Dear Parents and Carers,

Our school is a systemic Catholic primary school within the Diocese of Wollongong. As a system of schools, Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) strives to create vibrant Catholic communities of faith and learning and believes this is best achieved when there is a genuine partnership between home and school.

The Lighting the Way Together Parent-School Partnership Framework has been developed to support the creation and maintenance of this partnership. It outlines for parents' and schools the principles and expectations of the parent-school partnership so that together we can create:

• identifiably Catholic communities, inspired by the person and teaching of Jesus Christ, where all strive to act with hope, integrity, justice and compassion; and
• effective schools which enhance student learning and wellbeing.

In choosing a Catholic systemic school in the Diocese of Wollongong, parents enter into a partnership with the school.

In this partnership, the responsibility for a child's learning, wellbeing and faith development is shared, with parents as the first and primary educators of their child, and the school community. It is a collaborative relationship between home and school, working towards a shared vision.

The framework includes the following five Partnership Principles for parents and schools.

• Authentic Catholicity — Co-creating a Catholic Community.
• Respectful Relationships — Building positive relationships of respect, trust and resilience.
• Supportive Environment — Maintaining a safe, supportive and respectful school environment.
• Connected Community — Creating a connected and welcoming community.
• Active Engagement — Supporting engagement in learning and wellbeing.

To foster an understanding of each principle and together with the expectations of all stakeholders, I intend to have a focus on one of the five principles over consecutive newsletters. The first principle, Authentic Catholicity — Co-creating a Catholic Community, is focused on valuing and respecting our identity and traditions as a community, highlighting;

• the Catholic identity of the school as a community centred on Jesus Christ.
• its connection to the parish community and the wider community of the Diocese of Wollongong.
• the expression of its tradition through prayer, liturgy and Catholic beliefs
  and teachings.
• Being welcoming, inclusive and compassionate.
• Respecting the dignity of all.
• Acknowledging that the wellbeing of the individual is balanced with the common good.
• Living the Catholic faith through the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
  Supporting social justice initiatives that give witness to the Catholic faith in action.

Thank you for your continued support and ongoing commitment to our school community.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Heffernan
Principal

SACRAMENTS – FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

The program for First Holy Communion has now commenced. All children enrolled in the program should have received their booklet and commenced their weekly lessons. Due to Covid-19, the program is being run a little different and so it is very important that parents are working through the booklets with their children. A reminder that books will be handed in prior to the children making the sacrament.

SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY – Sunday 30th August 2020

The celebration of Social Justice Sunday is a long tradition in the Catholic Church in Australia. It is celebrated on the last Sunday in August. For almost every year since 1940 our bishops have joined together to issue a major social justice statement that invites us all to engage in reflection and action throughout the whole year. This year the theme is To Live Life to the Full: Mental Health in Australia Today

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the mental health of many members of our parishes, schools and communities. In fact, most of us will experience a mental health problem at some point over the course of our lives. Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who need our support. Our parishes, organisations and communities can be places of acceptance care and healing, not places of rejection, judgment or stigma. The Bishops invite us all to reject stigmatisation, to work for the transformation of social determinants of mental ill-health and to call for policies and service provision that meets the needs of the poorest and most marginalised members of our community. The statement is aimed at inspiring reflection and action for the following 12 months, is now available as a free download at the Social Justice Website: www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au 

We are encouraged to follow Jesus by “drawing near to those who are experiencing mental ill-health” and acknowledging that “they are members of the Body of Christ - ‘they’ are part of ‘us’!” Let us reach out to them with care, faith and hope.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CREATION – 1st September

From September to October each year, the Christian community celebrates the Season of Creation by praying and acting together to protect our common home. During this time Catholics unite with others in the global family to pray and protect every creature in God’s beautifully complex web of creation. The theme of this year’s Season of Creation celebration is “Jubilee for Earth”. The Season of Creation begins on September 1st, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Pope Francis in calling us to an ecological conversion says that,
“The annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation offers to individual believers and to the community a precious opportunity to renew our personal participation in this vocation to be custodians of creation.”

On September 1st, we raise to God our thanks for the marvellous works that have been entrusted to our care, and we ask for God’s help as we take action to protect our planet and all of its creatures.

NATIVITY OF MARY – 8th September

Mary was born to be the mother of the Saviour of the world, the spiritual mother of all, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, Queen of heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too.

We rejoice in her birthday. Perhaps as a family, you could say Mary’s special prayer, the Hail Mary, on her special day.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you,
Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

Masses have resumed at normal times in our Parish but are limited to 100 parishioners at each mass. It is essential to register for weekend masses as we need to ensure that the maximum capacity is not exceeded. To register for mass please call or email the parish office. Alternatively, you are able to register your interest to go to mass at the following link:  https://www.dow.org.au/registration

Once your interest to register for mass is received by the parish office, you will need to wait for confirmation that you can attend the mass.

Don't forget that you can also participate in one or more of the many online Masses live-streamed throughout our diocese. Check out our diocesan website for all the links. 

ADULT SPIRITUALITY

“Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness”

In response to the current Covid-19 situation, a significant initiative has been developed by the Catholic Education Office CLEM (Catholic Life, Education and Mission) team for staff and parents to support our ongoing personal spiritual formation. It is a new podcast series entitled ‘Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness’. Ripples 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. New Episodes and Meditations are being added regularly. Practices like these create a ripple effect. They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, colleagues, to others in our world, to creation and to our loving God.

PRAYER INTENTIONS

We pray for all families in our school community who are in need of our prayers, as well as our country and world.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.
St John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Kylie Crowe
Religious Education Coordinator

PB4L is an evidence-based framework that emphasises school-wide systems of support for all students and staff. These include proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviours. Positive behaviour supports are implemented for all students, across all school settings, by all staff, at all times. This continuum of support ensures students’ academic and social outcomes.

All student behaviour expectations are founded on our three school rules that are: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe.

Congratulations to the students who have already completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). This Friday 28 August is the final date that student reading records can be entered online. Please finalise entries as early as possible to avoid possible congestion with the PRC website. 

To access your child’s reading log, login to the PRC Student Site.

Mathematics Enrichment Groups

Students from Years 4-6 are enjoying participating in Mathematics Enrichment Groups. These groups provide the students with the opportunity to challenge their thinking, explain their understanding and question their peers. 

The students work together to explore and investigate a range of mathematical problem-solving questions which require them to draw upon a range of knowledge and skills. All of the students involved are enjoying working with their peers and learning new ways to articulate their thinking. 

Artwork from our talented Year 5 and 6 students

To the following students who are celebrating their birthday in September — we wish you a very happy birthday and hope you have a great day.

Parent please note due to COVID restrictions — cakes, cupcakes, lollies and other foods must not be brought to school to be shared with other students.

Have you considered volunteering your time at the School Canteen? The Canteen is run by parents, carers, friends and volunteers, with all profits going back into the school.

The Canteen requires volunteer helpers for:

• Friday 04 September
• Thursday 17 September
• Thursday 24 September
• Thursday 22 October
• Thursday 29 October

If you are able to volunteer your time, please email Dana Norris norrisd02@dow.catholic.edu.au

Book Club - Issue 6 is currently available on the scholastic website  https://www.scholastic.com.au/media/5667/bc-620.pdf or via the LOOP app.

Friends, join in for a special LIVE Q&A this Daffodil Day!

​COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, especially for those affected by cancer. As organisations and governments respond there has been a flood of information to help people prepare and cope with the pandemic. But have all questions on COVID-19 and cancer been answered?

How has COVID-19 impacted cancer treatment? Are we likely to see cancer rates rise over the next few months due to delayed diagnosis? What issues are affecting cancer patients during the pandemic? 

This Daffodil Day, Friday 28 August at 1pm, we’re hosting a live panel discussion on Facebook and Instagram – featuring News.com.au Senior Editor Stephanie Bedo in conversation with our expert panel – to answer all your questions about cancer in the era of COVID-19.