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A Prayer for Mothers
Where would we be without our mother’s love?
Lord, bless our mothers with wisdom to teach and guide
their children in a way that will help them to follow You and
to become men and women who will be pleasing in Your sight. 
Give all mothers the patience to deal with the difficulties
of their job and, most of all, give them a special blessing as
they care so lovingly for the gifts that You have allowed them the honour of raising.
Father, please bless all our mothers on Sunday and on each and every day. AMEN
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We wish all our mothers and grandmothers a very special Mother’s Day this Sunday. Hopefully they will be showered with love from their children and grandchildren and be the recipients of many expressions of love and gratitude.
At Stella Maris we are so appreciative of everything our mums and nans do for us. Whether it is making lunches at the canteen, hearing children read or volunteering to help at school events we are truly richer for their presence and the love and care that they show for the children.
Even though this year there is no Mother’s Day Stall or school breakfast, it is important that our mums and nans know that we are thankful for the support they give the school in so many ways.
STUDENT TRANSITIONAL RETURN TO SCHOOL
As you know from Monday we enter a new arrangement in regards to student attendance. One day a week the children will come to school to be onsite to gain support from their grade teachers. This will mean that approximately ninety students will be attending school each day from Monday to Thursday, a significant increase on the current number:
Monday- Mackillop Green House students
Tuesday- Aikenhead Red House students
Wednesday- Weatherall Blue House students
Thursday- Smyth Yellow House students
As well as this, schools are still currently open for students who need to come to school. This may be because parents have work commitments, which do not allow them to work from home. It may also be that some students require pastoral support or teacher feedback in order to successfully manage remote learning. Students who attend on days outside of their allocated day, will not be with their grade teacher and class mates. They will be organised into mixed aged groups and supervised by a teacher in another classroom, where they will be completing their remote learning tasks. This follows the principles and directives of the Wollongong Catholic Education Office.
Due to restricted space and the number of available teachers, as well as the current rules that are in place regarding hygiene practices and social distancing, I am truly appreciative of parental support in this area, especially in light of these new arrangements.
DROP OFF/PICK UP ARRANGEMENTS
As more students return to school it is important to limit the number of people on the school grounds as much as possible. In order to do this the following procedures will be implemented from Monday:
- Morning Drop Off
- Students who travel to school by private vehicle are to be dropped off in the Wilson Street Zone between 8-8.25am. Parents who walk their children to school are to say goodbye at the gate and are not to accompany their child onto school grounds before school.
- Afternoon Pick Up
- Parents and carers are able to pick their children up directly from the classrooms after school from 2.30-2.50pm as the Wilson Street Drop Off Zone is not available in the afternoons. Please avoid having conversations, maintain social distancing and vacate the school premises in a prompt manner.
SCHOOL CANTEEN
The school canteen will continue to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, using strict hygiene and safety protocols. Food may be ordered online both for recess and lunch using the My School Connect App as no money is being accepted until further notice. We have also put social distancing markers on the canteen lines for students to be safe whilst collecting food orders.
WINTER UNIFORM
As mentioned in last week’s morning Zoom Conference, Lowes are having issues supplying some aspects of the winter uniform. Although the official changeover to Winter Uniform occurs next Monday 11 May, I understand if some of our students, particularly the Kindergarten children or those new to the school have to wear aspects of the summer uniform for a couple of weeks. Alternatively parents can purchase winter uniform items, from our uniform shop at a minimal price until orders at Lowes arrive. The shop will be open on Friday mornings from 8.15-8.45am for the next three weeks. Parents are asked to contact the school if they would like an appointment to purchase items at school.
MORNING ZOOM CONFERENCES
Our morning whole-school Zoom Conferences are progressing well, with many children and their parents logging in at 8.40am each day. Currently we have about 75% of our families involved, which is fantastic, however it is important that all families access this morning meeting as relevant information is shared as well as it being a great way of re-connecting the school community. With more students returning at least once a week, from Week 3 we will conduct these meetings twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.
During these challenging times, I continue to be amazed at what a fantastic school community we have here at Stella Maris. The dedication of our teachers and support staff has been so impressive. They have embraced remote learning and have done everything in their capacity to support the students. Parents have also been so positive in accepting the changes we have introduced and have genuinely worked in partnership with us to help their children through this period. Finally our students have done a great job in following their teachers’ instructions in completing remote learning tasks. I am indeed so proud and lucky to be part of such a wonderful school. May God continue to bless all of us and keep us safe, both at home and at school.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
This Sunday’s Gospel,
Jn 14:1-12
Jesus the way, truth, and life.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father’s house;
if there were not, I should have told you.
I am now going to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with me;
so that where I am
you may be too.
You know the way to the place where I am going Thomas said,
‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said:
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me?
‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
‘I tell you most solemnly,
whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works,
because I am going to the Father.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Happy Mother’s Day to all our Mums!
Mother’s Day Prayer
Dear Lord,
I may not pray often, and I may not pray enough, but when I do, this is all I ask of you…..
God, please give me a heart just like hers
She loves unconditionally, no matter what, no matter who…
God, give me courage to be like her
She is very brave, she makes me unafraid…
God, give me wisdom just like hers
She knows everything, big and small, she is there to help me through it all…
God, give me strength just like hers
She has been knocked down, yet she stands strong for another round… 
God, give me beauty just like hers
When she smiles it gives me that feeling that everything will be okay
and my problems disappear for a while…
God, give me generosity just like hers
She helps the helpless, she never thinks of herself and she is so unselfish…
God, some day, if I am at least half the mum she was to me,
I will know that you were listening
On the day
That I prayed.
Amen.
We wish all our Mother’s a peaceful and relaxing Mother’s Day.
LIVE STREAMING OF WEEKEND AND WEEKDAY MASSES
via our parish Facebook page by Fr Joe
Weekday Mass at 7:00am
Sunday Mass at 9:00am
YOU CAN FIND THE ALL SAINTS PARISH BULLETIN ONLINE
On the All Saints parish website: www.allsaintscatholic.org.au
Click on the link at the bottom of the page where it says Bulletin.PDF
We hope this finds you all safe and well.
Julie Hopkins
Acting Religious Education Coordinator