The first reading this weekend comes from Isaiah (36: 4-7) and has in the first sentence:

“Courage! Do not be afraid”.

The reading continues on to say that God is coming to save us. The theme of God’s salvation commonly runs through all the Gospels and readings that we encounter at mass. It is also very common for us to hear the message that we should not be afraid and trust in God’s mercy and saving power. This trust in God is fundamental to our faith but it is common also in times of hardship for us to question this message and to lose heart. As the pandemic stretches out and we miss the personal support of our friends and community, it is easy to fall into the despair of our modern world. Over the last week, I have spoken to a number of our staff and also colleagues from other schools and have received emails where we have all wondered about what will happen in schools over the next few months. At this stage, we are not able to comment on specifics but only the broad indications of students returning toward the end of October or early November. These dates signal a period where we have not been able to come together as community for almost four months. It is easy to lose hope and courage. Our hope is that we know we have the support of Jesus through our relationship with those around us and we can count on their support. I ask you to read the rest of this newsletter in this context, as it has some very valuable links to student welfare and academic suggestions.

Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong, in conjunction with Catholic Care, have developed a webinar to support parents in dealing with Teen’s mental health issues. The video explains the signals to look for if your child is experiencing mental health stress and some of the ways that you may be able to support them. The link to this valuable resource is:

Parent Webinar: Supporting Your Teen's Mental Health 40 minutes. I encourage all parents to view this video especially during these difficult times.

Apart from the pastoral welfare of our students, their academic progress is also high in our minds. This week’s Literacy links from Mrs Murphy provide some simple and again very valuable ways to support your child at this stage of the term. Again, I encourage you to read this and support your child in returning to the basics of reading. 

As announced last week, a reminder that next Monday September 6 has been set aside for another Breathe Day. This is an opportunity for students to catch up on work or take some time to stop and breathe. Remember that we are all travelling this road together and we can rest in the advice from Isaiah to ‘not be afraid’.

We have received a number of emails and responses to phone calls from parents acknowledging the fantastic work that many of our staff are doing in maintaining connections and support for their students. I thank the staff for their hard work and for the parents who have taken the time to share their appreciation. Again, we are working for the same goals and support for each other is fundamental. Please feel free to email the teachers when you believe they are doing a good job.

This Sunday is Father’s Day. We keep in our prayers all fathers who play an important role in families. Whether they are here or have passed to rest with Jesus, we thank them for their contribution and care.

As always, a very big thank you to the staff, students and parents for your flexibility and ongoing support during remote learning.