Dear Parents and Carers,

It feels very apt to pause and reflect on Mary’s life in the year we celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in Australia. Whilst Mary did not begin Catholic schooling in Australia her input was immeasurable. She recognised the fact that many children could not access this education for financial reasons and felt strongly that God’s love needed to be shared with all. She felt so strongly about this issue that she initiated a battle which would eventually enable many Australian children to access Catholic Education and in doing this also gave them a chance for a stronger relationship with their God. To fulfill her plan, Mary surrounded herself with like-minded people who could assist with the workload. This was how the religious order, The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, first came to be. Many of our own Diocesan Schools were started by this same order, and today we are blessed to have the continued support of these sisters in three of our schools. Mary saw a need and, with much courage, acted on it. She did not do this alone, but with the assistance and collaboration of many others.

Mary’s journey was not trouble-free. She fought many battles along the way and her faith was continually tested as she walked a path that upset many. Throughout this time and with these challenges she showed resilience and continued to fight for what she believed was right. She modelled being faith-filled for us as she lived by the mantra, “Do all you can with the means at your disposal and calmly leave the rest to God.” (1891) We learn from Mary how to stay true to our convictions, work hard for what we believe to be right and show resilience when obstacles are thrown our way.  Mary modelled reaching out to those who were vulnerable and/or marginalised.  This is a timely reminder for us as we live through the challenges that COVID-19 continues to bring.

ST MARY OF THE CROSS

you faced difficult times with a heart filled with trust,
always believing in the watchful presence of God.
Walk with us now in this difficult time,
and may we be for others,
examples of confident hope and trust.

NOVENA FOR A WORLD IN NEED

Parents and carers are invited to join with our staff to pause during the next seven days and pray with Confident trust through the intercession of Mary MacKillop for our world that is very much in need of healing.

https://marymackillopparish.org.au/images/articles/Mary_MacKillop_Novena.pdf

NSW GOVERNMENT AND HEALTH RESTRICTIONS

We urge everyone to continue to follow the advice from the NSW Government and NSW Health regarding Stay-at-Home orders and restrictions in keeping all members of our community safe and well. As COVID-19 case numbers continue to be high across Greater Sydney, the NSW Government and NSW Health continue to reinforce the message that we all must stay at home if we can.

We understand how difficult it can be to manage working from home as well as supervising your child’s learning, however we are requesting your support to limit the risk of COVID-19 by having your child learn from home, rather than school, unless you absolutely have no other option.

Our school must continue to implement the directives from both NSW Government and NSW Health. This includes restrictions to the number of staff on site each day. As you know, we have implemented a weekly form to register attendance. The link for the coming week is sent via Compass to all parents on Thursday. Unfortunately, the information is not an accurate reflection of the number of students attending each day and complicates our ability to ensure adequate supervision. Please ensure you register your child’s attendance in advance for any day they are expected to attend. The form can be resubmitted if circumstances change. It is an extremely difficult and challenging time. I thank the staff, students and parents and carers who have been working together in a supportive and respectful way to ensure the safety of all in our school community.

Please do not hesitate to make contact to discuss your personal circumstances related to school attendance.

WHO’S THAT CUTIE – WEEK 5

Don’t forget to test out your skills as a family and see how many teachers you can match to their childhood photos?

The competition can be accessed via the following link:

Competition Link

The first family with all the correct answers (or the most correct answers) will be the lucky recipients of a $30.00 gift card.

Entries close on Friday 13 August at 3:00 pm. 

The winner will be announced in the Week 6 Newsletter. 

Thank you to our Year 5 teachers for organising this wonderful initiative.

Tina Murray

Principal