Term 1 Week 3 of 9
Friday, 16th of Feburary 2024
This Week’s Newsletter Items:
● Lenten Reflection
● Meet Our Canteen Manager Katrina
● Thank you from the Resurrection St Vinnies group
● School Advisory Council & SAC
● Playground Pianos
● Meet Mr Glasby
● Project Compassion
● Term 1 Dates
● Year Level Masses
● Sunday’s Gospel
● Understanding the Gospel
Dear Parents, Students & Friends,
Earlier this week we celebrated Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, a significant time in our Church's calendar.
During Ash Wednesday Mass, Fr Gerard reminded us that Lent calls us to let go of the things that don’t help us be our best. He spoke to the students about our School values of Respectful, Responsible and Resilient and how during Lent we can work towards a journey to be the people God calls us to be.
Lent is a transformative time, it asks us to pray, fast and give alms. This Lenten period we are asking our students to participate in the Project Compassion work of Caritas which aligns with our school wide focus on Catholic Social Teachings. More information can be found in relation to Project Compassion further on in the newsletter!
Meet Our Canteen Manager Katrina
Our canteen is up and running! A huge thankyou to the families who have supported the canteen already this week. Katrina is our Canteen manager and will preparing lunch orders every Wednesday, Thursday & Friday! Just a reminder that you need to order via the Qkr! app as the canteen is a cashless service!
Thank you from the Resurrection St Vinnies
Earlier this week I received an email from the Resurrection St Vinnies group thanking students and families for their support during the St Vinnies Advent appeal.
“The St. Vincent De Paul group has embarked on their mission for the year 2024 with great determination. Reflecting on our past achievements, during the previous Christmas season, we delivered 70 hampers to the underprivileged families in our area, bringing immense joy to their households. Additionally, approximately 70 leftover children's toys were generously donated to Sunshine Hospital on Furlong Road. These toys were distributed to children at both the Emergency Ward and the Joan Kirner Hospital, eliciting smiles from grateful recipients.”
School Advisory Council & School Parent Committee (SAC)
The School Advisory Council (SAC) will reconvene on Tuesday 20th February at 7.00pm in the schools’ staff planning room.
The primary focus of the SAC for this year is to build community connectivity and engagement. We would love to see a true representation of our community. In this spirit, all are welcome.
Parents wishing to participate in the School Advisory Council this year are asked to please contact the office via email office@rskingspark.catholic.edu.au
to advise us of your attendance.
God Bless,
Jess Davis
Acting Principal
Did you know that the Student of the Week Awards begin next week, Monday 19th February at assembly 2.30pm?
Playground Pianos
It is so lovely each day to hear the sound of music fill the school courtyard as many of our young budding pianists practise on the playground pianos outside the Junior Building.
Many students wander up to the pianos and have a go, experimenting with the notes and creating their own music.
Sometimes a few students at a time gather at the pianos to play duets! The pianos are available for students to play before school and during both break times. Students know that when the piano lids are open, they are free to play and when the piano lids are closed, the pianos are closed for the day. Keep up the amazing music making, everyone!
Miss Banks
Performing Arts Teacher
Meet Mr Glasby!
At Monday's assembly, we met our incoming principal, Mr Glasby. He was excited to share about himself and answer all our questions.
Here are some of the different things that we found out about Mr Glasby!
Mr Glasby’s favourite colour:
A really dark red, like a maroon
Mr Glasby’s favourite colour from the rainbow:
Yellow
Mr Glasby’s favourite food:
Anything stir-fried
Mr Glasby’s favourite AFL team:
Hawthorn
Mr Glasby’s favourite soccer player:
Christiano Ronaldo
Mr Glasby’s age:
55 turning 56
Mr Glasby also told us about his family. He is a father of 2, a boy and a girl. His daughter is 20 and is studying at university and his son is 25 and works for a pharmaceutical company.
We can’t wait to have you as our new principal Mr Glasby!
Ethan Do and Dave Enierga (6A)
Project Compassion
During the season of Lent, we are called to pray, fast and give alms.
More than simply giving money, almsgiving is an act of love that incorporates both prayer and fasting allowing us to care deeply for our neighbours in need. An act that truly supports our Catholic Social Teaching.
We are grateful for the work Caritas does to help those in need within Australia and around the world, and thus we will be participating in the Project Compassion drive this year.
We hope to instil the value that generosity is an act of selflessness, an act that allows us to genuinely give of ourselves for the good of another. On Ash Wednesday each class collected a Project Compassion box for their classroom. This will stay in the classrooms for the whole of Lent. Students are welcome to donate money into these boxes. Anything big or small within your means is welcomed!
You can track our progress on https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/
We thank you in advance for partaking in our school initiative.
In Faith,
Erica Aclan
Religious Education Leader
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1(12-15)
He was tempted by Satan, and the angels looked after him.
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
Gospel Reflection
The First Reading, from Genesis, and the Gospel this week need to be looked at together. In the Genesis reading, God has just wiped clean the earth and is ready to re-establish the relationship with humanity through Noah and his family. In the short gospel passage, Jesus enters the wilderness as a time of preparation and renewal, ready to embark on his mission of re-establishing the relationship between God and humanity. In both readings there is a sense of a fresh start – a clean slate – for humankind. It is a clear indication of God’s commitment to humanity, even when we have totally distanced ourselves from God and forgotten about keeping up our part of the relationship, God is willing to make a clean start of it all again. Both readings offer a reminder of God’s constant desire for us to be in right relationship with God and with the world. The presence of Jesus in the world was as clear a signal as the rainbow in the sky that God was willing to give us another go – give us a chance to again see God with new eyes and new understanding.
In the gospel passage, we have a picture of Jesus preparing himself for his public ministry. He takes himself out into the wilderness, away from all that he has known until this time, to reflect on his life so far and this next vital stage that he is about to enter. In the wilderness, Jesus is tempted. He has to face his own doubts and demons before he sets off on the road of his public ministry. When he leaves the desert wilderness and enters back into Galilee he immediately begins to preach and, in the first words accredited to him in this gospel, Jesus announces that the kingdom of God is at hand and it’s time to repent and believe. It’s a call to open your eyes and get with the program!
Have you thought - Temptation?
When we adopt a view of Jesus as the Son of God, it is hard to imagine him even facing temptation, let alone the possibility of him giving in to it. However, when we see Jesus as also being fully human, we realise that he was just as likely to face temptation as we are. But what might have tempted Jesus? Was he tempted to simply go back to his life in Joseph’s carpentry business and not respond to God’s call? Was he tempted to display his power in flashy demonstrations for all to see? Was he tempted to despair at what lay ahead of him?
Living the Gospel - Change of Heart?
Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God is a call to live out God’s transformative dream of right relationship with one another and with our world. To accept this call requires a change of heart and mind (a metanoia) and the adoption of a new orientation, a new worldview based on living the kingdom of God. This is a challenge to be counter-cultural – to go ‘against the flow’ of the majority attitudes at times. It is certainly not an ‘easy option’ that we are called to live. Jesus’ call to ‘repent and believe’ is a very appropriate call to begin the Lenten season.
Historical Context - The Wilderness
The Jordan Valley was a relatively fertile area. However, Jesus would not have had to travel too great a distance to find himself in very arid, desert-like wilderness. Crossing the River Jordan and climbing out of the Jordan Valley to the east, Jesus would have emerged onto the northern part of the TransJordan Plateau and the edge of the Syrian Desert. The area was not only geographically rough but it was also full of bandits and rebels. It was a dangerous place to be. However, the desert wilderness holds great significance in the Bible as a place of preparation for a new stage of life or a new relationship with God.
Colour Code Key
Blue = whole school events
Red = Public holidays or major events
Green = Mass/RE events
Purple = Parent advisory board etc
Orange = Interviews/PSGs/Parent helper training etc
WEEK 4
Monday 19/02
● 2025 Prep Enrolments Open
● Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
● Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
● Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 20/02
● Parent Helper Training 9.00am (Legal & Classroom Support)
● Parent Advisory Committee 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Wednesday 21/02
● Saint Peter Damien (commemoration)
● Prep Day Off - Scheduled testing of Prep students
● Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
● EMERGENCY DISPLAN
Thursday 22/02
● Parent Helper Training 2.30pm in staffroom
Friday 23/02
● Saint Polycarp (commemoration)
● Year Level Mass followed by morning tea: Grade 5/6
Saturday 24/02
Sunday 25/02
● 2nd Sunday Of Lent
WEEK 5
Monday 26/02
● Prep’s Commence Full-Time
● Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
● Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
● Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 27/02
● Saint Gregory of Narek (commemoration)
Wednesday 28/02
● Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Thursday 29/02
Friday 01/03
Saturday 02/03
Sunday 03/03
● 3rd Sunday of Lent
WEEK 6
Monday 04/03
● Saint Casimir (commemoration)
● Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
● Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
● Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 05/03
Wednesday 06/03
● Installment 1 - Family Fee & Student Levy Payment Due
● Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Thursday 07/03
● Saints Perpetua and Felicity (commemoration)
Friday 8/03
● Saint John of God (commemoration)
● Year Level Mass followed by morning tea: Grade 3/4
Saturday 09/03
● Saint Frances of Rome (commemoration)
Sunday 10/03
● 4th Sunday of Lent
WEEK 7
Monday 11/03
● Labour Day – School Closure
Tuesday 12/03
● Parent Support Group Meetings
Wednesday 13/03
● Parent Support Group Meetings
● Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30 pm
● Grade 6 Camp - PGL (Campaspe Downs)
● NAPLAN - Writing Grades 3 & 5
Thursday 14/03
● Parent Support Group Meetings
● Grade 6 Camp - PGL (Campaspe Downs)
● NAPLAN - Reading Grades 3 & 5
Friday 15/03
● Year Level Mass followed by morning tea: Grade 1/2
● Grade 6 Camp - PGL (Campaspe Downs)
Saturday 16/03
Sunday 17/03
● 5th Sunday of Lent
WEEK 8
Monday 18/03
● Solemnity of Saint Patrick (Dress In Green)
● Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
● Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
● Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30 pm
● NAPLAN - Conventions of Language Grades 3 & 5
● NAPLAN - Numeracy Grades 3 & 5
Tuesday 19/03
● Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
● Parent Support Group Meetings
● Parent Advisory Committee 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Wednesday 20/03
● Parent Support Group Meetings
● Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30 pm
● Eucharist and Confirmation Formation Evening 6.30pm
Thursday 21/03
● Parent Support Group Meetings
● First Eucharist & Confirmation Sacramental Sessions @ 6.30 pm
Friday 22/03
● Saint Turibius de Mogrovejo (commemoration)
● Year Level Mass followed by morning tea: Buddies (Grade Prep/5)
Saturday 23/03
● The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Sunday 24/03
● Passion Sunday
WEEK 9
Monday 25/03
● Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
● Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
● Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 26/03
Wednesday 27/03
● Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30 pm
Thursday 28/03
● Holy Thursday (Whole School Liturgy)
● Last day of Term 1 & Student Dismissal 3.15pm
Friday 29/03
● Good Friday
Saturday 30/03
● The Easter Vigil
Sunday 31/03
● EASTER SUNDAY
