PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Parents and Carers
'Every year, we waited for his Christmas letter. He never wrote much about himself, which told you more about him than if he had. The letter was full of the names and groups of people he mixed with and whose company nurtured his faith in Christ, whom he believed was to be encountered at the margins of society. From the residents of the Narrabundah Longstay Caravan Park to refugees who’d recently arrived in Canberra to those whose children died as victims of drug culture. He sat with them all.'
- Michael McGirr, ‘The Power of Pat’
The reflection above is concerned with Bishop Pat Power, who passed away last week. Consecrated as Bishop in 1986, he was the Auxiliary Bishop for Canberra/Goulburn for 39 years. He was, to my mind, a great example of faith, spirituality and authority used well: which is to say, in the service of others, and ultimately in an effort to make the full humanity of each person seen and heard. His actions speak to a deep and profound conviction that we are made in the image of God, which is another way of saying that every human being is unconditionally precious. The great German theologian Karl Rahner SJ expressed it another way, when he wrote once that each person was an ‘unrepeatable event.’ I believe Biship Pat met people where he found them and laboured to bring about an awareness within them of God’s love and presence in their lives. All of this was done without judgement of the person, in the way that judgement can be used to describe someone as ‘judgemental.’ Bishop Pat reminds me of the way that the Australian philosopher Raimond Gaita wrote about his father, in his book, Romulus, my Father, when Gaita wrote that ‘no one was spurned from my father’s presence.’ Surely in that, we have a great example of compassion enacted. Bishop Pat spurned no one from his presence. He is being buried today, September 24th. I ask all families to keep him, and his extended family, in their prayers.
Gratitude for the Community Council
Last Friday night, we held our second Trivia Night. Like last year’s, it was a great success, and this due to a number of factors: the support of both parents and staff, and the very hard work of a number of Council members. Much work was done for the night, including collecting tables from Holy Trinity, setting up raffle prizes on the morning of the Trivia Night, a lot of work in the months and weeks leading up to the night in organising donations, buying the snacks and food for the tables, setting up on the night, and much more besides. My thanks to the Community Council, and to the parent body for their great support. The money raised will contribute towards the improvement of the senior playground equipment. The sense of community spirit is invaluable.
I would also like to thank the Council, and through the Council, the whole parent body, for the lovely gift of biscuits for all staff in the school. The occasion was the recent World Teachers’ Day, and to both mark and thank the teaching staff for the day, the Community Council organised a delivery of biscuits, in the shape of a ‘teacher’s apple’, with the words ‘thank you’ printed on each biscuit. My thanks to the Council and to all parents for their support of the staff.
First Eucharist
Last weekend, we celebrated students in Year 4 receiving the Eucharist for the first time. The Eucharist is one of the sacraments of initiation and marks a significant step in faith for our students. This step in faith could never take place in isolation, and it rightly takes pace within the wider parish community. My thanks to our wonderful school staff, including Andrea McQuirk, our REC, and our Year 4 teachers: Michele Halis, Nic Marsham, Katie Birch and Rebeca Wright. I would also like to thank Fr James and the parish team for their great support. My thanks as well to all parents for their support, particularly those families that hosted home groups.
Week 10 Events
Despite being the last week of the term, we have a number of events that have taken place or will take place. Last Monday, students who make up our school’s choir performed at Floriade, on Stage 88. This was a wonderful achievement and a reflection of many hours of work and preparation. My thanks to our wonderful Performing Arts teacher, Lisa Gill, for her hard work and dedication. Yesterday we celebrated Science Day, again to great success and considerable excitement amongst the children. Well done to all of our Year 6 children, for their great work in demonstrating some great experiments to different classes. My thanks as well to Paul Jenkins and Bridget Pigram, and to Sarah Walsh and Nic Marsham, for their excellent work in organising and supporting the day. Tomorrow, we celebrate Grandfriends’ Day, an occasion which honours the role and impact that grandparents and similar elders can have in the lives of children and young people. We look forward to our Grandfriends joining us at 12.15, to visit classrooms, before joining the children outside for an early lunch at 1pm. At assembly time, at 1.50pm, students in Years 5 and 6 will perform a song for our visitors, from next term’s musical.
Student Achievement
At the time of writing, Alexander in Year 4 is competing in the (boys) National Gymnastics Competition, in Melbourne. Alexander is representing the ACT. I would like to wish Alex the very best and congratulate him on this wonderful achievement.
Last Day Term 3, First Day Term 4
A reminder that the last day for Term 3, for students, is tomorrow, Thursday September 25th. The first day of Term 4 for students is Tuesday, October 14th.
Have a wonderful two-week break with your families. I look forward to seeing all of our students and families at the beginning of next term.
Best wishes
Cameron Johns
Principal