FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

We have now entered the liturgical season of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.

In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus warns his disciples against the fatigue that can emerge if one becomes consumed by the anxieties of daily life. Many families are too familiar with the kind of fatigue Jesus refers to here. We may be concerned about a family member's health, our job security, our children's education, or any number of other concerns. All these are important matters. Jesus does not promise an end to daily worries and fears, but he does teach his disciples that they will have the strength to withstand anxiety if they stay focused on him, remaining vigilant for his return and praying for strength to endure all tribulations. Through prayer, God helps us stay focused on that which is most important in our lives.

A driving dynamic of Advent is hope. If we had nothing to hope for, there would be no point to this season. The original hope was for a child to be born who would bring justice and peace to the world. But that larger hope is filled with smaller ones—daily hopes that can shape us as people.

May we each experience this true sense of hope during this Advent as we wait and prepare for the birth of Christ in our hearts and homes.

STAFF NEWS - FAREWELL AND THANK YOU

The last couple of weeks have certainly been filled with much end of year ‘busyness’. Amongst all of the work that goes on to have a successful end of year for the students is the important task of recruitment and employment of teachers and support staff for the new school year. This task is becoming increasingly complex with the lower number of applications being received by schools and schools competing for teachers across the Diocese.

As we approach the end of the school year next week, I wanted to advise of the following staffing changes that will be taking place. We wish the following staff many blessings as they prepare to leave the OLHC school community and embrace the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally in 2024.

These staff leave with our prayers and gratitude

Mrs Hope Prioste - Mrs Prioste will be leaving us to teach at another Catholic school in the Diocese of Wollongong next year. Mrs Prioste has taught Stage Two this year for PPT.

Mr Jarrod Shelton- Mr Shelton is leaving us to go travelling and live overseas for 2024. Mr Shelton has taught Kinder, Year One, Year Two, Year Five and Year Six for PPT this year. We wish him well for the future.

Miss Monique Fenech - Miss Fenech has been a School Support Officer (SSO) supporting students in Kinder and Year One this year, Miss Fenech is leaving us to teach at another school in the Diocese of Wollongong next year,

Miss Nancy Fajloun - Miss Fajloun is leaving us to take up a leadership position at St Thomas More Catholic Primary School. Miss Fajloun has been at OLHC for the past two years teaching Year Six.

We thank Hope, Jarrod, Nancy and Monique for their commitment and care for the students at OLHC. Each of them leaves OLHC with our prayers and best wishes for the future.

We congratulate Miss Ainsley Northey and Miss Celeste Muvceska who will continue at OLHC next year.  We also congratulate Miss Jessica Mudie who will join the school leadership team next year as Middle Leader,

All 2024 staff positions will be communicated next week, after the children are introduced to their 2024 classroom teacher on Tuesday 12th December 2023. This will be the time where students get to meet their teacher for the 2024 school year.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION - A SPECIAL CELEBRATION

A heartfelt congratulations is extended to the children from our school and parish who gathered at the Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Church to commemorate the Sacrament of Eucharist a few weekends ago. For those who experienced receiving Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time, our prayers accompany them, with the hope that they will continue to find spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist, allowing them to reflect the presence of Jesus in the world.

A special thank you to Father Sarkis and Fr Cang, for his significant role in leading the Mass, and our gratitude is extended to Samantha McGarrity, the sacramental coordinator for all of the behind-the-scenes efforts, contributing to the seamless preparation and success of the sacrament. A big thank you is also expressed to the staff from OLHC, Miss Ainsley Northey and Miss Megan O’Sullivan, for their support to the parish throughout the program. Your commitment is genuinely appreciated.

PARENTS & FRIENDS

What a wonderful time we all had on Tuesday afternoon at the P&F Colour Fun Run! Thank you so much to the P&F Executive for their planning of this fun-filled event.  It was wonderful to see the joy on the students' faces as they participated. We are also thankful for those parents who were able to assist on Tuesday afternoon in this wonderful community event!

We are looking forward to celebrating the Christmas festival tomorrow and our thanks are extended to those parents who are able to assist with the cooking of the BBQ. We also would like to thank Woolworths at Macarthur Square and Rosemeadow for their kind donations towards the BBQ.

On a personal note, I would like to extend my thanks to Mrs Louise McHugh, the P&F President, who has been part of the P&F Executive for the past two years.  Mrs McHugh has worked tirelessly and has been very supportive of fundraising initiatives that support all students at the school.

As Mrs McHugh will be relocating in 2024 we wish her and her family many blessings.

As this is the final newsletter for 2023 it is timely to say “thank you” to many members of the Our Lady Help of Christians school community:

• To the parents and carers for all your support of the school in many ways. Your constant support of all that we did was very much appreciated. Thank you for supporting us, helping us and working with us in all areas, particularly the areas focused on learning, wellbeing and safety. We consistently worked hard in partnership with all of our families for the benefit of all students in our school.
   
• To our Parish Priest, Fr Sarkis, who has guided us and supported us through 2023. We say thank you for his spiritual guidance, support and assistance in many ways.
  
  
• To the students for their hard work and resilience. Throughout 2023, the students have constantly amazed us all with their willingness to learn and ability to adapt particularly to events and situations out of their control. Our school community is fortunate to work with children who love to learn and who continued to engage with their learning.  Thank you to our students.
  
  
• To the wonderful staff of Our Lady Help of Christians. Their professionalism and dedication to the community is inspirational.  All of our staff have ensured that the children in our care were safe and equipped to cope with all that was being asked of them. Thank you to our OLHC staff.
  
  
• Thank you to the parishioners of Our Lady Help of Christians, for their prayerful support, particularly with the sacramental programs for 2023. To everyone who did anything to assist and support our great school community in 2023, we say thank you.
  
  
  

We wish families a happy, healthy Christmas and safe travels. Looking forward to welcoming you back in 2024!

Jane Webb