Principal's Report

CONFIRMATION 

Dear Parents, 

This Saturday, 10 June, the students in Year Six will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This is a very significant time in their lives and in their faith journey.  It is also a very important time for their families, their teachers, the school and the parish community. As they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation they are acknowledging their willingness to be witnesses in sharing their faith and will answer their calling as an adult.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation.  Today, students usually receive this Sacrament after Baptism, Penance and Eucharist.  The Religious Education Programme taught at all Catholic schools, highlights different aspects of this Sacrament that is appropriate to the year level, therefore, all the Year Six students, have been preparing, in many ways, to receive this Sacrament for many years. 

Each year, a bishop or someone he has chosen, officiates at the Confirmation ceremony.  This year, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe will be presiding over the Mass.  The Sacrament of Confirmation is the celebration of our anointing, our ‘commissioning’ by the Holy Spirit to love as Jesus loved.  We are “sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”.  The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the life of Jesus within us.  When we live the gifts of Wisdom, Counsel, Reverence, Guidance, Understanding, Knowledge, Wonder and Courage we will be living the life of Jesus.  The living fruits of the Spirit, which are seen in the Joy, Love, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-control, we are able to use in our lives.

We thank our Parish Priest, Fr Sunny and our teachers, Mr Colangelo, Mrs White and Mr Sheridan who have spent many weeks organising the Confirmation programme which has included meetings, a retreat and daily lessons at school.  We also acknowledge and thank the Parish Sacramental Team, lead by Mrs Faith Rico for their efforts and support in preparing the students for this wonderful Sacrament and celebration.

We wish all Confirmation candidates and their families many blessings as they celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday.

Noah             Ashton

Alex               Bao

Alexander  Barker

Thomas       Bettles

Jackson       Bogaers

Imogen        Bowran

Adrian         Brown

Troy              Buckley

Massimo    Cecchele-Jones

Alessio        Colli

Elizabeth    Farnfield

Layla             Firns

Liam             Gaston

Daniel         Gianatti

Ethan          Gonsalves

Akiena       Gunawardene

Sasha          Haigney

Raphael    Ho

Anthony    Huang

Xander        Intervencion

Amanda     Joseph

Ella               King

Arcangelo   Mammone

Emily           Morgan

Cronan        Mulvey

Brian            Nguyen

Derek          Nguyen

Mitchell     O'Bryan

Jiada           Olivieri

Katia          Panicciari

Lucas         Pelle

Kasey        Pham

Tin              Pham

Julian        Pinneri

Hayley      Placzek

Claire        Prestianni

Isla             Reynolds

Cristobal   Rivera

Jayden        Rodrigues

Gianni        Romeo

Leah           Rossi

Isaiah        Roussety

Declan       Ryan

James        Sammells

Vincent    Sciullo

Jonas        Sim

Helena     Sparks

Xavier       Teo

Sophia      Terranova

Bayleigh   Tonkin

Nyobi        Viheriakoski-Barras

Jed              Williams

Matthew   Wilson

Alfred        Yip

Staying relevant in a Digital World

As technology continues to advance and our lives become more immersed in everything digital, the challenges faced by parents can often feel overwhelming. I recently read an interesting article shared by Michael Grose and written by Martine Oglethorpe . Martine is a speaker, counsellor and educator with a passion for building resilient kids in a digital world.

Martine believes that digital devices and the online world will continue to play an increasing role in the lives of our families for much of their information, education, entertainment and socialisation.  It is imperative therefore, we have the skills, understanding and strategies to help our kids navigate the challenges and make the most of the opportunities that the technology has to offer. 

This week she’s written a great article on parenting and technology aimed at parents of young children. She wrote an article about 'staying relevant in a digital world' that I would like to share with parents as I feel it has some important messages for us as parents.

As technology continues to advance and our lives become more immersed in everything digital, the challenges faced by parents can often feel overwhelming.

We know that the technology is here to stay and we also know the many benefits that we can reap from the digital world. There are amazing ways we can connect and collaborate, raise awareness, create, learn and share. We are also frequently made well aware of the dangers and pitfalls of this connected world. We hear often about the predators, the pornography, the paedophiles, the gaming obsessions, the screen-time addictions and the cyberbullying. 

So how do we ensure that our kids are getting the very best that the technology has to offer whilst avoiding those negative elements?

One of the best ways we can do this as parents is to remain relevant. But how do we stay relevant in a world that seems to move so fast? In a world where our kids already seem to know so much?

It starts by taking the time to get to know the world your children are growing up in and work to understand the challenges they face. Because kids do face challenges and they will make mistakes. We need to ensure that those mistakes are ones they can learn from and aren’t life changing.

Be the Wise ones

Well they may well have a lot of knowledge when it comes to all things technical. But they are not necessarily wise like us. Now I use the word ‘us’ very loosely here in referring to the adult population, because anyone who has spent any time online knows there are many adults who are not wise. But generally speaking, adults have a lot more understanding of the intricacies of interactions, relationships and the complexities of human behaviours than kids do. Our kids are interacting and connecting with others in a world that is often beyond what they are developmentally and emotionally ready for. We need to help them with that.

Play and interact

Sure we all love the lure of an iPad to ensure we can finish our coffee whilst its hot or get the dinner cooked uninterrupted. But if we also take the time to play and interact with our kids and their devices, we get a different perspective about what they enjoy. We get the bonus of the interactive element as well as time to bond and enjoy something together. We also put ourselves in a much better position to set relevant boundaries and help them understand those boundaries.

Listen to others and listen to your child

If your friend’s child is playing a game, has an account on social media or enjoys certain websites, then there is a good chance your child does too. Just as we would play at the park or hang out at the milk bar where our friends were when we were young, so too our kids will hang out where their mates are playing. So listen to those parents in the playground. Listen in to which popular apps and games are spoken about in the media. Listen to your child. Ask them what they like to do. Ask them about their concerns or their challenges. You may never keep up with every single app or site that your child visits, but if you have a good understanding of the ways kids are using technology and the sorts of things the technology is capable of, then you are in a much better position to help them use it safely and smartly.

Be open and honest about what is out there

Whilst there are times we certainly lament the passing of the good old days where screens, and social media were not such an integral part of our lives, we cannot afford to be in denial about the role technology is and will continue to play in the lives of our children. So rather than shut it down and try to avoid it, we need to be ready to have conversations that we may prefer not to have. We need to know that the average age a child first sees pornography is about 11, so we should understand that this is a very real possibility for our children. So how are we going to prepare them for that? What conversations would we need to have if we suspect this has happened? Because we do want to make sure that the education they are getting comes from us and not from the online world itself.

So seek out knowledge, interact, talk to your kids and put yourself in the best position to remain relevant to your child’s world. Be the one they come to should things go wrong. Be the one they come to to share the positive experiences they have online.

Our role as parents is not to shut down the accounts and take away the screens, but rather to ensure we are giving them the skills, the understanding and the thinking to make the very best decisions every time they go online.

WA Week

Last Monday, 5 June, we celebrated WA day. The following information is extracted from the The Museum of Western Australia. 

The WA Museum records that Albany was the first European settlement established in Western Australia. It was settled in 1826, three years before the Swan River Colony. Captain Charles Fremantle raised the British flag at Arthur Head in 1829 to claim the Swan River Colony, later Western Australia, for Britain. The Swan River Settlement was later named ‘Perth’ and became Western Australia’s capital city.

http://museum.wa.gov.au/welcomewalls/history

What is the History of WA Day?

The following information is extracted from the Celebrate WA Website. 

• Prior to 2012, the first Monday in June was known as Foundation Day, which marked the day when the first European settlers, under the command of Captain James Stirling RN, Lieutenant Governor, arrived from Britain to settle the Swan River Colony.
• In April 2012 Foundation Day was formally changed to WA Day following bipartisan political support in the Western Australian Parliament.
• The legislation emphasised that the new ‘State Day’ was to be inclusive of all people no matter how long they have called themselves Western Australians.

What is WA Day?

• WA Day takes place on the first Monday in June.
• It’s a day to celebrate all Western Australians, recognising our Aboriginal history, early European settlers and the many from all over the world who have made, and continue to make, Western Australia their home.
• It’s a day for each of us to reflect and celebrate all the great things about our people, our lifestyle, our culture and our potential.

http://www.celebratewa.com.au/what-is-wa-day/

Life Link Day

LifeLink was established by the Archdiocese of Perth in 1994 to provide for the ongoing financial and promotional support of agencies established or assisted by the Church. It is a day that we focus on and remember people in need within the WA community.

In the Archbishop’s Appeal message this year, he writes: “God seeks to be present and active in the world through us. As Saint Teresa of Avila would say, ‘ours are the eyes with which God looks with compassion on this world, ours are the feet with which the Lord walks to do good, ours are the hands with which He blesses all the world’. Faith is not simply about intellectual belief or acceptance of Church teaching – faith is a living, growing relationship with the Lord. As Jesus himself once said, ‘It is not those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven but those who do the will of my Father who is in Heaven’ (Matt 7:21).

It is in our actions, the practical demonstrations of our faith, that we truly reflect the face of Jesus to others, and at the same time encounter the face of Jesus in them. We will, as Jesus did… help heal the sick, care for the poor, feed the hungry, support the abused and the isolated, offer forgiveness and hope, extend protection and care to those who seek it.

In doing all this, we will find ourselves walking together in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd”.

Reflection: How can I help?

Stop and think about the times you as an individual help the needs of others and live out the values of the Gospel.

How else can you be demonstrating faith in action to others?

How do you ‘Open Your Heart’s to People in Need’?

Faction Cross Country

As you are aware our Faction Cross Country Carnival is next week. The children are so excited and they have worked extremely hard on their fitness and they should be very proud of their efforts. Long Distance Running is an integral part of the Physical Education Curriculum and all children in Year 1 – Year 6 are required to participate. The aim of the carnival is participation so all children are encouraged to give it a go.

Cross Country Carnival Details:                                                                           

Venue:                        Lightning Park

Date:                           Friday 16 June 2017

On the day, a bus will shuttle each year level to and from Lightning Park. The timetable for the day is below, however please note that these times are a guide and we may be running ahead or behind time.

The children need to bring

- a hat and drink bottle with them on the bus

- a jacket if they need it 

- a white school sport shirt and school jacket to put on after the race if it rains.

The children are allowed to wear a t-shirt in the colour of their faction to school on that day (similar to last year’s Athletics Carnival). If they are unable to find a shirt we will provide coloured bibs.

Our Year 6 Wellness Ministry will be providing support throughout the day.

Parents are welcome to attend and cheer on their children. There is plenty of parking and I ask that parents use the steps/pavilion for watching the children race and avoid going near the track. As this is a winter event we will go ahead if there is light rain. The Carnival will not proceed in the event of a storm.

The permission slip was sent home last week and I ask that these are returned ASAP. Please return the note to your classroom teacher.

We will also have a small presentation of the winning faction back at school at approximately 2:40pm. The top 4 runners will be presented with their ribbons and medals straight after their year level finishes their races at Lightning Park.

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom:

open our minds to receive your truth.

Come, Holy Spirit of Understanding:

may we clearly see the signs you have given.

Come, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Counsel:

may we discern what will lead us to life.

Come, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Fortitude:

may we speak out where injustice is done.

Come, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Knowledge:

may we live out your commandment of love.

Come, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Piety:

may we respect what your breath has called forth.

Come, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Fear of the Lord:

may we acknowledge the gifts you have shown.

Amen.

(Christopher Wilcock SJ -Jesuit Communications)

Infant Jesus Family

Our prayers are with the Favaro Family (Orlando 2B and Matteo KW) and the Tiniakos Family (Giacomo 2B) on the loss of their beloved grandfather. May he rest in peace with God.

Thought for the Week

Treat everyone with politeness, even

those who are rude to you,

not because they are kind, but

because you are."

Author:  Unknown

God Bless,

Paul Hille

Principal

#ExpectGreatThings