NAZARETH SCHOOL PRAYER

Lord, teach me to be generous,

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

To give and not to count the cost,

To fight and not to heed the wounds,

To toil and not to seek for rest,

To labor and not to ask for reward,

Save that of knowing that I do your will.

Amen

Penelope Constable will soon be leaving us to commence her maternity leave and prepare for the arrival of her baby. After an extensive recruitment process, I am pleased to announce the employment of Mrs Melanie Pilon as the new teacher of 2L.

Melanie is a mother of three and a passionate educator, who has experience working at Nazareth. She is currently working at another Diocesan school and won't be able to commence her time with us until the start of Term 3. In the interim period (Weeks 9 and 10 of Term 2), Mrs Stephanie Rowles and Mrs Gemma Georgopoulos (both regular casual teachers at Nazareth) will teach 2L, with Stephanie teaching Monday to Thursday and Gemma teaching on Friday. I am sure that you will join me in wishing Penelope all the very best for the next chapter of her life, and making Mel feel very welcome when she joins our school community. 

As we move into the cold and flu season, I take this opportunity to remind all to continue hygiene practices to keep ourselves and others safe. Encouraging social distancing whenever possible, covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze, and regular, thorough handwashing and sanitising are some of the ways that we can stay healthy. Please keep your child at home if they have symptoms indicating that they may be contagious.

National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) 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. This year’s theme for Reconciliation Week: “Be A Voice for Generations” is a challenge to us all to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation and work together towards a just and equitable future for all Australians. 

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part, we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

The theme for World Environment Day 2023 is Beat Plastic Pollution with the focus of addressing the significantly destructive impact of plastics on our natural environment and on human society and health. The statistics and case-studies provided about plastics by the United Nations are indeed alarming! The following examples reflect why we all should be concerned:

* Over 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced annually with half being “single-use”.* Less than 10% is recycled, with an estimated 19-23 million tonnes ending in waterways, “approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together.

* Each person in the world takes in more than 50,000 microplastic particles per year – each up to 5mm in diameter - from our food, the air we breathe and the water we drink. As the United Nations indicates, “Environmental health is inextricably linked to human health.”

* The amount of plastic entering the seas in the world will triple by 2040, “equivalent to 50 kilograms of plastics per metre of coastline worldwide.”There will be a World Environment Day liturgy at Nazareth on Monday 5th June at 8:30am.