Dear Parents and Carers

Faith Gives Us Vision
Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “[Lord,] Son of David have pity on us!” Matthew 20:30.

The irony of this story is that we have two people who could not physically see and yet had perfect spiritual vision. They knew with the eyes of faith that Jesus was the Messiah. They trusted in his mercy, while the crowds around them tried to quiet them. When we are true believers we also see with the clear vision of faith and trust.

What problems do I have in my life that I should turn over to the Lord, trusting him to make sure they will be okay?

Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
Last Saturday 8 August was the feast of St Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop). Mary MacKillop is not only the first Australian to be recognised by the Church as a Saint, she is truly a very Australian saint. She characterises the spirit of Australian mythology. She was a prodigiously hard worker who put the needs of others before herself. She exhibited something of the larrikin spirit: constantly in dispute with authority but pressing on, regardless. She used the strengths of others but also didn't tolerate those who were not genuine. Her commitment to the schooling of children from poor and rural communities established a model of Catholic education that continues today.
A Saint for and of Australia!
Last Friday the students participated in a grade liturgy to honour St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Thank you to Mrs Madaschi for preparing the liturgies.

“Never see a need without doing something about it.”

Mrs Vicky Davidson
Principal

Mr Rodney Green
Assistant Principal 

Parish Masses
Both Year 6 classes were fortunate enough to attend the Friday Parish Mass over the last two weeks. We are very grateful that our students are able to attend Mass and pray as part of a community in these unprecedented times.

Father’s Day Liturgy
Father’s Day will be upon us very soon and we would love to celebrate all fathers with a special liturgy. To do this we would love to have photos of children with their fathers and grandfathers as part of the special presentation. Please either email these photos to the school email: info@sfawdow.catholic.edu.au or send the photos to your child’s class teacher. All photos are to be submitted by Friday 28 August at the latest. It is very difficult to add photos on the day the liturgy is being recorded.

Parish Sacraments
A reminder that all sacramental notes need to be returned by Friday 14 August. The information for Reconciliation will be sent out in the next fortnight.

At this stage, please see the new dates for the 2020 Sacraments. Please be advised that these dates will also be dependent on COVID-19 restrictions and may be cancelled at any time.

The new dates for the sacraments are as follows:

Feast Days
During the term, we will be celebrating some important feast days.

The Assumption
Next Saturday 15 August is the Feast of The Assumption. As Catholics, this day is a Holy Day of Obligation and we would normally have to attend Mass. As this is not possible for all of us this year it is important that we honour Mary on this day in some special way or in our prayers.

Every year, Christians celebrate when Our Blessed Mother was taken up into Heaven body and soul at the end of her life.  On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII infallibly declared the doctrine of the Assumption a dogma. (a fixed belief that people are expected to accept without any doubts):

 “By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

On the Solemnity of the Assumption, let us remember our Mother who is in Heaven and who loves us very much.

Prayer for The Assumption
Father in heaven, all creation rightly gives you praise,
for all life and all holiness come from you. 
In the plan of your wisdom she who bore the Christ
in her womb was raised body and soul in glory
to be with him in heaven.
May we follow her example in reflecting your holiness
and join in her hymn of endless love and praise.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Message for all Catholics from Pope Francis

Catholic social teaching is 'fundamental' to tackling world issues, Pope Francis says.

Pope Francis gives his general audience via live stream on June 17, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2020,  05:04 am MT ( CNA).- Pope Francis said on Wednesday the Church is not an expert in the global health crisis, but Catholic social teaching is fundamental to healing the issues faced by the world today.

“Although the Church administers the healing grace of Christ through the sacraments, and although she provides health services in the most remote corners of the planet, she is not an expert in the prevention or treatment of the pandemic,” Pope Francis said at his general audience Aug. 5.

Speaking via live stream from the library of the Vatican’s apostolic palace, the pope stated that the Church “helps with the sick, but she is not an expert. Nor does she give specific socio-political indications.”

“However, over the centuries, and in the light of the Gospel, the Church has developed some social principles that are fundamental principles that can help us move forward, which we need to prepare the future,” he continued.

Pope Francis also spoke about the importance of faith in Jesus Christ, who heals not only physical ailments but also spiritual.

He pointed to the Gospel’s many accounts of miraculous healings performed by Jesus during his public ministry, including the healing of the paralytic at Capernaum, who had to be lowered through a hole in the roof by his friends.

Quoting the Gospel of Mark, Francis said: “Jesus, having regard to their faith, said to the paralytic: Son, your sins are forgiven.”

“And therefore, Jesus heals,” he noted, “but does not simply heal paralysis: Jesus quashes everything, forgives sins, renews the life of the paralytic and his friends.”

“So, we ask ourselves: how can we help heal our world today? As disciples of the Lord Jesus, physician of souls and bodies, we are called to continue ‘his work, a work of healing and salvation’ in a physical, social and spiritual sense,” Francis said, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The pope said this work of healing is facilitated through the closely related principles found in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church; he listed the principles of the dignity of the person, the common good, the preferential option for the poor, the universal destination of goods, solidarity, subsidiarity, and care for the earth.

“All these principles express, in different ways, the virtues of faith, hope and love,” he explained.

“In the coming weeks, I invite you to tackle together the pressing issues that the pandemic has highlighted, especially social diseases,” he said.

“And we will do it in the light of the Gospel, the theological virtues, and the principles of the Church’s social doctrine. We will explore together how our Catholic social tradition can help the human family heal this world that suffers from serious diseases.” 

Welcome Miss Jessica Formosa
Year 3 Blue are very excited to have Miss Formosa teaching in their classroom for six weeks. Miss Formosa is in her final year of her Masters of Teaching (Primary) and will be undertaking her UOW professional experience placement at St Francis of Assisi. Thank you to all the students in Year 3 Blue for making Miss Formosa feel welcome in our school community. The children in Year 3 Blue are looking forward to sharing many memorable learning experiences with her and both Mrs Mansbridge and Mrs Zaffonato are anticipating some wonderful collaborative teaching in 3 Blue. 

This term Kindergarten is learning about "Living Things" and how weather can affect living things from growing or producing. 

Visual Arts
We have been engaged in an artist study on Piet Mondrian. Mondrian’s art is characterized by geometric vertical and horizontal black lines with the 3 primary colours of red, yellow and blue. The artist strives to find visual balance using lines of varying thicknesses, the primary colours, and areas of black and white. The children have done a wonderful job in creating their own Mondrian-style artworks. Please see some of the artworks by Layla, Lucas, Lachlan, Mateo, Ronan, Lilith, Seth, Genevieve, Linda, Kendall and Ariel.

Waste Management - New Bins
In the school playground, new bins have been set up to separate the packaging and waste that the students are bringing to school. The Environmental Team from Year 6 has been supervising the students and showing them the bins into which their rubbish should be placed. There is a bin for General Waste, Soft Plastics, Compost, Vinnies Earn and Learn and Recycling.

Clear signage has been displayed on all the bins so that all students can identify the contents that belong in each bin. Small compost bins have also been purchased and will be placed in each of the classrooms. On a daily basis, these bins will be collected and emptied into our Green Cone and larger compost bins.

The school is continually monitoring our waste and we are finding that soft plastics are still our biggest concern. Soft plastic refers to wrapping that can be scrunched into a ball eg, plastic wrappers of products such as biscuits, chips, glad wrap, zip-lock packs, and anything you buy that has a soft plastic sheath. Fortunately, these plastics can be recycled at all Coles and Woolworths stores through the REDcycle program.

As a school, our goal is to reduce the amount of landfill in our school bins and educate our students about the importance of recycling and sustainability and how it will affect our future actions.

With your support, we can achieve this goal to reduce the huge negative impact on the natural environment.

THURSDAYS and FRIDAYS