Principal's Report
Infant Jesus Day
Dear Parents,
On Friday 25 August, we celebrate Infant Jesus Day. It is a day that we come together to celebrate as a community as we honour our heritage and the traditions of our school. It is a special time to recognise our past and all the people who in different ways have contributed to the vibrant community that we have today. This year our theme is, "Expect Great Things."
We reflect on our identity and heritage and recognise our Dominican beginnings merging with the Carmelite Vision to create our community which is founded on Faith, Love, Hope and Truth.
We recognise the Carmelite and Dominican sisters and religious who established and developed our school. We also acknowledge the many staff members, students, families and friends who have contributed in so many ways. We pray that their time as part of our Infant Jesus family has helped them to grow into God centred and Jesus focused people who make a difference to our world. Above all this, we continue to put our faith and trust in Jesus as the cornerstone of the community we strive to build.
The day will begin with Mass in the School Hall followed by recess and morning tea for parents and special guests. Immediately after recess/morning tea the classrooms will be open for parents to come in and spend time with the children. Parents can visit classrooms and be guided by their child around the school. Parents need to be aware that their child is in their care and when they finish the walk around the school they need to guide their child back to his/her classroom. Please ensure that children are signed in and out of the classroom.
At 12noon, all children need to be back in their classroom. At this time, the 'sausage sizzle' lunch for parents can be collected from the Canteen in the School Hall. The ‘sausage sizzle’ for children will be delivered to the classrooms. Weather permitting, we will have a shared lunch on the school oval. Parents can take their children and sit together for a shared lunch or sit with a class of their choice.
If your family would like a sausage sizzle please fill out the Form in the link below: http://bit.ly/2vlBrmA
Immediately after lunch, weather permitting, we will participate in mission activities until approximately 1.30pm. Children will then resume normal classroom activities
Performing Arts Festival
Congratulations to our School Choir who participated in the Sacred Choral Music section of the Performing Arts Festival on Monday. The choir sang beautifully and were really quite impressive with their performance. Many thanks to Mrs Boddy for her efforts with this group.
It was an amazing experience to take the first ever select choir to the Festival and they achieved high results. The adjudicator wrote extremely positive comments which included “the children sang this beautiful prayer with conviction and understanding” and “Congratulations choir on a most enjoyable performance. You sang with confidence and conviction”. The Infant Jesus Choir is to be commended for their heartfelt performance and excellent effort. The Choir received a Certificate of Merit for their performance. Well Done!
The Choir will still be diligently preparing for our next performance on Tuesday the 22nd August at 2.45 at the Vasto Club in Balcatta.
Congratulations is also in order for our Infant Jesus Clarinet Trio and the Infant Jesus Flute Trio who both received a Certificate of Merit in the Instrumental Ensemble section of the Festival.
The Infant Jesus School Choir & The Year 4 Choir
Tuesday 22 August (2.45pm-4.00pm)
Vasto Club, Balcatta
Infant Jesus Concert Band
Tuesday 22 August (7.00pm-9.30pm)
Marist Auditorium
Newman College
Family Mass
A focus for 2017 for Infant Jesus School is to strengthen the links between the Parish and the School. As a school community we have been invited to organise and lead parts of the Mass at Infant Jesus Church at 6.30pm on Saturday 19 August. This is a very significant time for the Parish as this Mass is the beginning of the Silver Jubilee Celebration of Infant Jesus Church.
This Mass is also one of the Commitment Masses for the children who are commencing their preparation to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
The School Choir will also be involved and will be leading the singing at this celebration. If you, and your family, would like to help in any way please contact Ms Melissa Myles or Ms Clare Moffat.
We are looking forward to seeing all families at this special occasion to begin the Silver Jubilee celebrations.
25th Jubilee Infant Jesus Church
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the new Infant Jesus Church. Fr Sunny and the assistant priests, along with the Parish Council and the various active committees within the church are planning for a big celebration to recognise the occasion. Three bishops, including Archbishop Costelloe will be attending the Masses over the weekend of 26 & 27 August.
As you know, Saturday 19 August is an Infant Jesus School Family Mass. There will be a number of opportunities for our community to be involved, particularly as Friday 25 August is IJ Day!
Attached is the Parish Jubilee Week Program. Please mark your Calendar.
Assumption Day Mass
Next Tuesday, 15 August, we will celebrate the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a special Mass. This feast day celebrates Mary’s Assumption into heaven and the Church has made this a Holy Day of Obligation.
Mary loved God and always trusted in Him, doing all that God would want of her. Although she became the Mother of Jesus, Mary was a simple woman who lived according to the customs and traditions of her Jewish faith. On the Feast of the Assumption, we remember and celebrate that Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, by God. This special privilege was given to her because of her sinless and exemplary life and total trust in God.
Prayer for the Week
Dear Lord,
We pray that we will have the same faith and trust as Mary.
Help us to know what you want us to do Lord, and give
us the courage to follow your will.
Mary answered God’s call and became the mother of Jesus.
We pray that we will listen to God’s call and, like Mary, say‘Yes’ to Him.
Jesus was always the centre of Mary’s life.
May Jesus be as important in our own lives.
Mary’s love and faith supported Jesus throughout His life.
Bless our own mothers who love and support us in everything we do.
May Mary’s life and her reward at the end of her life,
guide us and encourage us to be people of faith.
May we follow the example of Mary and all the saints in
living lives of faith and trust.
Help us to have the faith and commitment of Mary.
Listen to our prayers loving God, so that, like Mary we
might find hope and comfort in you.
Amen
Infant Jesus Family
Our prayers and thoughts are with the Mammone Family (Georgia 2B, Angelo 1W and Luigi KB) as they farewell their beloved Great Grandmother who passed away recently. She was just a few months shy of her 111th birthday! May she rest in the peace of God in heaven.
We pray for the Lombardi Family (Eva 4B) in the sad loss of their beloved Great Grandmother who passed away recently. May she rest in peace.
Father's Day Breakfast
Sunday September 3, is Father’s Day – A very significant day as we all know!!!! To recognise the occasion, we would like to hold a ‘Sausage Sizzle Breakfast’ for all of our dads in the school. This will commence at 7.30am on Thursday 31 August.
We encourage all dads to join us on this morning for a bite to eat and a cuppa before heading to work.
Those wishing to attend are asked to fill out the Form in the link below: http://bit.ly/2uFf4Gy
Helping our Children Unwind
“Busy, busy, busy!” That seems to be the catch-phrase from everyone I talk to lately. When I ask “How are you?”, that is the answer I often get, even from children. It is not uncommon for some students to have four or five outside school activities a week. We do live in a world where things seem to move at a frenetic pace, constantly moving from work to home, to sport, to social activities with very little breathing space in between.
I have always been a believer in keeping my own children busy, especially with sports and outdoors activities. My mum always said it would “…keep them out of trouble.”!
Parenting expert Michael Grose says that there is “Nothing wrong with kids being busy as long as they have plenty of chances to relax and unwind.” He also points out that relaxation is the key to good mental health and well-being and is an important life skill for us all to learn. So how do we strike a happy and healthy balance?
One way to ensure busy kids unwind, Michael Gross assures us, is to make sure kids get bored every so often. There is a temptation to fill kids’ days with activities so that no time is wasted.
“I’m bored!” is the last thing most parents want to hear their kids say. Many parents feel compelled to do something to alleviate a child’s boredom.
Boredom can be good for kids’ mental health and well-being, giving them the chance to muck around and take it easy for a time.
Here are 5 ideas to help you unwind your kids:
1. Let your kids regularly stare into the ‘fire’.
Ever sat around a camp fire and stared at the flames? If so, you will know how calming it is. No exertion! No need to think! No need to talk to anyone! Just a chance to chill-out and relax. The TV is the modern version of the camp fire. Yep, TV used in this way is good for kids’ mental health.
2. Let kids exercise without rules
Kids are the kings and queens of play. Always have been. Until lately that is, when their lives have become highly organised and scheduled. Free, child-initiated play is the ultimate in relaxation. Fun games, games with few rules and games that kids control help them to unwind.
3. Let kids experience flow
Flow is a state we get into when we are so engrossed in an activity that time disappears. It is the ultimate unwind. We get flow when we pursue our passions so encourage teens to find activities that they truly love and get lost in. Free play generally takes young children to flow very quickly so opportunities for unstructured play are essential.
4. Help kids calm down around bedtime
Have a bedtime routine that calms kids down rather than winds them up. You can become part of this routine by reading books, telling nursery rhymes, providing soothing back rubs and other ways.
5. Unwind with your kids
Just think about your best memories from childhood. I am willing to bet that some of those would involve doing very little, or ‘just hanging out’ with family. These times are precious and a great way to rejuvenate and unwind with your children. We want our kids to be busy and involved rather than inactive and apathetic. However, activity needs to be balanced with unscheduled time so that perspective as well as everyone’s sanity is maintained.
Thought for the Week
A community is like an orchestra.
Each instrument is beautiful when it plays alone, but when
they all play together, each giving its own weight in tune,
the result is even more beautiful.
God Bless,
Paul Hille
Principal
#ExpectGreatThings
