Newsletter 30/10/2023 Term 4 Week 5

Our Prayer

From the Principal

Dear parents and carers,

Week 5 is upon us and we are beginning to plan for the many events that need to take place for the end of the school year. We would like to remind you that there is NO SCHOOL for students next Monday the 6th of November for a professional development day for staff and on Tuesday 7th of November for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

The Week Ahead

WELLBEING

CATHOLIC SCHOOL CULTURE

Who is God?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This is an enormous question and almost an impossible one to answer. Still, many people have formed some view of who or what God is – or isn’t – and whether this view has any relevance to their lives. When some people imagine God, they think of an old guy in the sky with a flowing white beard who is either a wisdom guru or a heavenly police officer directing the goings-on in the world. They often don’t find this image realistic or sensible, so they tend to discard God to the fantasy or “make believe” realm. To be honest, it’s not surprising people don’t believe in a God like this – most Catholics don’t either! God is so much more.

Some people really aren’t sure what they believe about God. They might not want to rule God out completely, but they’ve never really received a satisfactory answer to who or what God is and whether God is relevant to their lives. Having an ambivalent position about God will satisfy some people, but others might develop a genuine desire to know the truth about God.

Many people have a strong sense of the “spiritual” or “sacred” but wouldn’t call themselves “religious” or “God-believers”. This might be best summed up by the phrase, “I’m spiritual, but not religious”. So “Who do Catholics believe God is?” In a nutshell, there is one God who is the creator and source of all life. God has always been, always is and always will be; God exists outside of our understanding of time. God is not a “being” like any other “being”. God has always been spiritually present to the whole of creation. However, because of God’s great love for creation, God became physically present to us as a human being so we could experience God’s love in a tangible way.

This human being was named Jesus. Born in a Jewish world of a woman named Mary, Jesus lived an extraordinary life. He is our greatest means of understanding what God is like. Jesus’ actions and words were so powerful that they have been shared down through the centuries. Jesus’ values have shaped the lives of countless people. Jesus’ desire that we would love each other as he loved us is truly a call to the world.

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” C.S. Lewis

Reference:  The Catholic Enquiry Centre

Term 4 Friday Buddy Masses

All are welcome to attend the 9.30 Friday Mass at St. Patrick’s Church with their child’s class. 
The dates for this term are as follows:

Friday 3rd November 1M & 5/6S
Friday 10th November 2DS, 2B & 3/4HP
Friday 17th November 3/4D & 5/6MJ 

Kind regards,  Mr. S. 😃

Caritas Australia’s Gaza Crisis Appeal

An estimated 1 million people have been displaced in Gaza with immediate food, shelter, health, and psychosocial needs.

‘This is a period of incredible turmoil and sadness. The escalation of violence has only exacerbated needs for the people in Gaza and West Bank, who already live in dire conditions. We are working with our partners on the ground to provide comprehensive and critical support to over 17,000 families affected by this devastating conflict.’

Sally Thomas, Humanitarian Lead, Caritas Australia

With your support, we will be able to help our partners on the ground to assist people displaced and affected by the current conflict.

Please donate to Caritas Australia’s Gaza Crisis Appeal.

You can donate online www.caritas.org.au/gaza or phone 1800 024 413

Parish Bulletin

Poppy Appeal

LEADERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP

No Canteen This Wednesday

Please note the canteen will be closed this Wednesday the 1st November.

Please make sure you send lunch & snacks with your children on this day.

Uniform Review

The School Advisory Council are working very hard to ensure that the review of the school uniform is conducted openly and provides all community members with the opportunity to offer their thoughts. At this stage we are focusing on the items of clothing that will be made available and the colour scheme. To be done well, we anticipate that it will take 12 months to finalise the change and to make the new uniform available to families. A second survey will be sent shortly to gather further responses from parents, students and staff.

In previous newsletters we have encouraged you to source our current uniform as economically as you can prior to the change and to also attempt to have consistency around socks, shoes and the use of accessories when dressing your children. Thank you for all the feedback we have received during this difficult task.

Pupil Free Day 6th Nov and Public Holiday on the 7th

A reminder that our staff have an RE Professional Development day next Monday November 6th, no children will attend that day.  Tuesday the 7th is the Melbourne Cup public holiday. Enjoy the extra long weekend!

Lions Peace Project Winner

Congratulations to Halle Barake from Grade 6 who was awarded the winner of this years Lions Peace Project. Stephanie Flemming and Sophie McConachy were awarded equal second place.

Andy from the Camperdown Lions Club came to school this morning to present Halle, Steph and Sophie with their prizes!

Fruit

Parents & Carers, this is a friendly reminder to please send at least two pieces of fruit with your child to school each day.  

Schoolzine App

We have noticed on our records that quite a few parents have not subscribed to the SZApp.

The Schoolzine App is a vital way that we communicate with our parents.

If you do not have the app on your phone could you please ensure you download it as soon as convenient.

It will ask you for a passcode which is 2561.

Attached below are the instructions on how to download the app.

School fees

Just a reminder that we are three quarters of the way through the year!!  Our governing body is looking at our fee collection and will be asking questions about any fees that haven't either been paid, have a payment plan or signed paperwork, very soon.  It is a requirement by DOBCEL that all school fees are paid by the end of the year. If you haven't set up a payment plan yet or signed paperwork stating how you intend to pay, please contact the office ASAP.
If you need any assistance or have any questions please contact Tim or Debbie, thank you.

School student broadband initiative

The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) to provide free home internet for one year for up to 30,000 unconnected families with school aged students. 

Eligible families receive free home internet over the National Broadband Network for one year by selecting an offer from a participating internet provider.

Known Dates for Term 4

Building Program

We have finally completed all of the requirements for our building program for our new Senior School wing and tenders for the job were sent out to six building companies during the school holidays. These will now submit a quote for the job and once the contract is awarded, we will hopefully have action on the site at some stage in the second half of this term. 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Trivia Night

Our annual Trivia night is to be held on Friday the 10th November. Please save the date.

The cost of the night is $15 per person and the table numbers will be a maximum of 10 people.

If you can't get a table together and want to come as a single or  a double, you are more than welcome to come and join another table.  Start getting your teams organised for a fun night!    Please contact the office to book your table.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrate their birthday this week.

Tilly B, Amber N, Emma G, Jake L, Maddison L, Beau P, Charlotte P & Jewel W

Community Events

Understanding your child's ADHD

Please find below information regarding a 5 week online course available to parents

Bowls Club

MRC Car Raffle

Camperdown Community House

We have a heap of exciting events coming up for you at community house. Please click on the link below to see the details of each of these events.

Cricket Blast