St Patrick s Catholic Primary School

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

ABN 66 789 035 993 All correspondence to:

Royston Parade, Asquith, 2077 Post Office Box 3021, Asquith 2077 Phone: 9477 3800 Fax: 9476 3944 Website: www.stpat.nsw.edu.au

Email: [email protected]

NEWSLETTER NO 17 — 10 June 2015

We acknowledge the Guringi and Dharug people - the first custodians of this place.

KU-RING-GAI CHASE

CATHOLIC PARISH

WEEKEND MASS TIMES

St Patrick’s Asquith: Saturday Vigil – 6.00 pm Sunday – 8 am, 10 am, 6 pm St Bernard’s Berowra Heights: Saturday Vigil—5.30 pm Sunday—9 am

Peat Island Chapel:

Chapel Lane, Mooney Mooney - Saturday Vigil—4.00 pm

Diary Dates

JUNE

8-12 Well Being Week - No homework

12 1.50pm 6 Green Assembly

13/ 14

Sacrament of First Communion

15 UNSW ICAS Writing Competition—8am in Yr 5 Gold classroom (Selected students Yrs 3 - 6)

16 UNSW ICAS Spelling Competition (Selected Students Yrs 3 - 6)

19 1.50pm K Green Assembly

22-26

Parent / Teacher Interview Week

26 Last Day of Term 2— K - Students

13 All Students return for Term 3

Dear Parents and Carers

First Reconciliation and First Eucharist

Our Year 3 children received the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time last night. Thank you to those who assisted with the liturgy and prepared the children, along with Father Jinto and a number of other priests who made themselves available for this special occasion.

This weekend the children continue their initiation into our Catholic faith when they receive Jesus for the first time in First Communion. This is always a special time for the children as they can now participate fully at Mass. Please pray for these children and their families during this time. Within our Catholic faith, there are seven sacraments, and these seven can be placed into three categories – Initiation, Healing and Commitment. Put simply, sacraments are times when we receive grace that brings us closer to Jesus. Baptism must be the first sacrament received and it is followed by Confirmation and Eucharist as the three sacraments of Initiation. Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation or Penance, are the sacraments of Healing, whilst Marriage and Holy Orders are the sacraments of Commitment.

BYODD

We are working closely with the Catholic Schools Office (CSO) so that when iPads in Years 4, 5, 6 are brought to school, they will be able to be connected to our system within the first two weeks of school. The CSO will be providing extra staff during these two weeks to ensure all the iPADS are up and running on the network.

Last week I provided you with some feedback. Here is further feedback about what parents are saying “Great – caters for differences and allows flexibility and creativity”; “builds home-school partnership”. Other parents had concerns about how much screen time children will be exposed to, and of cyber safety. We are addressing these concerns. During lunchtime on some days, the children can visit the CLiC. We decided that there would be no devices at lunchtime for the children

to use; there are books to read, and other activities.

Reports and Interviews

Reports will be sent home with your child next Thursday, 18 June. (Reports for children in Year 3 Green and 5 Gold were sent home last Friday). I thank the teachers who have spent much time and thought into writing these reports. In the newsletter next week I will explain the reports in more detail so that you have a good understanding of your child’s report when you meet your child’s teacher the following week. The online booking system to book Interview times will again be working this year. The link will be available from

Sunday evening at 6.00pm to start making your bookings. Please click here or go to the St Patrick’s School website to make your booking—please note no bookings will be available before 6pm on Sunday. If you have any problems please call the School Office on 9477 3800.

Well-being Week

I hope that you ask your child how was their day. Maybe this week you could ask them ‘What went well for you today?’ There is no homework this week and I am hoping that you can just spend more time enjoying your children, possibly playing a board game, cooking, gardening and the like. I hope when your children are adults these will be the memories that they will cherish – just spending time with you.

Staffing

Liz Starling and Ola Spiteri will be away during Weeks 9 and 10 on Long Service Leave. Miss Louise Penny will be teaching Year 5 Gold during these weeks. Nadine Smith has been appointed Acting Assistant Principal whilst Liz is away, along with her Religion Educator Coordinator’s role. Mrs Meagan Sullivan will be working on 3 Green along with Kristy Barry, and Meagan will also be working in 2 Green as well. Both Louise and Meagan have done work at school previously and are well-known to us, and will be following the usual teacher’s teaching program.

Grandparents Day

I hope you have told you parents about our Grandparents Day, so that they are available to attend. This will occur on 17 July. Before the end of the term, I will send home more information regarding Grandparents Day.

Athletics Carnival

Our Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 24 July at Foxglove Oval. We cannot run the Carnival without parent helpers. I hope that you may be able to assist us on the day. A note will be sent home soon asking for parent helpers.

Play Equipment

Following our successful fete last year, in the upcoming school holidays, we will have a new playground installed with the funds raised, along with some funds from the Art Show the previous year. The builder hopes to start in Week 10 and go through the school holidays. I have spoken about this at the P&F Meeting, at our Staff Meeting, and at a SRC Meeting. The current play equipment was installed in 1992, and has lasted well, but is looking a little tired, and needs updating. I will keep you updated of the progress of the play equipment.

Men in the Morning

Thank you to our P&F President, David Massa, and many others Dads who has organised today’s special morning. It was great to have you with us this morning.

Bernard Cumming Principal

PRIVACY LAW ADVICE

At the direction of the Catholic Schools Office, please be advised that if you take photos at school

functions and then post them on social media, you are in potential breach of privacy laws. You may not post photos which contain children other than your own, even if they only appear in the background.

REC News

Reconciliation

Congratulations once again to our Year 3 children who celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Tuesday. The message that God will forgive us always because he loves each one of us unconditionally was truly present. Thank you to the many parents who also went to Confession on the evening. What a powerful role model you are to your children.

First Communion

This weekend several children in our School and Parish are making their First Communion. This hugely important faith milestone is not just an important step for the children, but one for parents and the whole family. In years gone by, First Communion was a huge family occasion. These celebrations were fitting as they helped us not only to celebrate the Sacramental moment, they help us to remember and reflect on it years later.

For our children, receiving Jesus in the form of the Eucharist is the final and most complete way they are initiated into our Catholic Church. This special and precious moment, which they will experience every time they go to Mass, is the pinnacle of our faith. Please keep our children in your prayers as they meet Jesus in this form for the first time on the weekend. We pray too, that the specialness of this moment is felt many, many times again when our children receive the Eucharist during their lives ahead.

As a community we keep all these children in our prayers at this very special time:

Aaron M Aaron R Abbey B Adrian J Alejandro H

Alex P Ally G Audrey L Blake M Chloe R

Chloe T Edmund J Eliza D Elysia P Gabriella C

Georgia R Hannah A Hanah B Hannah C Harry R

Jahanna C Jasmine B Jeremy S Jessica M Joshua D

Keara W Keegan B Laura W Lilly K Lina D

Madeleine D Madeleine R Madeleine W Michael D Michael G

Mikaela B Molly J Noah M Oliver D Olivia N

Olivia T Phoebe O Rebeca B Thomas A Toby M

William H William V William W

The Joy Of The Gospel

Evangelii Gaudium

Pope Francis

I can say that the most beautiful and natural expressions of joy

which I have seen in my life were in poor people who had little to

hold on to. I also think the real joy shown by others who, even amid

pressing professional obligations, were able to preserve, in

detachment and simplicity, a heart full of faith. (Evangelii Gaudium,

7)

MAG – Hornsby Women’s Shelter Appeal

A huge thank you to our wonderful St Patrick’s community! We had an overwhelming response to our ‘I am Beautiful’ week for the Hornsby Women’s Shelter. Thank you to our Year 6 MAG children who organised our week and to all those in our community for supporting the initiative

Theme Of The Week

Looking For The Good In Everything

(inspired from our Well Being Week)

Our theme this week encourages the children and ourselves to look for and appreciate the good in others. This is often related to our outlook on life. The media often portrays the negative aspects of so many people and events. Looking for the good in everything helps us to appreciate how God has

blessed us with His abundance of gifts. Good is always present, the challenge sometimes is, to bring it into the

spotlight.

First Eucharist Dates 2015

Saturday 13 June 6pm Mass

Celebration of the Sacrament of Eucharist

Sunday 14 June 10am Mass

The Sacrament Of Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated at St Patrick's Catholic Church, Asquith and St Bernard's Catholic Church, Berowra Heights on

Sunday 23 August, 2015

Enrolment is open to any child who is over the age of 7 and has been baptised.

For enrolment form and schedule please email [email protected] or collect from the back of either church.

Enrolments for Confirmation at both church's will take place on June 20 & 21.

Miss Nadine Smith

Religious Education Coordinator

Congratulations to the following children who received an award for Term 2 Week 6:

K Gold Benjamin B, Gabriel A K Green Bradley N, James A 1 Gold Josephine M, Lachlan G 1 Green Faith C, Ayush V

2 Gold Isaac M, Dylan T 2 Green Noah G, Isaac R 3 Gold Jeremy S, Lina D 3 Green Eliza D, William H,

Olivia T, Joshua D 4 Gold Siobhan W, Annabelle G 4 Green Anabel M, Tony R 5 Gold Annabelle G, Holly N 5 Green Willis S, Jack O 6 Gold Joshua T, Daniel D 6 Green Lachlan B, Mikaela B

Honour Awards

Parish News

Rock and Water News

Well done and congratulations to the following children who received Principal Award for Term 2:

Principal Awards

Body language was the theme this week in Rock and Water as students experienced the different feelings between a beach attitude (shoulders back, head up, chin up) and a tunnel attitude (shoulders forward, head down, chin down). Students discussed feelings when displaying these particular stances and times when you might need to change your body language to change what you are portraying to others. Deslie P Kinder Gold Sarah S Kinder Gold Nicholas W Kinder Gold Luke F Kinder Green Allaine V 5 Green

Children's Choir will be singing this Sunday, 14th June, at 10am Mass, supporting the parish celebration of 1st Eucharist. This is especially important because two of our young members will be making their 1st Communion, and it is our privilege to make the music for them and the others taking part in this celebration as beautiful and uplifting as we can. Children's Choir sings at 10am Mass on 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, and practises on Fridays at 4 to 5pm in the church. New singers from Year 3 and up welcome at time. Come along this Friday or call Patricia Smith 9482 7935.

Community News

Tuckshop News

Fri 12/6 Grace L, Susanne P Mon 15/6 Nicole B, Allyson S Wed 17/6 Sue M, Toni S

Volunteers are asked to arrive at around 12.30pm and report to the School Office to sign the Visitor’s Register and collect the key to the canteen, etc.

The Canteen helpers for this week are:

Lunch Order News

Just a reminder

 Lunch orders are available every Wednesday and Friday.  Online and Manual orders are

available on both days. Online orders can be done through the St Pat’s website or click here:

 Online sushi orders need to be in by 5pm the previous day.

 Now Available- meal deal- add on a mini muffin, cupcake (subject to availability), or fresh piece of fruit (apple, cut orange, banana) and a popper juice to any menu item for only $2.