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Dear Parents and Carers
“My heart aches greatly at the worsening situation in Ukraine. Despite the diplomatic efforts of the last few weeks, increasingly alarming scenarios are opening up. Like me, many people all over the world are feeling anguish and concern. Once again, the peace of all is threatened by partisan interests. I would like to appeal to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war; who is the Father of all, not just of some, who wants us to be brothers and not enemies. I pray that all the parties involved refrain from any action that would cause even more suffering to the people, destabilising coexistence between nations and bringing international law into disrepute.” ~Pope Francis
I am sure many of you have been watching the events taking place in Ukraine with great concern. There are a lot of distressing images and news reports coming out of Ukraine at present, and we as a community continue to pray for those affected. As our Holy Father reflects in his recent statement calling for peace and an end to the conflict, he reminds us of what it means to be people of peace to live in unity with one another. Our counsellor Sharman has included some text and strategies to support parents in discussions with their children regarding these events.
Today marks the beginning of the Lenten season, and our school celebrated this special period by joining a combined parish online Liturgy to mark Ash Wednesday. Fr Josh spoke to the students with great symbolism and imagery to bring this period of Lent to life for our students. He linked Lent with the preseason of sporting codes, where we prepare ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually for what lies ahead. Lent is traditionally a period of preparation and sacrifice through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in the lead up to celebrating the resurrection of the Lord at Easter. Pope Francis has challenged us this Lenten season to mark it with periodic fasting, in solidarity with Ukrainians. We thank the parish and particularly Fr James and Josh for preparing this liturgy and our Religious Education Coordinators who looked after the logistical operations.
Playground Equipment
We are awaiting delivery of our new Senior Equipment which has been delayed by 2 weeks due to Covid delivery disruptions. Work should begin in Week 7, and the equipment will be ready for use by the end of the term. We are also working towards getting our Junior Playground operational again. We hope to have a timeline for this in the coming weeks.
Masks
The mask mandate has been lifted in the community; however we are still required to wear masks indoors at school as we are classified as a high-risk setting. NSW will remove the mask mandate for primary schools next week; however it is still in place for the ACT for the foreseeable future. Parents are reminded that we cannot have visitors on site unless they are for scheduled appointments or to sign your children in and out of the school through the front office. I will update parents as soon as any relaxation of protocols are scheduled by ACT Health and Catholic Education.
Principals’ Retreat
Next week, the annual Principals’ Retreat is taking place at Bowral, NSW, under heavy COVID restrictions. The retreat is an important part of the calendar as it is one of the few times that all 56 principals in the Archdiocese and senior leadership within Catholic Education, including the Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ross Fox, come together. The Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn, Archbishop Christopher Prowse, will lead the retreat. I will be attending from Wednesday until Friday, and in my absence, Mrs Tiffany Reedy will very capably lead the school.
Blessings and Good wishes
Sean Rutledge
Principal
Yesterday we celebrated Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of Lent. This is a period of preparation in the Church’s Liturgical Year that orients the community towards Holy Week and the Season of Easter. It’s a time for Catholics to slow down their lives and focus on prayer, fasting and good works. During Lent, students are invited to give up or take up something that will benefit the lives of others and positively enhance their relationships. We invite students to make age-appropriate decisions; this could be emptying the dishwasher (without complaint or without being asked!) or reducing time spent playing video games.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t gather as a whole school due to Covid restrictions but we were fortunate to have Fr James and Fr Josh lead us in a streamed liturgy so we could pray with our other Parish schools.
The Season of Lent also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. Each year we raise student awareness of people around the world who need support and encourage giving to this cause. Every class received a donation box where they can place a small donation to support this appeal. If your family would like their own Project Compassion box, please email me here at school on sharee.thomas@cg.cathgolic.edu.au and UII will send one home for you. This can then be returned in Week 10 and any donation above $2 is tax deductable.
PARISH INFORMATION
This week your eldest child will bring home a Faith Formation flyer from Fr. James and the parish. The idea is that you stick it on your fridge and have all the parish information easily accessible.
Have a great week!
Sharee
Talking to kids about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
It’s normal to feel anxious about the news emerging from Ukraine, and children can pick up on this too. So how can you reassure your child and explain what’s happening if they ask questions? There’s no ‘one way’ to go about it, and you know your child best but hopefully these tips will help.
- Check in with yourself. If you’re feeling anxious it’s ok to say that you don’t have all the answers and to share your concerns with other adults, like grandparents, teachers and school counsellors, who can help you talk to your child.
- Go at your child’s pace. If they ask you about what’s happening or seem scared or worried, ask your child what they’ve heard or what they’re worried about, rather than giving lots of information which may overwhelm them. Consider the language you use, and try to keep it age appropriate and reassuring.
- Let them know that they’re safe and the conflict is happening far away (maybe show them where Ukraine is in relation to Australia on a map). Acknowledge sadness for those who are being directly affected and suggest finding out ways to help. If your child has questions, consider asking them if they’d like to research the answers together with you, or tell them you’ll find out answers to their questions and let them know later.
- It is also a good idea to monitor what your child is seeing on TV and hearing on the radio as much as you can and try and limit discussing worrying details when children are around. Depending on the age of your child, resources like the ABC’s Behind The News can help to explain what’s in the news in a kid-friendly way – see https://www.abc.net.au/btn/newsbreak/btn-newsbreak-20220224/13769874 and https://www.abc.net.au/btn/features/upsetting-news/10500572 for examples. Watching these together and then talking about it can help children feel safer and know they can talk to you if they have questions.
There are also some other great resources around to help you support your child through these worrying and uncertain times. Please see links below.
- Talking About Ukraine with Our Children - Dr. Aliza Pressman
- How to Talk To Kids About Ukraine - NYTimes/Melinda Wenner Moyer
- Students are on TikTok Talking About Ukraine—How Teachers Can Answer Their Questions - We AreTeachers
- How to Talk to Kids About Difficult Subjects - Common Sense Media
Many thanks
Sharman
HOT DOG DAY
Wednesday 6 April 2022 (last week of term)
Hot Dog Day is back
Further information to follow