APRE NEWS
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM: The St Patrick’s Parish Sacramental Program commences on Tuesday 12th February at 7pm with the Parent Information Session. Students will prepare for and celebrate the sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Communion over Term One and Two.
After the Information Session, the program continues with an Enrolment Mass, followed by weekly Cluster Group meetings on either Thursday (3:00-4:15pm) or Sunday (10:15-11:00am), which parent and child attend together. The Parish requires a copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate.
An Information Sheet and Enrolment Form were sent home at the end of last year. Ideally, these forms would be complete and returned (with copy of Baptismal Certificate) by the end of Week 2. Please contact me via the School Office if you have any questions.
MERCY DAY: Last Friday we gathered with the staff of 5 other Mercy schools, to hear about, reflect and celebrate our shared Mercy heritage. The theme of “Know Mercy- Live Mercy -Be Mercy” was explained by several guest speakers, including Sisters of Mercy and those taught and influenced by the Mercy Sisters, particularly at St Saviour’s and All Hallows.
SSPS is the oldest Catholic primary school in the diocese, with the school/ church building opening at the end of 1863 and the first classes welcomed for the start of the 1864 school year. That means that this year is the 155th year of schooling at St Saviour’s Primary. While the school opened with a lay headmistress, the Sisters of Mercy arrived in 1873, with Sr Mary Rose appointed as Headmistress the following year.
While our Mercy Day last week covered many topics and gave us much to reflect on as a staff, as leadership and also with our students, it was reassuring and reaffirming to reconnect with our history, finding links back to Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, but who was first and foremost an educator and advocate for social justice.
Pastoral Care @ SSPS
Our Pastoral Care Team is made up of members of staff and parents. Our aim is to build community, letting our families know that we are thinking of them, in the good times and the not so good times. Over the years, we have supported over 100s of our families, including staff, mainly by providing a meal or some home baking, but we have also provided Coles vouchers, taxi vouchers, lifts for kids to school and done ironing.
We are looking for a few more parents who would be able to assist now and again:
- Cooking a meal to put into the freezer (meat, basic ingredients provided)
- Helping to set up and host a morning tea once a term here at school
- Baking some “goodies” to put in the freezer
- Letting the Pastoral Care Team know (via the Office) if someone is in need of a hand/ support
We meet about once a term, during school time, with the first meeting being on Friday of Week 3 (Feb 15 @ 8:40am) in the Community Room. If you are unable to attend meetings but would like to be a part of the team, I can email you the notes from the meeting so that you know what is coming up.
“What goes around, comes around”. We have had several families who have received a meal from the Pastoral Care Team and then down the track, they have sent in a meal to go into the freezer to be used for another family.
If you would like more information, please contact me:
(p) 46371558 (e) judy.smith@twb.catholic.edu.au
Term One Dates for your Diary:
Feb 12 (Tuesday): Start of Sacramental Program
Feb 17 (Sunday): Choir singing at 9am Sunday Mass
March 17 (Sunday): School/ Parish Mass + Choir + Readers+ morning tea etc (St Patrick’s Day)
March 29 (6pm) or March 30 (10am): First Reconciliation (Sacramental Program)