This Sunday is the feast of Christ the King, the day we would normally be celebrating First Holy Communion but this has been put back a few weeks due to COVID restrictions. Please pray for the students who are currently preparing for the Sacrament which will be held on Saturday 4^th December.

On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. This feast expresses the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of the Universe. 

This Solemnity is a newer feast in the Catholic Church, it was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925. The First World War had just come to an end. Secularism was on the rise and dangerous dictatorships were emerging in Europe and beyond. Christ had long been referred to as King, but the Pope could see the respect and reverence for Christ’s authority waning in the midst of the unrest during the early part of the 20th century. In response, the feast was set with the intent to reaffirm and refocus faith and respect in the kingship of Jesus.

It is hoped that people would gain strength and courage from the celebration, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills and bodies. Christ is God, the Creator of the universe, and hence extends his supreme power over all things; “All things were created by Him”.  Secondly, Christ is our Redeemer; and thirdly, Christ is Head of the Church.

One of the best ways to know Jesus is to go about helping others to know him. 

The 2021 Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition’s official opening will be a virtual event. It will provide a unique opportunity for students to gather with family and friends to join in the celebrations and announcement of the official awards and finalists.

Please find below the link to the premiere event streaming on 24 November 2021 from 7.00 pm www.dow.catholic.edu.au/christmasart

There will be four major awards presented this year:

● The Bishop’s Choice Award selected and presented by Bishop Brian Mascord to an entry that most powerfully represents the Christmas Message.

● The Director’s Christmas Story Award selected and presented by Peter Hill, Director of Schools, to an entry that best expresses the essence of Christmas and the message of peace, hope and joy.

● The CatholicCare Star of Hope Award selected and presented by Michael Austin, Director of CatholicCare Wollongong, to an entry that best reflects the sense of wonder and possibility of Christmas, inspiring positive action.

● The Packing Room Prize selected by CEO staff and presented by David Gearin, Education Officer (Social Justice) and Chair of the CEO’s Faith in Action Committee. This prize serves as a fundraiser for CatholicCare Wollongong.

There will be a selection of finalists from Year 5 and Year 6, who along with the major award winners will proceed to the Sydney Catholic School Exhibition and Competition. There will also be a number of Highly Commended certificates awarded to both Years 5 and 6 students. Certificates and trophies will be delivered to participating schools prior to the virtual event.

Year 5 Leadership Day

On Wednesday our Year 5 students participated in a Leadership program, ‘Explore, Discover Act’  in preparation for being a responsible team leader in Year 6. The focus of the program is to L.E.A.D. with Courage and is designed for Stage 3 leaders.

Throughout the day the students undertook activities to:            

Explore (the possibilities) – Examine and process personal and shared leadership by building an individual and shared connection, understanding and vocabulary.

Discover (potential) – Engage in challenges and reflection that build awareness and appreciation of our ability to L.E.A.D. within our daily thoughts, words and actions.

Act (authentically) – Connect learning to leadership environments, to empower participants with meaningful action beyond the program and transferable skills, attitudes and behaviours.

Develop an increased awareness of, and deepening connection to, self, others and the world around us.

Develop an appreciation for the ability to L.E.A.D. in all daily thoughts, words and actions.

Value the role of connection and interdependence while working towards authentic goals.

Express an attitude and sense of empowerment while continuing the learning and leadership journey.

This program is the introduction to the program that Yr 6 will participate in on a regular basis next year. This will be the third year that we have run this program as we have found it extremely valuable.

Buddy Bench

If you haven’t seen the facebook video that explains a new initiative developed by two of our Year 6 students showing great leadership skills, it is well worth watching. https://www.facebook.com/STA.Bowral/videos/928355471451214

Reminders

We please ask that students leave bringing Christmas cards etc. to school to hand out until Week 10 and that they do not bring candy canes to school.  We hope to keep the students settled and focused on the work that is still taking place in classrooms.

Just a reminder to ensure that we are considerate of our neighbours and keep their driveways clear during drop off and pickup times. We finally have our long-awaited crossing supervisor who is doing a great job and will make it easier for our supervision of students.

Parish News - Fr Sean

Diocese celebrates 70th anniversary of the decree of its foundation and first bishop!

Exactly 70 years ago on 15 November 1951, a decree came from Pope Pius XII accepting the joint petition of Cardinal Gilroy of Sydney and Archbishop Terence McGuire of Canberra and Goulburn detaching parts of their respective dioceses to found our beautiful Diocese of Wollongong! The pope also announced that Bishop Thomas McCabe would be the first bishop of Wollongong. Neil Dwyer (Archivist at Lumen Christi Parishes Wollongong) has written a fascinating article detailing Part 1 of the complete history of the establishment of our diocese. You can read the article at: dow.sh/70thPart1

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Between now and Christmas, I will try and provide more convenient times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as Saturdays before Mass is a little problematic.

Reconciliation will be next available on Tuesday 30 November, 2021 from 6.00 p.m. – 7.00 p.m. in St Thomas Aquinas Church.

Adoration

Holy Hour with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be held this Wednesday 24 November, 2021 at 8.00 a.m. – 9.00 a.m.

Have a lovely week!

Kayleen Petzer
Principal 

School Fees

Due to several excursions, etc not going ahead this year, fee credits for every student have been processed and should be reflected in your school fee account.  If you have any questions please speak with Shauna in the office.

Fees for 2022 will be billed at the beginning of January and are due 28 days later.  If you wish to pay by instalments please complete the form which was sent out via Compass this week.

STA Uniform Shop

We have quite a lot of second-hand uniforms for sale in the P & F Uniform Shop @ $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.