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Dear Families,
The excitement is building as we near the end of the school year and we take a step closer to Christmas. For some though it is also a step in a different direction. For our Year 6's and myself it is a step towards new schools while for our new Foundation students they are stepping into our school. In the past few weeks Miss Smith has coordinated a turbo-charged Transition with our Rookies attending school twice a week in a build up to Orientation Day in Week 10. On this day our Foundation Class of 2022 are with us for a longer period of time while our Year 6s spend the day at their Secondary School. Our current students also transition and spend time in their 2022 classrooms with their new staff.
This weekend the Catholic Church celebrates the start of the new church year with the arrival of Advent. At Lumen Christi we get into the spirit with our Bethlehem Bazaar dress up day and fundraiser. We ask for your support in sending your child along to school with a pocket of loose change to spend at the carnival stalls created by some of the senior students. This day embraces the excitement of Christmas but teaches the students of the need to GIVE at Christmas not simply RECEIVE.
Last Friday night we had the opportunity to finally celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. Congratulations must go to these students and thanks to the staff group led by Mrs.Colaciello. Cathy in particular has faced a nightmare of scheduling dramas the past two years due to COVID restrictions and her continued efforts have been simply amazing. As a school community we say "Un enorme grazie Signora!"
We have a number of events happening over the next few weeks and the tweaking of COVID directives will hopefully give us some flexibility around venues and eligible attendees. We thank you for your continued patience and kindness towards staff as we enact these community wide expectations. Our Confirmation crowd was a dream to work with as we gently and calmly enacted the Check-In and Vaccination Passport protocols.
Have a lovely week and enjoy the nice weather.
Dave
Congratulations to the Confirmation Group of 2021.
Thanks to Mrs.Colaciello for her leadership and effort in organising this important faith milestone for our soon to be graduating Year 6 children.
We also thank Fr.James and Fr.Solomon for their continued support.
This weekend signals the start of Advent, the exciting period of time the Catholic church uses to prepare for Christmas. Many themes are used during the weekly scripture readings for the next four Sundays, with ideas like preparing, waiting, hope, staying awake and looking for a sign.
Advent gives us the reminder to 'prepare' for Christmas, not the shopping or the catering plans, but rather on a deeper personal and spiritual level. At Lumen Christi we try to be the 'Light of Christ' for others so we need to be prepared to be the Jesus-character for others while also appreciating opportunities when others are being Christ-like for us.
Another simple way of embracing Advent is to go a little deeper with Kris Kingle. Plenty of workplaces, friendship groups or families might randomly select a person to buy a gift for, but maybe think about going a step further than a Secret Santa gift and spend Advent making deliberate decision to make the person's life easier or joyful. Another idea as a family is to consider how you could reach out to someone in need, or an organisation that is involved with social justice initiatives. The simple act of dropping in an handwritten Christmas card to a neighbour could have such a beautiful impact on someone.
Take some time to watch this short Youtube clip:
Please take note of these dates for your family calendar
UPDATED ADVICE FROM DET/DHHS MAY REQUIRE US TO MODIFY SCHOOL EVENTS - THIS ADVICE IS VERY FLUID. VACCINATION PROTOCOLS NEED TO BE IN PLACE.
VACCINATION RULES APPLY TO EVENTS: All visitors to the school must show proof of Full Vaccination
TERM 4 DATES:
Week 8
Thursday 25th November: Advent Mass & Bethlehem Bazaar
Week 9
Mon 29/11 - Thu 2/12: Swimming Program
Friday 3rd December: Christmas Giving Tree Appeal
Friday 3rd December: Year 5-6 Big Day Out
Week 10
Mon 6th December: Year 6 Fun Day
Tues 7th Dec: Transition Day 2022
Wed 8th Dec: Year P-2 (TBC) and Year 3-4 Big Day Out (TBC)
Thurs 9th December: End of Year Mass
Thurs 9th December: Graduation Night 5pm
Fri 10th December: End of Year Fun Day (Years P-5)
Week 11
Mon 13th December: Junior School Nativity Play 9am
Tues 14th December: Carols & Staff Farewells 9am, End of Year Dismissal 3pm
During Advent and Christmas time, the St Vincent de Paul Society of Victoria encourages us to give to those in need.
Christmas holds a very special place in our hearts, as we prepare for one of our busiest but most rewarding times of the year. Sadly, we find that some local families feel the pinch even more.
As part of our Catholic Social Teaching, we want to give to others in need as Jesus taught us. We need to reflect during Advent and remember that for us, it is a time for giving, reflecting and being with those we love.
We are asking that on Friday, Dec 3rd, the children bring a gold coin donation to school then each class will purchase a gift for a local child in need this Christmas.
At long last we are now able to welcome our Foundation Class of 2022 onsite for their transition activities. These are open to children who are enrolled as well as those families who are interested in finding out some more about Lumen Christi. We would like to thank the staff for their efforts to offer a turbo-boost Transition with twice weekly sessions for the new recruits. If you have any questions please contact the school.
Our Lumen Christi staff will be continuing our Protective Behaviours Program titled, Holding Hands, this Term. As mentioned in pervious newsletters, it is an Internationally acclaimed personal safety and child abuse prevention program endorsed by the Department of Education in Western Australia with Victorian Curriculum links.
This program is based on two themes : “We all have the right to feel safe all of the time’ and “We can talk with someone about anything, no matter what it is”. By teaching protective behaviours programs, we will be helping our students develop the life long skills of assertiveness, self-confidence, problem solving, communication, resilience and help seeking. The activities and discussions are simple and presented in a fun, child-friendly way, designed not to scare children but teach them some of the vital skills of personal safety and the importance of consent. The focus this Term is Body Awareness and many classes will be having discussions about the human body and body parts. The lessons will involve using the correct medical names for the body parts. Please be aware that the children may come home sharing words learnt/used in their classwork.
Our Child Safety focus fits in perfectly with National Children’s Week. Our Day for Daniel on Friday 29th, October, ties in with giving children the power to say, ‘NO’, and to seek assistance if needed. Empowering the children with these strategies will hopefully give them the safety they deserve.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact your class teacher or Mr Cooper or Mrs Colaciello.
Oct 23-31st
Children’s Week
‘Every child has the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others.’
As you would be aware, our activities schedule for this school year has been heavily impacted by the restrictions that have been imposed on schools. Alongside this we have also had to deal with various school providers and camps withdrawing their services due to compliance issues. Our Year 3/4 and 5/6 Camps have been cancelled as have various excursions and incursions that would have normally taken place across the year have also been reduced. Due to this we have made the decision to rebate any associated payments from events back onto family's fee statements. This is a rather complicated task but should be easily identifiable on your fees statements. We will reach out to families who will be graduating from our school who may now be in credit due to be a full-fee paying family who pays via direct debit.
On the school website you will find a listing of Fees Information including downloadable forms including:
- 2022 Fees Schedule
- Direct Debit forms
- CSEF Application Form for Concession Card Holders
- Smith Family Application Form for Concession Card Holders