Dear Families,
As we enter the Season of Advent, as a school community we will be focusing on ‘Looking Back, Looking Forward and Looking Around’ as we look, we seek to find Jesus. Jesus is with us every day in every way, but in our busyness sometimes we forget to look for and acknowledge his presence. This season of Advent, let’s try and slow down so that our looking for Jesus moments can indeed be intentional.
Families are invited to attend the sacred space each morning to compose a prayer and add to our Advent tree. Families are also invited to join us on a Monday morning at 8:50 for a prayer service during Advent.
Advent taking action Christmas Appeal – Helping Hands
Christmas is a time for giving and what better way than to partner with one of the most generous organisations in our Community – Helping Hands Mission.
Helping Hands Mission our local not-for-profit charity organisation, with five Op Shops across Melbourne’s north west suburbs. They rely on the sales in their stores to fund our Emergency and Material Programs. Helping Hands Mission accepts financial, material and food pantry donations.
This Christmas, our schools ‘Taking Action’ linked to our RE Units is to gather Christmas treats to give to the needy this Christmas. Beginning this week we invite families, extended family, friends – the whole community to drop items into our school office. On Tuesday 10th December our school leaders will deliver our goods to Helping Hands to be distributed out into the community. Items we are seeking for donation:
Chocolates
Lollies
Candy Canes
Biscuits
Gingerbread/Shortbread
Christmas Bon-Bons
Christmas Puddings
Custard
Lets all get behind this initiative and model to our children the real meaning of Christmas.
Come, Lord Jesus,
You who took time to notice lilies bobbing,
Birds soaring, and bread rising,
Come and slow me down.
You who took time to dine with acquaintances,
Go fishing with your apostles,
And barbecue breakfast on the beach for your friends,
Come and slow me down.
You who took time to play with children,
Listen to people’s stories,
And share their joys and sorrows,
Come and slow me down.
When my mind is crammed with plans,
When my “to-do” list is pages long,
When I feel carried away by conflicting concerns,
Come and slow me down.
Give me the grace to stop and to be—
With you, with others,
With my own hopes, fears, questions, and dreams.
Come and slow me down.
Help me to bear you slowly but surely into the world,
A world languishing and lovely,
Dark and delightful, sinful and saintly.
Come and slow me down.
Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Come and slow me down.
Through all of the external noise this festive season, let my heart and mind be still, calmy anticipating the joy and hope of Christmas Day.
Come and slow me down.
