A message from Emily

Principal – St John's Footscray

Dear Parents and Carers

 

Yesterday we celebrated Ash Wednesday with Fr Rene. We received a sprinkle of ashes on our heads with a call to 'Repent and believe in the Gospel'. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and giving to others. It reminds us of our blessings and allows us to give thanks for all that God has given us. We think especially of all those around the world who have been affected by the war, floods and COVID-19. On Ash Wednesday we were called to think about what we are going to pray for, what we are going to give or give up and how you can make a difference to others, or the environment, this Lent.

 

Our Social Justice Leaders launched our Project Compassion drive after our liturgy. This year, Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion theme is ‘Be More’. It challenges us to venture into a new experience of compassion, and is taken from the invitation of St Oscar Romero, to “Aspire not to have more, but to BE more.” During Lent, children are encouraged to donate any coins they have and place them in the Project Compassion boxes. The Social Justice Leaders will count the coins and give us updates at our school assemblies.

 

Fr Rene also blessed our 100 year celebration mural yesterday. We have recorded this blessing and it has been upload to our '100 Years of St John's' website. We invite all families to check this new exciting website - https://sites.google.com/sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au/100yearsofstjohns/home

 

I would like to draw families attention to important dates as we have listed our school closure dates for the year in this section. As a St John's staff we will be using two of these days for a Spiritual Retreat where we will be connecting with our history with the Sisters of Saint Joseph as well as developing our knowledge as educators in a Catholic School through the pedagogy of encounter. I look forward to sharing the learning and growth that comes from this experience and enriching our Catholic Identity as a school.

 

Ash Wednesday Prayer

God of hope and compassion,

You remind us of the need to turn away from our own desires, and to care for our neighbours throughout the world.We pray that during this time of Lent, we may grow in understanding of the challenges faced by those who do not have much in our world as we make a home for them in our hearts.

As we think about the challenges of others, help us to challenge ourselves to ‘Be More’ kind, more generous, more courageous and more compassionate. Be with us as we walk side by side with our global brothers and sisters. We ask this in Jesus’ name.

Amen

 

PREP 2023 TOURS

Next week our Prep 2023 School Tours continue. Perspective families are invited to tour our school and see the children engaging in learning at St John's to see what a school day looks like in our community. Adults attending these tours will be required to wear a mask and present evidence of their vaccination status to enter the school buildings. Prep Tours will be on the following days and times:

Day & DateTime
Friday 18 March9.30am - 10.30am
Friday 18 March12pm - 1pm

WELCOME PICNIC

Our 'Welcome Picnic' is on Wednesday 16th March. All families are invited to attend our Welcome Picnic and take the opportunity to meet and socialise with other families as well as the staff of St John's.  So bring along your own picnic, a rug or chair and find a spot in Joan's yard or the backyard. We do ask families to be mindful of socially distancing. The picnic will begin at 5pm. We will send home a flyer to all families with further details.

 

Looking forward to seeing you at the picnic,

Emily