MINI VINNIES

Each week the school Mini Vinnies team meets on Wednesday during recess with Mrs Day and Mrs Marsh. Currently our Mini Vinnies team consists of seven members, Ruby J, Tiara C, Pippa T, Stirling R, Lily P, Zali P and Serenity D. At each meeting we read the pledge and pray the prayer before discussing what initiatives we will work towards in the coming weeks.

This week we spoke to Anna the President of Shellharbour Branch of St Vincent de Paul via phone. She thanked the school for raising money for the St Vincent de Paul.

On behalf of the Mini Vinnies Team,

We would like to thank all who participated by wearing their pyjamas and donating. We managed to raise $520.60 to give to the St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal. Unfortunately, due to recent circumstances, St Vincent De Paul are unable to give out toys or gifts but they are planning to use the money to give gift cards to needy children and families. They are also planning to make the usual hampers more luxurious because the winter luncheon couldn’t go ahead. Overall it was a fantastic day, we would like to give a special thanks to Mrs Day and Mrs Marsh for assisting in making it all happen.

Ruby and Pippa

FRIDAY WEEKLY ASSEMBLY

Virtual Assembly via Zoom will continue each Friday in Term 3, at 9:00am. A Meeting ID will be posted on Compass each Thursday afternoon. At these assemblies there will be a short prayer followed by the presentation of weekly awards.

PARENT SPIRITUAL FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES

Ripples is a PODCAST developed for staff and parents' on-going spiritual formation. It 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. Practices like these create a ripple effect. They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, colleagues, to creation and to our loving God. Come and enjoy some Inspired Voices and Treasured Stillness. To access please use this link: https://ripples.dow.catholic.edu.au/

SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY

The celebration of Social Justice Sunday is a long tradition in the Catholic Church in Australia. 

From this year forward it will be celebrated on the last Sunday in August.

For almost every year since 1940 our Bishops have joined together to issue a major social justice statement that invites us all to engage in reflection and action throughout the whole year. This is why the forthcoming statement is identified as the statement for 2020-2021.

Social Justice Sunday Statement - Sunday 30 August: To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the mental health of many members of our parishes, schools, and communities. In fact, most of us will experience a mental health problem at some point over the course of our lives. Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who need our support. Our parishes, organisations and communities can be places of acceptance care and healing, not places of rejection, judgment, or stigma. The Bishops invite us all to reject stigmatisation, to work for the transformation of social determinants of mental ill- health, and to call for policies and service provision that meets the needs of the poorest and most marginalised members of our community.

The statement is aimed at inspiring reflection and action for the following 12 months, is now available as a free download at the Social Justice Website -www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au 

You will also find a downloadable prayer card as well as liturgical resources. 

Launching the Social Justice Statement, Bishop Terry Brady said that “our society tends to push away or draw away from those who confront us with our frailties and limitations” but “this is not the way of Jesus”. He encourages us to follow Jesus by “drawing near to those who are experiencing mental ill health” and acknowledging that “they are members of the Body of Christ - ‘they’ are part of ‘us’!”

Let us reach out to them with care, faith and hope.