Dear Parents and Carers,

Lord Jesus Christ, bless the children coming forward to receive Holy Communion for the first time. 

May this day be the step toward a life-long love of the Eucharist.

Give them a hunger for this sacred food so that they turn to you for comfort, guidance, and wisdom as they grow into full discipleship.

Thank you for their innocence and goodness.

May their hands, extended in anticipation of your body and blood, inspire all of us to cherish this sacred Sacrament.  Amen.

This weekend many of our students will receive Holy Communion for the first time. What a special moment this will be for them as they partake in what we regard as the source and summit of our faith. When we celebrate the Eucharist we recall the Lord's Supper with his apostles and we see it as the nourishment that keeps us spiritually strong. Pope Francis reminds us that the Eucharist is a gift and, with any gift, it is our choice as to how we use and take care of it. I pray that our students use this gift to bring them closer to Jesus and that it helps them to "go forth" and actively live the Gospel values.

We give thanks for their families, Fr John, Fr Feleki, Fr Richard, the Parish Sacramental team and our own staff who have helped them prepare for this special day.

Respectful Relationships

On Monday at our Staff Development Day, we engaged in professional learning related to helping children develop respectful relationships with others. On the day we referred to the work of psychologist Dr Tim Elmore whose research shows that in the last two decades children have become more globally connected but at the expense of having reduced life skills such as resilience, conflict resolution and problem solving. He espouses that all children learn these skills from the significant role models in their lives and from explicit training. Our staff spent a significant part of the day planning for structured teaching sessions related to skills such as sharing, including others, meeting new people, empathy and social responsibility. We also spoke about the important role that 'teachable moments' play when children are in the midst of conflict with others, especially in helping them reflect on their own actions and words. This hopefully connects with those moments at home when you, as parents, are modelling and teaching your children such skills. We all know the significant value of positive social connections for children with regard to their overall growth and development.

Wishing you a great week,

Paul Moroney

Principal