Term 3 Week 6 - Thursday 29 August 2024

Principal's Message

Gospel Reading:  Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15,21-23

And there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem. And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients: And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds. And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands? But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men. For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these. And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all, and understand. There is nothing from without a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man. For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.

Natalie is leaving us

Natalie Hancock has been a part of the St Jude’s school community for nearly 20 years. In that time, Nat has held several positions, her most recent, Office Manager. As I reflect on the number of students who would have graduated from St Jude’s in that time, I can't understate the significantly positive influence Nat would have had on every child, when they came in with a scraped knee, a note, medicine or some other need. Let alone the parents and families who have stopped by or telephoned through with a query, request or just needing to talk to someone about challenging medical needs, parenting or financial situation. I met Nat before I left for HK and was greatly relieved to see her in the office manager role when I returned as Principal nearly 4 years ago. Her support and guidance has been invaluable, from the early days of COVID and home schooling, to the challenges of changing finance systems, hundreds of enrolment interviews, often managing the behind the scenes for school community events, managing complex family and staffing situations, Nat never took the easy route. Even when she was unwell, she turned up. Nothing I can say will appropriately reflect the significant role that Nat has played at St Jude’s, she has ensured that our systems and practices are highly efficient and she always worked well beyond her designated hours. Nat will continue to have links with the school as her neighbour’s children attend and she is a regular at Mass. She recently mentioned to me that St Jude’s is her community and she will greatly miss her daily interactions with everyone. Nat is embarking on a new adventure, working within a company that helps families manage their NDIS funding, which at times can be enormously challenging and overwhelming. If you need assistance with this, then you can get in touch with Nat via admin@capitalsupport-coordination.com.au. We thank Nat for her hard work, kindness and genuine care for the students, staff and families in our community.

Leaders Gathering at St Jude’s

Yesterday we had key members of all leadership teams from Catholic schools in Weston Creek and Tuggeranong Valley come to St Jude’s and spend the day in a Professional Learning experience. Facilitated by Catholic Education Office key personnel, there was a focus on Literacy and Numeracy, exploring our current practices and discussing the where to next, in relation to improving our pedagogical practices.

Staff on Bikes

You could have been mistaken for believing that you ‘better go to spec savers’ on Tuesday afternoon as 30 of our school staff were involved in a bike riding teaching and learning experience. Not only did our teachers learn the key components of the 5 week sports unit, they had a great deal of fun doing so. Our Year 3 and 6 students will have the opportunity to take part in this program over the next 4 weeks. More information to come from your child’s teacher.

Father’s Day events

A huge thank you to the Chair of our Community Council, Gemma Cabot and her group of highly supportive volunteers. Gemma selected all of the Father’s Day gifts and had her support team here this morning assisting with the sales. It doesn’t sound hard, but it all takes time and commitment. While I’m on it, thank you also to our volunteers who have offered to assist with our breakfast tomorrow morning, it’s great to have people in our community who are able to assist.

A reminder of Friday’s schedule 

We will be serving a BBQ breakfast from 8:15 and all dad / significant males are invited. When the bell goes, we would love to have our dads join their children in the classrooms. We have locked in a timeframe of up until 10am, which should assist those who need to get to several classrooms. You don’t, however, have to stay until 10. At 10 all students will move to the hall for our Kindergarten assembly and we would love to have our Kinder families join us.

Fire and Lock down drills

Part of keeping our students safe involves making sure they know what to do in an emergency. As such, we will be holding a fire and a lock down drill over the next few weeks. We make sure that the students know the process and they have always been very good at implementing this. Today, we held a lockdown drill, just to see whether we needed to modify anything. The staff and students all did exactly what was required.

Confirmation

Last night a large collection of students from our Parish gathered at St John Vianney’s church to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This was the culmination of several months of commitment by both the candidates and their families. Fr Richard and Fr Michael led a very reverent and reflective ceremony. Thank you to Cathy and Leigh Schneider as well as Jess our school REC.

A message from Fr Michael

Christ Our Light And Life Book Series (Kindergarten to Year12)  aims to promote the central place for parents to support them in fulfilling their responsibilities for the faith formation and education of their children. Each book series has a Student Activity Book and Teacher’s Manual. You may place order in Qkr! App at Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish  under Book Sales  menu or alternatively place the exact payment in an envelope with your name, details of books you want to purchase and church for collection into the collection bag at Mass. Please order by 15 September 2024.

These are a very practical resource for parents and their children who are looking for a way to reconnect or even revise many of the key concepts aligned with faith formation. They are user friendly and functional.

Morning drop off

We are continuing to monitor the morning drop off and are seeking feedback on the following option. It appears there are 2 lines of traffic which enter the main carpark (near the shelter shed). The first line utilises the drop and go option (cars are usually nearest the bollards. The second line is to the right of the first line and that is the cars that want to park (down past the last speed hump). We are exploring the option of not utilising either the bollards or flags, but rather, having lines painted onto the asphalt with two distinctive lanes. This will enable, cars that want to drop and go to stay to the left and cars that want to park, to stay to the right and park beyond the final speed hump. We will also aim to have this clearly signed, so that when we have visitors doing the drop off they can see the process. We would expect that cars would not move across lanes once in the main carpark area, and all parking would need to be beyond the final speed hump. There would be no change to the afternoon pick up. Thank you to all our parents and carers who are using the footpaths, I know they can become a little crowded, but they are definitely safer. My primary concern with walking down the car park is not necessarily the safety of the people walking, it is the safety of our youngest children who see and copy.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

 Cameron

Important Dates

Birthdays

School News

School Photos 

Our school photos are booked for:

Tuesday 15 October, School Photography Main Day, Sibling photos (8am - 9am), Staff Photos, Preschool Day 1 (Stingray Class) 

Friday 1 November, Catchup Portrait Session, Sibling Photos (8am - 9am), Preschool Day 2 (Lobster and Turtle Classes). 

Students not returning 2025

Any students who will not be returning to St Jude's in 2025 (excluding current year 6 students) please follow the link to complete a form. 

Please contact the office is you have any questions

RE News

A big congratulations to our Confirmation candidates who were confirmed by Fr Richard Thompson in the St John Vianney Church last night. It was a lovely occasion full of symbolism and reverence. My utmost thanks to Fr Michael, Cathy and Leigh Schneider and our Year 6 teachers for their ongoing preparation work with our students.

Sacramental Update 

Is your child eligible for a sacrament? In the Parish of Our Lady of the Annunciation sacraments are completed in Years 3, 4 and 6. Click this link to find out more.

May your light shine, 

Jessica Betterton

ELC News

ELC NEWS

Happy Birthday Joey L

Father’s Day Breakfast and Classroom Visits – Friday 30 August

We invite all Fathers, Step-Fathers, Grandfathers, Uncles and special friends to attend our Fathers Day Celebration on Friday 30 August beginning with breakfast at 8.15am. Guests are then welcome to visit your children’s classroom/s from 9:00am – 10:00am. We have allocated an hour for classroom visits to allow guests to split their time across several classrooms if need be. There is no requirement to stay for the whole time. For catering purposes RSVP is required by COB Monday 26 August.

Father’s Day Liturgy – Monday 2 September

The Stingray and Turtle classes will be hosting this year’s Father’s Day Liturgy. This will be held at 9:15am on Monday 2 September in the St Jude‘s church, it is important that all children arrive on time to allow time to transition to the church. Families are welcome to attend. 

It’s Hat Time of Year Again

Please check that your child has a labelled hat in their bag ready for the warmer weather. The UV is now creeping up above 3 so we need to have hats ready to go.

Invitation to 'A Bluey Perspective' – 11 September

A free family event with ‘Bluey’ creator Joe Brumm will be held at Merici College on Wednesday 11 September. Presented by Catholic School Parents Canberra and Goulburn with the support of Catholic Education, the event aims to bring families from across the Archdiocese together, to listen to Joe talk about why he thinks Bluey has been such a success and the important role parents play in their child’s learning and development. Numbers are limited so please register via the link below.

https://events.humanitix.com/a-bluey-perspective

Parenting Workshops with Lael Stone – 21/22 September

Transform Parenting is an organisation that supports parents to grow and learn with their children from pregnancy to the first 7 years of parenting, through workshops, events and memberships, both in person and online. They are holding a Saturday event about managing the big feelings and behaviour of young children, and a full day Sunday couples workshop about helping parents to get on the same page with their parenting.

Click Here To Learn More About The Workshops.

Bunnings – Tuggeranong

Bunnings Tuggeranong are holding a free Father’s Day family event tonight, Thursday 29 August from 6pm-8pm. There will be D.I.Y’s, games and activities, give aways, gift workshop and more.

Library News

ELC Winners from the Book Week parade were:

Turtles ~ Esther M

Lobsters ~ Zara F   / Stingrays ~ Isaac B

All have received their book prizes!

*Thank you to Deidre K’s family for donating some boxes of books!

*Thank you to all the families who supported the Book Fair. The profit made will be used to purchase new books as always.

Next week another exciting event will be happening in connection with the Library. All students in Kinder – Year 6 will be treated to ………….  a  Magic Show on Wednesday 4 September.

Mr Bamboozle is coming to St Jude’s School to do his magic and weave our shortlisted literature into his Quiz show. Sounds like fun!

Here are some photos from the Book Week parade last week. Enjoy!

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Sports News

South Weston Athletics Carnival

Last Thursday 37 students represented St Jude's at the South Weston Athletics Carnival at Woden Park Phillip. It was an early start to the day with the 800m races first up. We had students competing in shot put, long jump, discus, 70m, 100, 200m and 800m events.

All students competed giving their best in everything they did. Their behaviour was as exemplary as always. 

The first 4 placegetters in each event progress to the ACT Championships which will be held on 17 September. Congratulations to Lexie B Discus, Maddy G Discus, Aurora R Discus, Kate H Shot Put, Henry Mullaniff 100m, Vivian S 100m and Jack V Discus who have qualified. We are waiting on more details to come before permission and information is sent home.  Thank you to parents for providing transport and for supporting the students on the day. 

Weston Creek Little Athletics registrations are now open for the 2024/25 season! The season commences 9am on Saturday 19 October at Chapman Oval. Please go to the Weston Creek Little Athletics website for more information and to register: https://wclac.org.au/

Student Achievements

Congratulations Elouise!

On Sunday 26 August, Elouise competed in the 2024 Women's Artistic Gymnastics State Levels Competition. This competition requires participants to compete on four apparatus. Elouise placed first in floor, third on vault, fifth on beam and uneven bars with an overall 3rd placing.  She trains 16 hours a week all year round. Congratulations to Elouise for all her hard work paying off! 

Congratulations to Dev M, Isabel G, Christopher H and Luke H from 5L, Deirdre K and Aimee Z from 5D and Greta H, Sadie S and Chloe S from 5FG for their fabulous achievement in the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee competition. These talented spellers have progressed to the State Finals! We wish them luck.

Mulleyduds Uniform Shop

For second hand requests please email to: uniform.stjudes@gmail.com. Please include your child’s name and classroom for us to deliver to. **Please do not make payment for secondhand items, until we reply to your request confirming stock is available.

Mulleygrubs Cafe News

Canteen Volunteers - Week 7

Wednesday 4 September - Antonella, & two more volunteers please

Thursday 29 August - Annette, Cathy & one more volunteer please

Friday 30 August -  Gemma, Sarah,  & two more volunteers please

Community Council News

2025 Fete

It’s time to start thinking about the 2025 fete. We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our fete committee! This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to our school community, meet fellow parents, and help create a memorable event for our students. Committee roles include: a) fete coordinator b) finance coordinator c) sponsorship coordinator d) stall coordinator f) entertainment coordinator g) communication coordinator.
If you are interested in being on the fete committee, please let us know. 

Save the Date

Trivia night 1 November. More details to come.


Many thanks,

Gemma Cabot

Stjudes.scc@gmail.com