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Last week we were called to pray for a lady most of us have never met, Sister Virginia Wilkinson, our second Principal at St Aloysius School. I asked our community "to be true to the legacy of the Sisters of Charity and to keep Sister Virginia in our heart." I wonder what that means to you?
Pope Francis coined the phrase "living the joy of the gospel". As I look at this photo of Sister Virginia, I see a lady smiling, full of joy. With everyone returning back to school over the last two weeks, so too has the joy at St Aloysius Catholic College. Have you seen it? Have you contributed to it? But yes, this joy is not perfect, it is filled with the complexities of life; the ups and downs, the inspirations and the challenges, the moments of clarity and the moments of doubt. We live this paradox of life right now. It is the paradox of the gospel; God, in the form of Jesus, becoming man and feeling life the way we do.
Maybe part of the answer to how to live the legacy of the Sisters of Charity and to be inspired by the pioneers of our College, like Sister Virginia, is to notice joy and to be in dialogue with a God that know us.
Sister Virginia (left) and Sister Cate (the last Sister of Charity to be Principal). This was on the occasion of Virginia's 90th birthday.
REFUGEE WEEK
Prayer for migrants, refugees & asylum seekers
God, no one is a stranger to you and no is ever far from your loving care.
In your kindness watch over migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, those separated from their loved ones, those who are lost and those who have been exiled from their homes.
Bring them safely to the place where they long to be and help us always to show your kindness to strangers and those in need.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, who too was a refugee and migrant who travelled to another land searching for a home.
Amen
Refugee Week is held from Sunday, 14th - Saturday, 20th June. This week is Australia's annual activity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and to celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
This year, the week will be celebrated digitally and online throughought Australia due to COVID-19. At the Huntingfield Campus, students will participate in this week in their homerooms and Religious Education classes by:
- Learning about why people become refugees and the difficulties they face
- Watching and reading stories about young people who were former refugees
- Learning about Catholic social teaching on refugees and migrants
- Discovering how people can assist refugees
- Having the opportunity to pray and reflect in prayer spaces that reflect on refugees
- Some senior students will view Zoom forums and events run by the Refugee Council of Australia
If you are interested in learning more about this issue, the following resources could be of assistance:
Catholic School Teaching on Refugees
STATEMENTS OF PROGRESS
All Catholic schools will be required to provide Progress Statements to parents by week 6 of Term 3. Following discussions with other shared funded secondary schools and key Catholic Education Tasmania personnel, we are able to confirm the following details;
- All students in Prep - Grade 6 will receive a Mid Year Progress Statement for Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science and HASSS. These statements will use developing, consolidating and extending instead of A-E ratings.
- All students in Grades 7-10 will receive a Mid Year Progress Statement for Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Geography (Grades 7 and 8 only) and History. As above, these statements will use developing, consolidating and extending instead of A-E ratings.
- Kindergarten teachers will continue with their portfolios. Further information will be provided around portfolio discussions with parents.
- Progress Statements will be completed through Compass and parents will receive the Statement through their Compass portal. Printed copies will not be provided (unless specifically requested by a parent).
- Parent Teacher meetings will be held via phone in week 6 over two nights:
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- Monday, 24 August 3:20pm – 4:20pm
- Wednesday, 26 August 3:30pm – 7:30pm
GRADE 4
Grade 4 students have been very keen to get back into their elective subjects on a Friday afternoon. Those that do Art have taken inspiration from the different tile mosaics on display at the Kingston Campus and have worked on their own paper mosaics. Although the process has been a bit arduous, their paper mosaic pots have turned out beautifully.
Grade 4 writing focus is poetry. Students have been looking at different styles of poetry, creating a definition of poetry and investigating the literary tools poets use when writing poems. They have learned about rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes and metaphors. They have written their own cinquain poems and this week they are writing five senses poems. They are using figurative language in the form of similes to spark the reader's imaginations and describe abstract concepts.
Here are a few examples written by the students
KINGSTON CAMPUS CAR PARK
Thank you to our families for taking on board so readily the procedures for morning drop off and afternoon pick up in the new car park. We reiterate the reminders below in case you have missed them. We now have footpaths leading to the bottom car park from both ends. Please ensure the crossing and paths are used at all times for the safety of our users.
- Student to alight from the car on the left hand side only onto the footpath.
- Parents need to remain in the car. Students who use the Drop & Go zone must be capable of getting in and out of the car by themselves, including putting on their seat belt. If they are not able to do so parents will need to park in a designated car park space and assist them as they currently do.
- School bags should be in the car and not retrieved from the boot. These need to be in the car with the student so that students do not have to go behind or in between cars
- Teardrop flags will clearly mark the allocated Drop & Go zone. Students are no to enter or leave cars which are waiting in line to use the zone - please be patient and wait until you are safely parked in the zone.
- Please ensure you have your handbrake on once you have pulled into and stopped.
- When in the Drop and Go zone please drive to the front to allow for cars coming in and out to flow smoothly.
- The car park is a shared car and pedestrian zone and has a speed limit of 5 km/ph. Please adhere to this speed limit at all times for the safety of all users.
GRADE 5
On Monday, 15th June Grade 5 White got six Spiny Leaf Insects. The class was so excited and now everybody wants to hold them. There names are Sarah, Karen, Fridge, Leggie, Twisty and Chuck. Most of the students agreed on the names.
The Spiny Leaf Insects love us. Ms Sullivan lets us hold them in class and we have a roster to clean out their home. Some of the stick insects love to dance, they love to move and are very excited to come out of their cage. We bought them off Gumtree and we love them.
Stella Chapman
Grade 5 White
GRADE 7 SCIENCE
In Science, Grade 7 students have been continuing to develop their understanding of Earth Science. As part of this, they have been learning about the seasons and variations in solar radiation depending on the time of the year. They have also been learning about the Moon, its phases and influence on our planet.
GRADE 9/10 WOODWORK
Students were very happy to back in the classroom, particularly in the woodwork workshop. Students are currently working on creating furniture pieces.
GUILFORD YOUNG COLLEGE WEBINARS
A key step in the transition processs for Grade 10 students to Guilford Young College has been the huge Pathways Expo at the Glenorchy Campus. Grade 10 and 11 students have gathered for the opportunity to meet teachers and discuss the wide variety of courses on offer. Sadly, as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the Pathway Expo will not take place this year, and has been replaced by a series of new and exciting online webinars during the final two weeks of Term Two.
From Tuesday, 23rd June to Friday 3rd July, course webinars are available and will provide an ideal platform for students and parents to discover more information about the 120 plus course offerings at Guilford Young College to assist with making informed course selections. Each webinar is timetabled for a live presentation hosted by teachers, with Q&A offered at the end of each webinar. Each webinar is recorded so students and parents that miss the live presentation will be able to access the recording on the College website.
The full timetable of the webinars is available in the attached link. Registration is from 3:00pm Monday, 22nd June on the Guilford Young College website - Guilford Young College . Pre-registration is essential for students to recieve their link to join any of the webinars.
TEST AND TAGGING
The College is offering Huntingfield Campus students an opportunity to have their laptop charger tested and tagged. This will allow students to charge their laptops whilst at school if necessary.
Students are asked to bring their chargers clearly named to their homeroom in the morning and they will be returned before homeroom in the afternoon. A plastic tub will be located outside each fishbowl and will be collected at 9:00am and returned at 3:00pm. There will be no cost.
Grades 5, 6 & 7 - Wednesday, 24th June
Grades 8, 9 & 10 - Wednesday, 1st July
Extra day for any students who may have missed the previous dates - Wednesday, 29th July
TEXTILES
The Textiles class is asking for donations of old towels, cotton and flannelette sheets and pillowcases. They also need wool (not synthetic) for knitting. The donations will be used to create pouches and nests for wildlife rescue. Donations can be left at the College office. Thank you.
ENTERTAINMENT BOOK
Due to COVID- 19 restrictions, it is unlikely that many of the normal Community Group fundraising events will go ahead this year. With the Entertainment Book as an all online option starting this year, this is a great opportunity to support the College and local Tasmanian businesses by purchasing the app. $14.00 from each sale goes towards the Community Group to help purchase items for the College.
Futher information can be found in the link below
COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING
The next Community Group Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 4th August at the Sisters of Charity Centre at the Kingston Campus from 7:00pm. We welcome families to come along, meet other parents and help discuss ideas for fundraising options.
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM
All families should have received an email from Mrs Polly Marriott assuring them that we will be in touch as soon as we are able to resume face to face sessions. Any questions please get in touch.
WEBSITE
The Kingston Channel Parish now have their very own website! Designed by parishioner Daniel De la Motte the address is Kingston Channel Parish
This provides people with current information about what is happening in the Parish, the latest Parish Bulletin and links to other Catholic media including a children’s page connected to Catherine Sandric’s YouTube channel where she has been providing Children’s Liturgy videos linked to scripture in the style of Godly Play.
FORMED
Kingston Channel Parish in collaboration with St Aloysius Catholic College have purchased a Parish subscription to Formed. Personal subscriptions cost USD$10 per month however our Parish access allows all Kingston Channel Parishioners access for free on their own computers, iPads or phones.
What is Formed? Think of it as Netflix for Catholics! FORMED.org is an online, comprehensive site of inspiring Catholic content for every parishioner, of all ages, and every household. Discover thousands of books, audio talks, movies, documentaries and studies in both English and Spanish. There is something for every member of the family to help them grow closer to Christ.
Diving into the beauty of the Faith has never been easier: at home, on the go, or from any internet connected device.
- Go to www.formed.org
- Choose 'Sign Up'
- Click 'I Belong to a Parish or Organisation' and enter 'Kingston Channel Parish'
- Congratulations, you are now a subscriber!
LIVESTREAMED MASSES
Sunday Mass continues to be livestreamed from the College Chapel at Huntingfield. A Kingston Campus Mass was broadcast on Thursday, 4th June including pre-recorded readings and prayers from the Grade 4 students and a video montage of students from Kinder to Grade 4 performing actions to Andrew Chinn songs ‘Rainbow’ and ‘These Hands’. This Mass was dedicated to the memory of Sr Virginia, the second Principal of St Aloysius Primary School, as it was then, who sadly passed away on Monday, 1st June.
RESUMPTION OF FACE TO FACE MASSES IN THE PARISH
We are delighted to announce that weekday Masses will recommence at the Church of Christ the Priest from Monday, 15th June. Mass will be held every weekday at 9:00am. Numbers are restricted to current government regulations of 40 people and those attending are required to sign in with their name and phone number and observe social distancing. The church requires thorough cleaning after every Mass.
Live streaming of Sunday Mass will continue from the chapel at St Aloysius Catholic College until we are allowed to have greater numbers present in the church.
KINGBOROUGH HELPING HANDS
As part of the College's Outreach Program, for a number of years now the Kingston Campus has been involved in weekly donations of cakes and biscuits for Kingborough Helping Hands. Unfortunately KHH are unable to accept home baking at this time and so the invitation is being put out for families to donate dry store items. Due to the rise in need for these items, we are extending this program to Grades 5 and 6 at the Huntingfield Campus.
Classes will be rostered for the remainder of Term 2 to bring in tins, biscuits or pantry goods. These will be collected and delivered to Kingborough Helping Hands at the end of each week to be distributed to those most in need in our community.
The roster is as follows:
Week 8 beginning Monday, 15th June: 5 White
Week 9 beginning Monday, 22nd June: 5 Blue
Week 10 beginning Monday, 29th June: 5 Green
VINNIES WINTER APPEAL
REFUGEE WEEK
I would highly recommend signing up to watch a free screening of the documentary 'The Staging Post' about refugees in Indonesia who defied everything to set up a school in their refugee camp. The documentary is 62 minutes long and is being broadcast every day this week at 10:00am and 7:00pm until Saturday, 20th June. You then get to join the documentary maker as well as teachers and students from the refugee school for a Zoom Q&A afterwards. It's a truly remarkable film about resilience, the importance of education and the power of hope. The link to the Vimeo and Zoom can be given by emailing jolyon@cisarualearning.com or muzafar@cisarualearning.com.
We are happy to share some relevant parenting topics in each newsletter for parents and families to watch or read and reflect.