Principal's Update
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Dear Parents and Carers,
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, beginning a new year in the Church calendar. The Advent wreath is a reminder to us of our own waiting and preparation for Christ’s coming. The Advent Wreath consists of a circle of evergreen foliage with 3 violet/purple candles and 1 rose candle placed in the circumference of the circle. A large white candle is placed in the centre of the wreath and purple or red ribbon is loosely wound around the evergreen foliage.
The growing light of the Advent wreath is symbolic of Christ who shatters the darkness of sin and death. Each week as the light grows stronger; we grow stronger too in our reverence for and commitment to Christ. The growing light helps us recognise Christ not only in the historical event we celebrate at Christmas, but in our lives today and in the hope we carry as we prepare for the coming fullness of God’s reign.
Evergreen branches also symbolize Christ, as evergreens stand firm against the barren winter, Christ stands firm against the barrenness of sin and death, beckoning us to eternal life.
The circular shape of the wreath reminds us that all is complete in Christ and that all is brought to perfect union in Him.
Violet candles are used in the Advent wreath to remind us of the season’s joyful penitence. A rose coloured candle marks the third Sunday, reminding us that the promise of salvation draws near and that the great feast of Christmas is just around the corner.
Lord,
This Advent season, we especially are in need of peace. War and unrest rages on in our world. It impacts the daily lives of millions in different ways. This year, as much as ever, we need Jesus in our world and in our hearts. During Advent in 2023, we pray that Jesus transforms our world as we await His coming again.
Amen
Learning Conversations
Learning Conversations will take place next week on the 5th and 6th of December. Bookings have been set up on the PAM and were released on Tuesday. Please ensure you get in early to get a time that suits you and your family.
Prep orientation sessions
Prep orientation sessions for our 2024 students were held this week after school hours. It was wonderful to see the children arriving so happy and eager to experience their new school for the first time. It was also a great opportunity to meet with parents. The children will be back on the morning of Tuesday 12th December. On this day they will meet their Grade 6 buddies.
St. Vinnies Food Hamper Appeal
Thank you to all families who have donated non-perishable food items for our St. Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We are still, however hopeful for more donations, which can be dropped off at the school office.
A big thank you to Matt French and Tas Ronto (Olly French Gr1 LM/MC) for the generous donation today. Matt and Tas work for Safeway Colac, and the donation was made by Safeway on behalf of Matt and Tas.
Liturgy / End Of Year Picnic
Our end of year Liturgy will be held Wednesday 13th December at 6pm, as we bid farewell to our Grade 6 students. This is a celebration for the whole school community and it would be wonderful to see everyone attend. The liturgy will be followed by a BYO picnic back at the school.
Move Up Morning
On Tuesday 12th December, we welcome new students to the St. Mary’s community in 2024. Prep students and new students entering other grades throughout the school will spend the morning becoming familiar with our school environment. They will spend the morning, along with all other students, in their new class. We wish them well and look forward to having them on board in 2024.
We also wish our Grade 6 students well on their orientation day at their chosen secondary school.
We are still finalising classroom teachers for 2024. The children will find out who their classroom teacher is on move up morning and this information will be released in the next newsletter, which will be the last for the year.
At this time of the year there can often be some anxiety around which class children are in next year, which friends they will be with and which teacher they will have. Sometimes children might not get exactly what they hoped for, and this can initially be upsetting. However, this is part of life and learning to be resilient and accepting certain situations that may not be exactly what we wanted. We ask that you, as parents, reinforce this with your children. A lot of time and thought goes into class lists and much is considered. Once they are finalised, we expect that children and parents accept our professional judgement and look forward to a great 2024.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Michael Mahoney (Principal)