Holy Name Primary School Forster eNewsletter

REC Report

Pancake Tuesday

Our community came together last Tuesday to feast on pancakes cooked by Mrs Loring and Mrs Maloney. Students from Kinder to Yr 6 got to select from a variety of tasty toppings to put on their pancakes. As Catholics, “Shrove Tuesday” is a celebration where we feast on all things yum because the following day is Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Children in all primary grades celebrated Ash Wednesday with Fr Greg and parishioners. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. This liturgical season of 40 days leads us to Holy Week and the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. During Lent children are called to pray more, take on acts of kindness, be forgiving, fast and alms give to charities like Project Compassion. In each class on their sacred space is a Project Compassion Box where children are encouraged to fast from a treat and give the money that it would have cost to Project Compassion.

Leaders of Yr 6: Jack Thacker, Lylah Darcy, Thomas Priddle, Coco-Simone Huebner, Riley Paine, Grace Randall, Mohammad Nooruddin, Ruby Machon, Jed Hickson, Gypsy Janjic were called by Fr Greg to take ashes back to Holy Name and commissioned to mark the foreheads of our infants students at the Infants Ash Wednesday Liturgy. This action of marking each student was very moving and our Yr 6 leaders were very respectful and reverent in signing the cross on them with ashes. For our Kindergarten students, this was special because their buddies were giving them their ashes.

Project Compassion

LET'S GO FURTHER, TOGETHER

You can’t fight poverty on your own, but together we can with Project Compassion! This Lent, join millions of Australians raising funds for the world’s most vulnerable people.

In 2020:

1 in 7 people still go hungry every day.
2 billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water.
There are 11 million women and girls in forced labour.
It only takes seconds to make the world a better place. Are you with us?

Project Compassion is an extraordinary, ongoing demonstration of the faith, love and generosity of Caritas, Australia's caring supporters, all in the name of justice and peace.

Catholic Schools Week

Holy Name launched Catholic Schools Week at last Sunday’s Parish Mass with students, families, staff and our parish community. Director of Education, Mr Gerard Mowbray was our special guest along with Mr Steve Brereton, well regarded local Worimi elder, who guided us in a traditional Aboriginal 'smoking ceremony' before we commenced our mass. Within the mass our school was invited to encounter and witness the love of God in our relationships with one another. School leaders, Ruby Machon, Helen Thomas and Thomas Priddle played active roles in the Mass and we congratulate them. Our school choir ended our Mass, singing 'Go Make a Difference' that ignited our spirits to be missionary people when we left the Church.

On Monday our school gathered to pray so that we might live in harmony with the Earth. We began with the words of Pope Francis: “All of us can co-operate as instruments of God for the care of creation”. At Holy Name what we wish to draw from the well are ways of “Living in Harmony with God’s Creation”. The choices we make about how we use the environment can have positive or negative effects on people and environments in other places. As a community we prayed that all students and staff at Holy Name would hear the words of Pope Francis and commit to caring for creation and acting in a way that will protect and nurture it.

On Friday to culminate our Catholic Week celebration of all things wonderful about Catholic Schools, we held a whole school fun activities afternoon consisting of tabloid activities, dancing and tent time where children spent time in tents reading with buddies. All children were then given an ice cream in a cone to round off the day.

What is Catholic Schools Week and Why do we celebrate it?

Schools across the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle celebrate Catholic Schools Week from Sunday 1 March to Saturday 7 March. The theme is “Drawing from the well. Invitation, Encounter, Witness”. This acknowledges that Jesus Christ is always at the heart of everything we do. Recognising this is the foundation of a Catholic school education, the lens through which everything is viewed, and the belief that informs all policies and decisions.

“Invitation, Encounter, Witness” celebrates the connection of the school community with Jesus Christ. Our students are invited to the well, where, with Jesus as their guide they encounter diversity of learning in a supportive and inclusive environment, and witness service to others and the community.

Catholic Schools Week also marks the start of the 2021 enrolment period for all 58 schools across the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

If a member of your family is a student of one of our schools, or if you are considering a Catholic education for your child, we hope you were able to come along and celebrate with us. If not, please contact the school for more information about enrolling your child for 2021.