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Your Creation
O Lord, grant us the grace to grow deeper in our respect of and care for your Creation.
Lord, hear our prayer.
O Lord, help us to recognise the sacredness of all of your creatures as signs of your wondrous love.
Lord, hear our prayer.
O Lord, help us turn from the selfish consumption of resources meant for all and to see the impacts of our choices on the poor and vulnerable.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to Week 3 of Term 4. We knew the term was going to begin at a fast pace and it certainly has. We have many wonderful events on the calendar for this term so be sure to check in with your Hub News this week to keep up to date with what is happening for your child or children.
Today’s prayer alerts us to the importance of caring for our world. This week is ‘Enviro Week’ and ‘National Water Week’ and we continue to educate our students and indeed, our whole community, on the importance of caring for God’s gift to us of creation. This leads into our exciting news below.
Resource Smart School Second Star: Please read the Sustainability news below and congratulations to Our Lady Star of the Sea as we have achieved our second star for biodiversity in our learning and actions. I endorse the wonderful work Kellie, Sue and our teachers and students are doing to ensure we are caring for our world, for now and the future, in all we do. It cannot be underestimated how important this is. Let’s continue on our journey with a big focus on waste and ensuring we are all doing our bit to be responsible citizens and minimise waste and recycle, at every opportunity.
Photo Day: We have received confirmation today that our school photo days with Arthur Reed can go ahead. Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November. Class photos and individual portraits will happen on the Monday and family photos on the Tuesday.
Cherished Pets: On Thursday 22 October when we wear our footy colours we will also be bringing a gold coin donation for a very important organisation in our local area, Cherished Pet Foundation. Many in our school community will be familiar with the work of local charity Cherished Pets Foundation which was formed to assist vulnerable members in our community such as the elderly and disabled to care for their pets and keep them as a companion in their homes in circumstances that may normally see them have to surrender their pets.
They believe in the power of pets to help people maintain their independence, health and wellbeing. However in some cases the ability of people to adequately care for their pets is compromised, not through a lack of love, but through a lack of capacity. Cherished Pets seek to support companion pet ownership in this very special community sector, by supervising the ongoing health management of the pet, and by providing support where it is needed. They also endeavour to provide support through times of crisis and transition.
As we reflect on the past year in our community, country and world, it’s hard not to think about tough times falling upon good people everywhere – bushfires, Covid-19, economic hardship. It has been overwhelming for many people. We are seeing mental health issues escalate. Every day in our community we see people doing it tough, whether it be financially, physically or psychologically and all these in turn affect our capability to keep pets healthy and well. As pets are part of the fabric of our modern lives, they also feel these impacts and so they are also doing it tough. These are the pets and people that are served through the work of Cherished Pets Foundation.
Gratitude Day: Our Gratitude Day was a perfect opportunity for our students to celebrate what we are grateful for and it was timed well with our return to school as we are indeed grateful to have everyone back. Many thanks to you all for sending through photos digitally for us to display. Please see in Paul's Wellbeing section photos of our display walls and we are also running a slideshow in our foyer on the TV.
Book Week Parade: Yesterday we were able to launch Book Week even if it did look a little different. We paraded within our hubs and again were amazed by the beautiful costumes the children were in. Many thanks to you as parents and carers who supported your children to dress up. We enjoyed seeing the character strengths of zest and and creativity shine through our students. Please see Hub News with some wonderful photos.
CEMSIS Surveys: Next year is our School Review, which occurs every 4 years. Each year Catholic Education Melbourne would provide us with School Improvement surveys for students , staff and families to complete. This year with COVID 19, they have decided not to provide a survey but suggested we create our own using a similar format and selection of the questions. Thank you to Paul Anderson for creating this very brief survey for families which will provide us with helpful feedback. We would be grateful if you could please take 10 minutes to complete this survey. The survey will be open until the end of October. CEMSIS Parent Survey
PFA Annual General Meeting: Please see below PFA information for the Annual General Meeting including the call out for nominations for next year.
The AGM is scheduled for Monday 23 November at 7pm and at this stage likely that it will be conducted via zoom. An invite to the meeting will be shared shortly.
Building Works: We are happy to see great progress with our new building and our students have also enjoyed the excitement of the works.
Thanks again to Nate in Year 2 for his latest video creation below showing some of the building progress.
Warmest wishes for a healthy and happy fortnight ahead.
DIS - MOMENT
Thanks for sharing your family DIS-MOMENT: Those simple moments in our lives that we are grateful for. The fastest way to help us get back to a positive mindset is by recognising the amazing number of things we have to be grateful for each day.
Mission Fete is always a wonderful celebration for us in Term 4. As with all things 2020, our fete will be a little different this year, however we will continue to raise awareness of the needs of others and raise money to support the community of Bulbula in Ethiopia.
Like us, Ethiopia has been affected by Covid 19, but unfortunately the financial and health support we receive here is not available to these very poor communities. This Whats App message from Sr Abeba in August, painted a very grim picture for the families we support with medical needs and education. I am pleased to report that students have now returned to school and things are sounding more hopeful.
This week you will receive an email, outlining how our Mission Fete Day on November 6th will run. We hope that it will be a wonderful day for all. Please stay tuned!
Dear Parents/Carers,
Much excitement and music in the air as concert rehearsals steam ahead. Costumes are an important aspect of each class performance, allowing the group to feel connected to each other, and to their music choice. They help bring to life the performance that students work so hard to complete. Teachers have indicated what they require for each class. If you have any queries, please direct them to your child's class teacher. Click here to see the costume requirements.
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
This is a brief email alert to update our community on who to contact for Mass attendance bookings.
Our roadmap to celebrating outdoor public Masses:
Saturday 17 October, Holy Family: we hope to restart 6pm Vigil Mass at Barwon Heads. To book for this Mass, please contact Sue Casey on 0418 290 703.
Sunday 18 October, Our Lady Star of the Sea: we hope to celebrate 9am Mass at Ocean Grove. To book for this Mass, please contact Nan Calnin on 5255 1241.
Sunday 25 October, Holy Trinity: we hope to restart 11am Mass at Queenscliff. A contact person for Mass bookings will be announced soon.
We require two dedicated people for each Mass: a Safety Warden and a Sanitising & Seating Monitor. If you are able to assist with these roles, please advise Sue or Nan at the time of booking.
Please remember that Outdoor Masses are weather dependent and could be cancelled at short notice.
Kind Regards and God Bless,
Daniella, Helen & Fr Darien
Term 4 2020
Tuesday 3 November: Melbourne Cup Public Holiday, school Closed
Friday 6 November: Mission Fete Day
Monday 9 November: School Photo Day Individual and Class Photos
Tuesday 10 November: School Photo Day Family Portraits
Monday 23 November - Tuesday 24 November: Year 6 Camp Wyuna
Tuesday 24 November: Prep 2021 Parent Information Session 6 - 7pm TBC
Thursday 26 November: Prep 2021 Parent Information Session 6 - 7pm TBC
Friday 27 November: Staff 2021 Planning Day, student free day
Tuesday 1 December: Year 1 Excursion Queenscliff
Wednesday 2 December: Prep 2021 Orientation Day 9.30am - 11am TBC
Thursday 3 December: Year 3 Camp Wyuna Day Camp
Friday 4 December: Year 4 Camp Wyuna Day Camp
Monday 7 December : Year 5 Camp Wyuna Day Camp
Tuesday 8 December: Prep 2021 Orientation Day 9.30am - 11am TBC
Wednesday 9 December: Year 2 Camp Wyuna Day Camp
Thursday 17 December: End of Term 4. 3.30pm dismissal
Please note: Please refer to the Parent Calendar for all dates
Netball Representative Trials 2021
Trials for the South Geelong Netball Association Representative teams will be held at Grinter Reserve, 177 Coppards Road, Newcomb.
DATE - Sunday 8 & 15 November commencing @ 9:30am.
11/U - 9.30am - 11am
13/U - 11am - 12.30pm
15/U & 17/U - 12.30pm – 2pm
Teams to be selected for 2021:
17/U x 1 team - born 2007 - 2004 Non compulsory* training team, objective to reach Association Championships.
15/U x 1 team - born 2007 / 2006
13/U x 2 teams - born 2009 / 2008 1 bottom age, 1 top age team
11/U x 2 tournament squad - born 2011 / 2010 1 bottom age, 1 top age team
In order to trial you must have filled out and submitted this online form.
https://forms.gle/DWugeARiAhVjxFJv8
Ready to Step Up – Parent sessions
In partnership with the Department of Education and Training and the CECV, local community health providers will deliver Ready to Step Up sessions for parents and carers. The virtual sessions seek to address any concerns that parent/carers have about their child’s readiness to start school in 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sessions are available in various regions and parents can register at the following links:
- Geelong and Barwon
Tuesday 20 October 2020, 4.00 pm – 5.30 pm
2020 Children's Week in Geelong is coming to you online. 2020 will be the first online celebrations of Geelong Children’s Week as we bring the fun to children at home.
Children’s Week 2020 will take place from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November October 2020. The Children’s Week theme for 2020 is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 15 ‘Children have the right to choose their own friends and Safely connect with others’
Thousands of children and their families around the country will be involved in activities during Children’s Week thanks to the participation of schools, early years services, play groups, toy libraries, libraries and cultural and community groups. These events and activities focus the attention of the wider community on children and what’s important to them.
Children's Week 2020 is a wonderful opportunity to promote the rights of children and young people, and to celebrate their capacity to actively contribute to the world around them.
Access further information here: https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/childrensweek/