Term 3 Week 6
Our Year 4 children and families have been celebrating the Sacrament of First Eucharist these past two weeks. The St Augustine church was full with family, friends, staff and parishioners as we all celebrated together and welcomed the children fully into the mass by receiving the Eucharist for the first time. It has been a special two weeks with three more Sundays to go. We congratulate all the children who have received their First Eucharist and pray for those who will celebrate the sacrament in the coming weeks.
The school is all abuzz with talk about the Fun Run on the 7th September. They have all taken home the information letter and booklet. It is a day very similar to a lapathon but with an exciting twist. The children will be running laps of the yard but also moving through fun inflatables with lots of prizes on offer! The idea is that each child asks friends and family to sponsor them to run these laps. Sponsoring a whole amount rather than per lap is advisable. All money is collected online. Be sure to follow the instructions on the letter sent home on Tuesday. Children also have the opportunity to choose prizes depending on how much they raise. All children will participate regardless of whether they have sponsors or not. The money raised will contribute to the installation of new football goals on the oval and seating on the top oval for the children.
Thank you to the Parents Auxiliary and Emma Antonius for organising the Tony’s Pie orders. There are a number of families who will be enjoying this delicious food for dinner! Collection of these orders is this Friday. Head to the ‘Parents Auxiliary’ page of the newsletter for information about lunch orders, Bunnings BBQ and the school Fun Run.
It was great to see a number of our parents attend the volunteer induction program. As we invite more parents back into the classroom as helpers it is essential that we run these courses. They assist with knowing how to work with the students and teachers and continue to strengthen our partnership with each other.
Next week we celebrate Book Week. On Tuesday the children will participate in a book week parade. The children are able to come to school dressed as a book character. They are all excited as they organise these costumes and think of the book to represent. The parade will be at 9am on the basketball court. Families are welcome to attend. This event is weather dependant.
We also celebrate St Augustine’s Day next Friday the 26th August. The actual feast day is August 28th. The Year 5/6 student leaders have organised many activities for the day. Children are to wear sports uniform on this day.
On Friday the 5th August the staff spent a wonderful Faith Development Day with Fr Elio Capra exploring, “What makes a Catholic School and the Mission of the Catholic School.” After two years of home schooling and the challenge of the pandemic it was fitting to have the opportunity to gather as St Augustine’s Catholic staff to pray, learn, and dialogue with each other. Fr Elio took us on a journey as Catholic Educators in the important role we have in the lives of each other, the students, parents, and the community. He explored with us the five pillars of our Catholic Identity: Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, the Church, Prayer and Sacraments and Service and Mission. The challenge of the day, ‘What do we need to do to further enhance our Catholic Identity?’, was met with enthusiasm. We felt a sense of pride in acknowledging that we were already doing many things but were open to even more ways of enhancing our identity. An example is when Fr Elio reminded us of the importance of Gospel stories and their message in today’s society. The staff have begun implemented each Friday, ‘The challenge of the Sunday Gospel.’ We are grateful for our day and give thanks to Fr Elio in the way he led and deepened our knowledge, gently challenged us and also made us laugh.
Every year Catholic schools participate in MACSSIS surveys: Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. The staff, eighty parents and years 3-6 will participate in these surveys starting on the 29th August. These surveys are a tool where we can collect, analyse and interpret data to inform us on our school improvement. This data tells us about what different people in the school community think and feel about their learning environment. It is a valuable way to reflect on the year and set future improvement goals. Eighty families have been chosen at random to participate. If you are a lucky chosen one, I ask that you spend the time to participate and help us with our continued improvement.
We have had a few cases of Hand Foot Mouth Virus reported to the school, particularly in the prep area. There is no connection between this virus and the foot and mouth disease that affects cattle and some other animals. Please see your doctor if your child is feeling unwell.
Cathy
