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Dear Parents/Caregivers,
In last Sunday’s Gospel, Mark dealt with the Temptation of Jesus in the desert in just a couple of sentences. He gave no details of what temptations Jesus was subjected to - simply that he was tempted and that angels looked after him.
The passage comes directly after Jesus was baptised by John and the Spirit had come upon him. The Spirit who showed God’s favour now takes Jesus for a time into the wilderness. Here, apart from wild beasts and angels he is alone. We know the nature of the temptations from Matthew and Luke’s Gospels - basically, what did God’s favour resting on him actually mean? What was being the Chosen One of God going to require of him. In the silence of the desert, Jesus discerned the mission that lay before him.
Mark passes over the details to concentrate on the effect that the time in the desert had on Jesus. When John was imprisoned and silenced, Jesus took on the role of proclaiming the Good News - calling people to repent and to believe. The difference was that John had been prophesying an event waiting to happen - Jesus was however proclaiming something happening in the present. He was proclaiming a kingdom being built even as he spoke.
There is often a temptation to read any Gospel story as if it only existed as a record of a past event. This is never the case - and particularly at this time with this one. The Kingdom is not complete - it is being built even today. Jesus still calls people to repent - and to believe the Good News.
As we begin another Lent, this Gospel reminds us that no matter how many Lents we have lived through, the call is as urgent as it ever was. We have lived another year and become involved in many things which may have distracted our attention from our spiritual lives and our role in building God’s Kingdom on earth.
We are reminded of the call of Jesus - and invited to listen and to respond. Over the next few weeks, we can restore things to a proper balance between our spiritual and material lives and, hopefully, find that when the two are in harmony each benefits the other - we may know what it is to feel whole again.May Christ be our companion during our journey through this Lenten season the weeks ahead.
Tina Murray
Principal
GRATITUDE - Gratitude is extended to the many staff and parents who have generously donated items in support of our Breakfast Club.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRAVELLING HOME / PICK UP - If your child’s arrangements for travelling home change please ensure that this is communicated to the class teacher. This is especially important for our younger students.
PARENTS & FRIENDS - Many thanks to the parents who were able to attend our Parents & Friends Zoom AGM last night. It was wonderful to see a number of new parents in attendance. This is a great testament of putting into practice the commitment made during the enrolment process.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the members of the outgoing committee for their energy, positivity and tireless efforts in helping to build community spirit in during extremely challenging circumstances in 2020. Thank you to all members of the outgoing P & F Executive: Alexandra Zelada (President), Kerry Watson (Vice President), Christine Bampton (Treasurer) and Heather Thomas (Secretary). We are grateful for their hard work and commitment during 2020.
I look forward to the opportunity of working with the members of the new P&F Executive, as we continue to work together to promote our school and our mission to support the opportunities for all our students at Mary Immaculate.
Congratulations to all the parents who accepted nominations and leadership roles in this vital group within our school community for 2021.
- President – Lorraine Brown
- Vice President – Awaiting the results of an online vote
- Treasurer – Chris Thomas
- Hospitality Committee Members - Christine Manestar, Maryanne Thompson, Corinne Argent
- Fundraising Committee Members - Christine Manestar, Maryanne Thompson, Corinne Argent, Helena Lasan
The positions of Secretary , Hospitality Co-ordinator and Fundraising Co-ordinator were not able to be filled at last night’s meeting and we are seeking support from the wider parent community from anyone who may be interested in assuming any of these roles. Please contact Mrs Murray to discuss further.
DOGS IN SCHOOL GROUNDS - In the interests of safety all parents are reminded that dogs are not allowed on school grounds. The school recognises that even well-behaved dogs can behave unpredictably when placed in an unfamiliar, busy, noisy and crowded school environment and that this can lead to unexpected behaviour in even the best-behaved pet. Children can also behave unpredictably when in the presence of dogs especially where they are not used to being with them. The NSW Companion Animals Act 1998 states dogs are prohibited in some public places. Section 14 (e) of the Act specifically refers to schools and states that this applies to dogs whether they are leashed or unleashed.
Tina Murray
Principal
I have included an excerpt from an article about 10 things to ask your child about their school day. Hopefully it might be a good way of getting your children talking and give you more insight into their day.
Have you been asking your child everyday “how was school?” and getting the response “good” or “can’t remember”?
- What was the best and worst part of your day?
- What did you do in Science today (art, music etc.)?
- What subject did you enjoy the most today? Why?
- Who made you smile today?
- What was the funniest thing that happened today?
- Did you find anything hard today?
- What games did you play at lunch / recess?
- What did you learn today?
- What’s the nicest thing you did for someone today?
- What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
All of these questions are great conversation starters to help give you more information about your child’s day. Don’t ask every question everyday, just pick one or two and make sure you lead by example and get them to ask you questions too.
A cute little way to get the family involved is to place all of the above questions into a box and ask everyone to pick one or two at dinner time, they then get to share the answer with everyone.
MRS LILLIAN DEL GIUDICE
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
1 Blue
Archie G – Doing Your Best – by being focussed and completing tasks to the best of your ability.
Sophie C – Compassion- through your kind and caring interaction with others in the classroom
1 Gold
Kobe N – Doing Your Best – striving hard to learn and follow One Gold classroom expectations
Gabrielle C – Celebration – congratulating her classmates on their achievements
1 Green
Helena D – Faith – through your reverent participation in prayer in the classroom
Misha O – Doing your Best – following the school rules and applying yourself to all learning tasks
2 Blue
Bradley G – Doing Your Best – Trying your best to follow instructions and to stay on task
Anna-Marie H – Doing Your Best – Trying your best to stay focused on task
2 Gold
Jackson B – Doing your Best – For a mature and settled start to Year 2
Savaiinaea-Rose I – Doing Your Best – Her enthusiasm and consistent focus during writing lessons
2 Green
Adam A – Leadership – being mature and responsible in leading Christian Meditation
Marisa M – Leadership – being a mature and responsible leader of meditation in 2 Green
3 Gold
Logan H – Faith – Reverence during Christian Meditation each day
Emily C – Faith – Reverence during Christian Meditation each day
3 Green
Kara V – Faith – Reverence during Christian Meditation
Nathaniel C – Faith – Reverence during Christian Meditation
4 Gold
Troy K – Leadership – Demonstrating a positive attitude to Learning by approaching his work promptly and enthusiastically
Chelsea D – Faith – Showing reverence during our morning prayer and guided meditation
4 Green
Antonia V – Stewardship – her interesting questions and contributions to class discussions around respecting all life
Isaac S – Doing your Best – trying hard to remain focussed and complete his writing tasks
4 Blue
Angelina T – Leadership – assisting in the classroom in her role as Executive Assistant
Ananya S – Stewardship – care of creation around her
5 Blue
Mia P – Doing Your Best – consistent effort during class tasks, a great start to Year 5
Presley H – Justice – for showing true gentleman qualities in lines and when entering the classroom
5 Gold
Katy E – Leadership – Picking up rubbish on the playground without being prompted to do so
Patrick F – Stewardship – for ensuring he does all he can to assist his peers when they are in need
5 Green
Paula M – Respect – showing respect by always listening to her teacher and doing her work
Adele B – Justice – speaking up about incidents on the playground
6 Gold
Jaiden M – Stewardship – Your attentiveness and care of our classroom environment
Carla B – Compassion – The way you have demonstrated inclusiveness for all in our classroom environment
6 Green
Amelia F – Compassion – Being a kind and supportive member of 6 Green
Jack B – Celebration – Displaying enthusiasm in your learning
Happy Birthday to the following children who will be celebrating their birthday this week:Congratulations to K Gold, the first class to earn a Gold Star for the year!! Many other classes are close, it is looking better this week! Again - a reminder of Library Days for each grade this week:
Thursday – Year 2
Friday – Year 4
Next week
Tuesday – Year 6
Wednesday – Kinder
Thursday – Year 1
Please remind your children to bring their Library Bags on the day of their lesson. A Library Bag is essential to protect the books while in transit, so they cannot borrow without a bag. We have already had one book damaged because it was returned to school in the school bag without being protected by the Library Bag. Library Bags can be purchased from the Second Hand Uniform Shop which is open each Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. or from the Office for $10.00. Thank you for your support in this matter.
Premiers' Reading Challenge - Even though we can’t register yet for the PRC you can start reading the books. It is an easy challenge – students in Years 3 - 6 only need to read 20 books from the PRC list, and students in K, 1 and 2 are required to read 30. The booklists are found at:
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
If you would like a record sheet it can be printed from the website, or the students can collect one from the Library at Lunch 2.
You can search our Library catalogue to see all the available books on the list – go to: oliver.dow.catholic.edu.au/miev, and type ‘premier’ in the search box. You can then select the required level, either K - 2, 3 - 4, or 5 - 6.
Read Aloud. Change the World.
Happy reading!
Mrs Susan Bryant - Teacher Librarian
Here at Mary Immaculate, we have been participating in NUDE FOOD DAY for several years. The aim of NUDE FOOD DAY is to encourage the MIEV Community (students and staff) to be mindful of the rubbish they produce and bring to school. The main type of rubbish found in our bins is PLASTIC but now that we have REDCycling bins, this should be reducing. Teachers are reminding students of the bins we have available and encouraging them to mindfully dispose of their rubbish.
As parents and carers, you have an important role to play regarding what students are bringing to school for crunch and sip, Lunch 1 and Lunch 2. We need your HELP to reinforce what we are teaching the students at school.
Each WEDNESDAY is NUDE FOOD DAY. Classes COUNT how many pieces of rubbish they bring to school and the 'winning' class, wins a prize!
When calculating how many pieces of rubbish a class has brought into school, they consider the following:
- only items that need to be put in the GENERAL WASTE bin are counted;
- soft plastics such as clip lock bags, cling wrap and chip / biscuit / muesli bar wrappers can all be put in the red REDCYCLING bin;
- non-citrus fruit scraps and vegetable scraps can go in the COMPOST bin;
- paper bags can go in the RECYCLING bin;
- poppers, milk cartons and milk bottles can all go in the RETURN and EARN containers on the playground.
The reward for having the least amount of rubbish is the coveted NUDE FOOD DAY TROPHY and the good feeling that comes with reducing the rubbish that we produce as a school.
Please discuss NUDE FOOD DAY (and disposing of rubbish responsibly) with your student regularly. Ask them what they know about it or how they reduce rubbish at school.
MT CARMEL CATHOLIC COLLEGE - VARROVILLE
INFORMATION EVENING
MONDAY 1 MARCH 2021 AT 7:00 P.M.
JOHN THERRY CATHOLIC COLLEGE - ROSEMEADOW
OPEN DAY
SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2021 FROM 11:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M.
MAGDALENE CATHOLIC COLLEGE - SMEATON GRANGE
OPEN DAY
PRE-REGISTRATION COMPULSORY
MONDAY 1 MARCH 2021 FROM:
3:45 P.M. TO 4:45 P.M. / 5:15 P.M. TO 6:15 P.M. /
6:45 P.M. TO 7:45 P.M.
OPEN DAY SHOW CASE
PRE-REGISTRATION COMPULSORY - BOOK IN ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE
WEDNESDAY 3 MARCH FROM 5:00 P.M. TO 7:00 P.M.
