Newsletter Term 4 Week 2 (Wednesday 18 October 2023)
Our Front Page with Year 6 Excursion
Year 6 began their Sydney/Canberra adventures with a very early wake up on Monday morning. A 6.50am flight out of Ballina was met with much excitement and maybe a little hesitation for a few first time flyers (Miss Macdonald we are very proud of you!). The students learnings thus far have included Mary MacKillop Place, Sydney Harbour Bridge construction, Opera House, Embassy tour, Questacon, National Electoral Education Centre, Royal Australian Mint, and the Australian Institute of Sport (Where there appeared to be a special appearance by the elite athlete Ah-U-Sane Llewellyn) .
We hope you all stay safe during the remainder of your excursion and can't wait to hear all about your adventures when you return to School on Tuesday.
Our Gospel Reflection
Sunday's Gospel - Matthew 22:1-14
In the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus offers an image of the kingdom of heaven using the symbol of a wedding banquet. In today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah and in today’s psalm, the Lord’s goodness is evident in the symbol of a feast of good food and wine. Jesus’ listeners would have been familiar with the image of a wedding feast as a symbol for God’s salvation. They would consider themselves to be the invited guests. Keeping this in mind helps us to understand the critique Jesus makes with this parable. The context for this parable is the growing tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. This has been the case for the past two Sundays and will continue to be true for the next several weeks.
The parable Jesus tells is straightforward. The king dispatches his servants to invite the guests to the wedding feast that he is planning for his son. The listeners would have been surprised to learn that the first guests refused the invitation. Who would refuse the king’s invitation? A second dispatch of servants follows. Again to the listeners’ great surprise, some guests ignore the invitation. Some of the invited guests even go so far as to mistreat and kill the servants. The king invokes his retribution against these murderers by destroying them and burning their city.
We might stop here for a moment. Why would some guests kill the servants sent to invite them to the king’s wedding feast? It might be possible that the king was a tyrant, evidenced by the destruction of the city of those who refused his invitation. But if we follow this idea, then the allegory seems to be about something other than the kingdom of heaven. It is more likely that the destruction of the city would have been a powerful image corresponding to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70, which would have been an important event for Matthew’s audience.
With the invited guests now deemed unworthy to attend the king’s wedding feast, the servants are sent to invite whomever they can find. The guests arrive, but it appears that accepting the king’s invitation brings certain obligations. The guest who failed to dress in the appropriate wedding attire is cast out of the feast. We are reminded that while many are invited to the kingdom of heaven, not all are able to meet its requirements. God invites us to his feast, giving us his salvation. Yet he asks us to repent for our sins.
Jesus’ message in the parable cautions against exclusive beliefs about the kingdom of heaven. The parable also teaches about humility. Those who assume that they are the invited guests may find that they have refused the invitation, and so others are invited in their place. To accept the invitation is also to accept its obligations. God wants our full conversion in complete acceptance of his mercy
From Our Acting Principal
It has been a worrying week in our community with the fires around Horseshoe Creek and surrounding areas. Our thoughts and prayers have been with everyone who has had to evacuate or has had the threat to evacuate. Please reach out if we can be of assistance to you or your children in any way. Our school counsellor, Bronwyn McNulty is on hand to speak with students who may need support. The information at the bottom of this newsletter also gives some helpful tips about how to speak with children about the threat of bushfires.
Pupil Free Day
Next Monday 23rd October will be a pupil free day at St Brigid’s. Teachers will be engaging in learning around the new English and Mathematics curriculum for Years 3-6 which will be implemented next year. This learning is essential so that teachers have an understanding of the research that sits behind the curriculum, the structure of the new document and how to also navigate the new online portal.
Family Mass
I would like to extend an invitation to all families to our Family School Mass on Sunday at 9am. We have moved from Masses that individual stages organise to a whole school Mass during Term 4. Morning tea will be served in the parish meeting room next to the church at the conclusion of Mass. Everyone is welcome!
Intensive Swimming
Next week on Tuesday 24th October begins our two week block of swimming for our infants students. Please ensure that you have given permission on Compass for your child to complete these lessons and that you provide the necessary equipment.
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 5 with a weekly attendance average of 88.8%. Keep up the great work everyone and lets see if we can get our whole school average up over 90% again. Thanks so much to families for the way in which you are encouraging your children to attend school. I think Year 6 may have the best chance this week!
We also warmly welcome Sarah McManus to our school in the AP Learning & Teaching role for the remainder of the term. Sarah comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and we are so appreciative of her taking this position.
Enjoy the remainder of the week!
Vanessa Walters Acting Principal
Assistant Principal News - Teaching & Learning
Thank you for the warm welcome I have received this week as I begin my role as Acting Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning.
A little bit about me; I live in Lennox Head with my husband and our five year old staffy (our fur baby!). I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, reading and teaching.
I am very lucky to be a part of this school community and excited to work with students, staff and parents to create a learning environment where all students can thrive. It has been wonderful to get into classrooms and out on the playground this week to meet the students and observe the amazing learning that is happening here at St. Brigid's.
PAT Testing
Over the coming weeks all students from Year 2 to Year 6 will be participating in Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT), these tests have been developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research to assess skills in reading comprehension and mathematics. These tests are completed in all Catholic schools across the Lismore Diocese. The information gained from these tests shows which areas students are achieving in and which areas need some extra attention. Alongside the classroom observations and assessments that occur within the classroom, these test results help to inform next steps forward in students learning this year and into next year as well.
Writing Focus
Writing will continue to be a focus for all students at St. Brigid's this term, with a specific focus on the areas of grammar and punctuation. At the end of last term, staff worked together to upskill themselves on the Literacy Learning Progressions in the areas of grammar and punctuation. Over the next few weeks teachers will be analysing students' writing samples, adding that data to a data wall and discussing next steps forward for their students in the areas of grammar and punctuation, whether that be providing additional support or providing challenges. We can't wait to see the growth!
Sarah McManus Acting Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning
Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L)
Focus for Week 2: I can name the people I can go to if I need help.
PBS Awards Week 1:
Angus W | K |
Lexie R | 5 |
Carter H | 5 |
Carter D | 6 |
Loretta F | 6 |
Book Club
Keep an eye out for the next issue of Scholastic Book Club. It contains some great gift ideas for Christmas. Orders will close on Friday 27th October.
Kyogle Gardening Competition
We recently entered our school vegetable garden which is managed by a group of busy student gardeners, Mr John Harley and Mrs Morabito into the Kyogle gardening competition. We have received a gift donation of $50 which will be used to purchase seedlings. We are very grateful for our prize and wish to thank the Kyogle Garden Society for their generosity.
Student Awards Week 1
Congratulations to the following students who have shown tremendous effort and were presented with their awards at our assembly last Friday afternoon:
Kindergarten - Leonardo / George
Year 1 - Liam
Year 2 - Raziel / Emily
Year 3 - Chance / Byron / Summer
Year 4 - Alyanna / Piper / Adam / Olive
Year 5 - Kobi / Emmelyn
Year 6 - Loretta / Carter
Ready 4 Learning - Kendall / Oak
Happy Birthday to You
Wishing the following children all the very best for their special day this week or over the holidays:
October
20th -Oscar S
21st - Angus W
22nd - Lily H
23rd - Chance F
Upcoming Dates
October
Sunday 22nd - Family Mass 9am @ Our Lady of Sorrows
Monday 23rd - Staff Development Day / Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 25th - Intensive Swimming Begins
Wednesday 25th - Crazy Sock and Hair Day
Friday 27th - Kinderagrten 2024 Parent Information Sessions
November
Sunday 26th - Family Mass 9am @ Our Lady of Sorrows
