From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents/Carers,
I’d like to welcome everyone back to the final term for 2023. Term 4 can be a challenging time as we are confronted by the many deadlines that run up to school finishing and that special date called Christmas. The focus needs to be keeping things in perspective and as calm as possible so that we enter the Christmas season with excitement and expectation rather than being overwhelmed with all the deadlines we are expected to meet as a school, as a community and personally.
Since COVID and the many wellbeing challenges that have surfaced after the event, as well as being mindful of the impact the above can have on families, the story I am about to share with you is all about “dancing in the rain”. I was fortunate enough to be reminded of this by a student and it continues to stay with me. When he finished Year Six in 2012, he and his mother gave me the following painting which has pride of place on the wall in my office. Sometimes we need to let go of the external factors that hold us back personally, or our school community, and instead:
“stop waiting for the storm to pass… it’s learning to dance in the rain.”
The message here for us is to ensure that our fears and worries don’t hold us back from experiencing life to the full, no matter whether it is at home, in the community or at school. My mind reflects back to John’s gospel (Jn 11:43-44) where Jesus is standing outside the tomb of Lazarus:
“When he had said this he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here. Come out!’
The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and
a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’
The tomb of Lazarus symbolises the oppressions and prisons in which people are held captive. Jesus comes to these tombs and demands that the chains fall away. Our students can also be bound in many prisons. These may include low self-esteem, sense of failure, in academic work, home tension or materialism.
I pray that we get our focus right in term four so that we stop being afraid of the thunder and go out and dance in the rain! For this to happen, individually we might reflect on our own freedoms and compulsions before the pressures begin to mount!
Principal Awards
Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal Award.
Nicholas Bright, Hugh Burke, Scarlett Garland, Archie Milne, Georgia Hobbs, Poppy Begovich, Isabella Tree-Wadley, Alexis Kenyon, Grace Tidy, Obinna Hampo, Monique Azzopardi, Isaac Nauta, Bianca Colusso, James Fitzpatrick.
2023 Diocese of Wollongong Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition
Congratulations
Congratulations to Anthony, (6 Faith) who was recently awarded first place in the Primary School Division of the Australian Native Plants, Animals and Pollinators Category in the 2023 MacArthur Nature Photography Competition at Wollondilly Council!
Anthony's entry was a photo of a water python he captured at Fogg Dam whilst holidaying in Darwin.
Student Wellbeing - Message from CEO
As always, the wellbeing of students and staff in our Catholic school communities is paramount. Recent events in Israel and Palestine are widely publicised across all media platforms, including Tik Tok and Instagram, and may cause distress and concern for our young people.
It is normal to have feelings of distress in response to these events and awareness of the impact of this information and images on our young people is important. If at any time, you are concerned about the explicit nature of any information your child, or the young people in your care are exposed to on social media platforms, please contact the e-safety commissioner website to report this. (Information regarding what constitutes inappropriate content, and ways to report this are available on the e-safety commissioner’s website.)
If you feel your child may require additional support at school, please contact your school.