25 Term 1 Week 10

As we come to the end of another successful term (almost), we want to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful experiences we have shared as a school community. This term has been filled with achievements, learning, and most importantly, a strong sense of community.

Our Catholic faith remains at the heart of everything we do. This term, we have had many opportunities to gather as a school community and to reflect on what is most important to us, as we continue to build on our theme of Joy, Hope and Gratitude. From celebrating liturgies and Masses, to reflecting on our Lenten journey, it has certainly been a rich and joyful term.

This week we celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation and we congratulate the students and their families who took part in this. After a number of preparation sessions, it was a lovely celebration on Tuesday night. This sacrament is the first of three which these students will be involved in over the next few years of their faith development.

Community Events

Sports Day was a highlight of term 1 and a very successful day. A big congratulations to Sontrop (Mons Egar Victory Cup) and Murphy (Good Samaritan Shield) for their success and to all the students for the way they entered into and participated on the day. We thank James McCarthy for his outstanding organisation of the day, and a big thanks to the enormous group of Parents and Friends who turned up to support the day.

This term, we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Harmony Day, a special occasion dedicated to inclusivity, diversity, and respect for all cultures within our school community. Following a Whole School Community Prayer, students participated in a range activities where they  embraced the message that “Everyone Belongs.” We are proud of how our students demonstrated kindness and unity, making this celebration a memorable and meaningful one. It is so pleasing to see the way that we as a school community continue to work in harmony with one another to make our school community the friendly caring places that it is.

We would like to extend our thanks to all families for your involvement in the life of the school this term. Your involvement in your child’s education, school activities and support for events, contributes immensely to the sense of community that we have here at Stella Maris.

A special thank you also goes to our Parents and Friends Committee for their tireless work in organising events that bring our school families together, creating fun experiences for our kids and helping to fundraise for the school. This term the key events for the P&F have been the Easter Raffle and the Colour Run, which will be held on the last day of school. The Colour Run is a day filled with fun, laughter, and memories for our students and families, while also playing a vital role in helping the school reach our fundraising targets. Families are encouraged to contribute, no matter how big or small, to the Colour Run fundraising efforts (via QKR!) and we look forward to a fun filled end to term 1!

*Further information re: the Easter Raffle and the Colour Run can be found below. 

Holy Week

As we head into week 11, our final week of school before Easter, we will commemorate and learn about Holy Week, which is the most sacred and most important week in our Church year.

Holy Week is the final week of Lent, leading up to Easter Sunday. It is a deeply significant time for Christians, as it commemorates the events surrounding the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It begins with Palm Sunday, followed by several keys days as we prepare for the death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

Today we will begin our Holy Week Liturgies with a whole school gathering for Palm Sunday, which celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when people greeted him by waving palm branches and cheers of the crowd. We will be led by 1TM who will set the scene for next chapters of the story,  where the joy slowly turns to feelings of despair as we follow Jesus’ journey throughout Holy Week.

Next week, we will continue to commemorate Holy week with the following liturgies:

Tuesday 8^th April - Whole School Last Super Liturgy 2.30pm – Led by 4JP

Wednesday 9^th April - Whole School Garden of Gethsemane Liturgy 2.30pm – Led by 2MV

Thursday 10^th April – Yr 3-6 Stations of the Cross 2.00pm – Led by year 6

Friday 11^th April– Rec-Yr 2 Stations of the Cross 9.00am – Led by Yr 6 Social Justice group

As we continue our journey through this sacred season of Lent, may it be a time of reflection, renewal and growth. We thank you once again for your ongoing support of our great school.

James, Ella & Paula