Dear Parents and Carers

This week sees us enter the Lenten season with Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Lent is the season in which we prepare for the mystery of Easter. It is a special time of forty days in which we joyfully embrace a conversion of heart. During this Lenten period we are asked to take time to pray, to fast and to give and do for others. Particularly during these terribly worrying and sad times in Ukraine, our hearts go out in compassion to all those who have been affected by the violent conflict. We pray for peace and unity which is at the heart of the Christian message and in Jesus' public ministry he called on those he encountered with, 'Peace be with You.' Pope Francis, Archbishop Peter Comensoli and Fr Darien are calling on all believers and people of goodwill to make this Ash Wednesday 2 March a special global day of peace, prayer and fasting. We also pray for the large number of people displaced from their homes. Let us together keep the people of Ukraine foremost in our prayers.

Lent is also an opportunity, in time, to develop our own character strengths and acknowledge our Catholic values. Firstly we must identify our strengths, and secondly we must be given an opportunity to develop other character strengths, or Catholic values, that may not necessarily be on top of our list. Throughout any given day we can pray for others and give and do for others so everyone gets what they need, whether it be basic life needs like food and water or basic needs of love, acceptance, respect, honesty, forgiveness, love, tolerance or justice. If you are interested to further reflect on and consider what Lent means for Catholics I recommend this link to you. LENT

Today the students  celebrated Shrove Tuesday by eating pancakes and with their gold coin donations raised $650. We thank you all for your support. 

Working Bees

An integral aspect of school life at Our Lady Star of the Sea is forging partnerships with parents. One aspect of this, which is critical to the care of the school grounds, is the commitment from parents to join in with the organised working bees and mowing roster. Whilst we did not get a big turnout on Sunday we are very thankful for the following families who attended: Glenn Ryan, Lauren Harsley, Amble and Daisy Ryan, Josh Salter, Harvey Salter, Chris Lacy, Joel Swain, Jess Swain, Isabella and Cooper Swain, Mark Monahan and Kellie and Keith Clark.  We were able to achieve weeding and mulching of the gardens along the front of our hall and new classrooms. A job well done.

We hope to see more families at the following working bees. Even if you can come to one for half an hour it helps and makes a huge difference not only to our grounds but also the pride of your children in their school and making more connections with each other across the school while teaching them about the importance of volunteering or giving back to their community. It really is an enjoyable and rewarding time. Our working bees also end with a  sausage however on this occasion we went for a juicy as the numbers were small.

Sunday 22nd May 10am - 12pm ( Prep Red Hub  and Year 3 Yellow Hub Focus) 

Sunday 7th August 10am-12pm  (Year 2 Blue Hub Focus and Year 6 Orange Hub Focus) 

Sunday 23rd  October 10am - 12pm  (Year 1 Green Hub, Year 4 & 5 Purple Hub Focus) 

Parent volunteers: We hope you have enjoyed meeting your child’s class teacher over the last couple of weeks and found them helpful in building relationship and sharing information about your child. Our teachers certainly value this time and across the board have found the start with their students has been very positive. 

We are now in a  place where we can move forwarded with inviting parent helpers back into classrooms. Engaging volunteers at Our Lady Star of the Sea school is integral to the experience for our students. It provides an important link to the community and the home. Parents and carers are welcome and encouraged to volunteer, especially to work with children in class or on excursions. Volunteering may also include the Mowing Roster, Working Bees or school functions. The Parents and Friends is another way you can get involved and they are certainly looking for volunteers for Earth Fest on April 1. 

Earth Fest: Earth Fest Information . Here is the Click here for Earthfest volunteer roster. Even if you can help for half an hour every bit helps. Please look out for the roster on the Parent facebook page also.

Parents at assembly: We are delighted to invite you all back to assembly on any Friday you can make it. We will continue to hold these outdoors and ask that you continue to show your vaccination status at the stations outside near the basketball court. Please access the area outside, not through buildings. We also ask that you carry your mask and wear it if you cannot be 1.5 metres in distance. With this risk plan in place it is wonderful to be able to have you there and build our sense of community further as we see our students shine during assembly and just be together.

I Sea I Care Ambassadors: Part of our sustainability practices and providing opportunities for student agency is the 12 students in Year 6 who were the successful applicants of the I Sea I Care ambassador role. You may be interested in reading Henry Jankowski’s brilliant application (Click here), a sample of the quality of the applications and the passion of our students in this space. 

Managing Anxiety at this time: We are acutely aware that yet again we are in a time where our students may be talking amongst themselves or asking questions about what is happening in Ukraine at present. Here is an article you may find helpful as a parent in supporting your child. Please reach out if you feel your child is requiring any further support. Article about anxiety around Ukraine (New York Times) Michael Carr Gregg Schools TV also has some helpful articles.

Wishing you peace and good health over the coming fortnight.

Kerryn