St Raphael’s Catholic School Term 4, Week 10/B Newsletter 8th December 2014
Dear Parents An unreachable fantasy of most cricketers is to play out in the centre of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. St Raphael’s Girls T20 cricket team will be doing exactly that later this week. The team flies out of Canberra on Wednesday and will be putting their considerable cricket talent on display at the MCG on Thursday. We are already proud of their achievement so their only tasks now are to stay safe and enjoy. On Friday it was announced that one of our Bathurst Diocese priests, Fr Pat O’Regan, has been appointed as Bishop of the Victorian Diocese of Sale. President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, warmly welcomed the appointment. “Fr Patrick is a gifted and pastoral priest with a love of the country and wide experience. Bishops, priests and people will welcome him as he prepares to be ordained for the care of the diocese and its people.” Fr Pat said “I feel humility as the path of service opens up more deeply before me and sadness that after 31 years of working in, and 56 years of being part of, the Diocese of Bathurst”. We pray for Fr Pat in his new vocation and we pray for our bishop and priests of our diocese as they discern how to best absorb Fr Pat’s considerable responsibilities at the same time as being one good man and friend down.
task that we take very seriously. We aim to provide a comprehensive picture that will be a source of pride and satisfaction as well as a platform for planning learning in the new semester. Reports will be circulated by this time next week. A reminder for you planning that Thursday and Friday of next week are Pupil-Free days.
Michael Gallagher Principal
Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Advent is a season of anticipation. The anticipation of Advent comes from anticipating the birth of the Christ in Jesus of Nazareth. Advent is a time to celebrate the coming of the King and to spend time reflecting on the implications of that for humanity: mostly, this centers around the forgiveness of God, God’s compassion, God’s love. In our hectic modern world, however, it is easy to get distracted, and the Christmas music on the radio and decorations in the stores tend to increase our anxiety. No wonder so many people are tired of Christmas by the time Christmas Day finally arrives!
Lord God, only you can see into my heart and know that under all the busy-ness of my life there is a deep longing to make this Advent one that welcomes you more deeply into my life Amen
Semester Reports and Speech Day provide the pleasant duty of looking back over the achievements of the year. Stepping back gives a wider and better perspective. The daily grind of little problems actually diminishes alongside the excellence of achievements and growth. You are all invited to attend our Awards Ceremony tomorrow Tuesday 9th from 9:30am until 11:30 in the church.
Altar Servers’ Roster th Sat 13 : Natalie Banks, Chloe Robertson th Sun 14 : Isobelle Lynch, Mikelli Garratt
Reports give an account of formal learning in school, person by person, for the last two terms. Documentation is a massive and very important
School Eucharistic Ministers for Weekend Parish Masses: th Sun 14 : Jenny White, Lee-Ann Kervin
P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
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Consider portion sizes. People don’t have to eat more just because it is Christmas.
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Use leftovers. Store leftovers carefully and eat over the next day or two. Turkey, ham, chicken and vegetables can be reused in sandwiches, quiches, omelettes and salads. You could even consider freezing some items. Compost any waste rather than putting it in the bin to go to landfill.
Monday 8th Happy birthday to Joseph Waters Tuesday 9th Speech Day, St Raphaels Church, 9.30am Wednesday 10th Happy birthday to Dempsey Farrell-Gray, Hayley Marshall and Holly Wilson Girls T20 Cricket Finals, Melbourne Year 10 CHS Induction Thursday 11th Happy birthday to Michelle Grech and Josephine Gunderson Girls T20 Cricket Finals, Melbourne Year 10 Farewell Liturgy 10.30am Year 10 Graduation Mass and Dinner from 6pm Reports mailed home
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Other ways to celebrate Christ this Christmas • Decorate with Nativity sets – place as much emphasis on them as the Christmas tree. Use them to teach children about the Christmas story. • Keep gift giving simple • Watch the Nativity Story as well as other Christmas movies • Donate to a charity
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Friday 12 Girls T20 Cricket Finals, Melbourne Swimming Trials Years 2-5 Christmas Night Markets
Happy birthday to Jack Banks, Charlie Graham and th Hamish Newell for 14 .
The Season of Excess Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ with family and friends. As followers of Jesus, keeping Christ at the centre of celebrations should be the key. But in recent years it has become a season of excess. It’s not wrong to celebrate with snowmen and santas, to buy presents, throw parties and eat lots of good food. So long as we remember to truly celebrate Christ during the season. One of the excesses of Christmas that has become truly sinful is the amount of wasted food. Figures released by Planet Ark show that last Christmas Australians spent an extra $913 million on food. It is estimated that a staggering 35% of this ended up in landfill. Is it reasonable to think we spend this much extra money on food for one day? So this Christmas, think about celebrating Christmas in a way that is not at the expense of our environment or other people.
A Change of Routine Start of Term 1 2015: 27/1: Staff Orientation Day 28/1: Primary Staff: Maths Curriculum Secondary – Year 7 students + Year10 Leaders induction + Staff PLC tasks. 29/1 Students K-10 begin (Thursday) Kindergarten start at 10am, Years 1-6 start at 9am, Years 7-10 start at 8:50am For Your Planning: The Calendar of all school events is live on our School Website. That’s where the most current information is – put it in your favourites www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au Kindergarten Liturgy 'The Angel Express' was read several times last Tuesday. It told the angels the news about Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the shepherds' visit and the arrival of the three kings. Kindergarten participated in their Liturgy with great excitement. Despite the nerves all went well - they spoke and sang beautifully. The Christmas message reached all who were present. Thank you to all parents for their support in preparing and supporting the children.
Here are some hints to help prevent Christmas food waste: • Don’t overdo it with food and drinks. Buy only what you will consume. • Avoid the panic buying. Draw up a shopping list and stick to it. P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
Please complete the order form at the end of the newsletter with your numbers wanted. • • Speech Day Annual Awards Presentation Tuesday, 9th December The Kinder – Year 10 Annual Awards Presentation will be held in St Raphael’s Church on Tuesday, 9th December. This awards day commences at 9.30am and will conclude prior to 11.30am. This presentation day is the culmination of the awards presented to the students. The end-of-year awards assemblies prior to this occasion included the Primary Special Awards, Primary English and Maths Awards and the Secondary Subject Awards. Speech Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge students in the year group classes for the categories of: Religious Education and Gospel Values Academic Achievement Application and Industry Special Community Awards Achievement and Effort in Sporting Categories NOTE: All students will be wearing their full summer school uniforms to the Annual Awards Presentation. Canteen Change Speech Day – December 9 Lunch orders will be organised, as per usual, tomorrow (December 9). The canteen will not be open for recess after the Awards Ceremony. Change in Uniforms Annual Awards Presentation (Dec 9) All students are to wear their full summer school uniforms for the K-10 Annual Awards Presentation (Tuesday, December 9). Parents are asked to please note the dates and ensure students are wearing the correct uniforms on these days. Term Dates A note for your calendars – th 17 December 2014 – Last day Term 4 for students th 18 December 2014– Last day for teachers th
27 January 2015 – Teachers resume th 28 January 2015 – Yr 7 & School Leaders Day th 29 January Students K-10 resume. Kindergarten commences at 10am
School Magazine Orders – The CROCUS If the old adage of "a picture is worth a thousand words" is true then this year's THE CROCUS school magazine would have in excess of 900,000 words or would be over 4,500 pages in size. Invest in your child's history. Order a copy of this year's magazine by week 7 of this term. P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
If 100 copies are ordered the cost will be $34.50 per copy If 200 copies are ordered then the per copy cost drops to only $23.50
Orders to date ONLY
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Some Important Dates and Events As the school year comes to a close there are a number of events. Please note these in your calendar. Some will draw individual permission notes while for other events the newsletter is the only source of information. Tue, 9th December Speech Day (Annual Awards – St Raphaels’ Church at 9.30am) Wed, 10th December Level 7 Primary BMP Special Treat Day Thu, 11th December Year 10 Graduation Liturgy, Mass and Dinner Thu, 11th December Stage 3 Girls (National Cricket Finals – Melbourne) Thu, 11th December Secondary Reports (mailed home) Fri, 12th December Swimming Trials for Year 2-5 students - Preparation for next year’s swimming carnival Mon, 15th December Kinder – Year 2 Dance (23pm) - Mufti clothes for these students on this day Mon, 15th December Year 3-6 Dance (St Brigid’s Hall from 1.30 – 3.00pm) - Mufti clothes for these students on this day Mon, 15th December Primary Reports (given to students) Tue, 16th December End of Year School Mass Wed, 17th December Last School Day (for students)
Canteen Update This week’s roster is as follows: Tues th 9 Raelene Nelligan Anna Triming
Wed 10th
Thurs 11th Lisa Mallon
CLOSED Lisa Robertson Angela Kollas
Fri 12th Lyn Terrry
Mon 15th Angela Kollas
Nicky Hudson
Melody Pepper
Kylie Chang
Christmas Fair Wrap Up I think everyone agrees it was a fantastic Christmas Fair! We had a huge attendance, a great vibe and lots Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
of fun, not to mention the fund-raising, which equalled if not exceeded previous years. Despite a slow start, it all came together beautifully, with lots of pro-active helpers on the day. Many students and school staff worked very hard on the fair, assisting in the office, setting up, decorating, putting up lights, cleaning up and more. Thank you. You were awesome. We couldn’t have done it without the hard work and dedication of our coordinators who gave many hours to organising their areas. A big round of applause to: Angela Kollas, Ann Apthorpe, Anne Henchman, Ben Cooley, Chantelle Wheeler, Chloe Gannon, Chris Gorham, Cowra Neighbourhood and Information Centre, David Lette, Dianne McKillop, Grazyna Swansborough, Jeremy Ryan, Karen Trengove, Karla Slaven, Kylie McNamara, Lisa Price, Nikki Howden, Rachel Newell, Renae Downes, Rodney Johnston, Cherie McCabe, Therese Johnston, Tracey BryantMullins and Damien Stephenson. Our volunteers gave well beyond expectations and deserve a huge thanks: Amanda Sullivan, Andrew Casey, Anna Thirkell, Ash Webster, Brian Heilman, Deenita Mitchell, Desley Johnston, Fiona Skene, Fleur Cains, Heather Day, Helen Finlay, Jayne Webster, Jodie Toohey, Johnny Lynch, Julie Gorham, Kate Heilman, Kelly Webb, Kerrie Smith, Kristy Bryant, Kristy Langfield, Kylie Kollas, Laura Proctor, Margie Sheedy, Melissa Clarke Porter, Monica Blazley, Nat Rush, Natalie and Bernie Wilkinson, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Rachel McKenzie, Rebecca Bennett, Rebecca Fahey, Renae Amos, Rob Skene, Robyn Lynch, Rodney Johnston, Sally Bruncher, Skye Muddle, Stephen Rutledge, Stephen Toohey, Troy and Liz Cruickshank, and Warren McKenzie. The sponsorship by the wider Cowra community was amazing: Ability Links, Absolute Beauty, Aldi, Apsara, Australia Post, Australiana Corner, Beds R Us, Biz E Signs, Breakout Café, Breakout Motel, Bushman's Boots and All, Carpet Court, Cellarbrations, Chance’s Clothing, Commonwealth Bank, Countryman Motel, Cowra Bowling and Recreation Club, Cowra Community Programs, Cowra Information and Neighbourhood Centre, Cowra Dry Cleaners, Cowra Freight, Cowra Glass, Cowra Family Support Service, Cowra Locksmith, Cowra Motorcycles, Cowra Motors, Cowra Newsagency, Cowra Seafood, Cowra Toy Library, Cowra Trophy and Gifts, Dee and Me Florist, Dream Body Retreat, Eagle Boys Pizza, Elders Real Estate, Ginger and Gelato, Hippity Hop Kids Boutique, Japanese Garden Café, Jolly Rodger, Lachlan Steel and Industrial Supplies, Martins Electrical, Mr Embroidery, Muddle Transport, Munchies Takeaway, Newspower, Norman C Bellamy Pty Ltd, Paint Place, Reids Marine & Motor Spares, Relish, Repco, Skinners Meats, Sports Power, Style for Women, Target, Taste Buds, The Closet, The Emporium, The National Bank, The Perfect Health, Thompsons Transport, Tivoli Fresh, Tyrepower, Waugoola Motors, Westpac Bank, Wombine Nursery and Woolworths. On a personal note, I want to thank the coordinators, parents, school staff and people in the community who gave that bit extra to support me in my role, sharing freely of their knowledge, experience and support, P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
helping me find my way. I couldn’t have done it without you. You have my heartfelt gratitude. Ona Lawrence Don’t forget to visit our website for updates of all that is happening with the P&F and for adding your views. www.straphaelspnf.wordpress.com
School Magazine Order Form Name: _____________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________ Child: ______________________________________ Class: _____________________________________ Number ordered: _____________________________ Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au