“We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.”

St Francis of Assisi

The words of St Francis of Assisi resonate as strongly now as they did in the 13^th century. Every age has its own context, its own reasons why, its own travails and difficulties; just as every age has its own need for healing. It is the story of the human experience of being in this world. Lent is a time to bring our own individual stories into a much larger picture, and to let that larger picture inform our understanding of our own lives. That understanding includes a recognition of the need for healing, forgiveness and vulnerability, which are offered to us, unconditionally, through the grace of Easter.

Year 6 Camp

Today, our Year 6 students left for camp at the NSW Sports and Recreation Centre at Borambola. I would like to wish our students the very best for the 3 days and I would like to thank Paul Jenkins, Sarah Kennelly, Maryanne Armstrong and Nic Marsham for taking the children on camp. I am very confident that teachers and students will have a wonderful time and I am particularly pleased that we have managed to provide our Year 6 students with a school camp, given the COVID restrictions of last year, and which continue this year, to some degree at least.

Parent Teacher Interviews

A reminder to all of our parents that our Term 1 Parent/Teacher interviews are taking place next week, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. All parents were emailed a link in order to book a time for the meeting. I encourage parents to make a time to meet with your child’s teacher and discuss with him or her their progress and goals. A link to the booking page can be found here: 

https://stpandp.schoolzineplus.com/2021PTInterviewSem1

or you can click on the tile on the SZapp.

On Monday next week, the Term 1 Interim Report will also be sent home. This report is concerned specifically with work and social habits and will not address subject grades or marks.

Principals’ Retreat

A reminder that next week, from Wednesday to Friday, I will be attending the annual Archdiocesan Principals’ Retreat, at Bowral. Wednesday will be comprised largely of addresses given by personnel from Catholic Education, with Thursday and Friday given over to the retreat itself. Dr Caroline Thompson will lead the retreat. Dr Thompson has had many years working in education, both in schools and in the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Lismore. In 2014, she completed a PhD, titled “The faith leadership role of Catholic school principals: challenges and opportunities for enhancing mission and Catholic identity”. Currently, Dr Thompson is Director of Formation, Mercy Partners. This role includes developing and presenting formation for leaders of Mercy Partners ministries (directors, executive and key staff), developing resources for formation and leadership development, conducting retreats and pilgrimages for ministry leaders, strategic planning for formation within health, education and social service ministries, conference workshop presenter and formation support for Mercy Partners Council and committees. In my absence, Sean Rutledge will very capably lead the school.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

Gospel Reflection

Mk 9:2-10

Like so many other important events in the Bible, the events of this week’s Gospel occur on a high mountaintop. Mountaintops were places of special and dramatic encounters with God and the disciples’ experience of the transfiguration is clearly no exception! In this instance, the disciples suddenly see Jesus’ power fully revealed but they fail to fully understand what is going on. One might think how much more obvious could God be about trying to reveal Jesus’ identity to the disciples, but still they don’t really catch on. Peter thinks he has caught on to the message. When the great prophets Elijah and Moses appear beside Jesus, Peter understands Jesus to be part of the line of prophets in the Hebrew tradition. He believes he has had a great insight and is so impressed that he wants to remain on the mountaintop – setting up tents in honour of Jesus, Elijah and Moses. In essence, Peter has still only partially understood who Jesus is. He thinks he is the Messiah, but a Messiah in the same mould as the prophets of old, a prophet of the old tradition. He has not understood that Jesus is breaking that mould and creating a new vision, a new tradition – one that is endorsed by the voice of God on the mountaintop.

Rather than allowing the disciples to set up tents and remain in the ‘high’ of this experience, Jesus immediately leads the disciples back down the mountain. This is perhaps the greatest message of this passage: that life is not lived on the mountaintop but back down in the valley. Although the mountaintop experience may have provided some new insight and new energy, it is back down in the valley that the world waits; that the real work needs to be done; that the sick and the poor are crying out for God’s love and mercy.

Project Compassion

The Season of Lent marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. Each year we raise student awareness of people around the world who need support and encourage giving to this cause. Your child can take donations to school at any time throughout Lent and place it in the donation box in their class.  

Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Parish office has dropped Reconciliation booklets at the front office. They are available to collect, we would prefer the host of the group collects them.

• If you are still interested in enrolling your child for this Sacrament please send me an email fran.garrett@cg.catholic.edu.au 

28 February  – Second Sunday of Lent Year B

  https://www.prayingwithchildren.org/o0pim4m1.html

 Praying with Children is an online resource that is designed for families with children to use at home.

It includes an extract from the Sunday gospel, along with some reflection questions, family activities and a short video to watch.

Blessings,

Fron Garrett

Please see the attached PDF for Week 4's Youth Ministry news.

 

PARENT CONTACTS

We realise that parents cannot always find time to contact the school when they might like. Therefore, in an attempt to increase the possible contacts between school and home, we have established a parent network.  Volunteer contacts (arranged at the start of each year) will liaise between parents and the class teacher, to set up class-centred activities and an occasional social event.  Our aim is to increase the mutual support available for all members of our school community.  While no parent should feel obliged to take part in these activities, you are all warmly invited to take advantage of whatever events might be of value to you.  This is not an onerous task, more a point of contact.  It is also a great way to meet the parents of students in your child's class.

Thank you to the parents listed below who have already volunteered to be Parent Contacts.  Please contact the Office or email office.stpandp@cg.catholic.edu.au  if you are willing to be the Parent Contact for your child's class.  It would be great if we could finalise these as soon as possible so that they can be included in the Parent Directory when it is published.  

DATES TO REMEMBER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to those students celebrating their birthday this week.

Isabella T

Lachlan A

Emma I

Roxie M

Remember to STOP for our supervisor

A school crossing supervisor is supporting our school each morning and afternoon to increase safety for children.

Please support this initiative by driving safely near the school and encouraging children to use the supervised crossing.

 Our crossing supervisor is responsible for controlling a busy environment, which includes managing the flow of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists during peak times. It is important for motorists to drive at a speed which allows them to safely stop when the supervisor enters the road. Please be patient and allow the crossing supervisor and other pedestrians to safely clear the road prior to proceeding.

 The school community is encouraged to familiarise themselves with the basic crossing supervisor procedures:

 The supervisor will ask pedestrians to wait in a safe location by the side of the road

• When it is safe, the supervisor will stop traffic
• The supervisor will blow their whistle twice to indicate it is safe to cross.

 The School Crossing Supervisor program is delivered by Transport Canberra and City Services’ School Safety Program. If you have any feedback about the program, please contact TCCS.  

Please be patient, polite and respectful to our supervisor, they are committed to keeping our students safe.

Saints Peter and Paul Swimming Carnival Tuesday 9^th March
at the Tuggeranong Pool, at the corner of Anketell Street and Athllon Drive in Greenway

Thank you to all of the families of children in Years 2-6 that have gotten onto SZapp to complete the Consent, Medical, Event Nomination and Parent Assistance forms for our swimming carnival. If you are yet to do this, please ensure that all of this information is completed and submitted by Wednesday 3^rd March. Thank you so much for your assistance with all of this.

We are excited to be welcoming parents as volunteers and spectators on the day. The Check in Canberra App QR code will be posted at the entry point to the pool. We will also have sign in and out sheets for you to use, so that we can have a school record of anyone in attendance on the day. The current restrictions in relation to numbers at the pool will be 500. I will let you know as soon as I can if this changes.

If you are joining us on the day, please see the program of events below for a very rough guide about when your child will be swimming.

Program of Events

If you think your child may qualify for the South/Weston Region Swimming Carnival, please have a look at the information below.

South/Weston Region Swimming Carnival Thursday 25^th March
at the Stromlo Leisure Centre, Corner of Uriarra Road and, Dave McInnes Rd, Stromlo.

All School Sport ACT regional swimming events are being held at the Stromlo Leisure Centre, as the AIS is currently unavailable for community meet bookings until the end of March. This is due to Tokyo Olympics preparations. If you have not been to this venue and would like to familiarise yourself with the space, please use the following link to do so https://www.stromloleisurecentre.com.au/

If your child is selected to represent our school at the regional carnival, they will receive information in relation to this soon after our school carnival. Please be aware that there will be a quick turnaround for bringing these notes back, (Wednesday 17^th March) as nominations need to be submitted to the convening school for organisational purposes.

Unfortunately, it was confirmed at the ACT sport meeting last Friday that there will be no 8 and 9 year old events at this carnival.

If you ever have any questions about anything related to Sport, please don’t hesitate to get in touch mary.desmet@cg.catholic.edu.au Hopefully I’ll be able to help you out!

Sts Peter and Paul's Playgroup is starting up again! See thee attached PDF for details.

School Sport ACT (SSACT)

Please follow this link www.schoolsportact.org.au to access all information related to School Sport ACT. The current primary school sporting calendar can be found on this page. Please ensure that you visit this page regularly as dates sometimes change due to unforeseen circumstances.

SSACT Trials

The process for registering your child for an ACT sport trial can be found below. If you need any assistance registering your child, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will hopefully be able to help you out. If you find that there are any steps missing within this process, please let me know at your earliest convenience.

SSACT Registration Process

School Sport ACT now collects all registration information online – this is to prevent the movement to and fro of a paper note and have all information readily available to officials prior to the trial. As this process incurs a fee for data storage, system maintenance and admin, a small fee payment via credit card will be required.

How to register a Student with School Sport ACT.

1. Go to the School Sport ACT website schoolsportact.org.au
2. Go to Register (top right corner of the homepage) and create an account.
3. After completion, check your registered email to verify your account. (Always check your spam folder in case you didn't immediately receive the verification email).
4. After verifying your account, Log In (top right hand corner of the homepage) using your registered email and password.
5. You’ll be presented with your Parent Dashboard. From there you can start the process of registering a Student into a Trial.
6. Click the green Add Student
7. Complete all of the information required for your Student (e.g. Medical Details, Sport, Playing History, Preferred Position, School etc.) and save the information. (If your child is already in the system, please ensure that your child’s school is up to date in your profile.)
8. Click on the trial information box and then click on the register to trial link.
9. Make the small credit card payment. After payment your Principal/School Approver will receive an email for their approval to trial.

You will be able to see the process has been complete back in My Profile – once your Principal/School Approver has completed the approval process your child’s information will be collated onto a list for the Team Manager and Coach prior to trial.

INFERENCE

Observations occur when we can see something happening. In contrast, inferences are what we figure out based on an experience. Helping students understand when information is implied, or not directly stated, will improve their skill in drawing conclusions and making inferences. These skills will be needed for all sorts of school assignments, including reading, science and social studies. Inferential thinking is a complex skill that will develop over time and with experience.

Why is inference important?

• Inference is a "foundational skill" — a prerequisite for higher-order thinking and 21st century skills
• Inference skills are used across the curriculum, including English language arts, science and social studies.
• Inference is about discovering that there is not a ‘correct’ answer.

Family Activities for Teaching About Making Inferences

 “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Look through old family albums and photographs together. Have your child observe what a person in a picture is doing and look at his or her facial expressions and body language to infer how the person felt at that particular moment.

Retelling

Pick a story together and find a paragraph that describes how a character feels. Have your child retell the paragraph stating the feelings directly. How are the paragraphs different? Why might an author show how a character acts instead of telling how a character feels? Point out that details bring stories to life and engage readers and spark imaginations.

This year we will be participating in the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge at Sts Peter and Paul Primary. This is an ACT-wide challenge with many thousands of students participating from all different schools across the Territory. It begins today Wednesday 24th August and goes through until Friday 6th August. 

Each child from Kinder to Year 6 is ‘challenged’ to read 30 age appropriate books over a 15-week time frame. Parents are encouraged to check in with their children and to encourage participation throughout the 15 weeks. 

The 30 books can be from class reading and individual reading. Fiction or non-fiction, poetry, EBooks (including on SORA), audio books, graphic books, home books and of course library books. As long as the books are age appropriate!

CANTEEN IS CASHLESS

Families can make contactless payment via Qkr!

Purchase over-the-counter sale items (snacks & treats) for your child/children in a lunch order via Qkr! 

or 

you can purchase a “daily counter sales voucher” via Qkr! for your child/children to go to the canteen to collect something at lunchtime.

Canteen roster - Week 5 

Please contact me if you are unable to make your shift, Thank you.

Are you able to help out in the canteen?

 Parent/carer helpers are most welcome in the Canteen. A lending hand is always required and very much appreciated. Helping in the Canteen is a great opportunity to meet new people and make a valuable contribution to the school.  No doubt your child/ren will get a buzz from seeing you at the school.  So 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

Or click on the link below to add your selected time to the roster. 

Please ensure you have your WWVP card.

https://stpandp.schoolzineplus.com/CanteenRosterTerm12021

Lauretta Raccosta,

Canteen

Lauretta.Raccosta@cg.catholic.au

Special Lunch Day

Wednesday 3 March

The school will be holding our FIRST special lunch day of the year on Wednesday 3 March.

 Children will be able to order party pies, drink and a treat for $6.00.

 Orders available on Qkr! NOW

Download the app on your mobile phone to place your order.

ORDERS CLOSE 9AM THIS FRIDAY 26 FEBURARY!

Gluten free & Vegetarian options are available.

 No counter sales or other lunch orders will be available on that day.

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.

You can place an order via Qkr! Order on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and the item/s will be delivered to your child’s classroom.

Orders need to be placed before 8.45am.

Please see SZapp for the Summer Uniform price list.

It is usual practice for most schools to offer second-hand clothing at the uniform shop to families at a discounted price. Quality second-hand clothing can only be purchased during uniform hours.  We do understand that this may not be convenient for some families so please feel free to send me an email if you are unable to get to the uniform shop during its hours and I will do my best to attend your needs.  

The uniform shop is limited with space, so as a guide, clothes should only be donated if washed and in perfect resalable order.

Please give any used second-hand uniform to Mrs R in the canteen, Thank you.

UNIFORM OUT OF STOCK ITEMS ARE ARRIVING SOON!

Apologises to all the families that have been awaiting on uniform items that they have purchased. 

Unfortunately, our supplier LW Reid ran out of stock which has left us waiting for new supplies.

BUT new stock is arriving soon!

Maroon Skorts, size 12 - delivery due 5 March

Navy Shorts, sizes 6, 12, 14 - delivery due 8 March

Polar Fleece Jumper, sizes 10 & 12 - delivery due 9 March

Blue Polo Tops arrived late last week, and all deliveries were made.

Thank you for your patience.

Lauretta Raccosta

Uniform Shop

Lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

TOMATO TARTS

Ingredients

30 cherry tomatoes (2 punnets)

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 sheet puff pastry

Bunch basil, stems removed

Method

Preheat oven to 220 degrees, line 3 baking trays with baking paper, take out an extra unlined tray and set aside.

Combine brown sugar and vinegar in a large bowl, add tomatoes and coat with mixture, then pour over two of the prepared trays and set aside.

Cut pastry sheet in half, then cut each half into 4 and cut these into triangles.

Place triangles on the third lined baking tray, and place the extra tray on top.

Bake pastry and tomatoes both for 10 minutes, then remove and cool slightly.

Place a basil leaf on each pastry triangle, then top with a tomato and serve.

This recipe is on page 152 of our 50th Anniversary Cookbook.

The cookbook, full of recipes from either Mrs Robyn Moore (fab cooking teacher) or donated by our school community, can be purchased for only $20 via Qkr! or eftpos (No cash please). Books can be collected from the front office. 

Enjoying the tennis on TV?  Play Tennis with an Official Tennis Canberra Coach. 

 BOOK A FREE JUNIOR TRIAL GROUP LESSON

www.tenniscanberra.com.au/try-tennis 

• Junior Programs from ages 5-16
• North & South Canberra Tennis Canberra Venues
• All abilities from starter to advance

CONTACT TENNIS CANBERRA™

• E-mail: play@tenniscanberra.com.au
• Phone: 0416 186 121
• Website: www.tenniscanberra.com.au

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us,

 Robbie

Your Favourite Tennis Coaches

Weston Creek Molonglo Wildcats Junior AFL Club
Registration Morning – Sunday 25^th February
10am to 12pm

As well as the links below, we are holding a registration morning on

Sunday the 25^th February, at Stirling Oval, Teesdale Close, Stirling.

Please use the following links.

Auskick Rookie (4 to 6) - GOTO THE WESTON CREEK ON THE POP DOWN LIST

https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?aID=780&pKey=b457ad2a3966841d94bf8226aac40e86&formID=73825

Auskick Pro (U7/8) - GOTO THE WESTON CREEK ON THE POP DOWN LIST

https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?aID=7845&pKey=100519bc3451e744b6bf8edb3311f465&formID=73825

 U9s to U13s & Youth Girls (12 years)

https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?aID=4117&pKey=5d97e3e7fdaef9a6f392430b04af1ae8&cID=1396&formID=36056 

Player $130 (7s - 13s)

Family $190 (more than 1 player in 7s to 13s)

Auskick Rookie $85 (not included in family)

Registration Payment Options:

Cheque:

Please make cheques payable to Weston Creek WILDCATS Junior Australian Football Club.

Hand directly to the Treasurer or post to PO Box 3253 Weston Creek ACT 2611.

Make sure players name and age group is clearly written on reverse side of cheque for receipting purposes.

Direct Deposit:

Either direct deposit via bank or Internet Banking:

Bank Details:

Commonwealth Bank BSB: 06 2904 Account: 103 21737

When using internet banking make sure the transaction description box is completed with players name and age group for tracking and receipting purposes.

NB: When using internet banking or direct deposit, please confirm payment to the Treasurer, Richard Phillips via email at wcwildcats.president@gmail.com or forward copy of deposit receipt to Treasurer.