God of Comfort,

send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives

are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine.

You are the Advocate of the oppressed

and the One whose eye is on the sparrow.

Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression.

Let hearts mourn rather than militarize.

God of Justice,

give strength to those whose long work for a just peace

might seem fruitless now. Strengthen their resolve.

Do not let them feel alone. Show us how to support their work

and bolster their courage. Guide religious leaders to model

unity and reconciliation across lines of division.

Guide political leaders to listen with their hearts as they seek peace and pursue it.

Help all people choose the rigorous path of just peace and disavow violence.

Dear parents and carers,

This week I offer a prayer for peace in Israel and Palestine. As a Catholic community, we are united with all peoples of the world where such sadness and suffering exist. It is a horrendous time for so many, and is being reported across many online and accessible platforms. It can be a worrying and confusing situation for children, and they may have questions or concerns. Listen carefully, should your child raise anything, and be confident in sharing that it is important to know that war and fighting is terrible and impacts so many around the world.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Last Friday we welcomed over 150 visitors into the school for our Grandparents and Special Friends Day. This is always a highlight in our year with the children very excited to share their learning and the classrooms with important people in their lives. Thank you to our Foundation students and teachers for leading our Prayer Assembly as part of this special occasion. Thank you also to many of our guests who engaged with children who may not have had someone at school that day, looking at their work and asking them about their learning!

Year 5 Camp

On Monday and Tuesday this week, our Year 5 students ventured to Greenhills at the Cotter for their Leadership Camp. As part of their preparation to be our Year 6 Leaders in 2024, they worked in small groups to solve challenges and complete tasks, as well overcome any fears by doing some crate climbing. There was also a full session on what does leadership look like at St Joseph’s and how they see themselves building on this through using their own skills and talents. Well done to the students on their positive engagement over the two days and thank you to Miss More and Mrs Gould for heading away with the Year 5s for the camp!

Staffing

Congratulations to Kirstie Buckley who has been appointed as Religious Education Coordinator from the start of the 2024 school year, replacing Melanie Stratford who is taking up the REC role at St Monica's. We are looking forward to welcoming Kirstie into this important substantive position, following her role this term as Acting Coordinator.

Save the Date

Kid-Free Night (Christmas edition) on Friday 1 December. Bookings opening via Qkr! soon.

For those not aware, this is an opportunity to drop the kids off at school for a couple of hours on Friday evening 1 December, with Camp Australia and P&F volunteers doing the supervision while parents can get some shopping done (or perhaps finding a chance to catch up with each other).

Have a great end to the week.

Yours in Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

Cameron.tarrant@cg.catholic.edu.au