Term 4 Week 7 of 11
Friday, 15th November 2024
As we begin to approach the end of the year and look forward to Christmas, for members in our community that are less fortunate than us it means a time of greater stress. This year especially has seen an increase in the number of people who have lost jobs, been victims of violence or in financial difficulty. As part of our parish our St Vincent De Paul group will be helping these families before Christmas and look to our parishioners and their generous support to assist us.
For those that can, we ask for the following:
Christmas hampers for families (feel free to make your own)
Nonperishable grocery items
Books, puzzles and activities for children
Toys for children
All our St Vinnie’s members will represent each of you as we will deliver these generous gifts on your behalf.
We would like to extend our gratitude and thanks for your continuous support.
Also, a reminder of our Christmas Carols coming up on Wednesday December 11 at 6pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to share in the celebration of Advent and Christmas together as a community. We also have our Year 6 Graduation Liturgy on Monday 16th December at 6pm, we look forward in gathering for a wonderful farewell.
Deputy Principal: Learning & Organisation
Our Final 2025 School Leaders announced
This Monday our final school leaders for 2025 were announced. Congratulations to the following students who have been successfully elected into these leadership roles. These students will receive a blessing at our final school assembly of the year on Tuesday 17th December. We pray for these leaders as they join our 2025 School Captains Anthony and Keiara as they prepare to lead next year.
Prep 2025 Transition!
What an amazing first two transition sessions our 2025 Preps had over the past two weeks. These sessions will continue over the next three weeks as our students develop relationships and become more comfortable with their new surroundings. Well done to our new Preps for 2025!
Scavenger Hunt Winners
First of all, thank you to all of our students and their families for attending our community themed art show on the 30th of October. The school was abuzz with excitement. It was wonderful to see everyone participating in interactive art and looking at the masterpieces created by our students. The cultural pride as always was a showstopper and great reminder of the cultures that make up our community.
Apologies for the delay, but we are finally ready to announce the winners of the Art Show Scavenger hunt.
The prizes include, visual diaries, paint pallets and cross-stitching kits.
Here are our winners:
Elsie Prep A
Riley Prep A
Violet Prep B
Quan Van in Prep C
Caterina 2C
Cungbawilian 2C
Simon 2C
Vaslem 5C
Your prizes will be placed in your tub on Monday for you to take home!
Thank you again from
SUNDAY GOSPEL
This Sunday’s reading is from the Holy Gospel according to John 18:33-37
You say that I am a king.
‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
Gospel Reflection
This week marks the end of the liturgical year. Next week, with the first week of Advent, we begin the new liturgical cycle. It is fitting that the Church concludes the liturgical year with the celebration of Christ the King. The conversation between Jesus and Pilate displays a lot of word play on the part of Jesus and quite a lot of confusion on the part of Pilate. The confusion stems from different perceptions of what it means to be a king. For Pilate, part of the most powerful political and military rule in the ancient world, the idea of a king was a threat. Claiming kingship was claiming authority and power that would inevitably lead to challenging the authority and power of Rome and, more directly, its representative in Palestine – Pilate. Jesus, of course, had a completely different idea about ushering in a kingdom. He does indeed declare that he is a king and that is what leads us to today’s feast of Christ the King. However, his intention is not to claim a position of power and authority. When we think back to Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God, we recall that he declares the people of highest status – the first – in the kingdom to be the lowliest of this world. It is the poor, the sick, the outcast, the children and the widows who will hold the highest places in the kingdom of God. In a kingdom like that, what does it mean to declare oneself king? The confusion about what it means to be a king that is captured in this interaction between Jesus and Pilate is the same confusion that we saw among the disciples as they came to terms with exactly what it means to be the Messiah.
Gospel Focus – Truth
Jesus says to Pilate that he came into the world ‘to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’ That is where today’s gospel passage finishes but as the gospel continues, Pilate famously asks Jesus ‘What is truth?’ and the question is left dangling; unanswered. The truth Jesus has borne witness to is the truth of his whole life – the revelation of God’s love for humanity. It is for proclaiming this truth that Jesus is placed on trial and is brought before Pilate.
Historical Context – Christ the King
Unfortunately, political and military images of kingship have played a dominating role in the Church since very early in its history. The very earliest Christians, or followers of the Way, did not conform to social and political hierarchies of their day. But when Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire the structure of the Church quickly adopted the political and social structures of the empire. At times in history the Pope has adopted a regal status and led huge armies into battle. Many of these structures persist today and we sometimes struggle to recapture Jesus’ intention when he declared himself a king.
Have you thought? The Kingdom of God
When Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God, he never gives a particularly clear picture of what he means. He usually refers to the kingdom with metaphoric language (‘the kingdom of God is like …’) and often the kingdom is defined by what it is not. The kingdom is also a real contradiction: it is here and now and yet it is still to come; it is almost impossible for some to enter the kingdom while others are assured a place; it is within us and in our hearts and yet is a great banquet to which all are invited.
The Anointing of the Sick is for the healing and spiritual strengthening of those who are impaired by sickness or old age.
We will celebrate the Sacrament of the Sick at Resurrection Parish, within a Eucharistic celebration on Saturday 21st December at 10.00am, followed by light refreshments.
For catering purposes please notify the parish office of your attendance.
CRC St Albans
CRC St Albans has joined our partnership with Fr Nestus and the Buyaga Secondary Vocational College. Last Tuesday, I attended their McCauley Presentation and Assembly. As part of that Assembly the school presented a cheque totalling the sum of $3,658.29 to be forwarded to Fr Nestus.
Education is a gift of opportunity.
I thank the community of CRC St Albans, staff, and students for this generous gift.
St Vincent De Paul
The St Vincent de Paul Society's (Vinnies) home visitation program is a core part of their work and involves members visiting people in their homes to provide support.
In the past year from October 2023 - October 2024 it's been reported that Vinnies have visited 841 Adults and 497 children. The value of assistance given by the conference totalled the sum of $109,433. Some of these areas include, accommodation, supermarket gift cards, transport, utility bills, furniture, whitegoods, Vinnies cards and donated food items.
Student of the Week Awards
Week 7
Prep A
Sophie Duddington
Rose Z - For showing persistence when reading tricky words by looking at all the sounds in the word. Keep up the fantastic work, Rose!
Prep B
Jacinta Polh
Gabriel M - For being focused during writing time and using your phonics skills to help you spell unknown words. Keep it up, Gabriel!
Prep C
Carla Tirotta
Quan V- For doing a wonderful job collecting and analysing data. Keep up the fantastic effort, Quan!
One B
Matt Galea
Zane H - For continually joining in classroom discussions, sharing his knowledge and focusing on his learning.
One C
Thomas Pham
Eamen S - For showing continued growth in her understanding of the sounds that she hears in a word. Congratulations Eamen!
Two A
Belinda Collins
Noah V - For using the correct structure and including some valid reasons in your persuasive writing piece - ‘Children should only use devices on weekends’. Great work Noah!!
Two B
Liz Micallef
Ava P - For being an organised and responsible student and putting effort in all subjects. Keep up the good work!
Two C
Dorothy Hall
Thadeus M - For being a responsible learner and sharing his thoughts and ideas during class discussions.
Three A
Ella Nowak
Olivia M - For being a kind and caring member of 3A and always looking out for those around her. You are a pleasure to have in class!
Three B
Kurt Cuguin
Ram C - For being a responsible learner and putting big effort into his work, concentrating harder and trying new and challenging tasks. Well done Ram!
Three C
Four A
Stenly - For being a resilient learner during numeracy by remaining focused and applying skills learnt to create a detailed map using pictures and coordinates. Keep up the amazing effort Stenly!
Four B
Giselle J - For being a resilient learner in Literacy by persuading the audience with using convincing words and the correct persuasive structure. Keep up the great work Giselle!
Four C
Daphne C - For always showing support and enthusiasm during classroom activities, being a positive collaborator and team leader.
George K - For consistently demonstrating resilience when editing and improving his information report to include greater detail and cohesion.
Five A
Lavina Stewart
Thien T - For being a knowledgeable learner by effectively creating a financial plan based off a given budget. Well done Thien!
Five B
Malae Suaesi
Chantelle V - For being a thinker during Maths by applying her knowledge to create a financial plan for a birthday party. Amazing work!
Five C
Rosie Nojdek
Jayden Rey - For formulating a party budget, keeping a running total and comparing the estimated budget to actual costs accurately. Amazing work.
Six A
Katherine Salloum
Akuol D - For being an enthusiastic learner when showcasing her family’s migration journey and creating an artistic and creative poster.
Nikita N - For being a kind, caring and compassionate member of 6A. You always look after those around you and make sure to put a smile on their faces. Keep being you!
Six B
Lena Aloi
Jayden P - For showing amazing focus and enthusiasm as he wrote about his family’s migration story during Inquiry lessons. Well done!
Isabel W - For showing confidence in her learning and constantly contributing to class discussions in a respectful manner. Well done!
Six C
Jake Moloney
Abigail L - For utilising her research skills to interview her family regarding their migration story. Well done Abigail!
Robert R - For showcasing his retelling ability when creating a snapshot of his migration story. Well done Robert!
Japanese:
Yumiko Aiki
Parker C (4C) - For being a positive learner by showing enthusiasm and respect towards Japanese students when he participated in the Japanese zoom session. Well done Parker!
Performing Arts:
Jody Banks
Karl K (5B) - For always trying his best in Performing Arts class and for demonstrating his musical singing voice during lessons. Keep up the joyous singing, Karl!
Visual Arts:
Emma Lyons-Pell & Tosh Kaan
Ajok M (4C) - For demonstrated determination and skill when weaving her 'House'. Well done!
S T E M:
Matt Dalton
Bahnam Q (5B) - For demonstrating incredible technical skills while helping others construct their aircraft. Well done Bahnam!
P.E:
Jen Barresi
Amy R (4B) - For her thoughtfulness, empathy and dedication to always doing her best. Her kind and considerate nature sets a positive example for everyone around her. Well done Amy!
TERM FOUR DATES
Week 8
Monday - 25/11
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday - 26/11
Parent Support Group Meetings
Parent Advisory Council 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Wednesday - 27/11
Parent Support Group Meetings
Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Thursday - 28/11
Parent Support Group Meetings
Friday - 29/11
2025 Prep Transition Session 3
Year Level Mass followed by morning tea: Grade 3/4
Saturday - 30/11
Saint Andrew
Sunday - 1/12
1st Sunday Of Advent
Week 9
Monday - 2/12
2025 Student Transition Day 1 (Prep – Grade 5’s)
Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday - 3/12
Saint Francis Xavier
Parent Support Group Meetings
Wednesday - 4/12
Saint John Damascene
Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Grade 5 Camp - Sovereign Hill (Ballarat)
Thursday - 5/12
Parent Support Group Meetings
Grade 5 Camp - Sovereign Hill (Ballarat)
Friday - 6/12
Saint Nicholas
2025 Prep Transition Session 4
Grade 5 Camp - Sovereign Hill (Ballarat)
Reports due to leadership
Saturday - 7/12
Saint Ambrose
Sunday - 8/12
2nd Sunday Of Advent
Week 10
Monday - 9/12
The Immaculate Conception Of The Blessed Virgin Mary
2025 Student Transition Day 2 (Prep – Grade 5s)
Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday - 10/12
Our Lady of Loreto
Wednesday - 11/12
Saint Damasus I
Carols By Candlelight 6.00pm - 7.30pm
Report changes completed
Thursday - 12/12
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Friday - 13/12
Grade 6 Big Day Out
2025 Prep Transition Session 5
Saint Lucy
Saturday - 14/12
Saint John of the Cross
Sunday - 15/12
3rd Sunday of Advent
Week 11
Monday - 16/12
Grade 6 Graduation Liturgy & Presentation Night 6.00pm
Reports sent out
Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am
Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30 pm
Tuesday - 17/12
Whole School Mass 9.00am
End of Year Award Ceremony
Last Day Of Term (3.15pm Finish)
Wednesday - 18/12
School Closure Day - Handover Day
Thursday - 19/12
School Closure Day - End of Year Staff Lunch
Friday - 20/12
School Closure - Time in Lieu Day
Saturday - 21/12
Sunday - 22/12
4th Sunday of Advent
