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The disciples on the road to Emmaus walked and talked with Jesus all day long, but it was not until they offered Him hospitality and He blessed and broke the bread that they recognised Him. Do our simple acts of loving kindness still reveal the presence of God in our midst?
His joy will give you strength in the midst of uncertainty.
Last Weekend's Gospel ....
Families, as the domestic church, have the opportunity to make the family meal a time of prayerful encounter with one another and with Jesus. At a family meal we share our experiences of the day and connect them with the experiences of others in the family. We can also enjoy the meal as an opportunity to reflect upon our family life in light of Scripture. At their best, our family meals can connect us to Jesus too.
Perhaps invite family members to plan and prepare the meal together. Begin the meal by reading last Sunday's Gospel, Luke 24:13-35. As you eat, talk together about how the disciples discussed their experiences in Jerusalem and how they came to understand them differently when Jesus interpreted those events in the light of Scripture. Then invite each family member to share the things that are going on in his or her life.
Consider what Jesus might say to each person if he were sitting at your dinner table. Conclude with a special prayer after your dinner. Pray a prayer of blessing for each family member asking that Jesus continue to be present in each person's life, helping each one to be a better follower of Jesus. Conclude with a Sign of Peace.
On the road to Emmaus, the disciples of Jesus recognised Him at the breaking of bread. We continue to pray for all those who are receiving a Spiritual Communion at this time of pandemic. May we continue to recognise the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharistic breaking of bread.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you to all our parents and carers who have committed and supported the remote learning environment as we begin Term 2. This has been a huge shift in planning, strategy and thinking for our school staff.
This type of learning has increased the workload of our teaching staff. The level of organisation and time that goes into producing the learning plans for students to complete and parents to supervise is far greater than what is done in a face-to-face learning environment.
We very much appreciate the patience and understanding of our parent community as we work to provide learning continuity to our students.
Moving towards a Phased Transition Back to School
As we begin to move towards the organisation of the phased return to school for students, it is important to communicate with you that the workflow of the teachers will change as we progress through the phases. In the movement to face to face teaching there will be a decrease in the availability of a teacher's time in the online environment. We are currently considering how we can best manage the delivery of learning during this time.
It is very important for all to understand that Our Lady Help of Christians operates based on the current needs presented in our community. This may look different to other schools as they respond to the needs of their community. We are bound by a common set of principles of operation based on Federal, State and Catholic Education mandates so our response may look different across schools. Therefore, comparing schools and their actions, is not productive nor supportive for schools in achieving the best for the students we all serve.
The staff at Our Lady Help of Christians continue to work extremely hard in order to embrace remote learning. The needs of the students have been forefront in everyone’s minds. The concern that has been displayed for you, as parents and carers, who have to take on the role of supervising school work, has been paramount in our planning and thinking. I could not be more proud of the OLHC staff and their work in this period.
How are the teachers working?
Not all teachers will be on site during the first two weeks of school. The teachers will be working on a rotational roster with some working on site and some working remotely. Teachers will be maintaining physical distancing from each other and students and practising essential hygiene throughout the day. The health and safety of all our school staff is of paramount importance.
Looking ahead to Week 3
Through recent correspondence that was provided to you, you would be aware that the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong is in constant communication with health and government authorities in regards to the operation of our school.
Please be assured that we are working hard to keep you updated with the latest information even when processes and rules seem to change rapidly overnight. For now, our remote online learning is continuing for Weeks 1 and 2.
Please regularly check Compass for communication regarding learning for Week 3 and beyond.
Congratulations to all children at OLHC for all of their efforts with their remote learning work.
Asking God’s blessing on you and your families at this time.
Jane Webb
Prinicpal
Welcome back to Term 2, I hope that you had a relaxing holiday where you were able to spend quality time together as a family. I sincerely hope that you and all of your loved ones are well and surviving what we are faced with at this time, a situation which is totally unprecedented.
Term 2 begins similarly to the way Term 1 ended with most of our students learning remotely from home. I wish to thank Mrs Webb for all of her guidance throughout this time and all of the teachers for their dedication and hard work. The teachers are spending a lot of time creating activities and learning tasks that the students are able to access remotely. The planning and collaborating has been amazing and I am sure you, as parents, can see the amount of work that has been put into it. The teachers are also providing daily feedback to the students so please encourage your children to read / listen to this feedback and to try to apply it to the next piece of their work. It is important that the students engage with their remote learning work each day and to try to complete it to the best of their ability. Students from Years 3-6 were sent an exercise book during the holiday break to use to complete their learning in so please contact the school if your child did not receive theirs. We realise that supporting your children at home to complete their learning is not easy but I wish to thank you as parents for all that you are doing to support us throughout this time as well.
It is important to encourage your children to continue to read as well. The teachers will also be encouraging them to do this and are looking at ways to provide extra resources to them to support this. Please encourage your child to spend some time each day reading independently, reading to you or even you reading a favourite book to them.
I’m sure the coming weeks will bring further changes which I know we will adapt to together as the wonderful school community we are.
Take care.
Alison Fazio
Assistant Principal
Prayer in a Time of Need
Reminders
* The Sacrament of Confirmation is postponed and will not occur in June as planned.
* Parish Masses can be viewed online at:
Thank you.
Natasha Ferderer
Religious Education Co-ordinator
This week you received information about the planning going forward for remote learning. The following is an extract, as a reminder, of what the first two weeks of Term 2 will look like.
- Term 2 will begin on Monday 27 April 2020.
- There will be no change in the first two weeks of Term 2. Remote learning will continue as it did in the final weeks of Term 1.
- Students are still encouraged to access remote learning from home. Where students are able to stay home they are encouraged to do so.
- The school remains open for students who need to attend. Supervision will continue to be provided for students unable to stay home. The education experience will be the same whether students are at home or at school:
- Throughout the first two weeks of Term 2 there is only one mode of delivery of learning which is online. Students who attend school will have face to face supervision of the same work that students who are accessing learning from home are completing.
- It is important to note that there is a difference between face to face supervision and face to face teaching. The supervision at school is conducted by both School Support Officers and classroom teachers. The teachers supervising your child/ren may not necessarily be your child’s regular classroom teacher.
For this reason, parents and carers will be contacted about changing the previously booked enrolment interview to a Telephone Conference Interview with Fr Sarkis and myself. This interview will be held on the same day and time as previously scheduled. All enrolment interviews are an opportunity to explore the hopes parents have for the education of their children within the context of the Catholic community here at OLHC, a chance to get to know more about the student and their individual needs and an opportunity for parents to ask questions in order to know more about the community they desire to be part of. We thank all our families in advance for adjusting to this new and hopefully, temporary new normal.
Parents of prospective Kindergarten 2021 students will be contacted early this term to confirm these arrangements.
Compass App
This app should be downloaded so you can be kept up to date with the latest events and information from the school. This app is also used for distribution of the Newsletter. Please download the app from your relevant store. For more information please see the attached flyer "Accessing the Compass App".
eSafety Website
We would like to warmly welcome you back to Term 2. In K-2 Seesaw will continue to be implemented as a teaching and learning tool. In Years 3-6 Google Classroom will continue to be implemented as a teaching and learning tool during this time of remote learning.
OLHC Remote Learning Website
Teachers are endeavouring to design remote learning opportunities that are as engaging and meaningful as possible. Thus we would like to introduce to you the website that has been created which will support you, as parents, and support students during this remote learning journey. Please take the time to navigate your way through the website as there are multiple documents that you will find useful. The website will continually be updated so please take the time to check for any new information. Please click on the link which will take you to the OLHC Remote Learning Website.
Drop off and Pick Up
During this unprecedented time of COVID-19 we ask that parents do not enter the school site. Drop off and pick up is still available and encouraged as the safest physical distancing option. We kindly ask that if you are dropping off your child that you farewell them at the gate.
The school drop off and pick up zone is located via the John Therry grounds. We would like to remind you that our school drop off zone gate is opened by a staff member at 8:00am. The school pick up zone gate is closed at 3:00pm. If the gate is closed at 3:00pm your child will wait in the office for you to collect them.
We would like to thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to work together during this time. We will continue to update you with further information via Compass, Facebook and our Remote Learning Platform Website. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the website.
If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.
Alana Stroligo.
Mass Timetable:
Tuesday: 6.30pm, Wednesday: 9.00am, Thursday: 9.00am, Friday: 9.00am (note change from 8.20am), Saturday: 6.00pm, Sunday: 10.00am (NO Mass at 8.30am)
While participating spiritually in Mass from home, Father has invited to you pray the following with him:
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
Come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
And unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you.
Amen.
Prayer to St. Michael, Protector of the Church.
St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl through the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
A Walk through Rosemeadow
A beautiful hard cover book on the theology and spirituality underpinning the design of the church, written by Father Sarkis, it contains full colour pictures of all the windows, art works and photographs from the Mass of Dedication. This book captures and explains the design and art of the church and gives simple spiritual synthesis of what we believe as Catholic Christians. Available to purchase from the Pious Goods Store - parish price $59.95 with cash or credit card only - for EFPTOS facilities, please visit the parish office during business hours. All proceeds from the book go to the church.