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Dear Parents, Students, Friends and Family
Building a Community
As we watch the changes on the construction site as the church building grows I reflect on a conversation with Fr Denis this week.
We were chatting about the building work and the excitement of a church for St Thomas.
Fr Denis explained the work that had been done with the parish over many years to speak into the design, layout and theme of the building. He spoke a very important truth - the church of St Thomas the Apostle Parish is already in existence - it is the people! The building is where those people will gather in the future.
In the same way we are building our learning community. The school began in buildings at St Agatha's before the construction here was ready for the staff and students to move in. Thus the learning community began before the building.
The work of community building is never finished when a building is completed. We need to continue to build our learning community here. This work has been very much our focus this term and unlike a construction site it is not big and obvious. There are no cranes, whistles, trucks or nail guns in our building of learning culture.
Instead we use discussions, data, active listening and conversations about accountability and professional learning. We engaged the children in conversations about what they are learning, how they know they have learned it and how they will know what to learn next. These questions are supported by a knowledgeable teacher - not a know-it-all; instead an adult who is passionate about learning, knows the curriculum and learning progressions (the design plan) and then work together to prepare learning opportunities.
This work, unlike a building, never stops. It is an infinite game in which teachers will continue to work toward improved practice. The players in the team change, new players come and others leave or grow through and yet the passion for learning continues to drive all in the game.
I have been blessed in the past week with the opportunity to work with the Year 3 community. On one morning as a class teacher (thanks 3A - you made my month!) and then again with the sacrament of Reconciliation. I have been able to witness the strong learning culture in this space, to listen to children tell me about how they learn in their space, why they have particular practices and what supports their learning. I saw the love and connection of the children with their parents and the vibrant parish of St Thomas the Apostle.
Thank you to the wonderful parents who share this game with us. Your participation in our school is invaluable as you are the first and most important teacher of your children. We appreciate your part in building our learning community and are thankful you are here with us.
Kind regards,
Kate
Caritas – Project Compassion boxes are due back
Jericho Mass – Peace for All
This week’s Mass in the Jericho Community (Year 6) focused on the theme of Peace. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Jericho students wrestled with the bar being raised by Jesus (once again). Jesus put it to us that we should not just follow the ‘ten commandments’, but we should think a little more deeply. The Pharisees and Law experts of Jesus’ time would focus on what was written and passed down e.g. thou shalt not kill etc. We know that this behaviour bothered Jesus, as it comes up often in the Gospels! The Ten Commandments provide a great base level of morality but Jesus had more to say on what it means to live in peace. Jesus said that even calling people names meant that you were not contributing to peace.
When we take the concept of peace and put it in a global sense, we recognise that it is sorely needed right now in Eastern Europe. But Jesus wanted us to know that peace isn’t just the absence of fighting or avoiding the ‘big ten’. True peace happens when we actively forgive, understand and love our neighbour. Let’s pray for this idea to spread.
Reconciliation – The Gift That Just Keeps Giving
Congratulations to all of the First Reconciliation candidates who have, just this week, celebrated their sacrament. As Father Denis reminds us, it is a gift that just keeps giving! Whilst Baptism and Confirmation are launching pad sacraments that you celebrate once, Eucharist and Reconciliation are ongoing. We are offered the chance to heal our relationship with God all the time.
Confirmation & First Communion 2022
Now that the Reconciliation program is finished, we would like to advertise the remaining Sacramental Programs for this year. Before a sacrament program begins, the Parish needs to know who to communicate with, in regard to Enrolment, Information Nights, Workshops and details of celebrations. Near the end of each school year, we send out a form to collect this information so we are prepared for the following sacramental year. However, we acknowledge that there are new families to the Parish who may not have had this opportunity, or there may be families who missed this information for whatever reason. Here is your chance to catch up…
If you have not completed the Sacrament Intention 2022 form at the end of last year, for Confirmation or First Communion but wish to jump on board, you will need to click on this link and complete the online form… https://forms.gle/C9EwJSZigSA2eiYC8
Before you proceed with any sacrament, please be advised that you need to have relevant documents ready, in order to enrol. For instance, if you wish to enrol your child into Confirmation, you will need to have your Baptism, First Reconciliation and First Communion certificates. When you enrol, copies of these documents will be asked for by the Parish.
Please note the dates below for Confirmation and First Communion later this year:
Date |
Event |
Time |
10 May |
Information Night 1 |
7pm |
14/15 May |
Enrolment Masses |
|
17 May |
Information Night 2 |
7pm |
12/21 May |
Enrolment Masses |
|
7 June |
Parent/Child Workshop 1 |
7pm |
8 June |
Parent/Child Workshop 2 |
7pm |
16 August |
Retreat Day |
|
10 & 17 August 13 August (catechism group) |
Preparatory Reconciliation |
|
20 August |
Confirmation Masses |
11am 2pm |
First Holy Communion
Date |
Event |
|
19 July |
Information Night 1 |
7pm |
23/24 July |
Enrolment Masses |
|
26 July |
Information Night 2 |
7pm |
30/31 July |
Enrolment Masses |
|
9 August |
Parent/Child Workshop 1 |
7pm |
10 August |
Parent/Child Workshop 2 |
7pm |
7 September 3 September (catechism group) |
Preparatory Reconciliation |
|
10 & 11 September |
First Holy Communion Masses |
6pm 9am 10:45am |
17 & 18 September |
First Holy Communion Masses |
6pm 9am 10:45am |
Illness
Dear Parents
If your child is unwell, has a fever, a runny nose or any other associated symptoms , they must stay at home until they are well.
If your child has been vomiting or has had gastroenteritis, they must stay at home until they are symptom free for 24 hours.
LOST PROPERTY
There are a number of items in the lost property box. If your child is missing their jumper/jacket/hat/water bottle, please remind them to check the lost property box for the missing items.
Second Hand Uniform Sale