A big thank you team to our students and families for such fabulous support of Catholic Missions fundraising. We had so much fun on Wednesday with Crazy Sock Day. Everyone looked great in their crazy socks. So far we have raised $857.62. The link for donations will remain open until 1/11/21.

Halloween

Occasions that we love to celebrate remind us how special life is. As Catholics, we believe that God is present in all things and in all times. That means that every day on the calendar presents another opportunity to encounter and celebrate the presence of God in our lives and to make a connection between the special day and our faith.

Each year, Halloween seems to receive more attention in our culture, no doubt adopted from the USA. It's a growth industry involving decorations, lollies, pumpkins, costumes, and fun and scary activities for people of all ages.

Though some people worry that Halloween is fast becoming just another excuse for marketers to sell product, it doesn't have to be that way for your family. Halloween is rich in history and meaning, much of it religious, making it a great opportunity to combine fun and learning about values for our children.

Halloween as we know it is a mixture of pagan, Christian, civic, and cultural influences. Various cultures have associated the day with witches, ghosts, and goblins. When Christian missionaries won over the hearts of the Celts, this popular feast was moved from spring to fall and celebrated as the feast of the Eve of All Saints Day.

Halloween comes from the word hallowed meaning “blessed” or “holy.” Therefore, Halloween is the night before the celebration of our living connection with all the faithful who have lived and died before us. It is fitting, then, that on the night before All Saints Day, our families remember and celebrate in a special way our belief in the Communion (close connection) of Saints to our own lives.

Ways to Celebrate Your Values on Halloween

1. Your kids can research their favourite saint or the saint they're named after. They could also dress up as their favourite saint for Halloween.
2. Tell your children that Halloween can be a festive day to kick off the celebration of All Saints Day. We ask the saints—our spiritual ancestors—to pray for us on our own journey to holiness.
3. Have fun! Make a special meal for dinner. Here's a quick idea for a healthy meal to offset the too many lollies. Give each child a paper plate. Put out bowls of olives, cucumbers, radishes, raisins, dried apricots or cranberries, cheese sticks, and cold meats. Have the kids make faces on their plates with the food. They can make scary faces or funny faces or both. Then everyone gets to eat what they created.
   

The Feast of All Saints and of All Souls

Next week we will celebrate two important feast days in the Catholic Church’s calendar year; The Feast of All Saints and The Feast of All Souls.

On The Feast of All Saints (1^st November) we remember those people, who through the way they lived, made a difference to others and to the world. Through their lives, these special people teach us to trust God and to show our love for God. We look to them as examples of how we too, can make a difference in the world.

The Feast of All Souls (2^nd November) is a time when we remember those who have died, and we thank God for loving each and every person. Those we have loved stay close to us in our hearts and we give thanks because we can firmly believe they are safe and loved in God’s care.

Remembrance Day

In Week 6 we will recognise Remembrance Day, November 11^th. This marked the end of World War 1 over a hundred years ago. Although it was a long time ago, it is an opportunity to remember all those who have died in wars and conflicts since then. We pray that we value the freedoms that we enjoy today and commit ourselves to creating peace in our world by recognising that peace begins in our own families, classrooms, schools and communities, and it begins with us. Each one of us can make a peaceful world.

HSC Buddies

Year 6 spent time this week sending cards of hope and encouragement to their buddies at St Francis Xavier who are completing their HSC exams in the next few weeks. We hope our words help and support them throughout the exam period just as they supported Year 6 when they were in Kindergarten.