From Mr Coppin
We honour our Anglican heritage but also celebrate the diversity of faiths within our community. In the Christian Faith, Lent is here, the start of Lent is commemorated with Ash Wednesday which was for 2024 was yesterday Wednesday 14 February.
Lent is a period of self reflection and self discovery in the 40 day lead up to Easter. I am often surrounded by people who are giving up all manner of little things or fasting as a reminder. I have seen fasting from soft drinks, chocolate, sugar in tea and coffee, fast food, social media or even swearing in carline (not that anyone does that here at Kambala). Lent is often seen as a time of giving up but it is wonderful to flip this thinking to contemplate taking up habits that give us vitality and life. I have come across this wonderful provocation which I love to share each year in the lead up to Easter using the analogy of fast and feast:
Fast on complaining
Feast on appreciating
Fast on discontent
Feast on gratitude
Fast on negative self-talk
Feast on being kind to yourself
Fast on judging others
Feast on what unites us together
Fast on facts that depress
Feast on truths that uplift
Fast from discouragement
Feast on hope
Fast on self-concern
Feast on compassion for others
Fast on idle gossip
Feast on purposeful silence
- William Arthur Ward
Staffing News
Silvia Meli
We take this opportunity to warmly thank Ms Silvia Meli for her 16 years of dedicated service at Kambala in Hampshire House and Prep. Silvia has most recently been seconded from Hampshire House to work as one of our Prep Assistants covering a role for one of our assistants who has been on maternity leave.
Silvia was keen to move permanently from an ELC based role to a school based role so has accepted a position as a Prep Assistant at Ascham. We thank Silvia for her impressive support of students and their learning in both Hampshire House and in Preparation. We welcome Ms Sarah Ross who will work with the Prep team for the coming weeks.
International Women's Day - Save the date (Years 6 - 12 only)
Junior School Swimming Carnival - Des Renford Aquatic Centre, Maroubra - Friday 23 February, 2024 8.00 - 2.00pm
Parents of students in Year 3 to Year 6 are warmly invited to attend the 2023 Junior School Interhouse Swimming Carnival. The PE and Sport Department do an impressive job ensuring that students have a minimum of 3 events on carnival day so it is a busy day for all Year 3 to Year 6 students.
All relevant information is included in the parent Permission form sent earluier this week.
We remind parents to complete both sections; the permission to attend, and the after-carnival going home arrangements.
Festival of Music 2024 - Sydney Opera House - Sunday 17 March, 2024 - 6.30pm
We are delighted that Junior School students (Year 5 and Year 6) will have the opportunity to perform as part of the Kambala Festival of Music at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 17 March 2024. This is one of our proud Kambala Traditions. We look forward to the students participating in the Year 5 to Year 12 event as Junior School involvement had to pause from 2020 to 2022 due to Covid and associated restrictions.
In 2024 Students in Year 5 and Year 6 will be performing on the evening of the Festival of Music. The Festival of Music usually concludes at approximately 9.45pm.
This is a compulsory school event for Year 5 and 6 students and we also ask students to attend the rehearsal on Sunday.
There has been a shift to timing in the hope to make logistics easier for parents and students to manage. We ask that Students will be dropped off at school and bused into the Opera House for a rehearsal on Sunday afternoon at approximately 3.00pm. We will then ask parents to meet their daughters at 5pm at the Foyer of the Opera House and remain in Circular Quay to have an early dinner in various locations. Junior School Students will then be seated for the concert to begin at 6.30pm.
Please note that Monday 18 March, 2024 will be a rest day for students in Year 5 and 6 due to the late evening and significant time commitment involved. More details will follow in coming weeks.