Holy Family Newsletter (Week 8 Term 1, 2024)

Messages from the Principal

Acknowledgement of Country

As we gather on this sacred land, let us respectfully acknowledge the past and present Nyangbul people of the Bundjalung nation for which the members and elders of the local Indigenous community and their forebears have been custodians for thousands of years of this land, on which they have performed age old ceremonies, celebrations, initiations and renewals. We acknowledge their living culture and unique role in the life of this beautiful country.

Jesus

The “Antique Road Show” has been a popular television programme for quite a few years. Viewers seem to get a buzz when someone, who has paid a few dollars for an item at a garage sale, learns from one of the experts that their item is really worth a few hundred dollars and on occasion several thousand dollars.

When Luke wrote his Gospel, he was on assignment from a wealthy man named Theophilis who wanted to know if what he had heard about Jesus was true, because he seemed to be a very different teacher to other Jewish teachers. Luke tells us how he went about his assignment: “I have made a careful study of everything and then decided to write to you and tell you exactly what took place. Honourable Theophilis, I have done this to let you know if what you have heard is true.” Luke 1: 3, 4. So, what had Luke learned?

• That Jesus took special interest in the less respected members of society. Many Jewish religious leaders believed that poor people were religiously inferior, that God wasn’t blessing them because they weren’t living correctly. Jesus did not think that way at all: “The Lord’s Spirit has come to me because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor.” Luke 4:18.
• Jewish leaders of that time considered women to be inferior. Jesus treated women as individuals and recognised both their faith and their feelings. Women helped pay for the cost of Jesus’ ministry: “Joanna, Susanna and many others had also used what they owned to help Jesus and his disciples.” Luke 8:3. The first person on whom the Holy Spirit came was Elizabeth. Luke 1:41.The first person to be called “blessed” was Mary. Luke 1: 28, 42. The first people to learn of the Resurrection were three women: “Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James.”  Luke 24:10.
• Many people of that time believed that handicaps were evidence of sin. Jesus had special compassion for the disabled and took care of their needs: “Blind people are now able to see and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed and the deaf can now hear.” Luke 7: 22.
• Jews considered non-Jews to be on a lower social and religious level. Jesus attitude towards other ethnic groups was revealed in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jews despised Samaritans but Jesus dared to use one as a good example. Luke 10: 25 – 37. Jesus broke through social values and practised equality.

Luke’s portrayal of Jesus to Theophilis has touches of the “Antique Road Show” about it. Jesus befriended people who were not seen as valuable by the world around them and placed a very high value on them. By doing this, he showed us the value God has for each of us, for Jesus, early in Luke’s assignment had said,

“Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business.” Luke 2: 49.

As Christians in today’s world, we are confronted by marginalised people whose lives have been swallowed by poverty, by addiction, by abuse, by personal weakness, by the greed of others, by depression. The question for us is, especially at this time of Lent, “in what ways can we be like Jesus to these people?” 

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to the girls and boys in our parish who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Tuesday evening. Sincere thanks to Adam Sullivan and Kylie Hyde for all their work in preparing the students, organising the reflection day and for coordinating the lovely ceremony. Please keep these children and their families in your prayers.

Staff News

Mrs Sarah McManus has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal at St Joseph’s Primary School, Woodburn for Terms Two, Three and Four of this year. We thank Sarah for the outstanding job she has done in her role as Leader of Pedagogy at Holy Family School and wish her all the very best as she embarks on her new position for the rest of 2024.  I am very pleased to inform you all, that Mrs Katie Rich has been appointed to the position of Acting Leader of Pedagogy at Holy Family School for the remainder of the year.  Katie took on this very important role at the beginning of Term Four in 2023 and carried it out with distinction.

Attendance: Good attendance in primary school will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school.

Good attendance in primary school is a fundamental building block for academic success and overall wellbeing, and it sets the stage for success in high school and beyond. Primary school is the foundational stage of a child's education. Regular attendance ensures that children build a solid understanding of fundamental concepts and skills that serve as the basis for more advanced learning in high school.

By recognising the long-term benefits and reinforcing the importance of regular school attendance in primary years, students are better equipped to succeed in high school and beyond. Attending school regularly instils a sense of responsibility and work ethic in students and participating actively in class are essential components of success.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY GROUP

Tuesday, 26th March at 6.00 pm in the Staff room

We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation to you all for the inaugural meeting of our newly established Holy Family School Community Group. This gathering marks the beginning of an exciting journey where we aim to strengthen the bond between home and school, provide a platform for your invaluable voices and foster collaboration for the betterment of our children.

The highlights of the agenda include:

• an educational segment led by Janine Hanlon, school counsellor, focusing on Supporting Your Child to Cope Well with Anxious Feelings—an important topic that resonates deeply with many families. 
• an introduction of the subcommittees dedicated to key areas of school life, ensuring every parent has a meaningful opportunity to contribute. 
• parent voice and feedback to improve the Tell Them From Me survey response rate
• parent voice for educational topics for future meetings. 

 Let's embark on this journey together, forging strong connections and nurturing a vibrant community for the benefit of our children. Your presence and participation are invaluable—we can't wait to see you there!

We will also offer FREE childminding for anyone who needs it to be able to attend. Click here to register.

Lent

Please consider what Pope Francis recommends as ways to fast this Lent.

 Kindness

There is never a reason not to be kind.

 God Bless

Murray

Principal

Catholic Life

Whole School Social Service Retreat Day

Last year Holy Family celebrated its Whole School Discipleship Retreat based on the theme ‘Walking With Jesus’  This year's theme is ‘Serving With Jesus’ and will focus on Jesus’ call for us to be his disciples and spread the joy of the Gospels to all we meet.  

In response to this call, on Thursday 28th of March, our whole school community will be spending a day within our local community taking part in acts of service.  All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will be placed into mixed groups of 20 and, like disciples, will be taking part in activities of service and giving back to our community and environments.

Parent information for the Retreat day

Our retreat will be during normal school hours

Students are to bring their own lunch, snacks and water bottle.  There will be no canteen on this day.  They will carry their lunch and water bottle in their school bags.

Students wear their normal school uniform, school shoes and hat.

Due to the cleaning activities on the day, eg. picking up rubbish or window cleanings, parents may want to provide their children with a pair of suitable gloves. 

Invitation for Parent Support on our Retreat Day

We warmly welcome the support of our parents who would like to join us on this day and support the group activities taking place on the day.  Parents will be placed on activities with the greatest need of support.  While we will aim to place parents in the groups with their children, depending on the need, this may not be the case.   Parents will be asked to travel privately to each of these activities.  See below for the timetable and activities on the day.  All volunteers must hold a valid WWCC. 

Once registered, parents volunteering will be notified with additional details on which activities they will be supporting. Parent support must be registered by next Monday 25th March.  

Holy Week Parish Liturgical Celebrations

THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM ~ MASS TIMES

HOLY THURSDAY 

6.00 PM ~ BALLINA

GOOD FRIDAY ~ LITURGY

3.00 PM ~ HOLY FAMILY CHURCH ~ LENNOX HEAD

3.00 PM ~ ST FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH ~ BALLINA

HOLY SATURDAY 

6.00 PM ~ ST FRANICS XAVIER CHURCH BALLINA

EASTER SUNDAY MASS

7.30 AM ~ HOLY FAMILY CHURCH LENNOX HEAD

9.00 AM ~ ST FRANICS XAVIER CHURCH BALLINA

11.00 AM ~ ST FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH BALLINA

Final Week for Project Compassion Donations

ANZAC Day March and Youth Ambassadors

ANZAC Day March: "Save the Date"

Local schools have now been re-invited to participate in the traditional morning ANZAC Day March in Ballina after a long stint in not having school involved since the start of COVID.  Pleasingly, Holy Family has always been well represented at our local ANZAC Day March and we are excited by the invitation to join in this commemoration once again.

ANZAC Day, Thursday 25th of April, falls in the second week of our Easter School Holidays.  All Holy Family students are encouraged to represent Holy Family on this special day by marching in rememberance of those who have and still protect our nation and also publically express our pride in the peace and freedoms we are blessed with in Australia.  Additional details will be shared about this event towards the end of Term 1.

Seeking ANZAC Day Student Youth Ambassadors from Year 3 to 6

Our Ballina RSL has created a great initiative inviting students from Years 3 to 6 to nominate themselves to be appointed as 2024 ANZAC Day Youth Ambassadors.  Please click on this link for additional information to get involved.

While being an exciting leadership opportunity, it also has the added incentive of some fantastic prizes.

HARMONY Day

This week students at Holy Family enjoyed a variety of school and class based activities exploring the theme of Harmony Day.  The message of Harmony Day is “Everyone Belongs”. It's a day to celebrate Australia's diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home.

Learning and Teaching

Kindergarten Enrolment Timetable

Sport

Lismore Diocesan Winter Sports Trials

On Friday 8th March twelve Year Five & Six students travelled to Grafton to participate at the Lismore Diocesan Winter Sports Trials in netball, rugby league & soccer. Congratulations to the following students who were selected in the Lismore Diocesan teams that will compete at the Polding Trials in Tamworth on Friday 3rd May. 

Netball - Tia Drikibau & Cahlu Bond-Sheehan

U/11s Rugby League - Paddy Churven

Holy Family Cross Country

On Wednesday 27 March Holy Family Catholic Primary School will be holding our Cross Country Races at Skennars Head Football Fields. Races will commence at 9:30am and it is hoped the events will conclude by 11:30am. Races will begin near the football clubhouse and students will follow the markers around the outside of the playing area. One lap of the whole football precinct is 1km. The top 5 runners in each race (8-12yrs) will qualify for the Richmond Zone Cross Country to be held early in Term 2 on Tuesday, 7 May, at Hepburn Park, Goonellabah.  The children will compete against their own gender in their age division. Year 3 & 4 students will have lunch (lunch orders too) once they arrive back at school. 

The races will be in the following order:

9.30am - 12-13 Years girls and boys – 3km 

9.45pm - 11 Years girls and boys – 3km

10.00am - Kindergarten with their Yr 6 Buddies - 500m

10.15am - Year 1 with their Yr 5 Buddies - 500m

10.30am - 8 Years girls and boys – 2km (7 yr olds in Year 2)

10:45am - 9 Years girls and boys – 2km

11.00am - 10 Years girls and boys – 2km 

A coffee van will be operating at the venue for parents & families from 9am.

School Events

Chess

Emmanuel Anglican College is the venue for the upcoming Inter-school Chess Tournament on Thursday, April 4. To participate, students must have a sound understanding of rules, how pieces move and some strategy knowledge.

Interested children (Years 2-6) have collected a note. This includes a return slip so that details can be added to a Compass alert. You will then be able to pay the tournament entry fee via Compass the week prior. Notes are still available at the office. Entries close Friday, March 22.

Brendan Coyle

Canteen Corner

Canteen Roster - Term 3, 2023

Contact the Canteen at hfcanteen@lism.catholic.edu.au

Student Awards

Literacy and Numeracy Award - March

Congratulations to Amelia in 6 Blue, the recipient of the Literacy and Numeracy award for the month of March. Amelia consistently demonstrates an enthusiasm and commitment to her own learning. She is a student with a natural flair and ability in English and Mathematics.

In writing, Amelia composes texts which are interesting, imaginative, descriptive and well-structured. She willingly seeks and applies teacher and classmate feedback to improve her writing. Amelia relishes the challenge of increasing her accuracy in spelling and punctuation. She finds interesting words to learn more about and apply in her written compositions. Amelia has an admirable passion for reading and absorbing new information. She makes interesting and relevant connections with what she is reading, our class discussions and the world around us. 

In Mathematics, Amelia has a thorough understanding of concepts and is able to think clearly and persist with problem solving tasks. She willingly demonstrates her numeracy strategies to the class and brings a welcome enthusiasm and motivation for Mathematics to group challenges.

Amelia is a diligent worker and an engaged and questioning listener.  She participates enthusiastically and wholeheartedly in her academic work with focus and effort and a sense of humour. Congratulations Amelia on getting stuck into learning tasks and demonstrating your skills in Literacy and Numeracy from the very start of your first day at Holy Family this year, even with a broken wrist!

Principals Award - March 2024

Chantelle is a highly motivated, cooperative and caring student who gives her best effort in the classroom,

Chantelle demonstrates the qualities of a genuine MJR person in her friendly and respectful manner towards all Holy Family Catholic School students and staff. She is settled in her approach to class learning and shows impressive motivation to achieve and be successful with her learning goals. Chantelle listens attentively in class and is an independent participant in classroom tasks.

Chantelle is a very positive student who seeks opportunities to assist her peers in participating fully in learning activities. Her classmates consider her friendly, reliable, inclusive, and hard-working. Chantelle loves mathematics challenges and positively influences group and partner work tasks.

Chantelle is always willing to accept feedback and uses it to improve her learning tasks. She is an independent thinker and never grumbles or complains, even when the learning task is more challenging. Chantelle gets the job done and consistently reflects on and refines her learning to make improvements.

Chantelle stands out as a student who makes a positive difference to the culture of our school through her thoughtfulness and respectful nature. She is humble and kind. Chantelle is a solid role model for younger students and her peers.

Chantelle consistently presents herself neatly and sensibly, using her mature personality to make good decisions and be a positive example of social service at Holy Family Catholic School.

Congratulations, Chantelle, on receiving the Principal's Award for March.

Community Events and Notices

Croquet and Hockey - Sporting opportunities for Kids