In this situation of pandemic, in which we find ourselves living more or less isolated, we are invited to

rediscover and deepen the value of the communion that unites all the members of the Church… United to Christ we are never alone, but we form one single Body, of which He is the Head... a union that is nourished with prayer, and also with the spiritual communion in the Eucharist a practice that is highly recommended when it is not possible to receive the Sacrament. Pope Francis

This Week Let us include in our prayers…..

• Sakun who we meet in Week 4 of Project Compassion. We pray that Sakun and those who work with them continue the important work of healing and empowerment,
• Those who continue the important advocacy for Closing the Gap for our First Nations brother and sisters. 
• Those who have been infected and impacted by the Coronavirus. May our community respond with hope and generosity. 

Lenten events

Stations of the Cross - Friday 27th March - each class is contributing to a dramatic role play of the stations of the cross which will be compiled into a short film. The students will then be able to watch the film in class on Friday afternoon. 

St Joseph Feast Day

Last week was the Feast day for one of our patron saints St Joseph. The students engaged with prayer and religious activities on Thursday, in particular students explored the different elements of our patron Saint, Joseph the worker, Joseph the father of Jesus, and Joseph the husband of Mary. Students also learnt the St Joseph is also the patron saint fo the Universal Church, families, father, expectant mothers, travelers, ,immigrants, craftsmen, engineers and working people in general. 

Prayer:

Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted son. Amen 

Coronavirus reflections

This week Bishop James has released another update with changes to the mass. The release is attached for your information. Sadly, there will be no more public gatherings of mass at either Saturday Vigils or Sunday services. The church can be opened upon request for quiet prayer, please feel free to contact myself or Megan through the office to arrange a suitable time. Alternatively, there a number of options for parishioners to continue their worship: 

Loyola Press- Coronavirus Response Lesson

• This Lesson helps educators or parents discuss the COVID-19 virus with children and teach them valuable skills. This lesson offers prevention and mitigation techniques based on the Centers for Disease Control and includes a faith component to remind children of God’s unconditional love for them. 

Medium - No Mass? Practice spiritual communion

• Our tradition offers us recourse fro drawing close in Eucharistic communion even when we cannot access the sacrament. St John Paul II describes it this way: It is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual communion”, which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recoomended by saints who were masters of the spirutal ife. Saint Teresa of Jesus wrote: “when you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you”. (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 34) It simply means using our minds, hearts and senses to orient our lives toward the Eucharis and all the layers of meaning that the Eucharis has in the lives of the faithful. 

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Fourth  Week of Lent

In India, over 70 million people live on less than US$1.90 per day.* Sakun lives in a village in central north India. She developed polio as a child and has difficulty walking. Until now Sakun, an indigenous Gond woman, has been isolated in her community, unable to earn a livelihood and without knowledge of government schemes that could help her.

In 2018, Sakun joined a Caritas Australia-funded program which is implemented by Caritas India and its local partner, Samarthan. With your help Sakun now earns her own income and makes a small profit which goes towards her family’s basic needs. She is more resilient, more confident and more independent. Watch a short film about Sakun’s story. 

Let’s Go Further, Together! 

Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

Curriculum News

NAPLAN

NAPLAN exams will be cancelled this year due to widespread disruption to schools caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This will mean that our Year 3 & Year 5 students will not be sitting either the practice tests or the live test in May. 

Continuity of Learning

This week our teachers are busily preparing for the instance where our school may be closed or there is a large number of student absences. While we all hope and prayer that this event may not happen, the measures are out of our control and our primary concern is the safety and welfare of all our students. We are under advice from the Catholic Education Services of Cairns to prepare our staff and students for the continuity of learning. 

This week our school will join together for our first ‘Live assembly’. We will all ‘dial in for a PB4L assembly’ and take this opportunity to teach our students about appropriate behaviours when working online. Teachers and students will also be working hard to ensure we are all familiar with online platforms, are confident to access these platforms to engage with lessons and activities and are also aware of the expected behaviours which apply when working in an online space. Students will be reminded of the acceptable use of ICT and how to conduct themselves appropriately in an online space. 

As student devices begin to be sent home, it is imperative that these devices travel back and forth to school each day with your child as we will require them to continue their preparation for online learning. We appreciate your cooperation and assistance with our preparation in this constantly changing time. 

SeeSaw

All teachers from Prep to Year 3 are in the processing of sending out invites to parents to join their child’s SeeSaw account. If you are experiencing any difficulty accessing SeeSaw please feel free to come and speak to your teacher or myself and we will happily assist you with joining this platform. 

May St Joseph smile on you, 

Meg Newell