Happy Catholic Education Week everyone!

'Forming lives of faith, hope and love in the light of Christ.'

Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools across Victoria to celebrate their Catholic Identity from Sunday 12th to Sunday 19th of March. This year's theme is 'Forming lives of faith, hope and love in the light of Christ.' As Catholic Educators we partner with you, parents and caregivers, as we work together in this space. Here is a quote written by St Pope John Paul II. Who understood the vital role of parents in Catholic Education:

36. …parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children…The right and duty of parents to give education is essential.

Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World)

Some questions for us to ponder as members of a Catholic School and Parish.

What does it mean to be a Catholic School in the modern world?
What is the point of difference in a Catholic School?
How do we know our School is Catholic?
How do we live faith in action in our daily life in a Catholic School?
How can we make Catholicism real for each other?

How can we meet each other where we are in our lives and move into real lived experiences, as Jesus did? He met people where they were in the messiness of life, and offered the true Christian value of human dignity and love for all.

Forming lives – Catholic education seeks to provide the young with the best kind of education possible, one that fosters a formation of the whole person that is deeply and enduringly humanising.

Faith, hope and love – Catholic education forms individuals with more than just skills, but with the virtues to live life as transformative agents in our communities. By cultivating a maturing of faith and the intellectual life through the modelling of good relationships, Catholic students are prepared for living fruitfully in the world.

In the light of Jesus Christ – Christ is our inspiration, the very life of our purpose as Catholic educators. Everything we do is illuminated by this.

(MACS 2030: Forming Lives to Enrich the World, p. 8)

Catholic Education Week Festivities at SoGS

St Patrick’s Day Mass Friday 17th March

Every year during Catholic Education Week schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne are invited to send ten student representatives to the St Patrick’s Day Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. This year our Grade 6 Student Leaders, will attend. After Mass the student’s will be escorted by their teachers to the Treasury Gardens to attend a concert and free, fun activities. We will be going on this excursion with the two other schools in our Parish, St Carlos and Mary Queen of Heaven which will be very special for us all.

You can watch the School’s Mass via this livestream link at 10.30am Friday 17th March.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2amgr2IQ_0

This week our student’s morning prayers will all reflect the Catholic Education Week theme as well as St Patrick’s Day. There will be some fun class activities for the students to take part in as well!

WE ARE INVITING STUDENTS TO WEAR A SPLASH OF GREEN ON FRIDAY 17TH MARCH TO CELEBRATE ST PATRICK.

Our Patrick House takes its name form St Patrick. St Patrick’s Cathedral is our main church in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

My father’s name was Patrick, and my son is named after him, so St Patrick’s Day is special in my family.

THE SACRAMENT OF FIRST RECONCILIATION 2023 NEWS

Parent and Student Night

Thank you to all the families who attended our Reconciliation Information Night on Wednesday 8th of March. It was wonderful to see our students engaging with their parents and caregivers and sharing insights into this wonderful Sacrament of Healing which is readily available to us all. Special thanks to our parents who volunteered to wear our pink feather boas!

Some important insights to remember are:

When we hurt other people and make wrong choices…. We damage our relationship with God
God is so close to us that what we do in our daily lives affects our relationship with God
God’s love for us is unmeasurable and unfathomable. He loves us a lot.
God NEVER stops loving us or being close to us or wanting to be close to us.
So, we put our human relationships right then we turn to God to repair our spiritual relationship or, vice versa, we turn to God to heal our spiritual relationship which in turn helps us heal our human relationships
We go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation because life and faith go together, to be in the right relationship with God, to be reconciled to God and others.

Thank you to our amazing year three teachers, Natasha Ravanello and Taylor Dicello for preparing the students so beautifully to receive this Sacrament and to our co-educators, Paige La Penta and Marie Groves, for supporting the teachers and students in this space.

Please pray for all the students who will be receiving this personal Sacrament this week.

Important update to the Year 5 Family on Sunday 19th of March

Please note the time change. Year 5 Students and their families are invited to attend the 5.00pm Parish Mass this coming Sunday 19th March.

We are trialling this time slot as we are aware that many families have sporting and family commitments on Sunday mornings. We look forward to seeing you there.

God bless,

Caithleen Malone

Religious Education Leader and Faith Life Inquiry Leader

School of The Good Shepherd

BELONGING, COMPASSION and GROWTH

Term 1 Newsletter Issue 4, 2023 copy · 15 Mar 2023

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