Term 1, Week 9

28 march, 2023

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

​We are Respectful
We are Responsible
We are Safe
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School is located on the traditional lands of the Punnilerpanner people of the North Nation. We acknowledge and deeply respect the Palawa people, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community, and all Elders past and present. We are committed to learning alongside our students and community in this place, and support the continued sharing of knowledge and culture.

What's On?

Whole School
​Prayer

Monday 28 March
Primary Years School Prayer
(Grades 3 - 6)
Grade 4B leading.
9:00am in the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

​Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 1​​​​​​
  • ​Whole School Assembly (4M) - Friday 31 March
  • Last Day of Term 1 - Thursday 6 April
  • Term 2 Commences - Wednesday 26 April

MRs seagar'S  Reflection

Principal

‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’

Welcome everyone to Week 9.

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.  Jesus entered Jerusalem, not as a warrior in the tradition of King David as many had hoped for, but riding simply on a donkey. The disciples and the crowd applauded him, but they proved fickle in their support.
Fr Michael Tate.
 
In recalling Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem we are reminded that  this procession is not meant to be an historical pageant. Like all liturgical moments it’s meant to intersect with our own lives and speak to our journey of faith. What makes this procession so powerful is that it starts with hysteria and ends in death. And this tells us something we need to hear.  Something concerning!
 
In the journey of faith we should always be on our guard against being part of a manipulated crowd. The unchecked enthusiasm of a crowd can carry us away to places, people or things we would not ordinarily choose and should not embrace. If we are vulnerable, any other person through his or her version of  life can whip us up into a frenzy. (Donald Trump, Hitler, and many more).  An example of this on a slightly lesser level of importance is the power of the media and advertising to see how susceptible we are to becoming a slave to fashionable ideologies, dress codes and what and who is in or out. Every time we buy something because someone else has it or because we convince ourselves that our wants are really our needs, the crowd has won. 
 
The story of Passion Sunday is the same manipulation of a crowd, even by legitimate authorities, and this can be the beginning of spiritual death. Hype often distorts priorities, blurs good judgment and we can choose expediency over integrity. Unfortunately, we see this very explicitly in countries around the world where human rights are violated by ‘others’ leading the crowd in a concerning and worrying direction.
 
So what’s the remedy to being manipulated, to regaining a sense of what really matters, to standing up against the crowd for the values we know are right? Jesus shows us in Matthew’s Gospel. It starts with silence. It’s being a contemplative in a manic world and praying for the courage to dissent from the crowd’s hyped-up madness. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King were great examples of this.
 
As we process into Holy Week, this annual rite of passage for our faith, may we model our lives on Jesus in every way by creating the silence we need in our lives to sort out our priorities, by using silence powerfully in a world that loves words but has very little to say about our meaning and destiny and allowing our Christian love, to do all the talking.
 
(Some content sourced at  Richard Leonard SJ https://www.liturgyhelp.com/)



McCarthy Centre

Our school gym is named the McCarthy Centre. It is named in honour of Sister Mary Francis McCarthy who with two other Sisters of St Joseph established Our Lady of Lourdes in 1891.

Social & emotional learning 2023

Prayer and Resilience
May I acknowledge you in everything I do and draw near to you to grow my character and develop my resilience. Thank you that your promise to me is to make my path straight when I do these things. Amen
Proverbs 3:3-5
Studies have shown that prayer reduces anxiety and concern, and leads to improved health outcomes for those who believe in the power of prayer. It can also play an important role in improving other aspects of  mental health. Spiritual support in general, and prayer in particular, can drive resilience in children, parents and communities. Some research has discovered that prayer and religion  assist children in dire situations around the world. During Covid it was also discovered that prayer gave families a sense of hope and the search for prayer increased during these years.​
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/1/11#:~:text=Prayer%20was%20considered%20a%20positive%20factor%20in%20seven,physical%20functioning%20of%20patients%20who%20believe%20in%20prayer.
https://www.wvi.org/publications/case-study/faith-and-development/learning-brief-spiritual-support-children-move-and
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8557987/
Prayer offers a bigger sense of purpose: a connection to a greater power or truth that can give you a sense of purpose and meaning beyond the day-to-day, beyond our concerns to the bigger picture as well as taking the worry/stress/concern from us and offering it to God.  This connection to a higher power helps strengthen emotional health.

A deeper sense of prayer that can develop with a prayerful daily practice enables us to still ourselves enough to listen and receive, to ask for nothing. When we can empty ourselves of schemes and demands, when we can let the fear settle and open ourselves without intent, this quiet bravery lets us be renewed by the forces of Wholeness.  God will speak to us.
There can be a rhythm of breathing when praying and a rhythm to the prayer, recited or created by self, petition or praise, that enables our ‘soul to breathe’.  

The peace, that sense of meaning and connection that happens with prayer is what is positive and has physiological effects on the body, such as calming the cardiovascular system and reducing stress.

In the quote at the top from Proverbs we are encouraged to show gratitude to God and we also know that gratitude assists greatly the development of resilience. 

The students are really enjoying singing the song below and the lyrics permit us to see that in the good and tough times, God is with us:
Lord, I thank you for sunshine, thank you for rain
Thank you for joy, thank you for pain
It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day

Sometimes life is good, but then trouble comes my way
But whatever happens Lord, I thank you for this day
And when I'm feeling troubled, I lift my hands and pray
That your will be done in the rain or sun
Oh, it's a beautiful day

I don't want to act too high and mighty
'coz tomorrow I might fall down on my face

I give thanks when I'm feeling lonely
I give thanks when I'm feeling glad
I give thanks in the morning & thanks in the evening
and thanks when I'm feeling sad
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/1/11#:~:text=Prayer%20was%20considered%20a%20positive%20factor%20in%20seven,physical%20functioning%20of%20patients%20who%20believe%20in%20prayer.
https://www.wvi.org/publications/case-study/faith-and-development/learning-brief-spiritual-support-children-move-and

RE NEWS
Picture
Each Week staff gather to spend time together in prayer.  There is a focus on scripture and then reflection on the meaning of this scripture. Meaning  to the individual person, to the gathering and to the world in which we live.
 
It is a treasured time where staff get to be together, share a quiet time and take stock of our main purpose in life: to be with each other, to live with each other and to be the hands, voice and feet of Jesus; to serve others and above all to accept everyone unconditionally: Love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31).




God loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.
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Caritas
For 40 days as Catholics we try to abide by prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
As part of almsgiving we are fundraising for Caritas, as we do each Lent.
Caritas works to end poverty and promote justice in countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and the Middle East. Their work tackles global issues like food and water insecurity, national disaster readiness and gender-based violence. Caritas Australia is the Catholic Church’s international aid and development agency in Australia.  They are committed to working alongside the most vulnerable and addressing the imbalance of power by including the people affect in the decisions impacting their lives. Caritas’ vision is Justice, dignity and hope for humanity and all of God’s creation.
Sourced: https://www.caritas.org.au/

RESILIENCE

During Health, Grade 6 have been undertaking a unit on Resilience.  

School news

Student Free Days 2023
Student Free Days for 2023 are:
Term 2: Monday 24 April
Term 3: Monday 24 July
Term 4: Monday 16 October
Seeking Board Nominations
Please email Carol Seagar at [email protected] if you would be interested in becoming a Board Member for Our Lady of Lourdes.  There is an application process that can be forwarded to you.
Role of the School Board:
  1. To promote the Catholic identity and evangelising mission of the school;
  2. to develop the school vision, mission and strategic plan;
  3. to develop school-level policies as appropriate;
  4. to support the development of the school budget and the monitoring of the financial sustainability of the school;
  5. to ensure that the approved processes of review and monitoring of educational outcomes are implemented; and
  6. to assist in collaboration, consultation and building of partnerships with local parish/parishes, the parents and the broader community.
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Kinder Enrolments 2024
Enrolments for Kinder 2024 are now open. Children born 2019 are eligible to being Kindergarten in 2024. Please contact the Office on 6424 1744 for any further information.

Uniform Shop
New stocks of PE shorts, track pants and rugby tops are now available.
Soccer socks $5.00 and $14.00 and small sizes of second hand boots available.
Term 2 - Winter Uniform
Long sleeve shirts - $26.00
Ties - $20.00
Beanies -  $18.00

Student of the week

Sports News & Rosters

Click here to access 'Sports News, Registrations and Rosters​​
  • Devon Netball 
  • Soccer - Season Commences 1st April 2023 
  • NW Football League Primary School Roster 
  • Devonport Primary Basketball Roster​

Mersey Leven Catholic parish

Weekend Masses
Saturday Vigil
  • 6:00pm St Mary's, Penguin
  • 6:00pm Our Lady of Lourdes Devonport
Sunday
  • 8:00am St Joseph, Port Sorell
  • 9:00am Sacred Heart, Ulverstone
  • 9:30am Our Lady of Lourdes, Devonport
  • 11:30am Holy Cross, Sheffield
  • 5:00pm St Patrick, Latrobe

          Move Well Eat Well                            TECHNOLOGY News

Community News

Click here access 'Community news'​​​
  • Devonport Surf Life Saving Club - Aquathlon - 17th March
  • City of Devonport Brass Band
  • Net Set Go Come and Play - Netball  5-10 years
  • Tennis
  • Hockey
  • Studio 81 Dance Company
  • Mersey Leven Catholic Church - High Tea

Policy in Focus

This week in our 'Policy in Focus' section of the Newsletter we have attached our Uniform Policy.  This policy outlines the expectations that we have for our students in regards to the wearing of their school uniform.  We are currently having a focus on 'doing the small things with pride'.  This means boys keeping their shirts tucked in, girls wearing the appropriate headbands, jewellery and nail polish, students with shoulder length hair keeping it tied back and the wearing of black, polishable school shoes.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School Uniform POLICY

OLOL School Calendar

2023 Term Dates

​
2023 TERM DATES
TERM 1
Friday 3 February - Thursday 6 April
TERM 2
Wednesday 26 April - Friday 7 July
TERM 3
Tuesday 25 July - Friday 29 September
TERM 4
Tuesday 17 October - Thursday 14 December