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Gospel Reflection
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over! Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.’ Luke 12:49-50
This week’s short and sharp gospel brings to mind two popular sayings (sometimes regarded as blessings, and sometimes regarded as curses). The first is fictitiously ascribed as an ancient Chinese saying, 'May you live in interesting times!' The inference of the blessing/curse is that ‘interesting times’ equate to disturbing, tumultuous times or times of rapid change. Some people thrive on such change and upheaval, while others dread the thought of change.
The second blessing/curse is, 'May the peace of Christ disturb you!' It occasionally turns up around Christmas or Easter and is sometimes provocatively used by those who advocate for justice and peace. The saying cuts to the heart of what Jesus says in today’s gospel: the message he brings is not a cosy, complacent peace, but rather a message that confronts and challenges, even turning loved ones against each other.
Jesus reminds us that if we take on his message of compassion, hospitality and table fellowship then it can set us apart from those who have not accepted the message – even family members. It’s a challenging message that even love and loyalty within a family can be disrupted by seeking to authentically live the model of Jesus. If we authentically place the needs of the lowly and the outcast ahead of our own and ahead of our family, then this can be very confronting and very disrupting. What are the consequences for family gatherings? What might the gathering at Christmas dinner look like if we take this message seriously?
Reflection by Greg Sunter
Inspiration from St Mary MacKillop
The quote ‘We must teach more by example than by word’ from St Mary MacKillop is something which I have always held dear to my heart. It is something that rings true, even more so since having my own children, and seeing that often they will follow my example more readily than they will do what I ask if I’m not doing it myself.
By showing others through our actions how we want them to be, we are providing an example of how to not only say what is right, but do what is right. St Mary MacKillop lived her whole life staying true to who she was, a strong woman of faith and courage, and her story today is one which we can all find inspiration in.
For me this quote is all about action. What are we doing that shows who we are? If we want our children to get off of their phones or computers, are we doing the same? If we want them to talk nicely to us, are we setting the example? If we want them to stay calm and approach new experiences with strength and courage, are we modelling what this looks like?
Over the next few weeks look out for those times when you can show your children what you mean through your actions. By being a positive role model we are inviting them to join us in our space. If we can nurture through example what we want to see, we are much more likely to have our children listen to us, and then follow in our footsteps.
God Bless,
Michael.
This term is already going by quickly. We have now finished Week 4 and have had a great start to all the learning and activities in the school. Students are settled in class learning time and teachers are providing them with great learning opportunities. In the next few weeks we have lots of events and celebrations coming up, and we hope that families are able to join us for some of them.
This week I was pleased to be able to hold my first School Board meeting at OLOR. I am passionate about having families working in partnership with the school to help map out the future directions of the school and make plans for enhancing the school, its resources, practices and priorities. I thank those on the School Board who have an obvious passion for making OLOR the best school that it can be. In future meetings we will look at what the possibilities are for OLOR in the next 5-10 years.
COVID is an ongoing concern in our school and in the wider community. This week you should have received two single packs of RATs for each child in your family at school. As the accompanying letter outlined, these are to be stored at home and used in the event of a classroom outbreak of more than 5 cases within a week, or at the beginning of certain events like school camps. The Catholic Education Office has worked with SA Health to make the classroom outbreak situation easier on families, who previously were asked to organise a PCR test for their child if more than 5 cases occurred in any class over a week. Having the RATs available at home will hopefully allow families and students to have more confidence that their child is safe coming to school. As always, I ask families to please let us know ASAP if your child tests positive so we can maintain a safe environment for all of our community.
Next week we celebrate Book Week. This year's theme “Dreaming With Eyes Open”, is a great description of what happens when we read a great book. We get lost in a world that comes from the author’s imagination, but is enhanced by and influenced by our own imagination. Books create life-long memories, as well as support literacy and learning skills across all areas of the curriculum. We look forward to our Book Week parade next Wednesday at 9am in the hall, Families are welcome to join us. Hopefully we see some great costumes about the theme, or about a character or book that your child loves and wants to share with others.
We also celebrate Catholic Schools Open Week next week. This is a week where we celebrate all of our Catholic schools in South Australia and promote them as great places to send your children. Catholic schools not only provide quality education, but also educate the whole child, spiritually as well as emotionally, socially and academically. Our values, based on those taught by Jesus, as well as the example of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, are the basis of how we bring students up to be honest, upright and respectful people of the future.
The Riverland Primary Schools Music Festival performance is also happening next Tuesday night. The choir have been practising the songs and preparing for months under the leadership of Miss DeGregorio. We wish them all the best as they prepare for what promises to be a great experience and wonderful opportunity to share their talents and join with other schools across the region. We also thank Jade for her efforts with coordinating this experience for our students.
We have been blessed to be able to celebrate two whole school Masses in the last few weeks. We celebrated the feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop in Week 3, and the Feast of the Assumption in Week 4. These celebrations are important in Catholic schools as they remind us that we are a part of the Catholic church, and our celebrations are intertwined together. They also are the ultimate expression of prayer in our schools. In coming weeks we will start celebrating Class Masses. I warmly invite families to join us for these.
In a few weeks we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with five of our students. This will be held in Loxton with students from St Albert’s as well as Our Lady of the River parish. The Sacrament of Confirmation is a very special one, as it is when students stand up for themselves, revisiting the promises and statements made for them by their parents and Godparents in baptism, and accept these as their own. It is through Confirmation that they become full adult members of the church, having ‘confirmed’ their beliefs for themselves. Sadly, Bishop Karol is unable to preside this year, as he will be attending Bishop’s Formation in Rome at the time. Fr Paul will preside and we look forward to a wonderful celebration.
If you know someone who is interested in enrolling their child at OLOR in 2023, please ask them to get in contact. We have already received numerous requests for enrolment in 2023, with a considerable number already in our Foundation class for next year. This will also help inform our plans around staffing and class allocations as well. We thank families for their interest in OLOR and look forward to a vibrant future ahead for the school.
Building Self Esteem
Sometimes it's easy to notice when kids seem to feel good about themselves — and when they don't. We often describe this idea of feeling good about ourselves as "self-esteem."
Kids with self-esteem:
- feel liked and accepted
- feel confident
- feel proud of what they can do
- think good things about themselves
- believe in themselves
Kids with low self-esteem:
- are self-critical and hard on themselves
- feel they're not as good as other kids
- think of the times they fail rather than when they succeed
- lack confidence
- doubt they can do things well
Why Self-Esteem Matters
Kids who feel good about themselves have the confidence to try new things. They are more likely to try their best. They feel proud of what they can do. Self-esteem helps kids cope with mistakes. It helps kids try again, even if they fail at first. As a result, self-esteem helps kids do better at school, at home, and with friends.
Kids with low self-esteem feel unsure of themselves. If they think others won't accept them, they may not join in. They may let others treat them poorly. They may have a hard time standing up for themselves. They may give up easily, or not try at all. Kids with low self-esteem find it hard to cope when they make a mistake, lose, or fail. As a result, they may not do as well as they could.
raisingchildren.net.au is a great online resource available to help families grow and thrive together. Funded by the Australian Government, it is filled with articles, videos and interactive resources all tailored to different ages and on a range of relevant topics. I encourage you to have a look at what is available on their site. Find below a summary of their article on ‘Encouraging Good Behaviour’ in school age children. Children quickly learn how to behave when they get positive, consistent guidance.
Be a role model:
Use your own behaviour to guide your child. Your child watches you to get clues on how to behave and what you do is often much more important than what you say. For example, if you want your child to say ‘please’, say it yourself. If you don’t want your child to raise their voice, speak quietly and gently yourself.
Show your child how you feel:
Telling your child honestly how their behaviour affects you helps your child see their own feelings in yours. If you start sentences with ‘I’, it gives your child the chance to see things from your perspective. For example, ‘I’m feeling upset because there’s so much noise and I can’t talk on the phone.’
Catch your child being ‘good’:
When your child is behaving in a way you like, give your child some positive feedback. This positive feedback is sometimes called descriptive praise because it tells children specifically what they’re doing well. Try to make five positive comments for every negative comment. Remember that if children have a choice between no attention or negative attention, they’ll often seek out negative attention.
Book Week
A reminder next week is Book Week with the theme 'Dreaming with eyes open'.
Parents are invited to join us for a whole school Assembly Monday morning at 9am (school uniform), and again for our Book Week Parade on Wednesday morning at 9am (dress up day).
Here are a few students ready to celebrate Book Week, with some sharing their favourite short listed books.
Waste Warriors
Mass
Bailey's dinosaur kingdom
Red Nose Day Disco
Miss Roberts and Kayla are down in Adelaide coaching the girls in SAPSASA Soccer. Their team finished 3rd and had lots of fun. Wavely is representing OLOR in the boys team. They have had some convincing wins. Wavely scored 2 goals. The boys ended the carnival in 2nd.
We hope you enjoy our final entry for Wakakirri. We ask that you respect the privacy of our students by not sharing this link on social media.
Congratulations to the following students for their efforts:
Harleen Singh |
Olivia Stiles |
Ada Dalamagas |
Catie Camilleri |
Grace Li |
Zoe Stevens |
Alice Colligan |
Cailin Altus |
Ocea Vallelonga |
Xanadu Olney |
Ishmeet Kaur |
Siri Gudipati |
Jasreet Kaur |
Georgia Strong |
Tom Colligan |
Latesha Darvill |
Harsimran Kaur |
All students in Year 3-6 are invited to join our OLOR Dance Troupe on Wednesday mornings at 8:15am in the Hall.
Would you mind ensuring that your child's uniform and school items are clearly named to reduce the number of children looking for lost property? If your child does access spare clothes, please return these to the school.
A reminder that school uniform items are accessible through Tri-State Graphics, 216 Renmark Avenue, Renmark Ph: 8586 5815