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- Reflection
- Principal's Message
- St Thomas More's Principal 2023 - Parent Community Consultation
- Father's Day Prayer
- MJR recap from Wednesday, 31st August 2022
- Collecting Students During School Hours
- Faith & Sharing reminder
- Book Week continued
- Student Achievements
- Confirmation Photos
- Grade 6 Creative Writing Competition
- Grade 3/4M Masterchef
- Happy World Literacy Day
- Upcoming Event - Athletics Carnival
- Upcoming event - STM Disco 2022
- Parish Bulletin
Anyone With Ears to Hear
The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 14:25-33)
A reflection on the Gospel from the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Written by Mr Casimir Douglas
“Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear, listen!” (Luke 14:11)
Anyone with ears to hear? To whom is Luke’s Jesus referring when he exhorts: “Let anyone with ears to hear, listen!” Ears are a ubiquitous feature shared by all humanity; to not have ears would be an unnatural occurrence. This categorisation is, of course, inclusive of all people, no matter their age, ethnicity, religion or status. But to understand the intention of this phrase, we must understand the context of the passage that precipitates this exclamation.
In this week’s passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus does not shy away from the weighty demand, sacrifice and cost that accompanies pure Discipleship: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). It appears to be an impossible and unreasonable demand. Especially for the Hebrew people living in Palestine in the 1st century AD, the ones hearing these messages (with their ear assumedly) for whom family was a sacred institution. However, as a Hebrew person living in Palestine in the 1st century AD, Jesus spoke Aramaic.
The word used for ‘hate’ in Aramaic is ‘sna’. The word ‘sna’ had a number of meanings, but primary among these was ‘to set aside’. This exegetical examination of the language aside, Jesus is not asking us to hate our families. But his exhortation nonetheless is that we set aside everything else and put Christ first. First in our hearts, first in our minds, first in our thoughts, first in our prayers, first in our relationships, first in our dealings with others, first in our work, first in our giving, first in our families, first in our parenting, first in our teaching, first in our striving, and first in our whole lives.
But to meet these demands, make these sacrifices, and pay these costs, does not require us to do so at the expense of everything and everyone else. After all, Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). It is putting Christ first that brings a fullness to all the activities in our lives. To conduct our lives filled with the light, love, hope and promise of Christ enriches everything that we do, everything we are, and everyone we meet.
So why is this message only intended for ‘anyone with ears to hear’? There is a difference between hearing and listening. This is not meant in the secular sense that a parent may chastise a child for selective hearing and not following instructions. It is meant in the spiritual transformative sense. To listen. To truly, deeply and authentically listen is to be fully present to another, to oneself, and to God. That is to be a Christian listener. To listen as Christ. For when we truly, deeply and authentically listen, we open ourselves to truly, deeply and authentically understand each other. When this occurs it is not just the speaker that is transformed, not just the listener that is transformed, but the relationship and connection is transformed.
‘Anyone with ears to hear’ is the phrasing that outlines the universal, inclusive and expansive mission of Christ - to the hearts of all peoples of all nations. But the most revealing question is not: who is ‘anyone with ears to hear’? But who is truly, deeply and authentically listening? For the St Thomas More’s Catholic School community, I pray that we may strive to be Christian listeners: to be fully present to one another, open and vulnerable, and inclusive and supportive. Let us put Christ first in our lives, and in so doing, put light, love, hope and promise first.
Let anyone with ears to hear, listen!
Friday 2nd September, 2022
Leslie Odom Jr., 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
SALUTATION
Grace to you and peace.
STM TV: EPISODE 6
STM TV is our school's weekly episodic YouTube show designed to share the key learning experiences of nominated students each week to engage our parents and the broader community in the learning journey of our school.
Please find below the episode for Term 3 - Week 6, 2022, which explores One Day School and starting your own business, mastering paper aeroplane making, and the Father's Day Breakfast! We hope you enjoy it!
PRINCIPAL'S MORNING TEA
At our Friday afternoon Assembly last week, several students received a Gospel Value Award for demonstrating the value of RESPECT. These students attended a special Principal’s Morning Tea in Josephite Hall this Tuesday (16th August).
Myself and the students were treated to a smorgasbord of fruit, scrolls and muffins, and we each shared what we are grateful for in our lives, which for this group of award nominees included family, friends, pets, soccer, nature, and God! They also shared their hobbies, interests and dreams, including dancing, soccer, football, drawing, anime, Little Athletics, and holidays to Queensland replete with visits to Movie World and Dream World!
FATHER'S DAY BREAKFAST
We held our Father's Day Breakfast this Friday morning (2nd September) in the Kitchen Garden area. Students were encouraged to invite a significant adult male in their lives to join them for a BBQ breakfast and a cuppa on what turned out to be a stunning and sunny Spring morning.
The walkways and playgrounds will filled with the sounds of laughter, cries of "Look at this, Dad!", the smells of quality BBQ cuisine, and the sight of our students walking that little bit taller and prouder as they escorted their fathers to breakfast and showed introduced them to their classrooms, their teachers, and their friends.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all those fathers and significant adult males who attended the breakfast with the special child in their lives. Please know that your presence, support, and commitment to your child make a significant difference in their education and lives.
Thank you also to the wonderful team who organised the event and cooked the BBQ, this includes staff members, volunteer parents, P&F representatives, members of the School Board, and students of St Patrick's College on their Student Free Day!
NATIONAL CATHOLIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE
Next week, I will be in Melbourne from Monday 5th - Wednesday 7th September for the National Catholic Education Conference (NCEC). The event in being held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) next to the Yarra River at South Wharf.
The NCEC 2022 Conference aims to bring together school and system leaders, educators, clergy and religious, students, educational professionals, researchers, families, and other groups interested in Catholic education to promote examples of best practice and plan future directions to continue the flourishing of vibrant and authentically Catholic learning communities across Australia.
Whilst this conference presents an opportunity for me to learn, network, and contribute to the vision of Catholic education in Australia into the future, I do regret the time away from the life of the school and away from my sincere commitment to holistic growth and development of every child at St Thomas More's Catholic School. See you all Thursday!
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
St Thomas More's Principal 2023 - Parent Community Consultation
Please see the below letter from the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office regarding the consultation workshop, which will provide an opportunity to
highlight the positive aspects the school would like to see maintained and identify any opportunities for improvement.
The workshop will be held on Thursday, 8 September 2022, at 5pm in the Josephite Hall, or you could complete a short online survey via the below link:
Parents Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2D22TYB
Password: Principal
This survey will close on Tuesday, 6 September 2022, at 5.00 pm.
Collecting Students During School Hours
If you need to collect your child for an appointment during a school day, please do not collect your child during recess and lunch. The front office is too busy to locate the students, and students cannot hear the PA system over the noise of play. Just a reminder of the recess and lunch times:
- Recess 10:50am - 11:25am
- Lunch 1:25pm - 2:00pm
Thank you in advance
Following on from Book Week last week, Book Week is more than a Book Week Dress-Up Parade at St Thomas More's. Here are some more photos showing some of the Book Week activities. We looked at the shortlisted and award-winning books during our Library lessons, voted for our favourites, and participated in our very exciting Book Week Quiz. Prep and Kinder students created beautiful artwork inspired by some wonderful shortlisted books.
Congratulations to Jack Terry for reaching 25 stickers in his Student Acknowledgement booklet.
A few of our students celebrated their Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday, 25th August 2022. Congratulations to these students.
Grade 6 Creative Writing Competition
Below are a few more Grade 6 Writing Extension group entries entered into the Creative Writing Competiton, for National Mental Health Month. The students were able to choose their particular genre and writing style, as long as it was under 800 words, and it related to the themes of mental health and resilience. All students did an incredible job. It will be a challenge for the judges to find a winner! We hope you enjoy reading them.
We are currently waiting for the judges to decide on a winner for the state, and this is due to be announced on the 1st of October. We will keep you posted!
Aimee Rooney
Grade 3/4M do Masterchef on a Thursday. I am extremely grateful for the parents who volunteer their time to help and donate ingredients. So why do Masterchef? There is a lot of measurement and chemistry involved with cooking. Literacy in the form of procedural writing and discussions in the cooking process. Children plan and do the activity beforehand researching what recipe they would like to make. Sharing their cooking with others brings joy. And let's face it, cooking is fun!
Ms Denise Morgan
Did you know Thursday 8th September is Word Literacy Day? What a great day to celebrate!
Here are some quotes from people in our school community about why literacy is important to them.
"Because it’s important to me that I learn." Milly 3/4
"So I can find out information and read my favourite stories." Chloe R 3/4
"Because it’s a dreamland and you can go there whenever you want." Eva 3/4
"It is important to me because it helps me get to know the world." Connor 5/6
"Literacy is important to me because it helps me to express myself when I can’t actually show what I am feeling, in different ways like how I write in my diary. It also helps me to understand the world around me like at Christmas when we all give each other cards whatever is written in those cards shapes the way I look at the world and the way I feel. I also love poems, and reading books - what would life be without books!" Satya 5/6
"Literacy is essential to get through life with less hurdles. It's interesting and challenging and there's always something to learn." Hanna - Staff
"It empowers everyone to learn, to grow, to explore." Jess S - Staff
"Literacy enriches lives. Literacy allows us to access information readily and affords us the opportunity to share in the joys of reading for enjoyment!" Rebecca - Staff
Here are some great tips from https://nationaltoday.com/international-literacy-day/ about literacy.
Upcoming Event - Athletics Carnival
Below is our timetable for our upcoming Athletics Carnival, held on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, at St Leonards Sports Centre.
Grade 3 to 6 will leave school at 8.50am to allow the carnival to commence at 9.20am. Prep to Grade 2 will arrive at the track at 11:30am to start their events. Children can be taken to the track or collected from the track directly, but please advise your teacher. All details can be found on the Compass app under Events.