kai Beverley

1G - Lennox Elliott, Sebastian McIndoe

2B - Ollie Stewart

2G - Finn Conway, Jack Cram

3B - Nate Elliott x 2

4B - Ashton Cooper, Kaitlin Cram

4G - Massimo Casarotto x 2

5G - Zaria Nguyen, Isaac Tasca

6B - Bowen Bates x 2

6G - Phoenix Miller

School Medallion

3G - Aidan Conway, Harper Harrison, Rosalie Larkin 

4B - Hugo Immens

4G - Taj Bloom, Lavinia McLuskey, Leah Petch

5B - Wintah Breakspear

5G - Zaria Nguyen

6G - Thomas Immens

On Monday 29 March, students from Years 5 and 6 will be attending the Da Vinci Decathlon. The students will compete in ten disciplines:

• Mathematics – problem solving, number patterns and logic puzzles
• English – spelling, word origins, definitions, textual analysis and writing tasks
• Science – engage with higher level scientific concepts and application
• Code Breaking – decipher complex, mysterious codes
• Engineering Challenge – a design task that tests problem solving skills, creativity
• and ingenuity
• Ideation – unleashing your skills of creativity, critical problem solving, collaboration and communication to solve real-world problems
• Creative Producers – create and perform a 60 second drama or 30 second commercial to promote a product
• Art and Poetry – develop an original poem and a connected art work on a given theme
• Cartography – interpret spatial information, decipher and create imaginative maps
• Legacy Task – honouring significant people, inventions and events from the past and the present. 

We wish Lauren Foster, Lauren Miller, Alicia Rohoseink, Tobias Fielding, Aiden Heaton, Payten Sims, Cameron Ritz, Sophia Gualtieri, Chloe Nightingale, Quito-Munoz Letham, Maricar Santillan, Isaac Ayers, Ben Harris, Hamish Dorney, Jensen Curbison all the best in preparation for Da Vinci.

Mrs Christine Perre - Middle Leader

SPLICED (Strengthening Potential through Learning in Interactive Challenging Environments) is an initiative organised by the Catholic Education Office.

This years theme is “The Power of the Imaginative Mind: Exploring Possibilities through Multidimensional Thinking”. The unit is a Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking process and can include engagement in a broad selection of Key Learning Areas such as Mathematics, History, Religious Education, English, Science and The Arts. 

We have several students involved this year: Dylan Fang, Isabella Masters, Talon Mayo, Sabina Santillan, Claude Vincent, Niamh Conway, Quito Munoz Letham. 

We would like to wish them all the best in their learning and encourage them to challenge themselves and think critically and creatively. 

Mrs Christine Perre - Middle Leader

Angolo Italiano

Buona gornata! Take a look at snap shots of students work in Italian this week.  Ottimo lavoro! 

Signora Disibio

Leader of Languages - Italian

Are you aware that our school newsletter can be translated into over 100 different languages?  Simply select the language from the drop down menu. (See screen capture below). You may find this tool helpful or you may know of someone who would benefit; please let them know.  

The Council of Catholic School Parents (NSW/ACT) has joined with the eSafety Commissioner to present two free webinars for parents and carers in late March 2021.

The webinars are:

• Helping kids thrive online (for parents/carers of 5-12 year olds)
• Tech, teens and time online (for parents/carers of 12-18 year olds).

Both are free but registration is required. Additional Information can be located in the attched flyers or via the weblink.https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/webinar.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Online Training offers free eLearning courses in the areas of:

ADHD, Autism, Learning Theory and Working in Partnership

Should you be interested in completing any of these courses, please click on the link below for more details.

https://aus.oltinternational.net/free-short-courses

Michelle Lace - Diverse Learning Support