Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It has become a regular practice when I prepare to write the newsletter for the week, to wait for some form of inspiration. Each week I am on the lookout for something to inspire the theme, but I have to admit I have struggled greatly this week. Perhaps this is because our normal school life has been so greatly disrupted and the special events that have become such a regular feature of my experience of School Masses / Liturgies, Excursions, Assemblies, Carnivals, special Open Days are no longer available. In some ways these ‘special events’ seem to make more obvious the distinctiveness and value of our community. Recent circumstances have forced me to ponder exactly what happens when we don’t have access to these 'special’ events? Could this mean that our experience of our community is less meaningful?

During the last few weeks the gospel passages have attempted to describe what the Kingdom of God is like. In last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus told three very short parables in an effort to describe the Kingdom of God. The first tells us about the hidden or buried treasure in the field, the second is the pearl of great price. The third is the parable of the net filled with all sorts of fish. In the first two stories individuals were willing to give all they had in order to own the valuable item. In the last parable the fisherman pulls up a full net, but he is forced to sort the haul in order to find what is valuable and what needs to be discarded. Ultimately, the message that was communicated through these parables was that the Kingdom of God is already ours. The treasure is already available to us and requires us to view all experiences in order to ascertain how they add or subtract value. More significantly, Jesus tells us that, "the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17.20). The Kingdom of God is in each of us; all we have to do is look within our daily lives and activities to find and experience it. Although special events help to reinforce just how special our community can be, the true value of our community lies in the moments of grace we experience on a daily basis.

Like the mustard seed, the Kingdom of God is sown within us. It is a buried and hidden treasure. It is up to us, with God’s help to find and nourish it. During these difficult and challenging times, we are being invited to look for and dig up this treasure and bring it out into the light of our own lives and the lives of others. This is certainly a challenge for all of us because once we find it we are called to share it with others, not keep it to ourselves. As we share our treasure with others, it doesn’t diminish or become smaller in any way; it grows and becomes even bigger to really bring about the Kingdom of God.

This coming week, may we each look for the signs of God’s Kingdom within ourselves and in those around you – it is there, just waiting to be discovered.

Tina Murray

Principal

LIBRARY STAIRS - We are so excited that the painting of our Library stairs has been completed. The beautiful artwork has been a great addition to our school environment and has stimulated many positive comments from the students.

SPECIALIST LESSONS - Each week students have access to specialist lessons delivered by Mrs Bryant (Library / English), Creative Arts-Drama (Mrs Potter), PE (Mr Simons) while their class teachers access Professional Planning Time (PPT). In order to support access to these strands during Semester 2 the time allocation has been changed from 40 minutes to 1 hour. This means that students will access the three specialist lessons on a rotational roster and will not be accessing each lesson each week.

Students are required to wear their Sport Uniform on the following days.

We are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of our P&F Association. Due to the restrictions and challenges presented by COVID-19, the decision made by the Executive Committee to focus on community building initiatives instead of fundraising is a positive reminder of the need to prioritise what is most important, in order to respond to current circumstances appropriately.

SCHOOL BANKING - Due to the current COVID-19 situation, student banking will not be available to students in Term 3 2020.

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CHILDREN’S DAY – Tuesday 4 August

To mark this special national event, we are planning to gather as a school community for a short assembly at the commencement of the day. This will take place on the Infants Grass Playground.

At this assembly we will raise the flags on our new school flagpoles for the very first time.

Due to COVID restrictions parents will not be able to be present but may wish to watch from along the Aquamarine Drive fence.

To celebrate this day our students are invited to wear mufti clothing reflecting the colours of the Australian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait flags on Tuesday 4 August. Please ensure appropriate, closed footwear is worn, especially if this is a nominated sport day.

We are very grateful to Mrs Grados for her leadership of this school celebration and for co-ordinating the classroom activities students will be accessing on the day.