Dear Parents,
This Sunday’s Gospel is familiar to us all. The parable of the vineyard identifies Christ as the vine and we are the branches, sometimes in need of a good pruning. God’s purpose is not to produce a perfect vineyard, but to produce a full-bodied wine at the end of history.
This is very much the case at every Mass that is celebrated in our parishes each week. The wine we offer – ‘fruit of the earth and work of human hands’ – becomes the spiritual drink for us all which best serves the purpose of our Heavenly Father. The wine in the chalice at the Last Supper became the blood of our Lord : ‘This is my blood’, amongst other things Jesus is saying: ‘This is my life force, this is my very life given unreservedly for you.’ So, when we drink from the chalice at Holy Communion, the life of the Risen Lord is encapsulated in our bodies just as the sap of the vine courses through its branches in the vineyard. Lets’ take a moment to pray this weekend that we respond to the pruning and the tending by the vineyard owner -Jesus himself and the pressing of the grapes by our Heavenly Father so as to contribute our distinctive character to the vintage at the end of history, the spiritual drink of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Welcome back to our staff, student and the families to the second term of 2021. I trust everyone enjoyed the break and was able to relax, step out of the “school week routine” and enjoy some down time with your families over the two weeks. These next ten weeks are a busy time with a focus on assessment and reporting in the second half of the term culminating in parent teacher interviews in the weeks 9 and 10. I encourage all students to focus on their studies, enjoy their learning and do the very best over the next ten weeks setting goals and striving to achieve them. Best wishes to everyone for a most enjoyable and successful term.
On Sunday week we celebrate Mother’s Day and all the wonderful things our mums do for each and every day of our lives. A book I acquired several years ago titled “The Best Mum in the World” is a collection of humorous and inspirational quotes that are indicative of motherhood and what our mums mean in our lives. As we draw close to this special day I would like to share a few thoughts from the book that resonated with me and the love and appreciation we each have for our own mothers.
A mother is……
-the one who is still there when everyone else has deserted you.
-someone who dreams great dreams for you but then she lets you choose the dreams you have for yourself and loves you just the same.
-the truest friend a person can have who loves you unconditionally.
-a child’s first looking glass into the world.
-is about making choices everyday putting someone else’s happiness and wellbeing ahead of her own
- is the next closest thing to divinity It is the highest holiest service to be assumed by mankind
-the only person who can think of the future-because they gave birth to it in their children.
May God bless all mothers in our community not only on Sunday week but every day of the year. May we all continue to love and appreciate the significant role they play in our lives.
Next Friday, we will celebrate Mother’s day with a liturgy, morning tea and open classrooms commencing at 9:15am. We look forward to celebrating with our mums next week.
Just a reminder that smart watches are not to be worn to school. In recent month’s smart watches have been used inappropriately by students creating issues that are disruptive and in contravention of our IT acceptable use agreements and policy. Please insure these watches are kept at home during the week.
Next week solar panels will be installed on the rooves of our buildings. This is an initiative funded by the Parramatta Catholic Education Office. As a result of these works, the area between year two and the staff room will be blocked off and used as a work compound during the whole of next week whilst the panels are installed . Access between the basketball court and the back oval will be via the path adjoining Year 3. Families accessing the site from Burradoo Close will need to walk through the Kindergarten playground. Apologies for any inconvenience that may be caused during the installation.
Have a great week.
Tony Hughes
Principal
