Our Lady of Lourdes Primary Newsletter

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’ There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’ As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them.

Although Advent Wreaths are very popular, many are not aware of the rich meaning and symbolism embedded in this tradition. 

During the first two weeks of Advent we light the first two purple candles. The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. On this day we celebrate that our waiting for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day is almost over. Rose is a liturgical color that is used to signify joy, so we light the single pink candle on the third Sunday of Advent.

Then on the fourth Sunday of Advent, the final purple candle is lit to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait expectantly for the soon-coming birth of the King of Kings.

Traditionally, each of the four Advent candles have a deeper meaning which is depicted in the lovely Four Weeks of Advent Pewter Wreath:

The 1st Sunday of Advent symbolizes Hope with the "Prophet’s Candle" reminding us that Jesus is coming.

The 2nd Sunday of Advent symbolizes Faith with the "Bethlehem Candle" reminding us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The 3rd Sunday of Advent symbolizes Joy with the "Shepherd’s Candle" reminding us of the Joy the world experienced at the coming birth of Jesus.

The 4th Sunday of Advent symbolizes Peace with the "Angel’s Candle" reminding us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who graduated on Tuesday evening. Thank you to Fr Wim for celebrating this Mass with us. Thank you also to Miss Boidin, Mrs McAllister, Mrs Danies, Mrs Conn and Mrs Bryant for preparing such a lovely Mass. 

As we come to the end of the year, I would like to thank everyone in our school community for making 2021 such a successful and rewarding year under difficult circumstances. Thank you to Fr Wim for his support and cooperation. I thank the staff for their hard work and dedication.Thank you to the P&F, volunteers and all parents at Our Lady of Lourdes for your support of the school. Congratulations to all the students for their hard work and effort throughout the year both at school and working remotely. To the Year 6 students who are moving on to high school, we thank you for being such an important part of Our Lady of Lourdes during the past 7 years. I wish you all the best for high school. May all students, families and staff have a peaceful, happy and safe Christmas.

Congratulations to Benjamin Mathews and Amelia Johnstone who received the Father Kelly Award at the Year 6  Graduation Mass last Tuesday night. 

Unfortunately due to covid we were not able to take part in all five Maths Olympiad tests this year. The final results were based on the three completed tests.

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved in the top 20% Maths Olympiad scores in our school:

Elyssia Alha

Emilia Rebazza

Estelle Johnsson

Joohwan Bark

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved in the top 10% Maths Olympiad scores in our school:

Nathan Jeong

Rhesa Fernandes

Davynn Kim

Congratulations to Davynn Kim who received a trophy for achieving the highest score in our school

We farewell the following staff:

Mrs Hogan has been a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes for 17 years . We thank her for her commitment and dedication to our students  throughout her career and we wish her well as she moves into the next stage of her life. 

Mrs Zarb has been a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes for 17 years . We thank her for her contribution to our school and wish her well for the future.

Ms Borg has worked in the office for 12 years. We thank her for her dedication and work in the office and wish her well in her retirement.  

Miss Brown has been a Teacher Assistant for the past 3 years. We thank her for her support and hard work and we wish her well in her future career.

Mrs Hardy has been a Teacher Assistant for the past 2 years. We thank her for her hard work and dedication and we wish her well for her future endeavours.

Mrs Cooper has worked part-time in the office this year. We thank her for her hard work and wish her all the best for her future career.

Mrs Little will be on leave for 2022.

Congratulations to the following students who received either Age Champion or Runner Up

Congratulations to:

• Abigail Petersen (3D), Mayra Tripathi (3D) , Elizabeth Badaoui (3S), Kiara Haywood (3S), Eva Enosi-Tuipulotu (1R) who were selected for the under 10's team.
• Amber Haywod (5C) and Ruby Enosi-Tuipulotu (5F) were selected for the under 12's team.

They will compete in the NSW Touch Football State Cup, playing representative football for the Parramatta Eels.

They will compete against all other state teams in the Cup held in February 2022.

Children's Rosary gather together to pray the Rosary every Monday during the school term. Bring your Rosary beads and spend some time in prayer. 

Where : OLOL Parish

When: Mondays (school term only) 

Time: 3.30pm 

Contact : anitamolina@hotmail.com