Dear Parents and Carers

100 Days of Kinder

Yesterday, our beautiful Kindergarten students celebrated their 100^th day of Kindergarten. It was of course a great cause for celebration, and our youngest students and their teachers celebrated with great style and aplomb. Congratulations to our students and their families and teachers. May the next 100 days, and all the days to come, be as rich and rewarding as the ones thus far.

Corin Forest – Snow Trip

This Friday, students from Grades 3 – 6 have a wonderful day at the snow, at Corin Forest. This day, and the ones like it, are optional opportunities for our students to have experinces that broaden their education and provide leadership experiences. My thanks to Luke Gubler for coordinating the day, and to the staff attending with the students.

Sacramental Program – First Eucharist

Last night, we held our Information Night for the parents of students in Year 4 who are making their First Eucharist later this term. The information evening was via Teams and ‘broadcast’ from the boardroom at Holy Trinity. Sam Mance (Acting Assistant Principal) and I attended, with Sarah Walsh, our Acting REC, and Year 4  teachers from both Garran and Curtin, as well as Fr John. My thanks to Sarah Walsh for coordinating our involvement, to our Year 4 teachers and to Fr John and staff from Holy Trinity, for their support. Most significantly, I would like to thank our families, as they are the children’s first educators. Our parents’ support is vital.

Feast of the Transfiguration

Next Tuesday, we celebrate our annual parish feast day, the feast of the Transfiguration. As both Sts Peter and Paul and Holy Trinity are part of the parish, both schools come together to celebrate the day. We are hosting staff and students from Holy Trinity at Garran, and will celebrate with Mass and combined grade activities. Fr John is saying Mass for us and Garran staff are cooking lunch for Curtin staff. All parents are welcome to attend the two Masses (K – 2 at 10am, 3 – 6 at 12pm).

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

Our theme for 2024 is “Planted in the House of the Lord, they will flourish” Psalm 92:13. Throughout the year, we will be looking at the ways we can flourish, individually and as a school community, and help those around us to flourish. 

A huge thank you to all the families in our community for their generosity last term in our fundraising efforts for the St Vincent de Paul Society. Not only was our clothing drive a huge success but we also fundraised $598.60 from the clothing drive and our hot chocolate morning.

Sacramental News

SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION: First Eucharist

The Sacrament of First Eucharist will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Church, Curtin, on Saturday 21st September, and Sunday 22nd September 2024.

Families of Year 4 students who have celebrated their First Reconciliation may enrol in the Parish's Family-Based Sacramental Program for First Eucharist.

Thank you to all the families who were able to attend our Parent Information Night about First Eucharist last night. If you were unable to attend, the session has been recorded and can be accessed through the link which will be sent out via Compass. You will also be able to access the GoogleSlides from the night, as well as the two GoogleSheets to sign up for a Home Group and a Sacrament of Eucharist Mass on Compass. 

If you have not yet had a chance to enrol your child for this sacrament, please do so via Qkr! at your earliest convenience. Once enrolments have been confirmed, your child will receive their First Eucharist Home Group Book. Please ensure you have signed your child into a Home Group and sign up for one of the masses where they will partake in the Sacrament of First Eucharist. 

Enrolment must be completed online using the Qkr! app before beginning Home Groups.

To enrol:

• Access or download the Qkr! app. 
• Tap on ‘North Woden Transfiguration Parish’
• Tap Sacrament of First Eucharist
• Complete the form and make your online payment.

.Friday 26th July: Enrolment on Qkr! to be completed.

Tuesday 30th July:  5:30pm - Information night for Family Group Hosts via Microsoft Teams; 6:00pm - Introductory Information Night for all Parents of students making their First Eucharist.

August-September (various dates): Family Group meetings to be held before the First Eucharist Retreat Day.

Saturday 24th August 6:00pm and Sunday 25th August 9:30am: Candidate Presentation Mass at Holy Trinity Church, Curtin.

Friday 6th September 9:00am-2:15pm: First Eucharist Retreat Day at Holy Trinity for all children in Year 4.

Saturday 21st September 6:00pm: Sacrament of First Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church.

Sunday 22nd September 9:30am or 5:30pm: Sacrament of First Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church.

If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Grinsell Jones at the Parish Office on 6281 3999.

Feast of the Transfiguration

Sts Peter and Paul with Holy Trinity Primary School Curtin will come together to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration on Tuesday 6th August. The Feast of the Transfiguration, recalls and celebrates Jesus’ revelation of his divinity to three of his friends—Peter, James, and John—on a high point on Mount Tabor. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus took the three disciples onto the mountain to pray. While they were praying, his appearance was changed by a brilliant white light that radiated from him and his clothing. Moses and Elijah, the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, appeared with Jesus, and a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

Sts Peter and Paul will host the students and staff of Holy Trinity on this day. The day will involve buddy activities with a class from Holy Trinity, a shared lunch, and the celebration of Mass as a Parish. All families are warmly invited to join us in Mass, at 10:00am for Kindergarten-Year 2 students, or 12:00pm for Year 3-Year 6 students.

Gospel - John 6:24-35 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Jesus is the bread of life.

Jesus' discourse on the bread of life follows a traditional method of rabbinic interpretation. Scripture is quoted, and then an analysis is given. When Jesus states that the work of God is faith in himself, the crowds demand a sign to verify this bold claim. In response, Jesus reinterprets the story of manna in the wilderness, insisting that he is the bread from heaven that gives life to the world. Jesus leads them away from a superficial search for physical satisfaction to a desire for the deeper things of God. The people realise that Jesus is claiming to be the one sent by God in whom they must believe. Here the bread of life is a wisdom theme and refers to faith, not Eucharist.

Adapted from Dianne Bergant CSA

Blessings for the week ahead,

Sarah Walsh

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to those students who are celebrating their birthday this week

Tendwai M

Anwesha K

Oscar B

Zachariah R

Joaquin C

Abigail B

Reading Olympics

We hope you have all enjoyed watching the incredible success of the Australian athletes at the 2024 Olympics!

This week in the library, we've set up a special area featuring Olympic and sports-themed books. Encourage your readers to drop by and borrow a book or two to learn more about this amazing event! Achieving Olympic greatness takes immense hard work and dedication.

Even better, why not participate in your own Olympic reading challenge! Set a goal to read a number or books over the next month and enjoy the benefits that come from exercising your mind. It is amazing to see the world through the eyes of an author or illustrator! 

You should have received the latest Book Club catalogue by now. Hopefully, you’ll find the perfect book at the right price.

More information and how you can order online can be found here: Book Club - Parents | Scholastic Australia

Please remember to return library books and get something new to read each week.

Until next week, keep reading!

Your Library Team (Amanda de Jongh & Michael Washington)

Boorowa Touch Football/Netball Carnival Friday 25^th October

Sts Peter and Paul Primary School will be sending teams to compete in the Annual Boorowa Touch Football and Netball Carnival. The carnival is for children in Years 2 – 6 and is open to both boys and girls. Boorowa is a small country town located 112 kms west of Canberra. This carnival is the main fundraiser for St Joseph’s Primary and Boorowa Central School. 

Please have a talk to your child to ascertain if they may be interested in this event. Information about this will come home to students who are interested this week.

South/Weston Region Athletics Carnival Thursday 22^nd August at Woden Park Athletic, Ainsworth St, Phillip ACT 2606.

If your child has qualified for the South/Weston Region Athletics Carnival, information will go home to you in relation to this next week. A permission note will come home via Compass, where you will also be provided with the opportunity to pay. 

At the South Weston Region Athletics Carnival students will be only able to race in their year group if they have qualified (i.e. 9 years boys will only race in 9 years boys). Due to this, if your child was awarded any ribbons for a 10&Under event for our school’s Athletics Carnival and they are an 8 or 9 year old, unfortunately they are not eligible to progress further. Students who are racing in the 8 and 9 year old category are only allowed to participate in the 70m and 100m races.

This week Year1 got their hands busy making playdoh. They also learnt the rules of the kitchen as it was their first lesson. 

In the garden we cleared a garden bed for planting and swept and watered. The garden is looking very good and we will be having a garden stall next assembly. Very exciting!!

The garden club

THE CANTEEN IS CASHLESS FOR ALL LUNCH ORDERS

Families are required to place ALL lunch orders via Qkr! before 8.45am

Please purchase over-the-counter sale items (snacks & treats) for your child in a lunch order.

Purchase a “daily counter sales voucher” via Qkr! for your child to go to the canteen to collect items at lunchtime.

WEEK 3, TERM 3,  CANTEEN VOLUNTEER ROSTER

Thank you, helpers; your assistance is very much appreciated!

Please contact me if you are unable to assist on your day.  

Are you able to help in the canteen?

 TERM 3 Canteen Roster OUT NOW

Parent/carer helpers are most welcome in the Canteen. A lending hand is always required and very much appreciated.

Helping in the Canteen is a great opportunity to meet new people and make a valuable contribution to the school. 

No doubt your child/ren will get a buzz from seeing you at the school. 

So if you have any spare time and would like to help out in the canteen, PLEASE feel free to contact me through email at lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

Or click on the link below to add your selected time to the roster.

Please ensure you have your WWVP card.

https://stpandp.schoolzineplus.com/Term3Roster

Qkr! TIP

Is your child sick and not going to school, and you have placed a lunch order on Qkr!?

You have till 8.45am that morning to cancel the lunch order - instructions on how to cancel lunch orders are below.

Mrs R's fried rice	Teriyaki noodles
Fruit bars	Carrot sticks & hummus dip
Muesli bars	Sultanas
Fruit cups	Fruit in jelly cups

Junior size – All meals come with cheese & crackers, muesli bar, and fruit cup.

Senior size – All meals come with a salad box, muesli bar and cheese & crackers.

Kitchen and Canteen Stock up Drive

 Mrs Moore and Mrs R send out a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who helped stock up our pantry for 2024!

 It was very close, but we do have a class winner…. 5W, you will have a pizza party on us, one lunchtime. 

ENJOY!!!

 THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Mrs Moore & Mrs R

OPEN TUESDAY MORNINGS

8.30 – 9.30AM

The Uniform Shop is a service for the parents and children. 

We sell New & Quality Second-hand school clothing, and all money raised goes back to the school to provide resources for the children.

 The School Uniform is available via Qkr!
Tuesdays - Fridays, orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom. Orders need to be placed before 8.45 am. 

It is usual practice for most schools to offer second-hand clothing at the uniform shop to families at a discounted price. Quality second-hand clothing can only be purchased during uniform hours.  We do understand that this may not be convenient for some families so please feel free to send me an email if you are unable to get to the uniform shop during opening hours and I will do my best to attend your needs.

The Uniform shop is stocked up with second hand uniform, please visit on a Tuesday morning to purchase second hand uniform.

The uniform shop is limited with space, so if you wish to donate pre-loved items, PLEASE ONLY DONATE CLOTHES

that are washed and in perfect resalable order.

Lauretta Raccosta

Uniform Shop

Lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au

When Year Five went to Malkara this morning, at first it was a different environment from what we are used to. Once we met some students from Malkara it wasn’t as scary as it seemed and made the experience a lot more fun. When we got there they welcomed us with an enthusiastic smile and a friendly walk. A lot of the students were around our age group, and we ended up having an entertaining conversation and learning their names and their favourite colours. Without a doubt the students there were kind hearted and lovely to talk to. After this experience, we realised that Malkara is a fun, exciting and unique place. Each student from Year 5 got to learn the names of at least one student from Malkara. 

Year 5 is so grateful that we got this opportunity to meet more friendly faces, we can’t wait to see them again next week. 

~ written by Chiara.C & Ella.M

Year 5 students

‘RENEWING OUR PARISH TOGETHER’

Time moves on. Trite but true. True for each of us and true for our parish. 

I arrived in the parish in January 2018.  In June that year we had a Parish Assembly. The aim was the formation of a new Parish Pastoral Council and renewal of the Parish Finance Council.  Those aims were realised and good things happened. 

Then in 2020 COVID hit.  After consultation, we consolidated all parish liturgies at Holy Trinity and more recently we leased Ss Peter and Paul Church to the Latin Mass Community of Canberra.  For some years the Parish Finance Council have been in discussion with Marymead-CatholicCare (the Archdiocese’s social welfare arm) to construct, with the support of the ACT Government, 50+affordable housing units on the site of the presbytery and parish office.  The hope is to commence construction in 2026; the location of the presbytery and parish office are yet to be determined. 

Meanwhile, in 2021 and 2022 the Australian Church held the two sessions of the Plenary Council, the decrees of which will be ratified next year following the second session in October of the international ‘Synod on Synodality’ (‘Walking Together’) called by Pope Francis.  Archbishop Christopher is keen for the discernment model foundational to ‘synodality’ to permeate all aspects of Church life in our archdiocese.  He called for a ‘Year of the Holy Spirit’ which will culminate in an in- person and online Archdiocesan Assembly from 18-20 October. 

Locally, your Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), under the title of Renewing Our Parish Together, will seek to engage with you by way of conversations and a parish expo prior to the Archdiocesan Assembly and then a Parish Assembly of our own on Sunday, 17 November.  The PPC will be assisted by Philomena (‘Phil’) Billington, a native of the archdiocese and a nationally recognised pastoral consultant and educator. 

In view of these proposals, today’s Gospel could not be more appropriate.  Jesus fails to evoke a response of faith in those from his home town.  Jesuit Scripture scholar Brendan Byrne comments: “The episode shows that the greatest enemy to faith can simply be “familiarity’: a refusal to believe that God’s presence and God’s power could come to us in so familiar a form as the person next door”.  Or next to you in the pew.  To be clear Nazareth was an insignificant town (cf. John 1:46), but here the Son of God became human.  “Perhaps we have to identify and name “the Nazareth” in our own selves” (ibid).  

I invite you to join me in praying for a deeper awareness of God’s presence in our lives.  There is much graced experience and wisdom in our parish.  The PPC will seek to build on that at the end of this month.  More to come! 

                                                                                                                                 Fr John