Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Last weekend the Catholic faith community celebrated the great Feast of Pentecost. The word ‘pentecost’ means the fiftieth day. Pentecost was originally a Jewish feast that commemorated the day that God gave the people of Israel the Ten Commandments. This event took place fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt. 

As it so often happens in the scriptures, significant themes repeat. In this case, fifty days after God saves the chosen people from slavery in Egypt, they are given God’s law. These laws provided a framework for order during a time of great upheaval in the lives of the people and a structure for the society they were creating. The Ten Commandments defined them as a nation. The chosen people had a more important law, one by which they could structure not only their society, but their lives. This law was simple, direct and deep and was summarised again by Jesus in the gospels, when he told his followers to "love God and love your neighbour as yourself."

During the Pentecost described in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit descended upon the individual followers of Jesus as they were gathered together in Jerusalem. This gathering became the first Christian church. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles the gifts of courage, wisdom, understanding and knowledge and enabled them to commence the commission entrusted to them by Jesus at his Ascension. Jesus knew that they would need these gifts in order to go out to all the nations and spread the good news of his teachings. New believers in Jesus were baptised as they joined this church. They, along with the first followers of Jesus, shared life together, focusing on teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. They shared their belongings and ministered to one another so that no one was hungry or needy.

The church, planted on that first Pentecost, started small. The experience of the early Christians teaches us that numbers are not important. Money is not important. Buildings are not important. But enthusiasm is. Wherever people come to God in prayer, wherever compassion and caring is shared, wherever the love of Christ is proclaimed as the overriding and all-consuming purpose in life, God's Church exists. This is the embodiment of a Spirit-led church. Sometimes we can be led to believe that as long as we have a personal relationship with God, this is enough to sustain us. In fact, Pentecost is a vivid illustration of the truth found throughout Scripture, that as human beings we are called to live not alone, but within community. As such, the community of God’s people is central to God’s work in the world. This very concept was celebrated on Monday at the special Mass led by Bishop Brian to commemorate 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. We are extremely grateful to Mrs Del, Sr Colleen and our school captains Abigail and Aidan who were our Mary Immaculate representatives at this very important event.

The Feast of Pentecost invites and challenges us to consider our own participation in the fellowship, worship, and mission of the faith community that continues today. The church of Jesus Christ is a place where every single person matters, where every member can contribute to the mission of Jesus, because together we form the ‘body of Christ.’ Pentecost presents us with an opportunity to consider how we are living as a member of the community each day. It is a time that can inspire us to renew our commitment to use our own gifts to contribute to the mission of Jesus. 

I pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be more present in our lives and in the lives of our children and that through the sharing of these gifts we can as individuals and as a community contribute to the transforming of our world. The humanity of Christ can be manifested in the world through the lives of each of us. Such a transformation can take place in the here and now, within the context of our families and our communities and especially in the community here at Mary Immaculate as we continue to strive to make Christ Our Way and Life.

Mrs Tina Murray

Principal

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

As pedestrians, children can be easily distracted and are often too small to be seen by drivers. They may be unable to predict or identify dangers and can tend to act impulsively. We encourage all parents to talk with your child about safe behaviour on the footpath – it is not a safe place to play. Include discussion on the dangers of vehicles that may be entering or exiting driveways on their way to school. Until your child is at least eight years old, parents are encouraged to hold their  hand on the footpath. Up until at least 10 years old, please supervise your child very closely and hold their hand when crossing the road. If you cannot be with your child, perhaps organise for another trusted adult to accompany them. At the end of the school day children may be excited, distracted and tired and may not concentrate on road safety. 

At Mary Immaculate we are fortunate to have access to Jim, our School Crossing Supervisor. Parents are requested to take the extra time to use the crossing and refrain from crossing in the middle of the road or between cars, especially on Emerald Drive, which has a very active and potentially dangerous bus and kiss and drop zone. It is vitally important that our students establish safe habits at a very early age. These may be lifesaving habits that hold them in good stead later on when they are independent road users. The following video is a great resource regarding the use of the children’s crossing.