Newsletter Term 3 Week 8 (Wednesday 6 September 2023)

Our Front Page with Year 4...

On Tuesday, the Stage 2 students represented our school by singing two of their favourite songs for the parishioners at the Our Lady of Sorrows ‘Songs of Praise’ event in the Church. This event welcomed many significant people, including leaders from other churches within Kyogle. It was clear that not only did the students have a heap of fun but that they boosted the spirits of the parishioners and filled their audience with joy.  Well done Stage 2!  You should be so proud!

Our Gospel Reflection

Sunday's Gospel was from the book of Matthew 16:21-27 and continues the story that began in last week’s Gospel. Simon Peter was called the “rock” upon which Jesus would build his Church, and yet Peter continues to show the limitations of his understanding of Jesus’ identity. Now that the disciples have acknowledged that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus confides in them the outcome of his ministry: he must suffer and die in Jerusalem to be raised on the third day. Peter rejects this prediction, and Jesus rebukes him severely, calling him “Satan.” In opposing this aspect of Jesus’ mission, Peter shows that he is no longer speaking based on the revelation from God but as a human being. Jesus then teaches all of the disciples about the difficult path of discipleship: to be Christ’s disciple is to follow in his way of the cross.

Peter could not yet understand what it meant to call Jesus the Messiah. It is unlikely that the other disciples understood any better. Messianic expectations were a common aspect of first-century Judaism. Under Roman occupation, many in Israel hoped and prayed that God would send a Messiah to free the Jews from Roman oppression. The common view was that the Messiah would be a political figure, a king that would free Israel from Roman rule. This is perhaps what Peter envisioned when he was led to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. In this passage, however, Jesus is beginning to teach his disciples that he would be the Messiah in a different way.

Jesus would be more like the suffering servant described by the prophet Isaiah than the political liberator. Those who would be Jesus' disciples would be called to a similar life of service. Perhaps this is what Peter feared most in Jesus’ prediction of his Passion. He whom Jesus had called “rock” would also be called upon to offer himself in sacrifice and service to others. Christian leaders today are still called to sacrifice and serve others as Jesus did.

From Our Acting Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to thank the school community for the care and concern shown to Mr Hunter's during his recent surgery. I am so happy to update that Tony underwent heart surgery on Monday morning and everything went well. We send all our love and prayers to Tony, Helen and their family now as he begins his recovery. I know Tony will grow in strength each day  and we are so thankful to the wonderful doctors, nurses and hospital staff that are taking such amazing care of him.

Songs of Praise - Year 3 & 4 students participated in Songs of Praise yesterday at Our Lady of Sorrows church. I would like to congratulate the students on their performance and thank Mrs Jansen and Mrs Schneider for the preparation. The parishioners loved the two songs that were sung.

Poetry & Public Speaking - Tomorrow we will hold our school finals for the Poetry and Public Speaking competition at 1.40pm. Parents and carers are most welcome to attend these school finals which will be held in the parish hall. From these finals, two students from each category will be chosen across each stage to compete in the zone finals at St. Carthage’s next Friday 15th September. Good luck to all our finalists!

Drop Off & Pick Up Area - Groom street is our school designated drop off and pick up zone. Please ensure that you remain in your car and move forward to allow as many cars as possible to fit in behind when picking up or dropping children off. Between the hours of 8.30-9.30am and 3-4pm (Monday - Friday) are the designated times for drop off with NO parking. Thank you for your support with this drop off area which keeps our students safe.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches - At St Brigid's we ask students to place their mobile phones into the office each morning. We are now aware that smart watches are being used at school in a similar way to a mobile phone. If these watches are cellular which means they have the same capabilities as a mobile phone, we ask that these devices also be locked away in the school office with Mrs Campbell in the morning and collected in the afternoon. Communication devices refer to both mobile phones and smart watches. The school discourages students from bringing mobile phones and smart watches to school. These communication devices cause disruption in classrooms and the playground and can be used inappropriately to access social media and take photos or video without permission. This can cause distress and breach the privacy of others.

Parents are able to contact their children by calling the school phone number 02 66321988 and if necessary, students can request to contact parents from the office phone.

Stars of the Week - The Stars of the Week is presented to the class with the best average attendance for the week. Last week the winning class was Year 6 with a weekly attendance average of 90.9%. We are still aiming to have our whole school average above 90% for the week. Keep up the great work everyone and thanks so much to families for the way in which you are encouraging your children to attend school. It is essential that every student is at school every day as attendance matters to support your child's learning.

Enjoy the week ahead!

Vanessa Walters

Assistant Principal News - Mission

Father’s Day Celebrations

Thank you to all the dads, grandfathers, step dads and uncles for attending the Father’s Day breakfast on Friday. It was wonderful for the students to celebrate and show their thanks for the special men in their lives. We hopeall Father’s had a wonderful day on Sunday. 

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates Mary’s Birthday. It is celebrated each year on the 8th September. The birthday of Our Lady is an important feast day as we celebrate the joy she was to bring to the world by giving birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Students will celebrate Mary’s Birthday this Friday through prayer. 

Emma Davis                                                                                                                                                                                              Acting Assistant Principal, Mission

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 45

Next

Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L)

Focus for Week 8:  I know who I can talk to if I need help

Week 7 Awards: 

Parent Forum

Dear Parents and Friends and Hello Spring,

Our last Forum meeting held on Tuesday, 29 August was great, really excited by the team's efforts and the decisions made that will greatly enhance our school community. Our donation to the Library to purchase new books has been acted on and our generous donation from McKid Medical has been matched dollar for dollar by the Forum to be invested in a Student Health and Wellbeing Initiative.

Saturday night at the Pub was poorly attended but that didn't alter the spirits of getting to know each other. I enjoyed a Nutty Irishman cocktail (minus the nuts haha) and a few of my other favourite beverages, least to say a night out in Kyogle was an experience. I enjoyed having a chat with some super open-minded parents and even met some other lovely local people with one special lady having a very special connection to St Brigid's. This put it all into perspective and I loved being there to witness this exchange at the Exchange hotel. Great night, might see you next time.

Live, Laugh, Love

Claire

Before & After School Care Kyogle

We are so grateful to have Rainbow Region Kids conducting Before & After School care at Kyogle Public School. Their hours of operation are 7am-9am and 3pm-6pm. Educators/Teachers will walk children between care and School. If you wish to enquire about this fantastic service please contact them on 66217397 or email rrkassist@nrcg.org.au  

Parent Assembly News

Family Faith Retreat

The Catholic Schools Office Parent Assembly Team will be facilitating a retreat for parents and families on Saturday and Sunday 9th & 10th September. The retreat is held at Tyalgum Ridge Retreat Centre and is open to all families with children in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lismore. The retreat is fully funded by the Catholic Schools Office and is a terrific opportunity for families to connect with each other and to enliven their faith lives. Please see the flyer below with details for registering.

Online Webinar

The Diocese of Lismore Parent Assembly is advertising the upcoming webinar hosted by the NSW Council of Catholic Schools Parents in collaboration with eSafety as noted on flyer below. The Online relationships and consent: Sending nudes and sexting will be held on 15 August 2023. This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in secondary school.

It will cover:

• the impact of sharing nude images without consent.
• practical suggestions for starting the chat about respectful relationships, consent and pressure to send nudes.
• where to get support for a young person who has experienced abuse.
• the impact of sharing nude images without consent.
  

Happy Birthday to You

Wishing the following children all the very best for their special day this week and over the school holidays:   

September

7th - Millea Rixon

8th - Kendrick Cameron-Keed

10th - Liam Bowden

Upcoming Dates

September

7th - School Poetry & Public Speaking Finals 1.40pm

8th - Year 3 Showcase

15th - Zone Poetry & Public Speaking Finals, St Carthages; Year 4 Showcase

21st - Last day of term for students

22nd - Staff Development Day / Pupil Free Day