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PARABLE OF THE PENCIL
The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting it into the box. There are five things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.
1. You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.
2. You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.
3. You will be able to correct mistakes you make.
4. The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.
5. On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the
condition, you must continue to write.
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.
God our Father, we give you thanks for all the opportunities we have to do your will each day.
Be with us as we put our trust in you. Help us to follow Jesus’ example of being of loving service
to others. AMEN
Dear Parents and Carers,
I really love the message contained in the Parable of the Pencil. The third point regarding making mistakes is certainly applicable to remote learning. As I mentioned at last Friday’s Zoom assembly, the role of teacher feedback is so important at the moment and by listening to the advice given regarding learning tasks, students can learn from their mistakes, whether that relates to accuracy or effort, and strive for improvement. I sincerely thank parents for their management of home learning and please do not hesitate to contact your class teacher for support and advice.
SCHOOL FEAST DAY
Last Sunday, 15 August, was our school’s feast day, The Assumption. This
year it also commemorates the 160th anniversary of the blessing and opening of Stella Maris Church. I’m sure many of our parents have memories of weddings or receiving sacraments in this quaint, little church and it has certainly played an important role in the faith life of many families.
REMOTE LEARNING
A co-signed letter from myself and the Diocesan Director Peter Hill has been sent to parents today, requesting that children are kept at home for remote learning, unless there is no option for parents to work from home or there are learning or pastoral concerns. The recent positive cases at local venues including Shell Cove Woolworths, together with the fact that children of Primary School age are contracting the Delta strain of the virus, is of great concern for all of us. As the NSW Health and Government advice is to keep children at home, I am aware that more children are attending school each day with the feedback being that the challenge of working from home and assisting children with their learning is becoming too difficult. At the end of next week a new Google Form will be circulated to parents, if the current situation continues until the end of term. I am asking parents to re-consider whether their children should be coming to school, given the heightened concerns in Shellharbour.
NAPLAN
We are expecting this year’s NAPLAN results to be available for Years 3 and 5 parents in the next few weeks. Parents are reminded that these tests are merely one aspect of a comprehensive assessment process that is conducted by staff on an ongoing basis. If any parents are concerned however, with their students results in literacy and/or numeracy, they are to contact their class teacher.
BOOK WEEK
As reported in the previous newsletter, this year’s Book Week Parade will be conducted via a virtual platform for those who wish to participate. Parents are asked to take a photo or 5 second video (in landscape orientation) of your child or children dressed in a character costume holding the book. Please post the photo or video to this link: https://forms.gle/xjSmHgc5sy2FCexm9 by next Thursday 26 August.
STUDENT WORKBOOKS
We will not be sending student workbooks and reflection sheets home at
the end of the term due to the majority of students learning at home. Parents are however, encouraged to have regular check-ins with their children to discuss how they are progressing with their learning tasks.
COUNSELLING SUPPORT
We are indeed fortunate to have the support of CatholicCare in providing assistance for our students and their parents. Our Counsellor Bree Lord and our Pastoral
Support Worker (chaplain) Grant Dodds, provide ongoing support in areas such as resilience, social skills, anxiety and maintaining right relationships. Both are currently providing their services via online platforms, which is excellent in these challenging times of remote learning. Parents are encouraged to discuss concerns with either myself or the class teachers and referral forms for counselling are available at school. Grant is also still connecting with the Mini Vinnies (Stage 3) students and providing them with projects to undertake whilst they are learning from home.
CYBER SAFETY: TOO MUCH TIME ONLINE
At the moment it is important to remember that some of the time your children spend online will be related to their education (remote learning). If however, their online activity is not always focussed on learning and appears to negatively impact on their behavior or wellbeing, it may be time to discuss the matter. Some tips in this area include:
- The longer you wait to address the issue, the more difficult it can be to overcome.
- Talk to your child about the concerns you have and monitor what games, apps and devices are bought or used by your child.
- Install a program on the device your child is using which can be adjusted to limit the amount of time an internet connection will be available on that device.
- Implement family agreements about the amount of time your child can spend online. Set boundaries regarding where and when devices can be used and keep to them.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Many disciples desert Jesus.
All Saints Catholic Parish Shellharbour
Mass times: All Saints Church - All Masses have been cancelled till further notice.
Please visit the online Masses @allsaintsshellharbourcity
19 College Ave, Shellharbour City
Saturday 5.00pm Vigil
Sunday 9.00am, 5.00pm
Mass at Stella Maris has been put on hold until we have further information. Any missed masses will be rescheduled later on in Term 4.
Year 6 Blue Week 7 - 24 August TBC
Year 5 Gold Week 8 - 31 August TBC
Year 5 Blue Week 9 - 7 September TBC
Year 4 Gold Week 10 - 14 September TBC
Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady
On Sunday 15 August we celebrated the School Feast Day, The Feast of The Assumption of Our Lady.
According to our faith, the Holy Mother, “having completed her course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. The Assumption signals the end of Mary’s earthly life and marks her return to heaven to be reunited with Jesus.
Although we would have liked to have celebrated our Feast day as a community with a whole school mass under the COLA, we were still able to demonstrate our faith through our online community in Religious Education experiences. Students have been learning about the different Marys they know and have portrayed their images to share. Please find just some of their spectacular illustrations.
Confirmation | Shellharbour City Parish | 29 August 2021
As you may have anticipated due to the current ‘lockdown’ both the programmed upcoming Retreat/Preparation Day and Confirmation Day for this year’s Confirmation candidates have been cancelled and will be rescheduled. The rescheduled dates are yet to be advised:
TBA Retreat/preparation day
TBA Confirmation Masses at 11 am and 2 pm
We will be utilising the time preferences for Confirmation previously supplied. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to ask.
God Bless and Keep Safe
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
Canteen News
Unfortunately, at this time, our canteen is not permitted to open. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.