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Message - Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning)
Dear Families,
As we enter the latter part of the school term, communities across Australia continue to be impacted by flooding and the destruction that has been left in its wake. We know that in some areas the waters are yet to peak and the costs involved are yet to be truly known. Please continue to keep in your prayers and thoughts all of those people experiencing significant hardship and suffering at this time.
Home Study (Homework)
Home Study (or homework as it is also known) can be a contentious topic for teachers, students and families. We are currently in the process of reviewing our approach to Home Study and would love to hear from our families to get their perspective on its educational value. Please follow this link to complete the short survey about Home Study. We will use this information to support the review of our school policy. Thank-you in advance for taking the time to complete it.
Child Safety Policy
On Tuesday afternoon, our teaching staff collaborated on the updated Child Safe Policy which reflects and responds to the updated Child Safe Standards. Under the Child Safety tab on our school website, you can find out more about our commitment to child safety and the various ways we create a safe environment for all students.
Should you have any concerns or questions about child safety, please feel welcome to contact myself, poverbury@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.au or Jen Gulavin jgulavin@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.au as the Child Safety Champions for our school.
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead,
Peta Overbury
Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning
Congratulations to the St Thomas the Apostle school community. $622 was raised for Catholic Mission’s work in Ethiopia this year.
Well done to the Social Justice team, who did a wonderful job of raising awareness and collecting the materials needed for the soccer shootout. Every time our school participates in the Socktober initiative, we become a little bit more knowledgeable about how this work links with our Catholic Social Teachings – dignity of the human person, solidarity, the common good, subsidiarity and participation and care for our common home.
St Thomas the Apostle PS participates in two major charity works each year. Caritas’ Project Compassion is supported in the first half of the year and Catholic Mission’s Socktober is supported in the second half. We are very proud of the generosity of our families for both projects as the school community has contributed significant funds to each one.
How Can God Be Our Friend?
At the Jerusalem Mass on Wednesday, we looked into the concept of God being our friend. Thanks to all of our parents and parishioners that came to celebrate with us . I’m sure one of the highlights was the students doing the, “I am the vine, you are the branches” dance! Incidentally, I saw a couple of parents at the crossing this morning and we both exchanged the sentiment of looking forward to celebrating Mass in the new church next year. It will be very exciting.
Now, about this ‘friend’ business… Before Jesus came to us, God was not really seen as a friend figure - a parent figure maybe and certainly, God had also been seen as the powerful creator and even as the angry punisher. But not so much as a friend. Jesus, who is one with God (one of the Holy Trinity), was willing to be that friend for us. That would have been ground breaking and difficult for the early Christians to understand. But it is comforting to know that God, through Jesus, is willing to be a friend to all. We know how shallow it is to have lots of friends on Facebook, especially when there isn’t really any deep knowledge of all those people. But with Jesus, Catholics believe that He does know us intimately. Even with about 8 billion people on earth, He has the knowledge of each and every one of us!
And how do friends keep up a relationship? They talk. How do we talk with Jesus? We pray and we listen deeply with an open heart. Well, we try! And that is why the Mass is basically divided up into its various purposeful parts. The early part of the Mass is us listening to the Word of God (readings and Gospel). The next part of the Mass is us doing the talking (prayers of the faithful). The Mass is a conversation between friends! If we remember that praying and reading scripture is like nurturing a relationship with a friend, then it can give us a whole new perspective on our relationship with God.
Some people may know of a singer/composer by the name of Matt Maher. He has written a song called, ‘What Friend We Have In Jesus’, which sums up this concept of Jesus extending an invitation of friendship. Look up the song on Spotify or whatever streaming service you may use, it’s a great song.
STAPS Christmas Card Winners
Congratulations to the 30 winners of this years Christmas Card Competition. Winners will have their artwork printed onto Christmas Cards which will be for sale over the next few weeks.
Grade 5 and 6 students and staff voted on the finalists from each grade.
What a night was had at the St.Thomas Trivia Night last Friday! Parents and staff members participated in games and trivia quizzes to win generous prize packs from local businesses in our community. The FOST team would like to thank all those who attended and look forward to seeing and meeting more members of the school community at the next event.