Filter Content
- Reflection
- Principal's Message
- Student Awards
- St Thomas More's Feast Day
- Pass The Baton Update
- Coughs, colds and first aid at school
- Celebrating Refugee week
- Serenaded by strings
- Grade 1/2's out and about in Beaconsfield
- Fictional biographies in 3/4M
- Grade 3/4M - our budding architects!
- Joeys - Set up for Success!
- Parish Bulletin
God is Grace: Be the Positive, for Every Negative
Feeding the Five Thousand (Luke 9:11-17)
A reflection on the Gospel from The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ Sunday (Year C)
Written by Mr Casimir Douglas
“The leader of a tribe encamped at the base of a mountain was dying. The chief summoned his three sons and said, ‘I am dying, and one of you must succeed me as the head of our tribe. I want each of you to climb our holy mountain and bring back something beautiful. The one whose gift is the most outstanding will succeed me’. After several days the sons returned.
The first brought his father a flower which grew near the summit and was extremely rare and beautiful.
The second son brought his father a stone which was colourful, smooth, and round, having been polished by rain and sandy winds.
The third son’s hand was empty.
He said, ‘Father, I have brought nothing back to show you. As I stood on top of the holy mountain, I saw that on the other side was a beautiful land filled with green pastures and a crystal lake. And I have a vision of where our tribe could go for a better life. I was so overwhelmed by what I saw and by what I was thinking that I could not bring anything back’.
And the father replied, ‘You shall be our tribe’s new leader, for you have brought back the most precious gift of all - the gift of a vision and hope for a better future’.
- A Proverb from Ancient Eastern Civilisation
Aside from being an advertisement for selling Coca-Cola, the video clip at the end of this reflection acutely highlights the positives and negatives in our world. And conveyed this same message just as effectively as the story of the Chief and his three sons: There is hope for a better future.
The video seeks to make the point that for every negative in our world, there is a positive – for every tank built, there are 131,000 stuffed toys made, and for every corrupt person, 8,000 people donate blood to save a life. Of course, the numbers in the clip are apocryphal, but that’s not the point. It is a case of celestial arithmetic, we must do the math in our hearts rather than our heads; it is a problem of community rather than numeracy.
And Heaven knows, there are many negatives in our world – not the least of which is the extreme poverty that exists in third world countries, which we here cannot possibly understand. They thirst for water, they hunger for food, and they yearn for an end to their suffering. They are the poor in spirit. This is the greatest negative in our world. What positive could possibly outweigh it?
In the passage from the Gospel of Luke, Christ feeds 5,000 people. Jesus was an inspirational teacher and an engaging speaker, and as such, he drew the attention of enormous crowds wherever he went. It says something of the quality of the man that 5,000 people flocked to him, which is far more than the average attendance at a GWS Giants match (we should have our own Tasmanian AFL too!).
But why did 5,000 people gather to see Christ? Not to watch him play football, that’s for sure. Nor did they come to him simply for a bread and fish feed. But they did come to be fed. The people who came to see Christ and hear him speak were the downtrodden, the destitute, the lame and the blind; they were the hungry, the thirsty, the suffering and the poor in spirit. They came not in search of some tucker but in search of hope for a better future. For there, amid their world of negatives, stood the greatest positive, a beacon of light, Christ: the source of hope. Through his teaching, their lives were transformed.
As a Catholic community, we are called to walk in the footsteps of Christ, to do as he did. This doesn’t mean we begin to focus our collective energies on multiplying bread and fish, but we offer hope for a better future for those whose futures appear bleak. We are called to be the positives for their negatives, and we do this through our actions.
As a community, St Thomas More’s Catholic School encourages and implores all members of our community to put their gifts and blessings at the disposal of others both within and outside the school community. Myself and several staff at the school regularly volunteer at the St Vincent de Paul’s Food Van. I share this not out of any piety, righteousness, or holier-than-thou proclamation but to offer it as one example of the many acts of service currently undertaken in our community and one of the many opportunities we have to contribute to our society, our community, and our fellow human beings. This year, our students will continue to respond to the call of social justice. They will participate in many fundraisers that raise awareness and funds to assist people who face poverty, homelessness, war and violence daily. We are called to offer them the spiritual food of hope, to transform their lives, just as Christ did for the 5,000 people gathered before him that day.
And we must understand that this is not a mission that we accomplish but rather one that is only possible through the love and grace of God, who works in us, through, and with us as we seek to bring about God’s Kingdom of love and grace.
Our challenge to all members of the St Thomas More’s Catholic School community today, tomorrow, and every day after that is to be positive for every negative and bring hope to a person in need.
Friday 17th June, 2022
Coca-Cola, USA, 2011
Dear Parents and Carers,
SALUTATION
Grace to you and peace.
GOSPEL VALUE AWARDS: DIGNITY
At our Friday afternoon School Assembly in Josephite Hall this week, I spoke again to our students about our focus Gospel value for the month of June: DIGNITY. I highlighted to our students that to live with the value of dignity is to: be yourself, try your best, and be proud.
The following students received a Gospel Value Award during the School Assembly as nominated by their class teacher for exemplifying trying their best this week:
Iva Praciak | Prep More |
Ella French | Prep Thomas |
Samuel Mannion | Grade 1/2 Thomas |
Lucy Goss | Grade 1/2 Saint |
Ella Smith | Grade 1/2 More |
Isabelle White | Grade 3/4 More |
Grace Goss | Grade 3/4 Thomas |
Maxwell Ferguson | Grade 3/4 More |
Mary Boyle | Grade 5/6 More |
Asher Curtis | Grade 5/6 Thomas |
Sean Holmes | Grade 5/6 Saint |
These students will also attend the Principal’s Morning Tea this coming Thursday (24th June) morning during first break at 10:50am.
EXCURSIONS!
With the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions on school activities this term, our teachers have wasted no time in getting out into the community and the 'real world' to provide the students with a tangible, tactile, and experiential learning adventure for our students to both consolidate and strengthen their key learning goals from the classroom curriculum. Please find below a brief summary and a number of images from the excursions that our students participated in this week.
Grade 1/2 Excursion to Beaconsfield Mine Museum:
On Wednesday 15th June, all three of our Grade 1/2 classes attended an excursion to the Beaconsfield Mine Museum to explore how changing technology has impacted people’s lives.
Grade 3/4 Excursions to Brickendon Estate:
Across the past three weeks our Grade 3/4 classes have each attended an excursion to Brickendon Estate, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Listed Colonial Farm Village in Longford. The purpose of the excursion was to immerse the students in a tangible experience of early colonial and convict history. This week our students in Grade 3/4 More travelled to the historical venue to enjoy a cold but invigorating day of learning.
Grade 5/6 Excursions to the Planetarium:
This week our students in Grade 5/6 More (Friday) and Grade 5/6 Saint (Thursday) attended an excursion to the Planetarium at Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery (QVMAG). The purpose of their learning adventure was to both consolidate and stretch their understanding of the solar system, our universe, and their conceptions of space and time.
ST THOMAS MORE'S FEAST DAY
Next Wednesday (22nd June) is the Feast Day of St Thomas More. On this day, the school will join together in Mass in Sacred Heart Church for the first time in 2022. This is the most important day of year in the life of our school community, as it presents our primary opportunity to celebrate the charism of St Thomas More, the contribution of the Sisters of St Joseph, and the life, strengths and gifts of all the current members of our school community.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the preparation, organisation and vision of our Religious Education Coordinator, Mrs Belinda Taylor, who has organised the Mass and a range other activities and initiatives to be held throughout the day to engage students in the charism of the St Thomas More.
FINAL GREETING
May the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
God bless,
Mr Casimir Douglas
Principal
Congratulations to those students who received awards at assembly today:
The Pass The Baton Challenge is continuing at a cracking pace!
As a school, we are now 38 per cent through our entire journey around Australia, a mammoth 22 million steps.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
We started in Brisbane with 5/6S leading the charge towards Cairns.
The Baton was passed to Prep T, who made their way from Cairns to Cape York Peninsula (the map showed they had gone a little off track, but we all know Preps love exploring).
The Baton was then handed to 5/6T, who had the mammoth challenge of the longest leg, nearly 2000 kilometres from Cape York to Arnhem Land! They manage to complete it in a week! Their boots were definitely made for walking.
3/4M then had a blast walking from Arnhem Land to Darwin.
The Baton is currently with 3/4T who are walking from Darwin to Purnululu National Park. They made lots of progress and will finish their leg early next week (Monday or Tuesday).
There are many classes still to strap on their virtual walking shoes, so we will keep you up-to-date in the coming weeks.
This is a simple activity: take a few extra breaks and walk more to improve our physical and mental health during the colder months. We measure our daily steps and then multiply it by the number of students and staff. The data is then entered into a program that tracks our progress.
However, it is having a wider impact. Some classes are building their leg of the walk into classroom learning, looking at averages, distances and HASS. Another class is using it as a break between lessons to have an old-fashioned chat as they are doing laps of the oval or courts. The cardboard Baton is also proudly carried by classes, like a badge of honour, as they are walking around. Such positive responses.
Coughs, colds and first aid at school
As we welcome the start of the snow season coming into the colder months of the year, we also start to see the unwelcome presence of more coughs and colds in our school community.
As you're aware, and following advice from Public Health, CET adopted a symptoms-based model of COVID-19 management in Term 2, which focuses' on "if symptomatic, stay away and get tested".
We thank our school community, especially our parents and carers, for the ongoing support of the school's management of the COVID-19 virus and the health of our school against coughs and colds and influenza. Please trust that your child/ren's safety is always foremost in our priorities and planning, and if your child is unwell, please keep them home and test accordingly.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any queries, and we thank you for your co-operation and support.
19th-25th June is Refugee Week. The theme this year is 'Healing'.
To quote the words from the Refugee Council of Australia:
"To all those who've come from far and wide, we're happy you're safe, we're happy you're free, we're happy you're here."
As part of our Grade 6 Book Club learning, we have been reading the text "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park. It follows the story of two children from Sudan across two different timelines and their experiences with war, drought and many personal hardships. but it has "one hopeful message: that even in a troubled country, determined survivors may find the future they are hoping for." (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.)
As a group, we discussed the theme of this year's Refugee Week, read some of the Ambassador's stories, researched facts and made connections to our knowledge.
To promote Refugee Week to the St Thomas More's community, please enjoy the following work by the Grade 6 Book Club.
- Aimee Rooney
5/6 Support Teacher
On Thursday evening, a number of our budding musicians performed at the first Strings Soiree of the year, held at St Patrick's College. Our students represented St Thomas More's beautifully. For many students, it was their first time performing, and our musicians were focused and happy. They did an amazing job, and it was lovely to watch. As always, many thanks to Mrs Brown and Mrs Tieman for the beautiful work they do.
Grade 1/2's out and about in Beaconsfield
On Wednesday, the Grade 1/2's went on an excursion to Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre. Despite the rain making an appearance for the whole day, their spirits remained high. Students explored how changing technology affected people’s lives (at home and in how they worked, travelled, communicated and played in the past). As a bonus, they also got to explore the mine and panned for gold, which they took home.
In Grade 3/4M we have been reading Convict Boy by Jacqui French - a fictional biography. Using this type of storytelling, the children have written their fictional biography based on a convict story. There was a writing scaffold to follow. Here are a couple of stories we would like to share:
Grade 3/4M - our budding architects!
In Grade 3/4M, the children have been designing a street landscape using the drawing option in Google Docs. Maybe we will have some future architects, town planners, and civil engineers. The children enjoyed this activity, as reflected in these pictures.
Our Joeys Set up for Success program is on every Tuesday during term time. We welcome Mrs Angela Edwards to our program, and look forward to seeing our Birth - Five families and friends again, 9am in the Josephite Hall.