Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Sunday we celebrate and acknowledge the fathers and father figures in our lives. I sincerely hope that the day is surrounded by love, kindness and compassion. Fathers and father figures play such an important role in our lives, they teach us how to love, how to care and how to be the best that we can be.
We look forward to celebrating with our Stella Maris Father’s day breakfast tomorrow. Thank you to all the volunteers for their tireless work behind the scenes and on the day.
Here is a Father’s day prayer that I share with all the important people in our lives that play this role for us.
God our Father,
We give thanks and praise for fathers young and old.
We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation;
May they find courage and perseverance to balance work,
family and faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering;
May they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor
and guide us with fatherly love and advice.
We remember fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers
who are no longer with us, but who live forever in our memory
and nourish us with their love.
Amen
This week marks a significant week in the protection of children. National Child Protection Week is a campaign held annually across Australia to raise awareness of child safety and child abuse prevention.
This week is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the protection of the children and young people in our care. We strive also to support all of our students to learn to develop respectful relationships with others.
Child Protection Week is an opportunity to raise awareness about child protection systems and preventative strategies for safeguarding children in our schools.
It is only fitting that this Sunday ends the week with Child Protection Sunday to be held in each parish community. It is an opportunity to come together as a community and pray. In the words of Pope Francis in his letter;
May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of conversion and the interior anointing needed to express before these crimes of abuse our compunction and our resolve courageously to combat them.
If you would like to access further support or resources in the area of Child protection please find below some useful links.
NAPCAN | National Child Protection Week
https://www.napcan.org.au/national-child-protection-week/
eSafety Free Virtual Classrooms as part of National Child Protection Week
https://www.napcan.org.au/esafety-free-virtual-classrooms-as-part-of-national-child-protection-week/
Season of Creation
September has been designated the Season of Creation. It is an annual worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our Common Home, running from 1 September – the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation – to 4 October – the feast of St Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis launched this season at the Vatican, saying, ‘We should be united in showing mercy to the earth as our common home and cherishing the world in which we live as a place for sharing and communion’. Now, every member of the Christian world is called to engage in this season prayerfully and courageously. So, let us join our individual and collective efforts to protect this Common Home we love.
God Bless
Alicia Sanchez-Levine
Religious Education Coordinator
School News
Mass at Stella Maris
Grade Masses also take place at our Stella Maris Church on Tuesdays at 9:30am. Parents, grandparents and carers are most welcome to attend. Please find below a schedule of the Masses in Term 3
Yr 3 Week 7, 29 August
Yr 5 Week 8, 5 September
Yr 1 Week 9, 12 September
Kinder Week 10, 19 September
Join us for a Cuppa!
Additionally, we would like to invite parents, grandparents and carers to please join us for a cup of tea or coffee after Mass in the school staffroom. Simply follow the students, Mrs Sanchez-Levine or Mrs Hughes through the gates after Mass to join us for a 30 minute informal gathering.
Parish News
This Sunday’s Gospel
Jesus reveals his future death, rebukes Peter.
All Saints Catholic Parish Shellharbour
Mass times: All Saints Church
19 College Ave, Shellharbour City
Saturday 5.00pm Vigil
Sunday 9.00am, 5.00pm
Mass at All Saints
Please come and join us as we celebrate Mass together on the following weekend dates:
Kindergarten (ES1) Saturday 2 September 5pm …Father’s Day
Year 3-6 (Stage 2/3) Saturday 28 October 5pm
The Sacraments
First Holy Communion - Year 3 or Older
The information session and name recording for First Holy Communion will occur on Thursday 7 September in the Parish Hall from 7-8pm.
Enrolment forms will be distributed on the 9 and 10 September after Mass.
The Celebration of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion will be on Sunday 26 November 2023 11am & 2pm.
If there are any questions related to any of the Sacraments, please contact the parish office via email shellharbourcity@dow.org.au
Father Joe’s 30th Ordination Anniversary Mass
The Stella Maris Community would like to extend our sincere wishes to Father Joe who celebrated his 30th anniversary as a priest on the weekend. There was a beautiful Mass on Saturday 26 August with all his colleagues, friends and family. Praise the Lord!
POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS FOR LEARNING (PB4L)
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L), ensures a safe and predictable environment for all students at Stella Maris. During the first week of each school term, the teachers revise the four Bs (school rules) in liaison with the students. They revise what it looks like to Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Proactive and Be Safe in the non-classroom and classroom settings. These specific behaviour expectations are then displayed under the school rules visible for all to see and refer to.
At Stella Maris, we Reverence the Story of all People by following these rules. There are numerous examples of how we all can be respectful, responsible, proactive and safe:
|
Be Respectful (Treating others well) |
|
|
Be Responsible (Leading by example) |
|
|
Be Proactive (Making good choices) |
|
|
Be Safe (Protecting myself and others) |
|
School Swimming Carnival
A date has finally been locked in for our 2023 Stella Maris Swimming Carnival. This event will be held at Oak Flats Pool on Thursday 23 November.
All students in Years 3 - 6 will attend the carnival and any Year 2 students who are capable of swimming 50m. More information about the carnival will be sent out via Compass.
Catholic Schools Tag and Tackle Legends Gala Day:
On Thursday 24 August, students in years 5 & 6 participated in the annual Catholic School Tag and Tackle Legends Gala Day. The students had a fantastic time competing against lots of other schools across our Diocese. Once again, the students showed great skill, athleticism and were great representatives of the school.
A big thank you to all of the parent volunteers who assisted on the day, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Canteen News
We are a school run canteen and rely on volunteers to operate.
Canteen is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to make and prepare lunch orders and serve the children over the counter.
Online orders can be made via the My School Connect app - www.myschoolconnect.com.au/stellamarisps click on create account.