Be Kind, Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible, Be resilient, Be ready

Dear Parents and Carers,

Just letting you know there will be a couple of changes to staffing for next year.

Mrs Vanessa Ritterman and family will be heading to Queensland to take up a position at St Mary's Catholic School, Maryborough. We wish her and her family all the best on their new adventure. Vanessa has been with us since our doors opened in 2018. And has been a wonderful asset to our school and will be greatly missed. Miss Jessica Gysberts has accepted a position at Cowes Primary School and we wish her all the very best as she takes on this new challenge. Even though Jess has only been with us for a short time she has made a huge impact on the families and students of our school. In more positive news, we are excited to welcome Mrs Karen Faulwetter and Mrs Melissa Steiner to our wonderful school community in 2024.

Next Tuesday the students will participate in a short transition session where they will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and classmates for 2024.

Sunday marks the beginning of the new Church Year and the First Sunday of the Advent Season.

Throughout time, storytelling has been used to record the oral history of people and to convey traditions and values. The following story has dropped its pen into both these aspects: “Years ago a wealthy widower and his son shared a passion for art collecting; priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others adorned the walls of the family mansion. However, a war engulfed their nation and the young man left home to serve his country. A few short weeks later, his father received a telegram telling him his beloved son had been killed while carrying a fellow soldier to a medic.

Five months later, the old man responded to the house bell and upon opening the door, was greeted by a soldier with a package in his hand. The soldier introduced himself by saying that he was a friend of the old man’s son, and that he was the one being rescued when the son lost his life. ‘I’m an artist,’ said the soldier, ‘and I want to give you this.’ When the old man unrolled the package there, before him, was a portrait of his son. It was no work of art but did accurately define the son’s face and seemed to capture his personality.

The following spring the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in a frenzy and collectors from around the world arrived for the auction. The auctioneer began with a painting not listed in the catalog; it was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent. The auctioneer asked, ‘Who will open the bidding with $100?’ The response was unanimous and almost unruly: ‘We didn’t come for this rubbish! Get on with the masterpieces!’ The auctioneer remained firm till a friend of the old man spoke,

‘I knew the boy. So I will have it. I bid $100.’ There were no other bids so the auctioneer’s gavel fell to ‘Sold!’ Cheers filled the room and someone called out, ‘At last we can get on with it.’ In response to this, the auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quietened the room. Then came the question, ‘What do you mean it’s over? There are millions of dollars worth of art here. We demand to know what’s going on!’ The auctioneer replied, ‘It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son, gets it all’.”

The story contains the essence of the Advent-Christmas story: whoever takes the Son gets it all. St John wrote, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life,”1 John 5: 11, 12. Advent promises a new life in Christ. Christ’s coming gives us a living picture of God; through Christ, we get to know God. Advent fosters in us the attitude of expectation; it is an essential part of our Christian belief that we should be looking forward, throughout our life, to a life in fullness with God. Jesus told us, “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10.

For thousands of years, the Hebrew prophets told in the Hebrew Scriptures how they looked forward to the redemption of their people. Now, in the Christian Scriptures, we hear how we have that redemption: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16, 17. Each Advent we renew our expectations and each Christmas we celebrate Christ’s coming and God’s redemption.

Keep smiling

Cathy

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