Term 4 Week 9 NEWSLETTER 6th December, 2017

Dear Parents,

“Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we let outselves be drawn by

the light of God made man.” Pope Francis

In this busy time as we approach the end of the school year it is timely that we advise that we have some staffing changes for 2018. As some of you will already be aware we have three staff who are preparing for the birth of a child in 2018. Mrs. Leah Hogg will be on maternity leave from the beginning of the school year and Ms. Leanne McCall will be taking maternity leave during Term 1 and Mrs. Melissa Ferris will be taking maternity from Term 2 in 2018. We wish them good health and much happiness as they prepare for this special time in the lives with their families. We are pleased to announce the appointment of Miss Michaela Anderson who joins our teaching staff from St. Catherine’s in Moorabbin and Mrs Ashlea Carey, who many will already know as Miss Ashlea Thompson who has taught in Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 this year. We welcome them to St. Brigid’s and wish them a successful and happy time with us in 2018. Please see further in this Newsletter for a full list of staff for 2018. The Senior Learning Community will be holding their Market Day on Friday, December 8th from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. Please support them in their learning and in their endeavours to raise donations for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Donations of money are vital for St. Vinnies to continue their important work of helping those in need in a wide variety of

ways. We are also continuing our requests for festive food with long use by dates and non perishable summer foods to provide St. Vincent de Paul with items that can bring some festive cheer to the most vulnerable in our community.

We thank you in anticipation of your continued generosity.

ST. BRIGID’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL 25 Bayview Road, Officer Vic. 3809

Telephone: (03) 5943 2447 Fax (03) 5943 2579

Email: principal@stbofficer.catholic.edu.au Website: www.stbofficer.catholic.edu.au

R

Inside this issue: Senior Market – Friday, December 8th 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. Carols Night – Wednesday, December 13th End of School Year for students – Wednesday, December 20th 1.00 p.m. Early Dismissal – Wednesday, December 20th 1.00 p.m.

As a Catholic School we are a community, which celebrates our Catholic Story and traditions and recognise Christ is at the centre of our lives:

Alleluia, alleluia! Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:

all people shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia! Luke 3:4.6 During Advent, we recall the history of God’s people and reflect on how the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament were fulfilled. John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and to prepare for Jesus’ coming.

The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the

prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will

prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his path straight; and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the

wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All

Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were

baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a

garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of

his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful

than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with

water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

(Mark 1:1–8)

Today, we are called to repent and to have a change of heart. This is not just being sorry but a re-directing of our lives, changing our attitudes and becoming less centred around ourselves and more focused on God.

Our Baptism gives us the role of preparing the way of the Lord and spreading the Good News. The way we bring the Good News to others is be living lives as disciples of Jesus and in stilling peace and hope in the world around us.

John the Baptist gave witness to his faith through his actions and attitudes. Our role as Christians is to do exactly that. Let people come to know the real Jesus through what we say and what we do.

Let us pray this week for the strength to be prophets of peace and hope.

Lord Jesus, Master of both light and darkness,

send your Holy Spirit upon our preparation for Christmas.

We, who have so much to do,

seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We, who are anxious over many things,

look forward to your coming among us.

We, who are blessed in so many ways,

long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We, whose hearts are heavy, seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus.”

Amen.

Staffing for the 2018 School Year Junior Learning Community Foundation/1 A Mrs. Dianne Ahern Foundation /1 T Mrs. Elyce Thomson Year 1/2 L Miss Kristina Loritsch Year 1/2 S Miss Lauren Sutherland

Middle Learning Community Year 3/4 D Mr. Kyle Denton Year 3/4 M Miss Jenn McMahon Year 3/4 L Mr. Nathan Larkins

Senior Learning Community Year 5/6 A Miss Michaela Anderson Year 5/6 D Mr. Matthew Dileo Year 5/6 F Mrs. Melissa Ferris/Mrs. Ashlea Carey Year 5/6 O Mr. Damian O’Bryan

Specialist Areas Physical Education Mrs. Dianne Wilkinson Japanese Mrs. Megumi Ichikawa Science and Sustainability Mrs. Allison Winder Performing Arts Mrs. Theresa Ray

Library Mrs. Louise Mettes and Mrs. Melissa Summers

Student Support Personnel Mrs. Melissa Shaw Ms. Melissa Summers Ms. Kylie Logan Mrs. Jane Arnett

Positions of Leadership (POL) Religious Education Leader Mr. Damian O’Bryan Leader of Teaching and Learning and Mathematics Mr. Nathin Larkins Leader of Literacy Ms. Leanne McCall (Mr. Kyle Denton - Week 5) Leader of Student Adjustment Mrs. Catherine Murray Leader of Wellbeing (To be announced) Leader of ICT Mr. Simon Greely

POL Release Mrs. Julie Williams

Mrs. Dianne Wilkinson

Administration

Office Mrs. Julie McKenna

Mrs. Donna Devine

Deputy Principal: Mr. Simon Greely

Principal: Mr. Ken Gale

Parish Priest: Fr. Jeff Kleynjans

Assistant Priest: Fr. Hilarion Fernando

Senior Learning Community Market Friday 8th December 12.30-1.30pm

As part of the Senior Learning Community’s Inquiry topic this term, My Business: Consider it sold, students in Grade 5/6 have formed businesses. The students have had to decide upon a business name and the type of product or service they would like to provide. The groups have had to design a logo for their group and create advertisements to promote their product or service. Here are a few of the amazing logos that have been designed so far.

The students hard work will be displayed at a Senior Learning Community Market Day where each business group will be selling their products or providing their services. Some examples of our products and services are

Cupcakes Lucky dips Karaoke Custom designed hats Dim sims Ice creams Milk shakes Showbags Jelly

More information will be released in the weeks leading up to our Market Day including a detailed list of businesses, their product or service as well a price list.

The Market Day will be open for all students of St Brigid’s to attend, with parents more than welcome to come along and witness the hard work of our Senior Students. All proceeds from the sale of items on our Market Day will go directly to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. At this time, St. Vincent de Paul greatly appreciates donations of money to support people in need in a variety of ways.

Advent Liturgy The remaining Advent Liturgies are as follows:

Monday, December 11th Second Week of Advent at 8.45 a.m. led by the Senior Learning

Community

Monday, December 18th Third Week of Advent at 8.45 a.m. led by the Junior Learning

Community. You are all invited to join us as we pray and reflect during this special time in the Church’s year and prepare and look forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus.

Carols Night Our annual Carols night will be held on Wednesday, December 13th from 6.30 p.m. We have

advertised this date for many months and each student is expected to attend together with their families. Families are invited to arrive at 5.00 p.m. if they wish to purchase food provided by the Social and Fundraising Committee. There will be sausages, hamburgers and drinks on sale. The Carols will be held on the decking outside the Senior Learning Centre and will commence with the Christmas Story, followed by carols sung in levels and an invitation for everyone to join in singing much loved Christmas carols. This is an extra curricula school activity that is designed to engage our families in the preparation and celebration of the coming birth of Jesus.

End of School Year The school Year comes to a close for students on Wednesday, December 20th at the earlier time of 1.00 p.m.

Commencement of the 2018 School Year The 2018 school year commences for students on Thursday, February 1st. The usual assessments that students undertake at the commencement of the year will be done at end of the year. The two days allocated for assessment at the beginning of the year will used for assessment analysis to direct teaching.

Whole School Orientation Students will have the opportunity to visit their Learning Community for 2018 on Monday, December 18th. They will meet with their teacher and class mates to assist them in their transition to their new Year level.

Year 6 Graduation

Our Year 6 students will be graduating from primary school and we will celebrate this milestone on Monday, December 18th beginning at 7.00 p.m. You are invited to join us as we recognise the contribution these students have made to the life of St. Brigid’s School and wish their every success in their future.

End of Year Mass Our End of Year Mass to praise and thank God for the wonderful year we have had together will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 19th at 9.00 a.m. in our Chapel. At the conclusion of Mass there will be a Rite of Passage ceremony handing over our Year 6 students to St. Francis Xavier College and symbolic of other schools the students will be attending. Our Year 6 students will hand over leadership to our current Year 5 student for 2018.

We value all the contributions, your connectedness to St. Brigid’s and your support throughout the school year and wish to sincerely thank you for all the ways you have assisted us by hosting a morning tea following Mass on Tuesday, December 19th.

News from Science and Sustainability Specialist – Mrs. Allison Winder The Middle Learning Community are working on a recycled art project and we would like everyone to collect bottle lids. The finished art work will be displayed in their learning centre.

Social Media We are aware and concerned that many parents are allowing their children to have accounts on social media sites that their children are not mature enough to cope with. Throughout the year we have been approached to intervene and work through issues involving social media that have occurred within the home, when parents are responsible for supervising the use of electronic media. With the holiday period approaching, I urge all parents to be mindful of the hurt that can occur, especially when children are using forums that they are not equipped to deal with, to swear, exclude others, intimidate, bully or make threats. The pain caused is real and cannot be undone. Please do not allow children to be using sites that are above their age group, in particular, aged 13 plus sites. In the Herald Sun on Tuesday, October 3rd 2017, Mark Zuckerberg Facebook founder and Executive asked for forgiveness for the way his work is used to divide people. “For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better.” Zuckerberg wrote. Please research the sites that are popular with younger users and develop a habit of monitoring your children’s online behaviour and help them navigate the online world. Refer to information from the Office of Children’s eSafety Commissioner esafety.gov.au/iparent that Mr. Greely has been advertising for more information. We advise that if we become aware of any misuse or knowledge of underage accounts by our students we must report this and we will notify the respective sites. Please be aware that mobile phones are not to be brought to school or on excursions by students. If there is a need for your child to have a mobile phone before or after school then the mobile phone must be handed into the school office before school and collected by the student at the end of the school day.

A Reminder that Library Books are due back by Thursday, December 7th 2017

As mentioned in previous newsletters, our school library is an important resource at St. Brigid’s and we value the positive effect it has on our students. It provides an opportunity for improved literacy through creating a love of reading and thirst for knowledge. In a digital age, it is vital to continue our students’ connectedness to the hard copy format and just not relegate libraries to relics of the past. All books borrowed from our school library must be returned by tomorrow, Thursday December 7th 2017. It is an extensive task to locate and catalogue books for next year and we ask you for your cooperation in returning borrowed books prior to this date. If your child has an already overdue book, could you please help your child locate the book and return it to the library as soon as possible to avoid an overdue notice being sent home. It is important that we do not lose these important resources. Every book we lose we have to rebuy. Our budget then prevents us from purchasing new titles and keeping up to date with new literature. Once again thank you for support of the Book Club, Book Fair and Book Week celebrations throughout the year. We thank you in anticipation of your diligence in returning overdue and borrowed books to our Library.

Student Leadership A reminder to students and parents of Year 5 students that applications for Student Leadership are due in on Monday, December 11th 2017. Elections will take place for School Captains and

Sports Captains following our Advent Liturgy on Monday, December 11th. Unfortunately, we will be unable to accept any late applications due to the end of the year end of the school year approaching and wish to make the announcement and present student leaders with their badges following our Advent Liturgy on Monday, December 18th 2017.

VINNIES CHRISTMAS

APPEAL This year for the St. Vincent de Paul Christmas appeal we ask each

student to please collect canned food.

Some examples are Christmas pudding, mince pies and other

summer non-perishable canned food.

Please bring all donations in

BEFORE Wednesday, December 13th

So Remember to Bring Christmas Food

in for a Good Cause!!!

News from the Office– Mrs. Julie McKenna

and Mrs. Donna Devine

St Brigid’s HAIR ACCESSORIES

ALL PRODUCTS REDUCED

TO $1.00 EACH

Available to purchase from

the school office

CASH ONLY

$4.00 each NOW $1

Headband

Single Hair Bands

$6.00 each NOW $1

Double Hair Bands

$8.00 each NOW $1

Double Hair Clips & Fabric Headbands

ONLY AVAILABLE WHILE STOCKS LAST

ALL STOCK REDUCED

News from the Deputy Principal– Mr. Simon Greely Swimming All families were sent a note outlining the swimming schedule next week. It is below, just in case you missed it or the note was lost in transit:

Session Times Grade/Year level

Session 1 - 10:00am-10:45am Prep/1 A & Prep B

Session 2 - 10:45am-11:30am 1/2L & 1/2M

Session 3 - 11:30am-12:15pm 3/4M & 3/4L

12.15pm-12.45pm – Swim teachers’ lunch break

Session 4 - 12:45pm-1:30pm 3/4D, 5/6S & 5/6D girls

Session 5 - 1:30pm-2:15pm 5/6O, 5/6F & 5/6D boys

Parents who wish to view the lessons down at the Pakenham Indoor Pool will need to pay the $2 spectator fee as they enter, as per the note that went home. Reports Teachers have been very busy writing reports over the last few weeks. The December Report will look similar to the June Report, but will look different to the 2016 version, so please be aware of that. All reporting will be on the Victorian Curriculum and the Revised Religious Education Curriculum. Reports will be handed to students on Thursday the 14th of December at 3.15pm. Any students who are away for the last couple of days of this year will have their reports posted to the address we have on file for you. No reports will be handed to families before this time. Screen Time After my last Deputy News, no parents have approached me with an update on how the ‘screen time’ is going in their families. Maybe I am the only parent struggling to keep on top of this? If so, congratulations to you all and I will keep working on it!

School Assembly

The following Awards were presented at our last assembly on Friday, December 1st 2017:

Junior Learning Community

Foundation/1 A

Mrs. Dianne Ahern

Chace G for thinking about different ways to do tasks.

Olivia Mc for 184 nights reading. Congratulations Olivia!

Alyssa T for working so hard on writing an interesting narrative.

Vivienne M for 164 nights reading. Congratulations Vivienne!

Ellie-Rose G for being such a happy, resilient member of our community.

Foundation B

Mrs. Elyce

Thomson

Haylie D - for reading 277 nights this year

Bodie H - for trying hard during writing time

Spencer E - for trying hard during writing time

Charlie O - for making a great effort on all tasks

Savannah - for making a great effort on all tasks

Year 1/2 L

Miss Kristina

Loritsch

Sophie P for her fantastic expression when reading

Molly B for always being a kind and supportive friend

William O for consistently offering to help others in the class

Heley S for bringing her happy bubbly attitude to school each day

Lachlan S for his fantastic bucket filler during prayer time.

Year 1/2 M

Ms Leanne McCall

Kieran: For the fabulous confidence he showed when reading his story at assembly.

Piper: For her amazing recount about Caldermeade Farm.

Lara: For the amazing improvement in applying her reading strategies to longer texts.

Charli: For her fabulous end of year test results.

Lauren: For her outstanding academic year.

Eden: For her outstanding academic year.

Middle Learning Community

Year 3/4 D

Mr. Kyle Denton

Ethan T - Dojo Champion

Robbie E - Writing an incredible explanation of why 'The Lizzie' is dangerous

Liam F - Demonstrating excellent comprehension of texts during reading lessons.

Nelson H - making huge improvements in his reading comprehension

Eden M - excellent results in our money post test.

Year 3/4 L

Mr. Nathan Larkins

Oliver M for... discussing and modelling some great strategies to add money values together when working with notes

Abbey F for... making some great improvements in her knowledge about money, especially working with small budgets

Sienna A for... developing a detailed explanation, using some great cause and effect sequences to explain how Cheetahs help a washing machine work.

Matiias K for... including a detailed description of how dragons help cook toast in his explanation

Year 3/4 M

Miss Jenn

McMahon

Luke O – For a great result on his measurement test and his continued focus and participation in math class.

Summer C – For her work using algorithms to solve money problems.

Jack T – For improving his reading voice and deepening his understanding of the texts he reads.

Ethan M – for a very interesting explanation report on his ‘deadly Stich’.

Ava P – for making an amazing start on her explanation report about her ‘deadly Letivads’.

Senior Learning Community

Year 5/6 D

Mr. Matthew Dileo

Shivani R - For her sharing her ideas in class discussions.

Paige M - For outstandingly written discussion piece.

Bailey S - For the consistent effort he puts into all of his work.

Year 5/6 FH

Mrs Melissa Ferris

Theodora- for being respectful to her fellow classmates and listening to their ideas

James- for being attentive during class and trying really hard with set tasks

Liam- for his simple yet effective rock design

Keely- for working well with her Harmony Day performance group

Harrison- for his initiative for putting together a wide range of sponsorship and advertisements for his inquiry group.

Year 5/6 O

Mr. Damian

O’Bryan

Ben O: For outstanding improvement in Mathematics Violet: For excellent improvement on their writing structure Bella G: For her leadership in her inquiry Zac M: For excellent improvement in his writing.

Year 5/6S

Miss Lauren

Sutherland

Tiger R - for being a good friend and always listening to others

Charlotte H - For always putting in 100% of the effort 100% of the time.

Matthew S - For the effort he applies to all learning areas, especially literacy.

Vishal M - For always trying to make his writing better each time.

Harry D - For his passion for learning in all areas.

Mia H - For always putting in 100% of the effort 100% of the time.

Abbie M - For always striving to be better across all learning areas.

Specialist Areas

Japanese

Mrs. Megumi

Ichikawa

Phoebe W (56F)

Charlotte S (56F)

Emily F (56F)

Paige Mc (56D)

Arjun N (56D)

Phoebe A (56F)

We wish the children who have celebrated or are celebrating a birthday shortly all the best for a great day.

DECEMBER Eden – 1st Jordan – 3rd Robert – 4th James – 11th

Abby – 13th Holly – 16th Eden – 16th Clara – 17th

Thomas – 17th Jayla – 18th Owen – 21st Evie – 22nd

Ari – 22nd Cameron – 23rd Brayden – 24th Brooke – 24th

Social and Fundraising Committee News

Dates for your 2017 Diary Market Day Friday, December 8th Senior Learning Community

School Carols Night Wednesday, December 13th 6.30 p.m.

Whole school

Advent Liturgy Monday, December 11th at 8.45 a.m.

Whole School led by the Senior Learning Community

St Francis Xavier College Year 7 Orientation Day

Monday, December 11th Year 6 students enrolled at St. Francis Xavier College for

Year 7 2018

Advent Liturgy Monday, December 18th at 8.45 a.m.

Whole School led by the Junior Learning Community

Whole School Orientation Session

Monday, December 18th Students visit their new classroom for 2018 and meet their teacher and classmates

Year 6 Graduation Monday, December 18th 7.00 p.m.

End of Year Mass and Rite of Passage

Tuesday, December 19th 9.00 a.m.

Whole School St. Brigid’s Chapel

End of School Year for Students

Wednesday, December 20th 1.00 p.m.

Early Dismissal for students 1.00 p.m.

Term Dates for the 2017 School Year Term 4 2017 Monday, October 9th – Friday, 22nd December

2017 Last day for students Wednesday, 20th December 2017

Term Dates for the 2018 School Year Term 1 2018 Monday, 29th January – Friday, March 29th

2018

All Students begin: Thursday, February 1st Easter: 30th March – 2 April

Assessment Analysis – Tuesday January 30th and Wednesday, January 31st

Term 2 2018 Monday, April 16th – Friday, June 29th

Term 3 2018 Monday, July 17th – Friday, September 21st

Term 4 2018 Monday, October 8th – Friday, 21st December 2018 Last day for students to be advised.

Closure Days and early dismissals will be advised throughout the course of the year.

Dates for your 2018 Diary School Closure Day Friday, March 23rd 2018 No School for Students

School Photographs Tuesday, March 27th 2018 All Students and Staff

Phillip Island Adventure Camp April 16th – April 18th 2018 Senior Learning Community Year 5/6 students

NAPLAN 15th – 17th May 2018 Students in Years 3 and 5

School Closure Day Friday, July 20th 2018 Diocese of Sale Religious Education Closure Day

Bi-annual Whole School Concert

Thursday, September 13th 2018

Bunjil Place, Cnr Princes Highway and Magid Drive Narre Warren

Allambee Adventure Camp Monday, October 15th to Tuesday October 16th 2018

Middle Learning Community Year 3/4 students

St. Brigid’s Playgroup

Playgroup is held every Tuesday morning during the school Term from 8.45 a.m. in the multipurpose room. A fee of $2 is charged per session to cover insurance costs. Playgroup is a great way for pre-school children to interact with other children in a relaxed environment.

If you are attending, please park your car on the St. Brigid’s side of Bayview Road to avoid being locked in when the gates close at 9.30 a.m.

School Uniform Our School Uniform is available for purchase from Noone Imagewear Beaconsfield Hub, Shop 4, 52-62 Old Princes Highway, Beaconsfield 3807. Online ordering is available, at https://www.noone.com.au/shop/at/stb/

Telephone: 03 9769 9093.

Trading Hours are: Monday to Friday 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Saturday 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. https://www.noone.com.au/noone-beaconsfield/

ST BRIGID’S START AND

FINISH TIMES

School classes commence at 8.45 a.m. and finish at 3.15 p.m. Students should arrive prior to this, but not before 8.30 a.m. The first bell goes at 8.35 a.m. when students may enter their classroom. Students will be supervised from 8.30 a.m. in the morning and until 3.30 p.m. in the afternoon. Please be mindful that staff are committed to meetings and classroom planning outside of these hours and supervision becomes difficult.

As supervision does not commence until 8.30 a.m. Students are not be dropped off unsupervised before 8.30 a.m.

For families who require their child to be at school earlier or later than this, before and after school care is available at St. Brigid’s through Camp Australia. They can be contacted on 1300 105 343 or via their website www.campaustralia.com.au for further information.

We understand that there will be days when for one reason or another, you may be running late in the afternoon. Please contact the school office prior to 3.15 p.m. if you think this will be the case so that a message can be sent to your child/ren and they can be supervised in the office.

BEFORE AND AFTER

SCHOOL CARE

Before and After School Care is available at St Brigid's School. Camp Australia is the provider and can be contacted on 1300 105 343 www.campaustralia.com.au Please note Before and After School Care is not run by staff employed by St. Brigid’s School.

SHOPPING AT RITCHIES

BENEFITS ST. BRIGID’S

SCHOOL

When shopping at Ritchies and by using a community benefit card/tag linked to St Brigid’s Primary School then Ritchies will donate money back to us. These cards/tags can be used at ANY Ritchies store throughout Vic, NSW

and Qld by staff, students and their families. If you would like to support our school and you don’t

already have a CB card/tag please collect one at the office which is already linked to our school and ready to use or

alternatively collect one at the registers next time you shop at ANY Ritchies store to use every time you shop. All you do is nominate St Brigid’s Primary School, it’s that easy! This is an easy way for us to raise funds for our school

with no costs involved.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

WORKING WITH CHILDREN

CHECK Parent help is most welcome and appreciated in your child’s learning community at suitable times throughout the year, however you will be required to have a current Working With Children Check.

Applications can be downloaded online at http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/ and then completed and lodged at a participating Australia Post Office. From December 5th 2016 Victorian applicants will no longer need to supply their own photo. Australia Post will provide a digital photo free of charge. Further information can be obtained at the above link. There is no cost involved if you complete the form as a volunteer only and not for employment purposes.

News from St. Michael’s Parish Berwick

Community Noticeboard

Caritas Global Gifts - We are One Human Family

Send a Christmas message to those you love, and support those in need.

When you choose a Global Gift this Christmas, you are bringing a moment of joy

and helping create a lifetime of change for some of the world’s most vulnerable

people.

This year you can help bring the gift of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love to our one

human family around the world. Each Global Gift will go towards supporting our

most important work; from responding to emergency situations to supporting

education programs and training farmers with new sustainable livelihood

techniques.

Share a message of compassion this Christmas – Simply select one of our

beautiful Global Gift cards. When you send a Global Gift card to your friends or

family, you also share a gift with the world and help support our one human

family.

Order Global Gift cards online at: www.globalgifts.org.au or call us on 1800

024 413

$10 $25 $50 $100

Looking ahead...

Fri. December 8th Senior Market Day

Sun. December 10th Second Sunday of Advent

Wed. December 13th Carols Night 6.30 p.m.

Mon. December 11th Advent Liturgy 8.45 a.m. led by the Senior Learning Community

Sun. December 17th Third Sunday of Advent

Mon. December 18th Advent Liturgy 8.45 a.m. led by the Junior Learning Community

Mon. December 18th Whole School Orientation

Mon. December 18th Year 6 Graduation 7.00 p.m.

Tues. December 19th End of Year Mass and Rite of Passage 9.00 a.m.

Thank You Morning Tea

Wed. December 20th End of School Year for all students

St. Michael’s Parish

119 High Street, Berwick 3806 Parish Priest: Fr Jeff Kleynjans

Assistant Priest: Fr. Hilarion Fernando Pastoral Associate: Elizabeth Overdyk

(03) 97071355 Weekend Masses

Saturday: 6.00 p.m. Sunday: 9.00 a.m., 10.30 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.

http://www.stmichaelsparish.org.au Pastoral Associate email:

associate@stmichaelsparish.org.au

Brainteaser The answer to last week’s brainteaser was ‘Progress underway.’ This week’s is:

Jesus, as we prepare

to welcome you again this Christmas,

speak your words

into our hearts and lives,

that by our preparation for your birth, we

might proclaim what still needs

to be made ready

if our world is to become more like

your Kingdom.

Soften our hearts, calm our fears,

and give us courage to proclaim

your coming in our broken world.

Amen.

Yours in friendship and unity, Ken Gale Principal