Dear Parents and Carers

Year 6 Leadership Day

This Friday, our Year 6 students and their teachers are attending BFirm, a health and fitness organisation that specialise in providing individuals and groups a range of activities designed to promote fitness, resilience, collaboration and teamwork. They specialise in working with schools. Last year, we trialled working with them 1 day a term, with our Year 6 students. This was a great success and we have maintained our arrangement with them this year. Our Year 6 students and their teachers are looking forward to what I am sure will be a great day.

Reconciliation Presentation Mass

Our students in Year 3 who are receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this year are continuing their journey this weekend. On Saturday night or Sunday morning, at one of the parish Masses at the Parish of the Transfiguration at Curtin, our students will be presented to the parish. It signifies and affirms our connection to something bigger than the school, namely, our parish, and through the parish, the universal Church. Congratulations to our students for their step in faith.

NAPLAN Practice Day

NAPLAN is approaching for our Year 3 and 5 students. The test period will take place next term, in early May. In preparation for the test, our students in Years 3 & 5 will have a practice day within the next couple of weeks. This serves two purposes: to ensure the school’s readiness with reference to the technology required to run the tests on the day (almost all parts of NAPLAN are conducted online) and to give the students an experience of the type of questions and test format that comprises NAPLAN. For example, the various tests that comprise the NAPLAN suite (Maths, Reading, Writing, Spelling & Grammar) are almost all conducted in a multiple-choice format (writing being the exception). Multiple-choice tests are a text genre in themselves and all students require some exposure to that type of test format, in order to be better equipped to sit the asessment. The practice day will go some way to meet that need. Please contact me if you have any questions.

COVID Arrangements

Encouragingly, it appears that governments are easing back on restrictions, where COVID is concerned. To date, the restrictions around schools in the ACT are continuing, although I am hopeful that Term 2 may see a change in practice. In the meantime, we are required to persist with our current practices, including:

• Mask wearing at all times, inside the school, for adults
• Cohorting of grades, particularly on the playground
• Car park arrangements designed to keep children separated in their cohorts

I thank the parent community for their ongoing support of the school and its students and staff. I acknowledge the fact that at times this is experienced as an inconvenience. I look forward to the time when we will be able to resume activities such as outdoor and indoor assemblies, with parents able to attend such events.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

This year at Sts Peter and Paul, we are all called to ‘Let Your Light Shine”

Project Compassion 2022

Now that Lent has begun for this year, we are turning our focus to the Caritas Project Compassion fundraiser for 2022. The Theme this year is “For all Future Generations”. Our support of Caritas Australia this Lenten season will help support vulnerable people around the world, now and For All Future Generations. Each class has been given a Project Compassion box that will allow students to donate money to Caritas over the Season of Lent. We encourage you to discuss this with your child and consider allowing your child to make a donation to the box that is on their classroom prayer table.

Sacrament of Reconciliation 2022 & Presentation Masses

This weekend at the Parish Masses (either Saturday 19^th at 6:00pm or Sunday 20th March at 9:30am or 5:30pm), the 2022 Reconciliation Candidates will be presented to the Parish community so that we can join together in prayer and support for these students and their families as they prepare for this important Sacrament. All are invited to attend.

Additionally, for any parents who would like to see the home groups sheet, please click here.

You can also place your child’s name on the online booking sheet to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation here.

Reconciliation Retreat Day

Due to continuing COVID restrictions, we are unable to go ahead with the Reconciliation retreat day as a whole parish community as we had hoped we could. Instead, we will run a modified retreat day at Sts Peter and Paul, on Friday 25^th March. More details will be provided to Year 3 parents later this week via Compass.

Third Sunday of Lent Year C . Luke 13:1-9

When Jesus is asked about the deaths of some Galileans and some residents of Jerusalem, he seizes the opportunity to remind his audience that their obsession with the ‘sin’ of the victims is misplaced. He challenges all who are listening that unless they repent, they will all perish in a similar fashion. This would have been very confronting to those in the audience who were ingrained in the thinking that ‘bad things only happen to bad people’. The purity codes of the day stated that if one maintained purity of action – obeying the Law and respecting the prohibitions on certain actions – then one was fulfilling one’s duty and maintaining right relationship with God. Jesus chastises the people for this attitude and tells them that they all must ‘repent’. For 1st Century Jews, the word ‘repent’ had a greater depth of meaning than our current understanding. Rather than simply ‘being sorry’, to repent meant to completely turn life around – both individually and as a society. His injunction to repent would be seen as a challenge to question motives and actions and set a new direction.

To follow this up, Jesus tells his audience a parable about a fig tree that has not borne fruit after three years. There are many interpretations of this parable and it is often interpreted in isolation from the gospel passage that immediately precedes it. Given the challenge to ‘repent’ that is given so strongly, we can see the parable as an example to the listeners that their time for repenting is running out. The one year reprieve for the fig tree is an indication to the listeners that their change of heart and change of spirit had better take shape in the very near future.

 (Reflection by Greg Sunter)

Blessings for the week ahead,

Stephanie Burns

Religious Education Coordinator

Principal's Award: Chloe U, 6M; Ruby B, 6m, Charlotte R, 6M; Yezin D, 6W

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): 

Ned S, 5W; Thomas H, 2W; Hanshika M, 1M

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to those students who are celebrating their birthday this week

Grace R

Leo A

Levi G (Kinder)

Mem Fox

Over the last couple of weeks the Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 classes have been reading books by Mem Fox. 

Mem Fox is a wonderful Australian author and she has a fantastic website for students, parents and teachers. https://memfox.com/

Why do we need Library Bags? 

I often get asked this question by students…. And it is for a few reasons: 1) It keeps books borrowed from the Library separate from other books that may be at home. 2) They are easy to find when it is Library day and 3)... they protect our Library books!

Last week a brand new book, only purchased and added to the Library at the beginning of the year, was found on the playground. As you can see it is completely ruined as it was left outside over a weekend in the rain. Please continue to remind your children that it is very important to care for any books borrowed from the Library. This includes keeping them dry, away from food and to treat them with care so the plastic covers and pages don’t get torn or damaged. 

Reminder- Book Club- Issue 2

Issue 2 is now available Orders close Thursday 24th March. It will then take up to two weeks for the books to arrive at school and be handed out. 

All orders are placed online via the LOOP app- please note we do not accept cash or orders at school as all orders are placed online. Click here to access an online version: https://www.scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/ 

• Please remember that 20% of all sales go toward our school Library! 
  

Happy reading!

Mrs Basedow 

amanda.basedow@catholic.edu.au

Another week has gone by and there has been action in the kitchen, garden and classrooms.

Last week the Year 1s made playdoh and the Year 2s made pizzas.

The Year 1s were revising the whole healthy eating plate and after making some brightly coloured playdoh enjoyed making different foods from each of the food groups.

The Year 2s were also revising all the food groups and made pizzas – the artist talent shone.

Our Year 6’s joined us for gardening club and we managed to plant carrots and water them in, as well as lay mulch on the garden.

Fabulous learning was also had in the classroom. Year 1 used the product of the food science lesson and formed shapes during maths using their playdoh. We made the shapes of squares, rectangles, ovals, circles, diamonds and triangles. What a fun way to learn about the characteristics of shapes.

If you would like any information about the Kitchen Garden Program please email Mrs Katie Birch Katherine.birch@cg.catholic.edu.au

The Garden Club

THE CANTEEN IS CASHLESS

 Families are required to make all canteen payments via Qkr!

There will be no over-the-counter sales at lunch time at this stage.

All over-the-counter sale items (snacks & treats) must be ordered in your child’s lunch order via Qkr! which will be delivered to them at lunch time.

Lent Special - Fish n Chips

Available very Wednesday and Friday during Lent

Qkr! lunch orders are now available for advance ordering however if a lunch order has been placed in advance and your child is not at school please cancel the lunch order in your Qkr! activities by 8.45am that day.

Thank you

Lauretta Raccosta,

Canteen

Lauretta.Raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

The Uniform Shop is available via Qkr!

On Tuesdays - Fridays, orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom.

Orders need to be placed before 8.45 am. 

Please visit the schools website for the Winter Uniform price list.

Winter is almost here!  Get in early and beat the rush. 

Winter School Uniform now available on Qkr!

Lauretta Raccosta

Uniform Shop

Lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

PUMPKIN BREAD

Ingredients

1/2 medium butternut pumpkin

3 cups plain flour

3 cups caster sugar

2 tspn bicarbonate soda

1 tspn baking powder and salt

2 tsp cinnamon & nutmeg

1/2 tspn allspice & ground ginger

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 170 degrees and grease two small loaf tins, then set aside.

Place pumpkin, with skin on, in a medium saucepan, add 1 & 1/2 cups water and bring to the boil. Continue to boil until pumpkin is cooked through, then remove from water. Skin should peel off easily.

Puree the cooked pumpkin with a stick blender or masher and drain any excess water through a colander. Set aside to cool.

Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, eggs and water, stir to combine. Finally stir in the pureed pumpkin and the chocolate chips (if using) until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pans and bake for 60-80 minutes, or until cooked through.

The recipes in the newsletter are from the Sts P & P 50th Anniversary Cookbook. This recipe was donated by the Scheiffers family.

Books are $20, payable on Qkr!, and available for pickup at the front office.