Courage, Faith, Love

Dear Parents and Friends of St Agatha's Primary School,

'You shall by my witnesses.' (Acts 1:8)

October is Mission Month for the Catholic Church, with Sunday 23rd October World Mission Sunday. This is a time to reflect on how our missionary efforts may contribute to our global community and to take part in prayer that keeps us open to the mystery of God’s loving grace.

Earlier this week, Mr Butler and the Year Six Mini Vinnie Team led the school in our Socktober Day where students were invited to be involved in a social justice activity that involved using old socks to create soccer balls and to raise money for communities who will benefit from this act of giving.

The ARTS WEEK is coming!

This week, we are preparing for our Arts Week that will take place next week. It is going to be an exciting week and we hope that the parent community really enjoys getting involved.

On Monday 17th October, we will have the Opening Ceremony for our Arts Week.

The opening includes a Welcome to Country ceremony. With the new Child Safe Standards that came into effect on July 1 we are ever more aware of ensuring we are inclusive of all cultures and especially that of the First Nations People. To acknowledge our commitment to ensure St Agatha's is not only a child safe school but a culturally safe school we have invited Aboriginal Traditional Owners from the Bunarong people to lead us in a Welcome to Country ceremony. The purpose of including this ceremony and the indigenous dancers is to educate our school community in the traditions and rituals of Australia's First Nations People.

Drawing upon St John Paul II’s words, Pope Francis reminds us that the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is precious, with much to offer the Catholic Church around the world.

"Your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear. Do not think that your gifts are worth so little that you should no longer bother to maintain them. Share them with each other and teach them to your children. Your songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages, must never be lost." Pope Francis

On Tuesday, the Art Show will take place. Please pop in to see the students artwork displayed in the Hall between 3:30PM and 5:00PM. St Peter's is currently holding their Art Show and we have a display of St Agatha's student art there too!

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the St Agatha's Production, 'Pirates of the Curry Bean' will take place. Mr Block has been preparing for this for the past 18 months and I am sure the students involved from Years 4 - 6 will be very excited to perform for you. Contact the office to book your tickets. The Shows will be presented from 6PM to 7:30PM both nights.

On Friday, Japanese Day will end the week. All students can come to school dressed in Japanese costumes. The week will end with a closing ceremony that includes our Taiko Drummers and our Dance Team who will perform.

Pupil Free Days in Term 4

Please note that we will have a Pupil Free Day on Friday 28th October. This is the Friday before the Melbourne Cup weekend. There will be no school for students on Friday 28th October or Monday 31st October. Teachers will be involved in professional learning and report writing over this extra long weekend. I thank you for your understanding.

I pray that we all have a wonderful week ahead!

Loving God, you created humanity in your image and likeness. We pray that we may open our eyes to see your face in our brothers and sisters of different cultures, races and religions. May we focus on what binds us as a people rather than what separates us.

We pray to the Lord. Amen

Michelle Bruitzman

Principal

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