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Dear parents,
Thank you to the parents who have participated so positively in our ongoing parent-teacher interviews, whether they be face to face, via Zoom or by telephone. I have had some feedback from teachers that there have been some issues with a number of Zoom sessions and I would like to thank those parents affected for their flexibility and patience.
The most recent advice from Catholic Education is that from the beginning of Term 3, school assemblies will again be permitted. Due to the limited space in our hall and the requirement for us to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines regarding physical distancing of visiting parents, we have decided that assemblies will not recommence until parents can attend. The class items are what make the assembly and the highlight for the students is have their parents in attendance. It is expected that Catholic Education will provide updated advice at the end of July.
Next Friday is Pyjama day and we encourage students to wear their pyjamas to school. Please ensure they are warm pyjamas or you have something warm to put over the top of them in the morning when the temperature is at its lowest. Students will also need appropriate footwear (eg, sneakers) unfortunately slippers/ugg boots etc are not suitable for the school day.
Children are asked to bring in a gold coin donation with the money going to the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal.
Maths Problem
Congratulations to Willem van Galen who was the winner of last week’s problem. This week’s problem is below.
Monopoly Mayhem 2
Each Monopoly player starts with $1500. The game includes notes in the following denominations: $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $500. Assuming that you have an unlimited amount of each denomination, show the different ways you could make $1500 using exactly 10 notes.
God Bless
Peter Hughes
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 model ourselves on 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.
Sunday Mass
Dear All
We are excited that the restrictions have eased again as from midday 19 June 2020 we will be able to open our church for weekend Mass for up to 100 people at each Mass. We are respecting the practice of social distancing of 4sqm separation, hand hygiene through the use of a sanitiser and collection of name and contact details through our new booking system.
Please note that you must book to attend Mass in person. If you do not book, we will be forced to refuse entry. We are sorry to have to do this however we do need to be strict about the numbers to adhere to government rules. If you are performing a Ministry at Mass, you do not need to book as these numbers have been factored in.
Book here: https://www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au/latest-news/mass-bookings/. If are not able to book online, please contact the parish office on 02 6242 9622.
For those who are not able to attend in person at this time, please continue to join us for Mass on Sundays at 9.30am via Zoom using https://zoom.us/j/824036573.
Youth Mass – For Young People and Their Families only!
Join the Holy Spirit Gungahlin Parish community on Sunday 28th June for our Youth Mass (5:30pm) and Youth Gathering (6:30pm)! Exploring the theme ‘Dream Again’, this is a chance for you to come back into the heart of our Church and have fun, faith and fellowship with our young Church. Food available and families welcome. Further information available by clicking here.
Mass this weekend
Please follow this link to make a booking to attend Mass in person.
Parish Newsletter
This weekend’s newsletter is now available online. Click on the link here to access it: https://www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au/20-21-june-2020-12th-sunday-ordinary-time/
CONFIRMATION
Please keep our Year 6 students and their teachers at Mother Teresa School and the Parish, in your prayers. The Confirmation Candidates have been preparing for this important event, Sacrament of Confirmation over the past 2 terms.
First Reconciliation and First Eucharist Information Session:
Please save the date: Week 10 Term 2
Tuesday 30 June 6:30pm via zoom
Attention all parents who have a child in Year 3 who will be making the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist there will be an information session via Zoom. Please ensure you have your booklet with you, that was send home from school on Friday.
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13th Sunday in Ordinary Time “Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me.” |
Something to Think About
Where do we find Jesus today and how do we make Jesus welcome?
Think about your family, your friends, your neighbours. Is there someone that could use your help?
Maybe you could do a job to help a grandparent. Maybe you could cheer up someone who is sick. We can be the hands of Jesus and help others.
The Story
In today’s reading from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is instructing the twelve before sending them out to tell other people about Jesus’ message. The instructions Jesus gave his disciples are also instructions for us. Jesus is telling us that when we welcome and help other people, we welcome and help Jesus.
The Scriptures
A Reading from the Holy
Gospel according to Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me.
And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me.
"Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet,
will be given the same reward as a prophet.
Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good,
will be given the same reward as a good person.
"And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded."
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK
Prayer
Family Discussion
Talk about what makes you feel welcome when you go somewhere new.
When you have visitors to your house, how do you make them feel welcome? This is what Jesus is talking about when he says that we are to welcome strangers and be kind to them.
When are some occasions when you have been welcoming and kind?
Talk about how when we do this it is just as if we are welcoming Jesus.
Jesus can only act through our hands, our words, and our generosity.
Family Activity
This week be a family that answers Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger, to comfort the afflicted, to feed the poor.
How can we do this, especially in this time of COVID-19?
Maybe you know a person or a family who would appreciate a home cooked meal delivered to their door - add a note with a blessing prayer from your family.
Maybe you know someone who is feeling sad or lonely and would love the surprise of a letter or card from your family - add a blessing prayer from your family.
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 (14th, 21st, 28th 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
