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Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday. On the feast of the Most Holy Trinity the church invites us to reflect on the central and most inexplicable mystery of our faith, the mystery of who God is. In our practice of Christian Life, every Christian remembers, often in prayer and during the daily routine, the Trinity. Each time we make the sign of the cross, we say: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
God has revealed Himself as one God with three persons. He is the Father who Creates, He is the Son who Redeems, He is the Spirit who empowers. We are baptized in the name of all three because the disciples of Jesus both benefit from and manifest all three persons of the Trinity. We have been created by God and are called to share in His creation and stewardship of life. We are called to live as new beings. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works through us empowering us to bring Christ to others and others to Christ.
Father,
You sent your Word to bring us truth
And your Spirit to make us holy.
Through them we come to know the mystery of your life.
Help us to worship you, one God in three Persons,
By proclaiming and living our faith in you.
Roundabout
Some of you may already be aware that there is going to be a roundabout constructed at the intersection of Bundaroo and Bendooley Streets. This construction is due to commence at any time over the next couple of weeks. The roadworks will lead to major congestion outside the front of the school and the number of spaces in the drop off zone will be significantly reduced. During this time, it is advisable to use Victoria Street when dropping off or picking up students. Children who are currently collected from the side gate at 2:50 each afternoon will need to be collected from the back gate at that time in order to ease congestion. Once the roadwork is completed there will be changes to the parking out the front, what that will look like I am unsure of at the moment. I do know that there are plans for a pickup zone to be put in Victoria Street but this needs to go to the traffic committee. Once I know what is happening, I will send out a Compass alert to inform you.
Setting a Good Example Crossing the Road
Can I please ask that you set a good example for your children, and other children that might be watching, when crossing the road out the front of the school. Please use the pedestrian crossing and definitely don’t walk between buses as this can be extremely dangerous, especially if the children take your lead and do this when unaccompanied, as they may not be seen by the driver.
Could you please also ensure that you are on the school side of the road when you pick your children up.
Fortnite
We have had a few issues of late resulting from student use of the game Fortnite at home and bringing the arguments and problems to school. Just in case you aren’t aware, the Australia Classification Board (ACB) gives Fortnite an 'M' rating which means it is recommended for players ages 15 and up.
Semester One Reports & Interviews
You would have all received information regarding reports for this semester. The reports only go out to students from Years 1 -6, Kindergarten have an interview only for the first semester and a report at the end of the year. We have had a number of new students commence at our school this term. Those students won’t receive a written report however parents are invited to make an interview time so that you are able provide further information to the teachers and see how they are settling in.
Condolences
Please keep Mrs Anmarie Moroney and her family in your prayers. Mrs Moroney’s father passed away peacefully on the weekend.
Parish Masses
Although restrictions are slowly easing and we are now permitted to have up to 50 worshippers for Mass, there are still a number of Government and Diocesan directives with which we need to comply. One is the registering of all those who attend Mass and the retaining of those contact details for 4 weeks.
To streamline this process of registration, the Parish now have an online booking service, where you just nominate the Mass you would like to attend and provide contact details and how many will attend.
You can register by going to the parish website (www.ccsh.org.au) and follow the link to Mass registration. When you arrive for Mass, you will be greeted by a monitor who will tick your name off the list and direct you to where to sit.
This weekend (13/14 June) Mass times will be:
Vigil, Saturday 5pm
Sunday 8am
Sunday 9.30am
Sunday 11am
Sunday 6pm
Please remember that all Masses will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, because of the social distancing requirements. We are fortunate that we have a Church which will easily accommodate 50 worshippers and even 100 when restrictions further ease.
Given the circumstances, Mass times are a bit fluid at the moment. Father Sean would welcome your feedback as to their suitability. For weekday Masses, you no longer need to book, but you must sign in with your name and contact details when you arrive for Mass, or you can register online.
There are Government and Diocesan directives which have to be followed. Most of the government ones are known to you, but a couple of Diocesan ones will feel very strange to us. For example, congregational singing is prohibited; Holy Communion will be distributed only on the hand and the Precious Blood will cease to be offered from the chalice; no physical touching at the sign of peace; collection plates will no longer be passed through the Church.
All of these conditions are contained in the directives which are available on our Parish website and the Diocese of Wollongong website.
As you enter and leave the Church, there will be baskets clearly marked first and second collection. Please give generously and thank you to those who have continued to donate while we have been in lockdown. Direct debit is the easiest way to contribute to the income of the parish. If you would like to join, please contact the office.
Mass and liturgy services will continue to be posted online through the Parish YouTube channel. I encourage you to still participate in Mass by viewing them online.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7S6wrESEOUqrF9Ppp7mDvg
Have a lovely week.
Kayleen Petzer

Students presenting at sick bay
We have been advised by the CEDoW that if a student is absent or presents at sick bay with flu-like symptoms (as outlined by NSW Health below), a negative COVID clearance is required before they can return to school:
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Fever
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Coughing
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Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
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Sore throat
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Loss of smell or taste
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Please note: the requirement is for a COVID clearance
If your child has undergone a COVID test, could you please email through a screen shot of the message received from NSW Health.
Thank you for your support of this requirement due to the impact of Coronavirus.
Absent notes in Compass
If you are entering an absence for your child in Compass, can you enter the details only of the absence. If you wish to advise the school of any other information regarding your child, could you please ring or email the school office. Thank you.
Afternoon pick-up reminder
The 2 minute drive-through afternoon pick-up process is only for parents of Kindergarten students or parents who have toddlers in the car. For all other students, the side-gate option at 2.50 pm is available. Thank you for your support.
STA Uniform Shop
This is located adjacent to the school office and we sell hats, bags, beanies, gloves and scarves. At present we are out of stock of beanies but hope to have these shortly. EFTPOS is available for new stock.
The P & F 2nd hand Uniform Shop is open 2.30pm - 3pm each Monday for the sale of items @ $2 per item. The money raised from these sales will be donated to St Vincent de Paul at the end of the year.
for 2nd hand items. Donations gratefully accepted.
Consent for use of your child's work/image
If you have not completed this form, could you please do so and return as soon as possible, thank you.
Canteen
The full menu is now available.
The canteen is open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday (breakfast [8.30 - 9], recess & lunch) and the menu is attached.
Please send in your order in a brown paper bag with money.
If you need to send through an order via email, please email us at mail@stabdow.catholic.edu.au and send the money in with your child.
Just a reminder that we do our best to be a nut-free school and appreciate that you don't send any nut products to school with your child.
Don't forget you can also catch us on our Facebook page.