Holy Name Primary School Forster eNewsletter

Religious Education News

Holy Week Liturgy

Yesterday Fr John led the Holy Week Liturgy for grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 in MacKillop Hall. Many parents joined us for the re-enactment of the events of Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday, Peter Denying Jesus, Sentencing Jesus to Death by Pilot and Jesus' Death on the Cross. We listened to the Word as Yr 3 dramatised, danced and sang about these events. Congratulations to all our Yr 3 children for their hard work behind the scenes to prepare for this liturgy and to in their dedication to come to know the Holy Week story so well.

Holy Name Staff wish all our families a most blessed and happy Easter.

Project Compassion

Year 5 Mini Vinnies in their lunch break chose to bring alive the story of a Samoan school student called Toefuata'iga who's school has no water to offer children when they are thirsty. Our students carried buckets of water around the playground for 20 minutes to demonstrate what the Samoan teachers are forced to do to get water for their students. Money raised through Project Compassion by Caritas this Lenten period, will go to school in the Samoan region. Project Compassion boxes are in all classrooms and we are called to donate what we can to help. In the Yr 5 classroom as part of their Catholic Social Teaching learning, students are understanding the injustice suffered by children and families. The students are learning the reasons why this is occuring in Samoa and they made some choices about what they would do to act on their learning as followers of God.

Year 5 Walking for Injustice

On Thursday year 5 students walked around our school to raise awareness for children living in Samoa who don’t have access to water like we do.

First, we talked about how children in Samoa have to walk 30 minutes to access fresh, clean drinking water. We are super lucky in Australia because we have access to clean water all of the time. We walked 20 minutes around the school to see what it would be like to have to walk so long just to access water.

On the walk, we noticed a lot of us were:

- hungry

- feeling bored

- tired

- had sore legs

- happy to be walking

- grateful for what we have

While it was a short walk only for today, we had a much better understanding of what the kids in Samoa go through just to get water. After our walk we then collected the project compassion boxes from each classroom, where families and kids kindly donated any coins they may have.

If you can, please donate to Project Compassion by jumping onto the website and reading the many stories of hardships going on in other countries!

https://fundraise.projectcompassion.org.au/donate

Thanks for reading!

Year 5

Making Liturgy More Engaging for Holy Name Students

Liturgy is a celebration for the community where we come together to hear God's Word. Holy Name is always looking to build on our students engagement in liturgies. Children can be part of a liturgical experience, whether it be as a welcomer, dancer, singer, musician, reader, actor, writer of the Universal prayers to be read at the Liturgy or a member of the congregation. Our wish is for our students to hear God's Word, and be guided to ask themselves what does this mean for me and my parents who are with us in the Liturgy today, when we leave? How will go out and live the Gospel?

To be better, Miss Reynolds recently attended the song writer and musician Andrew Chinn's workshop at St Joseph's Taree and Mrs Williamson yesterday attended the Diocesan Teams meeting with song writer and musican Michael Mangan's for a Liturgical Forum. Both teachers have come away with many fresh ideas to bring about further student engagement in our school liturgies.

Breakfast Club

Each Monday morning at 8:30am Holy Name hosts Breakfast Club. A reminder to all children to join us at Breakfast Club as we begin again in Term 2 on Monday 29th April.

Parish News

Miss Frost Completes The Sacraments of Initiation

Less than a fortnight ago Miss Frost and her mother Mrs Wissink recieved the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist before the Forster Tuncurry Parish at 5pm mass. Many Holy Name staff were present to support her. Miss Frost took the Confirmation name Mary (Christ's mother).

Miss Frost made the committment of becoming a Catholic. Firstly she enrolled in the Sacraments of Initiation Program, and then met regularly with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Parish Team to learn more about God's love. As part of the initiation process, when Miss Frost was first welcomed into the community she was Baptised.

Our staff and members of the RCIA Team celebrated with Miss Frost by hosting a morning tea in her honour. She was given a beautiful gift from the staff: azure blue austrain crystal rosary beads.

As a school community we congratulate Miss Frost.

Any parent interested in becoming a catholic should contact the Parish Office on 0475242695.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation for catholic children in Yr 3-Yr 6 begins on Monday 28th April (First day of Term 2) at 3:30-5pm in the Church Hall. Mrs Williamson will walk any enrolled students from Holy Name to the church when school concludes for the day.

If you would like register your child, please go to the parish website: www.forstertuncurrycatholic.org.au

Easter Mass Times