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“interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan”.
(Laudato Si’, 164)
This week, there has been special recognition of the fifth anniversary of the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, on care for our common home, planet Earth.
In his encyclical, Pope Francis teaches us how to build a better world together, with a common plan. As we live through history-shaping events related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are urged once again to note how ‘everything to do with our shared home is connected.’
The coronavirus pandemic has created uncertainty and suffering in our world. Our compassion goes out to those who suffer directly from the COVID-19 respiratory disease, those who put themselves at risk every day to serve others, and those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods.
In addition to the tragedy of this experience, we recognise the tragedy that a disease such as COVID-19 has long been predicted.
Many of the most devastating diseases from the past few decades, such as Ebola, bird flu, and SARS, have come from animals, just as this coronavirus did. In fact, 75% of emerging infectious diseases come from the animal world. The coronavirus that is now sweeping the world first arose from bats.
In 2007, scientists warned that the presence of these viruses in bats was a “timebomb,” especially taken together with the increasing practice of destoying natural habitats and trading illegal wildlife, which reduces the natural barriers that would otherwise separate us from these animals.
The emergence of this coronavirus is one sign of the devastating consequences of the way we treat nature and each other. In the past months, bushfires made more likely by climate change have ravaged our country. Unusually hot weather and heavy rain associated with climate change have given rise to a devastating storm of locusts in Eastern Africa. Sadly, even air pollution is increasing the risk of death for people who have COVID-19.
We cannot be healthy as humans if the planet is unhealthy. Around the world, we see that the human family is part of the natural world, and that the way we treat nature, each other, and the Creator are all connected.
As the world struggles with coping with COVID-19, a health catastrophe, we are asked to take wise and compassionate notice of the similarities between the effects of the virus, and global ecological issues:
- Both are global emergencies that will affect many people, both directly and indirectly.
- Both are experienced most deeply by the poor and vulnerable, and both expose the deep injustices in our societies.
- Both will be solved only through a united effort that calls on the best of the values we share.
WELCOME TO ST BRIGID'S
In the last week, we have enrolled 3 new families at St Brigid's. We hope each family experiences the joys of this life-giving community and that each student grows and develops into the best person they can be.
Welcome Starrsy Dickinson and Natalia Rustomji Treble who will join Year 5 this coming Monday and Veronica Awi Sian Vung who has started Kindergarten this week.
PHASE 3 SINGLE MODE OF LEARNING
From Monday 25 May 2020, the single mode of learning is face-to-face (i.e. remote learning will cease). Students will be participating in full classroom learning experiences and will continue to access guided reading and home readers via the PM eCollection app.
The safety and well-being of our students, staff and school community remains our first priority. Despite the challenges of living with COVID-19, we are still focused on the integral formation and growth of each of our students.
As a community we must work together to ensure that we observe the AHPPC advice on the 1.5m physical distancing protocol for staff and adults onsite, as well as practising exemplary COVID -19 hygiene and cleaning protocols.
COVID-19 – WHEN A STUDENT IS UNWELL AT SCHOOL
Firstly, if a student is unwell they should remain at home until they have fully recovered from all symptoms. However, if your child presents unwell at school then the following processes apply:
- Your child will be cared for at school in the sick bay by a qualified first aid officer, while they await collection from a parent or carer.
- The student will be provided with a medical mask to reduce the risk of transmitting droplets or respiratory fluids.
- The first aid officer who is assisting the student will also be wearing a medical mask and gloves.
- The student’s temperature will be taken using a non-contact thermometer to assess severity of presenting symptoms (note that, regardless of the child’s temperature, all students who present unwell will be sent home).
- When the parent or carer of the student collects the student from school, a letter will be provided to you, which outlines the steps required for the student to be able to return to school.
- The Government is encouraging all Australians to get tested even with the slightest of respiratory symptoms. Please either get your child tested or visit a health professional to ensure your child is not positive for COVID-19.
- Once the student has fully recovered a medical clearance certificate should be submitted to the school office.
If your child has any of the following symptoms they will be sent home to rest and recovery...
-
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- Fever
- Cough
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Aches and pains
- Fever
-
Please discuss these measures with your child in the event this situation arises.
LOOK SAFE, FEEL SAFE - PLEASE BE PROACTIVE IN SUPPORTING OUR PROCEDURES FOR TERM 2
The NSW Premier announcement that students across NSW will return to classrooms full time next week was a decision made with the support of NSW Health and the Chief Health Officer. This doesn't mean that it is business as usual. We must be vigilant, we must work together to ensure the safety and well being of everyone in our community.
1. CAR DROP OFF AND PICK UP FOR TERM 2
- Arrive between 8:35 - 9:00am (students to remain in car until teacher is on duty)
- Departure from 3:00 - 3:20pm
- Adults to remain in the car at all times
- Follow directions of the supervising staff regarding stopping, moving and students exiting the car
- School bags to be inside the car with the child (not the boot)
- Goodbyes should be done prior to leaving home
- Car family name must be on the passenger visor not the dashboard
- If the car zone is full please do not queue - you must drive around the block
- No u-turns to be made in Vickery Street - approach via Acacia Street
- When exiting the car zone please leave in car order (do not overtake or enter the line in front of another car)
2. OFFICE PROCEDURES FOR TERM 2
- Parents are encouraged to contact the St Brigid's Office via phone or email. Only visit the Office if essential or picking up a child who is sick
- If you need to pick your child up early please phone the school Office ahead of time and wait at the school gate in Vickery Street to collect your child
- To access the Uniform Shop please phone the Office prior to your visit. Ensure you are social distancing, wash and sanitise your hands prior to entering the Uniform Shop.
- Sign in via the contactless iPad
3. STUDENTS CONTINUING ISOLATION
If your child/ren will be continuing isolation and will not be returning to face-to-face learning at school due to the COVID-19 situation, please complete the form using the link below. Please complete the form separately for each child who will be remaining in isolation.
HOW TO EXPLAIN WHAT COVID-19 IS TO A CHILD?
Children have a right to know what is going on, but as adults we have a responsibility to protect them from distress. There are ways to talk to children that will help limit their fears and address their concerns.
- Use age appropriate language.
- Show you are listening and their concerns are important to you.
- Explain you haven’t been through anything like this either but you know the world will keep spinning and the sun will come up each day.
- Remind them you are there to look after them.
- Tell them if we listen carefully to advice and put one foot in front of another, it will be okay.
- Let your children know that we are in the best possible position to fight this disease.
- Explain that Australia has done a very good job of controlling the virus. The experts here are being guided by other countries where they have been though this and are now getting over it. We will too.
WORDS YOU CAN USE TO TALK TO YOUNG CHILDREN ABOUT COVID-19
It can be hard to know how to explain COVID-19. These are some ideas you can put into your own words to suit the age and stage of your child.
- COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new germ or bug.
- Germs are tiny organisms that live in our environment and can make us sick if they get in our bodies.
- You cannot see germs with your eyes (only under a microscope). They are a bit like chilli. You cannot see chilli on your hands but if you lick your fingers or touch your eyes you will know it is there!
- The germ that causes COVID-19 spreads easily from person to person and infects the breathing system, our nose, throat and lungs.
- It is passed from person to person through tiny droplets when people cough or sneeze.
- These droplets can be breathed in by others – which is why we should try not to get too close to others, and cover our sneezes and coughs with our arm or a tissue. Then wash our hands.
- The droplets might land on surfaces, like phones, door handles, tables and hands. If we shake someone’s hand or touch these things and then touch our eyes, mouth or nose, the germ can get inside us.
- We need to try not to touch our face, avoid shaking hands and wash our hands often, especially before eating (when we put our fingers to our mouth).
- Most kids won’t get very sick if they get COVID-19. If they do it will be a bit like getting a cold.
- The disease is more serious in old people and those that have other sicknesses already.
- We all need to do what we can to stop the germ spreading to keep it away from old/sick people.
| KINDER | Tuesday & Friday |
| YEAR 1 | Monday & Friday |
| YEAR 2 | Monday & Friday |
| YEAR 3 | Tuesday & Friday |
| YEAR 4 | Tuesday & Friday |
| YEAR 5 | Wednesday & Friday |
| YEAR 6 GREEN | Monday & Friday |
| YEAR 6 WHITE | Monday & Friday |
Please ensure you have downloaded the app and students have signed in using their unique username and password. Their individual login details have been sent via class teachers.
I have attached a set of parent instructions for you to support the downloading and use of the app.
We look forward to using this wonderful reading resource for the remainder of Term 2 to support home reading at home.
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK 2020
National Sorry Day 2020 falls on Tuesday 26 May 2020. It is also known as the National Day of Healing and is an annual event that has been held in Australia on 26 May since 1998. We remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country's Indigenous peoples, as part of an ongoing process of reconciliation between the Indigenous peoples and the settler population.
It leads us into the Week of Prayer for National Reconciliation Week which is held each year between 27th May 2020 and 3rd June 2020.
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2020 is In This Together.
Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
For the Catholic Church in Australia, this week offers us a time to be fully the Church that Jesus wants us to be - a Church in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make their own unique contribution and that contribution is joyfully received by others.
AND SO WE PRAY...
Loving God, you call us to work together to be one people.
May we work together to bring hope and healing to all who live here in Australia.
Help us to show compassion and justice to all, especially our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters, whom we have treated so badly in the past.
May we walk forward in a spirit of healing and reconciliation so that all may live with dignity and respect.
We make our prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen
OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
The feast day for Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844. The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive.
Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness.
When Australia became the first country to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title, which is St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
In our Prayer for Our Lady Help of Christians, the Church prays that through Our Lady’s intercession God will “grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens”, so that “under her protection Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace”.
AND SO WE PRAY...
Almighty God, deepen in our hearts our love of Mary Help of Christians.
Through her prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land. May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens. Bless especially the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and their families.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.
I recommend ....
In response to COVID-19, a significant initiative has been developed for staff and parents to support their ongoing personal spiritual formation. It is a new podcast series entitled ‘Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness’.
Ripples seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation. On Tuesday of each week a new Episode and Meditation will be offered. Practices like these create a ripple effect. They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, colleagues, to others in our world, to creation and to our loving God.
The Ripples Podcast is now available on the Continuity of Faith and Learning website, on Podbean and Apple Podcast.
SAVE THE DATE
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Sunday 24 May |
Ascension of the Lord  |
The Ascension of Our Lord, which occurred 40 days after Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter, is the final act of our redemption that Christ began on Good Friday. On this day, the risen Christ, in the sight of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven. |
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Monday 25 May |
Our Lady Help of Christians |
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Sunday 31 May |
PENTECOST Sunday  "As the Father sent me, so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit."
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PENTECOST is a very important feast in the Catholic Church because it marks the descent of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, on the Apostles and Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. This happened fifty days after Easter. It is the beginning of church, as a community of worship and evangelisation.
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SCHOOL FEE STATEMENTS
School Fee Statements were issued on Wednesday 3 June 2020 by the Catholic Education Office. A number of statements produced had an incorrect BPay reference number.
The statements affected were reissued late yesterday with the correct codes, therefore, the first email and statement received should be disregarded.
Please note if you were to inadvertently use the wrong BPay Code, the banking system would not let you proceed with the payment.
The Catholic Education Office extends its apologies to both schools and families for this error.
OFFICE PROCEDURES - Term 2 Weeks 5 - 10
For the remainder of Term 2 please note the following:
- Parents are encouraged to contact the school Office
via phone or email. Only visit the Office if ESSENTIAL - If you need to pick your child up early please phone the school Office ahead of time and wait at the school gate in Vickery Street to collect your child
- To access the Uniform Shop please phone the Office prior to your visit
- Ensure you are taking notice of the social distancing requirements
- Wash and sanitise your hands prior to entering the Office and when leaving
- You will be signed-in via the contactless iPad by Office staff
We thank you for your support of the school in implementing these procedures for the safety and well being of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian Parents Council
Please find below a link to the online newsletter for the Australian Parents Council.
LAWN MOWING ROSTER - MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Can you help keep the school grounds looking great?
The P&F are asking for your help. All it takes is a regular mow and tidy up – a small job we share as a community. It’s very easy, simple and quick and if we get enough volunteers then you only need to commit to twice a year (if that….the more that sign up, the less frequently you are rostered on)
Please email John Harman with your details. A roster will be organised for the year and sent out to all volunteers.
If you would like to know more about what is required, don’t hesitate to contact John Harman on dabeers@bigpond.com or 0419 993 133
CANTEEN NEWS
The canteen will remain closed until further notice due to thebCOVID-19 pandemic.
WANT TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN THE LIFE OF THE SCHOOL?
Are you interested in volunteering for P&F events? Would you like to help out the wonderful St Brigid’s Community but don’t know where to start? We’d love to have you on board.
Drop the P&F a line and we’d be very happy to get you involved in events or as a coordinator. We can also team you up with an existing volunteer to help share the work and learn the ropes. Email us at pandf@sbgdow.catholic.edu.au
Happy Birthday to the following students.
We hope you have a great birthday!
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
| Ryder M | Zara H | Hugo S | Vincent H | Dalton Y |
| Bethany M | Leila M | Thomas S |
St Brigid’s Gwynneville
MASS TIMES - TEMPORARILY CANCELLED
| Saturday | 5:30pm Vigil - cancelled |
| Sunday | 9:00am - cancelled |
| Thursday | 9:30am - cancelled |
PARISH WEBSITE
WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF WOLLONGONG WEBSITE
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CatholicCare
NEW Group Work Dates for Term 2
CatholicCare are excited to announce that they will be providing interactive ZOOM sessions for the following group sessions in Term 2:
- 123 Magic and Emotion Coaching
- Bringing Up Great Teens
- No Scaredy Cats
- Mindfulness Sessions
If you have any questions or would like to book into one of our courses, please call 42549295 or email IntakeService@
* Eligibility criteria applies.
To view the courses please click the link below
Catholic Care Interactive Zoom Courses Term 2