Mission and Religious Education

Mission and Religious Education 

Mission 

End of Year School Mass and Donations to St Vincent de Paul for their Christmas Hampers

We were joined by many family members and friends to celebrate our End of Year Mass, last Friday 8 December at 9.30am. It was a joyous celebration as we remembered and gave thanks for the many blessings we have received this year. Some of the members of our Mini Vinnies Catholic Earthcare Committee presented Mrs Burton from the St Vincent de Paul Society with food items donated by our school community to create Christmas Hampers for people in need in our local area.

After Communion we sang the Irish Blessing to farewell our Year 6 students and the Coleman Family. We wish them all the very best as they begin a new chapter in their lives.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

An Irish Blessing

Year 6 Graduation Mass

Our Year 6 Graduation Mass was celebrated this week on Wednesday 13 December at 6.00pm. This was a beautiful ceremony for our Year 6 students, who were able to celebrate their primary schooling with their families and friends. The Mass commenced with a welcome from the School Captains and the ceremony of light involving students,staff and parents. At the end of Mass Year 6 were presented with their Graduation Certificate and Graduation candle to remind them to always be people who let their light shine and support others to let their light shine. 

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses

Sunday 24 December Barraba 8.30pm

Monday 25 December Manilla 8.30am and Attunga 10.30am

Wishing everyone a happy, safe and a holy Christmas.

Key RE Dates for 2024

Thursday 8 February Beginning of Year Mass 9.30am - Whole School

Induction of School and Sports Captains

Wednesday 14 February Ash Wednesday Mass 9.30am - Whole School - Beginning of Lent. 

Induction of Mini Vinnies / Catholic Earthcare Volunteers

Sunday 31 March Easter Sunday

Wednesday 3 July First Reconciliation 4.00pm - eligible Year 2 students

Saturday 21 September Confirmation 6.00pm Mass - eligible Year 5 and 6 students 

Living Well, Learning Well - Pastoral Care and Wellbeing 

Mini Vinnies / Catholic Earthcare and our Environmental Champions

Contemporary Research shows that Acts of Kindness and Service for others is a key aspect of an holistic pastoral care approach for supporting students’ development of faith, wellbeing and learning outcomes. These acts of love and charity are central to students learning to contribute positively to society. 

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise and thank all of our wonderful students, especially our Mini Vinnies / Catholic Earthcare and Environmental Champions for your dedication and enthusiasm doing good works around our school and in the local community. Great work everyone.

Families interested in joining the Catholic Earthcare Household Community can do so by signing up on the Caritas Australia Catholic Earthcare site.

Road Safety

Transport NSW has sent us this Summer Road Safety Initiative to share with our school community.

The festive season is just around the corner which means we’ll see more people travelling on NSW roads.

Join us and the Centre for Road Safety in promoting ‘safety never takes a holiday’ by encouraging your colleagues, communities and loved ones to exercise extra care throughout the holiday season.

Top tips to remember:

• Slow down

• Make sure everyone's buckled up properly

• If you're feeling tired when driving, take a break or swap drivers

• Keep a safe distance of at least three seconds between you and the vehicle in front

• If you plan on drinking, have a Plan B

• Really switch off this summer and pop your mobile phone in the glovebox

• Check your lights, tyres and oil to make sure your car or motorcycle is road trip ready.

During the December and January period last year, 49 people were killed and 690 were seriously injured on NSW roads. Serious injuries rose by 144 from 566. In the same period in the year prior. This summer, the Centre for Road Safety is encouraging us all to remember ‘Safety never takes a holiday’ with this road safety initiative.

Key themes are road trip safety, speeding, fatigue, drink driving, seatbelt safety, caravan safety, motorcyclists, mobile phones, road rules and bringing the mob home safely.

Get involved:

• Follow us and share the ‘safety never takes a holiday’ posts on the NSW Road Safety Facebook page between 14 December 2023 and 13 January 2024.

• Interested in the communications toolkit? Email towardszero@transport.nsw.gov.au for a copy.

• Publish your own road safety messaging using the tagline and hashtag #SafetyNeverTakesAHoliday” across your social channels, newsletters, and websites.

• Visit the NSW Centre for Road Safety website for more info on staying safe on the road.

• Test how tired you might be before heading out on the road at testyourtiredself.com.au.

• Download the Speed Adviser app, a driver's aid to help you stay under the speed limit.

• Visit livetraffic.com for real-time updates on traffic conditions, including road closures.

“Let Your Light Shine” support others to let their light shine and remember “We Shine Brighter Together”

Jacquelene Cronin

Assistant Principal - Mission