Dear Parents and Carers

“In the second half of life, we do not have strong and final opinions about everything, every event, or most people, as much as we allow things and people to delight us, sadden us, and truly influence us. We no longer need to change or adjust other people to be happy ourselves. We have moved from doing to being to an utterly new kind of doing that flows almost organically, quietly, and by osmosis. Our actions are less compulsive. We do what we are called to do and then let go of the consequences.”

Fr Richard Rohr, OFM

In the quote above, Richard Rohr, well-known Franciscan priest, is exploring the spirituality of a life that has moved into a deeper and richer sense of self and of purpose. Rohr calls it the second half of life, partly because almost always it only takes place as we chronologically enter the second part of our lives, but also because it is so different from the first half of life. Typically, the first half of life is spent defining oneself by what we can achieve, and our self-definition is often based on a sense of personal accomplishment. The inevitable experience of loss, or failure, or health concerns, or other things that happen outside of our control, can lead us into a more uncertain, but ultimately more generative and mature way of being. This is what we call a ‘second half of life’ spiritualty. It is, for example, the spirituality of Jesus, and what he brought to all of his encounters with others.

Andrew Fuller

As parents, we know all too well that parenting can lead us into challenges and difficulties that call for the type of spirituality that Rohr expressed above. Last night, child psychologist Andrew Fuller spoke to a large crowd of parents (including parents from Malkara, Hughes Primary, Holy Trinity Primary School, and other schools) about the challenges of parenting and strategies that we can all implement. It was a rich and worthwhile evening, and a great deal was gained from Andrew’s presentation. My thanks to our Community Council, who organised the evening, and to our Community Council Chair, Tegan Ingold, who spoke at the end and thanked Andrew on behalf of the school community. https://andrewfuller.com.au/

Class Lists – 2024

Our teachers have begun the task of preparing the class lists for 2024. This is a long and detailed process, with a number of factors being considered. Students will have an opportunity to nominate 3 people with whom they would like to be placed next year. The school guarantees only 1 friend, although students may be placed with two or all of their choices. If any parents have concerns about their child’s classmates for 2024, and if you would like the school to try to ensure that your child is not placed with a particular student, please email me directly. The school is unable to entertain any requests for particular teachers. Due to time constraints, parents are asked to submit any requests by Friday, November 17^th.  Thank you for your support.

Think U Know

Tomorrow, our students in Years 5 & 6 will be part of a presentation called ‘Think U Know’, which is concerned with online safety. It is a timely presentation, as it deals with some of the challenges that children, and their parents, experience as they navigate the world online. I encourage, for example, all parents to keep a vigilant watch over their child’s use of devices, in terms of times and places. It is probably a good idea for children to not have their devices in their rooms at night, for example. ‘Think U Know’ will be a helpful presentation for our older students.

Reports

All schools are in the season of final assessments and report writing. Teachers are currently in the process of writing and refining their class reports. Reports this year will include a comment. Reports will be published this year, via Compass, on Monday of Week 10 (December 11^th). Class lists will also be sent home on that day.

Save the Date – Christmas Carols

Our Christmas Carols fun night will be held on Wednesday evening, December 13^th, at 6pm. Families are invited to a picnic on the school grounds and class groups will be invited to perform, in grades, some Christmas Carols. My thanks to our performing arts teacher Lisa Gill for helping to prepare the children. The Community Council are also cooking a sausage sizzle on the night, and there is a rumour that man with a flowing white beard may be making an appearance. I look forward to seeing our families on the night.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal