Dear Parents,

Next Friday we will be holding a welcome back to school BBQ for all the students. The cooking and serving will be done by staff from the school, the ELC and Kidz Biz. There is no cost to students. If you have a child that requires a chicken or vegetarian sausage can you please let your child’s teacher or the front office know by Wednesday 3 June.

For a number of years the school has had a policy of not being able to send in treats for fellow class members to celebrate a child’s birthday. This includes lollies, cakes, ice-creams etc. We have a number of children who have serious food allergies and we want to minimise the risk for these students. To support this the school has a nut aware policy and an allergy policy which, amongst other measures, attempt to prevent allergic reactions.  Both of these policies are on the school’s website.

Maths Problem

Congratulations to Selina Li for correctly answering last week’s problem. This week’s problem is below.

Selina and Jackson were doing a research project for science. They worked for 45 minutes and then took a twenty minute break. They then worked for another hour. If they finished at 8pm, what time did they start their research?

Year 6 Ink and 6 Charcoal Assembly

This week we have a special presentation from 6 Ink and 6 Charcoal who have put their creative minds to work and recorded a "Virtual Assembly" for everyone to enjoy.  Well done to all the students involved and to Miss Ceccato and Mr Roweth for pulling it together!  It is great to see that even though we cannot hold our weekly assemblies that we can share these special events with our whole school community.

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS

The Whole school focus theme for this year is: Be Just Like Jesus This term we will be focusing on: Think Like Jesus: Jesus’ character and the way he lived offers excellent examples of ways we can copy him. We can do this by doing our best to live peacefully with others, study the scriptures, be gentle and humble, trust God, help others, make good choices, and always obey God.

Confirmation Connection:

Dear Parents and Confirmation Candidates,

Next Tuesday 2 June at 6:30pm we invite you to participate in our Confirmation Connection event via Zoom.

In previous years we have gathered together in the Church for prayer night in the lead up to the children receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Even though we are currently unable to physically gather in these large numbers, and we are not sure when we will be able to arrange for the candidates to receive their Sacrament, we believe it is very important that we maintain connection in any way we can.  Our Confirmation Connection prayer event will be an evening where we can all join in prayerful support of all involved in preparing the young people for this major step in their faith lives as they prepare to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

This event is intended to be a prayerful and reflective opportunity.  Information about the Confirmation Masses will be provided at a later date.

As we all eagerly await the latest announcements from the government that will allow us to proceed with planning our Sacrament of Confirmation Masses, please keep the students, their families and those preparing them in your prayers. 

Fr Mark and Fr Jiss invite you to please sign in to the Mass at 9.15am using Meeting ID 824-036-573 or click https://zoom.us/j/824036573 

Pentecost Sunday - Year A

31 May 2020

“As the Father sent me, so I send you.

Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Something to Think About

There are two powerful symbols associated with Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came to the disciples in the form of fire and wind. Close your eyes and imagine what it was like on that first Pentecost day. Hear the sound of wind and imagine the lights and warmth of fire. Be still and try to feel the presence of God within you at this moment.

The Story

Pentecost is a special feast for the Church. Pentecost takes its name from the feast the Jews celebrated fifty days after their Passover. In today’s gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples and commands them to go forth – to go out and spread the good news of Jesus. However, Jesus knows that they will need strength so ‘he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”’

The Scriptures

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 20:19-23

The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders,

and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room.

Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group.

He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side.

When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.

After Jesus had greeted them again, he said,

"I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me."

Then he breathed on them and said,

"Receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven.

But if you don't forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven."

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

​Video
The Holy Spirit Comes

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK

Mealtime Prayer  

Family Discussion

How do you think the disciples were feeling when they had locked themselves in the room? How do you think they felt when Jesus suddenly appeared in the middle of the group? How did Jesus give the Holy Spirit to the disciples? What did Jesus send the disciples to do?

Family Activity

You will need some sticky notes this week. During the week be ‘Spirit Spotters’. We ‘see’ the Holy Spirit when someone is loving, kind, happy, sharing, forgiving, generous, and helpful. Look carefully at family members, friends, people you do not know, and yourself. Fill each sticky note with the name of someone you spotted the Holy Spirit in, and what you saw them doing.

Images from Unsplash.com, Pixabay.com and Flickr.com. Used under licence/with permission.

Contemporary English Version of Scripture extracts provided under licence from ICEL to Liturgy Brisbane.

Peace and best wishes

Anne Leet REC

Live Streamed Marriage Seminars Sundays in June

The local Archdiocese has organised a series interactive live-streamed presentations for Marriage & Family Month immediately after the 11am Online Mass at St Christophers Cathedral for the next three Sundays (14^th, 21^st, 28^th June).

Listeners will be able to interact online and ask questions of our impressive line-up of international, interstate and local Catholic couples speaking at 11.45am each Sunday from mid-June. See full program at https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/marriage-family-month-june-2020/

Free Online International Catholic Marriage Summit this week

Starting this Friday, 50+ high profile Catholic speakers & social media personalities will be appearing online with their spouses to share openly about the highs, lows and challenges of married life. 

This free International Catholic Marriage Summit is the first of its kind. The instructions to the committed Catholic speakers was to ‘keep it real’.  Talk topics include finances, grief, communication, conflict and sex. It should be a great resource for any engaged or married couple. Register for free here or at https://www.joyfuleverafter.org/

Award winning Canberra wine maker Tim Kirk and his wife Lara, a Catholic marriage educator, will be speaking on the topic: “I Can’t Make You Happy”.

Beating stress and worries about coronavirus (COVID-19)

by THE BRAVE TEAM on MARCH 15, 2020

There are a lot of negative and stressful events occurring in our world every day – but when something like coronavirus (COVID-19) becomes so pervasive that it affects almost every country in the world, and is talked about almost every hour of the day, our children and teenagers can become quite anxious.

They may worry about many different things related to the virus – whether they or their family members will get sick, whether schools will close, whether they will be asked to stay away from loved ones and friends, whether they will be safe, or whether the virus will ever end. Sometimes, it is simply not knowing what will happen that creates the most fear (for young people and adults).

Children and teenagers are very observant – they see things changing, they hear the news and they talk with whoever they can about what’s happening. For some young people, this is a natural and healthy way to manage their worries about the situation. But for other young people, excessive focus on the issue can increase their fears and become unmanageable. Either way, the chances are young people will have lots of questions and will be seeking reassurance from those around them, and those they trust. As parents and caregivers, you might be wondering how best to respond to these questions.

The BRAVE Team are a team of Clinical Psychologists and experts in child and adolescent anxiety and have put together a set of simple tips for you and your young person to manage the stress associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Stay calm yourself

Children and teens look to their parents to work out how to respond. When parents are not calm it sends young people the message that they too should be panicking. Pay attention to how you talk about the virus to your children, each other and other people. Stick to the facts when talking about the virus. Speak calmly about it. Behave in a considered and rational way. Fear is just as contagious as this virus – and it is not helpful. The best way you can ‘vaccinate’ your child against fear around COVID-19 is to remain calm and rational yourself.

Think about the way young people receive their information

It can be helpful for parents to consider the way in which children and teenagers consume information about COVID-19 coronavirus. Constant exposure to news broadcasting can cause additional stress– children can’t always recognise fine differences between facts and messages designed to convey exaggerated threat. Help your child receive factual information in ways that are young-person friendly. Focus on the messages that are most important to children (think about what you want them to do – Regularly wash hands). Don’t forget to pay attention to how you talk about the virus to your children, each other and other people. Try not to panic – children are much more likely to keep calm if you do too.

Think about how you can answer questions

When young people are anxious, they tend to focus on the worst-case scenario and seek a lot of reassurance. Remind your children that there are a lot of people out there working hard to keep them and their loved ones safe, and we need to help in whatever way we can. Be there to listen and answer their questions, but try and keep an optimistic outlook. Help them see the range of possibilities and focus on what you can do right now to keep safe and manage stress. Try not to let them continue asking questions over and over – instead engage them in other activities and use the strategies from our Guide for Parents and Young people below, which you can use, print and share.

Remember that everyone worries about different things

We also need to remember that children may have different worries than teenagers and adults. For many younger children, their fears may focus on being separated from loved ones (including pets and toys) whereas older children and teenagers may worry about getting sick themselves or social isolation and missing out on things. It’s important to acknowledge their individual worries and help find strategies to manage these.

Help your young person find a strategy that works for them

Help your young person find some strategies for managing their anxiety. This might include family activities which can distract from fear and focus on positive experiences, or it might be things like encouraging your young person to listen to music, rediscover old hobbies, practice relaxation or mindfulness or connect with family and friends online. Encourage them (and all family members) to focus on other things during these activities. Remember, young people learn through experience – set a good example and try and remain calm as much as possible. Try and keep to your family routines as much as possible, stay healthy and active.

Finally, remember that it is normal to feel overwhelmed by such events. Reach out and find the right support for you and your child if required.

About The Brave Program

The BRAVE program is an evidence-based cognitive behavioural program which helps people understand how anxiety works and identify strategies for overcoming fears and worries. There are programs for Parents of young children (3-6 years), Children (7-11 years), Teenagers (12-17 years) and Parents of Children and Teenagers.

If you are in Australia you can learn more about how to help your child or teenager manage stress and anxiety generally by accessing the BRAVE Self-Help program at www.brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au .

Please note that the program is only available to Australian IP addresses at this time.

Useful Links – Australia

Youth Beyond Blue: https://www.youthbeyondblue.com/ OR https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak

Emerging Minds: https://emergingminds.com.au/ OR this video on Talking to Children about natural disasters and traumatic events.

Kids Helpline: https://kidshelpline.com.au/ OR call 1800 55 1800

Reach Out: https://au.reachout.com/

Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/ OR call 13 11 14