Dear Parents and Carers,

The thanks of the community to the dedicated parents on the Fundraising Committee for the fun Colour Run and sausage sizzle last Friday on the flats – what a great way to celebrate our last Friday of term, & thanks to Mr Bateman for bringing the fire truck and hosing down the runners!

Thank you to the parents who organised the dinner for the Year 6 children after their graduation Mass and to Tam Prime, Donna Salway, Karen Ingram, Carmen Shoveller & Ashley Campbell from the Fundraising Committee for preparing the feast.

Our auspicious 150th year of St Patrick’s – where we have celebrated learning and community - has come to an end, or perhaps we could say has come to fruition. Thank you for your contribution to our year that has been!

Student Leaders 2020

On Monday we announced the student leaders for next year. Congratulations to all children who nominated for a captain position.

At Graduation awards were presented in the following categories:

So, a final day and final week message….

One of the joys of preparing for Christmas is the setting up of the Christmas tree. It is interesting to hear of different traditions of the when and how of the Christmas tree in each family’s home! Some of the reasons for the Christmas tree joy are expressed in this poem:

“The ornaments upon our tree have secrets of their own,

Of other trees and Christmases that each of them has known.

They’re all different shapes and colours but we know and love them all.

And if they could only speak what joy they would recall.” -Author Unknown.

Christmas is a special time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour in Bethlehem. We enjoy the story about Mary and Joseph, their trip to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus in a stable, the visit of the shepherds and wise men. We enjoy watching our children present the nativity play and we delight in their very simple understanding of the events of Christmas.

However, we sometimes forget to go any further than the simple story. We miss out on the real significance of these events. “Christmas is the celebration of God becoming one of us, a fact that we can never fully grasp, God living on the earth with all the pain, the suffering, the human tragedies, the personal rejection and dying. Jesus came into the thick of everything; and through his presence we are never alone.”

‘In Jesus, God is with us when we are depressed and hurting and sick.

In Jesus, God is with us when we are confronted with bad news.

In Jesus, God is with us when we feel guilty and ashamed.

In Jesus, God is with us when we worry about someone we love.

In Jesus, God is with us when we are caught up in a chain of events that we are powerless to prevent.’ Vince Gerhardy

So what difference can celebrating Christmas this year make to our lives. To be Christian people means to carry throughout the year God’s gifts of peace, justice and love. We are called to be Christ’s hands and feet for people in our world today. More than a hundred years ago Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the following Christmas prayer. It seems to have lost none of its relevance. “Loving Father, Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. Amen.”

Please consider coming to the beautiful Christmas family Mass on the flats on Christmas Eve.
May you have a happy and a holy Christmas.

From Jo & The Staff of St Patrick’s Primary BEGA