Newsletter 27/2/2025
From the Principal:
Lent is the season of forty days, during which we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus during Holy Week and Easter.
Lent is a time for us to prepare our hearts for the great feast of Easter. It is a time to pray, fast, and give so we may grow in love for God and each other. 2025 is also a Year of Jubilee—a time to remember God’s love for everyone, to say sorry for wrong things we’ve done, and to make a new start.
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it, too. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. Writings from the Second-Century Church refer to wearing ashes as a sign of penance. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches taken from the previous year's Palm Sunday Mass. This two-minute clip briefly explains Ash Wednesday & Lent.
As we celebrate the Year of Jubilee, with its theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” the ashes echo the reminder that God is calling us to forgive, to be free from what holds us back, and to help bring hope and peace to others.
Years 3 - 6 will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass on Wednesday, 5 March, from 10:15 am to 11 am at the Holy Redeemer Church. All are welcome to attend.
Kinder to Grade 2 will celebrate with an Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 11:30 am in the school hall.
All are welcome to attend.
Kind regards,
Mary Bennett
Principal
Our Lady of Mercy Music Program:
St Brendan-Shaw College invites expressions of interest for the North West Catholic Primary School Instrumental Music Program for 2025. This is a wonderful opportunity for Grades 4 to 6 students to discover the joy of music and develop skills that will last a lifetime.
What’s on offer?
Music tuition with all sheet music supplied.
Instrument hire available, including:
Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone
Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium
Violin, Cello
Performance Opportunities
Students will have exciting opportunities to showcase their progress:
Music Soirées at least once a year.
Combined Schools Workshop Days throughout the year.
A Combined Schools Major Concert to celebrate their achievements at the end of the year.
Why choose music?
Research shows that learning to play an instrument can significantly enhance children’s abilities in learning, memory, and social interactions. Participating in music is also a key part of a well-rounded and balanced education, helping students build confidence, discipline, and a love of the arts.
If your child may be interested in this experience, we encourage you to submit an expression of interest.
For further information or to register, please click on the following link:
Enrolment Form: https://sbsc.me/4fwTmfh
The cost is approximately $20 per week. If your child would like to participate but fees are holding you back, please speak to our school office.
School Safety Crossing:
We have a school crossing, could parents and children please use it - be the example, not the excuse.
Welcome to Our New Families:
Welcome to our new families.
Once again we have many new families joining our school in 2025. Throughout Term One, we’d like to introduce them to you so you can get to them and help them settle into our school family.
Meet the Jordens family:
We moved from Munich, Germany to beautiful Tassie in mid-January.
We have settled in very fast and well thanks to all the welcoming and helpful people at the school. When we visited for the first time in August, we were 100% sure that this was the perfect school for our boys. Their teachers and all the other staff members have been super supportive and welcoming and have made the transition super easy. The biggest difference to school in Germany is the school uniform. In Germany, the boys had to decide every morning what they were going to wear. Now it is so simple, they are ready much quicker and they are proud to wear their OLOM school uniform - even after school and on weekends :-).
Everybody has been so incredibly welcoming, and helpful and we have already been included in groups and activities such as outings, BBQs, girls' night out, golfing, etc. We also love the slower pace and the relaxed way of going about things here.
We look forward to getting to know the beautiful area and the lovely people more and to contributing to the school and community. The boys look forward to becoming more fluent in English and to forming deeper connections with their new friends.
Welcome BBQ
What Have Kinder Been Up To:
In Kinder, students have been busy practising the skill of drawing people. Drawing self-portraits is more than just a fun activity—it plays a key role in cognitive development. As children draw themselves, they practice essential fine motor skills, improving their hand-eye coordination and control over drawing tools.
Drawing people also helps them develop an understanding of body parts and their relationships to one another, building awareness of human features. This strengthens their ability to recognize differences and similarities between themselves and others, fostering a strong sense of identity.
Drawing also allows children to express themselves creatively. It’s exciting to see how each child uniquely represents themselves, reflecting their growing sense of identity and individuality. We can’t wait to see where their artistic journeys take them next!
Green Thumb Team:
Thank you to all the families who have kindly donated fruit and vegetables for our kitchen garden. We will be having a muffin day towards the end of the term to raise money for plants and to stock our pantry.
We hope everyone enjoyed the zucchini slice at the Welcome BBQ!
From the Green Thumb Team
New Buddy Bench:
A new Buddy Bench has been installed in the playground. The children are enjoying using it with their friends.
Important Dates:
St Patrick's College Grade 7 Enrolments 2026:
Enrolment applications for Year 7 2025 close on April 11, 2024.
An application must be received prior to this date to be considered in the first placement offerings.
Enrolment forms have been sent home with Grade 6 students.
Life Without Barriers:
Would you like to become a Foster Carer? Please see information below.
Local Junior Sport:
Deloraine Junior Football Club:
See below to find out what's on around the club this week.
If you're a girl, who has ever thought about playing footy - now is the time to give it a try! Come on down to training, and see how much fun footy is... all girls' teams are needing more players.
Don't forget to register if you haven't already by clicking on the link below, or scanning the QR code.* Ticket-to-play vouchers can be used for football! (See previous posts for more details)*
