Religious Dimension

Sunday's Gospel -  Matthew 18:15-20

Over the weekend, many families celebrated Father’s Day, a special opportunity to pause and give thanks for the fathers, grandfathers and father figures who have helped shape our lives. We also recognise that days like this can bring a range of emotions and experiences for different families. Whatever Father’s Day looked like for your family, I hope there were moments of connection, gratitude and joy and perhaps some precious memories that brought a smile. Often, it is the small and simple moments, the shared laugh, a kind word, a favourite memory or simply being together that stays with us and remind us of the love that surrounds us. 

In Matthew's Gospel, 18:15–20, we are invited to wonder about the God who draws close to us, not only in moments of prayer, but in our relationships, our struggles and our community. Jesus reminds us that where two or three gather in His name, He is there. 

As a Family, you might pause and wonder:

 What does it mean to believe that God is present with us, even when we cannot see Him? 

How does God want us to respond when relationships become difficult?

What might forgiveness look like in our homes? 

Where do we notice God working through the people around us? 

Most importantly - What is God inviting our family to notice, trust or change right now? 

These are not questions that need quick answers, but invitations to wonder, to listen and to grow together in our relationship with God.       

Growing in our Religious Education Practice

It has been an exciting time for Religious Education at St John’s, as we continue to strengthen the way we explicitly teach and share our Catholic faith with our students.

I recently had the opportunity to share our work with more than 60 Religious Education Leaders from schools across the Eastern Region. As one of the schools involved in trialling the new Religious Education curriculum, St John’s is helping to shape what this looks like in practice.

Our Prep and Grade 1/2 teachers, have been developing and teaching lessons using the new curriculum resources and scope and sequence. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm of our teachers and the rich learning experiences being created for our students. MACS has been very encouraged by the work taking place at St John’s and has invited us to continue providing feedback as new units are developed. We are also pleased to be part of a pilot study showcasing some of the excellent Religious Education practices happening within our school and across the Eastern Region. We look forward to continuing to grow in this important area and helping our students develop a deeper knowledge and love of their faith.

Here are some photos of student's work about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit across the School.

Pope Leo XIVs - Magnifica Humanitas – Magnificent Humanity

Safeguarding The Human Person In The Time Of Artificial Intelligence 

Our staff have been reading about the encyclical released by Pope Leo earlier this year. As a hook to our learning the teachers were asked a series of questions to provoke their thoughts on AI. It was a great time to unpack this with our staff.

LOOK. NOTICE. WONDER.

What do you notice in this image?

What do you think the two figures represent?

What makes the human face different from the artificial one?

What can a machine do that a human can do?

What can a human do that a machine cannot?

What makes us human?

Where does human wisdom come from?

Is being intelligent the same as being wise?

As parents and educators AI has becomes an increasingly familiar part of our children’s world, we have been reflecting on an important question: 

How do we ensure technology helps our children to flourish as human beings, rather than replacing the uniquely human qualities that make us who we are?

Tuesday Class Masses

Nearly every Tuesday each of our classes joins the parishioners at the 10am morning mass. We would love you to join us to support the students as they connect with our parish community.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support and partnership.

Melinda Buscema 

(Deputy/REL/Teaching and Learning)

mbuscema@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au