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Dear Parents and Friends,
“The Eucharist is the sacrament of love: it signifies love, it produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.” St. Thomas Aquinas
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi Sunday. This feast day was originally proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas, as a way to honour the Eucharist, reminding all to recognise that it is the True Presence: the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.
The heart of our Catholic identity is that we are a Eucharistic people and that liturgy is the source and summit of all we do, the most important thing we do! We can draw life and power from sharing in the Eucharist. Eucharist means so much more than coming together to individually receive Christ in bread and wine. It commits us to one another and the everyday life we share at St Brigid’s. What we do at Eucharist is extremely connected to the living of our lives.
Think of the best family meal you can remember. Why is the family meal important for families? What takes place at the family meal?
When we celebrate the family meal, we share a bond with one another. We are committed to one another. In a sense we share a covenant of identity with other family members. At the Last Supper Jesus used the word covenant in the context of his last meal. He told his disciples: “Each year, you remember the covenant I made with my people when I delivered them out of bondage in Egypt. You remember that covenant with the Passover meal. What I am doing here is the new and ultimate covenant. This covenant will be memorialised by a new meal—bread as my body, wine as my blood.”
Jesus gave us a new covenant, and to continue that covenant he gave us a ritual meal to share until he returns. That covenant is fully expressed in the celebration of Eucharist.
And so we pray......
“….grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with the Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.” Amen.
CONGRATULATIONS EMERITUS BISHOP PETER INGHAM
Emeritus Bishop Peter Ingham was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the Catholic Church in yesterday's Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
As Marilyn Rodrigues writes in the Catholic Weekly:
He said he was “so surprised” to receive the honour and wanted to dedicate it to the people of the Diocese of Wollongong.
“I usually think of myself as a very ordinary horse in this human race, I didn’t see that I did anything spectacular but I’ve basically just tried to be there for people,” he said, adding that a lot of his work as a bishop was “loitering with intent”.
“The loitering is the hanging around after Masses and school functions, Confirmations and whatever. And the intent is the witness to the Gospel; getting to know people and mixing with them and treating them as equals so that when they did have something they wanted to talk to you about they didn’t have an inhibition about approaching you.
“Basically what I’ve tried to do is to put ‘fresh heart’ into people and to encourage them to persevere in their faith in Jesus Christ and the consequent goodness then that flows from that so as to make a positive social contribution to the common good of everybody.
“If we have positive values to live by we strengthen the moral fabric of our nation. Particularly among our Catholic people if they really try to live our faith they’re a great force for good in the community.
“There’s an old French proverb that says 'Gratitude is the memory of the heart’ and in a sense, I’m grateful for the goodness of so many people across the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, the Macarthur, in the parishes, schools, CatholicCare, our Bishop Brian Mascord and clergy, religious congregations and the wonderful volunteers and co-workers."
We have been advised that CEDoW leadership has made a decision that all gala days set for the near future are cancelled. The levels of staff and student absenteeism are at extreme levels so all non essential professional learning including non pathway sport is suspended until further notice. The aim is to ensure that teachers are available for classroom teaching in this time of excessive staff shortages.
Therefore, the soccer gala days set for Friday 29 July 2022 (including the backup on Friday 12 August 2022) have been cancelled. This will also apply to the soccer gala day in Tahmoor in August. There are 7 gala days in soccer all up, which all take out a large number of staff at each venue and also a significant number of secondary students who act as our referees.
The postponed Netball Gala Day is also cancelled.
This is unfortunate as the gala days, as you know, are so valued and enjoyed by our students in a time when exercise and activity are so important. It is, however, most important to consider the widespread nature of current illness and absenteeism and the predicted forecast that this pattern will continue over the next month or so. In addition, many schools are finding it increasingly difficult to continue to recruit staff for casual and temporary positions.
We will continue to invite a cohort of parents each week to the Friday assembly. The staff really appreciate your support as you continue to follow our existing COVID-Smart measures. We are in a very fortunate position that the staff are remaining healthy and can continue to deliver quality education and work towards achieving learning continuity for the students.
| WEEK | DAY/TIME | CLASS PARENTS |
| Week 9 | Friday 24 June 2:30pm | Year 6 and Kinder |
| Week 10 | Friday 1 July 2:30pm | Year 1 and Year 2 |
COVID SMART PROCEDURES FOR COMING ONTO SITE
Despite many restrictions being lifted, the St Brigid’s staff have elected to continue to wear face masks to keep healthy and to achieve learning continuity for the students by avoiding sickness and absenteeism. Therefore, I ask that you show your support for the staff by adhering to the 4 COVID-smart procedures below when you come onto the school site as a volunteer or visitor.
WONDER RECYCLING REWARDS
Please continue to fill in the reporting google form if your child has even the mildest of respiratory symptoms; is a close household contact, or has tested Positive for COVID-19.
The information contained in this form gives me very good data about prevailing illness in the school which I can communicate to parents to help us all work together to ensure the health and safety of our community.
This google form can be found on the St Brigid’s website, as a link in the Brigid Bulletin and by clicking the link in the COMPASS news-feed.
Students and staff who have undergone testing and have been directed to self-isolate can return to school when: they have received a negative test result, completed their 7 day isolation period AND are not displaying symptoms of illness.
Your support in ensuring the health and safety of the St Brigid’s Community during this global pandemic has been greatly appreciated.
Please complete it any day or time of the week, including weekends. The information will automatically come to Ms Uroda and Mrs Sammut.
2022 SAVE THE DATE
| 28 June | Athletics Carnival |
| 1 July | Term 2 concludes |
| 18 July | Term 3 commences |
| 23 September | Pupil free day - SDD |
| 10 October | Pupil free day - SDD |
| 9 December | Christmas Carols Concert and dinner |
| 15 December | Year 6 Graduation Mass / luncheon / prize giving / ringing of bell |
| 16 December | Final awards assembly of 2022 |
| 16 December | Year 6 Graduation Excursion |
| 19 December | Christmas fun day and special food day |
| 20 December | Pupil free day - SDD |
SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING PRESENTS YEAR 1
CLASS PROFILE: Year 1
- TEACHERS: Claire Shrimpton and Nichole Benoit
- SSOs: Yvonne Tasker and Lisa Paton
- STUDENTS: A bubbly, charismatic group of bright and enthusiastic learners who love to learn new skills and concepts and can tell you all you need to know about bees.
- Year 6 REPORTERS: Tayah, Isobel, Oliver and Luke
- Year 6 CAMERA/VIDEO CREW: Tayah, Isobel, Oliver and Luke
| Class | Term | Week |
| Year 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Kindergarten | 3 | 5 |
BUSY BEES LEARNING
BEE WAGGLE DANCE
GYMNASTICS FUN IN YEAR 1
Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed their Friday fun sessions at gynmastics. They have learnt a variety of skills from balancing, rolling, landing, jumping and much more. Check out these jolly gymnasts.
SEMESTER ONE ACADEMIC REPORTS
HUMPTY DUMPTY CRIME SOLVED - CASE CLOSED!
Kindergarten have been busy investigating the great unsolved crime of who broke Humpty Dumpty's egg. They have spent weeks gathering evidence and dusting it for fingerprints. They have also identified 7 Year 6 suspects who were seen by two worthy witnesses in the Kindergarten classroom at the time the crime was commited and narrowed these suspects down to two; a tall boy with blonde hair and a girl with brown hair and blue eyes.
The investigtion reached a crescendo on Wednesday when the 7 suspects agreed to go into a line up and the witnesses identified the 2 perpetrators: Sophie and Flynn. To everyone's surprise, there was an eighth suspect involved...a teacher who happened to be the Grand Egg Master. The two perpetrators revealed that the Grand Egg Master was none other than Mrs Roche. Mrs Roche was then interrogated and so revealed that she did indeed ask Flynn and Sophie to go into the Kindergarten classroom to take Humpty because she wanted his egg to bake a giant golden cake to share with everyone and poor Flynn and Sophie in their haste, accidentally dropped humpty and that was how his shell broke into pieces.
The Grand Egg Master apologised for her poor choices and asked for forgiveness from the Kindergarten students and promised to repair Humpty's shell and place him back on his wall where he rightly belongs. So ladies and gentlemen, the Great Humpty Dumpty Crime is now solved and the case is closed!
Please enjoy the video of the final stage of the investigation.
RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS AT ST BRIGID'S
This year we are focussing on Respectful Relationships and exactly what they look like in 'peer to peer' interactions. We launched our focus on this in Term 1 with the Bullying No Way! Day and all the fun activities associated with learning what bullying is and how to create and promote a Kindness Culture. This term we have started gathering data from our students about what they believe a safe and respectful school looks like, sounds like and feels like. We surveyed a cross section of students from Kindergarten to Year 6 to hear their voice on how safe and respected they currently feel at St Brigid's.
This valuable data will be analaysed by our PB4L team and brought to the whole staff for discussion. We will then form a student consultation group to design a 'peer to peer' repsect layer for our whole school expected behaviour matrix. The respectful behaviours that the students come up with will then be explicitly taught by teachers and there will be a weekly focus on one behaviour which will be announced at the Friday assembly by our Year 6 leaders. We will continue to work on our Kindness Cutlure at St Brigid's with a Bullying No Way! session in Term 3 with the focus being on respect during games. More to come about this later so stay tuned.
THURSDAY 23 JUNE 10:30 AM WHOLE SCHOOL LITURGY
Amoris Laetitia, the joy of love.
Each family does things differently – from the way they celebrate traditions and customs to the food they eat and the things they like to do together.
We pray that we all learn to value and appreciate that what makes our families so special is the love that we share and the way they are different. We pray that, in our own families, we might work together for the good of each member and build warm and loving relationships and in turn build the Kingdom of God.
FOR YOUR DIARY
LUMEN CHRISTI PARISH - RECONCILIATION AND HOLY COMMUNION 2022 - YEAR 3 2022
The Sacramental Programme for Reconciliation & First Holy Communion will begin with the Parent/Caregiver Meeting at 6:30pm on Wednesday 29th June, and Thursday 30th June 2022, at St John Vianney Co-Cathedral, Fairy Meadow. Parents/caregivers must attend either one of these meetings to enrol their children for the First Holy Communion Programme. Please bring your child’s completed enrolment form and a copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate.
You can download the enrolment form from our parish website. Go to: www.lumenchristi.org.au/sacramental2022 Enrolment forms will only be accepted at the Parent/Caregiver session held 6:30pm on 29th/30th June at St John Vianney Co-Cathedral. Strictly No late enrolments will be accepted.
The cost for administration and materials for the First Holy Communion Programme is $60.00. The sessions for each sacrament will be held in St John Vianney Co-Cathedral commencing at 6:30pm sharp.
If you require any further information or need to discuss any concerns please, contact Cathy on 4211 0506 email: cathy.zamroz@dow.org.au
Reconciliation (shortened programme)
Session 1 20/21 July SJV 6:30 pm
Session 2 27/28 July SJV 6:30 pm
Eucharist
Session 1 3/4 August SJV 6:30 pm
Session 2 10/11 August SJV 6:30 pm
Session 3 17/18 August SJV 6:30 pm
Session 4 24/25 AugustSJV 6:30 pm
First Reconciliation will be available after each First Holy Communion session.
First Holy Communion Dates are Saturday 27, August & 3, September 2022.
REFUGEE WEEK 2022 Theme – Healing
19 June - 26 June
Australia and the rest of the world have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hit the reset button on how we behave towards one another. The pandemic has underscored the importance of human connections and such lessons can help us in so many ways. Mainstream and refugee communities alike can draw upon shared hardship to heal wounds, to learn from each other and to move forward. Healing can occur through storytelling, through community and also through realisation of our intrinsic interconnectedness as individuals.
Refugee Week has some important functions:
- It raises awareness of the issues affecting refugees.
- It promotes harmony and togetherness.
God of grace,
Watch over all refugees
Embrace them in the pain
Of their partings.
Into their fear and loss, send love.
Open our eyes that we might
see You in them.
Open our hearts that they might
See You in us.
Open our arms so that we might
Welcome refugees to new homes.
As You stretched out Your arms
And invited everyone home.
Amen
PEACE DAY FRIDAY 1 JULY
St Brigid’s Student Representative Council is organising a PEACE day in recognition of the hardships experienced by the people of Ukraine at this time.
Students have been asked to wear blue and yellow to show their solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who at this time, are caught up in war. A gold coin donation will be collected and lined up in classes. The winning class with the highest value in coins will receive an extended play time on this day. The day will conclude with a Prayer of Peace.
The money collected will be passed onto our local St Vincent de Paul conference where it will be used to assist the marginalised of our local community.
REFLECTIONS
ST BRIGID'S AWARDS
Congratulations to the following students on receiving their awards in Term 2 Weeks 6, 7 and 8.
Term 2 - Week 6
| CLASS | LEARNING PATHWAYS | LEADER OF THE WEEK |
| Kindergarten | Archie M | Ben F |
| Year 1 | Jaxson M | Hudson I |
| Year 2 | Maya I | Hannah J |
| Year 3 | Christian J | Charlie E-B |
| Year 4 | Bethany M | Sarah M |
| Year 5 | Chris M | Hugo S |
| Year 6 | Noah S | Andy P |
| CLASS | BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS | LEADER OF THE WEEK |
| Kindergarten | Sophia N | Teni A |
| Year 1 | Boone L | Maggie M |
| Year 2 | Mia M | Abbie B |
| Year 3 | Ryder M | Kip M |
| Year 4 | Briella I | Neave M |
| Year 5 | Reed B | Shennah |
| Year 6 | Raen G | Xavier C |
| CLASS | MAKING CONNECTIONS | LEADER OF THE WEEK |
| Kindergarten | Myra C | Ishaan C |
| Year 1 | Evanna T | Marta O |
| Year 2 | Jammy C | Jacob M |
| Year 3 | Aurthur R | Arielle N |
| Year 4 | Ilena P | Rhiley A |
| Year 5 | Sofia S | Lachlan E |
| Year 6 | William C | Grace D |
Congratulations to the following students who have received an Assistant Principal's Award. Well done!
TERM 2 WEEK 6
| CLASS | STUDENT |
| Year 3 | Charlie E-B |
TERM 2 WEEK 8
| CLASS | STUDENT |
| Year 1 | Maggie M |
| Year 3 | Kip M |
| Year 4 | Briella I |
| Year 5 | Shennah L |
Happy Birthday to the following students.
We hope you have a great birthday!
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
| Aurora M | Josiah M |
Aaliyah O Darren Y Millie A |
On Friday 27th May, Cameron B, Grace D and Cash S attended the Mackillop Football Trials. Our students had a tremendous try-out with Cash S heading to the Mackillop team to represent our Diocese. Well Done!
The students will walk to Beaton Park and back with St Brigid’s staff.
BOOK CLUB
Book Club provides families with an affordable and convenient way to bring the best in children’s literature into their homes. Each issue contains curated, age-appropriate titles that have been carefully selected and levelled by a dedicated team of professional booklovers.
Scholastic operates on a unique model, proudly partnering with Australian schools and educators for over 50 years. As well as bridging the important class-to-home reading gap, Book Club also benefits Australian schools—for every Book Club order placed, Scholastic gives back 20% of the order spend to schools to purchase valuable educational resources via its Scholastic Rewards program.
Scholastic Book Club Issue 4 orders due via LOOP by Friday 17 June 2022.
NSW PREMIER'S READING CHALLENGE
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge has begun.
This year, students in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 will complete the Reading Challenge with their class.
Students in Years 3 to 6 will complete the Reading Challenge independently. To do this they will require their login and password information. Please contact the school office for login and password support.
To see the rules of the Reading Challenge and the book lists, please visit NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2022 : Home
Mrs Richardson
A huge thank you to Caterina H (Coordinator) and Lil M, Amy Y, Liz B, Courtney A, Renee D and April J for organising and serving students the delicious lasagne and garlic bread lunch. What a lovely treat on a cold winters day!
|
Date |
1st Mower |
2nd Mower |
|
25/6/2022 |
Antony Petre |
Darrell Mitchell |
|
23/7/2022 |
Fabrizio Curcio |
Kevin Dent |
|
20/8/2022 |
Mark Eckermann |
Thomas Mortlock |
|
10/9/2022 |
Gary Humphrey |
Simon Young |
|
24/9/2022 |
David Hides |
Jeremy Crook |
|
8/10/2022 |
Brett Shrimpton |
Daniel St Archangel |
|
22/10/2022 |
Anthony Petre |
Paul Brogan |
St Brigid's Gwynneville
ST BRIGID'S CHURCH MASS TIMES
| Saturday | 5:30 Vigil |
| Sunday | 9:00am |
| Thursday | 9:30am |
PARISH BULLETIN
PARISH WEBSITE
