Celebrating our Faith
Remembrance Day Liturgy
This week we commemorated Remembrance Day. We gathered as classes united in faith to pray for all those who have been affected by war. The students reflected on the sacrifice that so many Australian men and women have made and continue to make so that others may live in freedom.
Feast of Christ the King
The Church is celebrating the Feast of Christ the King this coming Sunday, which is the last Sunday of Ordinary Time before we move into Advent. The feast day is a powerful reminder of how Jesus envisaged the Kingdom of God. For Jesus, the Kingdom was not a rule of power and status but a rule of justice and peace for even the lowliest. It is an apt conclusion to the liturgical year. We now look to prepare and wait in the Season of Advent, the beginning of the new church year.
Year 6 Retreat
Year 6 will be attending retreat on Tuesday 23rd November at Dixon Park Surf Club. This is a very special time where students reflect on their time here at St Joseph’s and begin to look forward towards their transition to high school. Please keep the students and teachers in your prayers.
SJSJ and St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal
Christmas is a time of hope and joy! This year has had its fair share of challenges once again, and at times it’s been tough to see the joy through the hardship. But as we approach the Christmas season, we're reminded to reflect on the good things, as well as the hope we can bring to others.
St Vincent De Paul continues to provide shelter, food, clothing, financial support, friendship and care for tens of thousands of people in NSW, but the need is still great, and we need YOUR help. Together, we can renew hope this Christmas. For the St Joseph’s Social Justice team Christmas Appeal, we will be collecting donations of non-perishable food items and gift cards. We are so thankful for your continued and unfailing generous support to our team in their work to support people in our local community.
We have allocated suggestions for each grade. Please place in collection baskets in the classroom. Please donate gift cards directly to the office. Closing date for all donations is Wednesday 1st December.
| Kindergarten | Cereal, tinned fruit, fruit cups, pancake mix |
| Year 1 | Soaps, liquid hand soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand cream, body wash |
| Year 2 | Dried fruit, fruit mince pies, christmas pudding, custard |
| Year 3 | Tea, coffee, milo, long life milk, instant coffee sachets |
| Year 4 | Vegemite, jams, biscuits (sweet and savoury) |
| Year 5 | Couscous, pasta, pasta sauce, instant gravy,, soup |
| Year 6 | Lollies, candy canes, christmas cakes, bonbons, jelly |
Please note-
- To uphold the dignity of those receiving the goods, please ensure that all food items are not due to expire for at least the next 6 months. All items must be nonperishable and tins not damaged or opened packaging.
- Look out for packaged food with a Health Star Rating of 3.5 or above. The more stars, the better!
Staff Professional Development
Currently the Catholic Schools Office of Maitland-Newcastle is in the process of developing a new Religious Education curriculum, Kindergarten to Year 10, for all schools in our Diocese. The first stage of this new curriculum that will be implemented in Primary schools will be Early Stage One (Kindergarten) in 2022. As part of this process, our school is piloting one module of the Kindergarten curriculum this term.
The vision for the new curriculum is that the Good News of Jesus Christ be encountered in every RE classroom in innovative and co-creative ways as part of the living tradition of the Church as a system of meaning of relevance to individuals’ social and community experience. As part of the new approach in RE, students will be given greater opportunities to ask questions, to explore the limits of their own understanding and be challenged in terms of their perspectives about religion and any misconceptions or negativity they may have about it. These students still have thoughts and ideas about life questions and are still searching for meaning. Themes, topics, content and questions have been designed to help all students to find a greater connection between religion, belief and real-life experiences.
Likewise, we as teachers are reaching out to encounter this new pedagogy of learning. This week our teachers engaged in and experienced a prayerful and reflective encounter where staff time was given to be, to reconnect, to reflect and to dream.
Family Ministry Corner - Helene O’Neill
Now that life is slowly returning to pre Covid times members of the family may still be feeling the effects of lockdown or home schooling or missing their friends whatever age you/they are. I recently watched a webinar presented by the Catholic Schools NSW. The presenter Justin Coulson focused on Self Care and reminded us that you ‘can’t pour from an empty cup.’ Maybe you are feeling that way that you simply have no more to give. Let me share some of Jason’s pearls using the acronym HALTS which may resonate with that feeling of overwhelm.
Hungry – you need to have food in your ‘belly’. Good nutritious food will sustain you and help you through the challenging times. Remember also if the chocolate in the fridge is tempting you, go for it and enjoy a treat.
Angry – if your mental health isn’t at the level you are used to, the blood flow may be being diverted as your brain takes over. Your normal state of equilibrium is out of whack; the kids are fighting; the weather has turned foul and home schooling is not your chosen career path. Find a quiet space and try to switch off. Some quality ‘ME’ time will help balance you.
Lonely – do you feel like you are doing all this on your own? Are you struggling with not being connected? Try not to despair. Phone a friend or take the time to care for yourself. What is it that would bring back your sense of worth or feeling valued again? Remember you are special
Tired – we all need 8 hours sleep. Easier said than done. Switch off the computer; let the family know that your ‘ME’ time is between a certain time; have a ‘lights out’ policy one night a week when at 9pm all lights go out (sleep before midnight is worth double) and have a light dinner so you wont feel ‘heavy’ when you get into bed and therefore unable to sleep.
Stress – we all know how our life is impacted by not handling what is thrown at us to deal with.
Over the next week try to eliminate the Halts through eating well, focusing on personal and spiritual growth; having a medical check up and getting to bed as early as possible. Happy days