Dear Parents,

This weekend we celebrated the life of an amazing woman, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary MacKillop is a person who, to me epitomises what it is to be an Australian at its best! A person who travelled great distances; a person who went to where the work needed to be done, not waiting for it to come to her; a person who mixed with and supported all types of people, regardless of their social standing, religious beliefs or financial position; and most of all a person who could be counted on to help when things got tough.  What she brought with all this was an unwavering belief in God who would be there always, to provide for each one of us.

A young Josephite novitiate spoke of Mary as “a noble woman, blessed with rare vision and holiness. Where the glory to God and duty to others were concerned, she was full of moral courage, fearing no human opinion, always acting according to the dictates of conscience.”

While another fellow Josephite, Sister Josepha, spoke of her as someone who “excelled in charity. I can sincerely say that her charity surpasses that of anyone I have ever met or heard of; it seemed one of her greatest delights, to help anyone in trouble. She was not satisfied with empty words but got at the root of the trouble and found a remedy – her great charity often moved me to tears. I admired very much the kind manner in which she spoke of those who displeased her. I always felt after a conversation with Mother Mary that I had spoken to a saint.”

What an amazing, courageous, compassionate and Spirit filled independent woman, she was.  I would be so fortunate and grateful if I could embody a fraction of her qualities. 

Kindness, such as Mary MacKillop demonstrated, is for every moment of every day; it’s a habit, a lifestyle, a continual practice. It is intentional, taking time and patience, a giving of ourselves in “the busy,” even when we are “too tired.” And lastly, kindness is for absolutely everyone. As we intentionally show kindness each day, which now during these challenging times is needed more than ever, may we shine the light of Christ to a world in need of love and grace.

COVID Lockdown and Communication

All COVID related information and home learning information will be shared with you via Compass.  As Compass can be cumbersome to go back through and locate News Feeds that have been previously shared, a suggestion is to download and save any documents we attach to these Compass notifications or to bookmark any of the links that are shared with you. You could do this on either your own or your children’s devices.  Do whatever is going to make life easier for you and will save you scrolling up and down through Compass and having to contact another parent or school staff. Any life hacks that you use, or discover, that can make life and home learning more bearable during this time, please feel free to email admin@merewether.catholic.edu.au, subject ‘Life Hack’ and we will share them with our parent community. 

If you would like some help explaining COVID-19 to your children please refer this guide 

Congratulations go to Mrs Nicola Matheson in Year 2 Blue. Nicola has recently secured a Learning Support Teacher’s role at Holy Spirit Kurri Kurri and will be finishing up with us here at St Joseph’s, this coming Friday. Learning Support is an area that Nicola would like to pursue in her education career, and we are very happy for her.  Nicola currently holds this position part time at Holy Spirit Abermain and now with their sister primary school at Kurri she will gain the full K-6 range of experience in this field.  We wish her well and hope she will always view her time here at St Joseph’s as special.

We are very pleased that Mrs Felicity Peart will take on the fulltime teaching role for Year 2 Blue for the remainder of the year, commencing next week.

Congratulations also go to Mrs Leah Temple and her husband, Matt and daughter, Lucy who have welcomed Baby Reuben into their family.  Reuben was born on Saturday morning, 31st July, after keeping mum and dad waiting a week.  Reuben weighed in at  3,595g  or 7lbs 14ozs for those that still measure babies the old way and is 52.5cm long or 20.67 inches. Reuben and Leah are both at home and in Leah’s words: “I’m feeling really well! Reuben is a dream so far, Lucy is a great big sister and Matt is a natural. I can’t wait to introduce him to his St Joseph’s family!”

Children with Diverse Learning Needs

Do you have a child with diverse or additional learning needs? Would you like to learn from other parents and carers who have 'been there and done that'?

The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) has collaborated to produce a 'Guide for Parents by Parents' to support children and young people with diverse learning needs enrolled in Catholic schools.

You can view, download and print…                         

• the whole document
• individual sections of the document 
• the templates from the Appendices

https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/students-with-diverse-learning-needs

Opportunities for Parents

Dr Justin Coulson is back! …to share with us his wisdom and advice around the issue of “Entitlement” and parenting our children and young people.

The Federation of P & F Associations is pleased to provide this FREE opportunity, via Zoom, to the parents and carers of children and young people enrolled in our Catholic schools.

Season of Creation Film Competition

Do your children love making TikTok videos or short films? Amidst the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, we are clamouring for hope and restoration. NOW is the time to come together and take action! #SeasonOfCreation. All students are invited to participate in a film competition which involves creating a 2-minute film that explores the 2021 Season of Creation theme – A Home for All? 

Find out more in the Film Competition Flyer.  This may be a great creative activity to do during lockdown!