Filter Content
- Reflection
- Principal's Message
- Student Achievements
- PCR Hawka visit!
- Wellness Wednesday - International Joke Day
- Uniform protocol - Winter uniform in Term 3
- Baton challenge update - it is Prep M's turn!
- Plastic Free July
- Treadlightly Shoe Drive
- eSafety@STM
- Metro bus timetable for Monday, 25th July.
- No lunch orders Monday 25th July
- Creation & what a wonderful world!
- Parish Bulletin
- Community News
God is Grace: Go and Do Likewise
The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
A reflection on the Gospel from the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Written by Mr Casimir Douglas
“But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.” (Luke 10:33-34)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ most well-known, and perhaps, most seminal parable. It contains all the classic features of the literary form known as parable. Parable is a type of wisdom literature that was used by rabbis (Hebrew teachers) in 1st century Palestine. The text type contains many distinct features; including the three phases of movement in the narrative. Even two millenia later, academics, religious, and teachers grapple with the intended and full extent of Jesus’ message in his parables.
This is not to say that the purpose was to intentionally obscure or obfuscate the truth offered in the parable. Instead the parable is offered for the listener to pique their curiosity, inspire reflection, and challenge their thinking. Where myth explains the world, parable subverts it. It identifies the way the world is, and then suggests how it should be. This is never more evident than in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The story is among the earliest of Jesus’ parables to be taught in Catholic schools for the relevance, simplicity, and power of the message, condensed here in Matthew’s Gospel (5:43-44): “You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. Luke’s Jesus tells the parable to a Hebrew audience, in which a priest and a Levite (a temple helper) decline to help an attacked and beaten Hebrew man on the side of the road. But the Samaritan, whose people have been long time cultural and military enemies of the Hebrew people, is the one who stops to heal, help, and bring salvation to him. Again, parable identifies the way the world is, and then suggests how it should be.
But when we focus our attention too intently on unpacking the context, meaning, and interpretation of the parable, we miss Christ’s intended instruction and ultimate purpose in the telling of the parable: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Indeed, this is Jesus’ exhortation to us to live in right-relationship with one another. In his Papal Encyclical in 2020, Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis calls the Christian community to faith, fraternity and friendship. His challenge is to all peoples to honour their social responsibility to one another. It is an exhortation to our leaders to honour their global co-responsibility for the flourishing of every human person. In this, his most recent Encyclical, Pope Francis, writes of the lesson of the Good Samaritan: “Jesus asks us not to decide who is close enough to be our neighbour, but rather that we ourselves become neighbours to all” (No. 80). Go and do likewise.
The priest and the Levite do not reject the wounded man on the side of the road out of malice or malcontent, but rather because the Jewish ritual law by which they are bound required that they not sully themselves with the blood of another and affect their ritual purity. Law over love. This is the point of Jesus’ parable: love is more important than law. God is love, and love is love, no matter who is expressing that divine gift of love, or who is receiving it. As written by Catholic Francisan Priest and author, Fr Richard Rohr, in his book The Universal Christ: “There is not a Native, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, or Christian way of loving. There is not a Methodist, Lutheran, or Orthdox way of running a soup kitchen, nor a Black or Caucasian way of hoping. We all know positive flow when we see it, and we all know resistance and coldness when we feel it. All the rest are mere labels”. That is, Christ is in all things (Colossians 1:17).
We are each a vessel for the love of Christ and the Grace of God, and we are called to prepare the manger within ourselves to accept these gifts. And God does not appear to demand perfection, ostentation and grandeur in our preparations. After all, Christ’s manger was a humble, understated, and seemingly imperfect and inadequate vessel to receive the Son of God. Yet it did. This is the mystery and majesty of the Incarnation. We don’t need to be perfect to be capable of love and compassion, we could even be a Samaritan.
Friday 8th July, 2022
Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch), France, 1890
Dear Parents and Carers,
SALUTATION
Grace to you and peace.
THANK YOU!
The school holidays are no longer on the distant horizon and have arrived on our doorstep! With the diminishing presence of COVID-19 in the community, Term 2 was able to return to routine operation for schools, with restrictions on gatherings and excursions discarded. This has enabled us not only to resume regular practice, but to build and strengthen our sense of community with our St Thomas More's Feast Day Mass in the Church, our Mother's Day Breakfast in Robyn's Kitchen Garden, and our School Assemblies in Josephite Hall. Most notably, this past Friday (1st July), the back of the hall was packed with parents to watch the students from Grade 1/2 Saint perform their assembly presentation piece. The strength of a community is found in solidarity, service and connection. And St Thomas More's Catholic School possesses these in spades!
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all members of the school community who contributed to the task of learning and teaching in Term 2; be it staff, student, parent, priest, visitor or friend. Thank you for putting your strengths, gifts, talents, and energy at the disposal of our school - it is this that breaths life in our school!
NAIDOC WEEK
The theme for NAIDOC Week in 2022 is: Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! This theme is a reminder to us that the need for change is ever-present, and is growing evermore urgent and important. Now is the time, we must continue to build the momemtum toward change. Whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism—we must do it together.
For St Thomas More's Catholic School, as a learning community, this means that we continue on our journey toward Reconciliation through deepening our students' understanding of palawa cultural practice, story, art, people and place.
On Monday (4th July) our students recreated Fanny Cochrane Smith's famous Flash Cake recipe, baking enough cupcakes for everyone in the school. Fanny made these cakes and sold them by the side of the road at Nicholls Rivulet. Fanny wanted to raise money to build a church, she wanted a place for family and friends to come together; her focus was on building community, as ours continues to be.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude for the creativity, vision, hard work, and leadership of Mrs Lisa Spotswood, our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Coordinator, for leading our journey toward Reconciliation, and providing for tangible, meaningful, and accessible learning opportunities for our students during NAIDOC Week.
And the cupcakes were delicious!
PRINCIPAL'S MORNING TEA
At our Friday afternoon Assembly last week, there were a number of students who received a Gospel Value Award for demonstrating the value of DIGNITY. These students attended a special Principal’s Morning Tea in Josephite Hall this Tuesday (5th July).
Myself, Fr Chathura Silva and the students were treated to a smorgasbord of fruits, scrolls and cookies and we each shared what we are grateful for in our lives, this included family, friends, and school. They also shared about their hobbies, interests and dreams which included soccer, netball, basketball, football, playing the Nintendo Switch and dancing! And the last two were not necessarily mutally exclusive!
NAMING THE FISH!
This week, all students had the opportunity to nominate the names to be assigned to our new fish friends in the Aquarium. Whilst there are currently 24 fish in the tank (with room for plenty more!), at this stage we are just naming four of the fish, as they are the most clearly identifiable! It is safe to say there is not much difference between the dozen neon tetras! The many hilarious, outrageous, comedic, and fun names that were slipped into the entry box, but after a process of thorough discerment. The names of our four fish are as follows:
Fish #1 - Stripy Angel Fish..... Bob!
Congratulations to the students listed below who nominated the name 'Bob' for the Stripy Angel Fish:
Judd Conroy | Prep More |
Gemma Richardson | 1/2 More |
Frankie Lunson | 1/2 Thomas |
Lily McGoran | 3/4 More |
Freya McArthur | 3/4 More |
Ivy Cartledge | 3/4 More |
Zoe Goldsmith | 3/4 Saint |
Logan Graham | 3/4 Thomas |
Milla Johnston | 5/6 More |
Eddie Richardson | 5/6 Saint |
Asher Curtis | 5/6 Thomas |
Fish #2 - Yellow Angel Fish..... Bubbles!
Congratulations to the students listed below who nominated the name 'Bubbles' for the Yellow Angel Fish:
Maicy Garwood | 3/4 More |
William Raitt | 5/6 More |
Evelyn Harper | 5/6 Saint |
Fish #3 - Shiny Blue Gourami..... Bluey!
Congratulations to the students (and staff member!) listed below who nominated the name 'Bluey' for the Shiny Blue Gourami:
Mrs Scaharapow | Prep Thomas |
Matilda Bowman | 1/2 More |
Dustin Graham | 3/4 More |
Jorja Caplin | 3/4 Saint |
Shine Vangian | 3/4 Thomas |
Georgia Kerkham | 3/4 Thomas |
Orlando Simpson-Kitt | 5/6 More |
Fish #4 - Red & Blue Gourami..... LeBron!
FINAL GREETING
May the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
I wish the entire community a safe, happy, joyous and restful school holiday break!
God bless,
Mr Casimir Douglas
Principal
Congratulations to Rosie, who has received 25 stickers in her Student Acknowledgement booklet. These stickers are given to students displaying positive and respectful behaviour in the playground. They are a great role model for others. Well done!
Surprise visit to STM!
As part of the Premier’s Reading Challenge, students at STM were treated to a surprise visit this week from David Cox, Head of Tasmanian Operations, Hawthorn Football Club and Hawka! David shared Hawka’s favourite story “The Cook and the King” with students from 5/6M, 5/6S and Prep. He also talked about the importance of staying healthy and exercising our brains by reading and answered lots of questions from students about the Hawks. Congratulations to Oliver Mannion from 5/6M who was the lucky winner of a PRC Hawks reading pillow.
Wellness Wednesday - International Joke Day
Thank you so much to all of the families sharing their best jokes!
Celebrating International Joke Day was so much fun and lots of students (and teachers) were spotted walking around with a huge grin on their faces, sharing a joke, a smile and a laugh.
It really proves that the simple things in life are often the best!
Congratulations to the classes that got an honourable mention!
The joke that made Mr Douglas laugh the most was from the smallest members of our school family - Kinder M!
I met a man the other day with 5 legs, and I asked him “how do your pants fit?”, and he said “like a glove”. (KM)
A great joke and well done.
Here are the rest of the entries from our classes to share over the school holidays ... we hope they bring a smile to your dial as well.
Uniform protocol - Winter uniform in Term 3
Winter uniform continues to be worn in Term 3.
This includes ties, long sleeve shirts, and long grey socks with the shorts for the boys formal (green) uniform, beanies and scarves in school colours only - STM beanies are available for purchase at Midford as an option - and white socks for sports uniforms. Hair is to be tied back if shoulder length, and plain sleepers or studs only are to be worn.
Our uniform policy was reviewed and upheld in March 2022, and is available to view on our website STM Uniform protocol
Baton challenge update - it is Prep M's turn!
Perth to Albany | Prep T |
Albany to Cape Le Grand National Park | 3-4M |
Cape Le Grand National Park to Flinders Ranges | 5-6M |
Flinders Ranges to Adelaide | 5-6S |
Adelaide to The Twelve Apostles |
1-2S + 1-2T + 1-2M (one day each or together) |
The Twelve Apostles to Melbourne | 5-6M |
Melbourne to Canberra | 3-4S + 3-4T+ 3-4 M (one day each or together) |
Canberra to Sydney | Prep M |
Sydney to Gold Coast | 1-2M |
Dear STM Community,
Have you heard of Plastic-Free July?
Do you want to get involved but you're not sure how?
Click here for ideas on simple swaps you and your family can make to reduce plastic waste in your lives.
Did you know STM Conservation Club students are being broadcast on the ABC Radio's breakfast program to share their ideas about plastic-free party ideas! In case you miss it here are some of their ideas:
* Use paper streamers instead of plastic decorations
* Sew old fabrics together to make a funky party tablecloth
* Make bunting from newspaper
* Bubbles instead of balloons (bowl with detergent and water, pipe cleaner for a bubble wand)
* Use paper lolly bags (brown paper or old wrapping paper)
* Wrap presents with newspaper, or use a scarf, handkerchief, pillowcase or tea towel as wrapping, then tie with a ribbon instead of using sticky tape.
* Keep a special candle that you use every year instead of little party candles with a plastic base.
Kind regards,
Mrs Tracey Kidd M.Ed L, B.Ed, BT
Thank you to the school community for your contribution to the Treadlightly School Shoe Drive for 2022. It was an amazing effort to receive over 200 shoes in just one week! All the shoes donated will be given a new life as playground flooring and gym flooring.
It takes over 1000 years for components from sports shoes to decompose, so this is a wonderful way of helping recycle and help our environment.
In exciting news, St Thomas More's is the Tasmanian winner of the TreadLightly Shoe Recycling Drive and we were also on the front cover of the Examiner Newspaper! Thank you to Grade 5/6 More for their efforts in promoting the shoe drive, collecting and counting all the shoes!
We have some amazing gift vouchers to give from a variety of companies, worth between $50 and $150! There were two vouchers for students from kindergarten to grade 2. Two from grade 3 to grade 6 and also one for staff. We pulled out names and these vouchers were sent home to their families so you can enjoy them in the holidays!
Congratulations to:
Oliver Notman - Prep Thomas
Archer Ward - 1/2 Thomas
Eleanor Pietsch - 5/6 Thomas
Oliver Mannion - 5/6 More
Ms Rebecca Thomas - Staff
During this term, students across all grades have been learning about responsible and safe online behaviours. In Kinder, we shared the story Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 which explores some of the common technology experiences of young children and highlights strategies to encourage safe online practices for the whole family. In the early childhood classes, we used the eSafety Commissioner resource Hector’s World to examine concepts such as protecting our personal information, keeping our devices safe and dealing with cyberbullying. Middle and upper primary students have been exploring protective behaviours and strategies including critical thinking, protecting privacy, dealing with unwanted contact and seeking support.
The eSafety Commissioner website has a collection of excellent resources and webinars for parents and children including tips on managing time online, dealing with cyberbullying and unwanted contact and using parental controls to maximise online safety at home. There is also a family tech agreement that may help engage all members of the family in strategies to promote safe online practices.
Please see the eSafety Commissioner website for more information.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids
Rebecca Thomas
Librarian and Key Teacher - Learning Technologies
Metro bus timetable for Monday, 25th July.
Metro have provided the following communication regarding the bus services on the first day of Term 3, 25th July 2022.
No lunch orders Monday 25th July
Please note that there will be no lunch orders available on Monday, 25th July, (first day of term 3) as St Patrick's College has a student free day on this date. Lunch orders will resume on Wednesday, 27th July.
St Patrick's College have also advised that due to the increasing cost of supplier fuel levies, freight costs and continual produce price increases, there will be pricing increases on all lunch order items from the beginning of Term 3. They apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Attached is our Launceston Parish Bulletin for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time C (9/10 July 2022). Regards,
Fr Mark Freeman
Scouts Tasmania
____________________________________________________________________
Little Stars Wellness & Yoga