Dear families,
We have made it to the end of another week. I hope you are all travelling well especially in view of today’s announcement regarding the 5 day lockdown in Victoria.
We have sent a message via Operoo to all families letting you know what our plans are. If you are an essential worker, please ensure that you book your child for supervision at school by answering the questions in the letter.
This week we heard the news that the Altona refinery will be shutting down. We know that many of our families and their friends will be affected by this news. Please know you are in our thoughts and if there is anything St Mary’s can do to help in any way, do not hesitate to contact us.
I have been asked to share a letter from the archbishop with you. You can find it here.
Finally, as we prepare to enter the season of Lent in our Church, I pray we all find time to work on our relationship with God and with each other and that this time of reflection be fruitful and sustaining.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Sonia
She works extensively with children experiencing grief/loss issues, anxiety and depression with a focus on developing children's social, emotional, and communication skills to promote holistic personality development.
We are pleased to be able to offer counselling services for children who might benefit from support in these areas.
If you would like your child to see Rishika for individual or small group sessions, please contact Marg Masseni who will pass the referrral forms on to you.
If you have any questions or queries please don't hesitate to contact Marg for more information.
mmasseni@smaltona.catholic.edu.au
While our aim was to hold Reconciliations in Year 3, Eucharists in Year 4 and Confirmations in Year 6, this did not happen last year and so the Year 4 students in 2021 will celebrate both Reconciliation and Eucharist.
Reconciliation:
This Sacrament will be celebrated by all eligible Year 3 and 4 students. It will be organised so that groups of 6 students and their families can book in with me to attend either the 9:15am or 6pm Saturday Mass in our parish Church and stay behind afterwards for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. More information on when and how to book will follow in subsequent newsletters. The following Saturdays are available for booking 1/5, 8/5, 15/5, 22/5, 29/5 and the 5/6 so please check your diaries and have a couple of options in mind for when bookings do commence.
Eucharist:
This Sacrament will be celebrated in class groups by all eligible Year 4 students. This keeps the numbers manageable and allows plenty of room for children to have more guests/family in attendance than if we did fewer ceremonies. The Masses will be held in our parish Church on Saturday nights at 6 pm on:
21/8 for Year 3/4S
28/8 for Year 3/4B
4/9 for Year 3/4A
11/9 for Year 4/5L
Confirmation:
This Sacrament will be celebrated by all eligible Year 6 students. The Mass will be held on Saturday the 23rd of October at 6pm in our parish Church.
We are unable to announce further dates or details as we are still reviewing restrictions and current guidelines to see what parent/family information nights or workshops may be possible in 2021. We thank you for your understanding at this time while we work to ensure the inclusion and safety of all concerned as best we can.
Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor
Religious Education Leader
It is with heavy hearts that we announce we will be cancelling our Beginning of Year Picnic /Buddy Night. In light of the uncertainty surrounding COVID cases at the moment, we felt that it would be irresponsible for us to hold a whole school/family event.
We will be filming our beginning of year liturgy and leader presentations so that families can watch the recorded event.