APMI News
….experiencing FAITH in the Mercy Tradition
Dear families
Welcome back to the new school year. It is wonderful to see our staff and students back, looking refreshed and ready for a new year of opportunities, teaching and learning.
During the Professional Development week in which our staff took part before school began, we took the time to focus on how we can bring our values to life and see them in action. We really want to “walk the talk” as a staff and in turn support our students to do the same. Our Mercy values are based on the life of our foundress, Catherine McAuley but in essence we learn about the Gospel values from the best teacher of all, Jesus.
It is also a special year in the Catholic church – Pope Francis declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church. Every twenty-five years, the Catholic Church celebrates a sacred Jubilee to encourage special prayers and sacred pilgrimages. From Christmas Eve in 2024 to the Epiphany on January 6, 2026, Pope Francis invites us to be “Pilgrims of Hope.” Catholics are encouraged to embark on a holy journey, known as a pilgrimage, to Rome or other sacred sites closer to home. The holy doors of the four major basilicas are normally cemented shut, but during Jubilee Years they are opened! Pilgrims will enter these sacred buildings through the holy doors as a symbol of salvation through Jesus Christ, who once called himself “the gate” through which we are saved (Jn 10:9).
On Friday 19th January, our SSPS staff embarked on our own Pilgrimage through our own community of Toowoomba. We stopped at significant sites (Eg Mosque, Police memorial & Mother’s memorial and more) to listen, reflect on Scripture and pray. It was such a wonderful experience to share together and I thank our wonderful staff for their full participation.
Term 1 sees us celebrate our first whole school Mass together in Week 4 on Wednesday 19th February at 9.30am at St Patrick’s Cathedral. All are welcome! We’d love to see you there. This Mass not only brings a sense of Welcome to all, current and new students, but it will also be a celebration of 50 years of Service to SSPS by our very own Marg Doljanin. What a career! Looking back over those 50 years to Catholic Education, Marg has absolutely lived by our Mercy values of Service, Compassion and Excellence and it is our honour to celebrate a wonderful achievement with her at our Mass. Please join us.
In 2024, we began a very rewarding and worthwhile collegial relationship with the Profession Schindler Primary School in PNG. Orla & Lotte McDonald visited the school, founded by their Great, Great, Great Grandfather. (See photos attached of their visit) To continue this whole school Service activity to our friends in PNG, we are accepting donations of reading Books for the school – all types of reading books are gratefully accepted; Fiction, Non-Fiction books for all ages from Toddler to young adult. They are in need of quality texts. If you’ve ANY readers at home that are no longer being used, please drop them into the Primary school office at any time. This will be an ongoing need and the donations will be collected at different times throughout the year. Thank you for your support.
The new play space on our oval is being enjoyed by our students and part of the design included out door learning spaces by way of inclusion of the Yarning circle planning. We’d love to hear your ideas and thinking around how we can design this space in consultation with local artist Kim Walmsley. We want to hear your voice so that we can collaborate on ideas as to how we can best have this space reflect who we are as a community and in particular, those students who are First Australians. Email your thoughts and suggestions to ann-maree.ward@twb.catholic.edu.au Thank you for giving this your time and consideration.
A prayer for you as you journey through the year; Gracious God, your love brings us hope. Open our hearts for your precious gifts in this year of Jubilee. Help us to be willing to ‘reset’ our lives and to release all that binds the freedom of others. We pray in the name of our great teacher, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a peace and grace filled week. Be sure to do one thing that fills your cup and brings you joy.
Thanks for reading,
Ann-Maree Ward (Assistant Principal – Mission & Identity)
Save the date - St Patrick's Cathedral Parish invites you to celebrate St Patrick's Day on Saturday evening March 15 in the Cathedral centre. More to details to come.