RE News - Meaghan Younger
Religious Education around our school – Spotlight on B Block learning this term
The children in Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two have been very busy in Religious Education this term. They have been looking at prayer. They have explored various ways we pray and special words we might use. 1/2B would like to share their beautiful prayers of praise they wrote:
Religious Life of St Michael’s
Project Compassion boxes / Lenten Appeal
Thank you to so many of you for your wonderful support of Project Compassion once again. It delights me to see the bulging little boxes coming in already to the Front Office. Thank you!!! The money you raise goes to support so many amazing projects Caritas runs. Check out below just one of these projects helping people in the Solomons. To help with getting these donations to Caritas promptly, please return your money boxes by the end of Week 10 to assist Mrs Logan in banking it all together before Easter. Thank you again.
Shaniella grew up in a remote village in the Solomon Islands in a province which has limited educational and job opportunities – and one of the country’s highest poverty rates.
After leaving school, she decided to move closer to the capital city, Honiara, to study hospitality and tourism.
However, her vocational training school was hit by a landslide and cyclone in quick succession, destroying its water supply system and the vegetable garden that it relies on for food. The landslide destroyed the school’s main source of water, damaged school buildings and devastated the garden which the school relies on for food.
With your kind support, Caritas Australia Solomon Islands (CASI) was able to help the school to install eight water tanks. This restored students’ access to clean drinking water and the tanks also supply water to nearby schools, health centres and the wider community.
CASI also supported the school by providing it with improved planting materials, 200 chickens, and training in agricultural skills and poultry management, to help it to boost its food security.
To ensure that the school is better prepared to respond to future disasters, CASI ran Disaster Risk Reduction training workshops, raising awareness about evacuation procedures and how to respond during an emergency. It provided additional support when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, by helping the school to improve hygiene practices to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Shaniella can now complete her job skills training and the school has enough food and water for its students. She is also better prepared when disaster strikes and can share her knowledge with her community back home.
Watch her story here: https://youtu.be/EVy_OBNSOpM
Caritas Ukraine
Crises like the one unfolding in Ukraine put a spotlight on the critical need for ongoing assistance and development work around the world for vulnerable communities. Caritas Australia is committed to providing support before, during and after humanitarian crises, conflicts and natural disasters to ensure that the impact of donations is enduring and sustainable.
Caritas Australia has a long-standing partnership with Caritas Ukraine, who is currently working on the ground providing emergency support to internally displaced persons. We have launched an appeal to provide support to Caritas Ukraine as they work tirelessly in tremendously difficult circumstances to provide essentials to vulnerable people in Ukraine, including emergency food and water, shelter, hygiene kits and counselling.
The community can contribute to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal by visiting www.caritas.org.au/ukraine.
Chris Nolan
Social and Ecological Justice Animator NSW/ACT
Holy Week Celebrations
How strange to be having Easter in the middle of our school holidays again. Along with COVID restrictions, it certainly makes our school celebrations of this most important week in our Church calendar look different. Unfortunately, we are still unable to invite families into the school, nor are we allowed to gather in the church to celebrate together as a whole school. Instead, teachers will guide their classes through the events of Holy Week utilizing a liturgy shared by renowned liturgist, Andrew Chinn, artworks depicting the events of Holy Week and a new resource for each class - Resurrection Eggs. If you would like to make your own set of Resurrection Eggs at home there are many resources online to support you, such as the link below. What a fun family activity for during the holidays!! If you make some I’d love you to share some photos for our first newsletter next term.