Dear Parents,
Gospel for the third Sunday of Lent
‘Jesus Cleanses the Temple’
Jesus does not come to destroy the temple, but to fulfill it —to reveal its true purpose in God’s saving plan.
He is the Lord the prophets said would come—to purify the temple, banish the merchants, and make it a house of prayer for all peoples.
The God who made the heavens and the earth, who brought Israel out of slavery, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands
Nor does He need offerings of oxen, sheep, or doves.
In Sunday’s reading God did not originally command animal sacrifices—only that Israel heed His commandments.
His law was a gift of divine wisdom. It was a law of love perfectly expressed in Christ’s self-offering on the Cross.
This is the “sign” Jesus offers in Sunday’s Gospel —the sign that caused Jewish leaders to stumble.
Jesus’ body—destroyed on the Cross and raised up three days later—is the new and true sanctuary. From the temple of His body, rivers of living water flow, the Spirit of grace that makes each of us a temple and together builds us into a dwelling place of God.
In the Eucharist we participate in His offering of His body and blood. This is the worship in Spirit and in truth that the Father desires.
We are to offer praise as our sacrifice . This means imitating Christ—offering our bodies—all our intentions and actions in every circumstance, for the love of God and the love of others.
Source: Scott Hahn
Morning Drop Off
Please be reminded that when using the morning Kiss and Drop Off on the COLA , students must have their bags with them in the car. For safety reasons no child or adult is to go to the boot of the car. There can be no exceptions to this procedure - it is very dangerous for students to be at the back of the vehicle. Parents must remain in vehicles when using this area.
Students who are dropped off outside the COLA and who then use the COLA to enter the school must walk behind the witches hats. No student is to walk down the middle of the COLA - this is extremely dangerous as cars are continually moving around in this area.
As communicated earlier this week the COLA stairs to the basketball court are now cordoned into two pathways each morning. One for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 to walk down to the bottom level and one for Years 3 to Year 6.
Please be aware of the other morning entrances into the school which include:
the stairs below the school gate which open at around 8:15am
the Burradoo Close gate drop off and
the Bowral Street Gate gate drop off
Many thanks for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our students safe at drop off and pick up times.
Student Lunches
Lately, there has been a significant increase in the number of students who come to the office at lunch time to report that they have forgotten to bring their lunch to school.
There is also a large number of students who also come to the office to report that they have had their lunch but are still hungry.
Please, would you remind or check with your child each morning that he or she has packed their lunch in their school bag.
Please would you also check that your child (children) have enough food for the day. Extra fresh fruit and vegetables, sandwiches etc may help to satisfy your child’s (childrens’) extra appetite as the days become slightly cooler.
Below are some snack suggestions for lunch boxes from Western Sydney Parent Newsletter that you may find helpful.
Many thanks for your ongoing support in regard to school lunches.
Bernadette Walsh
Acting Principal
