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Beatitudes of Nature
Blessed is the tree which takes time to sink deep roots,
it shows us what we have to do in order to withstand the storm.
Blessed is the seed which falls on good soil and so produces a rich harvest,
it shows us what happens when we take the word of God to heart.
Blessed is the vine which, having been pruned, becomes all the more fruitful,
it shows us the benefit of self-denial.
Blessed are the flowers of the fields,
their beauty bears witness to God’s prodigal artistry.
Blessed are the ubiquitous sparrows,
their carefree attitude to life gives us a lesson to trust in providence.
Blessed is the wind, come from where we do not know,
to set sails in motion, to breathe life into dying embers.
Blessed is the rain which falls without favour on all fields,
in it we see the reflection of God’s indiscriminate love for all God’s children.
Amen
Donal Harrington / Julie Kavanagh
Friday 21 September
The newsletter can also be accessed on Friday morning (Day 10) on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au
MONDAY 10th SEPTEMBER
Immunisations for the second dose of the HPV vaccination for
Year 7 Boys & Girls will be held between
9.00-10.40am on Monday, 10th September.
Kingdom Builders.
Currently the Year 8’s are exploring what does the Kingdom of God look like and what do we need to do as individuals and as a group to bring about the Kingdom of God. The mass this week run by 8 Clark contained scripture readings on how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God and they concluded the mass with this reflection:
Communion Reflection (Lesina)
When I was hungry you gave me food
And when I was thirsty you refreshed me;
I was lonely and you gave me your time
Homeless and you tried to put a roof over my head
I was victim of violence and greed and you fought for my rights,
I was a refugee and you took me in
When Lord? When? We will say,
Because we never see you , nor do we know you suffer still.
We wonder at so much inequality in the world
And it makes us angry, frustrated, helpless.
Sometimes you don’t seem to be much help
Remote, outside it all and we say
Why didn’t you make it all different
When Lord, when? We will say,
And all you say, with a tear in your voice and hope in your heart
What you did for them, you did for me.
Kingdom Builder Teresa of Calcutta
On Sunday 4th September Pope Francis proclaimed Mother Teresa a saint, bestowing the Catholic Church’s highest honor on one of the most widely admired public figures in recent history.
Born to an ethnic Albanian family in what is now Macedonia, the diminutive Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 with 12 followers in Kolkata, India. The order now runs hospices, homeless shelters and other services for the destitute in 139 countries.
In his homily, Pope Francis recalled the new saint as she confronted the “powers of this world” with “their guilt for the crime of poverty they created.”
Year 10 Reflection Day
On Tuesday 4th September the Year 10’s experienced their Reflection Day. On this day students explored the world today and the mark they want to leave on it. They looked at how they are God’s hands, heart and mind here on earth.
On all accounts the day was a wonderful experience and one that the students and staff will remember fondly.
I would like to thank the students for their positive contributions and the staff who attended each venue for their hard work. In particular, I would like to extend a huge thanks to Marcelle Gusman, Eder Ramos, Justin Mead, and Daniela Ibrido for their leadership on the day. Thank you also to Fr Gerard Keith, Maurie Coonie and Fr Tuan Do for leading us in Mass at the end of the day.
Here are some photos of the day:
SCHOOL FEES 2018
We encourage families that are not on a payment plan to pay their school fees either fortnightly or monthly as there is only 2 months of school left.
Net Banking …..
A reminder to families who are using Internet Banking for payment of school fees, that it is important you enter the I.D. number and child’s family name which is located on the bottom right hand corner of your statement as shown below:
For concerns regarding school fees, please Contact Mrs Ross : 9366 2544
CHANGED YOUR CONTACT DETAILS ?
Families are reminded that the school
needs to be notified immediately if you
have changed your phone contact details
or have moved to another address.
Please contact the office on: 9366 2544
to inform us of any changes.
CSPV Newsletter
The August edition of the CSPV newsletter can be accessed via the link below. It is well worth a browse for families. This issue covers:
- Supporting children with transition from primary to secondary.
- Assisting students in subject selection and understanding pathways.
- The school funding debate, and much more.
As this week, 2 – 8 September marks eSmart week, we’ve reprinted the article ‘Fortnite: what is all the fuss about’ for families.
Fortnite; what is all the fuss about?
No doubt you will have heard by now that the latest game among many other online trends for children is Fortnite. If you’re like me and you have a son, you will have inevitably had the conversation about the game and the possibility of playing this along with all the other children who seem to be on this game at school. Many children are playing this game in primary school and even though as parents we want our children to fit in and be able to socialise online with other children, in primary level our children don’t necessarily have the maturity or the self-management skills to be able to manage this new trend. There is constant pressure on children to get the latest gadget or be a part of the latest game and it can become a nightmare for parents to manage themselves. It is a minefield our own parents never had to navigate so we are left to work it out without fully understanding the consequences.
A recent article by Dr Kristy Goodwin provides facts rather than alarmist commentary on the game to enable parents to make informed decisions rather than taking advice from others that may not be based on fact.
Dr Goodwin states, “In its simplest form, Fortnite is a shooting and killing game. The purpose is to literally survive by killing other players- be the last person standing and you’re declared the winner. In order to win, players need to build infrastructure to protect themselves and accumulate additional weapons to attack. Unlike other shooting games, with Fortnite Battle Royale, once you are dead, that is it. You cannot be ‘respawned’ nor given a second life, as is often the case in other games.”
She says the appeal of the game is the cartoon-like characters and the other quirky features such as dance moves and other challenges. Players can engage in dance moves in the game, making it quite light-hearted and fun. Some of these dance moves have transferred off-screen and have ‘gone viral’ with most parents having seen (maybe even attempted) the ‘floss’. This social appeal makes the game even more appealing and adds to the social capital that the game has cleverly established.”
The challenge for parents is in understanding this new social environment and how this impacts their child’s capacity to engage and build online friendships with others. It impacts both their online socialising skills as well as offline. When all other children are playing the game and discussing it at school, those who are not playing the game are left out or not able to participate in discussions. This can then impact their social wellbeing. “it’s the multi-player aspect that’s really why this game has had mass appeal. Kids are biologically wired for relational connection,” says Kristy.
So as a parent, what choices do you have? Do you prevent your child from connecting with others online, therefore impacting their offline social interactions, or do you allow your child to join in and follow the crowd? These are the dilemmas facing parents in their often hectic family lives. Many parents worry their children are becoming addicted as they demand to be on the games more often so they don’t let their teams down. Many a parent would be cursing these games for their design in how they force children to have to be on them every day.
However, parents do have a choice in what environment they would like their children to be learning in. Dr Goodwin suggests, “Families each need to use their own moral compass as to whether this is something they’re comfortable with and also determine if their child has the emotional resources and maturity to process such content.”
“We need to remember that kids have mirror neurons meaning that they are wired to imitate. So for younger children, typically under eight to ten years, who are still learning to distinguish fiction from reality, playing these types of shooting games can be problematic as they copy what they’re watching and playing. We need to ensure, regardless of their age, that we have ongoing conversations with kids and teens about appropriate and socially-acceptable behaviour off-screen.”
Ultimately it is worth identifying the pros and cons and understanding your child and what impact this type of game can have on them. Is it impacting their home life, their school work, their ability to socialise off-line and is it worth all the arguments? You also need to assess the level of maturity of your child and lead by example by following the recommendation that the game is not for children under the age of 12.
If your child is old enough to play the game, Dr Goodwin suggests you:
Set time limits
Use parental controls
Turn off voice chat
Encourage your child to play the game in an area of the home where you can see them and monitor what is happening.
Play with your child to build your understanding of the game and show interest
Restrict access at night and before school in the morning
Have ongoing conversations about violence and online safety
As your child grows older no doubt there will be another new game or online trend they will be interested in but at least you will have had conversations and set expectations around what your child is ready for and how often they can play.
SACCSS Interschool Athletics Carnival
Some of our students attended the SACCSS Interschool Athletics Carnival on Monday. The school was well represented with many accolades throughout the day. Overall it was a great event and three of our students did exceptionally well. Maire McEvoy won the 13yo Girls Individual Medal. Agel Thon won the 17-20yo Womens Individual Medal and Augustine Morris won the 15yo Boys Individual Medal.
Congratulations to Maire on breaking the Triple Jump record, with a 10.08 metre jump, beating the previous record of 9.25 metres. Well done!
A great team effort to all who participated!
New section in the Library
TRUE STORIES
[Tall tales and true]
Footballers, singers, actors and those who survived.
Read about:
- surviving 72 days stranded high in the Andes,
- walking on the Moon
- battling a Perfect Storm
- or fighting with your platoon
- 127 hours trapped by the arm
- battle Kokoda
- spy against the Nazis
- survive Cyclone Tracy
- the Bombing of Darwin
CHECK OUT THE TRUE STORIES SECTION
AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND
Every Friday Morning ...
Reader's Cup ...
Congratulations to 8 Orifici and 9 Curtin for moving up a place on the ladder AND a SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to 7 Wimmera for exceeding 500 books borrowed so far this year!
