OUR FAITH
PRAYER
Father,
We thank you for the opportunity to begin this new school year, and we ask that you bless the students, staff, and student families that make our school a great place. We pray that you will guide us in all ways, so that we will seek your will in everything that we do.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
We pray ...
for.....our staff as they prepare for the year ahead; our St Nicholas students and families, especially our new Kindergarten students and those students and families who are new to our school; for all those who have completed their schooling and are now beginning a new chapter in their adult life; and for all those who have lost loved ones.
Welcome back to our 2024 school year! We warmly welcome all of our new families and hope you will enjoy your time at St Nicholas School and Parish community.
LITURGY NEWS
Beginning of the School Year Mass (Years 1 - 6)
Our first whole school Mass for the year will be held Friday 9th February (Week 2) in the School Undercroft. Our new Kindergarten children will not be attending this Mass and will instead enjoy a calm and quiet morning with their teachers in their learning spaces.
ALL STUDENTS IN YEARS 1 TO 6 WILL NEED TO WEAR THEIR FULL SUMMER UNIFORM. Our Year 6 School and House Captains will be commissioned and receive their badges during our Beginning of Year Mass. Parents and friends are welcome to join us in celebrating this special mass.
Family Masses
Our Family Masses have become an important part of our School culture and these are usually held on the first Sunday of every month of the school term. Therefore our first Family Masses for this term will be held on Sunday 3rd March (Kindergarten and Yr 6) and Sunday 7th April (Yr 1 and Yr 5) at St Nicholas Church at 9.30a.m. These Masses are an opportunity for our School community to come together with our Parish Community to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word and to share a ‘cuppa ‘and morning tea afterwards.
Pastoral Care
As a School Community we often include the needs, sorrows and joys of our families in our prayers. This is done through class prayer, whole school prayer on assemblies and intentions mentioned in our weekly newsletters. If you experience the loss of a loved one, the anxiety of someone suffering ill-health or the joy of a new addition to your family, please let us know here at school so efforts can be made to include these intentions in our prayers.
Our Pastoral Care is vital in our commitment to show care, support and compassion for those families or individuals who may be experiencing difficulty or suffering through grief, loss or other personal issues. Simple support from others such as the cooking of meals, babysitting children, picking up and dropping off children or other chores such as ironing and shopping are some practical ways the load can be lightened. If you or your family are in need in any way throughout the year and would like support, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Dunst or Mrs Daley.
SACRAMENTS
This year our Year 3 and Year 6 baptised Catholic students will be involved in Sacramental Programs for Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation respectively. These are important events in the life of our students, School and Parish and we look forward to sharing these occasions with our students. For new students enrolling at St Nicholas in 2024, if there is a Sacrament that they have missed receiving please contact Mrs Dunst as soon as possible rdunst@arm.catholic.edu.au
The following dates have been set aside for these special events:
DATES FOR 2024 SACRAMENTS
First Reconciliation - Year 3 - Wednesday 12th June 2024
First Eucharist - Year 3 - Weekend of 15th/16th June 2024
Confirmation - Year 6 - Weekend of 7th/8th September 2024
Please mark these dates on your family calendar.
ALTAR SERVER TRAINING
Student who are baptised Catholics and have received their First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are eligible to become an Altar Server. Altar Server training will be conducted on Thursday 21st March at St Nicholas Church 4pm-5pm. More information will be forthcoming in later weeks.