LENT

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. The reason Lent lasts for 40 days is that 40 is the traditional number of judgement and spiritual testing in the Bible (Ex 24:18) and bears a relationship to the 40 days Christ spent fasting in the dessert (Mt 4:1-11). Catholics imitate Christ by spending 40 days in spiritual discipline before the celebration of Christ’s triumph over sin and death.

Sadly, penance is unpopular in our modern world. Maybe because we don’t think we have any sins over which we need to repent. Nevertheless, penance is important to the spiritual life and Lent is the opportune time to practice it.

So, what is penance?

Simple penance is the recognition of the seriousness of everyday sins like anger, insults and pride. It is interior contrition of heart displayed through outward actions. Penance during Lent allows us the opportunity to restore the broken relationship with Jesus.

Lord,

Teach me to be free.

Free to reject comparing

And to embrace myself.

Free to not be greedy

And expect love.

Free to show self-control

And to not be selfish.

Free to focus

And focus on the needs of others. Free to not worry what others think

And to welcome grace.

Opening School Mass

Tuesday the 23rd February 2021

12 pm

We are celebrating our whole school Opening Mass on Tuesday 23^rd February, 2021 at 12pm. Our Year 6 leaders will be inducted at this mass.

If you are a Year 6 parent and you will not have a family member attending the mass, could you please let the school know so a staff member can be with your child during the badge ceremony.

A reminder to all parents entering the church to comply with Covid regulations by scanning the QR codes on your way into the church.

All students attend this Mass and parents and carers are warmly invited to attend.

The following students have been chosen to read at our Opening School Mass on Tuesday the 23rd of February:

Welcome - Layla Player, Indi Loudon

First Reading - Sarah Pettit

Response - Cate Curry

Prayers of the Faithful - Billy Pettit, Caitlin Parker, Rose Hague, Hannah Pike, Beth Sturgess, Finn Brown and Charlie Hague

Alter Servers - Bodhi Cattle and Hugo Harper

If your child is not available please contact Mrs Haworth or the school office so a replacement can be arranged.

This year St Mary’s has implemented a new English program called InitiaLit in Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2. This program is fully supported and funded by the Canberra Goulburn Catholic Education’s Catalyst initiative. InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit is a three-year program, covering the first three years of school.

InitiaLit has been developed from the same company that designed MacLit (years 3-6) and MiniLit (years K-2), which are the two programs that St Mary’s has been using for remedial literacy education.  While these two programs have been designed to be implemented in small group settings, InitiaLit has been built to teach to the entire class. The aim is provide strong foundations in reading and writing from the outset, which should lead to fewer children falling behind and requiring intensive intervention in the future.

The InitiaLit program overview can be found here and as always, if you require additional information about activities happening in the classroom please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.

Cyber Safety Workshop for 5/6 Parents

Technology is changing rapidly and St Mary’s is committed to ensuring ongoing support to our parents and carers to keep their children safe when online.

We will be hosting a Cyber Safety workshop for our Year 5 & 6 parents to attend WITH THEIR CHILD/REN on Monday 15^th March from 5.00 - 6.30pm in the school hall.

The evening will be facilitated by the Canberra/Goulburn Child Protection Officer Mr Lachlan Ellis. Lachlan will also work with the Year 5/6 students on Tuesday morning 16^th March at school.

We strongly recommend that parents/ carers attend this  workshop on Monday 15th March in the evening.

Save the date for this event and we will keep you updated in the meantime.

eSafety Webinars for Parents and Carers

The eSafety commission is running free webinars for parents and carers at lunchtimes (12:30-1:30pm) and in the evenings 7:30-8.30pm on various dates.

Currently running: “Parents guide to cyberbullying and online drama”

For available dates and to register go to:

    

Parents of Kinder students are reminded that there is one more rest day - Wednesday the 24th of February.

We look forward to seeing our Kinders every day of the week, starting in Week 6.

• Life Education Visit - Kinder to Year 6 -  Please complete the form and payment in QKR! OR complete the form at this link and send the $12 to the school office.

• Walking Permission Note - All Years - Please complete the online form at this link.  A new form is required for each student every year.

Happy Birthday to

Abigail Sturgess, Adalia Chantrill and Bella Alchin

who celebrate their birthdays in the coming week.

We hope you enjoy your special day.

Weekly Assembly

Western Region Swimming

Monday 15^th February saw 12 schools from our region come together at Holland Park Swimming Pool. The Day was an absolute success with all students participating with amazing sportsmanship and a number of records were broken by some sensational swimmers.

The Western Region Carnival would not have happened without the help from so many people. A lot of work goes on to make sure that days like these run smoothly. We would like to personally thank the following people for contributing to a successful carnival: 

• West Wyalong Swim Club for the hire of their dolphin timekeepers and the assistance of Alison Seaman throughout the day.
• Lyn Bathgate from McAuley Tumut Primary School for helping orchestrate the whole Western Region Carnival.
• Mike and Lorna Donnelly who volunteered their time so generously to help Marshall and start the day.
• Mark Lake for starting our races on the day.
• Angus Westaway who had the hardest job of the day as our stroke judge. Thank you for making the tough decisions.
• The Holland Park Swimming Facility. Nothing was too much, and all staff were extremely happy to help.
• St Mary’s staff members for setting up on the Sunday in their own time and helping with whatever task they were given.
• Angela Scott for her sensational vocal skills as the announcer of the day.
• Jules Ramsay and Sue Buttenshaw for all your efforts in ordering trophies and helping organise the day.
• Grant Pettit for the supply of his crystal-clear sound system.
• St Mary’s P and F for all your hard work in providing and organising the canteen for the day. You provided an amazing array of food for the spectators and competitors throughout the day.
• Parents who volunteered their time throughout the day whether it be serving in the canteen or timekeeping.

Lastly thank you to the children for their participation and behaviour throughout the day.

Wishing all of the swimmers well for next Monday as they go to the Archdiocese Carnival in Narooma.

Jacqui Cuthbertson

The following events are in next weeks calendar.

To see the school's full calender check out the SZApp or our website.