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Today we are faced with the cost of discipleship, but we are also comforted by the promise of the providence of God. Baptism is for us both death and life. Through it we enter into Christ’s death and we die to lives of selfishness and sin. Through it we rise with Christ to a new life freed from everything that previously held us down. As glorious as this new life might be, it requires death to our old ways of living, and this is always difficult.
The cost of discipleship cuts right to the core of our beings, it lays bare the very structures of kinship. Baptism recreates us as children of God; through it we are given a new life and born into a new family. The bonds of discipleship are now even stronger than the bonds of blood. Discipleship requires our very lives. As disciples we can no longer put ourselves first. We must be willing to spend ourselves and to be spent, to serve others in the day to day unfolding of life. We may find such commitment very demanding, but that is part of the cost of discipleship. God promises that if we lose our lives in this way, we will really gain them. If we are unselfish in the way we share ourselves with others, we will be enriched through our generosity. If we spend ourselves and are spent in our service of others we will be filled with blessings unimaginable.
© Dianne Bergant CSA
Dear Families,
We’re up to the final week of what seems to have been a really long term, thank you for all your support. As it has been a long term, with a lot of changes, we are starting to see tired children resulting in an increase in negative behaviours. I can assure you that the staff at St Thomas More’s are addressing all behaviour concerns as soon as they are made aware of them.
One concern that appears to be across the whole school is the increased use of social media and messaging apps which students are using at home to connect with their peers. These tools can help us stay connected and have been extremely beneficial during lockdown, however they can also be used inappropriately, either through the content shared, or the writing of hurtful comments and unfortunately, we have received reports from across the whole school that some students have been using these tools inappropriately. As a parent it is important, we are familiar with our child’s online usage, what apps they are visiting and who they are communicating with. There are plenty of websites to support with this, a good place to start is the eSafety Commissioner website and our teachers will continue to teach and promote good online behaviours. And most importantly we need to monitor our children’s online usage and engage with them about what they are doing online.
As adults we also need to ensure that we are good e-citizens, being mindful of what we post on apps like Facebook and as our content can be sometimes misleading or hurtful. The best solution to resolve a concern with another person is to directly approach them with a curiosity to understand, publicly posting opinions or half-truths is not a helpful way to resolve anything.
Age restrictions for some common apps we hear our students use. (Source; Australian Apple App Store.)
Snapchat – 12+
Tik Tok - 12+
Facebook – 12+
Messenger – 12+
Instagram – 12+
Fortnight – 12+
House Party – 12+
Youtube – 17+
Spotify – 12+
I also recommend the website Commonsense Media for a family friendly review of any media from movies, books to apps.
Our Government this week has lifted some more of the CoVID-19 restrictions, however at the time of writing this piece I have not yet been informed what this means for Catholic Education Tasmania Schools. Once I have received updated information, I will let you know.
As we move into the winter months, I am aware more children will be displaying cold and flu symptoms. Under our current CoVID-19 Safety Management Plan any person displaying cold or flu like symptoms need to stay at home until they stop displaying symptoms or a medical practitioner is able to verify, they are not contagious. We also suggest that any person displaying cold or flu symptoms be tested for CoVID-19. We thank you for your understanding during these challenging times.
Have a great week and keep safe.
God Bless,
Shayne Kidd
Introducing Poppy!
Poppy is our Student Support Dog, and she visits our school each Wednesday and Friday. Students will know when she is at school as her poster will be displayed at the office.
Congratulations to the following students for receiving awards this week:
This is a final call for any Caritas/Project Compassion boxes. Please ensure any funds are sent to the office early next week.
Thank you for supporting such a great cause.
Please see attached opening hours for the Launceston Midford store. They have advised they are still keeping numbers with in the store at a minimum and doing regular cleaning of all surfaces.
They have also advised they are discounting the current sports polos by 15% in readiness for the new sports polos at the end of the year.
The team at Midford have expressed their thanks for your patience during the last few months which has been challenging for everyone.