Dear Parents and Carers

Next week we welcome back to Sts Peter and Paul, and face-to-face learning, the students from Grades K – 2, and Year 6. It will be wonderful to have them back and, like the parents, we are eagerly anticipating the students’ return to school. The staff have been preparing for some time and yesterday we held a staff meeting at which we detailed the arrangements that would be in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and students when face-to-face learning returns. A reminder to all parents that there is a meeting today at 4 p.m., and again tomorrow at 1 p.m., for parents, on Teams. The meeting will be run by Sean Rutledge and by me, and will detail and explain the protocols around the students’ return to school. I encourage all parents to attend one of the meetings, if possible. The links to the meeting can be found here:

• Wednesday, October 20, 4 p.m.: Click here to join the meeting
• Thursday, October 21, 1 p.m.: Click here to join the meeting

Next week, students in Grades 3 – 5 continue their remote learning program at home. Students in these grades return to face-to-face learning in Week 6.

A survey link was emailed to parents today, asking all parents to indicate if their child or children would remain home once learning resumes face-to-face. The school is gathering this data so that provisions can be made for their learning at home.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff for their enormous efforts over what has been, effectively, a whole school term’s worth of learning. Staff have been tireless and resolute in their determination to ensure that the students’ learning is as effective as possible. I am very proud of all the staff for their generosity of spirit and willingness to do all they can to help the students. Similarly, we could not have done without the support of the parent body. Your support and collaborative spirit have been, again, pivotal, and has made all the difference. Thank you all for your help, generosity and dedication, all of which has taken place in very trying circumstances for you all. The return to some normality is almost upon us.

Kaboom Music Performance

Yesterday, the school held a music incursion for our students in Years K – 2 and then again for those in Years 3 – 6. The music incursion was held, of course, online, and organised by our wonderful Performance and Music teacher, Alissa Pearson. My thanks to Alissa for her excellent work and support of the students. The incursion was excellent and a marvel of musical and technological ingenuity.

This week we had our Solar project commissioned, and it is now online, producing a potential 30.82 KWp of power for the school. On our first day, we have saved 84kg of CO2 emissions. This project is a part of our plan to achieve a sustainable future through renewable energy. The system consists of 96 panels and 2 inverters and will be something we can reference and study in STEM lessons providing rich data and experiences for students. Thank you to the Ingold family for their support, energy and vision to approach the school and get this project up and running.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

Gospel Reflection

Mk 10:46-52

Blindness is a powerful metaphor that is used repeatedly throughout scripture. It is almost always a metaphor for blindness of heart or blindness of mind rather than a purely physical affliction. There are multiple accounts of healing blindness in the Gospel. Saul/Paul is blinded on the road to Damascus and only has his sight restored when he is baptised. The Pharisees are described as being ‘blind fools’ and there the prophets make numerous references to blind seeing as a sign of the Messiah’s arrival. It is a very powerful image of being ‘blind’ to truth and ‘blind’ to the teaching of Jesus.

Bartimaeus is a man who has almost nothing in life. His blindness has made him an outcast and he is reduced to begging on the side of the road. When he is called to Jesus, he jumps up and casts off what may well be his only real possession – his cloak. Yet what he does have in abundance is faith and hope. When asked what he wants Jesus to do, his answer may seem obvious, but his desire to see goes beyond physical sight. He asks for the sight of one who truly believes and to whom the truth of Jesus is revealed. In this way, he is a model to all who would be disciples.

Adapted from Greg Sunter

Is a weekly online child-friendly reflection of the coming Sunday’s Gospel.

Sunday  24^th October, 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

http://www.prayingwithchildren.org/c0nfu53h47.html

Family Prayer Session

Thursday November 30^th @ 6:00pm

The Year 5 Youth Ministry Team invite you to join a prayer evening via teams at 6:00pm.

The link for the meeting is here.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODQ4NTcxN2ItMTdmYy00MmMzLThhY2YtZjBmMzg3ZDY3NmNi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%229ba8c2d6-be27-4583-a686-5c6f5c4a9e97%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c8107d94-5b53-4f96-b038-fb143e45f6d9%22%7d

Blessings,

Fron Garrett

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Reading the following article for some hints that parents/carers and teachers can use do to help with the transition to face to face learning.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.psych4schools.com.au/blog/helping-young-children-return-to-school-after-remote-learning/__;!!Ax-PnKpllFIIgPxB!xr2Ygf10QPCKLiqBHDIhKfnxKhjhsdoF2nDRiRT1a3tSXnnARKTQJL9VP5cG8tPtRcfN5RejOpElR3o$

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to those students celebrating their birthday this week.

Reuben R

Freya D

Abby E

Zoe S

Chiara C

Angelo C

Louis B

Hannah F

Portia R

Alexis V

Lucia M

Michael P

Principal's Award: Olive I, KM;  Sophie G, 5W 

Learning Support Awards (please note that LS awards are given to any child in the school that the Classroom Support Assistants have noticed doing something wonderful):

Adelaide T, 6W; Maja G, 3/4W; Charlotte M, 5M; Callum R, 5M

One more week…

Not long now boys and girls! The garden is very happy and is looking forward to welcoming some of our students back next week. Our friend misses you all too. We have lots of plans to do things in the garden and in the classroom once we have returned to school.

I didn’t receive any photos this week but there’s still time – if you have a cool garden or kitchen picture to show us of what you’ve been up to while remote learning please send it in for next week’s last remote learning newsletter. Send it to Mrs Birch at Katherine.birch@cg.catholic.edu.au

Looking forward to seeing some of you next week.

Happy gardening and cooking…

CHAMPION CHEESE MUFFINS

Ingredients

2 cups grated cheese

1 & 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs sugar

Pinch cayenne pepper

Handful garden herbs, chives or parsley

1 egg

1 cup milk

Method

Preheat oven to 210 degrees and grease a 12 hole muffin pan.

Place cheese, salt, sugar, pepper and herbs into a large bowl. Mix lightly with fingertips to combine.

Beat the egg and milk together in a small separate bowl.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold together, taking care not to over mix.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until the muffins spring back when pressed in the middle.

The recipes in the newsletter this term are from the Sts P & P cookbook. All recipes are easy to make and are great for lunchboxes or treats at home. Books are $20, payable on Qkr!, and available for pickup at the front office.

Now that we have many sunfilled days and covid restrictions are lifting, while encouraging outside activities, check out some of the fab outdoor playgrounds in Canberra.

The following link will take you to an article about a lady who, with her young son, is cataloguing and rating all the playgrounds in Canberra.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-02/how-to-find-the-best-playgrounds-in-canberra/100097160?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web