Dear Parents and Carers

“Christians and their communities are always caught between faith and doubt. Not only observers but Christians themselves need to find the wild and the surprising face of Christ in one another’s life.”

• Andrew Hamilton S.J.

Welcome back! I hope all parents have had a good two weeks. In particular, I hope and trust that the Easter period was a life-giving time for you and your family, and that the extended time away from work afforded some time to be family in a way that was different from the norm.

The reflection above, taken from a recent Easter reflection from Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ, does point to the eternal mystery at the heart of the Christian faith, and the tension that is always part of any community of faith. That tension can be described as the aspirations of the faith community, and the lived reality of its members. Easter calls us to forgive our neighbour – but also ourselves, and those parts of us which we know, deep down, don’t add to community: be it our defensiveness, our quick temper, our easily bruised feelings, our withdrawal from others – none of us are spared something about ourselves, from which we would rather hide. Hamilton’s reflection is in response to an article written by the journalist Greg Sheridan, in the Weekend Australian, when it came out on the Easter weekend. The link below will take you to Andrew Hamilton’s article, in full. It is well worth reading.

'How Christianity can grow again in the West' (eurekastreet.com.au)

Today, our beautiful Year 2 students led the school, at 12pm, in a reflection on Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus. My thanks to the students, and to all the teachers, for their very good work.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we have a busy start to the term. Please see below for details.

ANZAC Day Liturgy

Yesterday was a public holiday, as we celebrated ANZAC Day. Tomorrow, at 12pm in the school hall, we celebrate ANZAC Day and commemorate the memory of the countless men and women who have died defending our country. Our liturgy will be led by our Year 4 teachers and students. I would also like to thank Mr Barrett, who is a parent in our community and serves in the armed forces. He will help us lead the prayer assembly.

School Photos

Our annual school phots will take place next Monday May 1^st. Students are to wear their full school winter uniform with jumpers on. Please contact Trish Collis or Fron Garrett-Rumba if you have any questions.

ACT Swimming Carnival

In two weeks, the ACT Swimming Carnival take place. We have seven students who are representing the South Canberra region at the carnival: Emily G, Lachlan R, WIlliam S, Ava G, Kai R, Stella H and Lucas S. It is of course an amazing achievement to even get this far, regardless of the outcome. I wish them the very best. I am very proud of them all.

Confirmation Information Night

Next Tuesday, May 2^nd, at 6pm, we are holding an Information Night for parents of students in Year 6 who are making their Confirmation. The information night (following a tradition that started in the COVID enforced lockdown) will be broadcast on Zoom, from the Holy Trinity boardroom (Holy Trinity students will join Sts Peter and Paul students in making their Confirmation). My thanks to our excellent REC and teachers, Veronica Hall, Katie McGregor and Luke Gubler for their great work and support; to our colleagues at Holy Trinity, particularly Phil Brierley and Emily Capper, and Fr John and Catherine Grinsell-Jones, our wonderful parish secretary.

Enrolment Period

At the start of next week, all Catholic schools enter the official enrolment period, for the rest of May. We have 3 Open Mornings, and two different Information Evenings. Our Open Mornings are:

• Tuesday Week 2, May 2^nd, 9.30am - 11.00am.
• Wednesday Week 3, May 10^th, 9.30am - 11.00am.
• Thursday Week 4, May 18^th, 9.30am - 11.00am.

Our wonderful Year 6 leaders will be on hand to provide tours for all parents.

We have two information evenings:

• Primary School Opportunities Grades 4 – 6: Wednesday Week 2, May 3^rd, 6pm.
• General Information Night: Wednesday Week 3, May 10^th, 6pm.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at school if you have any questions about the enrolment process.

Questacon Science Incursion

Next Wednesday, May 2^nd, there is a school incursion for all students, Grades 1– 6. Questacon Science Circus is visiting Sts Peter and Paul and all students will have the opportunity to experience and enjoy some wonderful learning opportunities, and deepen their understandings of the natural environment, and the forces that shape our world.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

Sacrament of Confirmation - Monday 19 June and Tuesday 20 June

The enrolment period for the Sacrament of Confirmation is now open for baptised Year 6 students who have received the Sacrament of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. The Sacrament of Confirmation completes Baptism, by which in the laying on of hands and the anointing with Chrism Oil, the candidates are confirmed with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is a beautiful Sacrament.

Please have a chat with your child about Confirmation. If you would like your child to be confirmed in 2023, please read the information from the parish which was sent out via Compass and enrol via Qkr! The enrolment period closes on Monday 1st May (Week 2, Term 2). This information is also in the article below.

An information night for the Sacrament of Confirmation will be held via Zoom on Tuesday 2 May commencing at 6pm. We are also looking for volunteers to host a family group. The role of a host is not difficult, with session notes and guidance provided. If you are interested in hosting a family group, please complete the ‘Host Nomination’ form (attached in the Compass notification) and attend a Zoom information session at 5:30pm on Tuesday 2 May. 

If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Grinsell-Jones at the parish office on 6281 3999.

Confirmation Parent Information Zoom link: https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/64091413242   

Holy Week 

Today we celebrated the last of our Holy Week prayer liturgies; Easter. Thank you to our Year 2 classes for leading us in such a moving and prayerful occasion.

I hope that everyone had a joyful Easter with their families and friends.

ANZAC Day Liturgy

On Thursday our Year 4 classes will lead the school in our ANZAC Day prayer liturgy at 12 noon. All parents and families are welcome to attend.

Sunday Gospel: John 10:1-10, Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year A

I am the gate of the sheepfold.

This is ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ and a particular focus taken today is leadership. Which voices do we follow? Why do we follow these voices and not others? Authentic leadership is rooted in authority, and authentic authority is the ability to author or bring life to birth. Genuine authority cherishes, guards and encourages the best in life; it provides rest and refreshment; it guides our steps; it nourishes us; it leads us to God. Peter is an example of authentic authority: he proclaims the truth, even if others find it hard to hear; he denounces error, even when this places him in jeopardy; he calls for a change of heart, even when it makes great demands.

Authentic leadership is patterned after the leadership of Jesus. It is gentle and familiar, like the true shepherd; it has won the confidence of those who follow, as did the true shepherd; it is committed to the enhancement of the lives of others, as was Jesus. Authentic leadership is willing to forgo its own needs and to deny its own interests in favour of the needs and interests of others.

Heavy demands are placed on those who follow authentic leadership. Those who follow the Good Shepherd must follow him in the dark valleys as well as to the refreshing streams. They must be willing to relinquish some of their own plans and self-determination and entrust themselves to his leadership. They must never forget that they are following a shepherd who has paid the ultimate price on their behalf (Diane Bergant)

Blessings for the week ahead,

Veronica Hall

Religious Education Coordinator

Welcome back to Term 2 parents and students!

As you’ve most likely already seen in the return to school, transitioning back to a school routine can find students experiencing a wide variety of emotions, from excitement and happiness to apprehension and fear. Emotions may be at an all-time high right now, and coupled with increased exhaustion from long school days, here are some reminders to keep in mind that parents can do to help students develop their emotional regulation skills at any age.

Create an emotionally expressive environment at home and school. This means creating spaces where they are free to say how they feel without fear of being judged or "shut down".

Talk to them openly about emotions and feelings. When you are feeling an emotion, share that with them. Talk to them about your emotions and tell them how you cope with some of the hard emotions yourself.

Model appropriate emotional regulation skills yourself. Let them see you when you are happy, sad, or angry, and show them appropriate responses to those emotions. They need to be able to see healthy responses to all of the emotions.

Help them understand how to take care of their physical needs. Helping them get a good night's rest, eating healthy foods, and exercising the body are all essential to being able to feel satisfaction in life.

Help them engage in activities that build a sense of achievement. Doing one positive thing every day can lead to a sense of achievement and contentment. The things that bring us joy have been shown to decrease negative moods and increase positive moods.

Parents are welcome to contact the school counsellor via phone or email (Shandelle.steere@catholiccare.cg.org.au) should you have any questions concerning your child’s emotional regulation abilities or mental health concerns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to those students who are celebrating their birthday this week

Hugo G

Cooper L

Avah Rose P

Alexander W

Natalie C

Ned S

Principal's Award: Tara W, 6M

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): 

Harper DeS, 4M; Bentley B, 4M

This year, to celebrate Mother's Day, we are excited to be holding the following events:

 Mother's Day Breakfast

All mothers, grandmothers and other special carers are invited to attend a breakfast with their children on

FRIDAY 12^th MAY

from 7:45am - 9am

in the school grounds

 A coffee cart will be serving hot beverages and a light breakfast will be provided. 

 We look forward to seeing you there!

Mother's Day Stall

We will be offering the students a Mother's Day stall where they can choose their own special present for their mums or other special women in their lives! 

• The stall will be held during school hours on FRIDAY 12^th MAY  
• All gifts are $7.00; limit of 1 - 2 gifts/child
• Vouchers will be used to 'buy' a gift on the day and these are now available to purchase via Qkr!; there will be no cash sales on the day
• Children will be given their voucher/s by their teacher on Friday to use at the stall

PURCHASE OF VOUCHERS WILL CLOSE AT 2PM THURSDAY 11^th MAY!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Welcome to Term 2! I hope you all had a lovely break and are excited for a busy term ahead full of good books and wonderful literary adventures! 

Library Information…

Please take note of your child or children’s library days. Kinder- Year 4 must have a Library Bag to borrow books to take home. 

• I am in the Library Monday- Thursday. Should you have any questions please email me at amanda.basedow@cg.catholic.edu.au

• The Library is open at Lunchtimes (after eating time) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays this term. There is always quiet reading, drawing, board games, puzzles and open ended quiet play available :) 

Parent Reading Workshop- Tuesday 5pm Week 3

We are very excited to be holding a Parent Workshop in Week 3 with guest speaker Paul Macdonald.

Paul owns the award-winning The Children's Bookshop which has been a Sydney literary institution since 1971. He has a Master of Education, working almost 20 years as a teacher of Upper Primary and Secondary.

Paul has won numerous awards in teaching such as a Quality Teacher Award and The Premiers English Scholarship. He won the inaugural Maurice Saxby Award in 2012 for his contributions to raising the profile of teen fiction. He also was the winner of the 2016 Lady Cutler award for services to children's literature and literacy in Australia.

Paul not only manages The Children's Bookshop but is also a consultant working with numerous schools focusing on building reading cultures. 

Paul is the co-author of the CBCA Notable picture book The Hole Idea and has written several other academic texts.

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

The Book Fair is coming argh me hearties! 

Instead of Book Club this term, we are having our annual Book Fair in Week 4! The Book Fair is always an exciting event at Sts Peter and Pauls and this year is going to be better than ever!

Please see the attached information and get excited! 

Keep reading! 

Mrs Basedow

Welcome back to another sport-filled term at Sts Peter and Paul! I hope you and your family stayed fit and active during the school holidays, and that your children are excited to enjoy all things sport this term. 

ACT Swimming Championships

A huge congratulations to the following students who have been selected to compete at the ACT Swimming Championships Tuesday May 9th (next week) at the AIS Aquatic Centre. Emily G, Lachlan R, WIlliam S, Ava G, Kai R, Stella H and Lucas S. Information about this event will be sent home tomorrow (Thursday April 27th).

We wish you the best of luck next week! 

Cross Country Carnival Ribbon Assemblies

We will announce the Cross Country Age Champions to the students who came first in their age bracket (Junior, 11 Years and Senior) and hand out ribbons to all students who came 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their respective 8-12 years races Week 1, Term 2 Friday 28th April at our morning assembly. Please note that there will be no ribbons handed out to students who participated in the Kindergarten and Year One races (5-7 years).

The first five students to complete the race in their age bracket will qualify for the South/Weston Region Cross Country Carnival (e.g., the first five 8-year-old boys, the first five 8-year-old girls etc.). If you think your child may qualify for this, please have a look at the information below.

South/Weston Region Cross Country Carnival Tuesday 6th June at Stromlo Forest Park, Opperman Avenue, Stromlo.

If your child is selected to represent our school at the regional carnival, they will receive information in relation to this in the coming weeks. 

Interschools Snowsports

Is your child interested in snowsports? The Interschools Snowsport Championships provides an opportunity for Australian school students of all ages to experience competitive snowsports and to participate at either a recreational or competitive level. Students from Kindergarten/Prep to Year 12 compete in any of our nine discipline events. Competitors from all ability levels are encouraged to enter, with an emphasis on fun and participation.

Thank you to one of our parents in the community who brought this to our attention. If this is something your child may be interested in, please have a look at the website https://www.interschools.com.au/info-hub/about-interschools/ and get in touch with Luke Gubler and Sarah Walsh to register interest in this event.

If you ever have any questions about anything related to Sport, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Luke Gubler (luke.gubler@cg.catholic.edu.au) and Sarah Walsh (sarah.walsh1@cg.catholic.edu.au) and hopefully we will be able to help you out!

THE CANTEEN IS CASHLESS FOR ALL LUNCH ORDERS

Families are required to place ALL lunch orders via Qkr! before 8.45am 

Please purchase over-the-counter sale items (snacks & treats) for your child in a lunch order,

or

Purchase a “daily counter sales voucher” via Qkr! for your child to go to the canteen to purchase (snacks & treats) at lunchtime.

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 TERM 2?

New Roster out now!

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

or click on the link below to slot a time in.

https://stpandp.schoolzineplus.com/CanteenTerm2

All volunteers must have a WWVP card.

 Qkr! TIP

Is your child sick and not going to school, and you have placed a lunch order on Qkr!?

You have till 8.45am that morning to cancel the lunch order - instructions on how to cancel lunch orders are below.

New winter menu starts today!

Check out the exciting new items on the Winter Menu below!!!

Mrs R’s Fried Rice $3.50   

 Mrs R’s Spag Bols $4.00  

Garlic Bread $1.00

Warm Milo Milk Drink $2.00

(Wednesday & Thursdays only)

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 School Uniform is available via Qkr!
Tuesdays - Fridays, orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom. Orders need to be placed before 8.45 am. 

The Uniform shop is stocked up with second hand uniform, please visit on a Tuesday morning to purchase second hand uniform.

The uniform shop is limited with space, so if you wish to donate pre-loved items, PLEASE ONLY DONATE CLOTHES

that are washed and in perfect resalable order.

Thank you

Please visit the schools website for the Uniform price list.

Lauretta Raccosta

Uniform Shop

Lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

ANZAC BISCUITS

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup coconut

125 gr butter

2 Tbs golden syrup

2 Tbs water

1 tsp bicarb soda

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line two trays with baking paper.

Mix oats, flour, brown sugar and coconut in medium bowl.

Place tbe butter, golden syrup and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted.

Add the bicarb soda and remove from heat.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Shape mixture into small balls, place on prepared trays and press down lightly.

Bake biscuits for 10 minutes or until golden.

Welcome to Term 2! It will be a term of fun and learning in the kitchen and garden and classroom.

This term Kinder and Year 1 will be learning all about healthy eating.

In the garden we have planted some new vegetables and they have grown well over the holidays. The weeds have as well so we will be helping the strawberries this Friday in garden club by weeding and watering them with our worm juice.

Thanks to those people who helped care for the garden over the holidays. If your family would like to help over a holiday period please let me know.

Please email me also, if you have any questions or would like to know more about our kitchen garden program, Mrs Katie Birch katherine.birch@cg.catholic.edu.au

The Garden Club