Whitefriars School. Newsletter. 28th March, 2018 Term 1, Week 9. For your diary..

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1 45 Beaufort Street, Woodville Park, 5011 Phone Fax address: info@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au Our website: Principal: Frank Congedi Deputy Principal: Susan Hennessy APRIM: Angela Scodella OSHC & Vacation Care Phone: or Croydon Park Parish Office Phone: For your diary.. Friday 30 March - Good Friday Sunday 1 April - Easter Sunday Monday 2 April - Easter Monday Wednesday 4 April - Assembly hosted by Year 2/3 Unit, 9am Wednesday, 11 April - NAPLAN Online Parent Session, 11.00am - Reception Showcase, 2.15pm in Hall Thursday, 12 April - Year 1 Showcase, 2.15pm in Hall - NAPLAN Online Parent Session, 2.30pm (repeat of session on 11 April) Friday 13 April - Last day of Term 1, students dismissed at 12.30pm Term 2 Monday 30 April Pupil Free Day Tuesday 1 May - First day of Term 2, 8.45am Wednesday 9 May - Assembly hosted by Year 1 Unit, 9am Whitefriars School Newsletter 28th March, 2018 Term 1, Week 9 Do not let little things disturb your trust. (St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, 1884) Dear Parents and Community Members, Last week we celebrated St Joseph s Day with a whole school Mass. This is an important day for our school as, on the 19th March, years ago, Saint Mary of The Cross MacKillop wore a black dress for the first time and began a religious order called the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. She chose to have three J s on the dress which stand for Jesus, Joseph and John the Baptist. As a school we often talk about being a Catholic School in the Josephite Tradition. What does this mean? How does this affect you and your child? The word Tradition is often misunderstood as something from the past. At Whitefriars, the Josephite Tradition is the lived expression of the values that inspired St Mary MacKillop and the sisters in our world today. Where do these values come from? The values come from Mary MacKillop s interpretation of the stories of Jesus in the Gospel. She applied them in her life, words and actions. Her determination to do so, often at her own detriment, is one of the most amazing Australian stories, a story born in South Australia and told many times over. It will continue to be a story that will influence generations to come. Whitefriars Catholic School community is fortunate to be part of this story and, therefore we are part of Mary MacKillop s legacy and the Josephite Tradition is alive in us. So what is the Josephite Tradition? Being part of a Josephite Tradition means to be a welcoming, inclusive, compassionate community. Mary MacKillop believed that the compassionate love of God was available to all she met. She had a compassionate heart, no one was excluded. Today in our school community we do the same. We include and welcome all cultures and all religious and socio-economic backgrounds. We support children with special needs. We promote compassion and empathy amongst our children by with our Community Awards. These awards recognise children who do extraordinary acts in any ordinary day. Children who show compassion towards others, help a child with a disability, welcome a new student or spend time helping another person. Being part of a Josephite Tradition means that as a community everyone is treated with dignity. Mary Mackillop believed that God, in Jesus, called her and the Sisters to show reverence for the dignity of all people. Her reverence for all people meant she was incapable of giving up on anyone.

2 Today as a school community, we support families by reducing fees and helping with uniforms, for children whose families may be experiencing financial difficulties. Being part of a Josephite Tradition means that as a community we support people who are poor and marginalized. For Mary MacKillop those who were the most needy in our world came first. Mary MacKillop and the Sisters established bush schools and later as needs arose, orphanages, refuges and other services for those most vulnerable in society in their time. Mary MacKillop was an extraordinary woman of action and her response was a practical one. Today, in our school community, we teach children to care for the people who are poor and to become people who have an understanding of their responsibility for the common good in our society. We demonstrate to them that we can use our gifts and talents to raise money for people who are less fortunate. We do this through Project Compassion, St Vincent De Paul, Just Is Crew and Mission Day to name a few. Being part of a Josephite Tradition is about serving others. Mary MacKillop interpreted the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples as an act of service. Consequently, Mary MacKillop and the Sisters were the first order of Sisters who did not live behind the walls of a convent. Instead they lived in groups of three or four in small houses in their communities, establishing schools and moving to wherever support was needed. Everything that Mary MacKillop did was to benefit others. Today as a Principal and with our staff we serve the Whitefriars Catholic School Community. We use our skills and knowledge, together with a caring heart, to provide the greatest care possible for all of our children, parents and for each another. The child is at the centre of everything we do and all the decisions that are made. Being part of a Josephite Tradition is about having strength, courage and perseverance. Although Mary MacKillop was a woman full of faith and remarkably determined to maintain her core values regardless of the circumstances, it still meant that some people were not pleased with her actions. In fact, at one stage, she was excommunicated from the Church. In the midst of many moments of conflict she never deviated from her core values and never spoke ill of others, even if they were a great cause of grief. Today in our school community we teach children Gospel values of love, justice, respect, compassion and dignity as these will be the values that will be their compass throughout their lives. If these values are embedded in the character of your child, they will act like the strong roots of a tree. It does not matter what winds or storms will come in their lives, these strong roots will keep them steady and in place. These roots will help them in their conviction of what it means to be a good person and their strength, courage and perseverance will be a light in our world, characteristics which Mary MacKillop passed onto her Sisters and to those around her. Today we pass them on to our children and within our community and, in turn, these will be passed onto future generations. I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Easter. Frank Congedi Parents & Friends Whitefriars Parents & Friends BAKER S DELIGHT HOT CROSS BUNS The Hot Cross Buns were distributed to the families who placed orders via the office boxes today.enjoy!! Our thanks to Christine Dunbar for arranging this great opportunity for our families! EASTER RAFFLE Our thanks to the families who contributed to the prizes for the raffle and to the wonderful ladies who sorted and wrapped the prizes and delivered them to classrooms (missing from the picture is Jo Benedetti!). Tickets can be purchased in the mornings from class teachers (20c each, maximum of 5 per student) and the raffles will be drawn on Thursday at the end of the day. Proceeds from the raffle will aid Project Compassion.

3 Religious Dimension Holy Week This week marks the beginning of Holy Week; the most important time in the Catholic Church. It begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday. During this time we look at the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem where he was hailed King, through to his death and resurrection. We remember these important events because Jesus showed his great love for humankind by what he did. We celebrate this story because by His love, Jesus showed us how to love God and each other and he also showed us that we can be with God too. Tomorrow afternoon the Stations of the Cross will begin at 2.20pm in the Hall. We will be joining together for prayer in the Hall to remember this significant event. Christ Jesus, Your love is made visible through the mystery of Your death and resurrection. Make us one in You. Transform us into people of mercy who reach out to embrace You in the suffering ones in our midst. We ask this, as a people reconciled to God through the blood of Your cross. Amen. Parish Holy Week Programme Holy Thursday -Morning prayer at St Margaret Mary s at 9am -Mass of the Lord s Supper at St Margaret Mary s at 7.30pm -Adoration until Night Prayer at 10pm Good Friday -Morning prayer at St Margaret Mary s at 9am -Stations of the Cross at Mater Dei at 10am Liturgy of the Passion at 3:00pm St Margaret Mary s in English Mater Dei in Vietnamese Holy Saturday -Morning Prayer at St Margaret Mary s at 9am -Blessing of Easter Food in Polish at 11am -Easter Vigil Mass at St Margaret Mary s at 7pm including adult baptisms, confirmations and first Holy Communion. (Note NO Vigil Mass at Mater Dei) Easter Sunday -St Patrick s 8.30am -St Margaret Mary s 10.30am -Mater Dei 5pm in Vietnamese Project Compassion When Psyche Mae featured in Project Compassion during 2008, she was living in a squatter settlement, on the edge of a giant rubbish dump outside Manila in the Philippines. She is now a young social worker, with plans to study a Master s degree, whilst helping others emerge from poverty, thanks to the support of individuals and Caritas Australia. Please donate to Project Compassion 2018 and help improve the health and wellbeing of communities in the Philippines so they can work towards eradicating poverty, providing a just future for all. Caritas Project Compassion Boxes Project Compassion boxes can now be returned to the Front Office. Thank you all kindly for your generosity to this appeal. Father Maurice s Retirement Father Maurice will be retiring after offering his final Mass as Parish Priest on April 15th at St. Margaret Mary s Church at 10.30am. Father s wish is that he celebrate with each community in the parish following his final Mass in each Church. The celebrations after Mass will be light refreshments (it is not a meal). The dates for each Church are: Sunday April 8th Saturday April 14th Sunday April 15th - St Patrick s Church after 8.30am Mass in Mary Mercer Hall - Mater Dei Church Vietnamese Martyrs Community after 5pm Mass in St. Joseph s Centre - Mater Dei Church after the 6pm Mass in St. Joseph s Centre -St Margaret Mary s Church after 10.30am Mass in the Parish Hall. You are asked to bring a plate of finger food to share with others. Angela Scodella, APRIM

4 Our overarching theme for this term is Identity. For Visual Arts we have been working on Identity Silhouettes. We began by tracing our silhouettes and cutting them out. We then found pictures or words that we think best fit with our identity. This artwork has taken quite a long time to create but we are all pleased with the result! ONLINE Naplan Parent Hot Topic Session On Wednesday 11th April a 11am, Angela Scodella will be holding a parent information session about the new Online Naplan testing. This will be held in the Library and it would be beneficial for all parents who have students in Years 3, 5 and/or 7 to attend. This session will also be repeated on Thursday 12th April at 2:30pm. These sessions will provide parents with some valuable information about the testing process and it will also be an opportunity for questions to be answered Premier s Reading Challenge A child's reading skill is important to their success in school as it will allow them to access the breadth of the curriculum and improve their communication and language skills. In addition, reading can be a fun and imaginative time for children, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them. This year Whitefriars is once again taking part in the Premier s Reading Challenge; a challenge that motivates and encourages a love of reading and a challenge that we have achieved a lot of success with in the past. This challenge is compulsory for ALL students, so please continue to encourage your child/children to read every night. HUGE CONGRASTULATIONS to all the students in Year 1NR for already completing this challenge. What an amazing effort by the whole class!!! Angela Scodella, Literacy Coordinator

5 KidsMatter Families Matter website offers support to help you be more aware of children s mental health including ideas families can do to: o encourage children to make healthy decisions o provide more information and practical suggestions for families on helping children understand their emotions and developing children s friendships o suggest where you can get further help, if required KidsMatter Facebook page is dedicated to Families. Regular updates on how you can help your family improve its mental health and wellbeing can be found on KidsMatter enewsletters are published monthly to assist parent/caregivers. These newsletters are full of expert information, tips and strategies to support the mental health and wellbeing of children. To subscribe to this free resource please click on the following link: Flavia Luppino, KidsMatter The following students celebrate their birthdays from the 28th March to the 5th April: Adhar Attar, Tatiana Bordignon, Abhijit Dhonsey, Chloe Lilburne, Callum McCaffrey, Jenny Nguyen, Kate Sanders and Brandan Speranza. GARDEN MULCH During the April School Holidays the so t fall in the Playground is being replaced. To reduce our costs we invite school families to take some of the existing bark chips to use as garden mulch. On Saturday 14th April and Sunday 15th April between 8.00am and 3.00pm the school gates will be open for trailer access. Bring your shovels and help yourself to some free mulch for your garden.

6 There will be a Pupil Free Day on Monday, 30th April (First day of Term 2). The Staff will be involved in professional learning. The YMCA OSHC service will be available on this day. If you require the use of this service on the day, please phone to book. SCHOOL FOOTBALL 2018 BOYS & GIRLS Preparations are underway for this year s football season: We hope to register teams Year 2/3 (No Contact) Year 4/5 and Year 6/7 grades. 12 games in the season on Saturday mornings. First game will be Saturday, 5th May. Training is on Wednesdays after school. Registration Day will be held on Tuesday, 3rd April, am in the Courtyard. School football is fun, affordable and casual! Paul Economou, Football Coordinator The importance of silence, stillness and calmness in children s lives. The following are some more simple tips from Maggie Dent for calming children and reducing stress: Hug and reassure often. Practise more kindness and compassion. Improve sleep patterns and opportunities to rest. Take them outside. AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS RESULTS Sport Division/Team 1 Score Team 2 Score Basketball U11 Whitefriars Fireballs 37 Nazareth 4 Netball U8 Whitefriars Wildcats U12 Whitefriars Sapphires 5 13 Dominican White OLQP 0 11 CANTEEN ROSTER - TERM 1, WEEK 9 (If you are able to help please contact Erica or Iris in the Canteen) Mon 2 April Tues 3 April Wed 4 April Thurs 5 April Fri 6 April EASTER MONDAY VOLUNTEERS PLEASE Tina Bodjo & Volunteer Please! VOLUNTEERS PLEASE Denise Harrison & Volunteer Please!