Dear Parents and Carers

“The claim about Christ has been, from the first, that he is our nourisher: that he is like mothers’ milk, he is like dates in the desert and, more, like water in the desert.”

Peter Steele SJ, ‘Bread for the Journey’

We are closing in on the end of Lent. This Sunday is Palm Sunday and it marks the beginning of Holy Week, culminating in Good Friday and Easter Sunday, where we see the triumph of love over death. Easter falls in the middle weekend of the holidays and so throughout the course of this week at school, we are celebrating, and dramatising, the events of Easter. Today, our Kindergarten children presented the story of Palm Sunday. Tomorrow, our Year 5 students retell the events of the Last Supper and on Friday, Year 6 dramatise the crucifixion of Jesus. At the beginning of Term 2, we complete the Easter cycle with Grade 2 enacting Easter Sunday. We are still unable to gather as a school, for the remainder of the term, so all grades are recording and sharing their work. My thanks to our REC Steph Burns for coordinating the week and to all teachers for their work.

COVID Arrangements – Term 2

The beginning of Term 2 will see some slight modifications in restrictions. Most of these will be internal to school practices and therefore will have little direct impact on parents. The two main changes, for the beginning of Term 2, are:

• Schools will be able to gather for assemblies. This is very good news. This means that our morning assemblies can begin again and our fortnightly Thursday assemblies can take place. Unfortunately, we are still unable to allow parents back onto the school site. This includes assemblies. My hope is that this will change in, or by the end of, Term 2.
• Parents will be able to join school events, in large numbers, if the event is off site and outdoors. For example, we have our Cross Country carnival at the end of Week 1. Parents will be able to join us at the carnival, as it is at Edison Park, across the road from the school.

These are the two main changes to our current practices. All other current Term 1 practices remain in place for Term 2. This includes the wearing of masks indoors, grade cohorting at recess and lunch, and the carpark arrangements we currently have will remain in place. Parents are still not allowed on site at school in large numbers. One off arrangements are possible e.g., if you have arranged to meet with your child’s teacher. In this matter, as is the case in all matters, I appreciate very much the support of the school community. I understand that it is has been a very difficult time for parents and not without strain or difficulty. I am confident that we will see a gradual easing of restrictions, so that the usual flow of relationships – including parents being on site in a normal manner – will be able to take place, unimpeded. For the moment, however, the current restrictions will largely need to continue, with the exceptions noted above. Thank you for your support.

Pupil Free Day

A reminder that the Monday April 25 is a public holiday. The following day, Tuesday April 26^th, is a pupil free day for all students in Catholic schools in the ACT. The staff will be focused on the system educational initiative, ‘Catalyst’. The first day back in Term 2 for students is Wednesday April 27^th. Please contact me at school if you have any questions.

Thank You

Last week, the parent community via the school’s Community Council bought the staff at Sts Peter and Paul lunch on one day and a very nice morning tea on another day, as a way to say thank you for their work over the last term. I would like to thank the parent body for their very generous act. The staff received it very well and they were very grateful. The ongoing uncertainty around COVID as well as the fatigue from restrictions have placed an extra strain on all of us in the community. I would like to thank the parent body for their kindness and for their ongoing support of the school and the staff. Your support has been essential and I appreciate it very much. I would like to add my own thanks to that of the parents’, and congratulate the staff on their excellent work this term. I am most fortunate in being able to work with the staff at Sts Peter and Paul. They are a pleasure to work with. I would particularly like to thank Tegan Ingold, from the Community Council, and our REC Steph Burns, for coordinating the lunch and morning tea last week.

Enjoy the holidays and I hope, in particular, that the Easter period is a time of great blessing for your families. I look forward to seeing all our families again on Wednesday, April 27^th.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

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

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the triumphant entry of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem, riding a donkey. On that day, the people laid palms before Him, a gesture reserved for triumphant leaders. We celebrate this at Mass by distributing palms to the faithful who may keep them for a time for use as devotional objects. The palms are blessed at Mass. Eventually, these palms are returned to the Church where they are burned. Traditionally, their ashes are saved and distributed at next year's Ash Wednesday services.

Project Compassion 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.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Christianity is a faith of paradox: leadership through service; greatness through humility; and life through death. The greatest paradox of all is the paradox of the cross. The death of Jesus through the most humiliating form of capital punishment in history would appear to be exactly what the Jewish authorities hoped it would be: the end of the Jesus movement. The ignoble death of a group’s leader through public execution is usually enough to bring about the end of any movement. However, Christians know that the death of Jesus is not the end of the story.

His resurrection, that we celebrate at Easter next weekend, is the twist in the tale that means the death of Jesus, rather than being a point of despair, in fact becomes a moment of hope. This difference of expectation is captured in the Lukan account of the crucifixion by the two criminals with whom Jesus is crucified. One joins in the mockery of Jesus, whilst the other recognises the innocence of Jesus and has faith that Jesus will enter into his kingdom. This second criminal acts as an example for all people of faith. He reminds us that those with faith still have to face death and still have to face up to the consequences of their actions, and yet the way we approach death should not be with despair, but rather with hope and confidence that we will share in Christ’s resurrection.

The reading of the Passion narrative leaves us up in the air. It leaves us in a better position than the disciples at the time. They were downcast by what they felt was the defeat of Jesus, but we know the end of the story! We know that out of this darkness will come light and hope!

(Reflection by Greg Sunter)

Have a blessed Easter with your family,

Stephanie Burns

Religious Education Coordinator

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to those students who are celebrating their birthday this week

William S

Carmelline T

Jayden G

Eline T

Isabella A

Kuna J

Oliver D

Harvey S

And in the holidays

George W

Zozo T-T

Lucas S

Aisha O

Beatrix B

Kiera S

Naisha S

Olivia E

Tara W

Reeves M

Hamish H

Over the past few weeks Chloe Upton (6 Maroon) has been competing in the ACT state championships for trampolining. We are excited to celebrate that Chloe has placed 2^nd in the double mini competition and was named State Champion in the U13s Trampoline competition. With these results, Chloe has qualified to go to Nationals and compete! We are very proud of Chloe in Year 6 and wish her the best of luck competing in the national competition in a few weeks’ time!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Jack in Year 3/4B for being the second student to complete the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge! A fantastic effort to not only read 30 books… but also to keep updating his CMCR sheet as he finished reading each book! Well done Jack!  

Thank you to all of the students for a wonderful term. We have done lots of learning in the Library during our lessons and of course lots of reading and borrowing! I look forward to seeing everyone next term! Have a happy Easter and safe and enjoyable break.

Happy reading! Mrs Basedow amanda.basedow@catholic.edu.au

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.

CANTEEN VOLUNTEER ROSTER

Thank you helpers; your assistance is very much appreciated

Please contact me if you are unable to help out on your day.

Are you able to help out in the canteen in TERM2?

 If you have any spare time and would like to help out in the canteen, PLEASE feel free to contact me through email at lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

Term 2 canteen roster available now

Click on the link below to add your selected time to the roster.

https://stpandp.schoolzineplus.com/canteenrosterterm2.

 All volunteers must wear a face mask, have a WWVP card and show proof of vaccination.

Lauretta Raccosta,

Canteen

Lauretta.Raccosta@cg.catholic.au

OPEN TUESDAY MORNINGS

8.30 – 9.30AM

The Uniform Shop is a service for the parents and children.  

We sell New & Quality Second-hand school clothing, and all money raised goes back to the school to provide resources for the children.

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.

Please note that the Uniform Shop will be open on the pupil free day, Tuesday 26 April, from 8.30 to 9.30 am, for walk-ins and Qkr! orders.

Lauretta Raccosta

Uniform Shop

Lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

Our last week in the kitchen garden for another term. Sigh!

Both Kinder and Year 2 cooked up a storm last week as they continued their journey learning about healthy eating and food preparation in cooking.

Both Kinder classes made yummy cheese straws and learnt about shapes as well as folding, sprinkling and sharing (some great verbs there). They look extremely yummy and contain the dairy group which helps their bones.

The Year 2 classes learnt how vegetables can be incorporated into other foods to make them more healthy for us. They made chocolate potato cakes. Isn’t Food Science wonderful!! And we got to use our garden produce.

This week is the last week in the kitchen until next term with Kinder cooking up some Easter fun. Stay tuned for photos in the next newsletter.

We were honoured this week to receive a generous donation towards our kitchen garden program from Evie Croker’s Grandmother and Grandfather. Thank you Mr and Mrs Croker. Your donation will go towards buying some seeds and seedlings for our next planting season next term. Thank you again for supporting what we do for the children.

Can I also extend a big thank you to those families who will be keeping an eye on the garden over the April school holidays.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Kitchen Garden Program please email Mrs Katie Birch Katherine.birch@cg.catholic.edu.au

Have a lovey holiday everyone, until next term.

The Garden Club

CHOCOLATE POTATO CAKE

Ingredients

125 gr butter

2/3 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup mashed potato

1 1/4 cup self raising flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

Icing sugar, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a cake tin with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs one at a time until all combined.

Stir in the mashed potato and flour, then add the cocoa powder and milk, stir to combine.

Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving.

The recipes in the newsletter are from the Sts P & P 50th Anniversary Cookbook. This recipe is a big favourite in our cookikng lessons with Mrs Moore.

Books are $20, payable on Qkr!, and available for pickup at the front office. It would make a great Mothers' Day present!

The end of term is fast approaching!! Bring on the holidays!

The holidays are a time to regroup, to rest, to spend time with loved ones and friends. Read a book, go for a walk, look at the autumn colours, play with friends, go to the park, watch a movie, read another book, ride a bike, go shopping, go out for lunch, go to the museum, sleep in, read another book, play sports, dance, go to the circus, nap, play a board game, run, go to the zoo, eat chocolate and .......... read another book!

A class is held at Sts Peter & Paul every Saturday during the terms.